When Arron Hotchner and Hailey Hotchner were 18 years old they were surprised to find out that Hailey was actually pregnant. After their Baby girl was born the couple though it would be too hard to handle a child. Arron had started Law School while...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Christopher.
Christopher.
Chris.
"Aren't you a bit young to be an agent?" Chris comments.
Bailee sits down on the table swinging her legs and snorts "It was either this or prison so"
"I get it. I literally get how it feels to drown. To drown in your own thoughts and feelings, the pressure in your chest, the shaking of your hands, your heart beating way too fast. It's as if you can swim but it's the waves that get bigger that make you sink."
"In the end, you feel like there's only one option for the thoughts and the overwhelming feelings to stop crashing through your mind which is too..."
"Let go" Chris whispers looking at Bailee.
Bailee tightens her grip on his hands "I'm here. Chris, I get it. I understand. You are not alone. If you're exhausted and you need to let go that's fine because I'm here to keep you afloat until you are steady on your own. So, tell me if you know anything about who's behind this game, tell Chris because you have me in your corner" Bailee begs with tears in her own eyes. That's all it takes for Chris to break down into sobs holding onto Bailee.
"I'm so stupid,"
Bailee says coming out of her thoughts remembering that she had given Christopher her number in case he needed her for anything. She had so much going on that she completely forgot about the guy which caused her guilt to increase. She said she would be there for him and now he's at the hospital.
Hospital.
Bailee looks at JJ "Chris is at the hospital?"
"Bailee who's Chris?" Aaron asks seeing her guilty expression.
"The first case back after Foyet died" Bailee sighs knowing she would have to explain.
Aaron's eyes widen at her words, now also remembering the emotional case, and when Bailee talked to Chris as she spoke about drowning and letting go made his stomach drop.
After the case and on the way back home on the jet when she broke down in his arms admitting that she couldn't cope with the pain anymore was such a sad but proud moment for him.
Sadness due to how much suffering his daughter had gone through in her life, she was pretty much eighteen but had seen and been involved in things that no child should have gone through.
Pride was because of how much strength it must have taken for Bailee to admit to the man that was her father who was her boss and the same person who abandoned her not once but twice straight after she had gotten shot and yet she was still trusting him even though he was the first person to ever break her heart.
"The suicides that turned out to be part of a game."
Derek knew straight away what case Bailee was referring to. If he was honest, he thought she wouldn't have gone back as quickly as she did. But when he heard the way, she talked to Chris he could tell that she was secretly wishing that someone would do the same for her. This was her silently asking for help as she was struggling to process the death of her biological mother, finding out the truth about her abandonment, and getting taken from the same man who shot her.
"The unsub was his dad."
Reid was worried for Bailee she was actually getting a lot better processes everything. Not that anybody had noticed but they both would often call each other whenever the other one was feeling low. Bailee and Spencer had an understanding when one was scared or alone, the other one would always know and find a way to distract them from their current thoughts. So, he was nervous to see what would happen with Chris becoming involved in her life too.
"The dad was abusing him."
JJ and Prentiss and Garcia were concerned about how quickly things have changed. They were relieved that all the issues were slowly calming down but now a person from an old case was calling from the hospital they knew something wasn't right.
"Why don't you and Aaron go and see what's going on at the hospital?"
Rossi suggests looking at Bailee. He knew that the boy must have called her for a reason and the only way to find out why he specifically asked for her would be for her to go to the hospital.
Bailee looks towards Aaron "Please. I told him he could call me when he needed me."
Aaron sighs looking at his daughter grabbing her shaking hands hopefully it would calm her down. "Let's go" He looks back to the team "I'll call if anything happens. Take an easy day guys it's been a very stressful few months."
"Come on"
As soon as the father-daughter duo had gotten into the SUV and started driving toward the hospital. Aaron glances at Bailee who hadn't said a word and kept looking down at her lap fiddling with her fingers.
Aaron takes one hand off the steering wheel and intertwines his fingers with Bailee, every few minutes giving her encouraging squeezes trying to provide any comfort he could.
"Guess the witch bitch is back huh?" Bailee tries to joke smiling which they both knew it was fake.
Aaron hated feeling useless in this situation, normally he would be able to think of a way or a plan but in the scenario all he knew was that Chris was at the hospital and was asking for his daughter.
"I guess so. But something is different this time" Aaron states.
"What?"
"You have me by you're side so you will not be going through this alone. Whatever has happened we will sort it out together with the team. Our family" Aaron says softly.
"Our family" Bailee mutters biting her bottom lip.
"You aren't alone anymore. You have a whole family that is here for whatever happens at the hospital alright?"
"Alright" Bailee tightens her hand in Aarons.
Twenty minutes later they arrived at the front of the hospital, after their conversation the remaining of the journey was in silence. As soon as Aaron had parked the SUV they both got out and started walking toward the entrance.
Bailee could feel her palms sweating and her heart rate increase. It wasn't just the issue that Chris was at the hospital she also had thoughts of what happened the last time she was here.
Foyet.
Getting shot.
Getting abandoned again.
Her anger was less now she had learned the truth that Aaron had still not talked to her about her fear was more powerful, scared that she would be left alone again she had come to terms with the fact she would most likely always have trust issues and being hesitant when getting close to people.
Bailee knew that if she was left behind a third time. That would be it for her not to sound dramatic, but it was true every time her trust was crushed her heart would break too and there's only so much her heart could take before it stopped fighting.
Aaron who had similar thoughts about the last time he was at the hospital too was trying to hold back his tears at how much one action could cause so much trauma to a person. If he was there that night he could have talked Hailey out of leaving Bailee and that is something he would have to live with forever. He desperately wanted to tell Bailee about the truth of the night of her abandonment, but it seems like something always happens before he gets the chance to.
Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, letting her curl into his side, he kisses the top of her head. "Together" He concludes.
