Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds and intend no copyright infringement.
Two hours later the team was on its way to the Windy City. The pilot announced slight turbulences. Preoccupied with listening to their Unit Chief reading from the witness statement that had thrown Rossi's life into a dither, the agents absent-mindedly fastened their seatbelts.
"We informed the chief of medicine immediately. He wanted to call the police but several members of the supervisory board talked him out of it. The hospital was in financial trouble back then. Word had it that radical staff reductions were about to take place, probably the closure of complete wards. An incident like that would have aggravated the situation even more, so everyone kept mum. We were worried for our jobs, you know? The university's medical school stores some bodies in our morgue. I think that's where they got the dead infant. I cleaned and dressed the little girl myself. The chief of medicine attached the identity bracelets. Then he informed the mother that her child had died of sudden infant death syndrome. Since she had had an emergency caesarean under general anesthesia she had no idea what her real daughter looked like. She accepted the news without any doubts. Same with the father: He hadn't been present to see his child right after birth, so he also had no chance to realize that the dead baby wasn't his own. I swear to God, it's the truth: Fifteen years ago St. Michael's Hospital hushed up the kidnapping of an infant to preserve its reputation."
Aaron Hotchner looked at his friend, stared at the statement in his hands, then looked at his friend again. He was lost for words.
"We were working a case in Minneapolis. Gideon had all but forced me at gunpoint to go home and I was already on my way to the airport, but then a new lead came up. The baby wasn't due to arrive in another 72 hours so I thought I had time enough. I turned around and went to talk to the new suspect instead of supporting my wife. When I finally arrived in Chicago, I was told that my daughter had died five hours after she was born", Rossi recounted with a strained voice. He drew a ragged breath before angrily adding: "In the death notice we actually thanked the ward's staff for all their efforts…"
"Why did this nurse come forward now, after so many years?", Reid demanded to know.
"Revenge. She was caught stealing drugs. Apparently she tried to pressure St. Michael's into dropping the charges against her. When that didn't work she decided to reveal what happened fifteen years ago", Rossi explained.
Prentiss shook her head in disbelief: "We're talking about 1993 – hospitals were already equipped with surveillance cameras and security personnel. How in the world could anyone just walk into the maternity ward and snatch a baby out of its cot?"
"It was a hellish night." Morgan summarized the information Garcia had hurriedly compiled. "A snowstorm was rolling over the city. Electricity supply was down for hours. A high-rise fire raged in the business district and a 20-car chain-reaction collision took place right in front of the hospital. Chaos reigned. It's possible someone slipped in and out unnoticed… "
"The nurse could be a fraud. Don't forget she's a drug addict and awaiting trial. We can't say anything for sure until we've got the result of the DNA analysis", Hotch reminded the others. "Try to get some sleep. All of you. We have an appointment at the graveyard tonight."
As his colleagues slowly dozed off, Rossi tried to order his thoughts. In a few hours' time a digger would tear open the deepest wound life had ever inflicted on him. He found himself unable to imagine the consequences.