Here we go! Chapter eleven! Things are gonna start happening soon!
Hope you guys like it! Reivews are always appreciated!
Reid stormed triumphantly into Hotch's office, ignoring the look of surprise that was sent his way. Garcia followed after him timidly. Reid slammed a file folder down on Hotch's desk.
"There. I told you. She isn't crazy," Reid said firmly.
"Reid. We're not going to start this again. It could happen to anyone," Hotch stated, obviously exasperated.
"No! Look in the folder! Ask Garcia!" Reid exclaimed angrily. Hotch raised his eyebrows before turning to the tech analyst.
"Garcia?" he asked her. She was being unusually silent, and hanging around in the back of the room, which was very unlike her.
"Yes, sir. I suggest you take a look," she said quietly.
Hotch looked back and forth from Reid to Garcia for a moment, before reaching out for the folder. Flipping it open, several papers and pictures fell out onto his desk. He picked up the top picture, seeing that it was of JJ and another man holding hands and walking into a restaurant. The next one was of JJ and the same man entering her apartment building, looking very comfortable and in love. Then one of them in a car together, parked outside a building, kissing.
He skipped over to the papers, finding JJ's financial records, which included charges to a pharmacy and to a therapist's office. And behind that, there was a rap sheet for a man named Brandon Whitley. It included previous offenses for fraud and assault. Attached was a picture of a rather pretty young girl with bruises all up and down her arms and chest, and a long bloody gash running along her cheek.
Hotch noticed with a small pang that the picture of the criminal who had attacked this girl so viciously matched the the pictures of the man that JJ had been photographed with.
"She's not crazy," Reid said again. "Brandon is real, and from what we found he doesn't look like a very safe guy."
Hotch sighed and stared down at the picture of JJ entering her apartment with this guy. He had his arms around her waist, and she was laughing. He was suddenly filled with something remarkably like rage. This man, who had beaten a different girl so mercilessly, with JJ?
"Did she know about his previous charges?" Hotch asked, grinding his teeth slightly.
"No. She didn't even know that was his real name," Garcia spoke up. "He told her his name was Brandon Waters."
Hotch slammed down the pictures and grabbed his phone, dialing the number for the therapist that JJ's records said she had attended. He knew the number by heart, seeing as this therapist was one of the few that the Bureau recommended to victims.
The receptionist answered, and she had him immediately patched over to Doctor Sharpe's personal phone, and after a few more rings she answered, sounding jovial.
"Aaron! How are you? What's up?"
"Hello, Alex. I've got a problem with one of your clients," he said, not able to stop his voice from sounding a bit gruff.
"You know I have to follow patient confidentiality," she said warningly, and Hotch started to rub his temple a little. Reid and Garcia were listening interestedly, so he put the phone on loudspeaker.
"I know. But you've been seeing JJ," he stated. He wasn't asking her. She took a few moments to get over the initial shock and answer.
"Yes. I have," she said, a bit stiffly.
"I'm not asking you to reveal anything you talked about. I just want to know her condition. She may be in trouble," he said pleadingly.
"As for her mental condition, she's depressed. I've had her on anti-depressants for a while now. But other than that, she's completely fine."
"No delusions?" Reid asked, speaking up.
"Doctor Reid? Is that you?" Alex asked.
"Yes, it's me. Would you answer the question?" he said, a bit impatiently.
"Alright," she said, sensing his frustration. "No. No delusions or anything of the sort. She's mentally stable."
"Thank you," Hotch said quickly, hanging up the phone rather abruptly.
"She's not crazy," Reid said again, staring down his team leader. Hotch couldn't help but feel slightly ashamed for not believing sooner.
"I know," he agreed finally.
"Did the hospital even check with Doctor Sharpe before they committed her?" Garcia asked, receiving silence as an answer.
Hotch stood up and left his office, descending into the Bullpen. Emily and Morgan were nowhere to be seen, and looking up into Dave's office, saw it empty as well.
"Come on. We're going to go to the hospital and talk to them," Hotch said, walking towards the doors to the elevator, Reid quickly grabbing his bag off his desk and following.
"Sir? Can I come?" Garcia asked frantically, following the two agents.
"Fine," Hotch said quickly, stepping into the elevator, and Garcia ran in as well.
They piled into one of the FBI issued SUVs, and Hotch drove them to the hospital, perhaps a bit quicker than was necessary.
"First things first," he said as they walked into the building. "We need to go talk to JJ."
After Reid and Garcia agreed, he walked up to the front receptionist. "Excuse me; we need to talk to Jennifer Jareau. Could you tell me where we could find her?" He didn't flash his badge yet, saving that for if things proved to be difficult.
The receptionist, whose name was Sara, Hotch noted from the small child made name plate sitting in front of her, smiled at him and said, "Sure. Just one minute."
She started searching on the computer, and the three agents stood impatiently. She was unaware of their impatience, however, taking her time. Hotch heard Reid sigh exasperatedly next to him, and was about to ask her if she could speed up, when she said, "It looks like Ms. Jareau was placed in room seven thirteen earlier this morning."
"Thank you," Hotch said, and he walked quickly over to the nearest elevators. They took the long ride up, stopping on three separate floors before they finally got the right one. They quickly extricated themselves from the nurses and family members, Hotch fixing his rumpled jacket as they followed the signs on the walls to room seven thirteen.
Finally finding it, Reid nearly ran into the room. Garcia went after him, and Hotch followed. What he saw surprised him.
The room was empty. A worried Reid was just walking out of the bathroom, shaking his head. "She's not in the bathroom."
Hotch walked over to the bed, seeing that the covers looked like they had been thrown off quickly. There was an IV sitting next to the bed, and it was ominously dripping medicine onto a puddle on the floor.
"Hotch? Where is she? What happened?" Garcia asked fearfully, lip quivering.
He ran his hands through his hair for a few seconds before turning to look at his two friends, trying to remain calm. But he wasn't successful. Panic started to rise up inside him, and he was forced to answer with a slightly shaky voice.
"I don't know. But it can't be good."