Chapter 4
Rossi tried to place his visit the next morning for the same time that he thought Hotch's doctor was going to be there. He did it perfectly. He walked in on the doctor using his pointed pen on Hotch right foot. Hotch didn't just open his eyes, he jerked away from the thing. Rossi smiled. Keep it up, Hotch. You're doing great! When the doctor used it on his left foot, nothing happened. Rossi again worried about half of Hotch's brain being more damaged than the other. The doctor noticed his concern, though, and smiled. "It's perfectly normal for one side to be faster than the other. Even though a lot of it is theory, we believe in the right-brained left-brained aspect of the person. I would assume Aaron is more of a left-brained person."
"Definitely," Rossi told him with a smile. He knew about the studies, and everyone who knew him would say he was certainly a left-brained person.
Just then Hotch said something. Rossi smiled even more. They couldn't understand it, but it seemed like Hotch was trying to join in the conversations around him. Rossi went up to him and held his hand. "Open your eyes, Hotch." Hotch did to the raised brows of the doctor. "He did it twice last night," Rossi told the doctor proudly.
"He's moving along nicely. I wouldn't be surprised if he is actually consciously awake by the end of next week," the doctor told him. Hotch mumbled something. "Or this week," the doctor corrected himself with a smile. "Aaron," Hotch opened his eyes to the sound of his name. "What color is grass?" Hotch said one word, and Rossi thought it sounded like 'blue' but he couldn't be sure. The doctor looked at Rossi. "That's the next step. When he can answer questions when asked, and we can understand him, then it usually signals a few days left."
"But he got the answer wrong," Rossi told him worriedly.
"You heard 'blue', too? But don't worry about that. Just the fact of him answering is good. He'll eventually get the answers right. If you're going to try it, just pretend he gets the answers right, and praise him for it. If you try to tell him he is wrong, or try to correct him it will confuse him, and he'll be confused enough."
Rossi nodded his understanding, and the doctor made a few notes on his chart and left. Rossi pulled up his usual chair and sat there holding Hotch's hand. A Beatles song came on the radio and Hotch mumbled something. Rossi went and turned the radio up a little for him. "There, now you can hear it better, but I'll never understand you liking them. I could never stomach their songs." Hotch mumbled something that sounded like 'too bad,' and Rossi smiled.
A half hour later, Rossi headed to work. As soon as he got there, they got a case. He sat through the initial meeting. It wasn't too bad; someone had targeted a small company and they were threatening the employees. One person was already dead, and the small local police force asked for their help before someone else died. They already knew it was someone connected to the company, so when Rossi said he wasn't going with them, no one argued.
Morgan was actually glad. "We can't take the chance of Hotch waking up with all of us out of state."
"I agree. I'll put in for some personal time, but if you all need me, I'm just a call away," he told them seriously.
"Please, my lovelies could solve this one in their sleep," Garcia joked.
"Hotch could probably do it from his coma," JJ mused and everyone laughed.
Rossi saw the team off and went to Strauss with paperwork to take the next three days off. She agreed reluctantly, but he assured her that the team would be fine without him.
XXX
The team was back home in two days, and Hotch had made steady progress. He was actually reaching his hand up to stop the doctor from rubbing his knuckles on his sternum. The doctor called it 'purposeful movement' and it gave him a five in the motor response. With everything else he had been doing, Hotch now had an eleven on the scale. He was no longer considered to be in a coma, and Rossi was sure that Hotch would be awake soon. He couldn't wait; he couldn't believe how much he missed his friend. Rossi laughed when the doctor asked Hotch what his son's name was and he said 'ball'. Rossi knew Hotch was probably remembering Jack playing soccer, and while the doctor didn't get the connection, Rossi did.
XXX
The next day Rossi decided to have lunch with Hotch. He almost dropped the bag of food in his hand when he walked into the room and Hotch looked at him. Hotch actually looked at him. His eyes followed Rossi into the room, and Rossi was sure he recognized him. "Well, hey there," Rossi told him with a smile. Hotch's face went from passive to his famous Hotch stare. Rossi's heart skipped a beat. Maybe he doesn't recognize me. "Hotch? How are you?"
Hotch's brows furrowed as if he was trying to figure out what to say, but then he closed his eyes.
Rossi stood there another moment and realized that Hotch had fallen back into unconsciousness as his face relaxed. Rossi sighed. He knew Hotch would wake up a little at a time, and a little more each time, but he didn't like the look Hotch had given him. Rossi tried to shake it off, to know it probably meant nothing more than Hotch reverting to his usual work face, but the little voice in his head was laughing again.
XXX
The next day, Rossi walked in on the doctor asking Hotch how he felt. Rossi noticed that Hotch was awake but his face looked passive. Hotch didn't try to answer him. "Can you squeeze my hand?" the doctor asked him, and Rossi smiled when he realized Hotch did it. "Good," the doctor told him and put Hotch's left hand back of the bed. "Can you give me a thumbs-up with your right hand?" Hotch did that, too. "Good job."
Rossi entered into the room fully. The doctor smiled at him and waved him over. Hotch looked at him when he got into Hotch's peripheral vision. Rossi was relieved when Hotch didn't give him his stare; his face stayed passive.
"Do you know who this is?" the doctor asked him.
Hotch nodded but didn't say anything.
"Do you know his name?" the doctor asked.
Hotch's brow furrowed. "Reid. . . no. . . " he closed him eyes.
"It's alright, Aaron," Rossi tried to tell him.
Hotch opened his eyes again. "Rossi."
Rossi smiled.
"That's right," the doctor told him and Hotch looked back at Rossi for a second and then closed his eyes.
"Don't be surprised if he doesn't know you every time," the doctor told him.
"I understand," Rossi assured him.
The doctor finished up and Rossi took his usual spot. As long as Hotch continued to follow commands with his movements, he reached as far as he could on the motor scale. Rossi also thought that he had reached as far as he could on the eye scale, even though he didn't keep them open for very long. Hotch had only one more step to go on the verbal scale, and if Rossi knew his friend, that wouldn't take very long. Rossi knew the hardest thing Hotch was facing was the fact of getting strong enough to stay awake and eventually get out of the hospital. Rossi squeezed his hand and smiled when Hotch returned the gesture.
After about twenty minutes, Hotch woke up again. Rossi stood up to be in Hotch's view. "Hey there," Rossi told him with a smile.
"Where am I?" Hotch asked weakly.
"You're in the hospital."
"Why?"
"You don't remember?"
"I wouldn't have asked if I knew," Hotch told him coldly.
Rossi gave him a strange look. "Sorry, there was an explosion," Rossi started but Hotch faded off again.
Hotch didn't wake up again before Rossi had to leave. Rossi drove to work telling himself that Hotch's tone was due to his confusion, but the laughter in his head didn't want to be ignored. He's fine! He will be fine! Rossi tried to tell himself despite the laughter from his little voice.
XXX
Jessica called Rossi that evening at work. "Something wrong with Aaron," she told him as soon as he answered.
Rossi's heart skipped a beat. "What?"
"He woke up and. . . "
"What Jessica? You know that he might not have recognized you or Jack."
"No, that's not it."
"Then what? What happened?" Rossi asked her full of concern.
"I don't know how to say it. It's just he didn't seem right. I don't know, but Jack noticed it, too."
"It will take him time to be right, Jess. He needs time to process everything."
She sighed heavily. "I know. I'm sorry to have worried you."
"Why don't you give it another day or so before you take Jack back up there. Give Hotch a little more time. I'm sure he wouldn't want to be confusing Jack."
"Yeah, that sounds good. Jack will understand that his father needs rest. Just call me when you think it will be alright for Jack to go back up there."
"I will, and don't worry. He'll be fine."
Rossi ended the call and the laugh got louder. He hurried through the rest of his work and left to see Hotch as soon as he was done. Rossi noticed that Hotch's bed had been adjusted to where he was almost sitting up. Hotch woke up when Rossi pulled the chair close to the bed to sit down.
"Where am I?" Hotch asked, his voice a little stronger than it was that morning.
Rossi didn't like the way he kept asking the same question. "Hospital." Hotch nodded and looked around the room. His gaze finally settled on Rossi. "How do you feel?"
"Headache."
"You need something?"
"Why?"
"To help with the headache," Rossi explained.
Hotch looked at him coldly. "Why am I in the hospital?"
"Oh, sorry. An explosion."
"When?"
Rossi had to think about that. "Twelve days ago."
Hotch fixed him with his famous stare for a few moments but went back to sleep.
Give him time, Dave. He'll be fine. Rossi tried to give himself the same advice that he had given Jessica. The little voice wasn't laughing anymore. It flat out told him, 'yeah right!' Rossi put his head in his hands and for the first time in a while, he cried. Something was wrong with his friend and it was all his fault.
XXX
Rossi didn't make it to see Hotch before work, so he decided a lunch visit would be nice. The whole team decided to join him. Rossi hung back and let them all enter first. He wanted to watch Hotch's interaction with them, so he could gauge if Hotch was acting the same way with everyone. Rossi watched as Hotch looked at his team. It was the first time he had seen them all since he had woken up. Hotch was eyeing them all with his stare. Reid actually took a step backward. "How ya feeling, man?" Morgan asked with a smile.
"Why are you all here?"
"We wanted to see you," JJ told him with a smile.
"Shouldn't you be working?"
"Lunch break," Reid pointed out. Hotch fixed his stare on him, and Reid swallowed hard.
The whole team exchanged worried glances, and they all looked to Rossi for help. Rossi took a deep breath and got closer to Hotch. Hotch turned his stare at him, but Rossi ignored it. "Do you know where you are?"
"A hospital, obviously," Hotch told him sarcastically.
Reid shot Rossi a look; Hotch was never sarcastic unless he was with an unsub or joking with them. Rossi ignored that, too. "Do you know why?"
Hotch lost his stare and he actually looked confused. They could tell he was trying to remember. "No," he finally admitted.
"That's alright. You may never remember it," Reid pointed out, a little braver since Hotch wasn't staring at him anymore. The whole team heard him gulp when Hotch fixed him with his stare again.
"And what would 'it' be, Reid?"
Reid looked at Rossi again. "There was an explosion," Rossi told him, again.
Hotch laid his head back and closed his eyes. They knew he wasn't asleep. They all exchanged looks again. Apparently Hotch wasn't in the mood for visitors. Rossi nodded toward the door and they all started to leave.
"We'll see you later, Hotch," Rossi told him, but Hotch didn't respond.
On the way back to the BAU, they all discussed Hotch's unusual behavior. Rossi also brought up how Hotch kept asking the same questions. Reid assured them that it was normal. "It's called PTA, Post Traumatic Amnesia, and it should work itself out in a few days, but it could last for a few weeks."
"Well, then no wonder he's mad. He wakes up in a hospital and doesn't know why he's there. Hell, I'd be pissed, too," Morgan told them. They all agreed, but Rossi felt it was something more. I'll just have to wait until this stage is over to be sure. Rossi sent up a prayer to God, for it to be that simple.
"I don't think I could handle it if Hotch kept using his stare on us. It's fine for an unsub, it does a good job on them, but it made my blood run cold for it to be aimed at us," JJ admitted.
Reid let out a weak chuckle. "I'm glad it wasn't just me who had a problem with it."
"I think it actually stopped my heart for a couple of beats," Blake told them and they all laughed.