Criminal Minds Story involving and
Tried to get this story out of my head in order to concentrate on other more complicated ones. But the blasted thing wouldn't get out of the way. So am submitting it in hopes it will leave me alone.
Rating- T because of violence and language some inferred adult situations, may change in later chapters.
Disclaimer- Nope, Don't own or lay claim to Criminal Minds Characters or plots, but its fun to play "What If" with them.
The Wild Card
*Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well.~Josh Billings
Intro:
Every so often fate stacks the deck against a good person. At those times a guardian's only choice is to throw a wild card in the deck. After all it is their job to help in a human's time of need; at least, that's what Aaron Hotchner's guardian believes. His guardian already works long hours, after all look at what the man does for his calling. Then to have fate pull something like this, well that just was not right. And his guardian had enough of things happening to Hotchner that weren't right.
The guardian had been recently assigned to take over Hotchner; his previous guardian had a more hands off policy and allowed Aaron to slip down a deeply shadowed path that threatened the man's soul. But not this one, this guardian wasn't opposed to throwing in a wild card (or two or three) in order to make certain the deck wasn't completely against Aaron. This guardian had other ideas for him and rather unorthodox means to accomplish the ends.
Scene: Late night in Main Lobby of F.B.I building near elevators
"Oh Bossman! I am so very, very sorry! I should have been paying more attention to where I was going! Are you hurt badly?"
Penelope Garcia nearly wailed in apology as she led SSA Aaron Hotchner away from the inner set of doors toward a chair in the front lobby. She'd been on her way out after staying late and he'd returned to grab a folder from his desk. Timing had them meeting at the entrance, where Garcia slammed the door into Hotchner's nose.
"S'ok Garcthia, twas an atthident."
Hotchner's baritone voice was distorted by the silk tie currently clamping his bloody nose.
"It's not okay, Hotch. I probably broke your nose. I always seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time!"
Garcia was nearly frantic with worry and wanted to die from embarrassment. Her velvet brown eyes brimmed with, as yet, unshed tears. Hotch could see how upset Garcia was, even with his head tilted back at an awkward angle. He truly wasn't angry. He hadn't been paying attention either, but it was so like Garcia to assume the blame for the mishap.
"Garcthia…" Hotch began, trying to calm an increasingly worried Penelope.
He'd no sooner spoken her name than they both heard a loud bang, followed by a shrieking clamor echoing down the elevator shafts. The sound of rending metal and the roar of the plummeting elevators had frozen both Garcia and Hotchner in place. The barest second before the exterior safety doors of the elevators exploded outward Hotch seized Garcia's waist and flung them to the floor behind the reception desk. Aaron landed heavily next to Garcia and used his body to shield her from the ensuing wreckage.
The concussive force of the crash sent shock waves and massive amounts of sheetrock and steel fragments roiling over them. Hotchner felt something heavy impact the back of his neck and upper body, then felt nothing at all; not even when Garcia slipped his cell phone out of his pants pocket and desperately hit redial.
"Please, oh please let it be one of the team!" Garcia thought.
Her fading consciousness heard David Rossi's voice say "Hello?"
Before passing out Garcia managed, "Rossi help. Explosion office, trapped in lobby… Find…us…"
Penelope never heard the shouted pleas from Rossi telling her to hold on help was coming, that the team would find them and that everything would be ok.
Seven minutes Later
Lights and sirens filled the night air surrounding FBI headquarters. Dust clogged the air as firemen and paramedics searched the rubble strewn lobby for survivors. First to be located was the night security officer, he was alive but critical. *He'd been much closer to the elevator's safety doors when the metal gave way.*
Not thirty seconds later a fireman saw the lime green heel of Garcia's shoe poking out from under a pile of ceiling tiles and detritus. Calling his laddermates to help him, they cleared the debris to find not one, but two people. Both were unconscious, but with strong vitals. Paramedics began working on Hotchner immediately, as he had obviously suffered a blow to the back of his head. There was a three inch long gash on the back of his skull and it was bleeding profusely. Garcia was unconscious and had a broken ankle caused by a heavy piece of metal landing on it.
There was a bright light in his eyes and a persistent buzzing in his ears. Aaron tried to squeeze his eyes shut, to keep out the painful light. Slowly, he realized the light was an EMT checking his pupils and the buzzing sound was someone asking his name. The buzzing kept repeating its demand until he spoke to it, his voice raspy and harsh from the dust.
"Aaron Hotchner, BAU."
He could hear them asking where it hurt, could he move his fingers, toes etc. He heard them, he just truly didn't think he had enough strength to answer. It was too easy to slip back into the waiting blackness, to not have to think or fight or feel.
Hotch could hear another EMT asking the same questions of the female to his left. When one of the paramedics moved slightly Hotch caught a glimpse of blonde hair and a green dress.
Penelope!
Aaron Hotchner suddenly fought against the darkness, finding a surge of strength coming from, coming from where?
Bands of panic tightened around his chest, threatening to squeeze the breath from his lungs, as he struggled mightily against the EMTs and firemen attempting to hold him down. The rational part of his brain knew they were only trying to keep him from injuring himself further; the rest of his brain didn't give a sugar frosted fuck.
They were getting between him and one of the last sources of luminosity in his life. He was able to throw two of them off balance enough to clear a gap; Aaron reacted, grabbing for Penelope's hand. He was able to clutch three of her fingers in his hand. Before the blackness rose to swallow him again, he said her name as one might say a talisman to ward off evil.
"Penelope", came her name on an exhale of breath.
Garcia woke to the sound of Aaron Hotchner's voice calling her name and the feel of his large hand clutching desperately at hers. All around her paramedics were talking, but try as she might she couldn't focus. Above the wail of sirens and paramedics Penelope heard the team shouting her name.
They came for us was the thought that kept repeating in her head, sustaining Penny, as she and Hotchner were loaded into ambulances and taken to the nearest trauma center.
Two hours later Hospital waiting room
The other members of the BAU's first response team sat, paced or stood in the waiting area, anxious for any word on their unit chief and favorite technical analyst. None of them wanted to leave, not even for a second, lest the doctor come in while they were gone.
"This is taking too long. Someone should've been out to see us by now." Derek Morgan stated, gesturing angrily as he paced.
"Actually, this proves the old saying No News is Good News. If the worst had happened we would know already. This means the doctors are still working on them." Spencer Reid observed from his seat near the window.
"What caused the explosion, anyway?" Emily Prentiss wondered aloud.
David Rossi, the eldest team member, ran a hand thru his hair before answering. "I spoke with the lead investigator by phone a little while ago. He said there was evidence of catastrophic structural fatigue in the elevator systems. Causing two of the three elevators to come crashing down simultaneously. The FBI is fortunate it happened late at night when hardly anybody was at work."
The entire team shuddered to think of the casualties that might've happened during peak business hours at the FBI. Rossi pushed himself off from leaning against the wall and began to meander aimlessly around the waiting area.
"Video shows that Garcia exited from the one elevator that was structurally sound about two minutes before the explosion." Rossi explained.
"Thank God." JJ said quietly.
"Wait. If she was off the elevator two minutes prior, then why the hell was Pen still in the lobby when the crash occurred?" Morgan demanded.
Rossi just shook his head and chuckled. The rest of them looking at him like he'd suddenly sprouted a tail and horns.
"Rossi, this isn't funny man!" Derek growled, clenching his fists at his sides.
"There is a bit of humor in this. Apparently, Garcia was exiting the lobby while Aaron was on his way in. Both of them were messing with their cellphones, not paying attention to where they were going. Aaron looked up in time to catch the door with his nose. Speedy Garcia managed to do on accident what at one time or another we've all wanted to do to Aaron, bloody his nose."
Rossi couldn't suppress the grin at the mental image his words produced. Everyone was momentarily stunned by Rossi's speech; then JJ giggled, followed by Reid's snorting chuckle. Seconds later the team devolved into laughing like hyenas.
Wiping tears from his eyes Derek asked, "You're telling us that Aaron Hotchner probably owes his life to the fact that Penny busted his nose?"
Rossi nodded, unable to speak because he began laughing again. This set everyone off on another round of tension relieving guffaws. Rossi collected himself as best he could then continued with what he'd been told.
"The tape shows Hotch holding his tie around his nose and Garcia trying to get him to sit in a chair. You can see where they look at the elevator bank and then right before the blast Aaron hurls them behind the reception desk. After that the screen just shows floating dust for the next twenty minutes."
The team sobered at this news, grateful not only for Penny's timing, but also Hotch's quick reflexes. Just then a middle aged female doctor walked toward them. Together they stood, moving closer, drawing strength and comfort from each others proximity.
"Family and friends of Aaron Hotchner and Penelope Garcia?"
"That's us." Prentiss responded in a hushed tone.
"Please doctor. How are they?" JJ inquired, her voice cracking with suppressed emotion.
"I'm happy to tell you Ms Garcia is awake and asking to see all of you." the doctor smiled at their relieved shouts of joy. "I'll allow two visitors for her at a time for twenty minutes."
The group nodded in agreement, ecstatic their friend was alright. The doctor continued talking to them.
"Ms Garcia was fortunate that Mr. Hotchner shielded her from the majority of the blast. Other than a broken ankle, her injuries are minor. I recommend she stay overnight for observation, but she can be released tomorrow morning as long as there is someone to drive her home."
"I'll be here." Morgan said quickly, "Anything she needs I'll take care of it."
"I'm sorry doctor. Did you say Mr. Hotchner shielded her?" Reid's curiosity made him ask.
"Yes. According to the EMTs on scene, Mr. Hotchner used his upper torso to keep the worst of the debris from her. This is probably why there was a large gash at the base of his skull. He took a severe blow to the back of the head." the doctor replied.
"And his prognosis?" Rossi prompted.
The tension in the room mounted as the agents waited for the doctor to reply. All of them hoping not to be told that Hotchner had fought his last fight.
"Mr. Hotchner has a severe concussion, causing him to drift in and out of consciousness. His lungs are fouled with dust particles and his breathing is shallow and labored. We're trying to stabilize that now. He also has numerous bruised ribs and his nose appears to have been broken."
The doctor concluded with, "If we can regulate his breathing and ascertain that the concussion resulted in no serious head trauma, I expect to release Mr. Hotchner by the end of the week."
Giving a collective sigh of relief, the BAU team broke up according to who would visit Penelope, who was going for coffee and who would take first watch over Aaron. After all, they were family and according to Penelope Garcia, family takes care of each other no matter what.
Oh come on you didn't think I could actually kill off Penelope or Hotchner. After all this is their story. P.S. PLease review, this is my first submission and I want to know that I'm doing right by these characters.