Erin was still rattled by her encounter with Aaron when she made her way back into her office. Her heart raced as she paused in front of Helen's desk, waiting for her to look up and acknowledge her presence. It didn't take long, and she was able to watch the encouraging smile drop from Helen's face. "What happened?"
"One percent failure rate, Helen. The likelihood of this being Alan's child is slim to none. I suddenly find myself with a piercing headache, and will have to go home. But feel free to order Chinese food for yourself and put it on my tab. Thank you for all that you've done to help me so far." Before Helen could answer, Erin scurried into her office and picked up her purse, deciding to leave all work there, and play catch up the next day, even though it would most likely fuck her entire week over. "If I have any truly important calls, please forward them to my cellphone. The rest can wait until tomorrow, when I have a clearer head to deal with everything. I just…"
"You just need to wrap your mind around the fact that you have a baby on the way and how to best make certain that everything with your pregnancy goes smoothly. I know that I wasn't here for your last one, but I promise that I will do whatever I can to ease your way."
The fierce loyalty was not at all what Erin was expecting, especially since Helen knew of her indiscretion with Aaron. She truly was expecting to find some ostracization, some judgement, so being accepted like this would truly make her job easier in the coming months. "You have no idea how much this means to me, Helen. Thank you," she whispered as she drew in a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. "I will see you tomorrow, come hell or high water."
"I would expect nothing less, Erin."
They dipped their head a little as Erin turned on her heel and started for the elevators, only to see Aaron from the corner of her eye. He looked mad, which made her heart thump a little in her chest as she turned and stealthily made her way over to the stairwell and hastily made her way down to the ground floor, not breaking pace as she crossed the parking lot and let herself into her car, making a beeline for home.
Erin felt like she was going to throw up the entire drive, but she kept her breathing slow and steady, swallowing the bile that pooled in her mouth in her effort to keep control until she was in her own home. Still, she had to run to the downstairs bathroom the minute she was inside, the only thing coming up orange juice and bile. This was one thing she had not missed about pregnancy in the slightest, but it did confirm for her that she was indeed pregnant, and that it was not Alan's. Because there was no way that her life would work like that. She was going to pay for this indiscretion, and she deserved it. A part of her thought that she should just have an 'A' branded on her chest so every future lover would know that she was less than faithful.
Shakily getting to her feet, Erin stumbled over to the sink and washed her face before brushing her teeth in an effort to remove the bitter taste of bile that lingered in her throat. Her feet guided her over to the living room and she sank down onto the sofa, curling up in a tight ball as she pulled the blanket her grandmother had knitted around her body, needing the comforting warmth of it in that moment. "Aaron knows I'm pregnant now, and he's smart, so he'll be able to figure out that this baby isn't my husband's, not with the questions I was asking Ms. Garcia. And he could very well ask her what we were talking about, and she was well within her right to tell him everything. I didn't swear her to secrecy."
Groaning a little, she was suddenly grateful for the fact that the children were in school, and that Alan was at work, as that allowed her to decompress without them asking too many questions about why she was upset and why she was home already. Letting out a long breath, she got to her feet and went into the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water before taking a donut out of the box and making her way back to the living room to nibble at the snack. She would have been fine, had her phone not rang, and she pulled the device out to see that Helen was calling. "Hello?"
"Erin! Are you home yet?"
"Yes, why?"
"Agent Hotchner left here five minutes ago, and he was furious about something. The only reason I saw him was because I had to get a fresh cup of coffee from the break room, and he was clearly muttering about something. He didn't even say excuse me when he bumped into me, just looked at me as if I wasn't even worth apologizing to, which is thoroughly unlike him. So, if I had to hazard a guess, he's put things together, and is headed your way, though I don't know how he knows where you live. I certainly didn't give him that information."
"I know that you wouldn't do that, Helen. He probably asked Ms. Garcia for that information, and she would give it to him no questions asked, since he is her supervisor, and he has every right to know that information. Thank you for the head's up, this can at least allow me time to get upstairs and pretend that he isn't here, if he should show up."
"All right, I'll keep feelers out for information, and pass it on to you as I get it. I'll see you tomorrow, Erin."
"Yes, tomorrow," she whispered as she ended the call, feeling her stomach start to roil once more. Setting aside the last of the doughnut on the coffee table, Erin got to her feet and made her way back to the bathroom, throwing up the food and water before collapsing onto the floor and pressing her hands against her stomach. "Six weeks, baby. You're six weeks into your development, and it doesn't quite seem real to me that you're on your way. I will do everything in my power to make certain that Alan is your father, and that Aaron never figures out that our mistake resulted in you. You can be my little miracle baby."
Her words were interrupted by a heavy knocking on the front door, and that was when she knew that Aaron had arrived, leaving her without the opportunity to disappear upstairs, since someone could see the stairs from the door. Heaving out a deep sigh, she pushed herself to her feet and tried to prepare herself for the confrontation to come. Bile once more began to pool in her mouth, and she swallowed thickly as she slowly made her way to where he was, knowing that whatever happened next, she would never be able to say the right thing.
Opening the door, she looked up into his stony face, and fought back tears, somehow knowing that even if they were justified, tears would only make him angrier in that moment. "May I help you, Agent Hotchner?"
He pushed past her to enter her home, and she frowned at him as she closed the door, knowing that she couldn't force him out of the house, that he was too strong, and she was too tired to do that. "I overheard the end of your discussion with Garcia, and I have to know. Are you pregnant?"
From the look on his face, she knew that she couldn't lie to him, and she licked her lips before swallowing three times in quick succession and then gave him the only answer she could. "Yes."