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Chapter 5

Great Basin Desert Army Bunker

Las Vegas, Nevada

After a long, silent ride into the desert from Mr. Evan's house, Gideon's handheld GPS finally said that they were getting close. 5 miles east off of the main road lay the bunker, according to the GPS, that the team had so desperately sought. The ambulance, J.J., and a few officers stayed at the main road; the rest of the BAU and 15 officers proceeded into the desert. When they were about 50 yards away, everyone stopped their cars, quietly exited their vehicles, and took a look around.

The sun had almost set, and the desert was quickly becoming darker with every passing minute. Nothing but a few bushes and the police cars surrounded them. Hotch addressed his team and the officers. "We have about 15 minutes before we receive the final video, and we have already missed the deadline for negotiating. We have a maximum of 10 minutes before they film the video, so move quickly." With that said, the team gathered around Gideon and his GPS, which guided them to a spot about 15 feet from the bunker.

Unbeknownst to the team and directly under them, Reid was being led out of his cell. He was so weak that he didn't even attempt to resist the two men this time. His left leg and right arm were limp and his head hung low as he was being escorted to the large room.

The team stopped walking and searched for any clue to the whereabouts of the bunker. Elle found something and called the team over. She said, "This looks like a door or entrance of some kind. I think we've found our bunker." Then, Morgan slowly and cautiously opened the large, heavy hatch, and the team shone their flashlights into the chamber. They cleared the entrance and promptly proceeded into the underground chamber. Gideon, Hotch, Morgan, and Elle entered first, but the other officers quickly followed them. With their guns drawn, they moved down the dark, narrow hallway and came upon a small, cell-like room. Inside, they found dry, tacky, and wet pools of blood.

They again moved down the hallway and came upon a closed door that lights and sounds seemed to be coming from. After a few moments, Morgan kicked down the rusty door, and Hotch, Gideon, Morgan, Elle, and a few police officers flooded into the room. They saw a large camera with a Channel 6 logo on its side, various lights, a laptop, bloodstained brass knuckles, a large handgun, four startled and surprised men in black, and one scared, extremely weak, manhandled, chained, gagged, and bloody Spencer Reid. His head was supported by one of the men in black's hand, who held a knife and began to cut into the side of the young agent's throat.

Everyone's gun was still drawn, and Gideon yelled, "FBI! Put your hands up, weapons down, and step away from the kid!" Three of the men, who looked young and scared, quickly put their hands up and appeared to be unarmed. Immediately, Morgan and Elle patted them down and handcuffed them; the other officers then led them outside and read them their rights.

However, one of the men, who appeared older, refused to surrender. He held the knife in his hand and was about to continue his task. Hotch, standing about 15 feet from Jared and Reid, tried to negotiate with him, and he slowly lowered but didn't holster his weapon. Gideon, Morgan, and Elle stood close behind him with their guns still drawn. Hotch said in a sympathetic yet stern voice, "Jared, I know how you must feel. I have a son too, and I would want justice if anything ever happened to him. I can fix this mess. I'm a lawyer, and I can get the case retried and the justice that Kent deserves. But first, you have to put the knife down, trust me, and let Reid go. You and I both know that it is not right, not just, to hurt someone who had nothing to do with what happened to your son, no matter how much he may look like Robert. I know it's hard, but you have to trust me and let him go. Hurting him is not the way to achieve justice for Kent and bring peace of mind to your wife.

Jared had paused to listen to Hotch, but he seemed unfazed by Hotch's plea and brought the knife inches from Reid's already bloody neck. Jared said, "I, I have to do this. Justice was blind to Kent, but I will change that. This is the only way. I have to kill the guy who did that to my son; I have to kill him for Kent and for justice."

Hotch took another stab at trying to persuade him. "Justice was blind to tour son, but that can be changed. You don't have to kill the guy who hurt your son, and you definitely don't have to kill a kid, an innocent kid, who had nothing to do with it. Just put the knife down." Hotch's voice seemed to waver with his last statement.

"NO! Kent needs justice!" With his mind made up, Jared pulled the knife to Reid's throat and continued to make the already bloody gash even larger.

Only seconds later, a shot rang throughout the bunker. Jared fell to the floor, bleeding from his head, and Reid collapsed to the ground without Jared holding him up. Gideon and Elle rushed over to Jared, and Morgan went to a near corner and found a set of keys. Hotch dropped his hot, smoking gun and rushed over to Reid.

Morgan came over to Reid and quickly removed the shackles. Hotch picked Reid up, removed the gag from his mouth, and held him in his arms. He took a clean handkerchief from his pocket and held it to the young agent's neck in an attempt to stop the massive amount of blood that was escaping from Reid's frail body. Reid looked into Hotch's eyes and opened his quavering mouth, but no words came out. Suddenly, his eyes shut and his head and body went limp in Hotch's arms.

A panicked Hotchner had tears flowing down his face when he said, "We need the paramedics in here NOW!"

Las Vegas Memorial Hospital

Las Vegas, Nevada

It had been six hours since the team and Reid's ambulance had arrived at the hospital. Reid was rushed to the emergency room, and he was still bleeding from his throat the last time the team had seen him. The team waited for those six hours, without any word from Reid, in a hospital hallway.

Each team member waited and dealt with their anxieties about Reid in different ways. J.J. and Elle mindlessly flipped through numerous magazines. Morgan paced nervously, Gideon rested, and Hotch sat quietly, apparently deep in thought. It seemed like it took forever for a doctor to approach them, but one finally did. They immediately stopped what they were doing and gathered around the short, husky, gray-haired man that had come to them.

The man introduced himself and began to speak. "Hello. I am Dr. Freeman. I was sent to tell you of your agent, Spencer Reid's, condition." After a moment's pause, Dr. Freeman began to speak again. "We were able to stitch up the large gash in his neck. It will leave a nasty scar, but, nonetheless, we were able to do it with about 75 stitches. He may have trouble speaking for a couple of weeks, but his regular voice should return with time. He seems to be accepting the blood transfusions quite well. His arm was broken and is in a cast; it should heal over nicely. The anesthetics should wear off in about an hour, and he is on strong pain killers. Basically, he'll be fine."

There was a collective sigh of relief from everyone in the group at this wonderful news. Then, Gideon asked the question on everyone's mind. "How is his leg?"

After moment of silence, Dr. Freeman spoke. "Well, I, ah, don't know how to quite put this. Agent Reid's leg was not too infected, so it didn't have to be amputated. We were able to remove some of the rock salt bullets, but, since one shattered on impact, we weren't able to remove it without doing any more damage, so we didn't."

"How will this affect his ability to walk?" questioned Gideon.

"Unfortunately, the rock salt produced a partial paralyzing effect. He will not regain full use of his leg. With physical therapy, it should be manageable, but he will be in constant pain. He will have to use a cane or brace in order to walk." The hallway fell silent, and Dr. Freeman walked away.

After an hour or so, a nurse approached the team and gave them the okay to visit Reid. Gideon, J.J., Elle, Morgan, and Hotch filed into the quiet hospital room. Reid lay on the hospital bed. He had white bandages around his neck, and his arm was in a cast. He was hooked up to numerous machines, and many bruises were visible on his pale face and arms. His eyes were half-open, but he seemed to be awake. They all gathered around the bed and began to talk, but they talked slowly and clearly so Reid could fully understand.

"How are you feeling, Reid?" asked Gideon.

In a hoarse, quiet whisper, Reid answered Gideon with, "Better." Everyone immediately sensed that Reid was having difficulty in talking, so they tried to limit their question-asking. A few minutes later, Reid asked, "Did he survive?" This question took a lot of effort from the weak agent, thus it was very hoarse and barely audible.

Morgan, however, understood what he had said, so he began to explain the last thirty-some hours in a slow, clear voice. After a half an hour, Morgan ended his explanation with, "The father, Jared, died at the scene; his sons are going to be charged as accomplices. We were all worried sick about you, especially Hotch. We are all so relieved to know that you are doing better. Come to think of it, I think that you and Hotch need to talk." The other agents got the hint and vacated the room, closing the door quietly behind them. Hotch and Reid were left alone in the room.

Several minutes passed before Hotch, who was seated in a chair next to Reid on his right side, spoke. "Reid, I, ah, think that I owe you an apology. I never should of…"

Reid interrupted Hotch. In the same hoarse and quiet voice, Reid said, "Apology? Hotch, you saved my life! You and I both didn't know that it was a trap. Don't feel guilty. It is not your fault. You rescued me, so I must say thank you." The immense amount of effort that this statement required made Reid temporarily lose his breath. However, he caught it after a few minutes, and the conversation continued.

"I just wish that we could of gotten to you sooner. Reid, I have some bad news about your leg." Hotch paused a moment before continuing. "The rock salt has partially paralyzed your leg, and you won't regain full use of it. You probably will have to use a cane or brace just to walk." Tears began to well up in Hotch's eyes, and Reid tried to comfort him.

"Hotch, I know. I figured that I would be permanently disabled since I couldn't move my leg after the first shot. I know that you feel responsible for it, but it is not your fault." Again, Reid had to catch his breath, and he then laid a gentle hand on Hotch's shoulder. Hotch returned the gesture by gently and carefully hugging his youngest agent.

Three Weeks Later at the Residence of Spencer Reid

Quantico, Virginia

Spencer Reid awoke, startled and afraid. He felt pain in his neck, arm, and especially his leg. He looked around the room and quickly realized he was not where he thought he was. He noticed that he was in a comfortable bed and an alarm clock on his right read 6:18. He breathed a sigh of relief and said to himself, "It was only a dream. It was only a dream."

He eventually made his way out of his bed and grabbed his cane, which was right next to the bed. He hobbled into the bathroom, where he popped some painkillers, changed his neck bandage, and washed his face. He poured himself a cup of coffee, changed into some slacks, a button-down shirt, and tie. He had made up his mind; he was going to work today.

BAU Offices

Quantico, Virginia

Reid made his way into the BAU around 7:30. As he slowly limped into the office, everyone looked surprised to see him. Morgan approached him and said, "Reid, why ya here? You had four weeks off, and it's only been three."

Reid responded, in a less hoarse, but still raspy voice, with, "Yeah, I know; I just wanted to come in and start to get back in the swing." He eventually made his way to Hotch's office and knocked on the door.

Without looking up from his papers, Hotch said, "Come in."

Reid said, "Hi. I ah, just wanted to talk to you."

Hotch recognized the voice, looked up from his files, and said, "Reid, you still have another week. I need to talk to you. Why are you here, anyway?"

"Hotch, I wanted to ask you something." Reid staggered over to a chair, set his cane down, and sat down himself. "I, ah, don't know how to say this, so, here it goes. I was wondering, am I still welcome here?"

Hotch looked shocked by his statement and answered him with, "Of course you are always welcome here. Why would you ask?"

Reid said, "I asked because, since I am now disabled, I was wondering if you were only letting me stay at this job because you feel responsible and guilty for what happened. I mean, I can barely walk, let alone be in the field."

Hotch then laid a gentle hand on Reid's shoulder and said, "Reid, you are an excellent agent. Sure, you won't be in the field as often, but this job requires more brains than brawn, and you have a lot of brains."

"Thanks again, Hotch." With that said, Reid exited Hotchner's office and knew that everything would work itself out.

THE END

Now, was that good or what? I thought that it was, so please, pretty please, leave a review and tell me what ya think. I really want to hear your take on Spence's leg.