When Emily led her outside, Cammi shivered. She couldn't tell if the outside air was warmer than her frigid hiding place. The chill radiated from somewhere inside of her.
An ambulance was waiting in the driveway, along with several police cars and other assorted vehicles. Cammi had never remembered her driveway being this crowded. She wrinkled her nose when one of the EMTs made their way over to her.
"They just want to check you over," Emily said.
"There's nothing wrong with me they can fix," Cammi said, not really registering the chaotic scene around her. Looking down at her, Emily bit her lip. The girl seemed to be slipping into a catatonic state, becoming less responsive to everything she came in contact with. It was as if she was determined to join her family.
"Cameron." Kneeling in the driveway, Emily caught her glazed over eyes. "Whatever happens, you have to remember that this doesn't have to break you. You've been dealt a crappy hand, but you still have to go on living, understand?"
Cammi nodded absently, watching her breath curl and fade away in the chilly autumn morning. That was life, she mused. Here for a moment, gone the next.
As if sensing her morbid thoughts, Emily squeezed her hand. "Hang in there Cameron," she said.
"Cammi. That's my name. Not Cameron," Cammi said abruptly, fading back into silence. Elated to have drawn even a minute reaction from the girl, Emily resumed a standing position.
Watching from the SUV a few yards away, the corners of Hotch's mouth turned up in a mix of happiness and worry. He loved watching Emily interact with kids. She always seemed to know exactly what to do. And yet, he could see she was already becoming attached to the shattered teen. He had seen it before, in a case they had solved a year or two ago. Emily had reached the point of wanting to adopt the child, and he knew since then she had become a registered foster parent. He couldn't help the random warm thought that Emily would make a great mother someday.
The EMT was a young man with a bright face, despite the somber scene.
"We just need to make sure nothing's wrong with you and then you're free to go Miss Carroway!" he said in a failed attempt to be perky. Emily sighed.
No, Cammi thought fiercely, though she couldn't make her mouth work. When she didn't reply, the man reached for her hand, which was still encased in Emily's.
"NO!" Cammi shrieked. His eyes were brown. Something about them sent Cammi's fear into overdrive. She skidded backwards, pulling Emily along with her.
"I promise, I won't hurt you." The EMT reached for her again.
"I said NO!" Cammi's hand tightened around Emily's.
Glaring at the man, Emily pulled Cammi closer to her. "How about I ride in the ambulance with you to the hospital?" Something told her the last thing Cammi needed right now was to be sedated for being perceived as a threat.
Eyes closed, Cammi couldn't bring herself to nod. It should have been her mother there, holding her hand through this hell. Then again, if that were the case, she would be getting up to go to school, not potentially leaving her house forever.
Emily correctly read her facial cues and never let go of Cammi's hand as they loaded her into the ambulance. She may have received a few glares for being in the way, but she didn't care. Being an inconvenience took a back seat to a child's comfort.
When they arrived at the hospital, Cammi had calmed down enough for Emily to step out and talk to Hotch.
"I called Morgan to let them know this isn't a kidnapping case. Is she okay?" he asked.
Emily sighed. "Physically, I think she's fine. Emotionally, she's been given a heavy blow."
"We have to question her," he reminded gently. He knew Emily wouldn't like this. The girl, mature as she might have been before this, had been reduced to a young child needing her mother. She was in no condition to be interrogated.
"Now?" Emily burst, even though she knew the answer was yes. The memories were as fresh as they could be. To wait any longer would mean the possibility of missing evidence.
"Prentiss, her memories are still fresh," he said, as she'd known he would. "We have to catch the people that did this to her family, to her."
"I don't think she's ready," Emily offered weakly.
"She's no different from any other victim." Seeing the anger rise in her face, Hotch softened. "Emily, she'll never be ready."
The retort died on Emily's lips. Whenever Hotch reverted to her first name, she knew he wasn't speaking to her as the boss, but as the friends they had become. And that carried more meaning than anything he could've said.
Someone had turned on the television in Cammi's room. She watched the figures move on the screen, shapeless blobs she couldn't quite make out. Their dialogue flowed past her in a steady hum, which reminded her of the band room, all of the instruments before class warming up with different songs, creating a wall of disjointed noise that eventually just faded into the background.
A fresh pair of voices sliced through her mental fog. Emily and the man who she had introduced as she pulled her from the closet. For the life of her she couldn't recall his name. All that she could think of was that he had lost his smile, and his eyes carried a look more haunted than anyone she had ever seen before. It had lessened slightly when he caught sight of them, but not enough.
They were arguing. Over her. She couldn't imagine why. Instead she picked at a stray thread in her blanket, watched the IV fluid flow through the tube into her hand, and listened to the rise and fall of their voices. For some reason, it reminded her of music.
She wanted to stop it. Arguing was pointless when life could be snuffed in a minute. Cammi had almost formed a solid resolution to get out of bed when it stopped. Still, nobody entered her room.
I have to get out of here, she thought mildly. It wasn't a command yet. Just a random thought floating through her mind that she happened to catch. But when she did, it was like a seed. She nurtured it by carefully planning how she would escape the hospital. It was just like a TV show she'd recently seen, of a woman escaping a mental institution. The idea made her giggle.
The sound of her laughs startled Cammi. Her voice was hoarse, almost maniacal. She didn't mind. Actually, the sound was so unlike her that the situation was even funnier. She continued to giggle, and then stopped abruptly when she realized what she was doing.
I suppose I'm crazy now, she thought idly. Was that supposed to disturb her? She felt too disconnected from everything to care.
She was talking her heavy limbs into lifting themselves from her bed when Emily knocked lightly on her door. Cammi remained silent, not trusting her voice.
Emily was followed by the man with the sad eyes. Cammi scooted back into her headboard, not afraid exactly, but uncertain. She did notice he had brown eyes, which was unsettling, though she couldn't put her finger on why.
Emily took a seat on the edge of the bed. Cammi tried to match her smile, but it felt as if maybe she was grimacing instead. Emily patted her hand. Cammi loathed the pity in her eyes.
"I'm sure you don't want to talk about this right now, but we have to ask you a few questions," the man said.
"It will help us find out who did this to your family," Emily said softly. Cammi blinked. What did she have to offer that would be useful? She hadn't even been there when it happened. That simple fact was like a dagger in her side.
Her face must have shown willingness, because the man pressed on. "What do you remember about that night?"
"C…c…cold," Cammi stuttered. "I was cold. And mad."
"Why were you mad?"
A warm weight settled on her open hand. Emily was trying to provide comfort while she recounted the dreadful tale.
"I had been at debate. I c…called my mom and she didn't pick up." Cammi couldn't help but wonder if they had heard the phone ring, or if they were already dead. "I…I…I tr…tried ten times, I think."
The man nodded. "So you got yourself home."
Cammi's head bobbed up and down once. "I w…walked. I was scared they'd be mad. I was mad at them. I thought they forgot me." She couldn't tell if it was getting easier to talk.
"What time would you say you got there?"
Cammi tried to shrug. "Umm, maybe about eleven? Eleven thirty? I dropped my pack on the ground when I got there. Left it in the road."
"And then you walked inside," the man went on.
"And then I walked inside," she repeated robotically.
"What did you see?"
"Broken glass." Tears dripped down her face. "I thought Tommy had broken something. He's always doing that. Was. He was always doing that." Her body shook with harsh sobs. The past tense frightened her, and dragged her deeper into the abyss of depression she teetered on.
Emily opened her mouth to suggest that Hotch had pressed enough, but he shook his head. Turning back to Cammi, he said, "Did you hear anything?"
"Yeah. Something in my parent's room. I thought it was them. Or maybe not. I ran upstairs and I saw…" She shook her head, unwilling and unable to continue.
"Did you get a look at whatever it was?" Hotch asked, his voice gentler.
Cammi rapidly shook her head. "No, but when I came back down, something growled at me, and I ran. I ran! I should've done something!"
"There is nothing you could have done Cammi," Emily assured her. "Whoever was in that house was bigger and stronger than you. He would have overpowered you in an instant."
"But then I would be with them," she whispered. Never before had she wanted to die. The feeling terrified her.
"But you're alive," Emily said. "That may seem scary now, but it's a blessing. You're very lucky Cammi, even if it doesn't feel like it right now."
Cammi would rank that understatement of the year. "Just catch him," she whispered.
Squeezing Cammi to her once, Emily stood to leave the room. Fear washed over Cammi, and she whimpered.
"Could you maybe stay here? For just a second?"
Her heart ached for this poor girl. She had lost everything, in such a short time. Emily looked up at Hotch, who read the question in her pleading eyes.
"I'll go back to the station and update the team. You can join me in a couple hours."
"Thanks Hotch," Emily said. Cammi watched her watch him leave. Her gaze lingered on the empty space he'd once filled. If she had felt up to smiling, she might have. There was something more there.
"Will it ever get better?" she asked abruptly.
Emily mulled that over for a bit. "Well, I can't really speak from experience, but I like to believe it will."
Rolling her eyes to the ceiling, Cammi prayed that she was right.
I would like to thank everyone who reviewed for their comments. They absolutely make my day! So, if you enjoyed this chapter or if you have any suggestions, again, I am very open to them!