Hello, everyone. I'm back with my next story. This one may seem a little familiar to some of you. I had started to post it a year ago, then ran into major plot problems in the later chapters. So I removed it and have tweaked those chapters and changed some of the plot. As before I do not own any of the Criminal Characters.
This takes place in the second season around the time Reid is having his drug problems and when Hotch doesn't trust Emily. Now go read and enjoy.
Emily would be the first to admit that it was not her most graceful takedown. Derek had been in the process of cuffing the suspect when the man reared back, smashing his head into Derek's face. Then he spun, knocking the dark agent flat on his ass. By the time the Derek had recovered from the shock the suspect had taken off, heading into the woods behind the house with Emily in hot pursuit.
He led her on a merry chase but Emily was in better shape. She heard him wheezing as he ran and she quickly made up the ground. Just as her fingers brushed the back of his flapping jacket, a root snagged her foot. As she fell, Emily wrapped her arms around his waist, sending both to the ground in a tangle of limbs. Their forward momentum carried them to the crest of a hill. There they teetered on the brink before rolling over the side.
Derek and Reid, with two deputies in tow, struggled to catch up with their fellow agent. The men saw Emily take down the suspect; they skidded to a stop, staring in stunned silence as the pair disappeared from sight.
"PRENTISS!" Derek shouted and dashed forward with Reid nipping at his heels.
He hesitated and peered nervously over the edge. He heaved a sigh as he ran a relieved hand over his closely cropped hair. Below him, Emily sat on the suspect, pulling his hands behind his back. She looked up at the four men staring down at her.
"I could use some help down here," she shouted back to them, grabbing the handcuff that was dangling from the suspect's wrist and using it to secure the other one.
Her request spurred them into action. They scrambled down and were soon at her side. Emily rolled off the suspect so that the older deputy could take over for her. The rookie stood by fingering his weapon nervously.
"You okay, Prentiss?" Derek asked worriedly, taking in her disheveled look. Clumps of dirt, twigs and leaves clung to her Kevlar vest and tangled in her hair. The only sign of injury he could see was the trickle of blood from her nose.
"I'm fine," Emily said, trying to dust herself off and only succeeded in smearing the dirt across the front of her vest. With a huff of annoyance, she gave up.
Derek wiggled a finger under his nose. Emily frowned up at him puzzled. "Oh!" she exclaimed when she realized what he meant. She reached up and wiped off her upper lip. "It's just a minor nosebleed," she reassured him and cleaned her hand on her pant leg.
His face broke into a big grin. "That was one butt ugly takedown," he teased with a laugh.
She laughed with him. "It was but it got the job done," she pointed out. "Say, could you give a girl a hand?"
"Sure," he said.
Derek took her hands in his and pulled her to her feet. As soon as Emily's left foot touched the ground, pain shot from her ankle up her leg. She tried to hide the discomfort but he caught a flicker of hurt in her eyes.
"You all right?" he asked, worried all over again. As a precaution he tightened his grip on her.
She shook off his hands. "Yeah. I just twisted my ankle. I can walk it off."
Emily turned her back on him and took a couple of tentative steps then stumbled as the ankle gave out. Derek, in a flash, was by her side, flinging one of her arms over his shoulder. He could see she was obviously in pain.
"Emily, you can't even put weight on it," he said softly. "I think it is beyond a simple twist."
"You're probably right," she said with a grimace. "I must have sprained it pretty good."
"Well duh!" he joked, trying to raise her spirits that he could see were starting to flag.
Emily gave him a thank you smile while swallowing hard as another wave of pain coursed up her leg. She held her foot off the ground, hoping if she kept her weight off it the joint would feel better. So far it wasn't working; the ankle hurt regardless of its position.
Derek looked around and spotted the rookie just as he was about to follow Reid and the other deputy with the prisoner back up the hill.
"Baker!" he barked. "Get over here."
"On my way!" Baker said quickly, half saluting Morgan as he hurried over. "Sir. Ma'am. What can I do to help?" He looked eagerly at the two agents.
"You got to be kidding me," Emily muttered under her breath. He didn't look old enough to be a cop, let alone graduate from high school. His chin was so smooth she had doubts that he was even shaving.
With a straight face Derek gestured to her other side, saying, "Could you please take Agent Prentiss' other arm?"
"Certainly." He almost tripped over his feet to get to her side and gently laid her arm over his shoulder. Gingerly he wrapped his free arm around her waist as if he was afraid she would think his touch was too intimate.
As the two men helped her negotiate the hill with one foot, Emily leaned over to whisper in Derek's ear. "How old is he? Twelve?"
Hotch and Gideon stood in the backyard of the house watching the woods, waiting for the rest of the team to return. Reid had radioed in a blunt message that the suspect was now in custody and that they were on their way back. That was fifteen minutes ago.
"Any sign of them?" JJ asked as she came to stand next to the two older agents.
Gideon shook his head, the corners of his mouth turned down. "Not yet. Don't worry. They'll be here," he said in a low and flat voice.
To JJ's ears, Gideon was beginning to grow impatient with the delay. Meanwhile, Hotch stood with his arms crossed, forehead furrowed, glaring at the woods as if he could make them materialize by the sheer power of his mind.
As if mentally summoned, Reid, a deputy and the suspect emerged from among the trees. Immediately everyone's eyes swung back to the tree line looking for Emily and Derek.
"Where are Morgan and Prentiss?" Hotch demanded when the younger agent stopped before them while the deputy, with his prisoner in hand, continued on.
Reid put his hands in his pants pockets and glanced over his shoulder. "Back there. She had a slight accident," he said, sounding bored with the conversation.
Hotch's eyes narrowed at Reid's tone of voice and his avoidance of using Prentiss' name. Why Reid had chosen Prentiss to be his target for his hostility was lost on the Unit Chief. He had never seen her be anything but nice to him and yet Reid continued to snipe at her. It could be that as the newest member of the team she was unwilling to cause any waves by saying something. Well, not cause more waves since she'd been assigned to the team without his approval. But regardless of all that, Reid's behavior was still inexcusable.
"Her name is Emily," Hotch snapped.
Reid shrugged and said, "Whatever."
Hotch stepped closer, eyes dark with annoyance. "We will discuss this later."
"Fine," he said with another shrug and moved off to where the cars were parked.
Gideon spoke up. "I'll talk to him again, Hotch."
"Do that," Hotch said, eyes still following Reid. "I can't have his bad attitude disrupting the team any more than it already has."
JJ's shout ended any further conversation. Both men turned to see Derek and the other deputy supporting Emily between them. When they were nearer Hotch inquired more brusquely than he had intended. "What happened?"
Emily's eyes widened at his tone. Was he pissed at her for getting hurt? Thrown off balance she stammered, "Uh…it's nothing really, Hotch. I just tripped and sprained my ankle. A few days of rest and ice and it will be as good as new."
Hotch looked down at how she was holding up her foot. She was trying to avoid putting any weight on it. He turned to the blonde liaison. "JJ, take Prentiss to the hospital and get that ankle checked out."
"It's just a sprain," she protested. "I don't need to go—"
"It is not open for discussion, Prentiss."
Derek squeezed her arm in warning when he saw her opening her mouth to argue. She glanced at him and he shook his head slightly. She closed it, let out a sigh and nodded.
"Yes, sir," she said quietly and let the two men guide her over to the SUV where JJ stood waiting with the door open.
After thanking Baker for his assistance, prompting the young man to blush a bright red, Emily, with Derek's help, climbed into the car. Once inside she took out her frustration on her Kevlar vest. She pawed at the straps, ripped it off and flung it into the back while Derek looked on in amusement.
"Feel better now?" he teased.
She glared at him. "Not really."
Derek chuckled. "Well, have fun at the hospital, Hopalong," he said with a wink and closed the door.
Emily shifted uneasily in her seat, unable to find a comfortable position for her foot. Eventually she settled for resting her leg over her right knee, hand on the ankle. Through the leather of the boot she could feel its constant throbbing.
JJ peeked over at her as she turned the key in the ignition. "You ready?"
"As ready as I can be," Emily said with a shrug, staring out the window.
"How long does it take to read an x-ray?" Emily groused, picking at her nails and staring at the door.
She sat on the examination table with the ankle packed in ice. She was already a little on edge from the pain and what seemed like an interminable wait wasn't helping to improve her mood.
JJ looked up from the magazine she was idly flipping through. "The same amount of time when you asked five minutes ago."
Emily smiled. "Sorry."
JJ laughed. "You sure don't like hospitals, do you?" she observed.
"No." Emily said with a shake of her head.
"Why?" the blonde asked, genuinely curious. In the few months since Emily joined the team she hadn't talked about her personal life. Maybe now she would drop a little tidbit about it.
Emily shrugged. "I don't know. I just don't." She turned her attention back to her fingernails.
JJ mentally sighed, so much for that little moment of girl bonding.
"Sorry for the delay, Agent Prentiss," the doctor apologized as he strolled into the exam room. Emily's eyes came up and JJ sat up straighter in her chair.
He slapped the x-rays up on the light box and flipped in on. "I'm afraid that your ankle is not only sprained but broken in two places." He pointed out the fracture lines while Emily numbly looked on.
JJ stepped in for her stunned friend. "How long will it take to heal?"
"After the surgery the ankle should he as good as new in three or four months."
"Surgery?" Emily squeaked, snapping back to reality. She visibly paled.
He nodded solemnly. "Unfortunately, with these kinds of breaks surgery is the only way we can stabilize the bones to promote healing."
JJ went to Emily's side and picked up her unresisting hand to lend her some support. The pallor of her skin worried her. Go figure, she thought. Emily doesn't bat an eye at the sight of bloody and mangled bodies, but at the mere mention of the word 'surgery', she turns as white as a sheet.
"Today?" JJ asked the doctor.
"No," he answered, turning his attention to JJ. "She can have it done…" he paused to consult Emily's chart, "back in DC. It would be best if she saw an orthopedic surgeon within the week," he emphasized. JJ nodded that she would make sure it would happen.
"What does it involve?" Emily asked, rejoining the conversation and removing her hand from JJ's.
"It's a standard procedure. Your surgeon will probably want to take his own x-rays and do a MRI to see if there is any tendon or ligament damage that would need repairing. Afterwards, you check in at the hospital in the morning and have the operation. You may have to spend one or two nights depending on how well it goes."
"I see," Emily said.
"Meanwhile," he continued, "we'll put the ankle in a splint and send you on your way. Just keep it elevated and apply ice on and off to help reduce the swelling."
"Okay," Emily said, frowning at the ankle.
"I'll send the nurse back in a few with the splint and a set of crutches," he informed her before exiting the room.
Emily didn't answer, preferring to look down at her hands. JJ touched her lightly on the shoulder. "Are you okay, Emily?" she asked in concern.
She glanced up. "I'm fine. It just wasn't the outcome I was expecting," she said with a halfhearted laugh.
"Broken bones never are," JJ said in a consoling voice. "Guess I better go call Hotch and let him know."
"You should."
JJ smiled. "Now don't go anywhere," she teased, trying to lighter her friend's mood.
"Wouldn't think about it," she said, returning the smile.
Emily watched her leave and then let out a long sigh. All that hard work she had done over the last couple of months to prove that she belonged on the team may have just gone up in smoke. She had possibly handed to Hotch on a silver platter the perfect excuse he'd been waiting for to remove her from the BAU. He hadn't been happy when she was assigned to the unit, always suspicious of her words and actions and then grilling her about them. Emily sighed again and resumed picking at her nails. Unfortunately there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. She was so screwed.
"I see. Thanks, JJ. We'll see both of you at the jet," Hotch said. He hung up and stared off into space.
"What's the verdict?" Gideon asked.
"Not good," he said, turning around. Gideon sat with his feet propped on the conference table in the Saginaw police station, hands resting casually on his head. Hotch pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Prentiss' ankle is broken in two places and will require surgery. She could be out of commission for the next three or four months."
Gideon frowned in sympathy. "Tough break for her. Both ways," he quickly added.
"We'll be a man down for the entire time," Hotch pointed out.
Gideon waved a hand, dismissing the statement. "We've been down before and survived it." He was referring to the six months when Greenaway was on medical leave after her shooting.
"Besides," he continued. "Prentiss probably won't be on leave for the entire time. At some point she should be able to return and be restricted to desk duty. We'll just have to wait and see what her doctor decides."
"True," Hotch agreed. He then paused to marshal his thoughts. "Or we can avoid the situation entirely," he went on. "We could transfer Prentiss to another department or field office and bring in someone we both approve of."
Gideon frowned again, shaking his head slightly. "I like her."
Hotch's eyebrows shot up. "Since when?"
"Since the Hankel debacle." He dropped his feet to the floor. "Prentiss is intelligent, astute, compassionate, competent and stays calm and collected when under stress. Plus her foreign language skills are an added bonus. She has proven time and time again that she is an asset to this team."
"That is quite an endorsement," Hotch noted. "Especially from you."
"She's earned it," Gideon said with a shrug. He rose to his feet. "Meet you at the car," he said and walked out.
Hotch stared after him. He agreed that it wasn't Prentiss fault that her ankle ended up broken, just bad luck. He could sympathize with that. Gideon may approve of Prentiss now, but he still couldn't. There was something secretive about her. He didn't like the way she managed to worm her way on to the team. And until he got to the bottom of that, Prentiss couldn't be fully trusted.
Reid, who had been standing the closest to the jet's door, turned to the older profilers. "I think JJ and PRENTISS are here."
Hotch turned his steely gaze on the young man who wilted under it. "I can hear her arguing with Morgan," Reid finished lamely.
The cabin of the jet fell silent, and Emily and Derek's voices drifted in through the open hatch.
"Morgan, I don't need any help. I am quite capable of getting on the jet by myself."
"You sure?"
"Positive."
"I could carry you." There was a teasing lilt in his voice.
"You'll do no such thing. It's just a broken ankle for heaven's sake."
"Okay."
The occupants of the plane felt it shift as someone mounted the steps. A minute later, Emily appeared in the open hatch. Derek stood directly behind her, ready to catch her if she slipped. Since the aisle was too narrow for her to use her crutches, she used the back of the seats as support to hop to the couch at the rear of the jet. JJ followed with the crutches, an ice pack and Emily's boot.
Derek rested his hand on her shoulder. "If you need help getting off the plane I'll be there for you," he said.
"Thank you," she said quietly as she eased down on to the couch and shifted so that she could rest her leg along the length of the couch.
"No problem," he said and moved off to find a seat.
"How is the ankle?" Gideon asked as he passed her a pillow.
Emily took it and used it to prop up her injured foot. "It hurts like hell but I'll live." She grimaced when JJ laid the ice pack over the broken ankle.
Hotch spoke up. "Garcia says she's found the best orthopedic surgeon in DC and made an appointment for you tomorrow."
With a nod she said, "That was nice of her. Please thank her for me, sir."
"I will," he said and turned his attention back to the files spread before him.
Emily let her gaze linger on her boss for a moment, trying to figure out if he was truly concerned that she had been hurt or not. Confused, she looked down just in time to slap JJ's hands away. "I can buckle my own seatbelt," she said with some exasperation.
"Sorry, Emily. I was just trying to help," JJ apologized.
"I know. Sorry I snapped at you. The pain has me on edge."
JJ waved away the apology. "I understand. Instead, let me drive you to your appointment tomorrow.
Emily was about to protest, that she could take a cab. She didn't want to burden the team with her troubles but JJ simply wanted to be a good friend and help. "I would like that," she said with a small smile.
"Great," JJ beamed. "I'll call Pen and get all the details." She pulled out her phone and settled into one of the seats across from Emily.
As she finished buckling her seatbelt, a pair of shoes appeared in her line of vision. She looked up to see Reid standing awkwardly in front of her.
"Hey," she said cautiously, unsure if he was going to be friendly or take some pot shots at her.
Reid looked everywhere but at her. "Ummm…can I get you anything? Water? Tea? Coffee?"
She smiled warmly. "I'm good, but thanks for asking. I really appreciate the offer."
"Sure," he said quickly. "If you need anything later just yell." He beat a hasty retreat, his duty done. He settled down in the front of the jet like he wanted to get as far from her as possible in this limited space. Judging from his behavior, she doubted she would take him up on his offer.
Emily shrugged. She couldn't solve whatever Reid's problem was. Only he could do that and besides, she had plenty of her own to take care of. She rested her chin in the palm of her hand, gazing out the window watching the runway fly by as the jet took off. She idly wondered if this had been her last case as a member of the BAU.
Hope you all enjoyed the first installment. Please let me know what you think. And as before, I shall be posting a new chapter every Wednesday like clock work. Until then.