After her adventure down to the NICU to see her daughter, Emily's doctors had confined her to her hospital room with a nurse coming in every five to ten minutes to make sure she was there in her bed. It had been almost a day and they still didn't let her visit her daughter or have her little girl come up to her room, making sure both were stable before they were together.

Sitting up the best she could, all her weight in her wrists as she lifted her body, Emily let out a breath.

"How's it going, mama?"

She smiled at the dark man walking into her room. "Those are beautiful," she almost whispered, her eyes immediately going to the daisies he carried in. "You didn't have to get anything for me."

Derek shook his head. After he set the vase down, he pulled out a small daisy from the bouquet and showed it to his friend. "And a little one for our little Grace."

Immediately the FBI agent had to keep her tears that threatened to fill her eyes at bay. She nodded silently, smiling gently up to her friend before he sat herself down on the edge of her bed.

"Baby girl is parking the car with Hotch," he grinned. "When do we get to see our little baby girl?"

Emily's head shook. "The doctor hasn't told me yet."

Derek watched as a few emotions raced over his friend's face before she flashed him another one of her famous smiles. "I bet she's dying to see her mommy," he nodded to her, watching as she flipped the dark hair that fell from her ponytail away from her eyes. "How do you feel?"

"My ribs feel like splintered wood," she admitted, surprising her friend with her honesty. "But if I tell my doctor that, then he might not let Grace come up here today."

The FBI agent set his hand to Emily's broken leg underneath her blanket. "I'm sure they will."

Walking into the room, Penelope's face lit up. "My Snow Queen!" she grinned, running across the room and pushing Derek out of his seat on their friend's bed. "How are you, my blossoming buttercup?"

Emily let out a laugh. "More like a broken down buttercup."

"Nonsense," the technical analyst breathed almost in shock. "So I saw baby Gracie on the way up here and she is mighty precious. She wasn't crying," she grinned, seeing Emily's emotions quickly come to the surface. "I think she's all better."

"You saw her?"

Penelope quickly nodded her head. "Just passing by the window."

Looking over her friend's shoulder, the new mother found herself frowning when the man she loved didn't appear. "Derek said Hotch was with you."

The blond smiled wide at the worry she saw on her friend's face. "Don't worry! Boss Man is coming up with a surprise that we worked out." Noting the older woman's long face, Penelope was quick to hold up a hand. "You are going to love it so take that sour puss off your face."

Emily smirked. "Is it chocolate?" The hospital hadn't let JJ sneak it in the day she'd gotten there.

"Even better."

The injured woman looked up at the voice of her friend and saw her baby girl lying peacefully in Hotch's arms. "Hi." Her voice hiccupped, her arms immediately reaching out to take her daughter from the older man. "Hi there baby," she whispered, smiling wide when Grace turned to face her.

"Mama!"

Penelope stood from the bed and reached to take Derek's hand. "How glorious is this?" she whispered to the other agent, her eyes never leaving Emily.

Emily let Grace's hands clap against her cheeks before she fully hugged the now eight month old against her. "Mommy missed you so much." Pressing a long kiss to her chubby cheek, the brunette woman grinned. "How are you feeling, Gracie?"

Hotch loved the way Emily's voice changed when she spoke to Grace.

The eight month old contemplated her next move, her small fingers grabbing at her mother's earlobes before she launched herself against the agent's chest.

"We can lay here for a bit." Without moving her daughter from her spot against her chest, Emily's dark eyes searched Grace's small body to look for the bruises her friends had told her she had. A dark purple mark was partially visible underneath the collar of the little onesie the hospital had put her in, and another around her wrist. Her heart clenched at seeing the bruises, but the rest of her little girl seemed perfectly fine.

Hotch saw Emily looking to him with tears in her eyes, and he sat down in the chair beside her bed. "She's ok. Don't panic, alright?"

Emily silently nodded her head, letting the older man put a hand to her arm.

"Emily?"

All heads turned to see the familiar man standing in the doorway, Emily's hold on her daughter never faltering. "Theodore," she breathed. "What are you doing here?"

The older man took that as an invitation to enter the room, closing the door behind him. "Your friend called me to tell me about the accident. Are you both ok?"

Emily smiled gently to the older man. "We're ok," she nodded. "Thank you so much."

"May I?"

Her friends watched as the brunette hesitated before handing her daughter off to the older man, their eyes on every movement.

"Gracie," her grandfathered cooed, the tears making it hard to understand him, "don't worry us like that again." He laughed along with the little girl as he tickled her. "You gave grandpa a scare."

Feeling the tension in the room, Theodore looked to the woman in the hospital bed with pleading eyes. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Emily gave a small smile. "I'm alright, thank you."

"I hate to ask, but Henney is waiting downstairs. May I bring Grace?"

Derek was fast on his feet, seeing the horror in his friend's eyes at the sheer mention of the redheaded devil. "Do you mind if I come with you?" He saw Theodore give an understanding nod before receiving the affirmative smile from the hospitalized woman before leaving the room.

Hotch took Emily's hand right away. "She's going to come right back up, ok?"

The brown eyed woman tried to stop her tears from falling as she looked to the older man by her bedside.

"She's ok. You're both ok."

Emily could hear Penelope sniffling as she threw her arms around her boss. Pulling Hotch close to her, Emily let her head fall into the crook of his neck.

Hotch felt Emily's tears run down his neck as he ran his hand down her back. Lips to her ear, he whispered how strong she was and how amazing she was doing at being Grace's mother.

"Thank you," the agent cried quietly, lifting her head long enough to press a kiss to Hotch's cheek. "For everything."