Unforgettable Nights, Unforgivable Mistakes
Chapter 26: My Two Daddies
Bay's surgery had been a great success…a miracle for Emily and Aaron, basically for everyone that loved Bay the way they did. It had been so painful to see such an innocent little girl and angel being consumed by a terrible illness. Bay had lost so much weight and most of her beautiful hair, and it was heart breaking to see her. Miraculously, the surgery had been successful and the doctors expected Bay to fully recover; her little body had accepted the transplant, so far, and even after a couple weeks, after the surgery, everything seemed great. Bay had even started to look better, the redness of her cheeks was starting to appear again, and she was even more active and energized. The doctors were keeping her in the hospital under observation for a while longer just in case there were complications, but so far everything was proceeding as it should. Everyone was happy for Emily because the nightmare seemed to be over finally, and she had decided to take some time off from work to spend time and take care of Bay, so she submitted a temporary leave of absence, and Hotch and Rossi had taken over her post to support her.
Clyde had stayed as long as he could to support Bay and Emily…even after the surgery…but he, too, was now gone and back to work. Everyone on the team was always around to help and be with Bay. Aaron was at the hospital as much as he could be, and even though things were still strained between him and Emily, and they still were fighting occasionally, they were trying to get along, at least, for Bay's sake. So much had happened between them, it was hard for them to be in a good place again, but even with that, they hated to admit they still had feelings for each other. That was the most difficult thing for them both, and Aaron knew he would never get a chance with her, there was too much damage done; but, he loved her more than he cared to admit, even if Emily had hidden Bay away from him for so long. He loved Emily, and it was impossible not to get jealous when she had so much support and help from friends he hardly knew, such as Clyde…he knew Clyde was her friend, but he hated the man with all his guts.
Things got even worse when Max came to visit Bay and stayed a few nights; Aaron finally got to meet the man that took his place in Emily's heart, as well as in his daughter's life. It nearly killed him to watch Max around Emily and around his baby girl, and to hear Bay call Max daddy and not him. He knew Max was aware now that Bay wasn't his daughter, but Bay saw him as her father, and that was the most painful thing for Aaron, and then, the way Max looked at Emily made it obvious to him that he still had feelings for Emily, and that made him crazy jealous. Aaron couldn't stop thinking about Emily, no matter how hard he tried, and it was exhausting, because he also couldn't forgive her for what she had done. One morning he walked in the hospital room to see Bay, and his heart dropped at the image in front of him…Max had Emily pulled to him in a hug, and Aaron wanted to run in there and pull the brunette out of his arms by force, but he knew he couldn't do that.
"Good morning." Aaron said coldly, glaring at both the brunette and Max.
"Oh hello, Aaron, good to see you." Max said amicably, and Hotch just nodded, without responding, and Emily noticed the glare he was sending Max.
"Good morning, Aaron." It was then he noticed Emily was crying, and he also noticed Bay was still sound sleep.
"Is everything okay?" He asked, worried.
"Yeah, everything is okay." Emily replied, wiping her eyes.
"I'm going to take a shower, then I'll meet you down at the horse stables, Em." Max said, putting his coat on.
"That sounds good, thank you, Max, thanks." And after a few more uncomfortable minutes, Max left. Aaron just stared at her for a few seconds.
"So, what's going on?" He asked.
"We wanted to take Bay to the horse stables to get her away from the hospital. She loved it the last time she went with you." Emily smiled at him briefly.
"Well, I was hoping I could spend time with Bay today, but I can come back tomorrow if you'd like." Aaron himself had been thinking about taking Bay down to see the horses.
"Actually, I wanted to see if you could come, too." Emily asked, as she moved around the room straightening things and putting them back in their place.
"I don't want to intrude in your time and plans."
"Actually, I wanted to take Bay there because I want to tell her you're her father, and I want you to be there when we tell her." Hotch's mouth dropped open when Emily said that.
"Okay, are you sure it's time?" Aaron asked, since he had become more understanding of his daughter's illness and what stress could do to her.
"I think it's time she knows Aaron, it's only fair for you and for her."
"I agree, but does Max really need to be here?" Aaron knew he sounded like a petulant child, but he didn't care.
"I want Bay to understand everything as much as possible…Max has been the only father she has known, and while I want her to know and love her real father, Max will always be a part of her life. I can't take that away from her." Emily explained, as she folded one of the blankets she had been using to sleep there.
"I understand that, I just wanted to have time by myself with her after we do tell her, to make her understand I care for her, and I will be there for her always to make it up to her for when I wasn't." He said, walking toward her and helping her fold the other blankets.
"Okay, you can stay with her at the stables or go somewhere else after that, just make sure you guys come back at a decent time. I don't want her to be away from the hospital for that long until the doctors say she's totally in remission."
"I understand, and I'll make sure we get back before it's dark outside."
"Okay, great. Hey, I'm going to take a shower, too, really quickly…can you stay with Bay?"
"Of course, take your time." He said, smiling and looking toward the bed where his daughter was sleeping.
Two hours later, they were all walking into the horse stables. Bay was in Aaron's arms wearing a beautiful beanie horse hat with nice braids that Aaron had found for her, since she had lost a lot of her beautiful hair while on chemotherapy. She was smiling widely and Max and Emily were following close by, as they walked through the different stables to pick a horse.
They spent a great amount of time looking at the horses and feeding them and even brushing their manes. They even rode the horses for a while, but around one in the afternoon they all sat down on the grass to have lunch. Emily had made sandwiches for everyone, and they had snacks, too, so, it was a perfect little picnic. Once everyone gathered around and ate, Emily pulled Bay into her arms.
"Sweetie, mommy has to talk to you about something." She said, kissing and hugging her tightly.
"Okay, mommy…am I in trouble?" Bay asked, looking at her with questioning eyes.
"No, baby, you aren't, but there's something we need to tell you."
"It's about Aaron." Emily said nervously…she had no idea how to continue this conversation.
"I love Aaron, mommy." She said innocently, thinking there was something wrong with her friend, causing Aaron to smile widely.
"I know you do, honey, and I'm glad you do, because Aaron is someone very special in your life." Emily said, as she watched Bay play with the braids on her beanie.
"Bay, can you look at mommy for a second." Emily asked, getting her attention away from whatever was distracting her, Bay nodded and looked at her mother.
"You see, Aaron and I were good friends a long time ago, and well, mommy really wanted a baby, and I couldn't have one, so Aaron helped me." Emily tried to explain in the most polite way she knew how, how Bay had been conceived.
"What does that mean?" Bay asked, looking at Aaron.
"It means Aaron is your dad, too." Emily explained…Bay sat there for a second as she frowned her face in deep concentration.
"What about Max…isn't he my daddy?" For a second, Max looked at Emily without knowing what to say.
"Yes, he is. Bay, remember the chapter we saw on Barney about how all families were different." Emily inquired.
"Yeah." Bay said, playing with her fingers.
"We have a different family, and you get to have two daddies. Max will always be like a dad to you because he helped raise you. And Aaron is your daddy because he helped create you." That was as gentle as she could get to explain to her daughter the story of her birth and her two daddies. Emily observed her daughter carefully waiting for an outburst and a fit; she expected Bay to react badly to the news and maybe even run off crying or screaming that she didn't like that, however, she did none of those things. Bay crossed her fingers together as if she was processing the information and deeply analyzing it. Emily wanted to burst into laughter as she watched her daughter act like she was thinking about some big decision to make, and she looked just like Aaron when he was concentrating on something. They all sat there waiting for the little girl's response.
"What's on your mind, baby?" Emily asked after a while, when Bay didn't respond.
I don't know...do you want to be my other daddy, Aaron?" Bay asked Aaron in a very serious tone as if she was negotiating some serious business.
"Bay, I love you more than I can express, and I'm so happy you're my little daughter." He smiled warmly. Bay smiled, too.
"And you won't be mad if I have another daddy?" Bay asked Max cautiously.
"No, Bay, I love you, and you can have two daddies if that means you're luckier?" Max explained gently.
"Mommy, do I have to call Aaron 'daddy'?" She asked, cuddling closer to her mom. Emily looked at Aaron, unsure of what to say.
"You can call me whatever you want, Bay, I just need you to know I love you with all my heart." Aaron said warmly.
"Okay, in that case, it's fine if you are my daddy." Bay smiled at Aaron, and to everyone's surprise, she stood up and placed a kiss on each of their cheeks, including Emily's. Emily was speechless at Bay's mature reaction to the news; in fact, Bay had handled the news better than Aaron and Max together. Bay went back to playing with the horses almost immediately, but Emily knew there was something on her little mind, since she knew all of her daughter's expressions. She would have to sit down with Bay and have a real talk to see what she really felt. Emily knew Bay wasn't mad, and she knew Bay had grown close to Aaron, so she wasn't sad either, but she knew something was bothering Bay, and she would get the time later to have a mommy and daughter day to sit with her until she had let everything out.
After a while, Max and Emily decided to head out and leave Bay and Aaron alone. She wanted to go back to the hospital and make sure her bill was paid when Bay was released. Aaron had already helped her pay a big part of the surgical bill, which she really hadn't wanted to accept, but he had insisted and in the end, she accepted because it helped him feel a part of Bay's life. As they were about to leave, Bay was playing with one of the horses, brushing his mane, and Aaron pulled Emily away for a second claiming he had to say something to her.
"What's up?" She asked, her eyes on Bay and Max, making sure Bay was safe.
"Thanks for doing this, you have no idea what it means to me." Aaron said softly.
"She deserved to know." Emily was trying to be polite with him, but it still hurt her so much to talk to him. Her eyes kept focusing on Bay and Max, mostly to avoid looking into Aaron's eyes…it just hurt too much. Aaron immediately noticed, and he couldn't stop himself from asking.
"Are you two back together?" He asked, his voice thick with anger. Emily rolled her eyes angrily.
"Don't start, Aaron, please." She warned.
"I'm just asking you a question, are you back with him?"
"I can't believe you, why do you care so much about what I do, or who I date…it's none of your business, Aaron." She spat.
"Emily…"
"Don't, okay? I'm not doing this, you'll always be like this…and I'm so done." Emily walked away from him angrily, going to say bye to her daughter and walking away with Max, as Bay ran back into Aaron's arms.
Aaron stood there watching her walk away angrily, and he exhaled. He had not wanted to start a fight… he wanted to tell her he still cared for her, and that was why he was so jealous, but things between them were already bad enough, so maybe it was best for him to stay far, far away from her and leave things as they were…maybe he should just focus on Bay and forget about her once and for all. He headed back to the stables to ride for a little while longer with Bay; it was important for him to have some quality time with Bay. They chose a very pretty black horse, and they began to ride slowly around the land. Bay was cozied up close to Aaron under a blanket while they rode gently smiling and watching his daughter look around the pretty land. He had also noticed Bay had something on her mind. He didn't know her as well as Emily did, but he knew something was wrong, and he was definitely sure it was about them telling her he was her father, and he wanted to talk with her a little bit more about the topic.
After they were done riding, Aaron took Bay to dinner and some hot chocolate. When they were almost finished with their food, they ordered a hot chocolate with whipped cream and a cherry on top, and Bay was happy to get something sweet since she had not been able to have it for a while because of the surgery. Aaron sat there as he watched Bay lick the spoon with whipped cream, and smiled gently. Bay was also avoiding looking at him, as if she sensed there was a talk coming. She was so like Emily in that way.
"Bay, are you okay, sweetheart?" He asked sweetly.
"Yeah, I'm okay?" She answered, without looking at him.
"Are you sure, because you seem a little upset?"
"I'm not upset." Bay's response was stubborn; yes, she was definitely Emily Prentiss's daughter.
"Okay, are you upset about the talk we had today, about me being your father? Because…you know it's totally okay if you're upset, or even sad…it's normal to feel that way." Aaron explained, reaching to caress her hand gently, making Bay look up at him.
"No, I'm not upset, I do want you to be my daddy...it's just…" Uh huh! So, there was something bothering her.
"Okay, so what's going on, you can tell me, sweetie." Aaron stood up from his booth at the restaurant and went to sit next to her, putting his finger under her small chin, making her look at him.
"You know you can tell me anything, sweetheart…I promise you it's okay?"
"Aaron, do you think I'm going to die?" She asked suddenly, looking at him very seriously. That caught him off guard…he wasn't expecting that at all.
"What? Of course not, honey, why do you think that?" Aaron asked, without knowing what else to say.
"Well, because I'm sick, the doctors always say that at the hospital, and mommy was crying a lot on the nights when I was sick, so am I going to heaven with God?" Aaron could barely speak, he wanted to cry so badly.
"No, you're not, baby, that's why you got the surgery because they fixed you, and in a few more weeks, you'll go home…and you'll be all fine, Bay…you're not sick anymore. You're just staying in the hospital a little while longer because they want to make sure you feel stronger. But, you aren't going to die, do you hear me! The doctors fixed you, you're all perfect now." Aaron said, emotions thick in his voice. Bay nodded, and she stood there thinking what was being said to her.
"Okay, I…just…?" But, she stopped looking sadly.
"What is it sweetheart, why are you sad, please tell me...if you don't want me to be your daddy, that's okay, too." Aaron said sadly, because it pained to see her with that pout on her sweet innocent face.
"I do want you to be my dad, I like having two daddies. I just…you and my mommy always fight for me, and I don't like that, so I was thinking maybe if I go to heaven, you won't fight for me anymore. That way, I can be happy with God, and you guys can stop fighting." That caused Aaron to have tears slowly run down his cheeks nonstop. He picked Bay up in his arms and hugged her as close as he could to him, crying and feeling so distraught. He had no idea they were affecting Bay this much, and it broke his heart, after a while, he pulled away kissing her and making her look at him.
"Listen to me, sweetheart, okay? I'm so sorry mommy and I have not been getting along so well, but you being gone would pain us so greatly, it would kill us both, do you understand? Bay, we couldn't live without you, not ever, not even one more day." Aaron was crying.
"I don't want you to cry, daddy." Bay said, trying to wipe his eyes, as more tears rolled down his cheeks from the emotion of her calling him 'daddy'.
"Then you promise me you'll always stay with us. Always, always?" He asked in a very broken voice.
"Okay, I promise, I won't go to heaven." Bay hugged him again, very tightly. A while later, Aaron pulled away and spoke to her again.
"I promise you that mommy and I won't fight anymore, ever again. I love your mommy very, very much. I love her with all my heart." Aaron told his little girl.
"You do?" Bay asked, surprised.
'Yes, your mommy is the prettiest girl I ever saw, well, actually YOU are the prettiest girl I ever saw, but your mommy is the prettiest girl after you." He smiled.
"Can you tell my mommy that, so she is not so mad at you anymore?" Bay asked innocently.
"Yes, I'll tell her that, and I'll also tell her how much I love her, and that I'm sorry for everything, okay?" Aaron vowed.
"Good, I think you should get her flowers, too, mommy likes flowers, and she'll forgive you if you get her pretty flowers." Bay said happily, and that caused Aaron to smile.
"Flowers, huh?" He asked, arching his eyebrows.
"Yes, flowers…all girls like flowers, even if they're mad at you." Bay said, and Aaron burst into laughter.
"Okay, then flowers it is, come on, let's go, we have a flower mission to accomplish?" He said, paying the bill and picking up his daughter who was now happily clapping in his arms.
Maybe he still had a chance with Emily, maybe he could get her back, and now he had a little helper that knew probably better than he did how to win her mother back again. He smiled as he walked toward the car with his daughter in his arms, ready to get the woman he loved so much back.
