Thank you very much for your reviews on the last chapter! After much soul searching (well, as much soul searching as a person can do in five minutes!) I've decided to bring the women in. I'm still uncomfortable with them. Apparently I am more comfortable with psychotic women, not normal, driven ones. Anyway, I hope I haven't taken them too far out of character. I hope you will let me know if I do!
Special thanks to Sue1313, stoneagequeen and the-vampire-act for your continued support, I take everything you tell me to heart. Also, thank you to greenlz! I loved hearing from you. I know Hotch eating the toast wasn't very likely but I wanted an excuse for Rossi to give him another pain killer, just a little too soon. Hotch is so much fun to play with when he's drugged! And, last but not least, thank you to star fire darkness for convincing me to bring Garcia, Prentiss and J.J. in. Only time will tell if it's a good move or not!
I hope you enjoy chapter 11.
Susanne
CHAPTER ELEVEN
"Hi Garcia," Morgan said into his cell phone. This was the call he wasn't looking forward to. Reid was the youngest of the Unit. They all had a need to protect him. The thought of the young genius being missing was driving them all a little crazy. And now he had to find out what Reid's blood type was. Garcia was going to freak.
"Morgan! It's about time! What have you heard? Have you found him yet? How's Hotch?"" Garcia's voice was thrumming with concern. Morgan could almost see her in her sanctuary pacing like a caged animal. When she wasn't pacing she'd been frantically searching her computers for something, anything that might help find their youngest.
"I'm sorry, Garcia. I've only been here for a few minutes. Nothing much has changed. Hotch is sleeping in the car so I assume he's feeling better," Morgan stated. He was hoping that by answering her questions that she wouldn't think too much about what he was about to ask. "I need some information. Do you know what Reid's blood type is?"
"What do you mean Hotch is asleep in the car? Hotch never sleeps in the car. Oh, he must be feeling awful if he fell asleep there!!" There was a momentary pause on the line. "Why do you need to know what Reid's blood type is? Is he hurt? You've found blood, haven't you? Oh my God. Please tell me he's not hurt!"
"Garcia, calm down," Morgan stated. He could hear the woman starting to hyperventilate in her anxiety. "Yes, we've found blood. We are trying to determine if this is where Reid was taken from."
"Okay, okay." Morgan could tell that the blond woman was trying to take a few deep breaths to calm herself. While she did that he could hear the computer keys clicking frantically. "His blood type is A positive. I'll send a complete DNA profile to your PDA. Should I be starting a file that has everyone's blood type and general medical information in it for times like these?"
"Sweetheart that might be a good idea. Look, we're heading over to a place called 'Mar's Bar' on Hastings Street. See what you can dig up on it. I'll call after we've finished out interviews," Morgan tried to reassure her. He glanced over to Rossi. The older man was talking with the sheriff.
"Call me as soon as you know anything, anything at all!" Garcia demanded.
"Of course, you will be the first person I call," Morgan said. Then he disconnected the call. He knew Garcia was scared. Hell, they all were. For someone to kidnap an FBI agent, they had to be either cocky as hell or just plain nuts.
"Reid's blood type is A positive," Morgan said as he stepped toward the two men. Techs and officers were swarming the area, collecting every piece of evidence they could find. Now that the kidnapping included a Federal Agent the anxiety had increased tenfold. "I have his DNA profile on my PDA if you need it."
"I'll pass that along. I think for now running with the blood type is the fastest way to figure out what happened here. I'll let them know about the profile. They'll need it later on to solidify the case against the perpetrators," Captain Hicks said. "I'll let you know as soon as we come up with anything conclusive."
"Thanks. We'll go to the bar and see what we can find there," Rossi stated. Nodding at Morgan, he headed to his vehicle. He was somewhat disturbed to find that Hotch was still sound asleep. It didn't even look like he'd moved since Rossi had left the car.
Dragging Hotch around town probably wasn't the best idea but Rossi knew he'd protest if they tried to take him back to the hospital. Heaving a quiet sigh, he quietly opened the car door and slid inside. Morgan similarly entered the rear passenger side. In the rear view mirror, Rossi could see the concern plainly on the younger man's face. The longer this took the less chance they would have of finding Reid or the young man.
OOOOO
Dreams floated through Reid's mind. Disturbing dreams full of violence and lust. He wanted to wake up from them, to get away from them. But when he awoke he found that they were all too real. Reid hissed as the pain in his thighs and stomach registered. It felt like a burning hot brand was being applied to the skin where the woman had cut him with her finger nails. His cheeks burned bright red in humiliation.
'Oh God,' Reid thought as he looked around frantically, trying to figure out his surroundings. It looked like something out of a bad movie. Or out of far too many cases he and the team had been on. He was being held underground, he could tell from the dirt walls and floors. The cell was very primitive in nature. Clearly kidnapping and holding him had not been planned any further than getting him here. That was both a good thing and a bad thing.
Gingerly, Reid tried to reach up to his head, to wipe at the blood he felt oozing out of a cut there, only to find that he couldn't. Fear turned his blood to ice. It wasn't the first time he'd been in a situation similar to this, the sexual content notwithstanding, but he still felt incredibly helpless and frightened.
To try to distance himself from the situation, Reid began to recite random statistics in his mind. He found a great deal of comfort and logic in statistics. It helped to make sense of the world for the young genius. It also helped to put the world into perspective. He tried to not think about the fact that he'd just become one of the statics that were running through his head.
There was a stitch in his right side. Reid tried to roll over to relieve the pain. Instead his hip and ribs exploded, showering his vision with red flares. A loud groan escaped his lips and then he panted, trying to make his way through the agony. That only irritated the problem further. He couldn't draw enough air around his broken ribs. His vision burned red and then black as he passed out.
OOOOO
"Maybe you should stay in the car," Rossi suggested. When they pulled up in front of the less than stellar building, the Unit Chief had come awake with a start. His dark eyes scanned outside the car windows and then they came to rest on Morgan in the backseat. Shame burned through his mind and body. Reid was missing because of him and he couldn't even stay awake enough to notice when one of his team arrived.
"I'm fine," Hotch grated. As if to prove the point, he undid his seatbelt and opened the door. It wasn't until he tried to gain his feet that his two companions knew he was lying. Hotch's legs began to tremble almost as soon as he made it upright. He had the door frame and the body of the car in a death grip just to keep from sitting back down.
"Yeah, you look it," Morgan stated as he stepped up beside his superior. "We've got this, Hotch. Why don't you stay in the car?"
"Because I've been here once all ready. I will be able to gauge the owner's reaction when you begin asking her questions," Hotch said between clenched teeth. He knew he should stay in the vehicle. He wanted to stay in the vehicle. But his ability to assess the woman's reactions would be invaluable if she had anything to do with this.
"All right," Rossi agreed after a few strained moments. He had to admit Hotch had a point. He wasn't walking into this situation for the first time. He may have an insight that he and Morgan may miss. Let's get him inside."
Hotch considered shaking the other two agents off but he knew that he wouldn't make it that far without their help. Each man took one of his arms and carefully guided him toward the door.
As they stepped inside, Hotch saw that not much had changed since yesterday. There were a whole two booths being used but otherwise the place was deserted. But then, it was only one in the afternoon. As his subordinates steered him toward the bar and stools sitting in front of it, Mary came out of the kitchen. An order of food was gripped in each hand as she slipped from the kitchen to the booths beyond.
"Hi there," she said, not bothering to look at them. "Take a seat I'll be right with you."
Once she deposited the food in front of her customers, Mary came back to the bar and moved behind it. It was then that she actually looked at the newcomers. It took everything in her arsenal to keep from reacting to Hotch's presence. Then she noticed just how pale and sweaty he was. Why, the man was ill. Wasn't that too bad?
"Well, hello there. What happened to your friend from yesterday?" Mary asked as she took her position on the other side of the bar from them. While she talked, she studied Hotch's two new companions as well as the state of the Unit Chief. What she found in the dark haired man's face and eyes amused her to no end.
"Agent Reid is missing, as is a young man that was in this bar yesterday," Rossi stated. The woman turned her dark eyes toward him. He studied them and her face very closely. All he found was mild concern.
"You're kidding! That's terrible! What happened to them?" Mary asked. She'd moved forward, her arms resting on the counter that separated them. She could see in all three men's eyes the fear and concern for their lost team member. If only they knew that she had young Reid's FBI badge and his photo ID in her purse. She also had Matt's and Jared's. She found being able to look at their pictures very soothing when work became chaotic. It helped her to relive the experiences in the cells with crystal clarity.
"We aren't sure yet. We believe that they have been kidnapped," Morgan stated. He too was examining the woman in front of them. He also took the time to observe the other patrons. Just because both men had been here didn't mean that it was necessarily a staff member that was involved.
"I don't believe it! That kind of thing just doesn't happen around here. Do you have any idea who would do such a thing?" Mary barely managed to keep her eyes from twinkling in delight. It was so easy to play these guys. All those years of role playing with Rachel were becoming very useful.
"We're working on it," Rossi said. He didn't want to disclose anything to this woman. If she was the unsub they didn't need to show her all their cards. Although, Rossi had to admit that he wasn't getting any warning bells off the woman. She appeared to be genuinely concerned.
"Did you gentlemen want anything to eat or drink?" Mary asked. She was trying to be relaxed. She knew if she didn't ask that question the men would become suspicious at some point. Secretly she was hoping that they'd get the hell out of Dodge and leave young Reid, Matt and Jared to her tender manipulations.
"No, thank you," Morgan stated. In fact he was hungry but looking around at the place he didn't want to risk eating here. Besides, who could think about food while Reid was missing?
"Well, I sure hope you find them soon. If you would like to ask questions, go right ahead. My regular staff comes in at three. Now, if you will excuse me, I have another order burning on the grill." With a nod to the three men, Mary went back into her kitchen. She really did have food cooking on the grill but it was also an excuse to get away from them before she slipped up.
Rossi and Morgan left Hotch sitting on a stool by the bar while they went over to question the other patrons. Hotch tried to keep his head up. For some reason it kept trying to slip to his chest and his eyes kept trying to close. Damn it, this isn't how he needed to be. Frustrated beyond words, Hotch watched Mary through the opening in the wall. The way she moved around the kitchen, cooking the food for her customers was almost graceful. A quick mental shake and Aaron tried to turn away from the bar to see if Rossi or Morgan were making any headway.
In the process of turning, Aaron just about slipped off the hard wood stool. Morgan was beside him, his strong hand on his elbow, keeping Hotch from finding the ground.
"I know you want to help, Hotch, but you really do need to go lie down for a while. At least until this headache passes," Morgan said. At first Hotch bristled at the statement. Then he saw the deep concern in Derek's dark eyes.
"I'm afraid Derek's right, Hotch. We need you at a hundred percent if we're going to find Reid. The sooner you go lie down, the sooner that will happen," Rossi said as he and Morgan caught hold of the dark haired man and headed for the front door.
"All right," Hotch said in a quiet voice. In his friend's arms he suddenly felt very tired and weak. Lying down seemed like a very good idea as his knees started to tremble with fatigue. Rossi and Morgan would make better time if they didn't have to cart him all over the place.
Stepping through the door to the bar, Rossi and Morgan were both pleased and scared spit less by Aaron's remark. The simple fact that he was admitting defeat indicated just how truly awful he must be feeling. Rossi fingered the vial of pain killers in his pocket. Maybe he should give Hotch another one. But no, he couldn't risk taking the chance that taking more than the prescribed amount might cause more damage than good.
A car pulled up beside their vehicle. Out of habit Morgan immediately noted the license plate. It was a rental. The driver and passenger door slammed open almost simultaneously and then two very familiar female figures were rushing toward them.
"What the hell is going on?" Prentiss demanded as she took in Hotch's condition in a heartbeat.
"Where did you come from?" Morgan asked as he and Rossi continued to help Hotch toward their car and the front passenger seat.
"Did you honestly think that we were going to stay in Vegas while Reid is missing?" J.J. asked.
"Well, no. But I did tell Garcia to not tell you what's going on," Rossi replied. Gently, he and Morgan manoeuvred Hotch into the seat and then they turned to face the other members of the BAU.
"Penelope called us the moment she got off the phone with you," Prentiss said. This was all too incredible. How did a simple missing person escalate this quickly? Hotch and Reid had only been on the case for less than forty-eight hours. "She knew we'd want to know."
"How did you know we were here?" Hotch asked from the car. He was having a little trouble processing the latest developments. The pounding of his head was beginning to increase. Absently he swallowed bile.
"Garcia," was the simple answer.
OOOOO
Now that the whole team was here, Hotch wanted to keep working the case but he knew realistically that he couldn't. He allowed Rossi to take him back to the hotel room. It was better than the hospital, anyway. He took a quick shower to see if that would help. It didn't. If anything, now that his skin was damp from the water, it seemed unwilling to dry off.
Carefully Hotch made his way to his bed. Standing inside the hotel room door, Rossi made sure he was in bed and resting before he stepped forward.
"I'll leave your pills here. You need to take another one in four hours," Rossi instructed. The room was still pretty dark thanks to the pulled shades. He put the vial on the night table beside Hotch's bed before going to the table beside Reid's bed and turning the small lamp there on.
"I'm fine, Dave. Go to the sheriff's station. You're in charge now. If I need anything I'll give you a call," Hotch stated. His eyes were all ready trying to close despite the slick feel of sweat on his skin. It felt absolutely wonderful to be lying completely still.
"All right, I'll check in with you later," Rossi said. He hated to leave Hotch. It was so uncharacteristic of the man to be this vulnerable. But his first concern had to be Reid. He was the one in trouble. One last glance at his Unit Chief and Rossi slipped out the door.