"Huh?" Both JJ and Jack were completely bewildered.
"The bureau's regulations don't allow employees to date each other, I'm dood." Garcia's face was filled with tension.
JJ exchanged a guilty glance with Jack and reassured her, "As far as I know, Rossi himself is the reason the bureau made these regulations, so he won't make a fuss. Relax."
Jack had heard of this before; it was said that even today, several female FBI executives had extrely strained relationships because of Rossi.
"Wait, what was Rossi doing at your house?" Jack finally noticed the key point.
"I don't want to talk about this anymore." Garcia beca sowhat dejected. "I was naked, dripping wet, wearing only a bathrobe. It was a nightmare."
Jack suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "Let guess, Rossi asked you to investigate a case for him privately?"
Garcia gasped, covering her mouth in surprise. "I didn't say anything. JJ, you can testify. Rossi said he wanted only the two of us to know."
"Let guess, Rossi didn't show up this morning, did he?"
Before Jack could finish speaking, Emily suddenly knocked and entered. "What are you all doing here? Hey guys, sothing's not right."
The group followed Emily to Rossi's office. The door was open, the desk was a ss, and many docunts were scattered on the floor.
"What happened?" Reid and Hotchner also ca over, their faces showing surprise at the state of the office.
In everyone's mory, Rossi was a polite, cautious, and ticulous person, extrely picky about details. This scene didn't seem like sothing he would do.
"Can anyone tell what happened?" Hotchner looked inexplicably agitated, his hair disheveled, a sight that surprised everyone, as this usually ticulous man was always impeccably grood.
"I think Garcia might know. She said Rossi ca to her house last night." As soon as JJ finished speaking, everyone's gaze turned to the bewildered Garcia.
"Garcia?" Hotchner's voice rose slightly, startling Garcia, who spilled the beans.
"He went to Indianapolis to investigate a 20-year-old double murder case. He seed very agitated, muttering about the killer needing to pay."
"We should help him." Emily urged.
"But he didn't ask anyone for help." Reid hesitated; sotis being overly helpful can backfire.
"That's his silent plea for help. He's broken down. Can't you hear his desperate cries?" Emily wanted to give Reid a good whack on the head.
JJ raised her pretty eyebrows. "The plane is ready at any ti."
"Then let's go." Hotchner was about to turn around when Jack stopped him.
"It's us, not you."
Hotchner glared at Jack angrily. "Do you know what you're saying?"
"Of course! You're still wearing yesterday's shirt, your hair isn't styled, and you haven't shaved. That can't be explained away by a noisy baby. We already have a boss who might have an emotional breakdown. Two? Please!"
Hotchner stood there, stunned. Everyone looked at the two of them with so concern. JJ stepped forward first and stood behind Jack.
"I think Jack is right. Maybe you, like Rossi, think you don't need our help, but clearly you're already on the edge of a cliff."
"Oh, co on, we thought we were about to beco a family, but it turns out we're just unwanted teenagers, and our parents are leaving us."
Emily's words made everyone laugh. This was a joke they made in private. If the team were a family, then the always stern-faced Hotchner would be the strict father, and Rossi, who was always attentive to everyone's emotions and comforting the anxious, would be the loving "mother."
"Okay, it wasn't , it was my wife, Haley. She had a breakdown. We had a huge fight last night, and she tried to leave with Jack." Hotchner's newborn son was also nad Jack.
"My God, what happened between you two?" Emily covered her mouth in surprise.
Hotchner and his wife Haley were a recognized model couple. Everyone was a professional; after a few etings, they all knew what the true feelings between a couple were like.
"I don't know. Everything was fine before. Rossi helped with a lot of work, allowing to co ho from 9 to 5 every day to take care of the baby. Even when I was away on business trips, she didn't complain. Suddenly..."
Hotchner was a little annoyed.
"Didn't you consider the possibility of postpartum depression?" Reid asked.
Hotchner's expression froze, and he hesitated with so uncertainty. "But we did the EPDS (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) six weeks after giving birth, and apart from mild anxiety, there weren't any major problems."
"A small number of won develop depressive tendencies three months postpartum, usually due to stopping breastfeeding or endocrine issues. I suggest you give her a BDI (Beck Depression Inventory) or have her hormone levels checked at the hospital."
Reid spoke confidently, entering his all-knowing encyclopedia mode.
Hotchner's expertise lay in interrogation and negotiation, and this was clearly a blind spot for him. He looked blankly at everyone, and seeing everyone nodding, he was sowhat stunned.
"No. You two should see a psychologist together." Jack said, handing Maureen's business card.
"This is my psychology professor, the best psychologist in Los Angeles. You'd better go ho now. Leave Rossi to us."
Seeing Hotchner still hesitating, Jack shoved the business card into his hand.
"What are you still hesitating about? Haley is such a gentle, beautiful wife. Do you really want her to leave you?"
Rossi had taken on a lot of administrative work for Hotchner, but he turned around and dumped it all on Jack. Jack had done so much paperwork; how could he watch Hotchner end up with his wife and child like in the original story? That would be a waste of his efforts.
"Let's go!" Leaving Hotchner with a complicated expression, Jack waved his hand, humming the tune of "Freaks" loudly, and led everyone out of the office.
"What is he singing?" Reid asked, puzzled. He never paid attention to any internet pop culture.
"Mom's not ho tonight, right? You haven't heard it?" Emily's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Never. This tune sounds weird." Reid shrugged.
Emily's expression froze instantly, then she waved her hand dejectedly, "Never mind."
Lately, she's been indulging in excessive drinking and womanizing, and hasn't been feeling well. She's only slept for a little over 20 hours in the past two days, and her head is still foggy. Therefore, the author has decided to quit smoking starting today.
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