Dave had made it down to the lobby of the hospital before his phone started to ring, and he recognized the ringtone as Erin's. Shaking his head a little, he declined the call before turning his ticket over to the woman behind the counter, watching her call a number and then rattle off the number that was on the bottom of the ticket.

It didn't take long for his car to arrive, and as he climbed into the driver's seat and began to drive towards the office, his phone rang again. Knowing that he couldn't ignore Erin at a time like this, but not really knowing what to say to her, he answered, praying that his voice was calm and measured. "Hey, Erin."

"You left me." Her voice was soft, full of hurt, and he pursed his lips in order to keep from answering too quickly. "I thought you said that you weren't going to leave me while I went through this?"

Dave could tell that she had started to cry by this point, and he let out a slow breath, hoping that Erin wouldn't overhear it and think that he was being short with her. "There's been a turn in the case, Aaron texted me and asked if I would come out and help the team with it. That's why I gave Alan my test kit, so that it could be processed while I was there with them."

"Oh, I see. All right. I'll see you when you get home?"

"Of course, Erin. I love you."

He hated how perfunctory the words sounded, and he winced as he listened to Erin draw in a sharp breath before she answered, as if she knew something was wrong. "I love you, too, David. With all my being."

Before he could say anything else, she ended the call, and he let out a deep sigh as he tapped his Bluetooth and had his phone call Penelope. "Hey, did everything go all right with Erin?" she asked, and he kicked himself a little, knowing that she would be furious with him if she even thought that he had slighted Erin in any way, even though they were nowhere near friends.

"She sent me out on the case, said that I was hovering too much for her liking. So, I'm heading back to the office to pick up my go bag and join Aaron and the others. It'll be easy enough for me to charter a private jet…"

"Actually, I might be able to get you on a commercial flight to Wichita, first class even. Come see me once you get here."

"All right," he replied, knowing that she would move hell itself to get him whatever he needed. Pushing his foot to the gas a little harder, Dave made his way through traffic to find himself back where he had started that morning, even managing to get the same parking spot. Heading into the building, he gave a small wave to the security guard as he went over to the elevators and rode up to the sixth floor.

Since it was most everyone's lunch hour, he didn't have any companions on the ride up, and that allowed him more time alone with his thoughts. Alan had to be wrong, he was being bitter and cruel, trying to destroy what he and Erin had built together after too many years of bitterness and acrimony. But if there was some truth to Alan's accusations, then he had missed out on the lives of his children.

Dave was still deep in thought when he stepped off the elevator and made his way into the bullpen. That distraction allowed him to bump into someone, and he looked up to see Penelope there, a concerned look on her face. "Are you certain everything is okay?" she asked as she rested her hand on his arm, guiding him towards the stairs.

"It will be, with time. Now, do I have a flight?"

She nodded as they went to his office. "Yes, it leaves in three hours, you're first class, and the Marshals already know that you'll be carrying your service weapon aboard, and the one on your flight will meet you at security and escort you to the gate. I've also contacted Hotch, and he's going to meet you at the airport. Now, does Erin need anything while you're gone? I know that she won't be particularly happy to have me bringing her meals or groceries or anything like that, but there must be something I can do to brighten her day."

"She does like flowers, Kitten. I'm sure she wouldn't be upset by them."

"Perfect! Now, you need to get going. Leave your car here, Anderson has already agreed to get you to the airport, so you won't have to pay for long term parking. Stay safe out there, since you aren't in our normal jet. Who knows what will happen," she teased as she stepped a little closer to him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "I can't do this to Erin, but I can to you, and you can pass it along."

Her words made him feel immensely guilty, and he hugged her a little tighter as he tried to hold his tongue and not blurt out the truth of why he was abandoning Erin in her hour of need. "Thanks, Kitten. Look after her as best you can?"

"I can always do that, Rossi. Now, go before Anderson thinks that you've changed your mind." Penelope gently pushed him away and he nodded a little as he turned and made his way down to his office. It didn't take long for him to grab his go bag and then he was jogging down the stairs and meeting Anderson at the bullpen doors.

"Are you ready to head out, sir?" he asked, and Rossi nodded, following after him to the elevators. "Was there anything that you need before you get on the plane?"

"No, I can borrow a charger for my phone from Aaron, and anything else I can buy on the road. How did you draw the short straw of chauffeuring me?" he asked as they stepped onto the elevator and rode down.

"Penelope actually strong armed me into it," he replied sheepishly. "She's rather good at getting her way. And I know that I would never want to get on her bad side, because she's scary even when she's getting her own way."

Dave gulped a little as he nodded, knowing that Anderson was quite right. And he had gone and lied to her, which meant that as soon as she figured out that he hadn't told her the whole truth he was going to be in for a world of hurt. He didn't notice that he had gotten too lost in his thoughts until he felt Anderson tap his shoulder. "I'm sorry, you were saying?"

"I just wanted to point out that we've reached the parking garage."

Dave nodded as they stepped out of the elevator and went over to Anderson's car. "Sorry, I'm just a little bit distracted right now. Everything will be better with time." He knew that was a bald faced lie, but it was one that he would keep telling himself until he believed it.