The Photographer
folder
1 through F › Criminal Minds
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
23
Views:
1,817
Reviews:
1
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
1 through F › Criminal Minds
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
23
Views:
1,817
Reviews:
1
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Criminal Minds or any of the characters, nor do I make any type of profit from this.
XVII
RAPPAHANNOCK GENERAL HOSPITAL
Richmond, VA
“We need to get these GSW’s to stop bleeding before he goes into hypovolemic shock.” The brunette woman pulled out more gauze from a panel on the side of the ambulance and pushed it against the bleeding agent’s body. “Call the trauma center and tell them to have an OR ready for two GSW’s and three units of O negative when we get him off the bus. Drive faster!” One of the male paramedics moved an oxygen mask over Hotch’s face to ensure he’d keep breathing.
Morgan stared at his friend silently, the erratic beeping of the heart monitor lulling him into a daze. This was his fault. He shouldn’t have wasted time arguing with Rossi. Those few minutes he had wasted could have made a difference between whether Hotch would make it or not. No matter what happened, he had failed. If he hadn’t wasted his time chasing after Newell, he would have found the bunker sooner. If he hadn’t been to weak and allowed Mr. Garrisson to break his arm, none of this would have happened.
His self loathing was interrupted by a steady beep, indicating Hotch had flat-lined. Everything seemed to be muted in the ambulance, save the persistent heart monitor, as the paramedics began to work frantically. Derek felt like he was hearing things from underwater, the paramedics order of ‘clear’ coming out muffled. The muscular agent felt like he was suffocating, subconsciously refusing to breathe until Aaron did. Just as he felt himself getting light headed he heard the intermittent beeping of the heart monitor start up again.
“He’s back! We can’t afford to lose him again. Turn on those lights! Let’s move!” The female paramedic continued barking out orders until they pulled into the parking lot, loading Hotch onto a stretcher, and sprinted him to the OR. Morgan was too dazed to fight with the paramedics who were preventing him from following Hotch. He just stood there in the doorway, fighting the thoughts of Hotch dying on the table moving to the front of his mind. Derek didn’t even realize he was moving until he found himself sitting in a secluded waiting room. That’s when he noticed how horrible he looked. He was only wearing a bloodied Kevlar vest over his upper body in place of his shirt. The sling supporting his left arm was painted the same crimson liquid. Both hands had dried blood on them, solidifying how inescapable the situation was.
His eyes shifted to the hallway as he heard a familiar click-clack of heels. “Hey, Garcia.” Morgan’s voice held no hope as his eyes rested on the tech goddess who approached him. “Hey, sugar. I brought you a clean shirt and the… uhm… last package you received from the UnSub. The doctor’s may be able to reattach his…” Penelope couldn’t say the word. She had nearly lost all sense of self control just driving to the hospital with the finger in a cooler next to her.
Derek let her remove the Kevlar vest and sling before putting the shirt on him. He didn’t need her to do it for him, but he knew taking care of others was how Garcia coped. Penelope laid her head against his chest as Morgan wrapped his good arm around her trembling shoulders. “Please, Derek, tell me he’s going to make it. Tell me its gunna be ok.” He kissed her forehead lovingly as he rubbed her shoulder in an attempt to calm her. “I wish I could, baby.” He rested his chin on her feathery hair, letting her steady breathing calm him.
---
WEST BUNKER
Richmond, VA
“I’ve got something!” Reid crouched several feet away from the fallen chair they’d found Hotch tied to. The three other agents slowly walked over to Reid, their eyes falling on the black material in his hands. “A ski mask?” JJ’s gentle voice barely traveled through the room, the gruesome surroundings suppressing her desire to even move. Emily nodded, pointing to a wet spot on the mask. “It looks like blood and saliva. Maybe Hotch bit the mask and pulled it off. Perhaps he figured out our UnSub’s identity.” Rossi nodded in agreement. “Perhaps that’s what set him off. He wasn’t counting on Hotch finding out who he was, so he shot him instead of baking him alive.” Spencer looked back at the mask. “Well, we now have some DNA to check against our suspects. By the looks of the conditions of this room, the DNA is too deteriorated to run it through the system, but it will work in a comparison against a DNA sample.”
JJ looked through the doorway, her thoughts returning to Aaron. “The only person who can identify our UnSub is on an operating table fighting for his life, if Hotch was even in a state of mind to recognize him…” The team grew silent at JJ’s words. They were painfully true. Hotch was their only lead.
---
RAPPAHANNOCK GENERAL HOSPITAL
Richmond, VA
“I’m here for Aaron Hotchner. Agent Morgan called me and told me he’d been rushed here.” Jessica looked at the receptionist frantically as she pointed to the waiting room the FBI agent and analyst were in. “C’mon, Jacky. We’re going to wait for daddy with Derek and Penelope.” She fought to keep her tear filled voice steady as she saw the two agents sitting in silence. Penelope immediately hopped up and pulled Jack into her arms. “Wow, Jack! You’ve gotten SO big!” The young boy beamed with pride. “C’mon bud, let’s get some ice cream!” She led the young boy from the waiting room. He didn’t need to hear what Morgan was about to tell Jessica.
“H… how is he?” Her voice quivered with every syllable she spoke, her eyes searching Derek’s for truth. “He’s still in surgery. Hotch lost a lot of blood and suffered two gunshot wounds to his abdomen. He has cuts and burns covering his body… and more that you really don’t want to know.” Morgan’s voice was calm as he held the now sobbing woman in an attempt to soothe her. “Hotch is the strongest FBI agent and man I know. If anyone can pull through this, he can.” Jessica nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes, not caring about smudging her make-up. “I know… he’s the strongest person I know. I’m worried about him psychologically. So soon after that bastard attacked him and killed Haley. I’m scared he won’t recover.” Derek nodded knowingly. Hotch would tell everyone he was fine and internalize everything. He would pass his psych evaluation with flying colors, but he’d never be ‘ok’, whatever that was.
They sat in silence for hours, Garcia only able to kill about thirty minutes before returning with Jack. The team joined them all after securing the scene, refusing to leave until they heard something about their supervisor.
---
Monitors flashed, machines beeped, and tubes pumped fluids into the unconscious agent’s limp body. The surgeon flashed his scalpel against Hotch’s pale skin, removing the two bullets with a practiced skill. The knife lacerations had been stitched up already, as had the gash in his brow and temple. The protruding orbital bone was still a problem, though the wound had been cleaned. “Alright, let’s get these GSW’s sewn up and then we can get the facial surgeon in here to take care of the orbital bone and jaw.” He worked quickly, watching the agent’s weak vitals as they fluttered back and forth, precariously close to going back into defib.
Hours upon hours passed as the surgeon worked to repair the orbital bone. Luckily, he was able to set the pins and plates in both the orbital bone and jaw which would ensure a quicker recovery. Unfortunately, the amount of bandages covering Aaron’s body made the thought of recovery seem impossible. Hotch hadn’t even woken from his coma.
---
Rossi carefully woke Jessica as the surgeon approached the group. Garcia had taken Jack to the hotel with the US Marshals so he could sleep. There was no point in the boy staying up all night when he didn’t know what all was going on.
“Umm… Aaron Hotchner?” The five agents stood with Jessica, causing the doctor to stop in slight shock. He wasn’t expecting so many people to be here for one man. “Family of Aaron Hotchner?” Jessica spoke up with force before Morgan even had the chance to protest. “This is his family. What do you have to tell us?” Her stare was firm as a sense of warmth filled each member of the team. They really were a family.
The doctor nodded hesitantly before speaking. “We were able to stop the bleeding and repair the damage done to his orbital bone and even reattached his finger. With time and therapy he could regain full use of his finger. He had high levels of dilaudid in his system, but we can’t tell if he will develop any dependency to the drug. It all depends on the individual.” He stopped nervously, forcing Morgan to speak up impatiently. “Just tell us the bad news you’re holding back.” His sharp words only aided the effect his dark eyes were having on the doctor as he could do nothing other than cooperate. “Aaron has slipped into a coma, and with his extremely weakened physical state, it could be weeks till he wakes up. Honestly, it’s all up to him. He could wake up tomorrow. It depends on how much he’s fighting. There’s nothing more we can do but give him pain killers to make this easier.” He turned from the group of people to let them absorb what he had just told them. Things weren’t getting any easier any time soon.
Richmond, VA
“We need to get these GSW’s to stop bleeding before he goes into hypovolemic shock.” The brunette woman pulled out more gauze from a panel on the side of the ambulance and pushed it against the bleeding agent’s body. “Call the trauma center and tell them to have an OR ready for two GSW’s and three units of O negative when we get him off the bus. Drive faster!” One of the male paramedics moved an oxygen mask over Hotch’s face to ensure he’d keep breathing.
Morgan stared at his friend silently, the erratic beeping of the heart monitor lulling him into a daze. This was his fault. He shouldn’t have wasted time arguing with Rossi. Those few minutes he had wasted could have made a difference between whether Hotch would make it or not. No matter what happened, he had failed. If he hadn’t wasted his time chasing after Newell, he would have found the bunker sooner. If he hadn’t been to weak and allowed Mr. Garrisson to break his arm, none of this would have happened.
His self loathing was interrupted by a steady beep, indicating Hotch had flat-lined. Everything seemed to be muted in the ambulance, save the persistent heart monitor, as the paramedics began to work frantically. Derek felt like he was hearing things from underwater, the paramedics order of ‘clear’ coming out muffled. The muscular agent felt like he was suffocating, subconsciously refusing to breathe until Aaron did. Just as he felt himself getting light headed he heard the intermittent beeping of the heart monitor start up again.
“He’s back! We can’t afford to lose him again. Turn on those lights! Let’s move!” The female paramedic continued barking out orders until they pulled into the parking lot, loading Hotch onto a stretcher, and sprinted him to the OR. Morgan was too dazed to fight with the paramedics who were preventing him from following Hotch. He just stood there in the doorway, fighting the thoughts of Hotch dying on the table moving to the front of his mind. Derek didn’t even realize he was moving until he found himself sitting in a secluded waiting room. That’s when he noticed how horrible he looked. He was only wearing a bloodied Kevlar vest over his upper body in place of his shirt. The sling supporting his left arm was painted the same crimson liquid. Both hands had dried blood on them, solidifying how inescapable the situation was.
His eyes shifted to the hallway as he heard a familiar click-clack of heels. “Hey, Garcia.” Morgan’s voice held no hope as his eyes rested on the tech goddess who approached him. “Hey, sugar. I brought you a clean shirt and the… uhm… last package you received from the UnSub. The doctor’s may be able to reattach his…” Penelope couldn’t say the word. She had nearly lost all sense of self control just driving to the hospital with the finger in a cooler next to her.
Derek let her remove the Kevlar vest and sling before putting the shirt on him. He didn’t need her to do it for him, but he knew taking care of others was how Garcia coped. Penelope laid her head against his chest as Morgan wrapped his good arm around her trembling shoulders. “Please, Derek, tell me he’s going to make it. Tell me its gunna be ok.” He kissed her forehead lovingly as he rubbed her shoulder in an attempt to calm her. “I wish I could, baby.” He rested his chin on her feathery hair, letting her steady breathing calm him.
---
WEST BUNKER
Richmond, VA
“I’ve got something!” Reid crouched several feet away from the fallen chair they’d found Hotch tied to. The three other agents slowly walked over to Reid, their eyes falling on the black material in his hands. “A ski mask?” JJ’s gentle voice barely traveled through the room, the gruesome surroundings suppressing her desire to even move. Emily nodded, pointing to a wet spot on the mask. “It looks like blood and saliva. Maybe Hotch bit the mask and pulled it off. Perhaps he figured out our UnSub’s identity.” Rossi nodded in agreement. “Perhaps that’s what set him off. He wasn’t counting on Hotch finding out who he was, so he shot him instead of baking him alive.” Spencer looked back at the mask. “Well, we now have some DNA to check against our suspects. By the looks of the conditions of this room, the DNA is too deteriorated to run it through the system, but it will work in a comparison against a DNA sample.”
JJ looked through the doorway, her thoughts returning to Aaron. “The only person who can identify our UnSub is on an operating table fighting for his life, if Hotch was even in a state of mind to recognize him…” The team grew silent at JJ’s words. They were painfully true. Hotch was their only lead.
---
RAPPAHANNOCK GENERAL HOSPITAL
Richmond, VA
“I’m here for Aaron Hotchner. Agent Morgan called me and told me he’d been rushed here.” Jessica looked at the receptionist frantically as she pointed to the waiting room the FBI agent and analyst were in. “C’mon, Jacky. We’re going to wait for daddy with Derek and Penelope.” She fought to keep her tear filled voice steady as she saw the two agents sitting in silence. Penelope immediately hopped up and pulled Jack into her arms. “Wow, Jack! You’ve gotten SO big!” The young boy beamed with pride. “C’mon bud, let’s get some ice cream!” She led the young boy from the waiting room. He didn’t need to hear what Morgan was about to tell Jessica.
“H… how is he?” Her voice quivered with every syllable she spoke, her eyes searching Derek’s for truth. “He’s still in surgery. Hotch lost a lot of blood and suffered two gunshot wounds to his abdomen. He has cuts and burns covering his body… and more that you really don’t want to know.” Morgan’s voice was calm as he held the now sobbing woman in an attempt to soothe her. “Hotch is the strongest FBI agent and man I know. If anyone can pull through this, he can.” Jessica nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes, not caring about smudging her make-up. “I know… he’s the strongest person I know. I’m worried about him psychologically. So soon after that bastard attacked him and killed Haley. I’m scared he won’t recover.” Derek nodded knowingly. Hotch would tell everyone he was fine and internalize everything. He would pass his psych evaluation with flying colors, but he’d never be ‘ok’, whatever that was.
They sat in silence for hours, Garcia only able to kill about thirty minutes before returning with Jack. The team joined them all after securing the scene, refusing to leave until they heard something about their supervisor.
---
Monitors flashed, machines beeped, and tubes pumped fluids into the unconscious agent’s limp body. The surgeon flashed his scalpel against Hotch’s pale skin, removing the two bullets with a practiced skill. The knife lacerations had been stitched up already, as had the gash in his brow and temple. The protruding orbital bone was still a problem, though the wound had been cleaned. “Alright, let’s get these GSW’s sewn up and then we can get the facial surgeon in here to take care of the orbital bone and jaw.” He worked quickly, watching the agent’s weak vitals as they fluttered back and forth, precariously close to going back into defib.
Hours upon hours passed as the surgeon worked to repair the orbital bone. Luckily, he was able to set the pins and plates in both the orbital bone and jaw which would ensure a quicker recovery. Unfortunately, the amount of bandages covering Aaron’s body made the thought of recovery seem impossible. Hotch hadn’t even woken from his coma.
---
Rossi carefully woke Jessica as the surgeon approached the group. Garcia had taken Jack to the hotel with the US Marshals so he could sleep. There was no point in the boy staying up all night when he didn’t know what all was going on.
“Umm… Aaron Hotchner?” The five agents stood with Jessica, causing the doctor to stop in slight shock. He wasn’t expecting so many people to be here for one man. “Family of Aaron Hotchner?” Jessica spoke up with force before Morgan even had the chance to protest. “This is his family. What do you have to tell us?” Her stare was firm as a sense of warmth filled each member of the team. They really were a family.
The doctor nodded hesitantly before speaking. “We were able to stop the bleeding and repair the damage done to his orbital bone and even reattached his finger. With time and therapy he could regain full use of his finger. He had high levels of dilaudid in his system, but we can’t tell if he will develop any dependency to the drug. It all depends on the individual.” He stopped nervously, forcing Morgan to speak up impatiently. “Just tell us the bad news you’re holding back.” His sharp words only aided the effect his dark eyes were having on the doctor as he could do nothing other than cooperate. “Aaron has slipped into a coma, and with his extremely weakened physical state, it could be weeks till he wakes up. Honestly, it’s all up to him. He could wake up tomorrow. It depends on how much he’s fighting. There’s nothing more we can do but give him pain killers to make this easier.” He turned from the group of people to let them absorb what he had just told them. Things weren’t getting any easier any time soon.