AN: Well, that took longer than I had wanted but I've been soooo busy with all of my finals. I also took a tour of my soon-to-be college, UCF (which I loved). Needless to say I'm a bit preoccupied with the passing of one phase of my life (tear) and the beginning of the next! That is not your problem, of course, which is why I made this chapter very long - as an apology! Ha, it's more... team based though and doesn't have a whole lot of action, but hopefully you guys enjoy the little insights into the characters. But if not... hopefully you'll still come back for the next one.

Warnings: Same stuff, really. Some medical stuff... no swearing. Spoilers for the season four finale and season five premier.

Thanks: HUGE thanks to Servant05 who did an extraordinary job with some medical questions I had. She did give the disclaimer that the info is to the best of her knowledge and I still could have misinterpreted so if there are mistakes with the medical info, do not blame her!! But, do thank her for it! And of course, thanks to all who read and reviewed! Always lovely!

Okay! That's it so enjoy!

Aaron Hotchner was at a loss. He wished he did not have to think, did not have to feel. Better yet, he wished none of this had ever happened and he could have both Haley and Jack beside him. While he certainly appreciated his team being there for him, people he did consider to be a part of his family, they did not possess the kind, beautiful eyes of his wife – ex-wife – nor did they have the innocence of Jack that Aaron found so refreshing.

Besides, not all of his team was there.

Aaron still did not know the complete story as to what had happened to his youngest agent and only knew that Reid was having additional tests done that would determine whether or not he would need more surgery. All of this made Aaron feel the most helpless he had ever felt. Not only had he watched his son and the woman he still loved walk out of his room, knowing he would not see or hear from then for an unknown amount of time, he now only knew small details on the condition of one of his agents. The youngest, no less. And on top of all of that, he could barely move without having pain shoot through his abdomen.

Aaron closed his eyes and let his head rest against the pillows.

"It will all work out, Aaron," Rossi said from his chair.

Aaron opened his eyes and looked at Rossi in thought for a moment. He wanted to believe him, and a part of him did, but it was honestly very hard in his current state. Still, he nodded slowly and looked away.

A moment passed in silence before Aaron heard someone enter his room. He turned his head slightly to see who it was and felt a split second of anxiety at the sight of Prentiss. He knew it would either be good news or bad news, and he could really use some good news.

"The tests came back and they're rushing him back to surgery," Emily sighed, her eyes full of concern.

Aaron's stomach, already the main source of his pain, tightened and he felt his hopes fail. It was not the worst possible news she could have given him but it was certainly not good.

"Well did they say anything else?" Rossi, now standing, asked. "Any idea on what went wrong?"

Prentiss half-shrugged. "Kind of. A nurse very quickly mentioned something about his lung and internal bleeding…" she trailed off, knowing that this explanation certainly didn't make the situation sound any better.

"Other than that… we have no idea," she finished. "Oh, this has been one hell of a day."

Aaron closed his eyes and once again let his head fall back against the pillows. One hell of a day was right, and it wasn't getting any better.

The dynamics of the BAU team would no doubt be seen as interesting to an outsider. Hell, David Rossi sometimes found them odd himself and not only was he an expert on human behavior, he was a part of the team. Still, there were days when even he was baffled by the manner in which the members of the team would act.

You see, in most groups, especially a team as close as the BAU, there were rather definitive roles that each person played and, for the most part, everyone was to stick to their own roles. For example, JJ was the motherly one; she kept them organized and always managed to keep them from getting too far into the minds of the criminals that they forgot the feelings of the victims and their loved ones. Reid, on the other hand, was sometimes so far into his own unique and gifted mind that he forgot everyone: victims, criminals and friends alike. Still, he was the ultimate brain of their little gang. The list went on: Morgan was the muscle, Hotch was the foundation and so on and so forth.

But there were days like today when the roles were switched up. It was almost to be expected, of course, given the situation but it still made Dave slightly uneasy. This scenario was even more twisted because almost everyone had personal conflicts in addition to the standard concern over colleagues and friends. Morgan was feeling somewhat responsible for what had happened to Hotch as Foyet had used Morgan's credentials, Prentiss was feeling guilty for leaving Reid, JJ was naturally too in touch with her emotions and Hotch, usually the rock that held everyone together, was reasonably too emotional to maintain his normal role.

That left Dave.

He honestly wasn't sure what his own role within the group was, but usually decided that if one of the others failed their roles, he would step in. And, given that most of them were in some way compromised, Rossi decided he would try to fill Hotch's shoes.

Of course, Rossi wasn't as good as Hotch was in terms of showing little to no emotion, but he was certainly more qualified at the given moment. The most recent news of Reid being taken back to surgery certainly made it all the more difficult, but the sight of his colleagues and friends growing more and more disheartened gave him the needed motivation.

They were currently all in the surgical waiting room, except, of course, for Aaron who was temporarily denied visitors as the nurses need to change his bandages. Dave looked around and the rest of his teammates and realized they had fallen in to a silence that was filled with negative vibes.

No longer able to simply sit and endure the silent pain of his friends, Rossi cleared his throat and began to speak.

"When Reid gets out of surgery, I doubt they'll let us see him right away," he began, ignoring the little voice that reminded him that the surgery may not end so nicely. "In which case, we should probably look at getting a good night's sleep. We're running on empty," he finished, briefly in awe over the fact that Canada seemed so long ago.

"We can't just leave them here," Morgan said, his voice low but stern.

JJ lowered her head into her hands and Dave knew she was thinking of her son and how she wanted to get back to him but how she also wanted to be here for Hotch and Reid.

"As I said," Dave said softly, not wanting to rub Morgan the wrong way. "I can almost guarantee that Reid won't be allowed visitors and normal visiting hours will be ending in about two hours."

"I'm sure they can make an exception…"

"Maybe Hotch needs some time," Emily interjected. "I mean, we've been by his side nonstop for hours. I definitely don't mind, of course, but maybe he would like some time to himself…"

Morgan seemed to consider this but Dave could tell he was not happy with the thought.

"How about this," Rossi started, trying to compromise. "Once we know how Reid is, we'll talk with Hotch and if we get the impression he needs the company, then one of us will stay. Otherwise, I think he'd agree with my beliefs that we need to rest. Besides," Dave said as an important though occurred to him, "we will all need to be on our best game as we revisit the Foyet case. That's the best way to help him."

This seemed to be something they all agreed on. Once Haley and Jack had been found safe, the idea of continuing the search for Foyet had been pushed aside in favor of being there for Aaron and concern for Reid. Their thoughts were interrupted, however, when an unknown voice said:

"Spencer Reid?"

Almost in unison, everyone stood up but it was Dave who spoke.

"Yes," he said, preparing himself for whatever news he was about to get.

The doctor looked at them for a moment and Dave couldn't quite tell if the news was going to be very good or just okay, but he knew that is wasn't terrible. "The surgery, overall, went well."

With this quick statement, the relief that filled the room was nearly palpable.

"A second surgery so soon after the first is never ideal, but in this particular case, we're lucky it won't be more."

Dave frowned at this statement. He knew that bullets could do quite some damage but he never really saw single gunshot wounds as needing several surgeries. In his mind, they could either save the patient or not.

"You see, the bullet that was used to shoot Dr. Reid was made to break apart after striking the target. We did know this during the first surgery which is why it took so long as we were repairing all of the individual wounds. What we didn't catch, however, is that one of the pieces apparently struck one of his ribs and mushroomed out even more than normal. Because the resulting pieces were exceptionally small, we were able to find all but one of them during the first surgery. That last piece, though very small, managed to cause a slight tear in Dr. Reid's lung, which then led to a rather slow bleed into his chest cavity."

Dave slowly let the air he had been holding escape from his lungs. Sometimes he wished the doctors wouldn't get into so much detail. It was one thing to hear about bullets and bleeding in someone's chest but it was completely different when he imagined little Reid cut open on the surgical table. Rossi had to hold back a wince at the thought.

"It was extremely lucky that he was taken for tests, though," the doctor continued. "From what I understand, the reason they were alarmed was unrelated to the tear in his lung."

"What do you mean?" JJ asked. Dave looked back at her and realized that what the doctor was saying could put her mind at ease.

"Well, after a major surgery, it's rather normal for the body to attempt to shut down in an attempt to heal," the doctor explained. "What happened then could've happened whether or not he still needed surgery. We're lucky it did, though, or else we may not have caught his condition in time."

Dave couldn't hold back a slight smile. After feeling so guilty about causing Reid to need additional surgery, not only was it not her fault, she may have inadvertently saved his life.

"Any questions?"

"He's expected to make a full recovery?" Emily asked quickly.

The doctor bit his lips and seemed slightly embarrassed. "Oh, my apologies. I didn't make that explicit, did I?" He took a deep breath and continued. "Yes, as long as he sticks to his plan for recovery, I expect a full recovery in time. Anything else?"

"When can we see him?" Morgan asked.

The doctor looked at a clock on a nearby wall and seemed surprised. "Wow, I didn't realize it was this late. Well, given the fact that he just completed his second surgery, we won't be allowing any visitors until sometime tomorrow when we're sure he's completely stable. We do normally allow one visitor for fifteen minutes after the patient wakes up, but given the time, I imagine they'll be keeping him rather sedated throughout the night. However, he will be back in recovery on level one tomorrow and the staff there will let you know what the rules are as far as visitation goes."

He paused for a moment and looked at them all, giving them time for any last minute questions.

"Is that all?" he asked, then continued. "Well, I do apologize we didn't catch that last piece sooner, but I assure you that my staff did the best they could. It was an unusual case. I also know that you all, especially Dr. Reid, are the reason that my colleague and his son are alive and safe, and for that, I thank you all. Please pass the word to Dr. Reid."

"We appreciate your work as well, Doctor," Dave said before reaching out to shake the man's hand. They all gave silent nods of goodbyes and when the doctor walked away, Dave joined the others in taking a moment to soak in the information.

It was good news, plain and simple. Needed good news at that. Reid was going to be okay. They had thought that once before, of course, but everyone seemed sure that this time it was certain.

"So," Emily spoke first with a lightness in her voice, "you saved Reid's life, JJ."

Dave turned around and was delighted to see a faint smile on JJ's face. That news had no doubt made her feel better about what had happened earlier.

"I still got him worked up," she said quietly.

"Which led to them finding the final tear," Dave interjected. "Do not under mind the small miracles of life."

This got an even bigger smile from the young blonde and Dave decided she was almost officially guilt-free. However, her smile reminded him immediately of Garcia who was stuck at the Bureau working another important case which was hopefully no longer in need of her services.

"So," Dave continued. "It's 7:45 which means we have fifteen minutes to talk to Hotch. After that, should anyone wish or feel the need to stay, they'll have to take it up with the nurses. Otherwise, I say we grab Garcia, have a quick dinner, then all go to sleep."

The mention of their beloved technical analyst seemed to spark their memory and Dave was sure they all felt a bit guilty for leaving her out. However, given just how much had happened that day, he somehow felt that Garcia would understand after they explained it to her.

"Shall we?"

Aaron's eyes wrenched open after once again being plagued with horrible dreams involving Foyet, Haley and Jack and even Reid. Nightmares were no stranger to him, even ones that involved people he cared about, but combined with the fact that his family was gone and he still didn't know the condition of his youngest agent, these particular nightmares were unbearable.

Aaron glanced at the clock on his bedside table which read 7:50 PM. The others had been gone for at least thirty minutes or so, most of which involved nurses changing his bandages and, of course, Aaron dozing off. He briefly wondered if he could call a nurse to go get information on Reid.

Just as he thought this, however, he heard people entering his room. He turned his head and saw JJ, Prentiss, Morgan and Rossi all standing near him and, to Aaron's great relief, all wearing smiles.

"He's okay," Rossi said happily. "They're sure of it this time."

The tension in Aaron's body lessened and with it went some of the pain caused by stiffness.

"What happened?"

"The bullet mushroomed out more than usual and they didn't catch the very last piece," Prentiss explained. "Thanks to Reid's little episode with JJ, however," she said, glancing over at JJ who smiled slightly and looked at the ground, "they managed to catch the slow bleed the piece caused."

Aaron nodded and allowed his head to rest against the pillows. Reid was okay. His family was still gone for the time being, but Reid was going to be okay. And for some reason, Hotch felt a sudden desire to see the young man for himself.

As though reading his mind, Rossi then said, "They said no visitors until maybe tomorrow, so, if you want someone to stay…"

"No," Hotch said, cutting him off. It wasn't to be rude, but he knew his team desperately needed sleep after one of their biggest cases in Canada, then his own condition and finally Reid. "I need you all to get sleep."

"Hotch, we don't mind…" Morgan began, but once again, Aaron shook his head.

"I need you all to be able to perform your jobs to the best of your abilities, and that means you get sleep. You know this."

Aaron looked at everyone one of them and saw them nod. He did appreciate their offers to stay with him, but he could use some time to himself anyway. Besides, he was feeling extremely tired.

"That settles that!" Rossi announced, looking at the others. Aaron realized then that Rossi had already told them they would be going home tonight.

"You call if you need anything, Hotch," Morgan said as he gave a strong nod.

JJ approached Aaron's bed then and laid a soft hand on his. "We're here for you."

Prentiss nodded in agreement and Rossi gave him a well-known look that said everything he needed to say. They all then began to leave but before they did, Aaron cleared his throat.

"Guys," he said, then waited until he had regained their attention. "You've all done exceptional work over the past few days. I'm very proud."

While he meant every word, it had been surprisingly hard to say. Aaron knew it was because of his own emotional state but he still tried to maintain a neutral appearance. They seemed to understand, however, and before he knew it, Aaron was once again alone in his room.

This time, though, when he closed his eyes, he didn't see terrifying images of the past couple of days and instead fell into a deep and much needed sleep.

EN: That's all for now! Again, I hope you liked it. I know it was a little on the slow side again, but... I still hope some of you liked it. If it wasn't your cup of tea, the next one should have a bit more action/dialougue and less internal stuff so come back!! Okay, thanks for reading and if you got a second, review! If not, hope you come back for the next one!