chapter Six
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"We have a case," Hotch called as he headed down the stairs.
"Words I would love to never hear again," Emily grumbled as they made their way to the conference room.
"I hear you on that one, Princess," Morgan responded. Feeling his baby kicking at his bladder once again he turned to head for the bathroom.
"Where you going?" Reid wondered.
"Bathroom, tell Hotch I'll be there in a minute."
"Ah the joys of being four and a half months pregnant," Emily quipped. Derek rolled his eyes at her comment, but was also smiling.
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"Sorry about that," Morgan apologized as he settled in the seat saved for him between Garcia and Rossi.
"It's fine," Hotch said.
"Trust me I know all about the having to pee constantly," JJ assured pressing the button on the remote to bring up the pictures for their new case.
"Rural Ohio has a murder/rapist in their midst. Three women have been taken in the last month. Reba McKinley was taken three weeks ago Monday. Her body was found on the side of the highway the following Saturday. She was raped and repeatedly beaten before the unsub strangled her. Miranda Bellamie was taken last Monday and her body was found in the same condition as Reba's the following Saturday," JJ explained.
"Were they found close to each other?" Rossi questioned.
"Yes, within a few miles of each other," Hotch answered.
"Sharon Malcolm was taken on Monday," JJ concluded.
"Its Wednesday now, which means we only have a few days to find Sharon alive," Reid interjected.
"The unsub has a type," Emily commented.
"Yeah, redhead, green eyes, and slender," Morgan supplied.
"The way they're left naked and the severity of their beatings suggests extreme rage," Reid pointed out.
"Wheels up in 20," Hotch ordered.
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Derek didn't usually get motion sick, but ever since he got pregnant he'd struggled with it off and on. Today appeared to be one of the days where he was going to lose the battle. The plane had hit some rough weather and they were being jostled some. Shifting so he could stand up as he felt the nausea begin to surge up his throat, Derek caught Emily's attention as she glanced up from reading the case file.
"Morgan, are you okay?" He shook his head as he tried to gage the distance between him and the bathroom and whether he'd make it in time. He didn't think so. Frowning in concern, Emily looked at her friend's face and could instantly tell what was wrong. His face was a sickly green color. Acting on instinct after having taken care of a sick Jack several times, she grabbed the air sick bag from in front of her and held it in front of her miserable friend just in time. The moment the bag was under his chin, Derek's stomach rebelled and everything he'd eaten that day came up. Emily rubbed his back and whispered soothing words in his ear. She felt bad for how miserable her best friend was and wished there was something she could do for him. He continued to violently throw up for a moment before sinking back against the seat and letting his head fall to the side. It landed on Emily's shoulder and he tried to lift it, but she placed a hand on the back of his neck stopping him.
"Leave it, you're fine," she whispered soothingly. Nodding in embarrassment and misery, Derek complied. Hearing the commotion from the back of the plane, the others turned to see what was going on. Rossi was out of his seat and by the two younger profiler's sides as quickly as he could move despite the fact that the seatbelt sign was still on.
"What's going on here?" he questioned urgently.
"Morgan got sick. I think the turbulence got to him," Emily told him softly.
"Are you going to be okay now?" Rossi asked his husband staring at him in concern.
"I think so. I just want to get this nasty taste out of my mouth," Derek said. His voice may have had a slight whine to it, but neither of his friends could blame him.
"I think I might be able to help with that," JJ said coming towards them a cup of water in her hand and a bottle of pills in the other.
"Here's some water, and here are some pills to help ease the motion sickness," she said handing them to Morgan. Dave smiled his thanks and took the air sick bag from Emily and went to throw it away.
"Is it safe to take these with the baby?" Derek asked.
"Yes, Dr. Palmer told me so when I was pregnant with Henry. After rinsing out his mouth, Derek took the pills and settled back in his seat.
"Thanks, Jayje," he said sleepily.
"You're welcome, those will make you slightly sleepy," she warned.
"Sleep, Morgan, we'll wake you when we arrive," Hotch ordered. Nodding, Morgan let his eyes close happy to do what he was told. Before he did, though, he had one thing he had to do. Turning to Emily, he said,
"I'm sorry about that, Em," the expectant father said embarrassed
"Don't worry about it. I've gotten used to puking a lot more since I've been helping take care of Jack," his best friend promised.
"Still, sorry," Derek repeated.
"Don't worry about it, just rest," she said kissing his forehead and patting his hand gently. Nodding, Morgan let the medicine work and soon he was drifting off.
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The team was definitely feeling the pressure. It was now Friday and if they didn't find Sharon Malcolm alive by the end of the day, the chances they'd find her alive were slim to none.
"This is frustrating, we're getting nowhere," Morgan stated.
"Was Garcia able to find any connection between the victims?" Hotch asked. Reid shook his head.
"No, she searched everything she could think of, and couldn't find a connection," the genius informed the group. Just then, JJ came running in.
"I think we have something," she said breathlessly.
"What is it?" Hotch asked.
"A woman said she saw a man dragging someone who fit Sharon's description into an old abandoned house about an hour ago," the media liaison reported.
"Did she happen to give a description of the man she saw dragging her?" Rossi wondered.
"As a matter of fact, she did," the blonde informed them.
"Send it to Garcia," Hotch instructed.
"I already did. She said she'd let us know the moment she had something," JJ told them. Just then, Morgan's phone rang. Answering it, he put it on speaker.
"You're on speaker, Baby Girl. Tell me you have something," Morgan begged.
"As it happens, my crime fighting heroes, I do in fact have something. I have a name and address to be exact. Mason Cox, 1199 Wilks Lane. I'm sending the info to your phones as we speak."
"Thanks, Pen," Emily said.
"You're welcome, Garcia out."
"Okay, let's go," Hotch ordered rising to his feet the others right behind him.
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"Rossi, Reid, and I will go in through the front with these officers. Morgan, you Prentiss, and JJ go in the back. Everyone be careful," the unit chief cautioned. Nodding, everyone took their positions and waited for Hotch's signal. When it came, they stormed the house. Shouts of clear could be heard through out the house. Finally, JJ entered a room and found Sharon tied naked to the bed accept for her watch.
"I have her," she called into her radio. Walking over to the young woman, she could tell that she was shaking. Taking off her jacket, she put it around the young woman's shoulders.
"Its okay, my name's JJ and I'm with the FBI. I'm not going to hurt you, okay?" she spoke in a soothing voice, trying not to scare the frightened woman.
"Okay, can you untie me, please?" she whimpered. Nodding, JJ set about doing that. Once she was free, Sharon stood up and JJ began guiding her from the room. They were about half way to the door when two gunshots rang out. Unsure where they had come from or if there would be more, JJ shoved Sharon to the ground and covered her with her own body.
"Is everyone okay? Where did those shots come from?" Hotch yelled into his radio.
"I'm fine, I have the girl," JJ called out. Everyone else replied in the affirmative accept for Prentiss and Morgan.
"Prentiss, Morgan? Are you two okay?" came Hotch's stern voice.
"N-n-No, I shot him. He shot Morgan then shoved him down the stairs. He's at the bottom and he's unconscious. I killed the unsub," Emily reported shakily. By this point, the entire team was surrounding her at the bottom of the stairs. Dave went instantly to Derek's side and crouched down.
"Derek, please wake up. Can you hear me? Come on, you've got to wake up for me," he pleaded.
"I need medics!" Hotch shouted. Two medics ran in at his call and forced Dave to move to the side.
"Dave, let them do their job," Hotch told his long time friend. Nodding, Dave shifted so they could work on his husband.
"He's four and a half months pregnant," he heard Reid say. His stomach clenched. It wasn't just about Derek anymore. It was also about the baby. Dave didn't know what he'd do if he lost either Derek or the baby.
"The vest appears to have caught the bullet. All he'll have is a giant bruise. What has me concerned is the hit to the head he took. I want to take him to the hospital so they can do a CT scan and determine if he has a concussion," one of the medics told the anxious group of FBI agents.
"Do whatever you think is best," Dave said gruffly.
"Dave go to the hospital and keep us posted. I'll make arrangements to stay here tonight," Hotch said. Nodding, Dave followed the stretcher carrying his unconscious husband and unborn child out the door.
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They were most of the way to the hospital when Derek groaned and slowly opened his eyes.
"Where am I?" he questioned in confusion.
"You're in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. You took a nasty tumble down the stairs and were shot in the shoulder," one of the medics informed the confused man. Derek's eyes widened.
"Don't worry, babe, the vest held and all you'll have is a bruise," Dave assured.
"My head hurts," Derek complained.
"That's to be expected, you took quite a nasty hit on the head when you hit the floor. I need to ask you a few questions, okay?" the medic asked. Derek nodded before wincing and gingerly touching his head. "What year is it?"
"January 2012."
"What's your name?"
"Derek Morgan."
"Who is this?" the medic asked, indicating Dave.
"David Rossi, my husband," Morgan answered. The medic smiled in approval. "Is my baby okay?" Derek asked having just remembered the life growing inside him.
"Yes, your baby appears to be fine. I'm sure the doctor will want to do an ultrasound just to make sure, though," the medic told him. Derek nodded and allowed himself to relax slightly. His baby was okay and that's what really mattered.
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An hour later, Derek was in a room for the night and given a clean bill of health accept for a slight concussion. The doctor informed the relieved expectant parents that their child was fine and hadn't been harmed in the fall. Derek didn't like staying the night, but Dave had used the baby as an argument and Derek had agreed however reluctantly to stay the night for observation.