Chapter Text
By the time the car door had closed with a resounding thud , Hotch was already running into the hospital. Glancing around wildly, he followed the signs with a hurried walk, glaring at anyone who looked at him funny. A lot of people looked away, but Hotch didn’t notice since all he could focus on was getting to the ER.
“Spencer Reid. Has there recently been a Spencer Reid or a John Doe admitted?” Hotch breathed out, leaning against the edge of the information desk in the ER. A lady looked up, a bit bewildered.
“E-excuse me?”
“Spencer. Reid. Has there been a Spencer Reid or a mid-30s John Doe admitted within the past two hours with a gunshot wound?” Hotch repeated, getting a bit impatient. “I’m his medical proxy,” he added.
“I- Give me a moment, sir,” the keys on the keyboard began clicking, but when he saw her eyebrows begin to furrow, Hotch knew it couldn’t be good. Just as dread began to set in, a flurry of movement and voices started behind him.
“Mid 20s to 30s John Doe, last name Reid and unknown past history. Status, GSW to the chest, severe blood loss, and tachycardic. A right collapsed lung was treated on site. The bullet may still be inside of him.”
“Reid!” Hotch turned when he heard the mention of his colleague’s name.
“Get him set up at trauma II with an ultrasound and an O-neg transfusion,” one doctor instructed the nurses, pointing to the trauma bay. “Prepare an OR!”
“Reid!” Hotch pushed through the crowd of doctors and nurses surrounding the gurney and grabbed onto the side, getting a good look at the doctor for the first time since hearing about the news.
“Sir, do you know this man?”
“Yes, I’m his boss and I have power of attorney.”
“Okay, sir I’m going to need you to-”
“Code blue!” Someone called out, and Hotch was quickly pushed aside by more doctors and nurses.
“Reid!!” Hotch tried to reach him but three nurses stopped him, pushing him back towards the waiting area. No, no no no he couldn’t lose Reid again. Not on his watch.
“Sir, you need to step away so we can help him alright? You need to let the doctors do their jobs, it’s what they’re best at.” A nurse said with a kind yet firm tone, gently moving Hotch out of the way.
Hotch finally acquiesced and moved to the waiting area, sinking into one of the chairs. He put his head in his hands as he could do nothing but hope that the group of medical professionals could save the BAU’s youngest.
Hotch wasn’t sure how much time had passed when one of the doctors emerged. “Sir, what did you say your name was?”
He looked up, a bit surprised that the doctor was talking to him. “Agen- Aaron Hotchner.”
“Okay, Mr. Hotchner. You’re Mr. Reid’s medical proxy, correct?” When the doctor saw Hotch nod, she continued. “I’m going to need Mr. Reid’s medical history, any allergies or medications he’s currently on?”
“How is he?”
“The bullet hit Mr. Reid’s lung and caused a traumatic pneumoth-”
“Is he going to live?”
The doctor looked Hotch in the eyes, open and honest. “We don’t know yet, we’re doing everything we can to save your friend.” As if never interrupted, the doctor continued. “The traumatic pneumothorax was treated on sight, but the bullet that shot Mr. Reid was a hollow point, meaning-”
“It shattered on impact with his body.”
“Yes, that is correct. We’ve taken him to the OR so we can remove all the pieces.” Hotch’s face remained impassive the entire time, but a small nod encouraged the doctor to repeat her original question. “Can you give us his medical history and tell us if he has any allergies or is on any medications?”
Hotch blinked a couple of times, trying to shake the cloud of negative thoughts out of the way so he could answer the doctor’s questions. Focus. Medical history, allergies, medications. He knew that. “He’s allergic to carbenicillin and doesn’t take morphine or any kinds of opioids. He’s been prescribed fluoxetine and beta-blockers but I don’t know how often he takes them, if at all. His alveoli were permanently damaged six years ago.”
The doctor nodded, taking notes on what he was saying. “Thank you, that is extremely helpful. Is there anyone else Mr. Reid would want to call?”
“Doctor.”
“Hm?”
“It’s doctor. Doctor Reid.” Hotch said it, a little in disbelief. How did he forget that?
“Of course. Thank you.” The doctor smiled, before turning and walking away, leaving Hotch to his thoughts.
Is there anyone else Mr. Reid would want to call? No. Wrong question. Who would Reid not call to avoid worrying? Hotch could figure that one out. That was profiling. Hotch could profile. He grabbed his phone and called one of the last people Reid would call.
***
“Mr. Reid! Mr. Reid, can you hear me?”
Nothing.
One of the paramedics immediately began searching for the source of the blood, and when located, putting pressure on the wound. The other began assessing the doctor.
“Uneven breathing, shallow. Signs of tachycardia. Pneumothorax - we need to neutralize the air pressure.” The paramedic cut off Reid’s tie and ripped his shirt away. Taking a needle and feeling two ribs down, the paramedic calmly inserted the needle into Reid’s skin. A hiss of air was heard and Reid’s chest began to visibly rise and fall again.
“Get him out of here. We’ll handle the body and the scene.” The police began processing the scene, taking photos and writing down notes while the paramedics wasted no time with moving Reid.
***
“Are you serious? Motherfu- okay, okay, okay.” Morgan ran his hand over his face in exasperation. He tucked his phone under his ear as he gathered his things together, picking up his towel to wipe his sweat from his face. “How is he? What happened? Where are you right now?” Grabbing his gym bag from the locker while simultaneously pulling on a jacket and talking to Hotch, Morgan hurried to his car, haphazardly throwing his things in the backseat.
Hotch told Morgan the name of the hospital. “I don’t know much, I just saw him rushed off into surgery, he’s been shot.”
“F- son of a bitch! Did they find who shot him?” Morgan started his car, backing out quickly. Luckily there weren’t many people around, especially at that time of day. “Wait - how did you even know where he was?”
***
Just as Hotch quietly closed the door to Jack’s room, his phone rang. Reid. Why was Reid calling him on their day off? “Hotch.”
“I-is this… Agent Ar-run Hotcher at the BAU?” A young boy stuttered. Hotch froze at the voice of a child, a child that sounded not unlike his own son. He could hear voices and sirens in the background. What happened to Reid? Who had his phone? A million questions flew through his head.
“Yes, this is Aaron Hotchner. Can I ask what your name is?” Establish a connection. The boy was clearly terrified and sounded like he had just been crying. Soothe him then ask your questions or else you won’t get anything out of him.
“M-my name’s Eli. Mr. Reid told me to call you.” The boy’s voice was wobbly and Hotch could tell Eli was moments away from a meltdown. Jack’s voice had done the same thing when he was younger.
“Thank you for telling me that, Eli. Can you tell me what happened to Mr. Reid?” Hotch spoke gently, using the voice and tone usually reserved for Jack.
“I- He- I don’t know!!” The boy erupted into sobs. “He- he promised he’d find Mommy a-and Daddy and E-Emmy a-and we f-found Emmy but then he-he told u-s to turn a-around, I-I came bu-back but he-he was all red a-and qu-quiet!!” A loud and wet sniff was heard on the other end.
“Okay Eli,” Hotch tried to soothe the boy, his heart breaking at the sounds of his quiet cries from the phone. “You’re doing really great, you know that? I just need one last thing from you, okay? It’s alright if you don’t know.” A moment of silence. Hotch guessed the boy was probably nodding, but he couldn’t hear that over the phone.
“O-okay.” It was so quiet Hotch almost missed it.
“Do you know where Mr. Reid is? Is he with you?”
Hotch waited patiently as he heard the boy start talking to someone else. There was a shuffle and an adult voice came over the phone. “Agent Hotchner? It’s Officer Brooks with the Virginia PD. We received a 911 call from this phone at 8:03 pm this evening at Shenandoah National Park. Mr. Reid is currently being transported to the nearest hospital for immediate care.” The officer rattled off the address and Hotch was already out the door and getting into his car.
“Thank you. I’ll be there at the hospital shortly.”
***
Morgan spared no pleasantries when he entered the ER and made a beeline for Hotch. Mild surprise filled him when he saw Hotch kneeling in front of a young boy and young girl, speaking to them as the boy burned holes in his shoes that didn’t quite hit the floor from his position in the chair and the girl curled in a ball. Neither of them could have been older than nine or ten years old.
The boy’s eyes were red-rimmed and one hand held a wad of tissues. The other gripped the girl’s hand with what Morgan could see was a white-knuckled grip. Morgan was sure that the girl’s hair was once in a neat ponytail, but at this point, small bits of hair poked out at all places. She had dirt all over her clothes and there were band-aids over her knees and palms of her hands.
The expression Morgan’s unit chief had on his face was one that Morgan had seen a few times, something Hotch reserved for Jack specifically. He couldn’t hear what was being said over the bustle of the hospital, but the boy was nodding slowly. The girl was crying quietly and didn’t respond.
When Hotch spotted Morgan approaching, he stood up, his face going back to the straight-faced look Morgan was used to seeing every day in the bullpen and conference room. He didn’t know why the change in face comforted him, but that was the last thing on his mind.
Morgan spared all pleasantries. “How is he? Any news? Any updates? And who has left these children all by themselves in the ER?”
Hotch shook his head. “No updates since they brought him in for surgery.” Glancing at the two children, he continued. “Reid was trying to help Eli find his sister, Emmy. They were in Shenandoah National Park and Reid saw Eli crying on the side of the road. No one knows what exactly happened, but Eli said he could tell us what he knows.”
“You of all people know what reliving these kinds of events does to people, let alone children! This might traumatize them again, Hotch! How could you allow this to happen?” Morgan hissed, not trying to frighten the kids but also furious at his boss’ lack of concern for the children.
“It’s alright.” A soft voice said, instantly catching the attention of the two profilers. The fury in Morgan’s eyes died instantly and his face changed to something akin to sorrow. “I can explain.”
Silently, Morgan and Hotch grabbed two chairs, creating a small circle with the four of them. All eyes were trained on the boy as he breathed in a shaky breath and began to speak.