A/N: I do apologize for any mistakes. Thanks for reading! I guess this is me celebrating the finale or something... Enjoy!
It had been an hour before they had finally gotten the call, and almost another before they reached the hospital. They filed out of the SUV's near the entrance, practically tripping over themselves to get through the doors. Morgan was of course in the lead, eager to make sure that his friend was actually okay. She'd called as soon as she was able to, to let them know that she really was all right, but that hadn't satiated his need to physically lay eyes on her. There are some things that just have to be done in person.
Penelope had a grip on his right arm, which was probably the only reason he hadn't bolted up the stairs and instead opted for the elevator. As they spun around to face the control panel, Morgan spared a moment to study his team as they boarded along with him. They were close behind, with Blake brining up the rear. He thought this was probably awkward for her, visiting someone in the hospital that she had never met. Someone that was so close to the rest of the team.
They were met with an obstacle in the form of the lone nurse that was manning the station. Though she initially bristled at the idea of letting non-family members into a patient's room, she quickly backed down when seven F.B.I. badges were presented without delay. Morgan hadn't realized just how worried he had been until he found himself stopped just in front of the door to Prentiss' room. The others paused as well, probably out of confusion as to what the holdup was. It was only a light nudge from Penelope, who was still attached to his arm, which broke through his nervousness.
She couldn't keep herself from being a bit nervous. It had been months since Emily had seen any of them. She had actually cried when Derek's brief stint with Scotland Yard had come to an end, when he and Penelope had left to return to D.C. It was irrational, she knew, but these people were her family. They were the only real family she had ever known. She hadn't realized just how much she had missed them until she had spoken to Hotch on the phone.
They had already been on the way when she called, but she knew that they would be worried. She knew Penelope. She hadn't braced herself for the watery eyes of Derek Morgan though. Her former team poured into the small room, all seemingly desperate for an embrace of any kind. For Garcia, it was a full on hug. She had even beaten out Morgan. He stood to the side, behind Garcia and in front of the window. J.J. had been quick to slide up the opposite side of the bed, caressing her friend's arm just above the cast covering the lower portion. A somber Reid moved to stand next to Morgan, while an exuberant Rossi had one hand on Garcia's back and the other clasping Emily's right leg firmly. He was one of those people, she thought, he needed the physical contact to know that she was okay. Hotch came to stand by J.J. with an uncharacteristic smile lighting up his face. He was also the first one to speak. "Welcome back, Prentiss."
She smiled almost shyly. "I know I could have just picked up a phone, but what can I say?" Shaking her head, feigning annoyance with her actions, she continued. "I guess I just missed the action at the B.A.U."
"That better not be all you missed." She turned to see Derek moving toward her. He enveloped her in a hug, and she couldn't stop the tear that broke free and fell lightly down her face. He pulled away, and she quickly wiped the evidence from her cheek.
"How long do you have to be in here? There's no serious damage, I hope." Hotch asked. There was a sense of urgency to his tone, and she knew exactly why. He was far too professional and caring to ask it outright, but he wanted the information she had gleaned from her time with the UnSub.
"Dislocated thumb," she said holding up her right hand as proof. That was the worst of her injuries, but she'd have some after effects from the use of the cattle prod as well. It was nothing too serious. "They said that there appears to be no permanent damage to the Neurovascular system in the region, only some swelling. They relocated it, and they don't think there is any damage to the ligaments. Just that maybe they were a little hyperextended. I had them just do a local block so that I could be coherent for this. I have to wear this splint, and then come back in a couple of weeks so they can check everything out again. I can leave as soon as they double check their findings."
"What about the arm?" Morgan asked, pointing to the cast.
"I'll have the cast for a month or so." When she turned to address Derek, she noticed how pale Reid seemed to look. She realized he hadn't attempted to greet her either. He was obviously worried, but must have not known what to say or do. She could fix that. "They said it's a distal radius fracture?" Leaving the sentence in a questioning inflection was a surefire way to goad Dr. Reid out of silence.
He visibly perked up, his voice breaking in the slightest as he began. "It's better known as a Colles' fracture in lay. It's a very common injury in which the Ulna, the bigger of the two bones in your arm, is broken near the base of the hand. You should be on pain medication though, and given that you've been admitted, they should have hooked you up to a morphine drip."
Emily smiled brightly. That, she had missed profusely. "Yeah, I told them not to. I wanna get this out of the way, as quickly as possible, so we can catch this guy." She looked around as they all nodded their understanding, and officially switched back into business mode. For the first time, she noticed the unfamiliar face in the room.
She must have been staring, because the other woman spoke. "S.S.A. Alex Blake," she introduced herself.
Instead of a handshake, Prentiss gave her a friendly nod. "Emily Prentiss, but Emily will suffice." She cleared her throat. "I guess we should start then. I'm afraid I can't give you all that much. Whoever he was, he didn't speak a word the entire time I was conscious."
"Not once?" Dave asked, curiosity radiating from him. "You were with him for almost three days." Emily's brow furrowed. "Easter confirmed your date of disappearance."
She hesitated. She had thought that maybe she'd been with him for a day. "No. He must have sedated me for the trip to the U.S. I have no recollection of it at all. I didn't even know I was stateside until I found the cop."
"What about a description?" J.J. queried.
A sudden thought pushed to the front of her mind. "There was a camera. He must have been sending the feed to you all, right?"
That question earned a sympathetic head tilt from J.J. "Yes, but his head was out of the frame." There was a beat of silence before she added in a small voice, "we saw some of what he did to you."
"Oh." Emily had a far away look in her eyes. "Sorry." She shook her head and pressed on. "He wore a mask the entire time. It was black leather, and tied up in the back like a corset. I kept thinking how uncomfortable it must have been to wear. I saw his eyes, but…" She trailed off. She didn't have difficulty remembering it, but had difficulty believing it. "They were black."
"That's impossible," Reid chimed in. "People having black irises is a myth. It's just a dark shade of brown."
"No," Emily's eyes widened, "they were black. And it's not in my imagination so don't start. I saw them, and they were pitch black. I suppose it could have been contact lenses, but they were black." That had obviously bothered her far more than she would want to admit.
"That doesn't make sense." Hotch spoke, but a wave of red washed over his face. He clearly hadn't meant to speak aloud.
Emily found herself grinning lightly. "I know," she said, sitting up a little. "Why go to so much trouble to hide your identity from someone you're going to kill?"
A knock at the door drew their attention. A nurse stood in the threshold, a wheelchair at the ready. "We need to take Miss Prentiss for a follow up x-ray." The team slowly dissolved from the room. Not before J.J. promised to start the discharge process, and make sure to get a prescription for painkillers.
A/N: All medical knowledge comes from high school anatomy and medical dramas.