Chapter 3

Dr. Rexrode gave them an update and told them that Hotch made it through the surgery fine. Barring any infections, Hotch would recover from the surgery fully. The swelling on his brain had increased, and they did have to drill a hole in his skull to help relieve the pressure as they had been warned about. He was still not showing any signs of regaining consciousness. He ended the update by telling them as soon as Hotch was settled in ICU, they would be allowed to see him one person at a time. They all let Rossi go in first.

Rossi tentively walked up to the bed holding the man he thought of as a son. Hotch's pale body was exposed from the waist up. The newly stitched wound on his abdomen would eventually match the scars he had received from Foyet. Rossi winced, Hotch would not like to be so exposed, so he carefully pulled the sheet up to Hotch's shoulders. They could move it later if they wanted, but he knew Hotch would not want his team to see him without it. They had also stitched the gash in his forehead. Rossi was expecting Hotch's face to be swollen and bruised, but it was eerily pale instead. His eyes looked sunken, and Rossi shuddered because he actually looked dead. He reached under the sheet and pulled Hotch's hand out so he could hold it. He would have given anything for Hotch to return the simple gesture and squeeze his hand back, but there was no response.

Rossi took a shaky breath and a tear fell down his cheek. It was a horrible thing to see the strong man lying so helplessly in the bed hooked to so many different tubes and wires. "I'm here, Aaron," he told him, not sure if Hotch could hear him or not. Rossi couldn't see where the surgeons had drilled the hole in Hotch's skull so he assumed it was in the back of his head. Rossi sent up a silent prayer to God to watch over his friend and to help him recover. Suddenly Hotch's whole body started to jerk. Rossi laid a hand on Hotch's chest; he knew he was having another seizure, and he knew that was common, but it still hurt his heart. A nurse came up to check on him quickly, and it was over within moments. Rossi took another deep breath. "Why, Aaron? Why would you risk your life to save mine?" he asked the silent man. Because he cares about you as much as you care about him, dumbass!

He shook his head. "You have to get better, Aaron. I won't be able to live with myself if you don't." Rossi sighed and let a few more tears fall. Then he leaned down and gently kissed Hotch on the forehead. "Get well, my friend," he told him and set his hand down lightly so the other members of the team could visit their boss.

Rossi noticed that every one of the team emerged from ICU with tears in their eyes. They were not allowed to stay at the hospital since Hotch was in ICU, and with a promise to call if anything changed, Rossi finally conceded that they needed to leave. They made sure the ICU staff had Rossi's and Morgan's cell numbers and Rossi herded them all out to the SUVs. He wanted them all to get something to eat and then to go back to the hotel to get some rest.

XXX

After three days, Hotch was still in a coma, so Rossi arranged for Hotch to be taken home. The team had been in Detroit long enough, and Jack needed to see his father, even if he was just lying in a bed. The Bureau wanted Hotch flown to Walter Reed Hospital. While Rossi didn't have a problem personally with the hospital, Hotch was not in the military, and Rossi would be damned if he would allow Hotch to wake up there. So Rossi arranged for Hotch to be transferred to Reston Hospital Center in Reston, VA. They were known for their work with brain injuries and coma patients. The Bureau flat out refused to pay for the transportation, but Rossi took care of that personally, and the new hospital took the Bureau insurance, so everything worked out. They transported Hotch by helicopter and the team packed up and got on the jet to finally go home.

Rossi promised Hotch that he would be there as soon as he could, so he went in and closed the case files in record time. By the time he got to Reston, Hotch was settled into his new room in the coma care unit. There was a radio playing softly in the background. Rossi smiled as he search and found a classic rock station he thought Hotch would like. Then Rossi just sat holding Hotch's hand, but just like the last four days, Hotch didn't respond. Rossi sighed. He didn't like the way Hotch already seemed to have lost weight. He knew they were feeding him intravenously, but Hotch couldn't afford to lose much weight, there wasn't enough of him to start with. He knew the team, Jessica, and Jack were planning a visit for the next morning and Rossi prayed to God that being closer to home would have a positive influence on his wounded friend. He stayed with for a couple hours, but finally decided to go home. "I'll be back first thing in the morning, Aaron." He leaned down and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

XXX

The next morning, Rossi entered Hotch's room to find him lying in a different position. He wasn't sure if the staff had moved him or if Hotch had moved himself, but he was glad of the change. Anything was better than Hotch looking like he was lying in a coffin. He pulled up a chair, sat down, and grabbed Hotch's hand in what had become his usual way of spending his visits. Rossi started telling Hotch about how excited Mudgie was when he got home, and then went on to talk about anything that popped into his head. He couldn't stand the thought of just sitting there listening to all of the machines that Hotch was hooked up to. After about forty five minutes, Hotch's hand moved from Rossi's. Rossi froze, not sure if he imagined it or not. Then he noticed Hotch right foot move also. Rossi stood up quickly. "Aaron?" He waited several minutes, but Hotch didn't move again; and he started to wonder if he had actually had seen it.

Jessica brought Jack up first. They had talked to him and he knew his father wouldn't be awake, but Jack found comfort in actually being able to see and touch him. "Can he hear me, Uncle Dave?"

"I don't know for sure, but I'd like to think he can," Rossi told him with a small smile.

Apparently he liked the answer, and he spent the better part of the next hour telling Hotch all about school and everything he had missed while he was in Michigan. Jessica smiled sadly at the Hotchner men; she had confessed to Rossi that Jack had had a couple nightmares after he found out that Hotch was hurt. He had since come to the conclusion that his father would get better; he just needed a little time. After a while, Jessica told Jack that they had to go, but that they would stop by and see him after school the next day. Jack leaned in and gave his father a kiss on the cheek. "I love you, Daddy," Jack told him and they left.

Garcia and Morgan showed up next. She had never seen him while he was in the hospital after Foyet, so she had imagined all kinds of horrors in her mind about what he would look like. Seeing him, though, only made her think one thing; that he looked dead. Garcia couldn't hold back the tears for her Unit Chief. Morgan hugged her tightly until she had herself under control. She looked around the room as she wiped her eyes. "This place is dull. He needs color. He needs joy." She grabbed her purse and headed out the door. Rossi gave Morgan a small smile as he turned to follow her. They both knew she was headed to the gift shop.

Rossi took his normal place again, and JJ walked in. He stood up and gave her a hug. She pulled up another chair and sat opposite Rossi. "He's losing weight," she pointed out. Rossi nodded his agreement. "He can't afford to lose weight," she went on and Rossi smiled. "When's he gonna wake up, Dave?"

Rossi was about to answer when Hotch's right foot moved. He saw JJ's head snap to the movement, so he knew he wasn't the only one to see it. They watched in awe as Hotch flexed his foot and his toes pointed out instead of just pointing up limply. "Come on, Aaron. You can do it. We know you want to wake up," Rossi told him as he put his hand on Hotch's chest. He looked at JJ. "That's the second time he's done that," he told her with a smile.

"Come on, Hotch." JJ encouraged him. As if on cue, Hotch right hand pulled away from Dave's and moved out away from his body as his elbow moved closer to his side. "God! Does that mean he's in pain?" JJ asked desperately as she saw Hotch's arm flex.

A look of horror spread over Rossi's face. He had been so happy to see Hotch move, that he didn't think of any other reason for it other than he was waking up.

JJ saw Rossi's fear. "I'll go get a nurse," she said and quickly left the room.

Rossi tried to get Hotch's arm to relax, but it was too stiff to move. Rossi tried to swallow the lump building in his throat. He stepped back as a nurse came in with JJ. They watched the nurse check Hotch's arm and foot, and then checked his eyes. She turned to the agents with a smile.

"Is he in pain?" Rossi asked quickly.

"I don't think so. It means he is starting to wake up. On the Glasgow Scale, Aaron was at a three yesterday; that is the lowest a person can be with ones in all three subgroups: eye opening, verbal, and motor responses. This type of movement would give him a two in the motor response, but it still may be a while before he is actually what you would consider awake. Even at an eight, he would still be considered in a coma, but hopefully this is a good sign and it means he is starting his journey back to the world of consciousness," she told them with a smile as she notated it on Hotch's chart. She patted Rossi's shoulder as she walked past him and left the room.

JJ noticed Rossi's smile; it was the first time he had smiled since the explosion, and it infected her as she felt a smile cross her own lips.

"What?" Garcia asked anxiously when she saw their smiles as they turned to watch her come into the room.

JJ explained what the nurse had said to her and Morgan. "Bout time, Hotch," Morgan told his boss. They all assumed he could hear them.

JJ helped Garcia arrange the balloons and flowers she had bought. Garcia looked around the room when they were done. "Now it won't be so depressing when he wakes up," she told them with another smile.

"It's perfect, Kitten," Rossi told her as he pulled her into a hug.

They all watched as Hotch's left side reacted the same way as his right. Rossi walked up and put his hand on his chest. "Come on, Hotch. I know you hear us, and I know you want to give Garcia a scowl over all of the balloons."

Garcia laughed and put her hand on Hotch's arm. JJ put her hand on Hotch's left shoulder, and Morgan put his on Hotch's leg. They all willed Hotch to feel them and to know how much they cared about him.

XXX

Rossi couldn't go visit Hotch until after work the next day. Strauss had put them on standby, so they wouldn't be called out on a case; but there was still plenty of consults and paper work to do. He and Morgan had agreed to split up Hotch's work, and Rossi couldn't believe the amount of paper work Hotch had to do for every case. And that's why I never wanted the position!

It was almost seven by the time Rossi walked into Hotch's room. Rossi smiled as he realized Hotch was starting to show the next signs of motor response. After yesterday, he had went home and looked up all the information he could find on the subject. Hotch's right arm was curled up onto his chest, and Rossi suddenly worried about the sides of Hotch not responding at the same time. He hoped that didn't mean there was permanent damage to one side or the other of his brain. Rossi walked to Hotch's left side and grabbed Hotch's hand and sat down to tell him about all of the consults he had done when Hotch moaned. He wasn't sure if that meant Hotch was reaching the next level of verbal response of incomprehensible speech, but just hearing it made him smile. Hotch had been way too quiet, way too long.

Rossi noticed a card from Jack and smiled. Jack was taking the whole thing in stride. He was absolutely sure his father would be just fine as soon as he had enough time to rest. Rossi wished he could be as sure, but he had a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach. He hoped it was just worry, but the little voice in his head laughed at that.

XXX

The next morning, Rossi went to visit Hotch before work. He walked in on the doctor examining him. Rossi was about to excuse himself, but the doctor smiled and told him he could stay. The doctor was checking Hotch's vitals and then went on to examine his body. Rossi smiled as he realized Hotch's left side had finally joined his right. Then the doctor took out a pointed pen type instrument and jabbed Hotch in the chest with it. Hotch's eyes opened, and Rossi's breath caught in his chest. Rossi knew it was the next stage in that part of the scale, but it was the first time he saw Hotch's eyes open, and it felt good. The doctor then poked Hotch's leg and Hotch's eyes responded again. He tried it on all of Hotch's limbs and it worked every time. "Aaron? Can you open your eyes for me?" The doctor asked him without poking him. "Open your eyes, Aaron."

Rossi watched with anticipation, but Hotch didn't respond. Stop trying to rush him, Dave, he had to tell himself. He was happy with the little progress Hotch was making, and if he kept going the way he was, he would be awake by the end of the week. Hopefully!

The doctor finished his exam and Rossi pulled up a chair and took Hotch's hand. "I know you're trying Hotch, but I have to tell you that the waiting is killing me." He went on to tell him about what was happening around the BAU and in the world in general. After about an hour, he bid he friend goodbye and gave him a kiss to his forehead. He left with a promise to visit after work.

XXX

Reid decided to join Rossi for the evening visit. They grabbed dinner to go, and sat and ate in Hotch's room and talked to him like he was awake. It almost seemed real enough to make Rossi forget the bad feeling he had for a while. Reid started spewing off facts about coma patients, but Rossi tuned him out. He didn't want to hear about other patients, the only one he cared about at the moment was Hotch. Suddenly Hotch mumbled something. Reid stopped his iteration and looked at Hotch. Rossi smiled. That's definitely incomprehensible speech! "I think he wants you to shut up," Rossi joked.

Rossi stood up to try something. "Hotch, open your eyes for me." Rossi almost jumped for joy as he watched Hotch's eyes flutter and then open. He leaned in to look him in the eyes, and he could tell there was no recognition in them yet. Baby steps, Dave. Baby steps! Hotch slowly shut his eyes again.

"Open your eyes, Hotch." Reid tried, and sure enough Hotch opened his eyes again. Reid looked at Rossi and smiled. "The repetition of following commands is a great sign."

Rossi nodded. By the end of the week definitely!