When Nothing Goes as Planned
Week 18
Jack got sick, but it was not because of his little dance in the rain, no he got the chickenpox. And seeing that both Hotch and Emily were back at work and Jessica was out of town, then there was not really anyone to look after Jack. The Sunday morning Hotch had noticed the first red dots on Jack's back he had almost panicked. Chickenpox was not something that would go away after a few days and Hotch could not take another week off from work and neither could Emily even though he would gladly gave her the time off.
He called Emily up anyway and asked her what he should do. She had seemed confused by his panic and asked him if he did not just have Abigail to babysit Jack. All the stress left his body and if Emily had been standing right beside him then he would have kissed her. How could he forget Abigail Sinclair, little Abby that he had known for so many years and whom was now babysitting his son three times a week? Hotch called her and begged that now that she was on summer break that she would be able to look after Jack the entire day– and she was. Hotch promised he would pay her extra and that it would only be from 9am to 5pm, so if the team got a case then he would have to work from home.
And everything went well till they reached Wednesday. Hotch stood behind his desk and was just about to pack his bag and go home when his phone rang. He needed to go to a meeting. Hotch sank into his chair and sighed. He had promised Abigail to be home and after only 3 days and now he had to break that promise to her making her miss yet another violin class. Hotch knew she would not mind, but that did not mean that he liked it.
"Is something wrong?"
Hotch looked up and saw Emily standing in the doorway. He had been so caught up in his own thoughts that he had not heard her open the door. "I just got a call from Strauss. She needs me to stay for a meeting, so know I have to call Abby and ask her to stay longer," he said pinching the bridge of his nose.
"You know I wouldn't mind babysitting Jack."
"You wouldn't?"
Emily rolled her eyes. "Of course not! And if I don't remember wrongly then I told you the same thing last week."
"I know, but I..."
"But you didn't think I really meant it? Come on Aaron, I love Jack."
Hotch tilted his head to the side. "You called me Aaron," he said with a smile.
"Yeah well, you call me Emily all the time," she laid a hand on her stomach, "and we are starting a family together, even if it's not the way any of us planned or even with the person we were expecting it would be with, but there is nothing we can do now to change it. And if I have to be honest then I wouldn't change a thing."
"You wouldn't?"
Emily walked over and sat down in the chair in front of Hotch's desk, smiling. "No I wouldn't. You get my job, you don't look bad and you're an amazing father."
"I think that's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me."
"I'm just stating the fact," Emily said laughing, "and now you're supposed to say something nice about me."
Hotch leaned forward in his chair and smirked. "Something nice? I don't think there is anything nice to say about, Emily."
"You are really hurting my feelings right now."
"You know I don't mean it."
"Yeah, but it still hurts right here," Emily said lying her right hand above her heart and put on a sad face.
"Okay, okay! You're beautiful, you have an amazing laughter and my son adores you," Hotch told her with a smile.
"Oh, you are just saying that to make me feel better."
"I'm not."
"Yes you are."
"I give up," Hotch said shaking his head, "arguing with you is worse then arguing with Jack."
"I'm just giving you a taste of what it's going to be like having two of me running around."
"You're not that bad."
"You're just saying that so you won't hurt my feelings again. And according to my mother, then I was quite a handful as a kid," Emily's face turned from playful to sad, "but how would she know? She was never around."
"Now that you mentioned your mother, you have told her that your pregnant, right?" Emily looked away from Hotch and started straightening non existing wrinkles on her shirt. "You have told her, haven't you?"
She shook her head slowly. "No."
"Prentiss!"
"Oh don't be like that!" Emily looked back up at him. "If your mother was like mine then you wouldn't have told her either. She probably won't even be happy to hear that she is going to be a grandmother, she will say that it makes her feel old. Oh and when she hears that you are the father, then she will just get mad at me and tell how stupid it is to have my boss's babies." Emily sighed and folded her hands over her stomach. "But what else am I going to expect from her?"
Hotch got out of the chair and walked around the desk to stand beside Emily. He laid his hand on top of hers. "I'm sorry," he said and she nodded her head without looking at him. Hotch knew she was crying from the way her shoulders were slightly shaking. He was just about to pull her into a hug to stop her tears from falling any longer, but his phone started to ring. He reached over the desk and answered it. It was Strauss calling him to tell that he was late. He apologized and promised to come quickly.
Hotch placed the phone back in its holder as Emily got out of the chair. "I need to leave now too if I want to be at your apartment before five."
He nodded. "I will call Abigail and tell her that you will be coming."
"Good," Emily said and tried to smile, but she did not succeed.
She walked towards the door, but Hotch stopped her before she could leave. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed the side of her head. "Cheer up, you so prettier when you smile." He let go of her and saw a small smile on her lips. "Just like that," he said and smiled himself, "and we not even know how your mother is going to react. She might be happy, you never know."
Emily rolled her eyes. "If you say so, but now me and the peanuts are going to spend some time with their big brother."
"You're a lifesaver, you know that?"
"I do."
"I'll be home as soon as possible."
"Okay, see you later," Emily said and walked out of Hotch's office with a wave.
