Chapter 14

Kahlan looked at the hotel; it was perfect: small, secluded, and each little room was a standalone cabin. There wasn't another vehicle in sight either, so she guessed that it was empty. She quickly paid for a room and grabbed the key. She unlocked the door and went straight to the bathroom. As she peeled her coat off she muffled the scream that wanted to escape her lips. The whole left side of her shirt was soaked with blood. She struggled out of her shirt and was finally able to get a good look at the wound in her shoulder. She knew the bullet had passed through her, and she was pretty sure if hadn't hit any bones, but it still hurt like hell. She reached a tentative hand to the back of her shoulder to feel for the exit wound.

She ran warm water in the sink and used a wash cloth to clean the wound front and back. Fresh blood oozed from the wound and she knew she had to stop the bleeding. She pulled out her pistol and took out the magazine. She took two bullets out of it and pried the slugs off with her knife. She sat on the toilet and reached around to pour the powder into the exit wound as best she could. Then she poured the powder of the other bullet in the entry point. She took a couple of deep breaths and then put her knife handle into her mouth. She bit down hard and lit the powder in the entry wound with a lighter. The powder ignited and flashed through her shoulder. She screamed against the knife handle as the pain threatened to make her pass out.

She sat there breathing heavily and tried to get past the nausea that was hitting her in waves. She leaned her head back against the wall and tried to calm her breathing and heart rate. After about five minutes she got up and looked at herself in the mirror. The blood had stopped. The side of her face was a little burnt from the air bag and it had given her bloody nose, so she washed her face and hands. No wonder the guy in the office looked at me so funny. She thought she had been pretty lucky considering what could have happened, but she was beyond pissed. She figured the address she found was a trap, but she never thought Demitri would have shot at her in her car. He shook her head as she changed her clothes and then laid down on the bed slowly. Getting shot wasn't part of her plan, but she knew she would have to keep going. She also knew Hotch would find her car, and she prayed that he didn't jump to the wrong conclusion. I am so sorry, Aaron. Please know that I'm alright.

XXXXX

Rossi let Hotch cry on his shoulder until his breathing finally started to go back to normal. Hotch pulled away from him and wiped his face. "I can't handle this, Dave."

It was killing Dave to see the man he thought of as a son in so much pain and not to be able to do anything about it. "Yes you can; you have to." Rossi told him as he stood up and pulled Hotch into a standing position. Hotch nodded weakly. The sheriff came back and reported that they didn't find anything in or around the barn, and after twenty minutes, the CSU team showed up. Once Rossi got them started, he got Hotch back in the SUV and they headed back towards Quantico.

Hotch didn't say a word the whole way back and Rossi knew he was trying to work things out in his mind. Once they pulled into the parking garage Rossi nudged Hotch on the leg. Hotch snapped out of his daze and realized they were back at the BAU. Hotch's silence was worrying Rossi, though, and he followed Hotch as he slowly walked back into the building. Hotch went to his office and closed the door. Rossi went and told the team what had happened and they were all just as worried as Rossi for their boss.

XXX

At the end of the day Rossi went into Hotch's office. He noticed that Hotch hadn't gotten any of his files done. "Come on. It's time to head out of here and you're staying with me tonight."

"No I'm not. I need to go home," Hotch told him without even looking at him.

"No you don't." Rossi grabbed Hotch's go bag. "See, you already have clothes."

Hotch finally looked at him. "Just go, Dave."

The sadness in Hotch's voice was breaking Rossi's heart. "No, not until you're up and going with me," Rossi told him as he sat down in his usual chair. "If you're staying, then I'm staying."

Hotch shook his head, put his elbows on his desk, and put his head in his hands. "I need to call the kids, but I don't think I can."

"You want me to call them? I'm sure they wouldn't have a problem talking to me."

"And what reason are you going to give them for me not calling?"

"I'll tell them you don't feel good. It's not a lie."

Hotch looked at him and then nodded.

"I'll call them as soon as we get to the house."

"Dave, I really don't feel like doing this right now."

"I know. That's why you need to just listen to me and come to my house. You can have a couple of stiff drinks and then crash in my guestroom."

"I don't need you to watch over me."

"I know you don't need it, but I do. Please don't make your daughter's Godfather go home alone tonight."

Hotch gave him a small smile and got up. "We have to stop by the house and take care of the dogs first."

"Morgan's already there. Come on, the scotch is waiting."

XXXXX

"You did what?" Demitri asked the man in front of him. "I told you I wanted her alive!"

"It didn't kill her. She got out!" The man defended himself.

"I told you to slow her down, not make her wreck her car. If she too damaged, I won't be able to use her!" The man cowered under Demitri's anger. "Where is she now?"

"I don't know," he admitted and took a step back from the angry man.

"You have one day to find her, or I'll kill you myself. Find her, but don't do anything without me! Understood?"

"Yes," he said quickly and ran out of the room.

XXXXX

Rossi got an early call from Garcia; they had a case. Good. Maybe it'll get his mind off of Kahlan, Rossi thought as he went to his guestroom to wake up Hotch. He opened the door and his stomach tightened; Hotch was sleeping on the floor. He shook his head. This is killing him, Kahlan. Rossi went over and leaned down and shook Hotch's shoulder. "Hotch. Come on. We've got a case."

Hotch moaned. "Go away."

"Come on. I've got coffee ready."

"No. I don't want to go," Hotch told him sleepily.

"Aaron," Rossi shook his shoulder again. "Come on. Wake up."

Hotch rolled over onto his side. "Nooo," he half growled. "Just leave me be."

"I wish I could, Aaron, but we have a case."

Hotch finally opened his eyes and looked at Rossi. His eyes were bloodshot, and Rossi knew he had spent most of the night crying. "A case?"

"Yep." Hotch nodded and Rossi moved so he could get up. "Why are you on the floor?"

Hotch got up on his hands and knees and finally got into a standing position. He looked at the bed questioningly. "I don't know," he admitted.

"Go jump in the shower. I'll have coffee waiting," Rossi told him and patted him on the shoulder as he left the room.

Hotch rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and winced as his head started pounded. Damn. How much did I drink last night? Hotch asked himself as he grabbed his bag and made his way to the bathroom.

Rossi was ready by the time Hotch made it to the kitchen. He took the cup of coffee and the Tylenol Rossi had put out for him. "How much did you let me drink last night?"

"I don't know. I lost count after six. How you feeling?"

"Not too bad. I actually slept," Hotch told him with a small smile.

"Good. You needed it."

"Thanks, Dave."

"No problem. That's what friends are for."

XXX

Their case took them to Georgia, and while they all knew Hotch wasn't a hundred percent, Rossi was glad to see him focus on something else besides his wife. The next day, Rossi and Hotch were on their back from a crime scene when Chuck called. Hotch put him on speaker. "I interviewed this guy at a little hotel, and Kahlan was there the night after the accident."

Rossi saw Hotch visibly relax a little. "So she's ok?"

"There were traces of blood where she cleaned up, but, yes, he said she seemed fine when she checked out."

"Thank God!"

"He have any idea where she was headed?" Rossi asked.

"He said she asked directions to a car rental place, I'm headed there now."

"Thanks, Chuck. You have no idea how much I needed to hear that."

"Oh, I think I do. I'll call you once I know anything else," Chuck told him and ended the call.

Rossi looked over at Hotch; he had a small smile on his lips, and that made Rossi smile.

XXXXX

Kahlan sat on the side of the street in the car she had rented. She watched two men leave the building she was watching, and then watched another go into it. It didn't seem like they were expecting her, but she knew looks could be deceiving. She pulled away from the curb and tried to find somewhere to wait until nightfall. She put a hand on her aching shoulder and decided it was time to rest. She pulled into a hotel and rented a room. She set the alarm for later that day and crawled into the bed and fell asleep thinking about her husband and children.

XXXXX

Chuck had called latter that day and told them what kind of car Kahlan had rented, but the man at the rental office had no idea where she was headed. Rossi called Garcia to put an APB out on the new car. Again they were faced with just waiting to see if anything new would turn up, but knowing she was alive and walking around made Hotch accept the waiting a little easier.

XXX

Hotch and the team all gathered around a table in an Italian restaurant to eat dinner. They were enjoying the meal and the break from the case that had six victims already.

XXXXX

Kahlan made her way silently to the building she thought Mordecai was in. She had her pistol in her right hand and her knife in her left. After disposing of one man on the perimeter, she made her way into the quiet building. She went around a corner and came face to face with two men. A quick throw of her knife took one down and the other charged her. She didn't want to use her gun and alert anyone else in the building, so she met his charge and used his momentum to flip him onto his back. He got up quickly and stuck out with his fist. She tried to doge it, but the blow caught her in her wounded shoulder. Stunned by the pain, he got the upper hand and grabbed her from behind. She slammed down her heel onto the top of his foot. A staggered back a little and she twisted and ducked under his arm. Before he knew what was happening, she had another knife to his throat.

"Kay! Stop!"

Kahlan looked at Demitri. With a smile she plunged the knife into the man's throat. "Oopps," she told him sarcastically and stood there breathing heavily as she stared at the object of her hatred.

"Well, it's good to see you haven't changed," he told her with a cold smile. Two men came into the room behind her.

"Just a little older and a lot angrier," she told him as she turned to try to keep all three men in her sight. Her hand went to the pistol at her side.

Demitri looked at the man behind her and nodded.

She drew her pistol with lightning speed, but it wasn't fast enough as she felt the bullet hit her in side. She instantly knew what kind of bullet it was. "I should have. . ." the pistol fell from her hand. "Known you were. . ." Her face showed her anger as she took a stumbling step toward Demitri. "Too much of. . ." she fell to one knee. "A coward to fa. . ." she dropped to the floor.

Demitri walked up to her and smiled. "Welcome back, Kay."

XXXXX

Hotch's fork froze on its way to his mouth. He took a shaky breath and slowly put the fork back down on his plate.

"What?" Rossi asked suddenly very worried.

"Something's wrong."

Everyone at the table fell silent at Hotch's tone and reaction.

"What do you mean?" Reid asked him with a quick glance at Rossi.

"I don't know, but. . ." Hotch told them as he stood up.

"Hotch?" Rossi asked as he also stood up.

"I need some air," Hotch told him and they could all see the concern on his face. He turned and walked toward the exit.

Rossi quickly caught up with him. Once they were outside. "What's wrong?"

"Something happened and it's not good," Hotch told him as his hands started shaking.

"Jesus, Aaron. Calm down. You don't know. . ."

"Yes I do! Damn it, Dave. Something happened!"

"Alright. What do you want to do?" Rossi didn't want to question the bond he knew Hotch shared with Kahlan.

"What can I do? I don't know where she is!" Hotch yelled as his eyes teared up. "Oh, God, Dave, what do I do?" He asked as he grabbed Rossi's shoulders.

Rossi's eyes teared up, too, at the anguish on Hotch's face. "Do you need to go home? Do you want me to call Chuck?"

Hotch let Rossi go and shook his head. He turned away from him and Rossi could see his whole body shaking. "Jesus, Dave, there's nothing I can do. Something has happened to my wife and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it."

Rossi put his hand on Hotch's shoulder. "Let's get you to the hotel. Then I'll call Chuck." Hotch nodded and walked mechanically to the SUV. Rossi texted Morgan to let them know they were headed to the hotel.