Prentiss

A week passed and I was still in a hospital bed, hating every second of it. Hotch was walking again, although using a crutch unwillingly when he did. He sat down a lot so no one would really see him with it. Garcia and JJ were allowed to leave if they wanted to, although they had to take it easy. I was sure that when they were allowed to go, I'd be left alone in the days here until I was allowed to leave too, but not one person from my team left my side for a long period of time. Henry and Jack were back with us and safe, thankfully. I had slept a lot, since it was the only thing I could do.

I woke this morning and heard the familiar whispers of my team. I smiled to myself but I didn't open my eyes yet.

"Hey princess." I heard Morgan say quietly. I felt a weight on the bed beside me and an arm across me. I opened my eyes and saw JJ asleep with me. I smiled to myself wider.

"Yeah, she's been there all night," Will said, "She was tired but she wouldn't leave you so there she is."

I looked back down to her and tapped her arm. She opened her eyes and tilted her head upwards to look at me. She smiled as my eyes met hers and it caused me to. The team and I laughed as she put her head back down and closed her eyes back over. After a few minutes, she sat up quickly. "I need coffee. Do you want—of course you do, why am I even asking?"

I smiled and she walked out with Will and Reid behind her. I saw Hotch look at Morgan, Rossi and Garcia and the three of them walked out of the room. Garcia smiled at me and waved before they left. I looked at Hotch suspiciously.

He stood up and walked over slowly, trying to keep the weight off his left leg as much as he could. He didn't use the crutch beside him like he should have been. He sat down in the chair beside my bed.

"I think you're supposed to use the crutch…" I said quietly.

"I don't need the crutch." He shook my concern off. I decided not to argue with him over something like that. He should have been using it, but if he didn't want to, no one would be able to make him.

"So I'm assuming you want to talk to me about something." I looked down at my hands as I picked at one of my nails. I saw myself doing it but I couldn't stop myself for some reason. Hotch's hand went over mine to stop me and he kept a hold of my right one softly. I looked to his eyes to get a hint of what he was feeling right now. I saw nothing in the mask he always had on, like always.

"They searched the building a few days ago," he started, "There were a lot of bodies, so it took a few days to identify them. He's dead, Prentiss."

I closed my eyes as they filled with tears in attempt to stop them falling, but it only pushed them down to my cheeks. I took a deep breath to control myself. I didn't know whether that report made me relieved or upset. I think it was both. I turned my head away from him so he wouldn't see the tears on my cheeks, but I felt his finger under my chin and he turned my head back to look at him gently, "Prentiss, I'm here to support you, not judge you. I understand that people in our past always hold something in our hearts; the trick is to not let it overcome you. You grieve for a while, but then you need to move on. You don't forget about it, but you don't let it affect your life and decisions."

I nodded but I didn't say anything.

"And you know what you definitely can't do after what just happened to us?" He asked. I looked back at him and waited for him to continue, "You can't close yourself off from the team again. It may not seem like it right now, but you went through a lot, Emily. You need to trust the team and let us help and support you." He spoke as if he knew for certain that I wouldn't trust them anymore. I didn't know whether I did or not; I didn't have anything to trust them with right now. "In saying that, how are you feeling?"

"In general or about Doyle?" I asked quietly.

"Both."

I looked down at my hand in his and bit my lip, "Well, I think I'm both relieved and upset about Doyle…and in general, physically, my whole body is aching non-stop and mentally, even worse."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not right now." I shook my head.

"Well let me know when you do, okay?"

I smiled at him, "Okay. Thanks Hotch."

"On another note, why did you never tell any of us that you're supposed to wear glasses when you're reading? And why don't you wear them at work?" He asked.

"How did you know about that?"

"The nurse asked if you had glasses with you. Apparently it's important enough to have in your file which means it's important enough that I should have known."

I rolled my eyes, "You weren't supposed to know that. I don't wear them."

"Why not?"

"Because I hate them…I don't even know where my pair went."

"Prentiss, if you're prescribed glasses, you need to wear them." He raised his eyebrows.

"I read fine." I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, you're going to have to wear them back to work."

"I figured," I said quietly, laying my head back on the pillow, "So, how are you?"

"I'm fine."

"I meant your leg."

"I know."

"You should be using the crutch, Hotch."

"I don't need to; I can walk without it."

"If you use the crutch, I'll wear my glasses."

"But I look ridiculous when I walk on it."

"And I look ridiculous with glasses on." I laughed at the stupidity of this argument.

"I don't think you'd look bad with them at all. You never do." He said quietly.

I didn't really know how to reply to that. It made me smile, how awkwardly he said it. I was saved by JJ as she walked back in with Will and Reid still behind her. The other three were behind them. JJ handed me a coffee and Reid gave one to Hotch. "Thanks." I said quietly to them before looking back to Hotch. He stood up and walked towards the door.

"I'm going to see Jack; I'll be back soon." He said as he left.

The smile on my face lingered and I tried to force it away. I snickered to myself quietly and shook my head, sipping the coffee. The team looked at me suspiciously but I brushed them off.


Another few days past. It was my second week in the hospital now and I was bored out of my mind. JJ, Hotch and Will were going between here and home to see me and their sons, Reid was leaving twice a day, although no one knew where he was going. Morgan, Garcia and Rossi claimed they had nowhere to be so they were always with me.

Morgan and Garcia had gone to get something to eat and probably some real coffee from somewhere, so it was just Rossi and I at the moment.

"So, I heard you were supposed to be wearing glasses for the past five years." He said as he sat down in the chair beside the hospital bed I was stuck in.

"Hotch told you that?"

He nodded, "He told the whole team that. We questioned what the two of you were talking about before we came in with coffee that had him leaving so quickly the other day. He said it was about you having to wear glasses."

I bit my lip.

"You were actually arguing about glasses?"

"Not exactly…and we weren't arguing."

"Well he's still acting kind of different, so what were you talking about?"

"Nothing," I shook my head, "He just said something and then he regretted saying what he did."

"But what did he say?"

"Why does it matter, Rossi?"

"He just seems a little off; uncomfortable almost." He shrugged his shoulders. I sighed and looked away from Rossi. I saw him raise his eyebrows out the corner of my eye. "So, something happened between the two of you and he should feel uncomfortable?"

"He just complimented me…kind of…and I never replied."

He was smiling after hearing that, "Aaron complimented you?"

"Why are you smiling like that?" I shook my head.

He stood up and laughed to himself lightly as he walked towards the other side of the room. Hotch walked in and greeted him with a nod. "I knew there was something going on." Rossi smirked, looking from Hotch to me and then walking towards the door.

"There is nothing "going on"!" I called after him. I heard him laughing in the hall, "Rossi!" I got my phone out and dialled his number. I held it to my ear and waited for him to answer.

"Yes?"

"There is nothing going on," I said to him quickly, "I don't even know what that is supposed to mean."

"I think you do." I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Rossi, there is nothing going on!"

"You're getting defensive." He laughed.

"I am not getting defensive."

"I'll be back soon. I'll leave you and Aaron to it. Just remember, you work together and he is your boss."

"Why are you doing this?" I made a fake crying sound.

"Bye." He hung up before I could speak again. I dropped my phone to my side and shook my head.

Hotch looked at me questioningly, "What was that about?"

"Nothing," I shook my head, "But are you okay? Because he thinks you're acting weird compared to normal."

"I'm fine." He answered too quickly. I knew something was up with him, but I wouldn't pry. If he wanted to tell me, he would. He obviously doesn't.

"Have you talked to a nurse today?"

"…No, why? Is something wrong?" He walked over towards me and looked over me briefly. He sat down in the chair and looked into my eyes, looking for something to hint to him what was wrong. He looked overly worried.

"No, I'm fine…as far as I know, anyway. I was just wondering if they gave you an estimation of how much longer I would be here because I'm going to kill myself soon."

"Don't say that." He shook his head.

"I'm bored." I complained.

"Would you like me to go to your apartment and get you some form of entertainment?"

I didn't really want Hotch wandering around my apartment, and he would no doubt look into how I lived, profile my space to learn more about me, "No, it's okay. Thanks for offering." I smiled.

"Let me know if you change your mind," He had two coffees in his hand and he handed me one, "Coffee."

I took it very willingly, "Thank you," I drank it and sighed, "Real coffee. So, how's Jack going?"

"I hadn't told him why he and Henry were leaving, but I figured he was old enough to know at least the basics so I vaguely told him about what happened. He looked terrified until I assured him that Doyle was de—gone," He changed it from 'dead' to 'gone' so it would be easier for me to hear, "And he's okay now. He hopes you'll be okay."

I smiled, "He's sweet."

We drank the coffee and talked for a while before Morgan and Garcia returned. Reid was with them and he brought me three different books. I wasn't sure whether he forgot that no one reads as fast as him or he just wanted to give me options. Rossi came back not long after them and JJ and Will were a few minutes behind him. We sat in the room as a team for hours, talking and laughing. They all did their best to distract me from where I was and why I was there.