Retribution, A Spencer Reid/Criminal Minds Fanfic

Chapter 48. Parenthood

Hotch drank the rest of his scotch. In fact, he drank the next couple of glassfuls his host gave him.

When his eyelids felt as though they were made of lead, the doctor nodded at Rossi, indicating he could use some help putting Aaron to bed. But it didn’t work out quite the way he’d planned.

It worked out better.

Once they had Hotch on his feet, and he realized he was being hustled toward the bedroom, he dug in and resisted. The two older men glanced at each other over his drooping, slightly disheveled head. Rossi shrugged, indicating he didn’t know what the issue could be now. The doctor read what was troubling Hotch, but he wanted him to speak it aloud. It would do his father good to hear it. Rossi bent, trying to look into the younger man’s face.

“Aaron? Problem?”

A baritone grunt might have been the word ‘no.’ They couldn’t be sure. This time the doctor tried.

“You don’t want to go to bed yet?”

“Uh-uh.” Hotch took a deep breath, gathering himself for more of a speech than he was capable of delivering. It had to be an important statement, considering the effort he was making to take a stance. “Wanna go h’m wif’ Dave.”

Again, the elders’ eyes met; this time crinkling with good humor.

“You want to go home with your father. How about if your father stays here with you? Would that work?” The doctor didn’t think delivering a drunken man to Millie’s delicately faux-Victorian interiors was a good idea. Aside from the moral dilemma that would have the proper, little proprietress puffing with indignation, a man Aaron’s size had to maneuver with care through the endless ornaments and bric-a-brac on a good day. In his present condition, with his coordination in doubt, he qualified as a one-man, semi-mobile, demolition unit.

“Mmmpphff.”

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes.’“ The doctor looked at Rossi’s grin and was glad he wouldn’t be separating the two men. A little bonding time was in order, even if one of the bond-ees was slightly the worse for wear and only vaguely conscious. He spoke in lowered tones to the older agent. “I have a room with a bunk bed. Would that be okay with you?”

“Sure.” Rossi was so enthralled with the idea of a long-lost son that he would have greeted the suggestion of a bed of stinging nettles with equal enthusiasm. Hotch’s request to stay near him echoed his own sentiments for the younger man, and made his heart swell with joy. It was a sign. Drunk Hotch was bypassing Rational Hotch and indicating his acceptance of his non-biological lineage. A small, long-dormant flame of fierce, protective, fatherly love kindled in Rossi. Time lost was irrecoverable, but there was so much more of life to come. And David Rossi looked forward to living it as a parent; something he’d believed would never be possible.

It felt like a huge gift.

“Thank you.” Rossi’s eyes were damp, but his voice was steady and sincere.

The doctor glanced up, smiling. “You’re welcome, child. I love him, too. He deserves some happiness. You both do.”

xxxxxxx

Deep in the house, in a back room with windows facing on the primeval forest, were the bunk beds. After Hotch had been partially undressed and maneuvered into the bottom one, Rossi ran a hand over the solid, heavy, wood construction. There was no hardware; no nails, no screws, no bolts. The bed was formed solely of wood jointed together by an expert craftsman. Parts of it gleamed with a patina bestowed by generations of hands, climbing into and out of the upper and lower tiers.

“This is old. Very old.” Rossi appreciated antiques. He had furnished his mansion with quite a few prime specimens.

“I built it for my first child. It’s held up well, but it’s been a long time since it provided a resting place for anything other than memories.” The doctor gave the bed a considering look, as though seeing something taken for granted through new eyes. “I’m glad it will be occupied tonight.”