Even though I don't know what your plan is,
I know you make beauty from these ashes.
- The Afters "Broken Hallelujah"

Saturday night stretched into Sunday. The days could get long in the hospital. Aaron was in and out of short periods of sleep, and Rossi was all too happy to let him do it. While he slept, Rossi finished long overdue case files and talked to the team. Aaron had even facetimed with Garcia once, as a practice run requested by Rossi, which made her giddier than he'd ever seen. He wasn't ready to see the team yet, but even he had to admit that seeing Garcia's smiling face and wild outfit made him feel a little more normal.

As the day wore on, the two men played a few hands of poker, watched some bad television, and Aaron watched as Rossi choked down hospital food for breakfast and lunch. He had to admit, it brought him some enjoyment, knowing what a foodie his friend was. When dinnertime came on Sunday evening, Rossi stood from his lumpy couch bed and arched his back. He knew it was time, and he could absolutely not eat one more cafeteria meal this weekend. He was a good friend, but even he had his limits.

"Hotch," he began, putting his hands into his pockets. He felt grimy and tired. "I'm afraid I have to get home now. I've got laundry to do and wine to drink before I have to be in the office tomorrow. Might make myself a meal that has some flavor, too, if I can manage it. Can I get you anything before I leave?"

Aaron looked down at his hands, feeling an overwhelming sense of sadness and loneliness wash over him. He was still on strict quarantine, which meant unless Dave was there, he could have no visitors. That never seemed to bother him before, but for some reason he felt it hard now. Still, he shook his head and looked over at his friend.

"No, you've done more than enough," Aaron sighed. His throat wasn't on fire anymore, his voice was still soft and hoarse but not painful. His head throbbed and his body was aching but the medication they were keeping him on was doing its job, he wasn't in any real pain. Garcia had told him he looked good, but he knew she was just being nice.

Dave looked his friend over and smiled. He looked better, even if just slightly. He had color to his face again. "Try to get some real sleep tonight, alright? I'll be by around lunch tomorrow, and after work if we don't get called out on a case. Nothing looks too exciting right now, so barring any emergencies, I should see you very soon. Unless you'd rather I stayed away…you sick of me yet?"

"Yeah. Pretty tired of seeing your ugly mug…but nevertheless, I wouldn't mind if you came by."

Dave put his hand on Aaron's shoulder and gave him a soft pat. The two of them locked eyes, and many feelings and thoughts were exchanged without making a sound. After a moment, Dave walked quietly out of the room, closing the door behind him. Aaron was alone with the beeping and whirring of the machines. It was dinner time, but he still wasn't cleared for solid food. He knew the nurse would be by soon to manhandle him, change his IV bags and drainage collection bag, administer more anti-nausea medication and ask if he felt good enough to get up and take a walk around the room. He looked forward to the walks around the room, as silly as that sounded. They were hard and painful, his legs threatened to give out on him at first, but getting out of that uncomfortable bed and shuffling to the door and back was like heaven for two minutes. He thought he may even ask if they could go down the hall tonight to help cure his cabin fever.

"Hey buddy," Aaron said, looking at his son's concerned face in his small phone screen. It was Monday morning and Jack was getting ready to head to school, but he missed his father and decided he needed to see him. Aaron wasn't thrilled to video chat with his son, he hated when Jack saw him like this, but both of them needed to see each other. "How was your weekend?"

"Great! Had a really good practice on Saturday, and we won our match on Sunday. Jason's mom made lasagna for dinner last night, just for me!"

Aaron smiled, his eyes twinkling at his son's happiness. "That's great, Jack. Are you ok staying there a few more days?"

"Of course! Can I come see you soon?" Jack asked, pushing his face closer to the phone and sticking his tongue out. Aaron let out a soft chuckle, staring at his son's blurry uvula.

"Not today, but they might let me have visitors tomorrow. I'm not sure they'll let you in though, your smell might make people sick. I can smell you through the phone."

Jack laughed and shook his head. "Yeah yeah yeah, dad. I'm surprised the doctors can even look at you without puking! Crap, ok I gotta go, the bus is gonna be here soon. Talk to you later!"

After they hung up, Aaron put his phone on silent. He stared blankly at the television for a while until his eyes drifted shut and he fell into a nice, long nap.

When he woke, he heard faint sounds of someone outside his doorway and recognized Rossi's voice immediately. He was talking with the nurse. Aaron ran his fingers through his hair, it was greasy and slicked with sweat from his fever finally breaking. Dave came into the room moments later, carrying his briefcase and a small tub of liquid.

"Aaron, how are you?" he asked, keeping his voice soft. Aaron nodded his head slightly. He didn't really know how to answer that question. He was still very sick, but his symptoms were being managed well enough that he didn't actually feel so bad.

"Never better," Hotch replied with a smirk. Rossi chuckled.

"Well you look like you've been run over repeatedly by a city bus, but I suppose that's an improvement on yesterday, when you looked like you'd just been dug up out of the ground."

Rossi sat down on the chair beside his friend's bed and set the small tub of liquid on the table, beside his phone and water cup. "My famous chicken broth. The nurse said they're letting you have clear fluids today, and maybe a small meal tonight. She approved this, if you're up to it. I guarantee it's better than anything you'll get here."

Aaron smelled the broth, and to his surprise, it didn't make his stomach churn. He didn't really want to drink it yet, but it didn't make him feel sick thinking about it so he figured it was a step in the right direction.

"Thanks, Dave. How is everyone?"

"They're all fine, just worried about you. We're working together in the conference room today, to keep everyone on track. JJ asked if Jack could come stay with her one of these nights, but I told her I didn't know how much you wanted him bouncing around. Garcia's had your entire apartment decontaminated and probably covered in goody baskets and flowers, and Morgan offered to come and stay with you if you'd like, once you're home. Reid…well he's just being Reid. He's frantic and worried and talking faster than any of us can follow. Hotch…" Dave began, looking sternly at his friend. "I know you want to keep everyone at arm's length, but these people love you and would do anything for you. It isn't wise to keep pushing them away."

Aaron closed his eyes and sighed. "I know. I'm just so used to doing everything on my own, it's a hard habit to let go of. When I was a child, my dad used to beat on us pretty bad, Shawn and I. Never had anyone to take care of me then, so I had to learn to do it myself so I could take care of Shawn, too. He was so little."

"Aaron, I…" Dave began, but stopped himself. His friend had never opened up about his childhood before, he kept it so closely guarded. The team all had their theories, they'd heard some things he'd said in passing, but they never pushed it. Rossi mulled over what Aaron was saying for a long, silent moment.

"Of course you didn't know. No one knows, save for Shawn. I never even told Haley. It's a part of who I am, but it's not something I like to advertise. There were times it got so bad, we ended up in the ER, or a neighbor would call the police, but usually we were just on our own. When he passed, I thought it would get better, but it didn't. I got worse. We weren't being hurt anymore, but now we had no one…"

"I'm sorry Hotch." Dave looked sadly at his friend for a moment, then straightened his shoulders. He knew Aaron didn't want his pity, just a quiet understanding of the reality he lived in.

"Don't be. It was a lifetime ago. I'd appreciate it if what I just told you didn't leave this room though." Aaron looked at his friend solemnly, then back at the muted television. His stare was blank and he was lost in quiet contemplation. His chest felt tight. All of these years, he thought it might feel good to tell someone, to let it out, but it didn't. It didn't change a thing.

"Of course."

"Maybe tomorrow I can facetime with everyone at the round table," Aaron finally said, breaking the silence. "I saw that you guys have a local case you've been asked to consult on. Garcia has me all set up to link in when I'm ready. Just…not yet."

"We would all appreciate your insight, but Aaron you're not working. That's my one condition. You keep it short and light. I realize you're bored out of your mind and you're anxious to get back to feeling useful, but the fastest way to make your recovery take even longer is over exertion. You need rest. That's why they're keeping you here."

"Right," Aaron muttered, scrunching up his nose. "Rest. I'm not good at this."

"You'll be an expert by the time you're discharged. I'll bring my go bag tonight and stay here with you, keep you company, if you'd like. Or I can leave you alone. Your call."

"I'd appreciate the company, but you don't have to sleep on that terrible couch again. You've done more than enough, really."

"You do for friends." Rossi replied quietly, settling back into his chair and letting his gaze drift to the television too. "I've got 15 minutes before I need to head back – wanna play a quick hand of cards? Your pick."