Chapter 9

Boots pound on the stairs as Hotch and Morgan rush to his aid. The attacker is pulled off him. Dave stumbles to his feet. He shines his light around the room and spots a switch, he turns it on the room is flooded with light. His attacker, a slim man wearing glasses, struggles to free himself from Morgan's grasp, but he isn't going anywhere.

"You okay," Hotch asks.

Dave nods. "I'm fine."

The search the rest of the basement before turning their attention to the children. There are eight in total, boys and girls ranging from five years old to thirteen. Dave unties the oldest girl and helps her to her feet.

"You're bleeding," she says with concern.

Dave's eyes follow her gaze to his left forearm. His shirt is ripped open, and he can see a bloody gash where the machete had torn through his skin. Blood drips from his fingertips. He suddenly becomes aware of the pain. Adrenaline had kept him going.

"I should probably get that looked at," he tells the girl.

"Come on," she says caringly. "I'll help you up the stairs."

Dave chuckles and allows himself to be led by the girl. You'd think that she would be more traumatized by these recent events, only she was taking care of him. The world needed more people like her.

"What's your name," Dave asks.

"Sarah," she replies. "What's yours?"

"I'm David."

She smiles as they step out into the cool night air. A paramedic rushes to them. "He needs help more than I do," she says as she steps aside. "His arm is bleeding and he may have hit his head on the concrete floor."

The paramedic looks back and forth between the two of them in confusion.

"How about we both go over to the ambulance," Dave suggests.

She grabs his good as the walk across the yard.

Upon initial inspection, Sarah is fine. Dave however, needs stitches and he has a bump on the back of his head. Strapped into the ambulance. JJ takes his weapon before they drives off. Sarah accompanies him to the hospital.

A couple hours later, Dave is released from the hospital though he is placed on concussion watch. Hotch reassures the doctors that he will be well taken care of and watched over.

"So," Dave says with a laugh. "You going to babysit me?"

Hotch gives him a rare smile. "Me and the rest of the team. Have you talked to Penelope?"

Dave frowns. "No."

Hotch starts to laugh. "You're in trouble."

Dave pauses and thinks for a minute. "Oh shit!"

"Good luck," Hotch says as he climbs into the SUV. Dave slowly follows suit.

"You still want to get married on Saturday?" Hotch questions.

Dave thinks for a moment, before nodding. "Yeah. I do."

"Good."

Dave smirks. "You seem awfully content with seeing Penelope and I getting married."

"Should I be worried?" Hotch inquires with a raised eyebrow.

Dave shrugs. "Not really. Penelope and I have talked this out. I love her. And she loves me."

"That's what matters," Hotch agrees. "Listen, I heard what JJ said about the two of you and I realized she was right. You've both loved the other for years. Why not make it official? I for one am extremely happy for both of you."

"Thank you," Dave replies quietly. They drive in silence for a few minutes. "What happened with Sarah? She okay? Did her parents come to get her?"

Hotch glances in his direction. "She's at the police station. Her parents are dead. The locals are trying to find other family members. In the meantime, child services is looking for a place for her to stay."

Dave nods and looks out the side window. "What happened to her parents?"

"Mom died when she was three from cancer. Her Dad was killed in a car accident a couple of weeks ago," Hotch explains.

"Damn," Dave curses. "How did she take it?"

Hotch gives him a longer look. "Pretty well. She said her Dad was a drinker, so it didn't surprise her. He died a week after she was abducted."

Dave shakes his head in wonder. "Can I see her before we leave?"

Hotch smiles. "Where do you think we are going?"

Dave enters the police station and sees Sarah sitting at one of the desks. The remnants of a meal sit in front of her as she listens to Reid and Morgan go back and forth about baseball stats.

"There he is," Emily calls out as she spots Dave and Hotch enter the room. "How's the arm?"

Dave holds up his bandages appendage. "Numb at the moment."

"When the drugs wear off that's going to hurt like hell," Morgan teases.

"How's your head," Sarah asks. She's now standing and watching him eagerly.

"A little sore," he smiles. "But I'll be fine. How are you?"

He leans around her and steals one of the cold fries off the desk. She steps back.

"I'm okay," she says quietly. "I'm waiting for a place to stay."

"I heard about your Dad. I'm sorry," he tells her.

She shrugs and sniffles a bit. "It seemed like it was going to happen sooner or later."

Dave grabs a nearby chair and pulls it over. He sits and gestures for her to sit as well. She sinks into the chair and gives him a sad and world-weary smile.

"He was a drinker for as long as I can remember," she tells him. "I don't know if he started before or after my Mom died. I just know that he was always drunk."

"Who's been taking care of you? Making sure you have clean clothes and food to eat," he asks.

"Me. I've been taking care of myself for a while," she says with a shrug. "Dad had a girlfriend for a while. She taught me how to run the washer and dryer. How to make a sandwich. She left about six months ago."

Dave nods. "And your grandparents?"

"All dead, I guess. I've never met any of them," she shrugs.

Dave lowers his head, eyes to the floor. He looks back up at her. "If I give you my card, will you stay in touch? Let me know where you are and how you are doing?"

She shrugs again. "I guess. Why?"

"Because I care about you," he tells her.

"Why? You hardly know me."

He looks at her gently. "You didn't know me, but you cared enough to get me medical help."

"Yeah, but…" She looks at him intently as tears well in her eyes. "You're the first person to act like they cared about me. You got hurt trying to save me and I… I felt I needed to take care of you."

"Do you want a hug?" he asks softly.

Tears flow freely down her cheeks as she nods. She moves swiftly across the short space between them and into his arms. She cries for a long time, releasing the emotions that have been pent up for so long.

From across the room and unknown to Dave, Penelope watches the exchange through a video call from JJ. Tears flow down Pen's cheeks as well.

End Chapter 9