𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫, 𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘀

𝟏𝟎𝟑

"𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚃𝚛𝚞𝚝𝚑?"
ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ
𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕟𝕖𝕩𝕥 𝕒𝕗𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕠𝕠𝕟
𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘴' 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵

NOAH'S body feels limp as she lays in bed. The night before, she had fallen asleep around eight, only twenty minutes after she and Emily had gotten home. She did not eat dinner and did not even shower. Emily checked on her throughout the night, but the teen was asleep whenever she came in.

It is now two in the afternoon and Noah has not left her bed. Her room is messy from the little care she has given it. Her bed has become her sanctuary — everything she needs is lying right in bed with her.

Noah's headphones are on her head and plugged into her phone, blasting her music. Her water bottle and Sergio and a few books lay next to her. Her pajama pants from the night before are on the other side of her — she had taken them off when she woke up sweaty from a nightmare.

The teen closes her eyes as she soaks in the loud music. The hard beat of the drum and the electric strums of the guitar help her drown everything else out. She finds her peace between the verses of her favorite songs.

Suddenly, the teen feels her headphones being moved. She opens her eyes and sees Emily standing above her.

"Are you sleeping with your music that loud?" Emily questions.

"No, my eyes were just closed," Noah says as she takes the headphones off.

"You need some lunch?" Emily asks as she sits beside the teen.

"No, I'm not really hungry," Noah replies as she seems to slump further into the mattress. Emily wonders if it is getting worse and if she should say something.

"You sure?" The mother asks again.

"Yeah," Noah says, "I'm good."

"Okay, just checking," Emily nods with a fake smile. Noah sees through it and knows that Emily is worrying, but it is more than usual.

She is being so weird and it's not helping anything, the teen thinks to herself.

Noah puts her headphones back on and presses play on her music. Emily takes it as a hint that Noah wants to be alone and stands. The teen turns over to put her back to Emily, allowing the mother to gaze at her daughter for a moment without her knowing.

Emily frowns and walks out of the bedroom. She goes downstairs and grabs her phone from the kitchen counter. She scrolls through her contacts, leaning her elbows on the countertop as she finds the person she is looking for.

Emily holds the phone to her ear and waits for an answer.

"Dr. Merrill," A woman answers.

"Hi, Dr. Merrill, it's Emily," Emily greets him as she peers up at the steps in hopes that Noah cannot hear her.

"Hi, Emily, what can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you had time for a walk-in," The mother sighs as she leans her back on the counter.

"How's two o'clock tomorrow?"

—
𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕟𝕖𝕩𝕥 𝕒𝕗𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕠𝕠𝕟
𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘶

Emily stands up from her desk and walks up to Hotch's office. Aaron is still out taking care of Jack, but Derek works in his office now, seeing as he took over as Unit Chief. Emily quietly knocks on the door and hears him tell her to come in. She gently opens the door and steps in, closing the door behind her.