Reconciling the Hotchners | 2

20. The waiting game

Everyone was handling the news of Y/N's amnesia differently.

The team were obviously sad. Y/N was an amazing profiler. A lot of her skills as a profiler she learned from Aaron over the years. Everyone considered her just as good, or even better than Aaron.

Jess was worried. Y/N's amnesia was taking a toll on Aaron, and she was worried that Aaron was choosing to constantly worry about Y/N, rather than rest.

Jess' concerns were justified. Aaron didn't sleep. He knew she should've been sleeping when she was, but he couldn't. He was either trying to distract himself from Y/N's amnesia, or he was organising details for Y/N's medical care, for example her physical therapy.

Avery was plagued with nightmares about her mother. It didn't matter what she went to bed dreaming about, a nightmare about her mother always caught her by surprise. The nightmare itself was a fear of Avery's. She feared that her mother might never get her memory back, which meant she'd never tell Avery that she loved her.

Jack was the only Hotchner managing to keep calm. While his dad preferred to worry rather than rest, and his sister was plagued with nightmares, Jack was hopeful. He constantly reminded himself that with time and patience, his mother would eventually get her memory back. It was his calmness that also kept his baby brother from crying. Avery was plagued with nightmares, his dad wasn't sleeping well and his aunt was trying to make sure his dad wouldn't fall off the deep end, so Jack took it upon himself to make sure Toby was occupied.

———

On a Saturday afternoon, Aaron planned for Avery, Toby and Jack to visit their mother in the hospital. He warned his two oldest children to tell Y/N their names. Telling her how they knew her would be a different battle for a different day. As for Toby, seeing as he was still a baby, Penelope offered to keep him occupied. She'd sit in the corner, keeping Toby from crying.

"Okay you two, remember what we talked about?" Aaron stopped Jack and Avery from entering Y/N's hospital room.

"Names only." Jack and Avery spoke in unison.

The only relationship Y/N was aware of was her own. A few hours after she woke up, he told her his name, and explained that he was her husband. She didn't believe him at first, but when he placed the wedding ring on her left ring finger, she almost gasped.

"Perfect fit." Y/N muttered. She looked hesitant while glancing down at the ring on her finger.

Jack, Avery and Aaron walked into the room, Aaron quickly handing Toby to Penelope who was typing away at her phone.

"Y/N, this is Jack, and Avery. My friend Penelope is holding Toby." Aaron introduced.

"H- Hi Jack, hi Avery." Y/N smiled, waving briefly before biting her lip.

"Hello." Jack replied, a small smile on his face.

"H- Hello." Avery replied, still unsure about the whole situation.

"How old are you two?" Even with no current memories, she still seemed to have her love for children, which eased Aaron's anxiety a little bit.

"I'm 13." Jack told, gently sitting on the left side of the bed, making sure to keep his distance so his mom wouldn't feel uncomfortable.

"I'm 5." Avery held up her hand, showing Y/N her age through her fingers.

"Toby's only 1. Still a baby." Avery added, making sure Toby felt included in the conversation.

"He is still a baby. A very adorable baby." Y/N exhaled, gently fiddling with the wedding ring on her finger.

Aaron saw this, his heart racing again. When Y/N came home, she'd most likely wonder why most of the family pictures included Y/N when Jack was older than a toddler. It would be a tricky conversation, trying to explain the beginning of their relationship 7 years ago. Even to this day, Aaron wondered how their relationship had survived as long as it did.

"What's your favourite subject in school?" Y/N glanced at Jack.

"I like all my subjects. It helps that one of dad's old colleagues is basically a genius." Jack smiled.

"A genius, huh? I'd like to meet him, test him." She joked.

"What about you, Avery? What's your favourite thing to do in kindergarten?" Y/N asked.

"I like it when we read. We can sit on beanbags and look at the pictures in the books while the teacher reads." Avery's smile widened as she thought about reading.

Aaron watched the conversation between the kids and their mom. He looked behind him, watching as Penelope held Toby against her shoulder, the baby fast asleep after being rocked by Penelope for at least 10 minutes. He was glad that Y/N, even without memories, was connecting with her children, at least, two of her children. He didn't want to throw her in the deep end by expecting her to connect with a baby straight away.