Chapter 20: Ruse

Emily had a very enlightening talk with Kurt about what he was asked to do and why he, ultimately, chose to do it. She learned a lot of the same things Clyde did, but because she didn't let her anger get the best of her, she was able to learn a little more. She got him to go deeper, and, honestly, she wished he didn't. Now she felt sorry for him. Before, she was a little indifferent, angry, but understanding, and now she knew just how bad he was played, and she didn't like it. He was an idiot, and he chose to be in denial, but he was still being played.

The point was that he was in for whatever she wanted. That was what had to matter. He would end up being important to the plan, though his presence might have accelerated the timeline. In the meantime, she returned to Nate and spent the day with him and James at the hospital.

Hours passed by, nurses and doctors came in to check on James every hour like clockwork. Around lunch time, Emily asked Clyde and Kurt to take Nate to get some food.

"You don't want anything?" Clyde asked Emily.

"No thanks."

He was going to bring her something anyway, but she was happy that he just did what she asked, and Nate didn't fight her on it. Once they were gone, Emily sought out the doctor. She got reports over the phone, but she needed to be able to read his face while he told her. Then she would know the truth.

Dr. Malkin was staying for a few days to come up with a plan with the new medical staff and watch over James during the transition, but they never saw each other in person. Now, she wanted a meeting with the whole medical team to get a better read on the situation. She wanted to know if James had a true chance of recovery.

She requested that they all get together. They had time that day, so that was why she sent Nate off. With him gone, she went looking for Dr. Durant's office. He was the neurologist taking over the case. She knocked and was given a verbal ok to enter. The other doctors were present already and introduced themselves.

They took a moment to get acquainted so Emily could understand their roles, but then Emily got right to the point and asked, "So, what's the prognosis here? I've heard relayed messages, but circumstances prevented me from communicating with the doctors in London."

"We ran a new set of scans and looked over the ones we were sent from London," Dr. Durant explained. "The initial trauma, beyond the obvious injuries, resulted in brain swelling. A shunt was placed to reduce some of the pressure after it was clear time would not resolve the problem. I'm afraid it looks like the damage was done."

"Brain damage?" Emily asked.

"Yes," Durant answered, showing her an image on his tablet. "This was the most recent MRI. The spots here," he pointed out certain parts of the brain that were dark., "are signs of damage. Now, we won't know the extent of the damage until or unless he wakes up."

"Unless? Does that mean he might not?"

Another one of the doctors sighed, "We don't like to give a definitive answer on that. He's not brain dead, but there is damage. We are starting to remove all sedative drugs from his system and then take it from there."

Emily sadly nodded. "The damage, it's permanent?"

"That's likely. Depending on the physical effects, if any, it may just mean some physical and occupational therapy for a while to adjust."

"Or?"

"Or we may be looking at a complete change in lifestyle. We just can't know for sure."

"But you can make an educated guess," Emily said. "That's what I need you to do. I'm taking care of his son, his partner is dead, and we have lives that we need to navigate. I need to know what I may be looking at. So, I need you to tell me, to the best of your knowledge, how bad you think this is."

"It's certainly not good. I would say, at the very least, he'll be looking at a long rehabilitation, potentially the need for long term care. That's not to say we can't be wrong. Really, it's dependent on how soon he wakes up and what steps we take from here on out."

"There are experimental treatments and other options we can discuss in time, but right now, what we would like to focus on is getting him out of this medically induced coma and testing his more lucid reactions. /only then can we have a more concrete picture of the situation."

Emily was disheartened by all she was hearing but wasn't going to let it deter her grasp on hope. "When can we begin that? Reducing the medication?"

"The medications were upped for the travel and several other precautionary medications were given to prevent possible complications during flight, but now that he's here and settled, those have been removed. We'll start to wean him off and, hopefully, have it all out of his system over the next few days."

"And then he'll wake up?" Her voice betrayed her. It sounded like a naïve child.

"Then there will be nothing preventing him from waking up on his own," Malkin answered, purposely choosing his words.

"Emily, I know it's hard to process everything now, but we're going to do all we can to get him through this," the doctor assured her.

Emily nodded. The team of doctors explained how the next few days would play out and told her that they understood the circumstances of James' injuries and the fake name they would be using for him. They had her sign papers for James' care and told her they would continue to monitor him closely while they reduce the drugs and hoped to remove the breathing tube soon after that.

Emily thanked them for their candor and for talking with her before getting ready to go. She needed to get back to Nate and the promise that they'd keep her updated was enough for now. As she stepped out of the room, a voice called to her.

"It was nice meeting you in person, Emily," he said.

Emily looked to the man. "You too, Dr. Malkin. Will you be staying here for a while?"

"I'm afraid I will only be here until tomorrow. However, I will leave my contact information for you and the staff to get in touch and I will be checking on progress. The staff here is very capable, and I believe your friend is in excellent hands."

"Thank you." Emily shook his hand. "If I don't see you again, have a safe trip."

They, too, parted ways and Emily went back to James. Nate, Clyde, and Kurt returned shortly after.

"Did he wake up yet?" was Nate's first question.

"No. Sorry Nate. We have to give him time, ok?"

"Alright," he sighed and reclaimed the spot on the recliner.

Emily found a seat as well. Her leg was aching and her body felt sore. That and the stress, it was a lot. She rubbed her leg, an action that didn't go unnoticed by her friend.

"You ok?"

"Fine," she weakly said. He didn't buy it.

"Eat. I brought you something light."

"Thanks Clyde. I'm not hungry, though."

"Eat it anyway."

She picked at the food as she stared at Nate interacting with James. She knew that, should James die, Nate would be inconsolable. The pain from losing one father was hard enough, but both in such a short span of time would be a tremendous blow. That was precisely why she was going to do whatever she had to in order to end the mess they were in, get out of hiding, and put all her effort into helping James and Nate.

But, now, she had to take care of herself and Nate. They had a long day and, even if he didn't say it, Emily could see that he was tired. Though, he wasn't making it easy to go. Clyde already left with Kurt after telling Emily what he planned to set up with him. Emily told him he could handle it, that she trusted him. She had enough to handle, so she was delegating. After they left, Emily remained with Nate for another hour or so, but she felt like she was running on empty, but when it came time to leave, Nate was not a happy camper.

"Nate, visiting hours are over. We really have to go."

"I don't want to," he made clear. "I won't leave him."

"Please, Nate. I don't want to leave him either, but he won't be alone. The nurses and doctors are always checking in on him."

"I want to stay," he firmly demanded.

"We can't. They won't let us stay in the room, and we need to get home to take our medicine. We can't stay here, but we will be back."

"Tomorrow?"

"Possibly." Though, the constant trips to the hospital wouldn't be great for their cover. "We'll have to see."

"I don't know if I can go. He might miss me too much, like he misses Dad."

"It's ok to miss them both, Nate," Emily told him, a sad half-smile on her face as she brushed her hand on his cheek. "Even though your dad is right there, he can't respond like he normally would, so it's different. It's ok to miss that. I miss it."

"I want him to talk to me."

"Me too. The doctors are doing everything they can. Right now, he has a lot of medicine in him that makes him sleep. They're going to slowly take it out."

"And then he can talk with me and play?"

"That's what we're hoping."

"Can we stay for just a few more minutes?"

"Just a few," Emily said, unable to resist his sad, pleading face. "But then we really need to leave."

He lugubriously nodded and leaned into Emily as he held his father's hand for just a few more minutes. Then, as promised, he didn't fight her about leaving. He slipped his hat back on and walked beside her as she leaned heavily on her crutches. It felt like a long trip and Nate was even more depressed than he was before, if possible.

No matter what she said to him, it wasn't enough. And that night, when he was supposed to be in bed, Emily found him in the tent staring out of the window.

"Nate?" Emily groggily asked.

She was woken up from her sleep when she heard something downstairs, grabbed the gun and everything as she headed to check it out. When she saw it was Nate, her heartrate slowed, and she immediately hid the gun. There would be no accidents, she told herself.

"What are you doing down here?"

Nate pulled his gaze from the window and looked at her. "You said if I ever wanted to feel close to my dads, I could come in here. I miss them. I want to feel super close like we used to be."

Sad, Emily got in next to him.

"Tell me a story, Nate."

"About what?" he asked.

"Tell me more of your favorite stories about your dad Vince."

"He's afraid of rollercoasters. Did you know that?"

"I didn't," Emily told him.

"We went to the fun park once. I don't know the name. We played lots of games. Dad was good at the games. 'specially the shooting ones. He won me a big stuffed shark. Daddy wasn't so good at them. We went on the kid rides because I was too small for the big ones. Dad freaked out even on the rollercoaster for kids. He was screaming and holding my hand the whole time. It was funny."

"Do you like rollercoasters?"

"Mmhmm. They're scary but fun."

"They are," she agreed. "You know, the memories that you have will help your dad live forever because he lives through you. Maybe that doesn't make sense now, but what I'm saying is that we can talk about your dads any time you want, and I would be happy to listen. Maybe I'll even share a few more stories of my own."

Emily could hear Nate's hitching breath. He was trying not to cry. She pulled him into her side and wrapped her arm around him.

"It's ok," she assured him. "You can cry, you can be angry, you can feel whatever you need to."

They stayed like that, Emily telling Nate a story until he calmed, and she could see that he was past ready for sleep. She managed to escort him up to his room and tuck him in, watching him as he settled in. She could see that he was dreaming, tossing and turning, though in a deep sleep. She didn't know whether to wake him or just let him be. Whatever he was dreaming about was bothering him, but she wasn't sure if waking him up would make it worse or better.

Instead of waking him, she opted to sit beside him on the bed, holding his sleeping form. He released a sleepy sigh and cuddled into her as she sank into the bed with him. That seemed to do the trick. As he held on to her, he didn't wrestle with the blanket or flop about. There were no more murmurs, just quiet sleep.

"Everything's going to be ok," she told the sleeping boy, but it was an affirmation for herself as well. She had to believe things would work out.

The next few days were rough for everyone. As Emily spent time going back and forth to the hospital with Nate, trying to keep on top of James' medical care, Nate's wellbeing, and being hypervigilant while doing all of that, the team was working in between cases to make Emily's plan work.

"Have we gotten any updates on James?" JJ asked Hotch. Everyone wanted to talk with Emily, but it seemed that Clyde and Hotch were playing middleman. Any questions seemed to be directed to them.

"They took him off the breathing tube and he's no longer sedated, but he hasn't woken up yet."

"Maybe he just needs time."

"Maybe."

"How's Emily? And Nate?" Penelope asked.

"Nate's having a rough time. I think Emily is as well," Clyde answered. He didn't want to mention that he also believed there was something she was keeping from all of them, but had no clue what.

"I guess that's to be expected."

"She's not calling us," Spencer pointed out.

"No. She's been kept very busy." Clyde sighed. "I think that, should our plan work, it needs to happen now. Word around the office is that Kurt is missing. Francine is trying to spin it, so it appears he is the bad guy. My trusted men are working on controlling the issue, but we need her in play for the plan to work. She's looking for him."

"It's time."

"It is."

"Kurt is key," Hotch said.

"We can have him call Lillard, tell her that we took him to the states against his will."

"No," Clyde said. "She would rather us kill him than stick her neck out to save him. By now, they know that the hospital transfer to New York was a ruse and are regathering. They don't know, however, that Kurt is here. He should call Francine and tell her that he was spooked, so he ran and hid, but found something she might be interested in."

"I can reroute the call to like he's still in London," Penelope offered.

"Definitely do that," Hotch said.

"Where is Kurt now?" Spencer questioned.

"My place," Dave responded. "He hasn't left the house. We have him on lockdown."

"How do we know he doesn't leave when you're not around?" JJ asked.

"Oh, trust me, he's terrified of Clyde," Dave said, laughing. "He's not going anywhere."

"Alright, so we have him call Francine, tell her he found Emily and Nate. We'll set up a dummy in one of the hospital rooms. That will draw them in, they'll want Nate and Emily out of the way, so they'll come. When they do, we take whoever we can, alive if possible."

"Chances are that Bardolino himself won't show."

"No, probably not, but hopefully one of the goons that do show will talk."

They continued to go over the details. Assuming everything went to plan, they would get Francine to contact Bardolino, either directly or through the Scarlatti family. She was being watched very carefully by some of Clyde's finest undercovers and would continue to be surveilled. They were working on bugging her phone and getting tracking on it if possible. They already had her apartment tapped. The feed didn't give them too much, but it would help later when they wanted to disrupt the whole enterprise.

The goal for this leg of their "case" was simply to take down Bardolino, get Emily and Nate out of danger, and then deal with the rest. All that was left before things really happened was to inform Emily and get Kurt to make the call.

Penelope was setting up the phone and everyone was gathering what they needed. Because the case was both international and carrying over among multiple states, Hotch worked it out with his superiors and Interpol to make it an official case. They were talking with Boston police as well as the organized crime division of the FBI, and Clyde was heading up the Interpol portion, though they were keeping it all as low key as possible.

Maneuvering all of that was difficult, but it allowed them to focus their energy on getting the job done and helping their friend, no other cases as distraction. It was what they needed, now more than ever. There was no time for other things if they wanted to pull this off.

Hotch took command of the situation. He and Dave worked with the hospital to set up a decoy room. James was in the ICU under a fake name, and he would remain safe away from it all, but one of them would be acting as James, lying in the bed to trap the bad guys. The logistics were set, now it was time to act.

The group decided to congregate at Dave's house outside of working hours to continue their work. After contacting Emily and letting her know that things were green lighted, they pulled Kurt into things and told him the phone was set and gave him a script to follow.

They quietly sat around him as he called Francine.

"Frannie, it's Kurt."

"Kurt, where the bloody hell are you?"

"I was spooked. Someone tried to attack me. I think it was Clyde."

"Easter?"

"Yes. He said I was a mole and I'd pay for it if he could prove it. I… I didn't know what to do. He said I was responsible for a lot of horrible things. What do I do?"

She hesitated. "Why don't you tell me where you are? I can help you?"

"No… No, I don't want to drag you into this."

"Then why did you ring, Kurt?"

"Because I love you, doll. I wanted to speak with you."

"Is that it?"

"No," he dejectedly answered. He was still hoping that his new American handlers were wrong about her. Now he was disappointed and motivated to do what they wanted. "Clyde mentioned Emily… And I did more looking just like you wanted. I got a location for the people you asked."

"Emily, Nathaniel, and James?"

"Yes."

"Where?" she eagerly asked. Hook, line, sinker.

"Emily and the boy were caught on a security camera in Washington, DC. At a hospital there."

"Which one?"

He gave her the name. "I checked records as best I could. There were reports from the London hospital of a transfer that was received there about a week ago. I can give you all the information if you wish."

"Tell me."

So, he did. He told her everything she wanted, and she was feeding right into their plans. Kurt did exactly as they asked. He even played the innocent, asking what she planned to do, why she was really looking for Emily, and what she wanted with that family.

"Mind your business Kurt."

"When will I see you?" No answer. "Francie?" He looked to the team. "She hung up."

They wanted to comfort him because he looked like he could use it, but they also felt some anger toward him. He wasn't the enemy, but he was associated with it, so they couldn't embrace him fully.

"Ok, Garcia. Make sure you're tapped into all airport security, private airstrips too if you can," Hotch instructed.

"They'll be vigilant. I don't think they'll use public transportation, and, if they do, they will be under new aliases," Dave said.

"I can contact Boston officers again," JJ offered. "Tell them to keep an eye out for them, but don't approach. We want them to come to us, to be on our turf so that they don't know we're on to them until it's too late."

"Do it," Hotch ordered. "I'm going to call Jessica and let her know that she needs to keep Jack for the night, and then I'm going to call Emily. I suggest you all try to rest. The next few days we're going to be on watch. We are doing everything we can to prepare, but we don't know when they'll strike."

"Night would be my guess," Spencer said. "They'd probably look for some verification and then strike as soon as possible. A flight from Boston to DC is about one hour and thirty minutes. They could get here as soon as tonight."

"All the more reason to just relax now. We have at least a few hours. Let's eat and relax."

"Go make your call," Derek said. "We'll work out a look out schedule and coordinate with a tac-team."

Hotch nodded and walked into a different room. He made a quick call to Jessica and talked with Jack. Of course, his son was curious, asking if he had another case. Hotch told him that he did, he needed to help Nate and his father, Emily too.

"Then I won't be upset that you're gone. I'll be good for Aunt Jessica," Jack said. "Tell Nate and Emily I said hi and that we should play again."

"You're a great kid, Jack."

"I know. You're lucky," he sassed. "Love you Dad."

"Love you, Jack. Talk soon."

"Get the bad guy Dad and be safe."

"I will,"

Hotch hung up and then immediately switched phones to call Emily.

"Everything is set, Emily."

"The decoy?"

"One of us will be in the bed waiting and another will be hidden in the room's bathroom. We're going to take turns watching the entrance and one of us will be near the door."

"I should be there," Emily insisted.

"You shouldn't be anywhere near this, Emily."

"I need to help. I need to be a part of this."

"You need to stay right where you are and keep yourself and Nate safe."

"Hotch…"

"No, Emily. This isn't Doyle. You're not going off half-cocked and getting yourself killed again."

"I didn't die…"

"Technically, you did, and I'd like to prevent that from happening again. So, hunker down wherever you're staying, keep yourself and Nate occupied, and wait for my call saying that we got the bastards."

"Hotch…"

"Promise you'll stay put."

"I'm at the hospital now. Nate was crying and he wanted to see his dad. I had to take him."

"Then get out, Emily. Get out and go somewhere safe." He shook his head. "How far is your safehouse?"

"An hour, hour and a half depending on the route."

"You should have enough time to get there. Go, and if you think you can't make it, go somewhere else. I don't care. Just keep safe."

"I should help."

"We've been over this. Get out of the hospital and go. Now."

"Fine. We're leaving. I don't know if we can make it to the safe house. It's been a rough day. Nate's exhausted and so am I. I'll do what I can."

"Emily… Please just stay safe."

"I will. You guys too. I don't want this to… I don't want anyone hurt."

"We know what we're doing."

"That doesn't always mean things go smoothly. Just look out for everyone. Look out for yourself. I'd… miss you if you were gone… all of you."

"You too, Emily. Get to safety. We'll call once we have something, and if you need us, call."

"I will."

After the call, things seemed to speed up, like everything just occurred in a giant windfall. The team, Clyde included, set up shop at the hospital.

Everyone was tired. Everyone was overworked, but no one was willing to let the other officers handle it, not when one of their own was involved. It happened in the middle of the night.

The entire floor was cleared of patients because of renovations, and officers were stationed in all the empty rooms to make it look more normal.

Spencer and JJ were on watch outside at the entrance, looking for activity while Garcia worked surveillance with them and everyone else was stationed on the floor.

"Potential sighting," JJ spoke into the com as Spencer continued to monitor them. "Four men entering. They appear armed."

Spencer gave them a more detailed description.

"Copy that," Derek said. "I'll wait by the elevators and stairs and signal if they approach."

Derek knew he had to act normal. He was just a family member on the floor, visiting a patient, though, when they calmly walked by him, giving him a curt nod, he was ready to pounce.

"They're approaching," he told the team as he slid behind a wall to remain out of sight.

"We're ready," Hotch said.

He was the decoy. Clyde and Dave were in the room, hidden. Everyone was on guard and ready to pounce. The men stormed the room, and then everything after that was like a well-rehearsed ballet. Two approached the bed, one with a syringe, the other two with guns drawn. That was when Clyde and Dave appeared.

"FBI. Drop the weapons," Dave said, as Hotch, too, sat up, gun in hand.

The men put up no fight, which was surprising, but it was a win… an easy win. Maybe too easy? They had the guys, and they were alive to answer questions. But as they handcuffed them, they realized that the men didn't seem fazed by their take down at all. They seemed happy even.

"Where's Bardolino?" Hotch pressed once they had them under control.

One of them laughed.

"Probably with the boy," one of the men said, a grin on his face.

"What do you mean?"

"If I had to bet, I'd say he had Nathaniel and was on his way far, far away from here never to be seen again."

"If you're lucky, he took your girl with him. If not, maybe you'll be able to find her body."

Hotch and Clyde shared a look.

"I'll call her," Clyde said. "You guys alert the team."

Emily didn't answer.

"Try again," Dave said.

He did. Still nothing.

"You know where she is, right?" Hotch asked Clyde, worry evident.

"Yes."

"Then what are we waiting for. Let's go."

Hotch directed the local officers to escort the prisoners as they took off, all hoping that the men were bluffing.

But they weren't.

Emily and Nate had just made it home. Nate was grumpy and fought her the entire way making their trip take twice as long. Then, as soon as they got home, Emily heard a car approach. She peeked out of the blinds and felt her heart flutter.

"Nate," she said as calmly as she could. "Remember that secret door I showed you? The attic entrance in the closet?"

He nodded.

"I need you to go in there. Go in and lock the door, then hide in there until you hear me say it's safe."

"What's going on?"

"Go!" she yelled, hearing footsteps stomp outside. "Run."

He looked at her with wide eyes, but upon seeing her fear, took off. He ran as fast as he could and, as much as Emily wanted to go with him, if only to ensure he got to safety, she knew she would only slow him down. She would buy time however she had to.

Hearing his feet upstairs, Emily tried to grab her phone. No signal.

"Fuck," she hissed. Jammers.

She went to fetch the gun just as the door broke open, flying off the handle, a body forcing hers to the ground.

It seemed like everything went silent for a moment. The chaos of the entry all but gone as she was face down on the ground, a body holding her down. She could see a pair of expensive shoes approaching and then a hoarse, deep, and intimidating voice.

"Emily Prentiss, as I live and breathe," the man said. "Looks like we finally get to meet." He smiled a wicked smile as a goon pressed his knee into Emily's back.

This was not an ending any of them were anticipating. Emily gulped, but said nothing, her head moving and her eyes searching the menacing presence. This was her end, she could feel the dread in her bones, but Nate was hidden, and she wouldn't go down easily.

Don't be mad. I know it's a cliffhanger, but you know there will be a new chapter this weekend.