Aaron Hotchner One-Shots

Fever (pt. 2)

Darkness.

It was quite nice. It was welcoming, soft, and there was no pain. There was this faint beeping sound that I could hear. It never stopped. I don't know how long I had been in the dark, but I could feel and hear things from the outside world. I felt hands that held mine and heard the voices that whispered, asking how long it would be until I woke up. If I ever woke up, that is. I knew the team came and visited me all the time, and would tell me how much they missed me.

Rossi would always come in and read to me. I liked hearing his stories, they let me paint an image in my head. It gave me something new to look at. JJ, Pen, and Emily would come in talking about how they were going to conjure up a really fun girl's night out once I woke up, and told me what shops and restaurants we were going to go to. Reid would always come in and spout off statistics about the probabilities being good of me waking up, based on my vitals. I wanted to smile, but my muscles wouldn't move. When Derek came in, he was usually quiet. He'd hold my hand and talk to me about how much the team needed me to be okay. Once, he even told me how much Hotch was going through. He said that Hotch blamed himself for what happened to me.

Aaron...he never left my side. He slept by my side, he only went to the bathroom a couple times, and he always had the team bring him food. They had to practically pull him out to go eat while one of them stayed with me. I found it endearing...and heartbreaking. I wanted nothing more than to tell him that it wasn't his fault, to hold his face in my hands and look into the beautiful golden-brown hues of his eyes. But my body wouldn't listen to my heart's desires.

Today was no different. I heard the doctor come in and Aaron stood up. "Well, Mr. Hotchner, we have come to the conclusion that her vitals are good enough that we can take her off of life support. Her fever has gone down immensely, and it is at a stable degree," he said, walking over to the bed. "Are you absolutely sure? She'll be okay?" Hotch said, taking my hand in his. I loved the way our hands fit together. I wanted to squeeze his hand so badly. Anything to let him know that I was okay. I willed all the strength I had into that part of my body. And then, it happened. My hand jerked. The doctor's smile was evident in his voice, "I believe that was your answer, Mr. Hotchner."

I heard Aaron sigh in relief. "Sweetheart, I pray you can hear me. You're going to be okay, I promise." The doctor unhooked everything, and I felt myself being able to breathe on my own. Aaron's hand was in mine again, and I tried to open my eyes. They fluttered open, but the light was too much. I closed them back immediately. The doctor went over and turned the lights off. I re-opened my eyes, and saw Aaron staring at me. "See something you like?" I rasped, my voice hoarse. I gave him a half smile, and he fell to his knees, sobbing, as he draped his arm around me in a hug. Well, as much of a hug as he could give with me laying on the hospital bed.

"Aaron," I whispered, looking down at him. I picked my arm up, though it took all I had, and ran my fingers through his hair. I saw the doctor smile, as he went to the door. "I'll be back to check on you later, dear," he said, giving us some privacy. "I am so sorry. I should have never left you. That bastard...I wanted to be the one to kill him for everything he'd done to you." He was getting worked up, and I put my hand on his cheek. "Shh...please don't be sorry. It wasn't your fault, I promise. You saved me, you found me, I'm right here. I'm fine, Aaron." He looked me in the eyes, brushing my hair out of my face. "I should have told you when I had the chance." Confusion swept over my face. "Told me what, Aaron?" I asked, worried.

"How much I love you," he said, putting his hand on my cheek and pressing his lips to mine. I put my arm around his neck, pulling him closer. The door opened, and the team walked in, startling us. "Well it's about bloody time!!!" Garcia shrieked, causing us all to laugh. I looked back to Hotch, a deep blush rising to my cheeks. "I love you, too, Aaron."