A/N: Sorry that this is a little short and filler-ish. I hadn't initially planned to write this chapter because Emily getting shot wasn't in my plan to begin with but then it just happened. I hope the medical stuff is semi-correct, because I'm not a doctor. Enjoy!
"You really should eat something, Emily," Hotch said to the woman sitting slumped over at the kitchen table, cradling her arm.
"I'm not really hungry," she muttered, taking a sip of water.
"Alright, well, I'm getting some granola bars and cookies and juice in case you change your mind," said Hotch, sweeping the contents of one of her drawers into a bag and placing it next to her go-bag by the door. "Are you ready to go?"
Emily nodded, standing up painfully, and shuffled towards the door, locking it behind her. She paused for a second to look over her shoulder at the croft that had been hers for the past four and a half years, silhouetted in the pre-dawn light. "Well, I guess this is goodbye for a while," she breathed, before turning and sliding into the passenger seat of Hotch's car.
It was just after 4:30 am and the sky was still a dark, velvety navy blue. The stars were out, twinkling above their heads, and the storm had blown over hours ago. In the distance, below the crunching of tires on gravel, there was the constant beating rhythm of the sea. The island seemed so peaceful in the quiet of the night.
Hotch pulled the car onto the waiting ferry, tires grating on the textured metal. He pushed open his door and stepped out onto the deck, taking in deep breaths of the clean, salty air. It was still too dark out to see where the ocean ended and the sky began, so he stood looking out at the unending horizon, hands loosely gripping the cold iron railing.
Emily sat shivering in the car, despite the heat. She could feel the rumbling vibrations as the engine roared to life in the bowels of the ship, far below her. She raised her head as the ferry pushed off from the terminal and headed out into the Aylesford Sound.
"You okay, Em?" asked Hotch, pulling open the door and sticking his head into the heated interior of the car.
"I'm fine," she said quietly, turning her head towards him with a small smile. She pressed her fingers lightly over the gauze pad on her arm, wincing a little at the pain. "It'll be good to get this out, though."
"We'll be at Gilbert Bain in two hours," said Hotch. "Can you wait that long?"
"I guess I'm going to have to," she replied grimly, curling up a little more tightly in the chill air.
Hotch reached into the back seat for the heavy woolen blanket he'd stashed there last night, and tossed it to her, expecting her to get wrapped up. Instead, she opened the car door and stepped out, draping the blanket around her shoulders.
Emily leaned on the railing, one hand holding her blanket in place, the other gripping the railing. She was straining to see in the darkness, but she couldn't see the outline of the mainland. "If it was light out, we could see all the way to Burrafirth," she said dreamily, yawning.
"I can sort of see the cliffs," Hotch said, as she tucked her head into the hollow of his shoulder.
After thanking Garth profusely, Hotch had succeeded in making the sailor blush. He waved as he slid into the driver's side next to Emily, who was passed out peacefully in the passenger's seat, and started the engine.
The sun was just starting to show signs of emergence, and the heavy darkness had lightened one or two shades to a grayish-blue colour.
He switched off his high beams and steered onto the narrow road through Burrafirth, which was surprisingly busy considering it was just after five. He supposed it was all the fishermen.
On the outskirts of the tiny town, he turned his high beams back on, and sped up just a few clicks. The road was well paved and completely deserted. Emily was still asleep, and the grey was slowly lightening further, showing the promise of a beautiful day.
It was just after 5:30 when the sun finally edged over his horizon. "Emily, wake up," he said quietly, removing one hand from the wheel to gently poke her awake.
"Wha' issit?" she slurred, cracking an eye and looking around blearily. "I's early," she added, checking the time on the dashboard.
"Em, look at the sunrise," he said, tilting his chin at the dawn. Fiery streaks of magenta and orange decorated the hills, contrasting with the vibrant green, setting the dew ablaze.
"It's beautiful," she said, slumping to one side and closing her eyes again, nodding off against the window.
He allowed himself a smile as he attempted to break the speed record for Burrafirth to Lerwick.
"Emily, wake up," said Hotch quietly, as he pulled the black rental car into the parking lot of Gilbert Bain Hospital.
"Are we here?" Her eyes shot open and she straightened up, pushing open the car door and getting out, blinking in the bright sunshine. She followed him towards the main building, into the flicker of fluorescent lights and the acrid hospital smell of disinfectant and worry.
He guided her towards the emergency ward, which was surprisingly empty. There were just two other people there, one fisherman cradling a bleeding finger and an older woman coughing. Emily took a seat as far away from them as possible, while Hotch got up and checked her in.
"Ms. MacKinnon?" asked a pretty, younger nurse wearing rose-coloured scrubs. "I'm Aileen, I'll be checking you."
It took Emily a few seconds to react before she jerked upright. "That's me. Sorry." She fought off a blush and stood up, following the young woman out of the waiting room, ignoring the glares of the other two.
"I hear you have a gunshot wound," the nurse said crisply, as she walked down the hallway. "I'm going to check it out and then prep you for surgery if needed. It's nothing huge, so don't worry about it." She turned through a door to one of the rooms, and closed the door behind them.
"I'm not worried," said Emily calmly, taking a seat on the table and trying to remove her jacket. "I've been through worse."
"There's nothing to indicate that on your medicals," said Aileen, frowning and twisting the ends of her smooth dark ponytail between her fingers as she examined the file in her hands.
"Probably not. Until yesterday, I was under witness protection," said Emily quietly, as Aileen quickly dismantled her sling and unwrapped the gauze. The petite nurse bit her lip as she took a look at the wound, and then stood up.
"Look, I'm going to get Dr. Ayers and he'll take a better look. How long ago did this happen?" she asked, concerned.
"Last night," replied Emily, suddenly overcome with a wave of dizziness. She swayed lightly under the bright lights. "What's wrong? Is it infected?"
"Aside from having a .38 in your arm, it looks pretty good. Whoever patched it up did a good job," said Aileen with a small chuckle. "I'm just going to get him to get some local anesthetic and remove the bullet."
"Thanks so much," Emily managed with a thin smile.
"I'll be right back," said Aileen, as she left the room, sneakers leaving a squeaky path down the hall.
Left alone, Emily leaned back against the wall, burying her face in her good hand. She was beginning to feel a little faint and nauseous, and was regretting her decision to have only water for breakfast. She wasn't waiting long when a tall, handsome man with chestnut hair entered the room, a stethoscope draped around his neck.
"Hello Sophie," he said with a smile. "I hear you've been in a gunfight and need a bullet removed. As it were, I'm the man for the job."
"That's reassuring," she replied drily, pushing her dark hair out of her face.
"I'm going to take you to another room where there's better light, okay?" Dr. Ayers motioned for her to follow him as he picked up her coat and draped it over his arm in one smooth motion.
At the end of the hall, he turned into a larger, brightly lit room. "You can sit," he said, as she took a seat on the chair, leaning back against the headrest.
"Alright, I'm going to take a look," he continued, sitting on a rolling chair and easing himself over to her right arm, assessing the situation. He filled a needle with anesthetic while Aileen prepped his instruments, wiping them with disinfectants. "You're going to feel a slight pinch, that's just the anesthetic. It's going to make your entire arm numb, alright?"
"Sounds good," Emily returned, making herself comfortable. Her arm tingled as the anesthetic spread through her veins, numbing her entire arm within seconds. She closed her eyes against the lights and tried to relax as he pulled out the bullet, disinfected the wound, and stitched it shut.
"Emily, wake up." Hotch pushed her good shoulder gently, and she opened her eyes to his concerned face. "You're done."
"Really?" She looked over to see her arm covered in gauze.
"I have an arsenal of cleaning supplies and gauze, but other than that they said that everything looks good and we're good to go," he said with a rare smile.
Emily looked up to see Dr. Ayers and Aileen standing in the corner, cleaning up. "Thank you so much," she said gratefully, standing up slowly, and leaning on Hotch more than she'd like to admit as he walked her out.
"No problem! Stay out of trouble," said the doctor cheerfully, waving. "Come back if anything changes."
"Will do," replied Hotch, as he walked Emily into the hallway and out the door. "Do you want to get some food?"
"Actually, that sounds great! I'm starving," Emily said, rubbing her stomach lightly. She hadn't realized it before, but she was actually quite hungry. Her arm was still numb, but the anesthetic was already beginning to wear off at her shoulder. "I know this little fish and chips place not too far from here…"