Aaron pulled up to JJ and Will's home parking beside their mail box. Looking into the rear view mirror, he watched as Jack kept his firm angry face toward the outside while he wiped away his rebellious tears. In so many ways, Jack was turning into him. Aaron didn't know if that was because of the loss of Haley or if it was destined for Jack to end up like his father. He could recall the most recent halloween when Jack had dressed like him saying that he was his hero. That seemed like a lifetime ago after everything that had passed and Jack's current heartbroken and harsh demeanor.
"We are here, buddy," Aaron said turning to look at his son. "Are you ready to go inside?"
Jack said nothing but began unbuckling his seat belt and moved to exit the door. Before he could open it, Hotch reached back and grabbed his free hand. "Jack, I miss Emily too. She was..." Aaron had to phrase his next words delicately. "She was my best friend."
Turning to meet his eyes, Jack released two tears while asking, "Why is she in heaven, Daddy?"
"Miss Emily is in heaven because she needs to be able to protect us in a different way. She will always be watching over you, keeping you safe from danger and helping other people when they are sad."
"Are you sad you didn't save her?" Jack asked innocently.
Shaky in his response, he replied, "Yes, Jack. I am very sad I didn't get to save Emily."
Sniffling, Jack asked sadly, "Do you think she knew I loved her?"
Nodding instantly, Aaron replied firmly, "Emily Prentiss knew that you loved her very much, my son. Now," he reached back and ruffled his hair, "Are you ready to spend time with Henry?"
Giving a silent smile, Jack only nodded and opened the door, carrying his lunch box of supplies up to the front door.
When JJ opened the door, she smiled brightly at Jack to keep him unaware that she noticed the tear tracks down his face. "Why hello Jack. I am so glad you came over to spend some time with Henry and me. Want to come inside?"
"Sure," he said stepping into the house. He smiled brightly at little Henry and what was just about to start on the television. "Cars!" Jack yelled as his attitude completely changed and he sat beside the growing toddler.
"Thank you for watching him," Hotch said watching his son play softly with Henry.
"It's never a problem," JJ replied. "Jack is wonderful. He is always very helpful and very considerate. You are raising a heartbreaker, Hotch," she said with a wink.
Giving a tight smile, Aaron responded, "He gets that from Haley. I have the charm of a bear."
JJ snorted and motioned for them to go into the kitchen so the kids wouldn't listen to their adult conversation. "Do you want some coffee?" she asked.
"No, I really need to get going," Aaron replied.
"Aaron, you had to know that you aren't leaving until I know why I am watching Jack this evening, not that I am complaining."
Sighing, Aaron rested his body against the counter top and studied the blonde blue eyed woman in front of him. He missed working with her in the Bureau. She was wonderful with everyone she encountered, and it wasn't simply because she was communications liaison. JJ possessed a sparkle that lit up a room and kept everyone on their toes. Penelope, Emily and JJ were the triad of sisters that were never to be messed with. She knew how to keep Derek on his toes while being the mother and sister figure Spencer desperately needed in his lonely young life. She was Dave's ultimate challenge, the only woman who could ever turn him down, and she kept Hotch in perspective, giving him light and guidance with every case. Now that her light and Emily's grace were gone from the team, Aaron had to question how the team would survive from this point.
"Are you just going to stare at me?" JJ asked, giving him a whimsical smile.
"After I told Jack about Emily's death, I received a phone call from Mercy General. Apparently Penelope has been admitted."
JJ felt her blood run cold within her veins. Tears rushed to her eyes as she gripped the countertop. "Oh my God, what happened?"
"She came in alone severely beaten. The nurse informed me that prior to her passing out from exhaustion, she gave the nurse her cell phone and ordered them to call me instead of her next of kin. Derek is listed as that person. Now, I don't know why she insisted that I be informed instead of Derek, but I think this has something to do with Kevin."
"Lynch?" JJ questioned, his name being spoken as if it was vile poison. "What does he have to do with this?"
"The hospital has footage of Penelope being dropped off from a red sedan and the driver fleeing the moment she exited the vehicle. The nurse who contacted me told me that doctors are insisting that this is a case of domestic abuse."
"I will kill him," JJ said, her small frame shaking in anger.
Hotch placed a firm hand on her shoulder to still her body. "Killing him won't undo her beating. And we are still speculating. I need to go to her and get some answers."
"You do," JJ nodded. "Do you have any idea why she wouldn't want Derek contacted?"
Shaking his head, Hotch answered, "Maybe she is concerned that he won't be able to look at the case objectively. Or maybe they are in a disagreement. I am really not sure."
"I know that Derek is taking Emily's loss extremely hard. Maybe Penelope is trying to save him from pain," JJ theorized.
Hotch looked at the clock and cursed himself for the time. "In any event, I need to get to the hospital. I haven't told Jack, so if you don't mind..."
"I won't say a thing," she said nodding in understanding.
"Thank you, JJ."
"And Aaron?"
Hotch turned toward the blonde and raised an eyebrow in question.
"I miss Emily too."
Sighing, Aaron walked out the door, ready to deal with this new heartbreak the BAU would be suffering.
When Hotch walked through the emergency room corridors, he flashed his badge to the men and women behind the nurses station and spoke firmly. "My name is Supervisory Agent Aaron Hotchner and I have been called on behalf of Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia. May I speak to her primary physician at this time?"
"Aaron Hotchner?" a voice asked from behind him.
Turning he looked the nurse up and down and asked, "Are you Nurse Mason?"
"Indeed I am. Doctor Johnson will be out to speak to you as soon as he is done seeing Ms. Garcia," the young nurse replied.
Nodding, Hotch stepped back to not be directly in the center on the pathway. When he looked up, he saw a frustrated man exit a panel. "Doctor Johnson!" Nurse Mason said toward the disgruntled man.
"What do you need?" he asked in a cranky tone.
"Doctor Johnson, this is Aaron Hotchner, Ms. Garcia's contact," Nurse Mason introduced.
"Doctor," Hotch extended his hand to shake his hand as a sign of respect. The doctor rolled his eyes and motioned for them to speak in the visitor's lounge. Unimpressed, Hotch began asking questions, not longer viewing him as an equal. "Doctor Johnson, how is Penelope's condition?"
"Have a seat, Agent Hotchner," Doctor Johnson directed. "I apologize for my frustration, but your friend is not the easiest patient."
"You have not answered my question," Aaron commented angrily. "How is Analyst Garcia's condition?"
"Agent Hotchner, I am not going to lie to you. Ms. Garcia took quite a beating. Her cheek bone was fractured and she needed significant stitches beneath her eyes, however I don't believe her face will be scarred. She has four broken ribs and two are dangerously angled toward her lungs. If she doesn't allow herself time to heal, she can risk puncturing her lungs and suffering severe internal bleeding. Her shoulder was dislocated, but now she is wearing a sling to keep the rotator cuff from being too inflamed. It seems that whiskey was poured over her body, which ironically helped heal cuts along her hands, stomach and face. However, the sting will continue to effect her as she moves. Her ankle is sprained, but given her upper body injuries, crutches are impossible and a wheel chair is too excessive. Instead, she is to keep her ankle wrapped 24/7 unless she is bathing. Now, she suffered a bad concussion, so she cannot sleep for 12 more hours, however, if she has proper care, she can begin to rest."
Hotch couldn't believe the significant damage that had been done to Penelope. Whenever he met with Kevin Lynch again, he was a dead man. "Now, why is Ms. Garcia considered a difficult patient?" Hotch asked.
"She keeps insisting that she can go home. She won't claim who did this to her. Fortunately, when we realized you were FBI, we didn't need to contact authorities. However, we cannot release her until we are confident that she has someone to take care of her. These are dangerous injuries Ms. Garcia has, and without proper care, she could be at risk of infections, illnesses or death."
Understanding the seriousness of her situation, Hotch nodded and asked, "Can I see her?"
Giving permission, Doctor Johnson began leading Hotch to Penelope's corridor. When he walked in, he felt the blood drain from his face as he saw his once colorful technical analyst look so small in her hospital bed. Her pulse was a little too rapid for his comfort and the frustration in her face was almost humorous.
"Finally!" she said, only raising one arm while the other remained in the sling. "You have come to set me free, Boss Man!"
"Not so fast," Doctor Johnson intervened, reviewing Penelope's chart. "You need to stay here over night for observation and then, when we are convinced you are being released to safe hands, you will be released."
Penelope huffed and looked to Aaron for support. "Doctor Johnson is right," Hotch said. "You need to be watched out for."
Penelope rested her head back in a huff and felt tears prick behind her eyes. "I just want to go home," she cried.
"You will tomorrow, Ms. Garcia. Are you in pain?" Doctor Johnson asked.
"Not right now," Penelope answered tearfully.
"I will have Nurse Mason give you more pain medicine in an hour when you are due. For now, keep it easy now that Agent Hotchner is here."
"Thank you, Doctor," Hotch said as the angry smaller man left the room.
Aaron took a timid step toward his tearful analyst. His heart broke seeing her so broken and abused. "Im sorry Penelope."
"Don't be, Boss Man. It was my own fault," Penelope said sadly, looking to her boss with sad eyes.
"Not that I object to being called while you were in significant medical distress, but why am I here if Derek is your next of kin?" he asked.
Taking a shaky breath, Penelope stared up at the ceiling fidgeting her thumbs beneath her sling. "It's a long story," she said painfully.
"We have time," Hotch commented.
Nodding, she said, "That we do, Aaron. That we do. I need to know, am I speaking to Aaron my friend, or Hotch my boss?"
"We are very much off duty, Garcia," Aaron said, reaching over softly to grasp her bruised hand. "Start from the beginning."
"Well once two hippies fell in love, or got high, I could never really know for sure..."
"Penelope," Hotch said, raising an eyebrow at her attempt to stall.
Huffing, Penelope surrendered and began explaining her experience. She told him about her sexual encounter with Derek. She discussed both their pain and their suffering after Emily's funeral. Hotch had to try and appear understanding while hiding the truth that Emily was indeed alive and somewhere out of his sight and contact. When she came to the point of the story when Derek left her, she saw him clench his fists in anger. She quickly grabbed his hands and moved her thumb in calming strokes. "Do not be angry with him, Hotch. He did nothing wrong. I know that I am never something Derek would want. I am just grateful that I was able to comfort him in our darkest hour instead of a low down cheap hooker at a bar."
"You're worth more than that," Aaron said angrily, becoming very defensive of his blonde friend.
Giving him a sad smile, she commented, "Derek deserves the best. He is the best agent you have, the best man I have ever known. He needs better than me, Aaron and you and I both know that." Aaron looked to object when she raised a hand to stop him. "There is much more to the story, but I need you to give up on this issue for right now and listen. Can you do that?"
Aaron only nodded and allowed her to continue. Penelope explained Kevin's situation. Him being in AA was a secret kept between her and Lynch for so long that when that fact came to Aaron's attention, he felt his blood run cold with the personal hell Penelope had gone through alone and without complaint. She gave a detailed account of the beating, his anger and she timidly informed him of his attempted sexual assault. Hotch was seeing red by the end of her story and he was pacing by her bed.
"I will hunt him down," he growled.
"You and the BAU army?" Penelope said with a sad chuckle.
"He won't get away with this," Aaron promised.
Penelope shook her head and felt the pain begin to settle in. Nurse Mason entered her area and refilled her pain medication through her IV, allowing Penelope to drift. Aaron looked at his fading analyst and felt his heart break for her suffering. "Im so sorry, Penelope," he said.
"You are here," she said with a sad smile. "You came. That is what matters to me, Aaron."
As Penelope drifted to sleep, Aaron clenched his teeth in anger. He realized that he had a lot of work to do before Penelope could return to her apartment. Once it got cleaned up, he knew he needed to yell at one of his better agents and hope he could fulfill his promise to Emily to keep their team together.