Author's Note: I've wanted to tell this story for a while now. (Since Bella Vita started.) The nonlinear way of storytelling seemed like the most interesting way to do it. Also, I'm trying to grow my A03 account. So, I'm over there too under the same name.
Enjoy!
Saint Sebastian's Hospital- New York City: 3:00 pm.
Losing a child either brings a couple together or pulls them apart. How many times had Dave said that during child abduction cases? 100 times? A thousand? Who knew, and why did it matter? He never thought it would happen to him.
"Take the deal!" Erin hissed in his ear. The sound of Carlo's piercing wail cut across the speaker. She crossed her arms over her chest as her boobs throbbed at the sound of Carlo's screaming over the phone. At least she knew he was alive; the knowledge should have comforted her. It only intensified the guilt. She chanced a look around the small room that had somehow turned into the hub for the BAU's investigation. Allison curled on the couch, trying to be as small and inconspicuous as possible. Carmelina Rossi sat by her side, red-eyed trying to comfort Allison. Across from them, was Vera looking as still and stone-faced as a statue.
Agent Morgan took up a chair along the wall, beside Garcia, with Aaron and Reid standing by the door, behind Dave.
"Listen to her, Agent Rossi. Take the deal and you get your baby back. "He's probably getting hungry," the voice goaded over the speaker in a tinny, robotic tone. Whoever it was, used a voice disguiser. Torn, Dave looked across the room, Hotch shook his head adamantly. The BAU didn't bargain with unsubs. Hotch scrawled a note on a yellow legal pad and slid it to him. We'll find him, trust the process. No deal.
God, he wanted this to end. He'd happily hand over a bag of money for the guarantee that they would get Carlo back. After that, they could focus on finding the unsub.
"Tick tock, Agent Rossi…." The voice goaded again.
"I'm pulling rank on you!" Erin hissed, desperately. "David, please!"
"No one asked you, Chief Strauss," the voice said, placatingly, mocking her. "Come on Rossi, take your pick. Half a million in unmarked bills and you'll get your son back."
"David!" His name tore from Erin's throat.
"You have 1 hour to decide." A second later, the line went dead.
The team stood, cramped in Erin's hospital room. The whole place was on lockdown, Penelope worked from her laptop, furiously trying to triangulate the location of the Unsub.
"Did you get anything?" Erin demanded, rounding on Garcia.
"I'm trying, Ma'am," Penelope blinked back her own tears. "it's going to take a few minutes-"
"Try harder!" Erin demanded, standing over Penelope.
"Strauss," Dave demanded, grabbing her by the elbow and dragging her across the room. "Don't take your rage out on them-"
"Don't!" Erin yanked away from him, furiously. As if he had burned her, she glared at him in disgust. "Don't tell me where to put my rage! You just got our son killed."
10:00 AM- Saint Sebastian's hospital, New York City.
"I feel like I had more training when I brought Mudgie home for the first time," Dave complained. "It's too easy to bring home a kid." Suddenly feeling unprepared for the biggest test of his life. Preparing for the birth of the baby was one thing, actually bringing Carlo home and taking care of him for the next decade or two, was something else entirely. They just had to get the all-clear from the hospital first.
"Don't jump ahead of yourself," Erin said, from the middle of the bed, draped in a silky bathrobe, a nursing tank top, and yoga pants. With Carlo firmly attached to her boob. "We still need to fill out the birth certificate and get his blood work back." She looked down at the newborn in her arms. "He seems pretty healthy though." She shoved her tit in his mouth, helping him to latch, drawing more milk into his mouth. Carlo hadn't quite figured it out yet. She thought after more than half a dozen feeds throughout the day and night, he would have gotten the hang of nursing. She considered calling for a nurse. Maybe there was something wrong and she just didn't know it?
"Is… uh… everything okay?" Dave asked awkwardly from the side of the bed, breastfeeding was so far out of his realm of experience, that he didn't know if he'd ever even seen it done in real life. Sure, he knew it happened, how else would he have made it past infancy? He just didn't expect it to be so… he didn't know the right term, but he knew Erin's boobs. If he didn't know anything else, he knew those boobs and they didn't usually look like that." Plump and darker around the nipple, on display for the world to see. When, the day before, Erin would have rather died than have her top fall down. Her nipple was only seen long enough for the baby in her lap to move into position. Then they were gone again, in a flash, back into the confines of her clothes… with no hint of sexuality…. Not that he wanted there to be, because that would be weird.
"I'm fine," Erin answered, running her thumb reflexively down Carlo's soft, chubby cheek.
"You're wincing," Dave pointed out, as the corner of her mouth drew downward in a nearly unperceivable expression of pain.
"Well," Erin huffed, annoyed at him for calling her out. "He's still learning, so he's not latching deep enough to get the milk out. It's not exactly comfortable."
"Is he okay?" Dave was still learning too, so he jumped up, poised to go get help. "Is there some reason why this is happening?" His stomach dropped, there were a lot of things that Carlo could skip and still lead a healthy life. According to Google, plenty of babies skipped crawling and went straight to walking. But you couldn't skip knowing how to eat. His mind buzzed with questions; but he settled on, "Is this normal?" Maybe her boobs were too big for the baby's mouth? It sounded weird, even to him, but this whole situation was weird. Of the two of them, Erin was the veteran parent. She knew what she was doing. He trusted her judgment, first and foremost.
"The nurse and the pediatrician both said he was fine last night." Erin said, "He'll learn and, in the meantime," she shrugged, shifting Carlo to the other breast. "If he doesn't, I'll pump, and we can feed him with a bottle like you did this morning. Sit down and relax." She ordered a tone that said she was still in charge.
"Well, in that case…" Dave's shoulders relaxed a little, Erin had a plan. She knew what she was doing. He sat down on the bed, slinging his arm around her shoulders. Certain that he'd never been happier. The birds were singing, and the sun seemed to shine a little brighter. Everything was coming together, just the way he wanted it. He ran his hand over Carlo's dark hair, amazed by how thick it was, considering he wasn't even a full-day old. "I could do this all day," he confessed, as Erin relaxed her head on his shoulder. "If there is where you want me, this is where I'll be."
"I don't think I believe you," Erin teased. "You'll get bored in twenty minutes."
Just then, Dave's phone rang in his pocket. He pulled it out, without thinking. "Rossi."
He sat up, swinging his feet back onto the floor. "Alright, Ma. I'm on my way now."
He hung up the phone, with an apologetic look in his eyes.
A teasing grin spread across Erin's face. "It's alright, Dave. I knew it wouldn't last."
"I wasn't bored, but my mom wants to see the baby again." Carmelina was alone in her hotel room; Dave couldn't just leave her there. "She asked if I would pick her up."
"You better get going," Erin relented, Carmelina Rossi was over 80 years old, and her patience was nil on a good day.
"Hey, Shortie." Dave pointed at Allison, "do you want to ride along?"
"Nah," Allison beamed at being included, then curled her legs up on the couch and continued playing on her iPad.
"I'll bring back decent food," he said, kissing Erin and Carlo, goodbye, for the second time that day before walking out and closing the door behind him. When he thought back on it, he knew he should have never left.
Dun. Dun. Dun.