It was mid-morning about three weeks later when Rossi pulled his car into the Hotchner's driveway. He was climbing out of the driver's seat when the front door opened.
"Good, you're here," a very pregnant Laurel called out to him. "I really need your help."
"What is it?" Rossi asked as he began walking towards her. "I am at your service," he promised.
"If you could pick up my go bag and put it in your car," Laurel motioned to a small suitcase sitting on the floor of the foyer. "I could use a ride to the hospital."
"You're in labor?" Rossi gasped.
"Um-m-m – Yes?" Laurel replied as she picked up a plastic sheet and a bath towel and headed towards his car. "My water just broke so let me put these on your car seat so I won't ruin it and then we can get going. I'll call Aaron while you drive."
"How far apart?" Rossi had her bag in his hand and, after having closed and locked the front door, was following her to the car.
"About seven minutes," Laurel replied. "Ow – w – w - w – " She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths before checking her watch.
"Right on schedule," she declared. "Maybe we had better get going?"
"Aaron, it is I," she spoke into her cell phone as Rossi backed out of the driveway. "I am in labor and Dave is driving me to the hospital. Maybe you can meet us there?"
"Voice mail," she complained. She hesitated for a moment and then pushed a speed dial number.
"JJ? Do you know where Aaron is?" she asked.
"Well, I hate to ask you to do this, but could you interrupt his meeting and tell him I am on the way to the hospital?" she continued. "Yes, I am in labor and Dave is driving me. Thanks!" She clicked the phone off.
"How long have you been in labor?" Rossi asked as he pressed down harder on the gas pedal.
"Since about 4:00 this morning," Laurel was staring blankly at her cell phone. "I figured I had a couple of hours before the main event so I woke Paige up at her regular time and took her to the rink and then on to school. On the way home, I stopped at the grocery store to pick up some essentials to see Aaron and the kids through the next several days. I was getting ready to call you when you pulled in."
"Woman – You are going to be the death of me yet!" Rossi declared as he pulled under the canopy of the emergency entrance to the hospital.
"Need a little help out here," he called out as he climbed out of the car. "Woman in labor!"
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
"Laurel, are you okay? Is the baby here yet?" It was half an hour later and Hotch, accompanied by the rest of the team, had just arrived at the hospital.
"And, why didn't you call me to drive you?" he continued as he burst into Laurel's hospital room.
"Not yet, Aaron," Laurel told him. "We still have a little while. And, I didn't call you because Dave drove up just as I was getting ready to call. My water had already broken and I figured it would be faster this way. OH – MY - !" She started panting.
"Okay, I'm out of here." Rossi stood up to leave.
"Not so fast, Dave," Laurel stopped him. "Don't think you are going to just walk away from this."
"I'm just going to join everyone else in the waiting room." Rossi was edging towards the door.
"Dave, you have been through everything else with Aaron and me – OW – W – W – W ," Laurel gasped. "You need to be here for the grand finale!"
"Don't think you are going to get out of this, Dave," Hotch warned with a smile.
"David Rossi, you get back up there by Mrs. Hotchner's head and let her squeeze your hand to help her get through her contractions!" A stern-looking nurse dressed in cheerfully printed scrubs strode into the room. "And, Agent Hotchner, since this young lady was admitted as Mrs. Hotchner, I assume that you are the one responsible for her distress?"
"Lydia?" Dave questioned in amazement.
"Nurse James?" Hotch recognized the woman. "I thought you worked in Emergency. And, yes, this is my wife, Laurel."
"I did work in Emergency," the woman confirmed with a smile. "However, I'm getting close to retirement and I decided that I wanted to end my time here working in a happier environment. So, here I am. Now, are we expecting a boy or a girl?"
"You know Dave and Aaron?" Laurel asked. "Oh – My – G-d." She doubled over in agony.
"We don't know whether it is a boy or girl," she explained once the contraction had subsided. "We promised the kids a surprise package and I mean to stick to it."
"These two are a couple of my favorite customers," the nurse told her cheerfully. "I would hate to tell you how many times I have helped patch up either one or the other of them, or one of their cohorts. And, let's not mention the various miscreants they have brought in here in handcuffs. And, now, young lady, why don't you let me check and see how much longer I am going to have the pleasure of your company?"
"Please tell me it is soon!" Laurel begged. "Please?"
"Well, you do have a little ways to go yet," the nurse declared after examining Laurel. "But hang in there. It will all be over with soon."
"Let me run down to the waiting room and see if Jessica has arrived with Jack and Paige," Hotch began walking towards the door. "I'll be – "
"WHAT?" Laurel exploded. "Jessica took Jack and Paige out of school? Aaron, we agreed that they wouldn't be here until after the baby was born. What The - OW - W - W!"
"When I called Jessica to tell her you were in labor she offered – " Hotch began weakly.
"And you couldn't say NO?" Laurel demanded. "Aaron, they need to be in school – Not sitting around here – We decided that they wouldn't be here. Didn't you listen? AH – H – H – H – H – H!"
"Aaron – Why don't you just go check?" Rossi suggested. "You can find out who is where and then come back here to let us know."
"Whatever you do – Don't bring them down here!" Laurel yelled after him as he left.
"You had better hurry," Nurse James warned. "I'm getting ready to call the doctor and get him in here. It seems that this – disagreement – is helping to speed up your wife's labor and I suspect we will be heading to the delivery room shortly. And, Dave, it's about time you put on those scrubs I laid out for you."
"Am I going to get some help with that?" Rossi questioned cheekily.