From the moment Erin had received the request for the team to head to New York City, she had had a bad feeling that it was not going to end well for any of them. And that had been proven true when one of the police officers that they had been working with had been shot and nearly killed. That still did not prepare her for the phone call that she received, waking her from a deep sleep, and she frowned as she sat up with a start, answering the call with a drowsy "Hello?"
"Stellina, I just need you to know, first of all, that I'm all right, and that JJ's all right, and the baby's okay. Will joined us here in order to force her to leave the team, and you would have been so proud of her reaction. I don't think he'll make that mistake again, if they stay together."
She knew that he was rambling for a reason, that something bad had happened, and she cleared her throat a little in order to get a word in. "And you're calling me after midnight to let me know that Agent Jareau's partner is a bit of an ass?"
"No, I'm calling you because there's been an attack against us, and Hotch was nearly blown up. Kate Joyner was seriously injured, and we're trying to get clearance to be allowed to rescue her and Hotch, since they both need to get to hospital. The profile we gave the city, though, tells everyone that all help needs to stay away, and I've never felt so fucking useless before in my life."
Quick tears began to pool in her eyes, and she nodded as she brought her knees up to her chest, staring across the room at the painting on the wall, not really seeing it. "What do you need me to do?" she finally was able to ask, her voice thick and hoarse.
"I don't know, and that's the worst thing. All I want is to be there with you, letting you curl up close to me. But I have to do my duty."
"I know, darling. Take care of everyone there, and keep me posted on what happens. I'll stay home tomorrow, since I don't think that I'll be able to sleep until I know more of the details." They sighed in tandem, and Erin climbed out of bed and padded over to their closet, grabbing David's robe and wrapping it around her body before speaking once more. "I'm going to go sit with Elise for a little while, and watch her sleep. Don't worry, my phone will be on silent so you can call at any time. I love you."
"I love you, too, Erin. And I will call as soon as I know exactly what's going on." He hung up before she could say goodbye, and a part of her wondered if that was deliberate. She hoped that it was. Blinking back tears, she silenced the phone and slipped it into the pocket of the robe before quietly making her way over to Elise's room. Her daughter was curled up tight in one corner of the bed, hugging the wall, and she smiled as she sank down onto the foot of the bed and watched her sleep.
"I wonder if anyone called Haley," she whispered as she leaned against the wall, grateful that the paint felt cool against her temple as she thought about when she should call Haley to let her know that something had happened. If it was bad, she would need to get to New York with Jack as soon as possible to say goodbyes. Frowning, she pulled out her phone and texted Haley, letting her know that she needed to either call herself or David at her first opportunity. With that task out of the way, Erin yawned as slipped the phone back into her pocket before stretching out on the mattress next to Elise. Her daughter turned towards her and curled into her, which made her smile as she wrapped her arms around Elise. "We will always do our best to protect you, sweetheart," she murmured as she stroked her back lightly, her eyelids growing heavy once more and she allowed herself to fall into a light sleep while she waited to hear something more.
A few hours later, she came to with another start, feeling the phone vibrate against her thigh, and she gently disentangled herself from around Elise as she sat up and answered the phone without looking at the display. "Give a few moments, David. Elise is still sleeping, so I don't want to wake her."
"Take your time, Erin."
Penelope's voice was not the one she had expected to hear, and she frowned deeply as she tiptoed from Elise's room and closed the door as quietly as she could before taking a seat on the top step, her free hand digging into the soft fabric of the robe. "All right, what's happened now?"
"Kate's dead. Hotch will be all right with time, but the explosion ruptured his eardrum, so he'll have to take the train home. The rest of us are all right, and I know that Rossi is planning on staying with Hotch and riding the train back with him, which will be a later return for them both, but that will be the best situation. We were wondering if you wanted to call Haley and let her know what's going on?"
"I texted her after ending my call with David, actually, telling her to call me, or David, when she saw the message. I didn't want to alarm her if everything was fine, because she's not Aaron's wife any longer. I'm going to have to have a meeting with Aaron when he gets back, since he'll have to have medical clearance before he can return to the field."
"I think that he won't be happy to hear that," Penelope replied wryly, and she nodded as she felt someone touch her shoulder. Looking up, she saw that Karen was giving her a concerned look, and she smiled before patting the step next to her. Her daughter quickly sat down and cuddled up close to Erin's side, resting her head on Erin's shoulder.
"Well, what makes him happy and what has to be done are two completely different things." Penelope let out a sharp laugh. "Protocol is protocol, and there are things that even Aaron can't weasel his way out of. All right, thank you for the update, and stay safe coming home. I don't want to have to explain to Director Shepperd why we have so many injuries on the team."
"All right, Erin. And I'll stop by before heading home, just to check in with you in person."
"Thank you," she murmured before ending the call and slipping the phone into the pocket before reaching over and stroking Karen's face. "I hope I didn't wake you, baby."
"No, I had to pee, and heard your voice. Is everything okay?"
"There was an incident with this case, and a few people were hurt, seriously. David's all right, he wasn't caught up in the explosion, but he'll be home later than normal, since he's going to ride home on the train with Aaron."
"Oh."
She nodded, about to say more when her phone vibrated once more. Drawing in a deep breath, she pulled the device out once more, looking to see who it was, her face falling to see Haley's name on the display. "Hello, Haley."
"Erin? What's wrong?"
"The most important thing to know is that Aaron is alive and will be coming home shortly with David on the train. There was an incident with the case, and things devolved very quickly, which led to Kate Joyner's death in the line of duty. I know that you still care for him, which is why I thought it would be better to hear it from myself or David."
"And you're certain that Aaron will be all right?"
"As certain as I can be, yes. His eardrum was perforated, and that will be a rather lengthy recovery, but knowing Aaron, he'll strong arm the medical evaluator to give him a clean bill of health so that he can return to the field sooner than good judgement would allow for."
Haley laughed, which quickly turned into a choked sob. "I really hate that I still love him so much. Because it aches to be away from him, but I couldn't have his job in my face any longer. Shit, Jack just woke up. I'll talk to you later?"
"Of course, feel free to call at any time," Erin replied before ending the call and looking at Karen. "All right, I am heading back to bed because I haven't gotten the best sleep. Would you mind looking after Elise for me until I wake up again?"
"Of course, Mom! We have this handled." Karen turned her head and kissed Erin's cheek lightly before getting to her feet and heading downstairs, most likely to start breakfast, and Erin smiled as she stood up and weaved a little, finding herself more tired than she had thought as she trudged back into her bedroom, curling up on David's side of the bed and quickly falling back asleep.