Hi! I hope this makes sense. I think everyone is eager to see relatives and the team is from everywhere, so I think it works.
Chapter Four:
The next few days were uneventful. J.J. reported her mother's house had endured structural damage in addition to the roof caving in. They were staying at her uncle's homestead outside of Pittsburgh.
"My mom is really down," J.J. told her over the phone. "It has been hard not seeing her grandkids for months on end. I'm going to bring the kids up here when school is over for the year."
"Do what you need to do," Prentiss said.
"I just feel bad for Spence. He usually spends the holidays with us. I told him he was welcome to come here, but he declined, saying the house would probably be full enough. Which it is truthfully."
"He'll find someone to spend the holidays with."
"Actually, no Emily. Think about it: Garcia is going to the Bronx with Alvez. Rossi and Krystal are heading to California to be with Joy. The Morgans are going to Chicago. Simmons is taking his kids on that trip to Disney World he promised his kids when Rosemary was born. Finally, Tara is going to the Caribbean with her new boyfriend."
"And I'm going to Colorado with Andrew," she said with a sigh. "I asked off for the team last year for Christmas when Covid-19 hit. We have all been waiting so long to be with family. I forgot how little Reid has, outside of us."
"Spence is hiding something about his mother from me. I think she's doing worse than he wants to let on so as not to worry us."
"Maybe we should have let Garcia hire a Santa," Prentiss muttered.
"We have got to do something for him."
"Get him a tree?"
J.J. laughed. "Think of Reid's apartment. The only walls that don't have shelves are the bathroom and where the windows are. He even squeezed one into the kitchen recently."
"A table-top tree? How about a poinsettia?"
"A live tree-plant! They sell them at hardware stores!"
"I'll text Morgan to get him one."
"I need to go. Let's set up a group chat with the rest of the team."
"I like that idea. Bye J.J."
"Bye Emily."
There was an urgent knock on the door.
"Come in."
Garcia burst in.
"Someone's stealing babies from hospitals in Cleveland. Three so far. One was found in a nativity in a suburb twenty minutes away."
Prentiss grabbed her bag.
"The jet is fueled and ready," Garcia said.
She dashed out of her office.
"Grab your stuff everyone! We'll debrief on the jet."
The team quickly got to their feet. Garcia gave Reid the file.
They got on the elevator. The tension was thick. Prentiss hoped they could find the babies in time.
…
Two days later a baby was stolen from an incubator. They identified the unsub as Beth Rainier a pediatric nurse who lost a newborn patient due in part to staffing shortages. Earlier in the year, she miscarried after a car accident.
The team was divided to hit three churches in the area according to her GPS data. It was dark out and they had less than an hour to find the baby. It was literally a case of life and death.
Simmons screamed in frustration when they came to the manger at the front of the church.
"Negative," he grumbled into the radio.
Reid looked around the altar. A bright light showed through the window. His instincts, honed by recent miraculous sightings took over. He ran out the nearest door and followed the light.
A residential neighborhood backed up against the church property. Reid followed the brightest light. He could hear Simmons shouting in the background, but Reid was moving too fast. He got closer to the house three doors away from the church. The light grew blinding. Reid didn't slow down until he was almost beneath it.
His eyes adjusted the brightness and he saw the nativity scene. He ran to the manger. The baby wasn't making any sounds. He felt for a pulse. It was weak. Reid pulled off his jacket and held the baby close to his chest.
"THANK GOD!" Simmons cried.
The air filled with the sound of sirens. Reid sat down and encircled the baby with his body, trying to give off as much warmth as possible. The boy started to whimper.
"You found him!"
It was the boy's father who had been riding the ambulance. The EMT took the baby. The father threw his arms around Reid. He felt like his bones, were being crushed but didn't stop him.
"What is your name?" he asked.
"Spencer," he said.
"Carl Spencer Hobbs," he said. "I'll call the hospital and get it changed."
"That's not necessary."
"It is."
The man finally let go and climbed into the ambulance.
A neighbor stepped forward.
"The Rowels have the biggest light displays," she said. "They're in Florida right now but they always put up lights before they leave. It's like living next to the sun at night. For once I am grateful."
Prentiss and Lewis arrived.
"I'm going to start calling you Superman," Prentiss said.
"Tara, you found Beth. We'd have been looking through the other seventy-four churches in the area without her."
"You're getting better at sounding humble," Prentiss noted.
"I hope so."
Lewis patted Simmons on the back. This case had been hard on him.
Reid looked over his shoulder at the bright light above the nativity. It was just a bright light. Right?