Chapter 5
Sergeant Scott, a very well trained Marine, woke to hear David Rossi silently creeping past him. The comfort of the bed was amazing, and hearing the gentle waves of the ocean lapping onto the beach just outside the patio doors had certainly helped with that. But he had slept on guard for too many years now. "Dave?" he whispered.
"Harry, go back to sleep. I just wanna check on Zach."
Scott heard him come back through the living room. "He OK?" he whispered.
"Yeah, he's fine; conked out and sleeping comfortably. Go back to sleep."
"I gotta hit the head; listening to that ocean….."
"You won't wake him up. See ya in the morning Harry." Scott silently moved into the bathroom in Zach's room and relieved himself. He checked on the kid as well, seeing him sleeping soundly. He smiled, moved back into the living room, and crawled back into bed.
Holy shit; a bed he smiled to himself. I'm not on the street tonight. He let the waves of the ocean carry him into a deep sleep.
-00CM00-
Zach woke to two things: his knees barking and the smell of coffee. He pulled his wrist watch off the bed stand. He was a Hotchner, which meant he was old school. He didn't pull out his cell to check the time. He simply looked at the watch on his wrist. It read 11 am. That startled him a bit and then he remembered he hadn't adjusted his watch to LA time. It was 8 am. No wonder my knees are barking he thought. I've slept for eight hours.
Climbing out of bed, he made his way into the bathroom. He did the first job, getting rid of the two beers he drank the night before. Smiling in the mirror to himself, he took his meds, both for his stomach and knees. He walked back into the room, pulled on his lounge pants and a t-shirt, having slept in his boxers, grabbed his cell phone, which he had re-charged through the night, along with his iPod and walked into the living room, slipping his cell into the right pocket of his lounge pants, padding through the living room in bare feet.
Sergeant Scott had neatly made the sofa/bed up. Zach panicked at bit. Shit, I hope he didn't walk out. Then Zach heard the ocean noise coming from the partially open patio door and looked out to see Dave and Harry sitting around the table there, each drinking a cup of coffee. He smiled and moved out to join them.
Zach rubbed a hand across Dave's shoulder and smiled at both of them. "Good morning," he simply said. They both shared the same greeting with him.
"Dave's got the coffee on Zach," Harry smiled.
"Thanks Harry; bad tummy; can't do the caffeine or the acidity." He noticed Harry sitting in his lounge pants as well and smiled at Dave. "Another convert?" reaching into his pocket for his cell phone. Dave pointed at the large glass of apple juice he had ordered from room service for Zach.
Dave smiled. "He's working on it Zach." Zach hit the speed dial number to home.
"Good morning," he heard his dad say. Zach quickly put it on speaker phone, sitting it down between the two men, taking a quick sip of the juice.
"Good morning dad. Love you and miss you."
"I love you too son."
"Hey Z-man!"
"Hey JP! Miss you too bro. Mudg OK?"
"Mudgie is super-duper Zach!" Mudg barked his approval in the background, getting a huge smile out of Dave that was already smiling at the conversation. Harry smiled as well. Dave whispered to Harry that Mudg was his hunting dog.
"Zach, Dave texted me a bit ago; how are you feeling?" Aaron asked.
Zach looked at Dave and rolled his eyes at him. Harry silently laughed at the sight. "Dad, I just rolled out of bed. My knees are barking right now, but I took my usual handful of ibuprofen. It'll kick in." Zach stuck his tongue out at Dave. Harry, taking a sip of his coffee, nearly spit it out with laughter.
"Z-man, you OK?"
"I'm fine Jack. Just the normal garbage kicking in again with my joints."
"Zach?" Hotch asked with concern.
"Dad, I'll be fine. We've been through this how many times? I just really need some breakfast. It was wonderful flying first class with Uncle Dave. But what they fed us wouldn't keep a sparrow alive, far less me. The three of us had some pizza later last night, but you know me."
"Dave?"
"Aaron, Harry and I are enjoying the ocean view. Zach just got up. I know your son needs fuel. I'll take care of it. We all just have to hit the shower. But we're just enjoying the ocean at the moment."
"It is pretty cool dad," Zach added with a smile, taking a huge gulp of the juice. Harry just shook his head. "And dad, for the record, none of us have shaved yet." He winked at Dave, the big ass Hotchner grin plastered across his face.
"Thanks for that son," Aaron said, with Jack laughing in the background.
"You rock Z-man," Jack said. That earned him the Hotchner glare.
"So do you JP! Did you just get 'the' look?" The boys always joked about it, even around their dad.
Jack giggled. "Yup Zach, I did." Dave laughed as loud as Zach.
"Band of brothers, right Jack?"
"That's us Z-man!" Scott shook his head at the loving conversation he was hearing between a father and his two sons. And marveled at the technology. He, and the rest on the street, didn't have that.
"So Dave," Hotch said. "When are you going to feed my oldest son?"
"When we get done talking with you and take showers," Dave said, smiling at Zach. He could irritate Hotch as quickly as Zach. Dave and Zach shared a high five, as Zach polished off the apple juice.
"Btw dad," Zach winked at Dave. "Eighteen year old scotch rocks the house." That earned Zach the glare from Dave, shaking his head.
"That son is where you fail in your determination to get under my skin. Dave knows better than that." Hotch paused. "I can out-shoot him." The three of them could hear Jack laughing in the background.
Zach gave Dave once again his bullshit, big ass smile, pointing at him. Sergeant Scott laughed at them both. "Thanks Aaron," Dave deadpanned as Zach and Harry shared a high five. Jack laughed louder, making Harry smile broader. Damn, Dave has a special family he thought to himself, smiling broadly.
The conversation hung for bit, and Aaron, having as sense of what might happen later in the day, said, "Zach, call me after your day is done. No matter how late or the time change."
"Dad?"
"Trust me son. We'll need to talk. But for now, get you butt into the shower, and please shave."
Zach smiled. "Not all of it dad," he winked at Dave. "Hey dad, is Beth coming over?"
Hotch smiled. "Yes, she is."
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do dad," Zach smiled. Dave laughed. "I remember that long sermonette dad." Dave laughed louder.
"Screw you both," Hotch growled.
"Exactly what I'm talking about dad. You've got to set an example for your sons." Dave and Harry roared with laughter.
"Zach, I love you my son. Get your butt into the shower," Aaron said, knowing he was busted by his oldest son. "But son, please, call me later. No matter the time."
Zach smiled. "Promise dad. Luvs ya JP!"
"Back at ya Z-man! You too Uncle Dave!"
"I love you always Jack," Dave softly smiled. Harry smiled at him, as Mudg barked in the background.
"Dad, I'm fine. And I'm Uncle Dave's wingman this weekend. Give Beth a hug for me. Talk to you later."
"Thanks son. Bye Dave." Hotch ended the call.
Zach ended the call on his cell and rose from his chair. "I'm hitting the shower."
"Right behind you Zach," Dave smiled.
Scott looked at the two of them. "With my soak last night and then my shower, I think I'm good. Just need to brush my teeth."
"Harry, you want to get that done before me," Zach asked, heading in through the patio doors.
"No son, you get some warm water on those knees of yours," he softly smiled. Zach matched it, and moved towards the bathroom.
Dave looked at Scott. "You gonna be OK?"
"Yup, I am. Just gonna make myself at home and get some more of that coffee." Dave smiled, rubbed his shoulder and moved to take his shower.
Harrison Scott, a poor kid from the bad side of the hood in Trenton, New Jersey smiled at his surroundings. Walking into the kitchenette, he re-filled his coffee cup and moved back onto the patio.
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A/N: A teacher friend of mine that reads my stories helped me with my geography. Camp Lejeune is in North Carolina. Sorry for the mix-up.