Chapter 65

Rossi strode down the hall with a worried expression on his face. He didn't like this plan; didn't like it at all. Nonetheless, he went along with it for Aaron's sake because he understood his friend's need to put an end to this nightmare once and for all. He just wished there had been another choice open to them. Had it been left up to me, Aaron, I would find Foyet and put a bullet between his beady little eyes. I might yet when we do catch him. With a shake of his head, he shoved those negative thoughts from his head as he neared the nurse's station. He was glad he secretly texted Strauss the second he had left Aaron's room as a signal.

He was only a few steps from the nurse's station when his cell rang. With a weary sigh, he reached inside his jacket and removed his phone. He groaned when he spotted the name on the caller ID. With a shake of his head, he put the phone to his ear.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, Erin?" he asked with a roll of his eyes. His voice sounded annoyed. He spotted Nurse Muir looking in his direction covertly and was inwardly amused. He suspected the head nurse had a bit of a crush on him. But he pretended not to notice it, and maintained his annoyed expression.

"You can't be serious," he raised his voice. "I don't care! Send another team to Kansas. We can't leave Aaron alone. I know he's recovering and doing much better, but that doesn't…I don't care, Erin. I'm telling you to send another team! What? What d'ya mean there's no other team available? You're kidding me, right? This is gotta be a joke! No…I understand that. But with Hotch hospitalized we're a man short, and…" His eyes narrowed angrily. "Don't threaten me, Erin." He finally let out a huge breath and rolled his eyes again with a shake of his head. "Fine. I'll meet the team at the airstrip. But you owe us for this. Goodbye."

Grumbling, Rossi stuffed the phone back in his pocket. As an afterthought, he looked up at Nurse Muir and Foyet. He looked apologetic.

"Sorry about that," he said sheepishly. "That was my pain-in-the-ass boss. Would you believe she wants the team to head to Kansas on a case while our boss in in the hospital? I mean, how unfeeling can a person be I ask you?"

"I'm so sorry to hear that, Agent Rossi," replied Agatha with heart pounding. This man was sooooo attractive. "So does that mean you and your team won't be around for awhile?"

Rossi ran a hand over his thick head of hair. "'Fraid not. I can't exactly say how long we'll be gone. Damn! I don't have time to tell Aaron we're leaving on a case. The team is waiting for me on the plane, so uh…could you do me a favor, Nurse Muir?" He turned his 'puppy dog' eyes on the woman.

"Of course, Agent Rossi. What do you want me to tell him?"

Rossi breathed out through his nose. "Just tell 'im our Section Chief has ordered the team to head to Kansas so we won't be visiting for awhile. He'll understand."

"I'd be glad to pass on your message. Is there anything else you want me to relay to him?"

Rossi mulled over what he wanted to say. "Oh, tell 'im I'll call 'im about eleven tonight." He hoped Hotch would understand the hidden message.

Agatha smiled. Looking at Dave, she became as giddy as a teenager.

"I'll be happy to pass on your message to your friend, Agent Rossi."

Rossi smiled charmingly. "Thank you. Well, I better go now. I have to meet my team at the airstrip. Goodbye and thank you again." He waved goodbye, turned, and walked toward the entrance/exit of the hospital.

Foyet glanced at his boss. "Hey, Agatha, I'm gonna take a smoke break. I'll be back in five minutes."

"No problem, Billy," she replied as Foyet hastily jogged down the corridor trying to keep the older agent in sight. He stepped outside the doors in time to spot the agent get into his black SUV. The agent appeared to be unaware he was being watched, pulled out of his parking space, and drive away.

A sinister look appeared on Foyet's face seeing the last obstacle blocking his way now gone. He raised his eyes toward the heavens.

"Thank you, Cousin George," he muttered with a twisted grin.

Hotch grabbed the remote to the television and turned it on figuring he'd watch the news. He badly needed a distraction to occupy himself with right now. In fact any distraction would suffice. He paid attention to the news for all of five minutes before becoming bored, and changed the channel repeatedly until he found one showing the baseball scores. That didn't hold his interest for long either. He let out a deep breath, and turned off the television. He tossed the remote onto the portable tray, and closed his eyes. Maybe if he got a little sleep, he wouldn't have to even think about what might happen, so, he closed his eyes and tried emptying his mind.

He had barely closed his eyes when the door to his room slowly opened. Sleep temporarily forgotten, Hotch opened his eyes, fully awake again and as fear began working its way inside him. He swallowed the rising lump in his throat and waited to see who would come through the door. If it was Foyet, he didn't know what he would do as there was still about two hours before six in the evening. And with one arm, there was no way he could prevent an attack on his person. He quickly felt around and found the call button to summon a nurse. He poised his finger on it, ready to summon help if need be. The sweat beaded on his forehead.

Nurse Muir's head looked inside the room but didn't go into the room. Hotch sensed his body relax and let out a deep breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He moved his hand away from the call button.

"Can I help you, nurse?" he asked shakily.

"Agent Hotchner? I was asked by Agent Rossi to relay a message to you."

Hotch's eyebrows arched. "What did he say?"

"He said to tell you that they are leaving on a case and won't be able to visit you for awhile. Oh, he also said he will call you around eleven p.m."

Hotch understood the message right away. He recalled his team would be taking over at eleven tonight until seven in the morning. A small smile appeared.

"Thank you for relaying the message. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome," she replied with a smile. "Before I go, do you need anything?"

"Just one question. Did Agent Rossi say anything about who called him?"

She pursed her lips as she thought about the exchange between her and the older agent. Suddenly her face brightened.

"Somebody named Erin, but I can't be sure. But I do know he wasn't happy about it."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome agent. Now, before I leave, is there anything you need or want?" she repeated.

No. No, I'm fine. Thank you again."

With another smile, Nurse Muir backed out of the doorway letting the door close, and leaving Hotch alone again. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath sensing the tension leave his body. The agent stared at the ceiling. His gut told him this was Rossi's and Erin's plan. A plan to make it appear the team was going out of town on a case, and thus leaving him alone.

"You've got to stop being so jumpy and get a grip Hotchner," he said in a low voice. Sleep now forgotten, Hotch grabbed the folded newspaper from the portable tray, and began to read the fake article about the screw-up in the lab.

Back at the BAU, Rossi, JJ, Morgan, Reid, and Prentiss all sat around the table in the conference room. There was nothing more they could do but wait until later tonight.

"Are you serious, Rossi?" asked Morgan with wide eyes. "Strauss went along with this fake out-of-town case?"

Rossi smirked. "That she did. Of course I had to promise her a steak dinner with all the trimmings at her favorite restaurant to seal the deal. But in the end, she saw things my way."

"Of course she did," Emily teased the older man with a chuckle. The entire team knew of Rossi's relationship with Strauss, but none of them dared talked about it openly with the senior agent, except maybe Hotch. "So, how was Hotch when you saw him?"

Rossi leaned back in his chair, and clasped his hands together atop his head.

"I'm not really sure," he explained looking at the others. They could see the worried expression on his face. "Oh he acts like he has it all under control, and puts on a brave face. But to be perfectly honest, he's scared shitless. I don't even want to think how he's gonna react if this takes longer than he wants, or doesn't work at all. I mean, I can honestly tell you he's hangin' on by a thread."

"Is Garcia still monitoring the cameras?" asked Reid.

"Baby Girl refuses to vacate her post unless dragged away," replied Morgan with a chuckle. "And if she needs a break, Kevin Lynch will take over so we've got it covered."

"How much did you tell Lynch?" JJ asked.

"Very little," Morgan added. "Sweetness got him to agree to watch the cameras and listen to the microphones under threat of mass destruction to his work and personal computers. She threatened to unleash a virus the likes of which nobody has ever seen on 'im."

"That sounds like our Penelope," JJ admitted with a smile.

"So now we wait?" asked Reid nervously, looking at Rossi.

"We wait," the older man replied. He checked the time. "It's only three-thirty. We don't have to replace Detective Moeller's team until eleven p.m. I suggest we all go out and get something to eat, then come back here and find a place to sack out until we have to leave for the hospital."

Everybody exchanged looks with each other and agreed with the senior agent. They all got to their feet and followed their Acting Unit Chief out the door. Each of them knew it was going to be a long night.

After he finished reading about the 'disaster' in the lab at Quantico, and the coverage of the press conference, Hotch placed the newspaper on the night table. After he saw the time, he thought about calling his son, but dismissed that thought as Jack was not coming directly home after school. He'd forgotten Jessica had told him earlier that Jack would be picked up from school by Mrs. Thompson, the mother of one of his school friends, and would be spending the night. But first, Mrs. Thompson was taking her son and Jack to dinner and then a movie. Normally Jack would not be allowed to spend the night at a friend's home on a school night. But there was a teacher's conference scheduled for the following day so there was no school. And there had been no homework to be completed. Jessica further explained he wouldn't be home until tomorrow afternoon. But, she offered to have Jack call him so they could talk.

(Flashback):

"That's okay, Jess. I don't want to interrupt his fun."

"Are you sure, Aaron? I mean, it's no trouble. I'm sure Mrs. Thompson won't mind letting Jack call you from her home."

Aaron was conflicted. As much as he wanted to speak with his son, the little boy needed a break from everything, especially worrying about him. And allowing his son to have one night to just to be a kid was, to him, more important.

"It's all right, Jess. Just tell him I called to say goodnight, and that I'll call again tomorrow evening."

"All right. He'll be sorry he missed your call. Is there anything you need before I hang up the phone? Anything I can bring you?"

"How about helping me escape from this damned hospital and so I can go home?"

He heard Jessica laugh on the other end.

"I know you're tired of being there, Aaron, but I refuse to bring you home until you are officially discharged by your doctor. So you can beg and plead all you want. My answer will be the same. No can do."

"You're a mean woman, Jessica Brooks."

"I know. And if you try and leave there before you're discharged, I'll snitch to Dave and Penelope. And to be honest, I'm sure you'd rather deal with Dave than Penelope."

Hotch winced at the mention of his technical analyst. He would rather stay where he was than face the wrath of one Penelope Garcia.

"You drive a hard bargain. Okay, I'll stay here for now. I have to go. I'll try and call you again later if I can. Bye, Jess."

"Bye, Aaron."

He hung up the receiver and sighed.

(End of Flashback)

He was so bored he was about to go out of his mind. How would he last if this went on for several days? He grabbed the television remote, turned on the television again, and flipped through the channels until he found one carrying a baseball game. Not that he was interested, but it was something to hopefully distract him. In fact, somewhere during the game, Hotch's eyes closed and he drifted off as sleep at last overtook him. That's when it happened.

He had barely fallen asleep when something told Hotch he wasn't alone in the room anymore. As his eyes opened, a hand clamped itself over his mouth tightly. Hotch's good hand lashed out hoping to find and reach the call button to alert the nurse. But the stranger ripped the remote with the call button from the wall and tossed it aside. He then knelt on the bed pinning Hotch's good arm under his knee. From his pocket, he removed a syringe and pulled the cap off of it with his mouth and spit it out. He saw the agent's fear looking at the syringe.

"Relax, Aaron. This will work so fast and you won't feel a thing. After it takes effect, you and I will have fun." The stranger proceeded to stick the syringe in Hotch's neck and push the plunger, injecting the contents of the syringe into the agent. Hotch groaned against the hand over his mouth for several seconds and then started to feel strange. It was as if his limbs were suddenly stuck in molasses and couldn't move except for his eyes. He saw the hand covering his mouth removed and tried to cry out, but no sound would come out. To his horror, he was paralyzed and couldn't speak. He was a prisoner in his own body. Yet, he was conscious and aware of what was going on and was happening to him.

"And now, my sweet Aaron. I have waited a long time for this moment." The stranger threw back the blanket covering the agent's body, letting his lust-filled eyes wander all over the agent. "So, so beautiful." He licked his dry lips. "The things I will do to you." He reached behind him, pulled out a knife, and held it up for Hotch to see. "After I'm done, I will slit your rectum open like a side of beef, and then your throat, and watch you bleed out."

He reached behind Hotch's neck, and unsnapped his hospital gown. Slowly, he began to pull it downward first off his shoulders, exposing more of his naked flesh to him. He continued to slowly pull down the gown exposing more of the agent's body to him."

Hotch's eyes flew open as he was having a full-blown panic attack. His body shot upward into a sitting position, looking frantically around the room, and seeing nobody. The heart machine began beeping continuously as he ran a hand down his face. It was just a dream. I dreamed the entire thing. What is happening to me? He thought as he saw the door to his room open, and one of the doctors hurried into the room pulling her stethoscope from around her neck.

"Agent Hotchner? Are you all right?" asked the doctor, pressing several buttons on the heart machine to stop the continuous beeping.

Hotch closed his eyes trying to collect himself. He nodded. Calm down, Hotchner. Breathe in and out. In and out. It was only a dream. He sensed his body starting to relax and let out a deep breath through his mouth.

The doctor inserted rubber ear tips in her ears, and the round chest piece against his chest. "I want you to breathe for me."

She moved the chest piece over his chest three or four more times. Satisfied, she removed the ear tips and wrapped the stethoscope tubing around her neck. She stared into the agent's face.

"Your breathing is fine and your heart appears to be in excellent condition. So can you tell me what happened to cause your distress?"

"I…I'm sorry. I fell asleep and I guess I had a nightmare." He shrugged sheepishly as a small smile appeared. "I didn't mean to scare anybody."

The doctor smiled her understanding. "No need to apologize, agent. As long as everything is all right. Try and go back to sleep, and not have any more nightmares. Okay?" She left the room and closed the door.

Hotch leaned back and let the back of his head hit the pillow. He used his thumb and forefinger and massaged his forehead. Way to go, Hotchner. You freak out from a nightmare. If this plan is going to work, I need to calm down and relax.

As the television was still on, Hotch grabbed the remote and flipped channels again until he found a cartoon he often watched with Jack. He hoped something humorous would help keep the nightmares away. He was glad that Dave wasn't present when it happened. As much as he loved the man like a father, he had an infuriating way of getting things out of someone. And Hotch did not to discuss this with the man, not with anybody. Hotch told himself if Dave found out, he would cancel Hotch's entire plan without discussion. And things had come too far now to be stopped.

He watched the cartoon until his eyes grew tired and started to close. Before long, sleep had come over him again as his breathing evened out.

Hotch's eyes flew open when he again sensed he was not alone in the room. A hand on his shoulder made his entire body tense, although the touch was gentle compared to earlier.

"Agent Hotchner, you need to wake up now."

Hotch warily opened his eyes to find out who had dared put their hand on him, and expected to see the same stranger as earlier. Instead, he was surprised to find Detective Moeller staring down at him. The man held up both hands in defense as the fear in the agent's eyes was clear.

"Take it easy, agent. It's only me. I'm here to keep an eye and make sure nobody gets in this room who isn't supposed to be in here."

Hotch rubbed his eyes with a thumb and forefinger. "I'm sorry. I was having a nightmare."

"Must have been a doozy," Moeller replied sitting in the chair beside the bed. "You looked like you wanted to run away. Want to talk about it? I've been told I'm a good listener."

"I'll pass. Thanks anyway. What time is it?' he asked sleepily. The agent refused to tell anybody about his nightmare. If his team found out, they would consider him weak. It was silly, he realized, but it was what he believed.

"About ten minutes past six in the evening. Didn't Agent Rossi tell you I would be babysitting you from six until eleven?"

"Yeah. Yeah, he did. Sorry. I've had a lot on my plate recently."

"I can understand that," Moeller replied calmly. "So, how are you doing? I mean really doing?"

"I think for the first time in my life I have to admit I'm scared. And I don't like being scared of anything. I don't think I've felt this way since The Reaper case."

"Well, try not to worry, agent, which I realize might be difficult given the situation. But rest assured, we and your team are not going to let anything happen to you."

"I know that, detective. So, I gather you had no trouble getting in here since you're here."

"None. I was in the stairwell with the door cracked. I heard the announcement over the P.A. that the entire nursing staff had to report for a meeting with the COS. So I waited until they had all left the floor before I left my hiding place. There was only a security officer manning the nurse's station telephone, and he nodded at me before I came in here."

Hotch chuckled. "Dave told me he had made arrangements with the hospital security so your team and my team can come and go as necessary without being seen. He leaves nothing to chance."

Moeller chuckled as he shook his head. "I suspect I'm gonna regret asking this, but I have to know. Exactly how many contacts does Agent Rossi have whom he can just call up and ask for a favor?"

"I can't tell you because I don't even know the answer. Nobody does. Let's just say it's a lot and leave it at that."

Moeller smirked. "I can live with that." His eyes spotted the stuffed bear on the window sill across from the bed, and got to his feet to have a closer look. Hotch's eyes followed the detective across the room until he stood in front of the window. He saw the detective reach for the bear.

"Don't touch it!" Hotch yelled causing the plainclothes cop to freeze then pull back his hand. He looked around at the agent. Hotchner appeared nervous.

"Why?" asked Moeller. "I just wanna get a closer look at the gift from your son. I won't hurt it. I promise." He again reached for the bear.

"You can't touch that bear!" Hotch yelled again. "It's positioned just right. If you move it you might uh...mess up the angle Garcia has."

Moeller stood up straight this time and turned, hands on hips. He stared at the agent who acted as if he was losing his mind.

"What is your problem? I promised not to damage your gift and upset you and your son. You have my word."

"You don't understand, detective," Hotch began. He glanced at the door making sure nobody came inside, then looked at the detective again. "That's not really a gift from my son. But everybody who sees it must think the same as you. That it's a gift to me from Jack."

"If it's not a gift from your son, then what is it?"

Hotch blew out a breath through his nose. "There are cameras installed in the bear's eyes, and microphones in each of the buttons on its jacket. It's so my technical analyst can see who comes into my room, and be able to alert my team if there's trouble. If you move it, she won't have a clear view of the door and who comes in here."

Moeller, amazed, stepped back, leaned forward, and put his hands on his knees. He studied the adorable stuffed animal. "We'll I'll be damned." He glanced back at Hotchner. "And you technical girl can really see and hear everything where she is in Quantico with this thing?"

Hotch chuckled. "I don't thing Penelope would appreciate it at all you calling her masterpiece a thing. She's extremely proud of her creation and has every right to be. If it fooled you it will fool anybody."

Moeller shook his head and moved back to the chair and sat on the edge of Hotch's bed, hands stuffed in his pockets. "Well, I'd like to stay and talk a little more with you, but it wouldn't do for anybody to see me in here. So…I will have to conceal myself either in the bathroom or the clothes closet."

"Gee…" Hotch said with a smirk. "That's a tough choice. Hmm, the closet or the bathroom. Can't help you there."