Keeping Her Safe

Sharing Some Coffee.

A headache that had been washed away after the morning meeting reared its ugly head as Hotch stood and lectured Sera. Lunch had been fine, and eating had calmed her a little, but it was as she threw yet another painkiller back that she realised the headache wasn't shifting.

Tears wanted to brim at the sheer pressure of the pounding in her head, but as she cradled her head in her hands, and the sun set far in the distance, a soft tap came to the door. Looking up through heavy eyes, Sera saw the cause of her agonising head.

'Agen-Hotch,' she squeezed out.

'It's eight. How much more work do you have?' Hotch asked.

'A few more pages of this one. And six more files,' Sera responded as she vaguely gestured to the pile beside her.

'It's late and your head hurts. Let's go home,' Hotch directed.

Shaking her head, Sera grabbed her pen and stared at the paper in front of her. Work, she needed to work. But the words were merging and even her glasses were useless. 'Sera,' he breathed as concern ate at the edges of his voice and left a raw plea behind.

No response came, but after a beat of silence, Hotch watched Sera drop her pen. He was sure she was going to give in, until her hands covered her ears and she sneezed. It was a high-pitched squeak, but her mouth was closed, until it passed and she brought a sharp intake of air in.

Tears finally pricked at the corners of her eyes as the pain felt like two screwdrivers diving into either side of her head. Without looking, she grabbed a tissue and dabbed her nose before covering her ears once again.

Not sure of what to do, Hotch ran his thumb over his fingers. But as Sera opened her eyes, she used a hand to wipe the tear that had fallen and she sniffed before shaking her head. Which made her wince.

The tablet was soon kicking in, the doctor had said that it was only meant to be used when she felt like she was dying. And she felt like the dark figure at the door may have been death after all, but after checking, she saw it was Hotch still stood there.

'Sorry, I've just heard a lot of noise today. Please don't add to it,' Sera quietly demanded.

I can't drive on these.

Staring at the tablets, Sera recalled the warning she had heard and read a million times. It hadn't been a problem before, but at work, it was. A whole day of not being able to drive. That meant public transport or a taxi. Loud, unsafe places.

'Let's go home,' Hotch prompted. 'This work will be here tomorrow. We can never get through all the paperwork so give it time,' he gently offered.

'You head out,' Sera prompted as she grabbed her phone. It was too late for public transport, unless she wanted to walk five miles in the freezing cold since the last stop for the night wasn't the one close to her house. But she didn't have a coat, and the cold was bad for her already sore ears. Even if she wore earmuffs, her face would be exposed.

'I'd rather know that you get to the car safely,' Hotch prompted. 'You look pale. Should you be driving?' He asked.

Shaking her head, and wincing again, Sera got to her feet and scrolled through her phone for an old saved number. 'I'm not driving,' she replied.

Looking out, she hoped to see someone else, but they were all gone. It was just Hotch left.

Like fuck am I asking him to phone for a taxi. The front desk will have to.

'How are you getting home?' Hotch asked as he watched her pull out furry earmuffs that had a ring around the edge so the ear wasn't pressured.

'Don't worry. I can text when I get back. And if you want, I can even send a picture of my locked door,' Sera offered.