Temporary -An Aaron Hotchner Story-

2

"Jared" I breathe as his eyes darken before me and I feel the pressure of his hand on my shoulder as his blade pierces my lower abdomen. My breath catches in my throat as I feel it like a punch to the gut before he removes the blade and I gasp audibly before he pierces my stomach a second time. 

I taste blood. 

It rises in my throat and I sputter as he whispers "You should've taken the money" and rips the blade out of me. 

Tears sting in my eyes as I choke on the red bile coming up my throat but in a single moment of clarity I reach for the gun strapped to my thigh beneath my skirt. 

I fight to swallow the blood in my mouth and manage to choke out his name, watching him whip around to face me before I take my shot and watch the bullet hit directly between his eyes.

I wake up drenched in sweat and I wince as pain, originating at my abdomen, shoots through me and tears spring to my eyes. There's no light coming through my curtains yet, but I know it's nearly sunrise.

 It's the quiet hour. 

That moment between 4am and 5am where no ones awake and there isn't a single sound coming from the streets as people lie under their blankets resting for another day of work. 

I look to my bedside table where my antibiotics are before looking directly beside the orange bottle to the half-empty bottle of whiskey. 

The sight makes me chuckle. 

Spencer would yell at me if he saw it. Suddenly, the wave of guilt replaces the humor and I throw my legs over my bed before gently standing up to look for my phone. In the past two weeks, since my release from the hospital, I've dialed Spencer's number and turned my phone off hundreds of times. He lives 2 blocks from me and I haven't even bothered to call him and tell him I'm stuck in D.C for the next 6 months.

 There's more to it than that.

 If I call Spencer and tell him I'm here for 6 months, he's going to come see me and he's going to see the bloody bandages in the trash bins and the orange pill bottles all through the apartment and the mess of files all over my living room. 

He's going to worry and it isn't his job to worry about me it's my job to worry about him. 

I find my phone on my counter and take a deep breath as I dial his number and press the green button. 

This is Dr. Spencer Reid he answers groggily and I feel my lip quiver as I hear his voice for the first time in over a year. "Hey, Boy Genius" I breathe trying to keep my voice steady and there's a pause of the other side of the phone before he asks Sandy and I try to joke "Don't tell me you've forgotten your only sister." I hear the chuckle on his side and he says Of course not, but it's been so long and I feel the tears sting my eyes as I take a deep breath away from the phone and come back to say "I know. I was called away for a while" but he asks For over a year and I nod even though he can't see me. "Well I'm back home now and I'll be here a while" I admit and he pauses again likely wondering why I'll be home for longer than just a few days What happened he asks and I sigh knowing he immediately thinks the worst. "Nothing happened. I'm just...on assignment here in DC" I lie but I hold my breath as I wait and see if he'll buy it Great! Wanna get dinner he offers and I release the breath I was holding as I tell him "Dinner sounds great" glad that he didn't ask to come over. How about that Peruvian Chicken place on your street? At 8? Spencer sets the date and I agree hearing his smile through the phone making a smile spread over my lips as I realize how much I honestly missed my baby brother. We hang up and I look around my loft wondering how the hell I'm going to get all this cleaned up.