Chapter 22: Gunfire
Stressed and worried, the team rushed over to Emily's hideout per Clyde's instructions. Unlike Spencer, who just followed Emily's directions to a tee and didn't get the exact address, Clyde made sure he knew exactly where to find her without the spy tricks.
When they got there, they didn't know what to expect, but their hearts sped when they saw the broken front door. It got worse when they saw the lone set of chairs, cut up bindings, and slight blood on the ground. They didn't take time to analyze, though, because they all launched into action when they heard a shot.
Gunfire…
Hotch signaled for Clyde to lead JJ and Spencer to clear the first floor. It was obvious something was happening upstairs, but they needed everything checked. That left Dave, Derek, and himself to move up. Weapons at the ready, they headed into the fray, hearts pounding with each step. As they made it upstairs, the sounds of yelling and struggle could be heard. Hotch used his hands to communicate with the team to follow him toward the room. Approaching, they could just barely see in, so they didn't take the time to over assess the situation. It was a raw entry scenario.
But it was a shit storm even before they entered Emily's room. They appeared in the room, guns up to, what was essentially, a war zone. Things were everywhere. People were everywhere, and everyone seemed to have a weapon drawn. For a moment, the room was frozen. Their eyes spotted their friend. Emily was on the ground next to a man twice her size who looked ready to kill her. Across the room, were three men and Bardolino.
"FBI. Drop the guns," they called.
All eyes turned to them, now. They knew after announcing their presence that it wouldn't be an easy surrender, but the men were idiots if they thought none of them were going to get hurt in a gunfight, especially in such small quarters.
The action in the room remained stilled only for a second as their eyes, once again searched, quickly, for Emily and any sign of Nate. Spotting her, they moved back to the target. That was when the first shot was fired. Then another, and another. There was yelling and noise, and it seemed to happen in a split second that felt like the longest moment ever.
It was impossible to follow who was shooting at who and who had been hit until the chaos settled down. They were trying to be cognizant of Emily's position and remember that Nate could potentially be somewhere in that room, so they had to be careful and avoid aiming in that direction, but shots were being fired at the team in rapid succession and the only cover they had was the doorway they came in through.
There was no telling what the damage was until the dust began to settle. There were thuds… Body thuds, so as soon as things quieted, clips emptied, everyone looked around, the team fully reentering the room after seeking some cover with the door.
"Don't do it," Hotch commanded.
Bardolino was reaching for a new clip, thinking he was going to have the last word, but not on their watch he wasn't. Still, he didn't take orders well and kept moving. Hotch didn't hesitate, taking the shot. Hit him square in the shoulder of his shooting hand. The gun fell to the ground and Bardolino yelled out, "Son of a bitch."
The one goon left standing dropped his gun and held his hands up in surrender. Hotch looked over his shoulder to Derek and motioned for him to move in and secure the subjects. By now, JJ, Spencer, and Clyde had joined them. The Brit was down on the ground along with Dave.
"Everyone ok?" Hotch asked, eyes shifting between Bardolino, Emily, and the others.
"Rossi's hit," Clyde told him.
"How bad?"
"I'm ok," Dave said. "Just a little blood. Definitely not going to get the stain out of this jacket."
"I'm calling for a medic," JJ said. "The officers are pulling in now. They'll bring something up to help for now."
Hotch nodded and took stock of everyone. No one else seemed hurt, but Emily hadn't said anything yet.
"Emily? Are you alright?"
She took a deep breath and responded, "I've been better."
Hotch, seeing that Derek and Spencer had Bardolino and the other – Nicky – secured, the seven others who had been on the premises confirmed dead, holstered his weapon and took the opportunity to head over to Emily. As he passed Dave, he bent down to check on him.
"It's a through and through," Dave said. "I'll be fine as long as the medics close me up."
"Clyde, keep pressure on it."
"What does it look like I'm doing?" he jabbed. "Go to Emily."
He ignored Clyde's snark and made his way to Emily.
"Can you get up?" Hotch asked.
Emily was on the ground behind the bed, her eyes looking at the blood sprayed around her room until she locked her eyes on Dave.
"Is he going to be ok?"
"We think so. The medics are on the way."
"Bardolino's still alive."
"Unfortunately." Hotch questioned whether he should have aimed differently. He could have ended him and thus the threat he carried.
"I need to get to Nate," she told him.
"Where is he, Emily?"
"He'll only come out for me."
"You're bleeding," he noticed.
"What?"
"Have you been hit?" Now he was down on the ground beside her, looking her over. There was blood on her face, but it looked like it was all from her lip.
"I don't think it's mine," Emily said, her head pointing to the dead body beside her. "He was going to shoot me."
"It's ok. You did what you had to. Did they hurt you?"
She shrugged. He took that as a yes.
"Can you stand? Can you walk?"
"I don't know. My knee… It's not… It's worse. I don't know. I don't care. I need to go to Nate."
"I'm going to help you up."
Other officers had arrived on scene now. They were just entering the room and ready to escort out the prisoners.
"This isn't over, Bitch," Bardolino yelled at Emily as he was ushered out. Somehow, he got to her. It didn't feel over, not with him still breathing and not with his vast connections still alive.
In the background, they could hear Derek telling him to shut up as he pushed the man out of the room, officers behind him with Nicky.
"Don't listen to him," Hotch said, pulling her up from the ground.
Emily cringed.
"What do you think? Can you walk at all?"
As painful as it was to admit, she answered, "No. I don't think so." She just hoped she didn't completely blow out her knee.
"Tell me where Nate is. I can get him."
"It has to be me. I need you to take me to his room. It's not far."
"Do you trust me?" Hotch asked.
A confused Emily simply said, "Yes."
"Good," he replied and then, without warning, picked her up bridal style.
"What are you doing?" Emily was caught off guard.
"Your knee is hurt, you can't walk, and we need to get to Nate," he said. "He's probably scared right now, and if you won't let me go to him alone, then this is how it's going to happen. Or you can wait for the medics."
"Fine," Emily huffed, embarrassed.
The team watched curiously. Spencer more worriedly than the rest. "Is she ok?" he asked his boss.
"She's hurt."
"She can speak for herself, and she is fine," Emily said. "I just can't walk. No brace, no crutches, and a little knee stomp equals no walking."
They weren't going to let her live down the whole damsel in distress and knight in shining armor moment that seemed to be occurring, but Emily didn't care. Even as much as she wanted to check on Dave, she wanted to get to Nate. No stopping. She urged Hotch on. Dave had the rest of the team to look after him. He'd be ok. They all would.
"You can put me down here," Emily said once they got to Nate's room. "Thank you."
"Sure. No problem," he replied, gently placing her on her feet.
Emily straightened out her shirt and grabbed the nearest surface, Nate's bedpost, to help her move as close to the closet as possible.
"Where is he?" Hotch asked as he watched her.
"There's a door-like hatch in the closet that leads to the attic. This was a kid's room, so they sealed it off, but I fixed it up to be like a safe room that can be locked from the inside in case this happened."
"Good thing you did. Is there another entrance?"
"I haven't found one which is why I thought it was the perfect hiding spot."
Emily pulled open the closet door and pushed all the clothes and stuff out of the way. It was a hard door to see unless someone was looking for it. Spotting the lock, Emily pulled out her key. Before opening it, though, she knocked.
"Nate? It's Emily. I'm coming in."
He didn't say anything, but Emily still opened the door. No way was she making it up the stairs.
"Nate, can you come down please? Everything is ok now."
When he didn't answer again, Emily worried and looked to Hotch.
"You want me to go up?" He offered.
"Would you? I don't think I'd make it up the stairs."
He nodded.
"Nate, my friend Hotch, Jack's dad, is going to come get you. You can trust him. Alright?"
Emily motioned for Hotch to go and patiently waited for them to return.
Hotch announced himself as he walked, letting Nate know it was only him and that he had nothing to be afraid of. He saw the boy huddled in the corner behind an old, dusty table turned over on its side. He had a makeshift trench, ready for war.
"Nate. I'm coming closer. You remember me, right? I'm Hotch."
Nate peeked out to make sure it was him, his arms clutching Patch. "Where's Emily? Is she ok? Did bad people get her?"
"Emily's ok," Hotch answered. "She hurt her knee again and can't walk up the stairs, but she's worried about you."
"There was a lot of noise. I was good and stayed here just like she told me. No one found me."
"You did good, Nate. What do you say we get out of here now, though? Emily's waiting for you and I know she wants to see you."
"I want to see her too," he admitted.
"Then let's go." Hotch held out a hand for Nate, which he hesitantly took. "Everything's going to be ok," Hotch quietly told Nate as he led him to Emily.
Nate practically ran to Emily at the bottom of the steps, immediately wrapping his arms around her, squishing Patch between them.
"I know that was scary," Emily whispered, "But it's over. It's all over."
She hoped. She really did. They were going to have to talk about what happened and she would have to really see where his head was at, but for now, she just wanted to hug him. Sat there, crouched at the bottom of the steps, she just held him.
"You're hurt," he told her, staring sadly at her face. It was like his big, doe eyes were staring right through her, looking for transparency.
Emily just gave him another deep squeeze, inhaling his scent before pulling away, hand on each shoulder, and saying, "I'm ok. Really. I just bit my lip. That's all." Emily wiped a stray tear from under his eye. "You don't have to be afraid anymore. We're ok, and we're going to stay that way."
"Are you sure you're not hurt?"
"My knee got a little hurt again, but that just means I'll be hobbling a little longer," she said, making light of the situation. At this point, she was just happy that she had on a dark undershirt so that she could slip off the lighter shirt she had been wearing that now had blood splatter all over. That would have terrified Nate.
"Do you need to go to the hospital again?"
Emily looked to Hotch this time. He was watching the whole time, a little in awe of how fast their relationship had formed and how maternal Emily seemed with Nate.
"I think she should, Nate," Hotch interjected. "Just to be safe. Her knee looks swollen again. We should make sure it's not too bad."
"But I can come, right?"
"We're all going to go."
Nate put his hand in Emily's as if he was gripping for his life. Emily's hold was just as tight. Hotch came up beside her and said, "Lean on me, alright?" No way was Nate going to let her go, so Hotch offered assistance.
They could see the coroner and medics arrived while they were getting Nate. Bardolino was tended to and taken to a hospital before being booked and processed. Another was tending to Dave.
"I don't want him to see in there," Emily told Hotch.
"We'll go downstairs."
Emily nodded and turned to Nate. "I need you to head downstairs. Hotch is going to help me down, so we'll be right behind you. Things are a mess down there, but you don't have to worry." He already noticed things were a mess everywhere.
"Who are those people in your room?" he asked, pointing.
She and Hotch looked at the commotion. The coroners were in there with the bodies. Emily hoped the medics were downstairs, probably out front, with Dave.
"I'll tell you once we're out of here. I promise. We'll talk a lot and I'll answer your questions, but right now, we should get downstairs. There are cops down there and they won't hurt you, so don't be nervous if you see them."
Nate looked around timidly.
"Hey Nate," Hotch said, kneeling down to his height. "What if I walk down with you?"
"What about Emily?"
"She can wait here for just a moment. I'll take you downstairs and bring you to our friends. Then I'll come back."
"Friends?"
"Remember," Emily started. "You met Spencer. And we have other friends, too. JJ, she has a son just a little younger than you. Maybe you can meet him soon."
"And see Jack again?"
"Yeah," Hotch answered. "He'd like that. First, we have to get out of here."
"Ok," he replied after looking to Emily and getting a nod.
"I'll be right back," Hotch told Emily. "Don't try anything stupid while I'm gone."
Emily promised she wouldn't. Honestly, her knee was in serious pain and she didn't want to make it worse by trying to hop down a flight of stairs. No, she was staying put, though she drew the line at him carrying her again.
Meanwhile, Hotch escorted Nate out of the house. The ambulances were outside along with their SVUs, a few uniformed police cruisers, and a more organized chaos.
"They're just here to keep everyone safe," Hotch told Nate when he saw the boy get nervous.
He looked around to see where everyone was. It looked like JJ was with Dave in the ambulance as he got treated. Clyde was on the phone nearby, and Spencer was talking with an officer. Hotch didn't want him to see Dave shot and get scared, so he brought Nate over to Spencer.
"Spencer," he called out, gently nudging Nate toward the younger agent.
"Hey Nate. How are you?" Spencer asked after excusing himself with the officer and heading to them.
Nate shrugged. "Ok, I guess."
Hatch gave him a shoulder pat. "Can you keep him company while I go help Emily?"
"Yeah. Sure. Maybe we can get the others to draw on your cast. What do you say, Nate?"
"Maybe. Can they draw like you and Emily?"
Spencer leaned down and whispered, "Don't tell them I told you, but no, they really can't."
"Alright, I'm going to get Emily. We'll be right back and get you out of here, Nate."
"You have to get her crutches," Nate told Hotch before he left. "They're in the living room somewhere."
"I'll get them," Hotch promised. He smiled a reassuring smile and then left.
Spencer told Nate that he wanted to introduce him to a few people. Derek was out, deciding to go get Penelope after he followed the officers going with Bardolino to the hospital. He wanted to make sure nothing went wrong while the idiot mobster got patched up. Plus, someone had to keep Penelope apprised and he was the best one for the job. Everyone else was still around though.
"I know him," Nate said, pointing to Clyde. "He's Emily's friend too. He was nice and let me have an extra cookie. Plus, he let me win a card game."
Spencer got a kick out of that, not used to the soft side of Clyde Easter. "Well, I'm going to introduce you to JJ. She's only of Emily's best girlfriends."
"Girlfriend? Is Emily gay like my dads?"
"Oh… uh? No? I mean, I don't think so," Spencer stumbled. "That's a question for her," he recovered. "JJ is one of Emily's best friends," better. "You'll meet Penelope and Derek later, but I think you'll like everyone."
"Cool."
The meeting went well, and JJ loved getting to meet Nate. They held off on letting him meet Dave and the meeting with JJ was cut short when the ambulance wanted to take him to the hospital, but JJ made clear two things. One, Nate and Henry would definitely need to have a playdate, and two, Penelope was going to be so upset that she wasn't there to meet him first.
JJ rode with Dave to the hospital while Spencer and Clyde hung back with Nate to wait for Emily to come out and be seen by the remaining medic. Emily and Hotch came out shortly after they left. Despite the crutches being available, Emily still leaned on Hotch until they reached the ambulance.
"I don't think I need an ambulance ride," Emily huffed. She was going to the hospital either way. Why did she need to go with an ambulance?
"Humor us," Clyde said.
They all asked Nate whether he was hurt at all. Each time he answered no. He was shaken, but physically unharmed, minus the broken arm. Emily and the medic were in the back of the bus as he looked her over. There was no major trauma he needed to attend to there, so they were ready to roll. Emily asked for a moment.
"Nate, you're going to ride in the ambulance with me unless you want to drive with one of the guys."
"You," he answered quickly. He wasn't ready to leave her side.
Hotch looked to the other men and said, "Alright guys. We'll meet at the hospital. Spencer, check in with JJ for an update on Dave's condition as soon as you get there."
"You don't need to ride with us," Emily told Hotch. "The three of you can drive together and we'll meet up after you check in with Dave."
"Actually," Clyde stepped in. "I would like a word with Emily that can't wait. I will accompany them."
"Fine," Hotch agreed. There was no point in arguing about it.
Clyde lifted Nate into the ambulance with Emily before hopping in himself. The medic closed the door behind them and got into the driver's seat. Clyde and Nate strapped in on the bench seat for the ride.
"What did you want to talk about?" Emily asked Clyde. "And is it appropriate for little ears?"
He gave her a look. "Our mole has been taken care of."
"And by that you mean?"
"My guys were watching her. They just took her in. She's being questioned."
"She's going to want to make a deal," Emily said.
"She's not getting one."
"She won't talk otherwise."
"We have our ways, and those, I shall not discuss in the presence of the child."
"Good." Emily smiled. "What happens to Kurt now?"
"That's something we'll need to discuss. You and I along with him, but that'll hold for a while. I have him so scared, he'll mess himself if I just look at him too long."
Emily rolled her eyes before giving him a serious look.
"We're taking them all down, aren't we, Clyde?"
"Absolutely. I will fly to every country to do it myself if I must."
"I don't think that will be necessary, but thanks," she said, taking his hand.
It was a quick talk, but one he wanted to have right away. Things were moving along in Europe and word about Bardolino's arrest was sure to spread like wildfire there, so Clyde wanted to act quickly and keep Emily abreast. A short, boring ride to the hospital felt like the right time for it.
When they did arrive at the hospital, the guys pulled up behind them. Emily insisted that they take Nate and keep him occupied. The doctor, undoubtedly, would want her to get a few scans on her leg done to see what she did to it now, and that would take a while.
"Don't worry. We'll take care of him."
"I'll see you soon, Nate," she told him as she was wheeled away. She wished she had more time to reassure him that she would be alright, and he didn't need to follow her around to know that, but she knew the guys would take care of that for her.
"What do you say? Want a little late-night snack?" Clyde asked Nate.
Nate shook his head. "I want to be with Emily. I don't want her to be alone."
"Hey, she's not alone. One of us will go find her and keep watch to make sure she listens to the doctors and then we'll take you to her," Hotch said.
"I'd like to go be with her," Spencer offered.
The others nodded. "We'll go meet with JJ and talk with Derek to let them know where to find us."
"Great, and I'll let you know what happens with Emily."
They separated.
It would be another few hours before they were all together again. A nervous Penelope ran into the hospital, Derek right behind her, as they chased down the team. She was anxious to not only see that everyone was actually ok, but to meet little Nate who had her friend country hopping and in hiding to keep him safe.
That had to be another special little boy.
"Oh! There! There, I see them," Penelope yelled, everyone in the waiting room staring at her.
JJ and Clyde were hanging out in the hall outside of Dave's room while the doctor was in with him.
"Is Dave ok? Is Emily?" She did a quick look around. "Where's Hotch? Spencer? And where's Nate?"
"One question at a time, Baby Girl," Derek said. "Slow your roll."
She took a deep breath and waited for a response. "Well?"
"Dave's doing fine. No major damage. He's just getting stitches put in and he'll be good as new."
"And Emily?"
"Reid's with her. He just called and said that she's being seen by the doctor now. It's nothing serious, just her knee," JJ answered. "They're going to take her for some scans and then we can go see her too."
"Hotch and Nate?"
"They are…"
"Right here," Hotch said as he and Nate returned from the bathroom.
"Oh! Look at that face in person," Penelope lit up in glee by another child in the bunch. Blood or not, he was part of their dysfunctional family now. "Hi Nate, I'm Penelope."
"Hi," he responded.
"Is it possible for him to look like Emily? Am I seeing things because I'm so excited?" She didn't wait for an answer. "You're a handsome little man. Anyone ever tell you that?"
"I guess, yeah."
"Cool. So, how about we spend a little time together before we go see Emily?"
Penelope didn't give the poor kid a choice. She dragged him off to the chairs and told everyone to let her know when they could go and see either of their friends. And while they waited, Penelope spent the time peppering Nate with questions and getting to know him. She was excited, and even though Nate was initially put off by her larger than life personality, she grew on him.
Meanwhile, Emily was doing ok too. The scans were going to take a while to get back, but the doctor was sure that she added a meniscal tear to her ACL injury. The nurse braced her leg up again and gave her some ice. The doctor told her to rest. The swelling was back, and everything was bruised. It hadn't had a chance to heal before it was hurt again.
"Really did a number on it," the doctor told her.
She held back the sarcastic remark that was sitting on the tip of her tongue.
"You're lucky nothing's broken, but you'll be in pain for a while."
"I know the drill," Emily told him, ignoring Spencer who, she could see, wanted to do more than just observe.
"I suggest meeting with an orthopedic surgeon and getting this fixed as soon as possible."
"I'll look into it. Thank you."
After a few hours, Emily was told she could go. There was nothing more they could do for her in the moment. Surgery was needed but down the road.
Before then, though, Spencer wanted to talk with her, too.
"What happens now?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Are you staying here? What about Nate? What happens to him?"
"I don't know. I really don't. It's something I'm going to need to think about. Right now, I just need to figure out where I'm going to stay tonight."
"You can stay with me," he offered.
"I appreciate that, Spence, but your place isn't exactly crutches friendly."
"I can make it so it is."
"Don't. Really. I'll figure something out."
"If you change your mind…"
"You'll be the first to know."
"May I ask one more question?"
"I think you just did."
"Well, another."
Emily nodded.
"Are you going to tell Nate, you know, that you're his biological mother?"
Emily stared at him, questioning the answer. "I… have no idea."
"What about the team? Are you going to tell them?"
"Another question?" she laughed and then sighed. "I can't say one way or another."
"Eventually, especially if you stay here and especially if you continue to take care of Nate, they're going to notice the similarities or Garcia's going to keep digging while we prep for Bardolino's trial, and they're going to suspect. They'll write it off at first, but if James doesn't wake up…"
"He will," Emily insisted.
"But if he doesn't, admitting you're his mother will make it easier for you to keep custody."
"I don't want to think about this right now." She ran her hand over her face. She was far too tired and in too much pain to be even thinking about this.
"You don't have to. Not now, but you're going to have to eventually."
"I will, but not tonight."
"Alright," he gave in.
"We're good to go, Spence," Emily said. "Let's just go check on Dave, so I can get Nate somewhere to sleep in an actual bed for the night."
"We should pick up your prescription."
"Later."
Spencer agreed and the two made their way to the group. Most of them were asleep or didn't see them coming, so Spencer went to go meet with them while Emily headed to see Dave alone. As she neared the room, she could hear Hotch and Dave talking.
"You know, I told them to patch me up there so I could wait to see that Emily and Nate were ok with my own eyes. They did give me a quick fix, but they said I still had to go to the hospital."
"Well," Emily said, using her crutches to painfully approach them. "We're ok, and I'm so sorry, Dave. I didn't mean for any of you to get hurt."
"It's part of the job, kid. They tell me I should be fine. Bullet missed any the arteries. Didn't even need a transfusion. So, all this means is I have an excuse to sit at home and relax for a few days. I've been meaning to start my next book anyway."
"Glad to hear a bullet wound is getting you motivated."
"I'm old. I need rest anyway. What about you? Are you ok?"
"Of course. Doyle couldn't bring me down, and neither can the mob."
"Funny," Hotch quipped, making it clear it wasn't.
"Nate and I are ok. I have to find a specialist for my knee once I figure out where Nate and I will be staying."
"I'd offer my place," Dave said, "But there are a hell of a lot of stairs and no comfortable couch on the first floor, plus two other houseguests."
"Thanks Dave. Don't worry about it. I'll probably just head to my mother's."
"You can stay with me tonight."
"What?"
"There's an elevator in my building, the apartment's only one floor, and Jack's staying at his aunt's for the night. Nate can take Jack's room, you can take mine, and I'll spend the night on the pull out in my office."
"Are you sure? I don't want to impose."
"I'm sure. Nate's tired. Already passed out on Garcia in the chairs out there. We can talk more about things tomorrow. Tonight, I think we all need some rest to celebrate the victory."
"I wouldn't call my getting shot a victory," Dave added, "But he's right. Take the man's offer and get out of here Emily. I get out tomorrow, or well this afternoon. We can all get together and spend some more time getting to know this kid that has you so enamored and catching up with you."
Emily nodded. "I've really missed you guys."
"We've missed you too. Now get out of here," Dave ordered.
Hotch escorted Emily out. Most of the team was still there. JJ and Penelope were both asleep with Nate and Derek was talking with Clyde. Everyone who was there and still awake looked worn and tired, like they had just been through battle, and they had. But even the greetings weren't as enthusiastic as they normally would be. They were beat.
"You should wake up Garcia. Say hello."
"I'll leave that to you. I'll personally go see her tomorrow, but right now, all I want is a place to crash and a shower."
"I'll cool her temper once she finds out you left without saying hello."
"Thanks Derek." Emily hugged him and everyone else that was still awake. "Hotch's place has an elevator and an extra bed for the night, so Nate and I will be there if you need me."
No one gave her sleeping arrangement a second thought, just told her to take care of herself and get some rest. Hotch had Emily wait while he went to pick up a sleeping Nate. He was sure to also grab the stuffed dog that fell from the boy's arms.
"Ready?"
"More than ready," Emily answered.
It wasn't until they were at Hotch's place, Nate was in bed, and Emily had a shower that she finally felt like this was over, or as over as it could be with Bardolino still alive. Still, something Spencer said resonated with her. It furthered something that had been on her mind and made her unable to sleep.
Nate was her son, biologically, but she had no legal right to him. Did she want to tell Nate that she was his mother? Yes and no. The same went for the team, but that was the least of her worries. There was a very real possibility, despite her attempts not to think about it, that James could die, and if something happened to James, Nate could be taken from her.
More than anything, she wanted to stay in Nate's life and help give him the life he deserved, the life she always hoped he had. She wanted him to go to a real school, make real friends, and have a real, extended family. Right now, she was the only one that could offer that.
"Hotch?" Emily called into the office where Hotch was sleeping. "Are you awake?"
No. "Huh?"
"Are you awake?"
"I am now."
"I know it's late, and I'm sorry, but I need to talk."
"Alright," he sat up. "Let's talk."