I apologize, as this is a bit late. I'll attempt to get the rest up on the 'chapter every three days' schedule. Hope you all like it!
All four of them piled into two different SUV's, Hotch and Rossi in one, Morgan and Prentiss in another. They headed off in separate directions, Morgan and Prentiss to the hospital to stop in and see Reid and possibly pick up JJ, and Hotch and Rossi towards the next victim's house.
Morgan took a hard left where Hotch kept going straight, and kept winding the path towards the hospital, perhaps driving a bit more reckless than was wise. Prentiss was holding onto the seat rather tightly, and when they got out to stride into the building, she breathed a sigh of relief.
They met JJ at the doors to the ICU. She'd come out to meet them and show them the way to Reid's room. "Hey," she said softly, offering them a weak smile.
"How is he?"
"He's been sleeping on and off since he woke up. He's got some pretty heavy meds in his system though, so he's a bit out of it."
"Can we talk to him?" Morgan asked, peering down the hall as if he could tell which room belonged to Reid just by looking at the door.
"For a few minutes, if he's awake. The doctor said not to do anything that would stress him out or get his heart rate up too much," JJ said, rubbing her arm.
"Of course," Prentiss said, Morgan nodding.
"Alright. Follow me," JJ said, taking off down the hall with the others in two. "He still looks pretty pale and weak too, so don't be put off."
They all took deep breaths, but it still didn't prepare them for what was sitting on the other side.
Reid was laying in the hospital bed, which was propped up at a strange angle. His eyes were closed and he was still extremely pale. There were several tubes connecting to the IV's that were in the back of his hand. Morgan was forcibly reminded of the day before, when he'd walked into the bathroom and found him slumped on the floor. But he willed the image away, stepping closer to the bed after JJ.
"Spence," she said softly, touching his arm. His eyes fluttered open. "Spence. Derek and Emily are here."
Reid looked around for a few seconds bleary eyed, before he spotted them standing awkwardly at the foot of his bed. "Hey, kid," Morgan said, tapping his foot lightly.
"Hey," Reid said back. His voice was barely more than a whisper, raspy and broken sounding.
"They just took the breathing tube out an hour ago," JJ said. "It's normal for his voice to be like that."
"Could I get some water?" Reid asked meekly, looking to the side table where they could see a plastic mug, marked with milliliters along the side. It was almost empty, though, and JJ excused herself to get more.
Prentiss moved and sat down on the chair that was pushed up next to the bed, grabbing Reid's hand and smiling. "How are you?" she asked lamely, attempting to send him a warm smile.
"Well, for having been stabbed three times and come out of emergency surgery a few hours ago… I'm just peachy," Reid said.
"You're making jokes," Prentiss said, laughing. "Are you sure they didn't tinker with your brain while they were in there?"
Reid smiled weakly, before grimacing and attempting to shift around. "Listen, Reid," Morgan said, stepping closer. "I'm sorry I didn't-"
"Morgan, stop. It's not your fault. I told you to stay. You weren't anywhere around when the guy came in."
"But Reid, I-"
"No. Don't you go feeling guilty or responsible," Reid said as firmly as he could manage with his voice weak and breaking.
JJ came back in then, and Reid looked like he was done with talking about that subject as he took the mug back from her. He took a sip, looking like the cool water soothed his throat immensely.
"Okay," Morgan said. He didn't really want to ask the next questions, but he knew he had to. "So, you said that the guy was wearing a wig?"
"Yeah, he was. It slipped a little as he attacked me. And the facial hair was probably false, too. I wouldn't even put it past him to have been wearing coloured contacts, either," Reid answered.
"Do you think you're up to telling us what happened?" Prentiss asked softly.
"It's best to do it as soon as possible," Reid said, nodding. "Might as well get it over with."
"Are you sure?" JJ asked. Reid nodded again.
"Alright. What happened when you walked into the bathroom?" Morgan asked.
"I, uh… I just went to splash water on my face, which I did. I stood at the sink for a minute before he walked in. He was wearing a light coloured jacket and jeans, he had a greying hair, a mustache. He said 'Howdy' as he walked up to the sink, which sort of put me on guard. And he told me I looked a little bit sickly. Then he started washing his hands," Reid said. He swallowed, taking another drink of water and pausing for a few seconds.
"Take it easy, remember," JJ said. "You don't want to get your heart rate up."
"I know. I'm alright," Reid said, before continuing. "I said something about how I was having a rough day, and he said he was sorry to hear it. I realized too late who he was, and when I turned to leave, he grabbed me from behind. He said, 'I'm sorry to say, it's about to get just a bit rougher'. Then he attacked me. And then, uh… he washed his hands off in the sink. Made sure the bloodspots on his clothes were covered. And then he said, 'My apologies, Agent'. And then he left."
Reid took another sip of water and fell silent. The sickening thought crossed Morgan's mind that Reid must remember every detail of what happened. "Alright. Thanks," he said.
Reid nodded, looking a bit like he might have been swallowing back a lump in his throat.
"So, do you have any new leads?" JJ asked.
"Yes, actually. We do. We're on our way to hopefully catch the guy now. You could come, if you want," Prentiss said, standing up.
JJ looked over to Reid, who immediately said, "It's fine, JJ. You can go. And make sure you catch him for me."
"Definitely," JJ said. "I'll let you know how it goes, Spence."
"Thanks. Good luck," Reid said, starting to look a bit tired. JJ leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, telling him to get some rest. He agreed, and she followed Morgan and Prentiss out into the hall and to the car, all of them eager to get moving.
Hotch pulled the SUV over a few houses down from their destination, putting it in park and placing the keys in his pocket. They didn't want to park right in front, if 'The Gentleman' was watching the house. That could tip him off and spook him.
"Do you think we'll catch this guy?" Rossi asked, unbuckling his seat-belt and looking ahead at the seemingly calm home they were about to walk to.
"We have to, Dave," Hotch replied, glancing over at him. "This guy is dangerous. And he's either escalating or deteriorating. Quickly. He's killed thirty five people. And almost Reid. If he's dangerous enough to get inside a police station and attack an FBI Agent, and then get back out completely undetected…"
"Not to mention, it's personal now," Rossi added.
"That too." They shared a quick look before they got out of the car and started walking towards the home. "We've never had such a good opportunity to catch him. We've never had any warning of where he's going to strike before. And we may not again. We need to get him."
"I'm sure we will," Rossi said. "Every one of us wants to get this guy. We all have the motivation. And this team is the most capable I've ever seen."
He also knew for a fact that Hotch would be feeling personally responsible for Reid. He was the team leader, he was supposed to keep track of his Agents and keep them safe. Or some other nonsense idea like that.
Hotch nodded once and they started up the walkway to the front door. But they froze in their tracks when they noticed that it was standing wide open.
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