Reconciling the Hotchners | 2

19. Not fully there

The team couldn't abandon their job just to make sure Y/N was okay, as much as they would've liked to. A few hours after Y/N was out of surgery, Emily got a case notification, which meant the BAU had to go away. Penelope offered to stay with Aaron at the hospital, so she could still do her work, but the team would be able to get updates on her. So, the team went to Ohio with the peace of mind that Penelope would let them know of any changes with Y/N.

The bright lights above Y/N finally woke her up. Her eyes blinked a few times as she tried - and failed - to adjust her position on the bed.

"Hi! You're awake!" Penelope got excited at the sight of Y/N waking up. She nudged Aaron, who was asleep on the chair next to her. Penelope rushed out of the room to grab the attention of any nearby doctor or nurse, while Y/N adjusted to the bright lights hurting her eyes.

"Hi." Aaron looked at Y/N, who finally managed to keep her eyes open. Before she could reply, Penelope walked back into the room with a doctor following her.

"Ah, Y/N. It's good to see that you're awake. I'm Dr. Harbour and I'll be in charge of your care while you're recovering here." She smiled.

"T- Thanks." Y/N tried to move her leg, but something wasn't right.

"I- I can't feel the bottom of my leg!" Y/N panicked, the heart rate monitor going crazier the more she panicked.

"Y/N, calm down. Everything's okay. You're okay." Aaron went to pull the bed sheet back to show her that she still had the bottom of her leg, but Y/N flinched and shoved his hands away.

"Don't touch me!" She glared at him. He nodded and did what she said, slightly confused. Before this whole mess, he and Y/N agreed to work on their relationship. Why had she suddenly become so hostile and angry at him?

"How about I get you some tea? Tea always calms you down." Penelope got closer to Y/N, who furrowed her eyebrows.

"Do I know you?" Y/N spoke, keeping herself distanced.

It was then that both Penelope and Aaron realised why Y/N didn't seem like herself.

"How about we talk outside, before her heart rate monitor goes off again?" Dr. Harbour suggested. Aaron nodded and hastily exited the room. Penelope followed and dialled Emily's number on her way.

Once Aaron, Penelope and Dr. Harbour were out of Y/N's earshot, and Emily was on the phone, Dr. Harbour exhaled.

"It seems like Y/N is suffering from retrograde amnesia. This isn't uncommon, considering she has injuries on her head that are consistent with heavy blunt force trauma. Another cause is lack oxygen, and there were signs of that during her surgery, as she had difficulty breathing and a rapid heart rate." Dr. Harbour told, earning sighs from Aaron, Penelope and Emily.

"Is there anything we can do?" Penelope asked.

"Don't pressure her. Let her memory build itself back up. If she has questions, answer them as simply as possible, as to not overwhelm her." Dr. Harbour smiled.

"How long will it last?" Aaron bit his lip, concerned.

"It's difficult to say. Some patients who experience amnesia only have it for a few hours. But others have had it for weeks, or even months. Everyone is different. Unfortunately, amnesia, no matter the type, is a condition that has no definite answer. Its lasting impact depends on the person." Dr. Harbour frowned, seeing the looks of pain on Aaron and Penelope's faces.

"But the good thing is, Y/N's head injuries aren't life-threatening enough to worry about the possibility of her amnesia being permanent." Dr. Harbour sounded hopeful.

"So...no work?" Penelope's eyes widened.

"Definitely no work. I was informed of Y/N's job and I am highly against Y/N going back to work until her amnesia has fully gone away. She also shouldn't be going to work until all her injuries are healed, her leg heals and she can walk properly again, but I think that was already obvious." Dr. Harbour nodded.

A little more information was given to Aaron before Dr. Harbour left him and Penelope to go back to Y/N.

"Hotch, uh, what are you going to tell the kids?" Penelope questioned, stopping him before he could enter Y/N's hospital room.

"I'll tell Jack and Avery, since they'll notice Y/N's behaviour." Aaron exhaled before dialling Jess' number. Minutes later, he was on a Face-Time call with Jess, Jack and Avery, while Y/N slept behind him.

"Both the kids are fed and they're ready for bed, but Toby's been asleep in his crib for the past 30 minutes." Jess told Aaron before letting Jack and Avery talk.

"Dad, is mom okay?" Jack asked, seeing the tube in Y/N's nose, the bruises on her face.

"Yeah, she's okay now that she's being taken care of." Aaron nodded.

"What's wrong?" Avery asked.

"Uh, there's something that you two need to know. Mom's been really injured and some of her injuries have caused her to have a thing called 'Amnesia'." Hotch started.

"Am- what?" Avery furrowed her eyebrows.

"Repeat after me. Am-ne-sia." Jack turned to his sister.

"Am...ne...sia..." She spoke slowly, looking at both her brother and her dad for approval.

"There you go." Jack nodded.

"What's am-ne-sia?" Avery asked, once again saying the word slowly.

"Amnesia is a memory problem. It's when someone can't remember things that have happened recently, and sometimes even things that happened long ago." Aaron explained.

"Will mommy remember us?" Avery's voice filled with panic, and it was clear that she was about to cry. Aaron went to talk, but Penelope took over.

"Avery, sweetie, breathe. In...and out." Penelope watched as Avery took a deep breath in and out.

"There you go. Now, it's likely that your mom won't remember you straight away. It might take her a while to recognise you. All we can do is wait. Eventually her memories will come back, and she'll recognise you." Penelope smiled at Avery.

"Promise?" Avery wiped a few tears from her cheek.

"Promise." Penelope nodded, watching as her little niece nodded, signalling that she understood.

"Okay. It's time for bed. You want me to read you a bedtime story, Avery?" Aaron looked at Avery, who shook her head.

"No thanks. Jack's a really good storyteller. Night daddy." Avery hugged her brother.

"Night sweetheart. Night Jack." Aaron spoke to both the kids before Jack handed the phone back to Jess.

"Give Toby a kiss on the head from me and Y/N, please?" Aaron asked.

"Of course. Go be with Y/N. She may not remember you yet, but at least you can still show her all the love and support you can." Jess insisted with a smile before ending the Face-Time, leaving Penelope and Aaron in silence as they both sat near Y/N's hospital bed.