The Last Straw
"Rise and shine handsome." Savanna's voice pulled Derek Morgan from the last remnant of sleepy lethargy. He opened his eyes and reached out to draw her into an embrace. She ducked away with a smile. "Oh no, neither of us have time for that. Aaron called. He and Jack will be here in an hour, and I don't have much longer than that before I'm due at the hospital."
Derek groaned theatrically. He had no real objection to helping Hotch at Jack's soccer practice. But is punctuality really so important to a bunch of kids playing a game? They'll probably start whether Hotch and I are there or not.
"You promised." Savanna reminded him. "So haul yourself out of that bed, man o' mine. I'm going to start breakfast." She disappeared into the kitchen and Derek found clothing suitable for a day spent on the soccer field before heading for the shower.
Breakfast was not a leisurely meal, but he didn't have to wolf his food. There was even time to finish the dishes before the doorbell rang. Savanna gave him a quick kiss and said, "Have fun with the kids." Before heading back to the bedroom. Derek went to answer the door. As he gripped the knob, Savanna called out, "Derek? Is my purse out there? He scanned the room as he opened the door. Savanna's purse was not in evidence and he turned back to greet Hotch, only to find Rodney Harris standing with a silenced pistol pointed at Derek's chest.
"Hello Dee, time to pay your debt." Derek tried to slam the door, but succeeded only in deflecting the first bullet and giving himself time to shout,
"Savanna, get out of here!"
Rodney threw himself against the door and pushed his way inside. Rodney's second shot tore into Derek's midsection. More bullets tore into his arms and legs, at which point he could not have reached for a gun, even if he'd been carrying one.
Rodney stood over Derek, panting slightly, his expression a wild mix of rage, glee, and frustration. He said, "You ruin everything!" Derek ignored him, listening for Savanna, hoping she'd gotten out the back. If she had, help was on the way. "You sent me to the joint and she took my boy away. I come back to collect what you owe me and you ruin that too." Rodney stared at the gun in his hand for a moment and then pointed it at Derek's face. "I ought to just put one in your head, but that would be better than you deserve. So, you'll probably survive this. Next time, though, I'll do it right. I'll get your girl first, and let you enjoy the show before you die." The back door hadn't slammed. Which means either she was smart and didn't make noise that would let him know she left that way, or else she didn't get out.
"And now you just ignore me!" Rodney spat, and delivered a solid kick to the left side of Derek's head. Derek managed to take most of it on the cheek bone and ear. A kick to his side followed. Between them, the blows stunned him enough that he didn't notice Rodney leave, only the seductive pull of unconsciousness.
Stay awake! You have to stay awake until help gets here. Even if Savanna didn't get out, Hotch will be here any minute. Stay awake!
"Aaron!" Savanna's voice reached him from beyond the front door. Words too faint to understand followed. Then, Hotch's low murmur came from just beyond the doorway.
"Morgan? Sound off! You okay?"
Relief stole the energy Derek had been using to fight the dark abyss of unconsciousness. It took advantage of that and swallowed him.
###
Aaron Hotchner edged inside Derek Morgan's front door. Seeing Morgan laying in pools of blood, he had to clamp down emotional barriers as he faced one of his own nightmares. He resumed his scan of the room. Finding it empty he moved to Morgan's side while pulling out his phone and calling for a medic and the local cops. When he was done, he tried to rouse his friend, but Morgan was unresponsive. He moved away, clearing the rest of the house. When he finished without finding anyone, he returned to Morgan's side and called Savanna. She arrived like a summer thunderstorm. "Jack's in the car with orders to honk the horn until it falls off if anyone comes near him. Jessica will meet you guys at the soccer field." She told Hotch, as she began to examine Morgan. "Would you get my bag? It's in the closet, top shelf." Hotch got to his feet and retrieved the bright red nylon bag Savanna kept emergency medical supplies in from the closet and opened it up beside her.
"I've got you, Derek." Savanna murmured as she began placing an IV near Morgan's collarbone. "We're going for a little drive, I'm going to patch you up, and you're going to take some vacation time. You're going to be fine." But her tone held the frantic determination used to convince yourself of something you don't really believe. She continued to work; applying a pressure bandage to the abdominal wound, examining the bruise on the left side of his face, and flashing a small light in his eyes. EMS arrived and Morgan was transferred to the ambulance and taken to the hospital. Hotch was left to give his statement to the local cops. As he finished speaking with the officer, his phone buzzed. It was Garcia, she'd sent him a case file.
He skimmed it as he headed for his car. What he found stopped him in his tracks as he reached for the car door. Jack opened the door for him, saying, "Dad? Will Uncle Derek be all right?" Hotch pulled his attention away from the file and said,
"I don't know buddy. He will if Savanna has anything to say about it. Did she tell you Aunt Jessica is coming to get you?" Jack nodded and said, "She's going to meet us at the soccer field."
"Then we better get going." He started the car and dropped Jack off with his aunt. Then he pulled up the case file Garcia had sent.
I didn't imagine it. The wound pattern and their appearance is identical to what happened to Morgan. The likely caliber is the same. Derek Morgan was the latest victim of this new un-sub. I have to talk to Savanna.
###
Hotch walked into the conference room as the others finished discussing victimology. He said, "Sorry I'm late," His eyes found David Rossi and then Penelope Garcia as he frantically tried to figure out how to break the news. Rossi noticed and said, "What's up?'
Just say it Aaron, there is no good way, so just get it over with. "We have another victim." He caught Garcia's gaze as he said, "Morgan was attacked in his home about an hour ago." Garcia clutched the video remote so firmly that Hotch was surprised the plastic didn't crack. "He's in surgery. Savanna's at the hospital, she got out safely. She met me when I arrived and she'll keep us updated." Penelope Garcia hadn't moved. Only her breathing revealed she hadn't turned into a statue. "Garcia?" Hotch was glad to see JJ take hold of Penelope's wrist. "I have more questions for Savanna and I'm sure she could use some company. Would you like a ride to the hospital?"
Garcia put the video remote down with deliberate care and said, "Yes sir, thank you." She stood up with the same deliberate care and began gathering her things. Hotch shifted his attention back to the others.
"The rest of you should look at how Morgan being attacked affects the profile. Check with Mr. Lynch if—"
"Check with me if you find something." Garcia interrupted. When Hotch would have protested, she added, "I'm going to find this piece of worm dung. I can tell you when I do, or you can eat my digital dust. Sir. Your choice."
"You can check with Garcia." Hotch agreed, and followed Garcia to the elevator.
###
"Baby girl, that's their job. Why would I take the dog home when it obviously needed to be seen by a vet? I'm sorry they put it down rather than treat it, but it might have died without a vet's care anyway. It would have been more miserable in any case. I'm sorry it didn't make it, but I don't get why you're angry with me."
"Because I thought you had enough sense to realize that shelters can't afford more than very basic veterinary care! Of course they were going to put him down! You should have called me first! You should warn me!" Derek blinked. Penelope had been replaced by Savanna. "You need to warn me about Rodney Harris Derek!" He blinked again and she was gone.
###
"I know I've said it's important for me to be able to say goodbye, but this is not okay, Derek. You need to wake up, right now." Penelope rested a hand over Derek's heart and stared at eyes that refused to open despite wishes, prayers, and pleas. "I'm sorry for what I said about the shelter dog. You were right. I just—"
The door to the ICU opened and Savanna entered. Exhaustion saturated her tone as she offered a tired smile and said, "Hey." Before moving to examine Derek and glance through his chart.
"Hey yourself. Tell me he's improving."
"He is. He fights like Bruce Lee on steroids. He's stable and doing better than I had any right to expect. You really can go home Penelope. You're the first one I'll call if anything changes."
"I will when you do. If he's doing so great, why hasn't he woken up?"
"I said Bruce Lee, not Iron Man or the Incredible Hulk. He probably won't wake up before tomorrow morning. If you won't go home, at least take advantage of the spare bed and take a nap. There is no reason for both of us to wander around looking like zombies."
###
"Take a look at released or escaped felons and men who washed out of the police academy." Rossi asked when Penelope checked in the following morning. Derek remained unconscious, but Savanna swore all the test results were encouraging. She and Hotch were getting coffee. "Cross that with divorce proceedings and custody battles. Run those results against people that Morgan helped put away."
"Typing at the speed of my fury at this scumbag." She promised and then froze at the sound of Morgan's murmur.
"You can stop typing, Baby girl. The scumbag is Rodney Harris. Where's Savannah?"
Her gaze snapped to his face as she dumped her laptop on the foot of his bed, almost squealing as she said, "Derek!" and leaned over him long enough to plant a kiss on his forehead.
"Garcia! What's going on?" Rossi barked in her ear.
"He's awake! He's awake and you're looking for Rodney Harris." Cheering erupted from Rossi's end of the connection.
"Garcia, where's Savannah?" Morgan repeated urgently.
"What? Oh, she's here, at the hospital. She and Hotch went to get coffee. They'll be back any minute." She helped Derek get a mouthful of the ice chips that waited on a bedside table. The cheering on Rossi's end of the connection subsided, Penelope said, " Sir, when you catch him, I would consider it a personal favor if you could be a little bit clumsy when putting him in cars and holding cells and such." She rested a hand briefly on Morgan's cheek, gave him her best smile before retrieving her laptop. "Give me a couple of minutes and I'll have possible addresses for you." She promised Rossi.
"Hotch is here?" Relief saturated Morgan's words. "You're sure they're together?"
"Yes, I'm sure. They've been going over Savannah's statement since halfway through your surgery, trying to figure out who the unsub is. They'll be—"
Savannah and Hotch arrived as Penelope sent the address list in a group text.
###
It had taken three days of impersonating a janitor to learn what he needed to know.
But it was worth every minute. Today Derek Morgan pays his debt. Rodney Harris slipped into the police uniform he'd stolen from the second cop he'd killed and walked confidently toward Morgan's hospital room.
###
"Penelope, I can't keep letting you in before visiting hours! Agent Morgan needs his sleep and I could lose my job."
"No one notices me." Penelope promised with a winsome smile. "I'm a mouse addicted to the internet and they won't fire you. If they try, the paperwork would probably get lost. If it didn't, someone would realize their mistake and re hire you. If they didn't, I would go to human resources and explain how I compelled you to let me in."
Nurse Rothmoor sighed and muttered something about church mice as she waved Penelope toward Derek's room. The lack of a guard at the door brought Penelope to a halt halfway down the final hallway. Her first thought was to call security. You need to chill out, woman. Derek wakes up early. It's almost shift change, they probably went into the room to say goodbye.
"I told you I'd be back Dee. I said I'd do this right."
The words kept Penelope rooted where she stood. Harris. She'd never met him, but she recognized the nickname. Derek had told her about it after he'd arrested Harris three years ago. She removed her shoes and almost retreated to find security. But a tactical team storming a hospital room is a recipe for disaster and pulling the fire alarm isn't much better. Pulling out her phone, she dialed JJ's number, retreating behind the nearest door.
"Hey, how is he?" JJ asked.
"Not so good. Harris is here, in the hospital. He's in Derek's room." Profound silence echoed from JJ's end of the connection before she said, "Has Harris seen you?"
"No."
"Good. The rest of us are on the way. Call security and then stay put."
"JJ, Savanna's in there. Harris isn't going to ignore her. He knows how Derek feels about her."
One of the first things Derek had told Hotch after he woke up was about Harris' threat to hurt Savanna.
Muted swearing was followed by, "Good to know. That doesn't change your situation. Call Security, tell them to establish a perimeter and then stay put and call me if anything changes."
Penelope followed JJ's order to notify hospital security, but ignored the injunction to stay put. This was Derek and Savanna, not a couple of strangers in the wrong place at the wrong time. She crept closer, listened for all she was worth, and tried to think like agent Morgan.
She saw hospital security staff appear at both ends of the hallway and settle themselves to wait. The one she faced pointed to her and then tapped his ear. He pointed at Derek's room. Penelope nodded.
Harris said, "You learn to keep promises in prison. If you don't, you never get out. So, I'm going to get to know your pretty lady doctor a little better," The sound of Harris' footsteps was followed by sounds of a very brief struggle and Derek's angry, if empty threats
. "You want to die now?" Harris growled.
Savanna said, "You fire that gun and security will be here before you get a second shot off. They'll cart you off to jail and you'll never see the light of day, much less your son. So if you're going to shoot someone, you might as well get on with it. As a threat it's not worth the cost of the ammunition."
"If I thought I would see either again, I wouldn't be here." Rodney growled, then said, "You always did like smart, sassy ladies, Dee. I'd forgotten that, just like I forgot that letting you live meant you'd warn Tyler's mother. So this is all I've got left. Which means I had better enjoy it." More sounds of wrestling followed by the sound of blows and muted cries of pain.
I'm out of time. Penelope thought. Where the hell is the team? It didn't matter, they weren't available. So, It's time to think like Derek or listen to Harris kill him. She caught the security guard's eye and held up a hand, palm out, in a signal to stay put. His eyes grew round when she approached the door to Derek's room and knocked, but he didn't move.
Harris spun around, Savanna still in his grip, the gun tucked out of sight behind her. Savanna opened the door. Harris saw Penelope's knowledge of what was going on in her expression and said only, "You should have left while you had the chance." He gestured with the gun for her to come into the room. She did, saying "If I'd done that I couldn't tell you how you could talk to your son again."
The shades on the window had been drawn, but there was enough light to see the panic blossom in Derek's expression.
Harris looked at her as if she'd lost her wits. He said, "What are you talking about?"
"What if you could talk to Tyler, every day, or as often as Tyler was willing to? What if that could happen? Because it can. I can make it happen." Doubt flared in Harris' eyes and his finger moved over the gun's trigger guard. "I can do it." Penelope repeated, desperate to keep Harris' attention. One look at Derek and she'd take Savanna's place. "I'm a techie, one of the best there is. I can program a number for Tyler into the prison phone system. He could call you and, with a few words in the right ears, you'd get the call."
Hope flared alongside the doubt, but mistrust dimmed it.
"His mother wouldn't let him call. She doesn't want him to have anything to do with me."
"That can be worked out. Anything can be worked out. But only if we're all around to work it out."
"She's not lying Rodney." Derek said, his 'profiler face' in place, calm and professional. "If she says she can do it, she can. You could talk to Tyler whenever he wanted, but only if you turn yourself in."
"If you're that good, the FBI must like you. I bet they'd let me out of here to get you back."
"I doubt it." Penelope said. "But even if they did, you need my cooperation. Do anything other than turn yourself in and you won't get it. Give me the gun, Rodney. I promise I'll get Tyler on the phone as soon as things calm down." For a moment, Penelope thought she'd done it, but the mistrust flared again and he said, "You're a narc, just like Dee. Your word's no good."
"I work for the feds." She admitted. "But I'm not an agent. I'm like a really well connected mailman. I do keep my promises. Please, give me the gun and you can talk to Tyler today, as soon as I find out where he is."
"Prove it! Find him now." Harris barked, and it was Penelope's turn to be startled. "Find him! Call him. Get him on your phone or this is over, right now." He waved the pistol in wild arcs, pointing it first at Derek, then at her and finally at Savanna.
Well, it's not ideal, but I wanted an excuse to get online, and here it is. "I need my computer, to find him." Penelope said as calmly as she could. It's in this bag." She patted her shoulder bag gently. Harris nodded and Penelope eased into the nearest chair and took out the laptop, taking care to do nothing that suggested she might have a weapon. She powered up the laptop and opened several screens. Rodney shifted around until he could see the display and Penelope launched a straightforward search for information on protection details for Tyler Harris. "You know it's earlier in California, around one or two in the morning I think. They're probably asleep. They may not answer right away."
"They'd better answer before the cavalry shows up, 'Cause that's when things get ugly." Harris growled. Her query got a response and she sent another for the federal Marshall's phone number. When that came up she looked back at Harris and said, "I've got it. I'm going to get my phone, okay?"
Harris nodded impatiently and Penelope dialed the agent's number and turned the contact into a conference call with JJ, muting JJ's connection so she didn't give the game away. Penelope would have preferred to message JJ, but with Harris glaring at her computer screen, that wasn't an option.
While Marshal Corbin's phone rang, Penelope spoke for JJ's benefit, hoping her friend would put the pieces together.
"Marshal Corbin? Oh, I need to speak to Corbin. This is Penelope Garcia with the behavioral analysis unit. Thanks."
"Corbin."
Hello Marshal, My name is Penelope Garcia, I'm part of a Behavioral analysis team. I have a situation with Tyler's father and I need Tyler to come to the phone."
"Kid's asleep. It may take a couple of minutes."
"I understand."
Harris glared at her and she did her best not to react as she said, "He's asleep, just like I thought. It's going to take a couple of minutes."
Several tense moments later Tyler's voice came over the phone.
"Hello?"
"Tyler?" Penelope said.
Harris snatched the phone and held it to his ear.
"Tyler?"
The sound of his son's voice brought a subtle but pervasive relaxation to Harris' entire body. His tone became apologetic as he said, "I know, but it was the only time available. How's California?"
Tyler rambled on for some time about California and his life there. His answers brought tears to Harris' eyes, which he hastily wiped away before gently interrupting his son..
"That sounds great. I want to hear all about it, but I have a question I need to ask before my time runs out. I'm working on a deal so you can call me, whenever you want. They're going to give you a number where you can reach me, but you have to convince your mom and you have to use the number. As soon as you stop using it, it'll get shut down. Can you do those two things?"
A real smile blossomed on Harris' face, but disappeared at his next words.
"You get to prove it. I want you to tell your mom and then let me talk to her…Yeah, I'm not going anywhere." More waiting ensued before Harris tensed and said, "Yeah, I'm here. Tyler tell you about my deal?"
Penelope wished she could hear both sides of the conversation. At least JJ can. And she's the one who needs to.
After listening to his ex-wife for a moment, Harris said, "That doesn't matter. It's real. You gonna' let him call?"
Whatever Tyler's mother said, it wasn't what Harris was expecting, or wanted, to hear.
"You don't know shit!" he screamed into the phone. Everyone else in the hospital room flinched. Several deep breaths allowed Harris to get himself back under control. "Put the boy back on the phone." He demanded. A moment later he was able to speak calmly, even cordially, to Tyler.
"I know, boy. It's not important. What is important is she'll let you call. Hearing from you will be the best part of my day, but if it becomes a thing between you and your mom, it's okay to stop. I love you regardless. Got it? Good. The marshals will get you the number in a couple of days. Never forget I'm proud of you. Okay. Bye."
Harris hung up and handed Penelope her phone. She took it and hastily hung up on JJ, before Harris noticed the second call.
Harris said, "You ladies can go. Tell the cavalry they can have me in about five minutes."
Savanna shook her head, her posture defiant and her tone icy as she said, "I'm not walking out of here so you can kill Derek."
Harris smiled, a smile that held a world of hurt Penelope had not dreamed this man could feel. "I'm not going to kill him. Techie kept her word, I'll keep mine. I won't put any bullets in him. I won't spill any of his blood. I won't lay a finger on him. I just want to talk." He said, "It's guy stuff. All I want is five minutes of privacy." He made shooing motions with both hands and the gun.
Penelope took Savanna's arm and tugged, saying, "I believe him. Come on." She went to the door and raised her voice. "It's Penelope and Savanna. Don't shoot. We're coming out."
Harris tucked himself out of sight of the doorway and Penelope opened the door and stepped through, Savanna on her heels. They were grabbed by Rossi and Hotch. Rossi passed Penelope to JJ. Behind her, Penelope heard Savanna talking to Hotch, "He said he'd surrender. He just wants five minutes to talk to Derek. Penelope thought he was telling the truth and said we should go."
Penelope stood in front of JJ, trying to summon the courage to face her friend, who solved the problem by gripping her shoulders and giving them a gentle squeeze.
She said, "I thought I told you to stay put." Her tone was harsh, but, much to Penelope's surprise, when she looked up there was admiration and approval in JJ's eyes. That allowed Penelope to find her voice.
"Would you believe me if I said the connection was bad?"
"No."
"Yeah, I wouldn't either, but he was going to hurt Savanna. He was going to kill Derek. I had to do something. So—"
Derek's hoarse protest was drowned out by a gunshot that rang out from inside his room. Penelope's shriek of denial followed Savanna's by a mere heartbeat. Rossi and Hotch darted into the room and Hotch's "Clear!" rang out a moment later.
Penelope edged back into Derek's room to find one of the Hospital's security staff drawing a sheet over Harris. Blood spatter covered the wall Harris had been standing in front of. Savanna was ignoring Derek's protest that he was fine and checking for any new injuries. Penelope stared at the sheet covered form and murmured, "Why? He was getting what he wanted. He said I kept my promise—why would—?" She turned to Derek, "Why?" She demanded.
"He didn't think you could deliver the second half of the bargain. He said you'd try, probably very hard, but he didn't think you'd succeed. He didn't want you to waste your time."
She waited for the rest, but Derek was silent, his attention on some personal conundrum. "That can't be the only reason." She insisted.
"No." Derek admitted with a sad smile. "But it was the one that concerns you. The others—aren't anything you need to worry about Baby Girl."
She wanted to press him for whatever it was he was holding back, but…That will hurt him and he's hurting too much already. So she reined in her curiosity and need for answers and said "At least it's over."
"Yes." Savanna said. "It's over. So you—" She glared at the nearest security guard, "Can arrange for the body to be taken to the morgue. The rest of you can clear out and let Derek get some rest!" Her glare swept the room and security staff cleared out. The Team said their good byes and left as well. Penelope was the last to leave. She took Derek's hands in hers for a moment and captured his gaze with her own. "Feel better, my vision. If you need anything, I'm a phone call away. "
He said, "Would you send me Marshall Corbin's number? I need to talk to him."
Curiosity surged and she had to fight it down again. She nodded and pulled out her phone long enough to send him a text with the number.
He smiled as he said, "Thanks, and Garcia?"
"Yeah?"
"I couldn't have done a better job with Harris. If you ever get tired of tech, you'd wow at hostage negotiation."
She blushed and smiled with embarrassment and pleasure as she followed the others out.
###
"Why do you need to talk to Corbin?" Savanna asked when the body had been removed, the floor and wall cleaned up, and they had the room to themselves again. Derek had spent the intervening time considering that very question and after a half hour of replaying Rodney's words in his memory, he still didn't have a good answer. So he gave Savanna the answer he did have.
"Harris asked me to do something for Tyler."
"He didn't ask you to notify the family—"
"No, not exactly, but I do need to talk to Tyler."
"Derek—!"
Derek knew if he met her eyes his resolve would fail, He didn't think he would do this to his own child, but who knew? Maybe he would. In any case it was what Harris wanted and it might help Tyler. So Derek stared resolutely at the phone as he dialed Corbin's number and told Savanna, "It'll only take a couple of minutes." As he listened to the phone ring, he replayed his memory of Harris' final conversation one more time.
###
"I need you to do some stuff." Harris said, once the women were gone. Derek resisted the urge to make snide comments and said, "I'm listening."
Harris opened his mouth, closed it, and shook his head. He said, "Don't disappoint or hurt your ladies, Dee. They're good ones. Techie paid the rest of your debt. You won't see me again."
Derek only nodded. Anything he might have said, Harris already knew.
Harris nodded and his eyes bored into Derek's as he said, "What I want, it's for Tyler, not me. I'm done. It's like your lady said, I'm not going to see the light of day again, much less Tyler."
"You're going to be able to talk to him, as much as he wants. That's more than some get."
Harris offered another pained smile and said, "Techie has a good heart. I'm sure she'll try. But we both know it will be a waste of her time. I might get one or two calls, but after this—" A vague wave encompassed Derek and the assault team waiting outside the room. "I'll be lucky if I get to talk to ants, much less my son. It's not enough." He paused for a moment and said, "You know what his mother said? She said being able to talk to him is a bad idea. She said it would hurt me, make me do things she knows I wouldn't do otherwise. She said I needed a clean break. I told her she doesn't know what she's talking about, but only because there is enough truth in what she said to hurt. I think she's at least a little right. So, I need you to tell one more lie. Tell Tyler I died in a fight, or in a traffic accident. Tell him something that lets him believe I'm as good as he thinks I am. Don't let him find out I did this."
Rodney Harris placed the gun's muzzle under his own jaw and pulled the trigger before Derek could properly finish his plea for Harris to stop.
###
"Corbin."
"Good morning Agent Corbin. This is Derek Morgan, I'm part of Ms. Garcia's BAU team. Is Tyler still awake?"
"Yes."
"Could I speak with him please?"
A short silence was followed by the voice of Tyler Harris.
"This is Tyler. Does my dad want to talk to me again?"
Derek took a deep breath and said, "No Tyler, but he asked me to give you some news."
The End