Hotchner

When they entered they saw he was on monitors and drips to help him deal with the things he couldn't while they wanted to keep an eye on the bullet wounds on the lower part of his back. Thankfully as the doctor said the bandages were under the covers so Maggie wouldn't see anything that might scare her.

Aaron groggily opened his eyes after the doctor left them to visit him. He felt a dull pain in his lower back and looked around him trying to get his bearings of where he'd woken up. He saw the monitors and the drips then looked down to see he was in a hospital bed and remembered what had happened. He'd been shot in the back at the altar on his wedding day.

He looked down at the end of the bed and saw most of his family there except for Derek and Dave. Where were they? What had happened to them? Had they been shot too? Were they alright?

Suddenly a little excited voice broke him from his thoughts. He looked up to see his two year old with her arms out shouting, "Daddy."

He smiled as Spencer brought her to the side of the bed while Jack followed and sat in the chair placing her on his lap. Spencer reached for Aaron's hand and he gave it to him feeling guilty. His children should never have seen him shot and because of being shot their carefully planned wedding had been ruined.

Maggie tilted her head to the side and asked concerned, "Daddy alright?"

"I am now," he answered aching to hold his baby girl in his arms and hug his son.

Spencer laid their daughter on the bed beside her father and she gave him a big hug hoping it would make him better. Whenever her dads hugged her it always made her better so she was sure it would make him better.

"You even better now?" she asked concerned.

He nodded touching knowing just what she was trying to do with her cuddle so he held her close carefully trying not to pull out the tubes or damage his bandages. He was aware he didn't know if he had paralysis or not. What if he was paralysed? Would Spencer leave him? Would he lose his job?

"Paralysed?" he asked vulnerably.

They all shook their head and he breathed a sigh of relief. Thank god for that! He really didn't know how he'd have handled being paralysed and unable to use his legs. He hated having people do things for him. He had always been fiercely independent even when he was a child he hated having people do things for him.

"Aaron, you are going to have to use a wheelchair though," Spencer answered gently. Aaron looked at him confused. "Only for six months."

Relieved that he'd only have to be in it for six months he still answered, "Why? What are my injuries?"

"The bullets hit your sacrum and lumbar vertebra. One lodged itself into your sacrum while the other chipped a bit of your lumbar vertebra. You won't be able to use your legs until the bones in your back heal."

He nodded. "How long will I have to stay in hospital?" he asked.

"Only two weeks," Spencer replied stroking the hair off his face as Maggie now sat near Aaron's chest.

He nodded while Maggie crossed her arms scowling at her stepfather. "But I made him better," she said firmly giving her version of the famous Hotchner glare.

"Yes you did, Maggie, but the doctors want to keep an eye on daddy so his ouchies weren't hurt him again," Aaron answered stroking her hair.

"Daddy, where are your ouchies?" she asked concerned.

"On the bottom of my back," he answered stroking the hair off her face.

She carefully climbed over him and kissed the bottom of his back while he tried hard not to flinch or grimace not wanting to let her know she was actually hurting him. Spencer noticing the pain Aaron was trying to mask pressed the morphine button while he mouthed thank you.

She then carefully climbed back over and asked vulnerably, "You leave hopial now?"

"Sadly no. The doctors still want me to stay even though your kisses did help," Aaron answered holding her close to him. When he saw she was about to cry he asked, "Princess, what is it?"

"Want to see you all time. Daddy bang bang," she cried.

Seeing the tears in her eyes he wanted to cry himself. It broke his heart to see her so upset. He badly wished he could do something and that his children hadn't witnessed his attack. He held her even closer to him.

"Oh baby, I'm so sorry," he answered on the edge of his own tears. "I'm so sorry you had to witness that. I'm so sorry I can't come home yet."

"No you fau," she answered trying to stop her tears as she didn't want to make daddy sad.

Jack placed his hand on his dad's arm and added, "Dad, none of this is your fault. You would never have asked us to see that. You didn't want to be shot and you never asked for it. Please don't worry about us we'll be alright. All you need to do is get better."

He nodded biting back the tears. "The wedding?" he answered a little upset.

"Is only a formality? We can get married here in the hospital but all that matters is that you focus on getting better. Like Jack says we'll be alright," Spencer comforted.

He nodded. "I'd like that." When his fiance looked at him confused he added, "To get married here if I can't get out of the hospital. I want to be your husband more than anything."

"Oh Aaron, same here," he smiled back slightly.

"I'll go see if you can get married as soon as possible, my sweet lovelies, and also that you can all stay in this room while bossman recovers. It'll do you all good. If not I'll just play with their computers a little," Garcia said.

"Garcia, I very much appreciate the sentiment but please don't play with their computers. Please remember people's life support relies on those computers," Aaron smiled slightly.

"Oh bossman, do you really think I'd do that?" she replied giving him puppy dog eyes. "I was only going to play with them a little. Tootles."

As Garcia left the room he smiled after her at what a breath of fresh air she was.