Chapter 24
The unsub ran off and Emily fell to the ground. Having trouble getting up, being in so much pain, and Hotch being so close, she crawled to him.
"Aaron!", she screamed. She got to him and sat up next to him by his side, on her knees. "Aaron, Aaron. Look at me, okay? Look at me.", she said, frantically.
His eyes kept opening and closing. He winced and tried to breathe deep but let out a groan, in pain. She looked all over his body to see where he was hit. His vest had caught one of the bullets but he was bleeding from his shoulder, right by his chest and also by the bottom of his neck. The one by his neck was bleeding fast.
She looked all around for something to absorb it with but there was nothing.
She took her hand and cupped his neck, sliding her fingers underneath and holding her palm tight against the wound.
She pressed the wire on her vest and yelled into it, "I need a medic! Shots fired! Agent down!" She brought her free hand to his face and stroked it. "Hey, hey, hey. You're gonna be okay. Keep your eyes open. Look at me.", she said.
He tried hard but he couldn't keep his eyes open for very long. He couldn't speak at full volume but practically breathed, "Emily... you need to go get him."
"No, I'm staying right here with you. The rest of the team has him. Just stay awake, okay? Can you do that? No, Aaron, stop. Please. Aaron!", she said.
She looked down at her hand and noticed how much blood there was. She could barely stop any from coming out. Her mouth dropped and she felt tears streaming down her face instantly.
She stroked his hair and looked in his eyes. She tried to bring her tone down to a calming one.
"It's okay. Just hold on, the medic's coming.", she said. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"Em... are you okay?", he struggled to get out, looking at her and the blood dripping down her face from where she was hit.
She laughed with her voice still shaky, tears still running down her face. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Just please don't move, don't try and speak right now.", she said, looking straight in his eyes.
"I love you, Em.", he said.
"Nope. Stop it. You're not doing that.", she said. She pressed the wire again. "I need that medic now!", she said into it.
She looked back down at him and tried to smile. "I love you too, Aaron.", she said.
They were silent for a minute before she heard someone coming and she looked up to see two medics running up with a gurney and medical supplies.
"Thank god, you're here. Uh- he was- he was hit in the shoulder and the neck. I- I have my hand on it right now. He lost...", she looked down and gasped at the pool of blood on the ground. She began stuttering more. "He lost a lot of blood.", she said.
One of the medics bent down and put gauze on his neck in place of her hand as she pulled it away. They placed more on his shoulder and lifted him up on to the gurney. The other medic looked at her cut. "We need to get that stitched up.", he said.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. I'll just put some gauze on it. I'm riding with you.", she said, walking with them out of the building.
As they ran outside, JJ, Gideon, and Spencer ran up to them. "Oh my god, Emily, what happened?!", JJ said, looking at her and Hotch.
"JJ, it's fine, please, just tell me you caught the unsub.", Emily said.
"Yeah, Derek's heading back to the station with him. Which hospital are you going to!", she said fast and worried.
"I don't know, I'll text you the address, just go help with whatever!", Emily said.
JJ and the rest ran off in the opposite direction and Emily climbed in the back of the ambulance with the medic bringing Hotch in.
He and Emily sat on either side of Hotch's gurney. The shaky ambulance was unnerving for her as they drove. She heard the metal rattling on his gurney and on the glass behind her on the wall of the vehicle, containing other medical supplies.
The medic listened to his heart, checked his vitals, and hooked him up to machines for it. Emily held his hand and stroked his hair. "We're on our way to the hospital now, okay?", she said.
He tried to open his mouth to speak but his eyes rolled back and fluttered close as his heart on the monitor flatlined.
Her grip on his hand tightened. "Aaron!", she said.
The medics grabbed the AED and told her to move. Emily sat back with her hand covering her mouth, while she tried not to cry more but ultimately failed.
The medic shocked him three times before he was stabilized again.
"Alright, he's stabilized but still unconscious. We're almost at the hospital.", he said. She nodded her head, not able to speak, and leaned over to him. She held onto his arm and stroked his hair again until they got to hospital.
When they reached the ambulance bay, the nurses and doctors opened the back of the ambulance. They rolled Hotch out and helped Emily down and she started following them as they rushed him inside.
"We got a GSW to the neck, bleeding heavily, and a GSW to the left shoulder. He's an FBI agent...", the medic said.
A doctor looked at a nurse and said, "Go book O.R. 1, we're headed there now."
Emily kept following and a nurse stopped her once they got to the doors and pushed him through.
"I'm sorry, Agent. You can't go back there, they're taking him to surgery. I need to stitch up that cut on your head.", she said.
Emily choked back some tears. "No, I- I need to be with him. He-", Emily tried to get out. The nurse lead her over to a bed in the E.R. and sat her down.
"Please, just stay here. We're gonna clean that up for you. They're taking good care of him, okay?", she said.
Emily sat down as the nurse grabbed supplies to stitch up the cut on her face.
After a few minutes, while the nurse was doing her work on her, Emily tried to stay as still as possible. The nurse broke the silence. "He's more than just your co-worker, isn't he?", she asked.
"He's our Unit Chief. He's- he's our boss. Best one we've had.", she sniffled.
She finished up the stitches and took her gloves off and wiped the rest of the blood off her face. She set her hands in her lap and sighed, "I see enough people come through here to know whether it's just their boss or a loved one...", she said eyeing her.
Emily sat silent, not knowing what to say at first. She held her breath and asked, "Is he going to be okay?"
The nurse smiled softly at her. "They're doing everything they can. The GSW to the neck isn't good but... I've seen worse before and you've got some of the best team working on him.", she said.
She nodded and sniffled some more when Derek and JJ came in and rushed over to her. "Emily! God, what happened to your face?", Derek said. The nurse smiled at her and patted her leg as she stood up and walked away.
"I'm fine, guys, really.", she said.
"Emily, where's Hotch?", JJ asked.
She was still in a bit of shock and her voice was shaky. "He's uh- in surgery... right now. They just took him back about 20 minutes ago, so... I don't know what's happening.", she shook her head.
"Alright, we're all in the waiting room, are you done here?", Derek asked.
"Yeah, I'm good to go.", she said.
They got up and walked to the waiting room and met Spencer and Gideon there. JJ and Derek sat on each side of Emily. She was shaking her leg up and down, anxious, waiting to hear an update.
After a few hours, Gideon and Spencer got a phone call and had to go back to the station, leaving Emily, JJ, and Derek at the hospital. They waited another couple hours until a doctor finally came out with an update. Emily shot up right away.
"He's lost a lot of blood but we were able to repair the damage. He's going to be alright but it'll be a couple months till he's cleared to go out into the field.", he said.
"Can we see him?", JJ asked.
"They just brought him to his room, I'll take you there now. He's still hasn't woken up from the anesthesia yet but he should be any minute.", he said, walking them to his room.
They reached his door and they all walked inside. Emily stood against the wall, wanting so badly to go right up to him. JJ and Derek sat down in chairs next to each other off to the side.
JJ looked up at Emily and asked, "What happened back at the warehouse?"
"The unsub hit me and then pointed the gun at me, Hotch tried to talk him down to let me go but he shot at him fast and got away. Or at least till you guys got him.", Emily said.
"You sure your head is alright?", Derek looked at her with sad eyes.
"Yeah. I'm sure.", she said with a slight smile, trying to reassure him. She could tell he wanted to hug her but JJ was there so he kept his hands to himself.
Emily finally sat down and within a few minutes, she heard Hotch waking up.
Derek and JJ got up and went over to him.
"What happened?", he whispered, eyes still closed.
"You're in the hospital. Unsub got you, but you're gonna be fine, Hotch, alright?", Derek said.
"Where's Emily?", he asked.
"Um- she's right-", JJ started.
"I'm right here, Hotch.", Emily said standing up but not stepping too close to him.
"Are you alright?", he asked.
"He got a good hit in, but they stitched me up. I'll be fine.", she said.
He gulped, struggling for air after and said, "I need you guys to go back to the station, finish up your work. I'll be fine here.", Hotch said.
"You sure, man?", Derek asked.
"Yes. Please, just go do your job.", he said.
"Alright. We're glad you're okay...", JJ said.
They started walking out and Emily looked back at Hotch, wanting to stay.
Once they were out in the hallway, Emily's head started to hurt. She stopped and put her hand to it.
"Emily, you alright?", Derek asked.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll meet you guys back there. I think I'm gonna have them check the stitches out again or get something for the pain. I'll keep Hotch company after. Seriously, you guys go ahead. I'll see you later.", she said.
"Okay... call us if you need anything?", JJ asked.
"Yeah, will do. I'll call you with any updates too.", she said.
They walked out and Emily walked back into the E.R. She started to feel dizzy as she walked to the front. The nurse who did her stitches, came over to her.
"Agent? Are you alright?", she asked.
She looked around and stumbled to the ground, passing out.
Emily woke up in a hospital bed in the E.R., still wearing her clothes, with an I.V. in her arm. She sat up a bit and the nurse came over to her.
"Looks like someone had a pretty good mix of dehydration, shock, and needed a bit of food. Here you go.", she said, hanging Emily some saltines. She took them and ate a few.
"How long was I out?", she asked.
"Oh, about 20 minutes. Probably should've rested a bit longer before you got up earlier.", she said.
"Well, am I good now?", she asked.
"Just a few more minutes. Finish those up and once the bag is done, you're free to go.", she smiled.
"Thanks...", Emily said. Once the I.V. bag was empty and she finished her crackers, the nurse came back and took it out.
"Feel better, hun. Take it easy the next few days, okay?", she said.
"Thank you.", Emily smiled.
Emily walked back to Hotch's room and stepped inside slowly. She could tell he was asleep so she quietly pulled up a chair to his side. She rested her arms on the edge of the bed, watching him and eventually laid her head down.
She almost fell asleep but felt a rough hand on her arm. She looked up and Hotch's eyes had opened; he was looking down at her. She sat up and took his hand in hers.
"You're awake.", she said.
His voice was raspy and quiet. He had a bandage on his neck and one under his gown on his shoulder. He closed his eyes and gulped again. "Yeah... I'm still here.", he said. "Did he do that to you?", he looked at her forehead.
"Yeah, but I'm fine. I already told you. You, on the other hand...", she said.
"I'll be fine...", he told her. She bit her lip and looked down; she felt tears stinging in her eyes. "Em...", he said. The tears trailed down her face when she looked back up at him.
"Don't do that again. Don't scare me like that. Do you know how scared I was when you coded in the ambulance? And when you bled out in my hands. You can't do that again.", she said.
"Who was it that once told me, it's part of the job?", he asked, trying to laugh but wincing in pain after.
"This isn't funny, Aaron. I really didn't know if you were going to be okay... Watching him shoot you like that and I wasn't able to stop him...", she said, shaking her head, looking down.
"I'm sorry... please don't cry.", he said, gulping again. She reached over for a cup of water on his table and stood up to bring the straw to his mouth. She set it down and ran her hand over his hair, down his head as she sat back down.
"How long are you in here for?", she asked.
"Only a few days. The doctor said 3-4 but I have to take it easy for the next couple months.", he said, rolling his eyes.
"As you should.", she told him.
He grabbed her hand again and kissed it, laying it on his chest. She could feel his heart beating. "Do you feel that? I'm still alive. You kept me from bleeding out, you called the medics, you helped save me, okay? I'm still here. You can't get rid of me that easily.", he said, raising an eyebrow at her.
This time, she laughed a bit, letting another tear fall down her face. He wiped it off and stared in her eyes.
"I'm glad you're okay.", he said, smiling.
She leaned up to kiss him. When she pulled back, she smiled and looked him deep in the eyes, stroking his face and running her fingers through his hair.
"Shouldn't you be with the team back at the station?", he asked.
"They already caught the unsub. It's all just paperwork now.", she said. "I'm fine right here.", she smiled.
"I love you, Emily Prentiss.", he said.
"I know...", she sniffled. "I love you too."