Matt Cruz personally met a very pale, shaken Hotch at the airport and quickly drove him across town to the hospital where Laurel had been admitted.
"I made sure that the hospital knows she is an FBI spouse," he assured the distraught agent. "So, special protocols are in place as far as visitors and access to the area where she is located are concerned, as well as special visiting hours. Also, Ms. Garcia has vetted her doctor as well as all the staff that have access to that floor."
"Penelope still has access to all the FBI files?" Hotch questioned.
"Just try to stop her," Cruz grinned. "Particularly when the person involved is a member of her 'family'."
As he climbed out of the FBI vehicle at the hospital, Hotch was immediately greeted by Dr. Savannah Hayes, who appeared to have been waiting for him.
"You're Laurel's doctor?" he questioned, surprised.
"No, I'm the emergency room doctor who arranged to admit her," Savannah replied as she held the hospital door open for him. "And, I am glad I was here when she came in. I know all about the ice rink and her comings and goings there, as well as about her grueling schedule. That helped to explain how she got pneumonia in the middle of the summer heat and to speed up the start of her treatment."
"I don't know how to thank you," Hotch began.
"You don't need to thank me," Savannah told him. "Laurel was always nice to me when Derek and I were dating and just because things didn't work out with the two of us, that doesn't change anything between Laurel and me. Now, Reid is waiting for you upstairs so you had better get going." She gave him a light push towards the bank of elevators.
"This may look a bit scary," Reid explained a few minutes later as he guided Hotch down the hallway and into Laurel's hospital room. "The doctor is keeping her unconscious for the time being and she has all sorts of tubes and wires running in and out of her. However, she is making very good progress."
"I didn't even know she was sick," Hotch protested as he stood in the doorway of Laurel's room looking at his wife as she lay unconscious on the bed.
"Tovah said that Laurel has had a cough for the past few days," Reid reported. "But she had no idea how bad it was. I strongly suspect that going in and out of the ice rink all the time, in addition to her demanding schedule, didn't help any either."
"Now, I assume she can hear us and understand what we are saying," Reid was guiding Hotch into a visitor's chair. "So, I'm going to leave you here for a while and let you talk with her."
"How long is she going to be like this?" Hotch questioned before Reid could leave.
"Maybe another twelve hours or so," was the reply. "And then the doctor plans on waking her up gradually. Tovah, JJ, and Garcia will be taking turns sitting with her between now and then so you'll have a chance to walk around, eat, and visit with Paige and Sophia. Jack should be arriving mid-morning tomorrow."
"It sounds like everything is under control," Hotch sighed as he moved the chair closer to Laurel's bed. "I just want to make sure I'm here when she wakes up."
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
"You gave us quite a scare," Hotch was sitting next to Laurel's bed the next afternoon holding her hand as they talked.
"I didn't realize I was that sick," Laurel replied weakly. "I knew I had a cough and maybe a little bit of a fever, but that was all."
"You run yourself ragged taking care of the kids and the house, as well as handling your job and helping everyone else," Hotch pointed out. "Maybe it is time for you to make some changes - Do something for you for a change."
"Mom? Mom?" Paige charged into her mother's hospital room and then stopped to look fearfully at the figure on the bed with all the tubes and wires running in and out of her.
"It's okay, Honey," Hotch put his arm around his daughter. "The doctor says your mother is going to be fine. She just needs some rest and medication."
"Are you sure?" the girl demanded.
"He's sure, Sweetie," Garcia had followed her into the room. "Your mom is going to be healthy again and back at the skating rink with you in no time."
"Mom?" Paige looked over at her mother for verification.
"Why don't you come over here and sit on the bed next to me so we can talk?" Laurel suggested as she patted the bed. "But, please be a little careful. I seem to be wired for sound at the moment."
"Are you getting the BBC yet?" Rossi teased as he walked into the room.
"While that might be possible theoretically, or in the Dr. Who universe, I don't think that is going to happen in real life," Reid was close behind Rossi.
"I just finished checking your chart," he informed Laurel. "And, according to the latest test results you are doing fine. If you continue improving, you should be out of here by the end of the week."
"How did you get her chart?" Hotch asked suspiciously.
"Um – m – m – m – "Reid began. "When Laurel was originally admitted I kind of told the staff that I am a doctor. Not that that is a lie," he hurriedly pointed out.
"You just didn't tell them what kind of a doctor," Garcia giggled.
"Spencer – Spencer – Spencer - Whatever am I going to do with you?" Hotch wondered smilingly.
"Take him home and feed him dinner," Laurel suggested with a smile. "As I understand it, he has definitely gone above and beyond the call of duty for the past few days."
"As have several other people," Hotch remarked thoughtfully. "As have several others."
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
"I saw your daughter skating on television." The discharge nurse was helping Laurel into the required wheelchair in preparation to her leaving the hospital. "And, I have to say, you and your husband looked so cute sitting there in the stands holding hands."
"I also have to tell you," the woman continued. "That I thought Paige should have won the competition."
"Thank you," Laurel replied. "But, we realize she has a ways to go yet."
"She landed that triple Axel," the nurse pointed out. "And only one other skater did that."
"Unfortunately, there is more to a program than just one maneuver," Laurel remarked ruefully. "But, she's working on the rest."
"What about the Olympics? Are you getting ready for that?" the nurse continued as she pushed Laurel out the hospital room door. "Because, that is the next stop – Isn't it?"
"The Olympics?" Laurel looked startled. "I – We – It's nothing we've really thought about."
"Well, they aren't for a while yet," the nurse conceded. "Now, let's get you downstairs so that handsome husband of yours can take you home."