Sick Days

She had done the unforgivable; living with it was going to be a challenge. She lay back on her sofa and felt miserable. It all started with Henry having tummy trouble and her staying home with him for a few days. When she finally decided she could leave the boy with Will and a few hours of daycare she hadn't felt quite right, but there were 20 cases to review on her desk and she knew that Reid had been taking care of the oldest ones; there should have been at least 15 more. She'd have to bring him coffee for the next week.

She'd felt dizzy at first and wrote it off as the penalty for taking the Metro in to work. By midday her stomach was unhappy and by five she was definitely coming down with something. She made her way up to Hotch's office to let him know she wasn't likely to be in the next morning. He'd given one look to her colorless face and offered to take her home. Feeling more and more like death warmed over she accepted.

Hotch told Reid he was taking her home and Reid waved at the files on his desk and said he'd take the subway. Hotch lightly took her elbow to guide her toward the elevator, when her stomach betrayed her. She puked on the floor of the BAU and Hotch took her into the women's room to help her clean up, whereupon she puked again, this time hitting his shoes. He moved back sharply, and he cleaned up without a word

And now, she wallowed in her nausea. She sat on her own sofa, her boss made her honeyed tea as they waited for Will to get home.

"Don't worry so much," Hotch smiled at her. He lowered his head to her level, delivered her tea to her end table.

"I'm so sorry Hotch, your shoes…."

"Jack has done so much worse, so many times." He flashed his smile.

"I feel awful."

"It's okay, the viruses we get from the kids are the worst."

She laughed and swung her hair to get it behind her, "I know, last year's cold lasted for fucking ever."

"I thought I'd never speak loud enough to be heard on the phone again."

She laughed and reminded herself that he and the team were why she loved her job so much. "I'm going to try to sleep, why don't you go on home? I'll be fine."

He bit his lip, "You sleep, and I'll wait for Will."

"Hotch, won't Spence be waiting for you? You don't have to stay?"

"But I will, so don't fight me on this. Do you need help?"

She tried to stand and reached out for him, he caught her hand and arm and followed her to her bedroom. He looked in the indicated drawer and found her some pajamas and one of Will's t-shirts. He handed them to her and turned so she could change into them with some privacy, but still be there if she needed help.

He bent to fold her clothes into the laundry and she said, "Just put it all in the basket in the bathroom."

At the word bathroom she again felt the greenness of nausea at her jaw. "Oh damn, Hotch."

He ran to her and helped her balance her run to the ensuite bathroom.

Will arrived about then, in time to see his wife sick in the bathroom while her boss held back her hair.

"You know Hotch, it's a wonder anyone quits your employ." Will drawled.

Hotch laughed lightly and raised his brows, "Your turn." He informed Will.

"Oh no, y'all seem to have this down to a science. I'm a sympathetic puker."

JJ coughed and brought up nothing more. "He is a sympathetic puker, gah it's just awful. Even when Henry used to bring up a little milk!"

Will began to look pale, he swallowed hard.

Hotch helped JJ up and she rinsed her mouth then grabbed his arm and whispered. "Thanks Aaron."

"I'm well trained."

He walked her back to her bed, "You're okay now?" He indicated Will.

"He may puke, but he's pretty good at getting me to the bathroom before he runs for the other one."

Will half grinned but nodded.

CMCMCMCMCM

Three days later and late on Friday night Hotch found himself sitting on the third step thatledup to his office. He'd already run twice to the Men's room from his office and thought he'd shorten the journey some by sitting here. The floor seemed deserted so he wasn't worried about his image. He shook his head at the thought of preserving his image.

That started the nausea and cramping at once. It did turn out to be a good thing he'd not gone up to his office.

He spent a minute washing out his mouth and trying to get up the energy to drive home. Spencer was in South Carolina with Rossi doing a custodial interview. Prentiss had left some time ago with Morgan and JJ was likely out with the group who'd been in the seminar she'd dragged herself in to work to attend. The FBI really did give an awful lot of in service training. He didn't think he could bring himself to ask Garcia for a ride home.

Then again, as he returned to the third step, he wasn't even sure he could get to her office. He closed his eyes and hoped his stomach was settled.

He truly hated this weakness. Then he had a moment panic about whether he'd promised to pick Jack up from school today. No, he breathed a sigh of relief. Jess was keeping him overnight so they'd get an early start to the Brooks grandparents.

With the relief from that the green of nausea started to nibble at the underside of his jaw. He swallowed hard against it. He brought up his knees to put his head on them. That didn't help.

"Hotch?"

Oh god, he thought, please save me.

"Hotch, are you going to be sick right here?"

Nodding would have caused a mess on the BAU floor, so he stood, which nearly made him fall over with vertigo. "JJ, I think…" and he ran as fast as he could considering his dizziness and incoherence.

When he walked out of the stall, she stood there with a wet paper towel.

"I'm okay."

"You know Hotch, when you say that, it's like an indicator to everyone who knows you, that you aren't."

He frowned at her, then vaguely nodded.

"You want to sit down for a minute? I've discovered that the cool of bathroom tiles helps."

She guided him to an empty spot near a wall. They both eased down onto the tiles.

"I'll have to remember this,"hemanaged.

"So how sick are you?"

"I think it's that stomach thing, with a side of sore throat."

"You thinking of calling the on-call doc?"

"No JJ, it should be okay. Everyone's had it."

"Not everyone's had the year you have."

He rested his head in his hands on his pulled up knees. "I just want to go home."

"Yeah, I know, you want to puke into your own toilet."

He grinned at her, "You can be rather crude."

"Brothers."

"If I leave now I might make it home."

"Really? What is it, 40 minutes to your place?"

Hotch nodded.

"How about if you vomit into my guest bathroom's toilet, for tonight. I'll drive you. I was going to hit you up for a ride if you were here."

"Being a good Samaritan so you can borrow my car?"

"Right. Come on Hotch, can you get up?" She helped to balance him getting up from the floor. "I'll go get your jacket and overcoat. Just stay here, just in case."

When she returned, minutes later he had that over pale look. "We can wait."

"No, I think we can go now. God JJ there can't be anything left inside me."

She helped him into his jacket. "We'll put on the overcoat in the lobby." She knew he was burning up. She took his elbow and started to guide him. "Look Hotch, the on call doc was in the building."

He gave her a rather pale glare. "Yeah?"

"Just go sit at Spencer's desk, the doc will be here in a few minutes." Just then she heard the elevator bell and walked over to meet the man. "It's that virus that's been going round, but the boss has had surgery this year."

The doctor smiled. "Yes, I know SSA Hotchner. Don't worry, I won't believe the I'm okay line either."

She shook Hotch's shoulder lightly, her boss's eyes were closed and he looked translucent. "Hotch, Doctor Wells is here."

Hotch worked his eyes open, "Alan?"

"Yeah Aaron, you really do look terrible. You keeping anything down?"

Hotch shook his head shortly.

"Any shortness of breath, sore throat?"

JJ said, "He said his throat hurt, he was hoarse this morning."

The doctor shook his head. "Aaron I'd like to get some fluids into you."

"I just want to go home Alan."

The doctor listened to Hotch's breathing and checked vitals. "Anyone home Aaron?"

JJ said, "I'll take him home with me until Spencer comes home."

"He's got to get fluids, I don't care what. If he's still losing everything by morning, you'll have to take him to the ER. But rest is almost as important. I hate to say this but if he can be at home I think it'd be easier."

JJ thought for a moment. "Let me let my family know."

Doctor Wells looked at Hotch for another full minute, while JJ called Will and then Spencer. "Agent Jareau, let's get him to the infirmary, let's set up an IV, I just don't like how quickly this has gotten worse. Did you call SSA Reid?"

Hotch felt incredibly tired, he kept waking himself up and feeling far away. Somehow he was now being taken down a hallway in a wheelchair, he had no recollection of how that'd happened. He felt that everything was fine though because JJ was holding his hand and telling him they'd be okay, that he could just nap for a little while.

Within an hour and a half they were in Hotch's car headed to his house. He looked a bit pinker and JJ felt as though it was safe to do this. With the IV fluids, the anti-nausea shot and the antibiotics Hotch was actually seemingly awake and aware, an amazing change.

He seemed quite normal walking to his doorway and putting the key into the lock. Once inside he ran to the bathroom and JJ locked up and found the master bedroom. Hotch came out of the bathroom looking pale, but still better than the first time they'd talked when she got back to the BAU.

"Come on Hotch, go to bed."

Hotch sat on the bed, reached for his nonexistent tie, had a moment of confusion followed by shivering. JJ helped him out of the dress shirt she'd helped him into at the infirmary. He undid his belt and top button of his trousers.

"I'm tired Jayje."

"I know, come on, it's too cold for just underwear so where's your pyjamas?"

"Closet."

She found them folded neatly on a shelf in closet, when she returned Hotch had his shoes off and his trousers folded on the chair near the bed. She handed him the FBI sweat pants and he pulled them on. She handed him a sweatshirt as well, and he needed help with it he was shaking so hard.

She bent down to meet his eyes, "you going to be okay Hotch?"

"I think so."

She pulled back the cover and blanket on the bed, smiled that it was electric and clicked it on. "You'll be fine. I'm staying right here until you're asleep."

"Everything'll be fine."

She nodded.

"Don't leave me."

"I won't, don't worry."

"JJ, I'm so glad you're back."

"Hotch I know."

He wriggled to get comfortable, his eyes closed immediately, the shivering stopped. His breathing evened out. "Thank you," he whispered.

She sat close to him. She reminded herself of her early hero worship of this man. She ran her fingers through his hair and contemplated the fantasies of herself as a new agent and saw him stride across them.