Erin dreaded calling David to see how he was doing on this latest case, since they had both been less than pleased about the fact that they had been woken early by a call from the Director, informing them that the team was needed out in the field, despite getting back so late the previous evening. Knowing that Agent Jareau would not be pleased to hear her that early in the morning, she had told Director Shepperd to call her, since she had to get Elise ready to head into the office with her, since the daycare facility wouldn't be available when they first arrived. He had sheepishly agreed before ending the call, and she had fixed a dark look on her fiancé as they tumbled out of bed and got dressed before he made breakfast and she dressed Elise.
There hadn't been time for a long goodbye, and she had hurriedly pressed a quick kiss to his cheek as she dropped him off at the doctor's house, knowing that someone would give him a ride into the office when they were done interviewing him and his son. The ride into the office seemed interminably long, as Elise was still cranky over the change in her routine, and all Erin wanted to do was stretch out on the sofa in her office with her daughter and sleep for another two hours. Which is what she had almost done, had it not been for the fact that Helen had also been there already, and she felt like she couldn't start taking naps yet, not before she informed the Director of her pregnancy, which she knew would not be that morning, since they were all hitting the ground running.
And now, she was tired, hungry, and desperately wishing that she could talk to David without interrupting their day. Letting out a deep sigh that turned into a yawn, Erin rested her hands on her stomach, drumming her fingers in a delicate tattoo, knowing that the fetus couldn't discern any patterns yet, but still wanting to make a connection there. Her office phone rang, causing her to jump a little before she answered, hating how startled her voice sounded. "H-hello?"
"This is going to sound really, really, odd, Erin, but have you heard from Hotch at all this morning?"
Erin frowned a little at the sharp tone in Penelope's voice, and she rubbed at her temple with her free hand before leaning back in her chair. "I have not, I assumed that he was in the field with the rest of the team. Is that not the case?"
"No, ma'am. Emily is worried, and has me calling his phones every fifteen minutes, but he hasn't answered yet, which is unusual for him. I've never known him to keep his phone on silent before. The others, yeah, I get it, but he's always available to us. I've called him way too late before when I had an urgent question, and he didn't get angry at me, just patiently answered me before ending the call and going back to sleep. Or at least, I'm assuming that he went back to sleep. And I'm rambling, which I do when I'm worried, and…would you try calling him? He might answer you, since you are his boss, and the mother of one of his children."
Erin chose not to comment on that last part, knowing that Penelope did have a point about her ability to perhaps reach him when the others couldn't. "All right, Penelope, I'll try calling him, and if I can't reach Aaron, I'll text you and you can go from there. Does that sound good?"
"It does. All right, I should go back to the team and work on this case. We're all running on fumes, so I'm trying to do my best."
"That's all I ask of you, Penelope." After she'd hung up, Erin pulled out her cell phone and scrolled through her contact list, touching Aaron's name before bringing the device to her ear. It rang until it went to voicemail, and she frowned a little at that before she hung up and tried the landline at his apartment. Again, it rang until the machine picked up, and Erin felt her frown deepen as she ended the call. Leaning back, Erin once more rubbed her stomach, that weird feeling of impending doom starting to fill her senses once more.
Knowing that it was a last resort, she scrolled through to Haley's name and touched it, bringing the phone to her ear and waiting for her to pick up. "Erin? Hey! How are you?"
It was easy to smile at the warmth in the woman's voice, and she suddenly was grateful that they had developed a friendship over the years. "I'm doing well. And I might as well let this cat out of the bag while I have you on the phone. David and I are having another child."
"Congratulations! When are you due?"
"In January, but since Elise came early, we could have a Christmas baby on our hands."
"That would be lovely! Though it's hard to have a birthday near a holiday." Erin made a soft sound of agreement. "Now, I have the feeling that you didn't just call so early for a pleasant chat, since I know that you're at work. What can I do for you?"
She drew in a deep breath as she thought about how to word her question. "I'm not certain how closely you keep in touch with Aaron, but the team just returned from a case in Canada last night, rather late. And then, unfortunately, the Director summoned them out on another case almost at the crack of dawn. Only, Aaron hasn't shown up, and no one has been able to contact him. I tried both his cellphone and landline, hoping that he had just slept in or something, but received no answer. Have you heard from him at all?"
There was a brief pause. "No, we don't talk regularly right now, since it's been hard to interact, with the divorce being so close to finalized and all. I miss him, but I do not miss the darkness that he brought home with him after every case. I'll call him, though, too, just on the off chance that he'll pick up for me. Odds are, he left his phone off the charger and turned the ringer off the landline so that he wouldn't be disturbed while he slept and is just passed out from exhaustion. If I get an answer, I'll call you back, otherwise, I'll just send a quick text, letting you know I had no luck. And congratulations again on your baby! I'm so happy for you. I never wanted Jack to be an only child, well, you know what I mean. Eventually, he'll know that he's Elise's brother, but he'll still have grown up an only child."
"I understand completely. And thank you for reaching out to him, even though it will be painful for you." She cleared her throat. "And I know Elise can't wait to see Jack on Saturday."
"That's all he's been talking about, too. Jessica and I will be by around noon with food, and we'll see where the kids want to go from there."
"Sounds like a plan. Have a good day," she murmured before ending the call and leaning back in her chair, wondering just what was up with Aaron.
