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Wild horses, sir. Just wild horses. Her words echoed in his head. His initial reaction to the bright smile that had accompanied those words startled him. The images of Garcia that had floated through his moments with Haley and Foyet in the theatre haunted him. Garcia laughing with Jack as they shared cookies she'd baked for them. Jack flinging himself into a hug with his Aunt Penelope. One of Penelope's effervescent smiles aimed at Hotch himself. That one made his heart skip a beat. Even Haley had commented about how sweet Penelope was to spend time with her two men and to look after them.
He hung up from the call with Beth, a bit disappointed in her almost lackluster response to the news. Hotch didn't begrudge his girlfriend her enjoyment of a foreign city, but he'd hoped for more of a reaction to his news. He couldn't help comparing her reaction to Garcia's. Wild horses, sir. Just wild horses.
The doctor entered his room, took a look at his chart, then checked the various monitors. "How are you feeling, Mr. Hotchner?"
"Better," he replied.
"You gave us quite a scare. I don't think you'll have further issues, but we need to keep you a few more days for observation." The doctor smiled. "But I'm certain you'll not be at a loss for company. Your girlfriend has not left your side since we brought you in from recovery."
Hotch furrowed his brow. "Excuse me? My girlfriend?"
The doctor nodded. "Yes.
Hotch blinked a few times. "Did you mean, the woman who was in here with me?"
The doctor smiled. "Penelope. That's her name, right?"
Hotch nodded.
"She's a dear. You make sure you don't let that one go."
Hotch tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
The doctor rested his hands on the foot of the bed, still smiling. "She stayed in the lobby, working on her laptop and talking on her cell while you were in surgery. And let me tell you, she did not let 30 minutes go by before she was asking for a status update. And then she insisted on sleeping in that chair when we rolled you in here." He pointed at the chair close to the bed.
Hotch glanced at the chair. He could only imagine how uncomfortable Garcia must have been. The chair was not well-padded and definitely not meant for sleeping.
"Your girlfriend obviously loves you very much." The doctor grinned. "I wish all our patients had someone like her waiting for them. She sat there, holding your hand, talking softly to you. Talking about trips to the zoo with Jack and making a batch of your favorite cookies after you're home." The man paused for a brief moment. "She didn't leave your side once you were in here."
He opened his mouth to correct the assumption about the relationship with Garcia then stopped. He nodded instead. "Thank you, doctor." He watched the other man leave then drifted to sleep with thoughts of Garcia, her smile, and those words swimming in his head.