"Sorry I was so late getting in last night," Hotch apologized to Lynn the next morning as he selected an orange from one of the fruit baskets. "There was a lot of paperwork and other things that I needed to go over. I also got a new cell phone. I wrote the number down for you in case you need me." He indicated a slip of paper lying on one of the end tables.
"Now," he continued as he also selected a banana. "I have to get going. JJ is picking me up on her way in this morning and will be dropping me off at the driver's license bureau. I need to replace my license. After that, I'll be making a stop at the bank to straighten out some things. Then, this afternoon, I have a meeting at The Bureau to discuss my options if I want to come back. It's going to be another busy day but I should be home early this evening."
"You and Jacob have a good day!" And, with a wave of both pieces of fruit, he was through the door and gone.
"Aaron?" Lynn was standing in the middle of the living room staring after him. "Aaron?"
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Hotch's day was extremely busy as he hurried from one appointment to another. However, he did take the time to meet Matt Cruz for lunch and assure him that his reintegration was progressing smoothly.
It was early afternoon when Hotch finally finished reviewing his various options with Human Resources and he felt that he had enough time left in the day to arrange for a rental car as he was getting tired of taking taxis. Garcia was happy to set him up with a local rental car company but, when he arrived at their office, he found that there was a sizeable line of people already waiting to pick up vehicles. Taking a deep breath and clutching the piece of paper with his reservation number on it, he got in line.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
For the second night in a row, Hotch found himself quietly letting himself into the hotel suite.
"Honey?" He called out softy. "Lynn?"
Receiving no answer, he noiselessly walked to the bedroom door and peeked in. He smiled as he saw Lynn and Jacob curled up together, asleep in the bed. Quickly he changed his clothes and joined them.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
"I am so sorry about being late again last night," Hotch apologized to Lynn early the next morning. "But I thought I had time to get a rental car so we won't have to take public transportation and taxis all the time. Then, when I got to the rental office, there was a huge line of people waiting and things were all confused. I'm sorry!"
"Public transportation – Taxis?" Lynn questioned confusedly. "Aaron, what are you talking about?"
Hotch smiled as he excitedly continued talking. "You are not going to believe what HR told me," he reported. "It seems that, if I decide to stay with The Bureau, I have quite a number of options. I can teach in a classroom or I can train self-defense, like Morgan does, or there is even a possibility that I can go back out into the field! Do you believe that? I am going to have to think things over pretty carefully."
"Aaron," Lynn raised her voice slightly. "We need to talk."
"Of course we do," Hotch readily agreed. "And we can do that this evening when I get back. In the meantime, I have some more meetings today and I really need to get going."
He grabbed an apple and a package of cookies from a gift basket. "I'll be back as soon as I possibly can," he promised as he gave her a quick kiss before rushing out the door.
Tears filled Lynn's eyes as she stood along in the middle of the room gazing after him.