Title: The Poison Apple
Author: innocent choir girl Is a past offender after the BAU team?
Category: General
Genres: Angst, Crime, Drama, Hurt/Comfort,
Characters: Aaron Hotchner, David Rossi, Emily Prentiss, Derek Morgan, Jennifer Jareau, Spencer Reid, Penelope Garcia
Rating: PG-13
Chapter Five - "Flu?"
Author's Note: I'm trying…that is all
January 16, 2008
East Michigan Street
Duluth, Minnesota
They'd been in Minnesota for some time and the team wasn't any closer to catching the unsub. Rossi was sitting with JJ in the hospital. It hadn't been easy to have the team's attention divided, but cycling the team into taking turns staying with JJ seemed to help. "What do you think?" Hotch asked the team as they examined a dump site of the newest dumped body. He noticed that while Reid and Morgan had moved closer, Prentiss had stayed back. "You okay, Prentiss?" he asked. The whole team had been off, he was well aware of that.
The smell of heavy iron in the air made Prentiss' stomach turn. She knew it was the smell of blood and the fact that she was feeling sick because of it was worrying her. She never got sick because of crime scenes and they'd been to some gruesome ones. It was more than just the smell though, the sound of the freeway that was behind them roared through her ears. She felt disorientated and dizzy.
"Emily?" he asked, this time more concerned. He knew it was entirely possible that she just hadn't heard him. With the freeway hollering right behind them as cars busily made their ways home, it was possible that not being heard was merely the reason why Prentiss hadn't spoken up. Hotch stepped forward and put an arm on her shoulder, when he did he noticed her gaze dropped and then immediately realized how her pallor had changed.
"I think I caught JJ's flu," Prentiss informed him after a moment of trying to keep herself contained. She pulled her head back up, but covered her mouth as she felt her stomach protesting to the food remaining in her stomach.
Hotch frowned, he didn't like the sound of that. He hated to think that one by one his team was going to get sick. "You don't look too good," Hotch told her as he reached out and took hold of her arm. It wasn't the fact that she didn't look like her normal self, but also her body language and the fact that she knew she wasn't right as well. When Prentiss pulled away quickly, he didn't have any other choice than to watch her as she made her way off to the side of them, but closer to the road before regurgitating her previous meal into the dirt. He cringed slightly, that was never a good sign. The fact that she was throwing up meant it was bad enough that Emily needed to be off duty for the time being. That put him down two people. He waited as he watched her look like she was trying to pull herself together, when she finally looked over he approached her. She met him halfway and he noticed how much worse she looked, "Let's get you checked out."
"I told you," Prentiss argued, "It's the flu…probably got it from JJ…"
"Hotch is right," Morgan said. "We'll handle it here." He hated seeing anyone sick and he knew that it most likely made her think that that meant that they'd have to do all the more work, but it was for the best in the end. Further exposure would only risk the whole team into coming down with the flu.
Hotch nodded to Morgan briefly before guiding Emily Prentiss to one of their parked black SUVs.
January 16, 2008
Saint Mary's Hospital
Duluth, Minnesota
While Prentiss was being examined, Aaron Hotchner floated over towards JJ's room. He figured that he may as well check on his other team member. He still didn't like the fact that she'd been in the hospital for almost a week. It definitely wasn't the flu. He found Rossi outside of her room with a very concerned doctor. "David," he said, more to announce his presence than as a greeting. He crossed his arms over his chest and listened carefully as the doctor spoke.
"Your agent was poisoned most likely," the doctor informed the newly arrived FBI agent. "Most likely before you came here since it takes a few days to incubate."
"What kind of poisoning are we talking about?" Hotch asked.
"Escherichia coli," the doctor said. "Or E. coli."
"How can we be sure it's poisoning?" he asked before the doctor could say more. He wanted to know the facts. The fact that JJ could have been sick with it for much longer opened a lot of possibilities and he wanted to make sure that they weren't jumping to any conclusions.
"I contacted the CDC and there are no reports from Quantico, Virginia or the state for any E. coli being reported," the doctor said. "If it was caused by a manufacturer it would have been reported by now in that area. There's not."
Hotch didn't like the sound of that. "Doctor, I don't think Agent Jareau has eaten anything in the couple days prior to her being admitted to the hospital."
The doctor nodded in agreement, "That is why she passed out," he explained. "She was already being affected by the E. coli by then. She had low blood sugar."
"So, we could have been on our last case," Rossi brought up looking to Hotch. "Why don't you check Kansas?" he asked. "That's where we were last. Leavenworth." He watched the doctor nod quickly before he headed off to check Kansas for any E. coli outbreaks there.
"David," Aaron Hotchner said taking a step closer to the older man. "Prentiss is displaying similar symptoms."
"She being checked out?"
He nodded, "Perhaps we should have them check her for E. coli as well. Maybe they shared something."
"Aaron, Prentiss would have been just as sick as JJ is if that were true."
He knew that, but he was holding out hope. The consideration of poisoning was a dark one, especially since it looked like the pattern was the women in his team. It opened a lot of possibilities and he wanted to wait until they knew all the facts before making any accusations. "Let's just hope it's the flu," he said before turning and heading back to where Prentiss was being examined.
Aaron returned to where he'd left Prentiss just in time to run into the doctor. "Does she have the flu?" he asked calmly and levelly.
"I want to admit her overnight for observation," the doctor responded.
He knew that meant that they weren't sure yet. That's always what it meant. "Do me a favor," he said quietly. "One of my other agents has been in here for days. The doctor informed me that it's looking like E. coli poisoning, would you please test Prentiss for the same?" He noticed the doctor giving in a long look for a moment before nodding. He needed to know if the cases were connected.
"In the meantime, I'll move Agent Prentiss up to where your other agent is as soon as I've ruled out any possible contagions."
TBC…