"Clear!" Aaron heard Derek shout from the room beside him, and Aaron continued to look around with his gun held out protectively in front of him, making sure that he remained alert and prepared for the worse. The UnSub, William Reid was nowhere to be seen, but they were hoping that it wouldn't be the same for his latest victim; Angela Thompson. Aaron had been getting ready to shout 'clear' for William's room, but a slight noise from inside of it stopped him. He paused and held his breath as he listened, preparing for the UnSub to jump out at him. Instead, he was met with a light thumping that resounded from somewhere in the room.
He raised his gun in slight apprehension as another light thump rang throughout the room, and Aaron looked around to see where it could be coming from. He slowly lowered the weapon as he narrowed the location to a small chest in the corner of the room beside the bed, and he quickly rushed over, knowing that the chance of it being Angela was likely and inwardly berating himself for being so careless. They knew that William liked to keep his victims in small, dark places, and with Angela's petite stature, it wouldn't be impossible for her to be inside the chest (although a bit hard to do considering how small it was).
"Guys! I think I've got something in here!" He shouted to alert his team members before he looked for a way to open the chest, whilst the thumping became more and more frantic, proving his theory about someone being inside. He inwardly cursed to himself when he saw the lock keeping the chest tightly closed, although when he hastily looked around for a key (not thinking he was going to find one but searching just in case) he discovered that there were two of them on the nightstand by the bed, as if they had been thrown there carelessly or as a last minute decision.
Aaron didn't bother to care about why they were there though and simply snatched the keys from the table, taking the larger one first and attempting to maneuver it inside the lock. After a few brief moments of fumbling with it, Aaron realized that it wasn't going to work, so he grabbed the smaller key and jammed it into the lock, panic spreading through him as he realized that Angela probably had a limited amount of oxygen inside the chest.
Not even a minute had passed before the lock clicked, and he yanked it off before throwing the lid open, immediately being shocked by what he saw. Inside was a boy who couldn't be any older than four or five years old. His hands were bound tightly in front of him with rope, and a thick, metal collar was tightly secured around his thin neck. The young boy was also covered in blood and most likely urine from the putrid smell of it. Aaron hurried to get the boy out of the cramped space and he quickly reached his arms out in order to pick him up and get him out. That was Aaron's mistake, as the boy's eyes immediately widened, and he began shaking his head as he feebly attempted to push Aaron away.
"I'm sorry, I'll be good. I'll be good I promise! Please don't hurt me! I'm sorry- I'm sor-" the boy cut himself off with his own sobs as he attempted to press himself further into the box as if trying to make himself disappear, and Aaron felt his face fall at the brokenness of the small boy. No one should have to go through such a trauma, especially not a child.
"Hey, hey, hey. There's no need to be afraid, I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help you." Aaron said in a soft and soothing voice that was usually reserved for his own son, Jack. The boy looked up at that, although he quickly averted eye contact, as though he had been reminded of something.
"Help me? Are- are you going to take me away from here? The nice ladies th- that came here said that people were coming for them, but I couldn't believe them because no one has ever come for me." The boy whispered out, his voice so quiet that Aaron had to strain to hear him. Aaron couldn't help but question how long the boy had been here, as a male child didn't fit William's victimology in the slightest. His victims were petite, blonde women from the ages of twenty-three and thirty-five. There had been nothing about him that hinted that he liked kids, so it really came as a shock that there was one so terribly abused in his home, and his room no less.
"Well, we're here now. And we're going to take you to a place called a hospital so that you can get looked at and the doctors can help you. I'm here to protect you. No harm will come to you so long as I'm around." Aaron said, trying to keep his voice gentle as a ruckus was raised in the house, meaning that they must've found William. "Can I take the collar off your neck?" Aaron asked, holding the key up to show the boy. The child paled considerably and a look of sheer terror took over his face. He then tried to scramble away again, mumbling something under his breath that sounded like 'no' and 'I'm sorry'. "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to get it off so that we can get you out of here, okay?" Aaron said, keeping his voice gentle despite the fact that the noise was getting louder and would most be coming into the room soon.
It took a few moments, but the boy eventually stopped trying to get away, and Aaron took that as his cue to continue. He quickly inserted the key into the lock and began fumbling with it to try and get the collar off as quickly as he could. As soon as it was off he threw the offending object away from the boy and watched as it skidded across the room, inwardly scoffing and detesting the fact that someone was so evil as to actually put a collar on a child, as though they were a dog and not a human. "Can I help you out of the box now?" Aaron asked, keeping his hands out to show the child that there was nothing in them, purposely keeping his movements slow in fear of upsetting the boy.
It didn't take as long for the young child to nod his head, and Aaron made sure that he moved slowly and carefully as he placed his hands underneath the boy's arms and lifted him out the box. Unsurprisingly, the boy was small and light, and Aaron didn't care that his clothes were probably being stained by blood and the other offending liquids that coated the child in a thick layer. The boy immediately wrapped his arms and legs around Aaron, his head buried in the crook of Aaron's neck.
Aaron considered it a big improvement, considering the fact that he hadn't expected the boy to allow himself to be touched at all and now Aaron was carrying him out the room without a single cry or struggle. "So buddy, what's your name?" Aaron asked as he grabbed a blanket from off the messy floor, wrapping it around the child to cover his bare form and provide him some sort of protection from the chill air outside.
"I'm Spencer… Spencer Reid." The child mumbled out quietly, and Aaron almost froze at that name. Was this kid really related to the UnSub? He tried not to let it show that it phased him much as he left the room, moving downstairs as Morgan dragged out a very unwilling William, the man shouting profanities as he was forced out the house and into a police car.
Spencer tensed at the sound of William's voice, and Aaron fingered his hands through Spencer's hair and whispered soothing nothings to him in an attempt to calm him as paramedics rushed over to the two of them. They attempted to take Spencer from Aaron's arms, and Aaron was more than willing to let him go so that he could receive medical treatment, but as soon as the paramedics came within arm's reach Spencer tightened his grasp and refused to budge, burying his face farther in the crook of Aaron's neck. The female paramedic offered Aaron a slight smile before retracting her hands, the man next to her doing the same a few moments later as he caught on to their slight predicament.
"Agent Hotchner, can you please follow us to the ambulance? We need to check his injuries and make sure there's nothing life-threatening." The female paramedic said and Aaron nodded before he was lead outside and to the ambulance, Aaron doing his best to shield Spencer from the police car that he knew the boy's relative was inside of, as he was trying to keep the young child from seeing his abuser any more. He said he was going to protect Spencer, and he meant that. As long as he was around he was going to do his best to ensure that the boy was kept safe and that William was far, far away from him.
As soon as they were sitting down the paramedics began looking over at the boy, and Aaron situated Spencer on his lap to allow them easier access. "So Spencer, how long have you been trapped inside there?" Aaron asked as he attempted to keep Spencer distracted while the paramedics did their required poking and prodding, and from the grim looks on their faces, he didn't like what they were discovering.
Spencer appeared to be pondering over the question for a moment, and he didn't even seem to be registering the paramedics or what they were doing to him. "The house? I've been there all my life." Spencer said as he glanced towards the house, and from the outside, it appeared as though it were perfect (although it's interior and the people inside it quickly ruined it's "perfection"). Spencer then pulled away from the paramedics and curled more into Aaron, as though he were seeking comfort or something of the sort. "I miss my mom." He murmured quietly, turning back around in Aaron's lap and burying his face in Aaron's neck once more. Before Aaron could wonder what happened to his mother and where she was, the paramedics both looked to him, immediately grabbing his attention.
"We need to get him to the hospital. He's got several broken bones, he's severely dehydrated, and from the look of some of these bruises there may be some internal bleeding. Ethan get the gurney." The female paramedic said, and at this Spencer tensed, and Aaron instinctively began rubbing his hand up and down the boy's back in soothing circles, though he didn't know what had frightened the boy since he doubted that he understand what was happening around him.
"It's okay Spencer, you're just going to lie down for them so that they can get you to the hospital. They won't hurt you, I promise." Aaron said as the gurney came over, and Aaron stood and went to help the boy onto the gurney, although when Aaron went to put him down, Spencer immediately wrapped his limbs tightly around Aaron and refused to let him go. "Come on buddy, you have to let me go. They need to transport you to the hospital, and they can't do that if you're holding onto me. I'll be with you the entire time, I'm not going anywhere." Aaron said, and Spencer tightened his hold before rapidly shaking his head, a whimper falling from his lips.
Eventually, Aaron gave an exasperated look towards the paramedics, and they glanced at each other before both sighing softly. "Please just lie down on the gurney too Agent Hotchner. We'll just have to strap both of you." The woman said and Aaron nodded, being strapped to the gurney just moments later.
As they were rolled into the ambulance, Spencer began to panic. His entire body tensed and Aaron noticed that his breathing began to speed up as they started driving, the loud sirens surrounding them, although the paramedics paid no mind as they began to hook him up to an I.V. The needle as well as the loud noise must've been a trigger for Spencer, as he began thrashing around wildly and screaming something, although Aaron was unable to make it out.
Aaron tried to speak soothing words to Spencer in order to calm him down, but his words fell on deaf ears as Spencer began trying to rip the I.V out of his skin, causing the paramedics to spring into action. They immediately began filling a needle with clear liquid (a sedative Aaron knew) and injected it into the boy's I.V drip. Aaron watched as Spencer began to stop thrashing, his screams dying in his throat as he struggled to fight for consciousness, although not even a minute had passed before he was out, as though he had never been awake in the first place. Aaron sighed in relief and finally asked himself the question that had been weighing on his mind since he had found Spencer. Where was Angela?
…
"Aaron Hotchner?" Aaron looked up from where he sat in the waiting room of the hospital, standing up as the doctor approached him. Whilst Spencer was in the hospital he had received a report from Derek and David. They had found Angela and had made it just in the nick of time as well. She was in the hospital as well and since none of her injuries were life-threatening or needed surgery, she was being released later on in the day. He had also received a change of clothes and his bloodstained ones were in a plastic bag that the hospital had given to him.
The rest of the team was down by the station packing their things up before they headed back to the hotel, but Aaron figured that Spencer would need someone to be there when he woke up, so he decided to be that someone. "How is he doctor?" Aaron asked once the doctor came close enough, and the doctor held a grim expression on his face that made Aaron hold his breath in silent anticipation.
"He's in bad condition, but he'll make a full recovery. He's suffered from severe dehydration, a bone fracture in his left foot, two fractured and one completely broken rib, malnutrition, and severe bruising. There's also some signs of sexual abuse, as there were several bite marks covering him, as well as anal tearing and semen on and inside of him. We're currently running a DNA test on both the bite marks and the semen and we should receive hits on them by tonight. He's sleeping for now and should be for a few more hours, but you're more than welcome to visit him at this time." The doctor said before walking off to talk to the other people in the waiting room, and Aaron was left in shock. He had seen some grim things working in the FBI, but he still couldn't fathom how someone could do this to a child. He could feel the disgust churning in his stomach, although he quickly suppressed it and began heading back to Spencer's room.
He pulled out his phone and called David, wanting to update the team on the current situation. "Rossi." He heard the older male answer, and he sounded preoccupied with something.
"Rossi, the kid's just gotten out of surgery, although he'll still be sleeping for a while longer. I'm going to stay here until he wakes up and see if he's up to answer some questions." He said, and he head Rossi make a noise of confirmation. "Where are you guys?" Aaron asked a moment later, needing to know the whereabouts of his team.
"Prentiss and I are heading back to the hotel and packing up. Morgan and JJ are heading your way with some food." Rossi said, and they briefly discussed their plans for a few more minutes before Aaron hung up. He ran a hand through his hair as he pocketed his phone, feeling exhausted by the events that had transpired over the last few hours.
As he entered the room, his eyes immediately landed on the small form dwarfed by the hospital bed. He pulled up a chair and sat beside the boy, looking over him with a grim expression. The nurses had cleaned him up and he was wearing the hospital gown that all patients were. Aaron was able to see his pale white skin and brown hair, not having been able to tell the color of either because of how dirty he had been. His soft brown hair curled in tufts around his face, and he was so still that Aaron would've thought the child was comatose, or even worse dead if he didn't know any better.
He didn't know how long he just sat like looking at Spencer, but it only felt like a few minutes had passed before the door to the room opened, revealing Derek and JJ. With them, they carried Chinese take-out, and as the smell wafted into the room Aaron's stomach growled, causing him to realize just how hungry he was. "Thank you," Aaron said as the box of lo mein was handed to him, and he immediately opened it and began to eat it.
He watched as JJ looked over at the injured, sleeping boy, and her face fell for a few moments as she looked him over. He knew that seeing Spencer probably reminded him of Henry since the two appeared to be about the same age. "What are his injuries?" She asked after a few moments of tense silence, and Aaron looked up at her with a look in his eye that said 'do you really want to know?'. After a few moments and seeing how determined she was he sighed softly, lowering the box of take-out in his lap.
"He's got a couple of broken ribs, he's dehydrated and suffers from malnutrition, his left foot is broken, there's severe bruising, and there are signs of sexual abuse." Aaron said, and he watched as JJ's face fell some more. Morgan cleared his throat lightly, as though trying to cut through the tense silence in the room.
"I'll never be able to understand how people can do this to a child." JJ said, and Aaron nodded his head in agreement, although he didn't say anything, but he also knew that he didn't have to.
While Aaron had been waiting on Spencer to come out of surgery, Garcia had found out everything that he could about the child. There was nothing on him besides his birth certificate and one trip to the hospital three years after he was born. He was the son of William Reid and Diana Lynch, and according to his birth certificate, he was already eight years old and turning nine in just a few short months.
Aaron couldn't believe it at first considering the fact that Spencer was the same size as Henry, who was half of Spencer's age. Besides that birth certificate and that trip to the hospital when he was three, there was no record of Spencer Reid. No pictures, no school record, nothing. It was baffling how there was almost no record of him, but Aaron wasn't surprised for very long once he remembered the condition he found the child in.
He wanted to murder William for what he had done. The fact that he did such despicable things, to his son nonetheless. It made Aaron burn with anger, but he knew that he had to contain himself, and the fact that he knew William was going to get punishment for his actions helped him to as well.
"Does he have any family to go to?" Morgan asked after a few moments, and Aaron glanced behind him and towards the door, where Morgan had remained standing beside, as though he were protecting the kid (and Aaron didn't blame him either). Aaron sighed once more and shook his head.
"There no-one. As far as the records show, Diana and that scum were his only family. Once he's released from the hospital, he'll probably become a victim to the foster system. God knows that they eat children like him alive." Aaron spoke grimly, not liking that fact that Spencer's future wasn't looking any brighter, despite having finally gotten away from his abuser. It pulled at Aaron's heartstrings to think of, and Aaron wondered how he could help the child, or if he could even help the child.
"Are you sure that there's nothing else that we can do for him?" JJ asked her gaze having not left the boy in the entire time she had been in the room.
"As of right now, we can't do anything besides making sure he makes a full recovery. And being there for him when he wakes up." Aaron said, and JJ nodded sadly before moving her bangs behind her ear and folding her arms over her chest.
"It's hard to accept that this kid's been through so much and there's nothing that we can do to help him, but it's the harsh reality and there's nothing that we can do to change that." Morgan said, and despite knowing it was the truth, Aaron didn't like hearing it. It just made things all the more real.
Aaron saw that JJ appeared to be getting ready to say something, although they all stopped once Spencer began to stir awake.