A/N: I have to be very honest with all of you. I really debated with myself to include these next few chapters. I thought a lot about just glossing over these days and jumping into the rest of the story. Yet, as a CM fan, I felt cheated that I didn't get to see some of this. Yes, I know, they can only show so much in 43 minutes. However, in the end, I decided these chapters are part of the story I want to tell.
Chapter 6
JJ and Rossi, along with the EMT crew, ushered Aaron and Zach into the ER. Hotch was still holding Jack. Two teams were standing by, with the lead ER doctor waiting for them. "Agent Hotchner, all I need you to do is to sign this form that we can work on Zach simultaneously while you are looked at. He's not 18; we need your consent. We'll work on the insurance stuff at a different time." He looked at Hotch and rubbed his arm. "Now is not the time." Hotch signed the consent form.
"Can Agent Rossi be with my son? Agent Jareau will take care of Jack."
The lead nurse just smiled. "Anything you want. This is Jenna. She will help Agent Jareau."
"Jack, please go with JJ while Zach and I get checked out. Uncle Dave is going to be with Zach." Jack bobbed his head, his eyes still red from the tears he cried, as he held his hands out to JJ. JJ, being the mom that she was, had taken off her Kevlar before she got in the SUV so she could hold him close. Hotch handed Jack to her, and the ER teams led the two of them away, having already gotten a transmission on each of their conditions from the EMTs.
Jenna led JJ and Jack into a quiet room for just the three of them. JJ looked around. Jenna had a coloring book with a box of crayons already waiting for Jack, with cartoons on the TV. JJ smiled at her. "Thank you."
"We got a heads up to the situation for the EMTs," Jenna sadly smiled with a whisper. The two of them got Jack settled in, with JJ just rubbing his back and Jenna coloring with him, a juice box on the table for him, along with some animal crackers. Anything to keep his mind off the dreadful news he had just heard.
Dr. Morehouse led Hotch into one of the examination rooms. "My son," Hotch asked.
"He's being treated by Dr. Newman and his team. His injuries are more significant than yours Agent." He noticed Hotch look at him. "But not life threatening in any means; we got the full update from the EMTs. Zach just needs more work than you."
"What can you tell me," Hotch asked, burrowing into the doctor's eyes.
Morehouse gave Aaron a quick update of Zach's condition. "Agent Hotchner, they've got him and that's as good as team as your son can get. Please, just let I and my team take care of you." The staff got Hotch settled down to begin their exam.
In the next ER bay, Dr. Newman and his staff were beginning to work on Zach, doing it very gently. Dr. Newman looked him in the eye. "Zach, tell you how you feel; honestly," as they got him laid down.
Zach eyed him for second, which Dave noticed. "Zach, please relax," he said rubbing his right shoulder, "and just talk to the doctor and work with his team."
Eyeing Dave and then the Doctor, Zach said, "My left arm really hurts. I've got a bit of headache and my right index finger is killing me." He paused for a second. "And my guts are churning. I feel like I'm going to puke." Dave quickly filled the staff in on Zach's run in with the tree root and his surgery. Zach added in the blanks of the meds he was now taking since that incident to help with his digestive system.
Dr. Newman rubbed his shoulder. "Your regular doc has you on some pretty strong stuff to help that gut of yours. I understand why, and also why you feel that way. If you want to just get it out, let us know. It might not be the worst thing to do."
Zach shook his head. "Let's just get this done. I want to be with dad and JP." Dave continued to rub his shoulder.
Dr. Newman looked at him after the nurses had taken their round of vitals. "The finger hurts the worst," he asked moving to right side of the table. "I really thought that hard head of yours would be banging," as one of the nurses removed the bandage off the cut around his left eye.
"Yeah, it's barking the worst."
"Zach, other than what we see, does anything else hurt?" Dr. Newman asked.
"Just my stomach," Zach said, shaking his head. He looked at Dr. Newman. "And you know why. I never got touched there."
"You're sure?"
"I'm positive Doc." Dr. Newman nodded his head and started to look at his right index finger as his staff moved to take care of Zach's left forearm and the area around his eye. They moved the X-Ray machine into place. As Dr. Newman began to closely examine Zach's finger, he looked at one his nurses.
"See if Dr. Carlson is still around please, and get her down here."
Dave looked at him. Dr. Newman just shook his head at him. Zach, watching the X-Ray machine moving into place, didn't notice.
Twenty minutes later, Dr. Newman and his team were looking at the X-Rays of Zach's arm, head and finger while waiting for the local anesthesia to beginning working so they could stitch the long gash on Zach's arm, the one around his eye and the other on his finger. Dr. Newman turned to look at Zach and Dave. Just then Aaron walked in.
"Aaron," Dave asked.
"They're waiting on the X-Rays of my ribs. I can tell them what they'll see. They hurt." He moved to side of the exam table Zach was on, rubbing his hand across the top of Zach's head. "How are you doing son?"
Zach smiled ever so slightly at his dad, as Hotch used his other hand to rub his chest. "Glad you're here; no offense, Uncle Dave."
Dave just rubbed his shoulder again. "None taken kiddo."
"Dad, are you OK?"
"Yeah, they set my nose and they just got to check the pics for my ribs."
"Then dad, go find Jack. Uncle Dave and I are cool." Hotch looked at Dave. "Dad, he needs you. And he hasn't seen you, like I did a couple weeks ago." Dave softly smiled at Hotch and nodded him out of the room.
Dr. Newman just shook his head at the X-ray of Zach's finger. He looked at his team. "Let's get sewing."
Forty minutes later, Dave and Dr. Newman walked Zach towards the room where Hotch and Jack were. JJ was standing outside the door. Jenna had left once Hotch had showed up. Dave looked at her. "Jack is asking questions." Dave, seeing JJ's hurt look, snuck a peak at Zach, his eyes starting to well and wrapped his arm Zach's shoulder.
"You go in and be with them; we'll give you some time." Dr. Newman opened the door so Zach didn't have to use his injured finger. His left arm was in a sling.
Zach walked into the room with Jack, sitting in Aaron's lap, looking their father in the eye, his tears running again. "Daddy, you and mommy always told us that God would take care of us." While Aaron and Haley practiced different religions, Haley had agreed to Aaron's request to baptize and raise their sons in his church. Even after they were divorced, Haley had supported that.
"God didn't have any control over this Jack," Aaron said. "A very bad person, who doesn't believe like us, was in control. God, as strong as he is, couldn't stop this man. George belonged to the devil. But he helped guide me and Zach so mom could save you two." Zach sat down next to his dad. Aaron wrapped his arm around his other son, who shed his own tears. They just sat there in silence, a father and his sons re-bonding, while living through their worst nightmare.
Outside, a mid-30's female doctor joined Dr. Newman. They pulled away and consulted with each other.
A couple minutes later, Dave cracked the door open, looked in, and nodded at Dr. Newman. They both entered with JJ. Dr. Newman sat down on the table in front of the sofa. Dave, JJ, and the new doctor hung around the door.
"Aaron, you have one cracked rib and four that are badly bruised. I know what you are facing but you have to go as easy as possible. The X-rays showed your lungs are clear. Don't push that, because if you do, you'll be back in here with pneumonia and then no good to your sons when they need you most."
"And Zach," Hotch simply asked.
"We stitched the gash around his eye. That will turn ugly and all different colors with the bruising, but he has no signs of a concussion. His arm took 14 stitches to close, and the big bone has a two inch crack in it, with very significant bruising to the rest of the area. He needs to keep it immobilized. But with the stitches, we couldn't put it in a full cast. So he's in a soft one." Aaron noticed the ace bandage.
"Our biggest concern is his finger." Dr. Newman nodded at the doctor in the lab coat, standing with Dave and JJ. "This is Dr. Meagan Carlson; she is one of our orthopedic specialists. I'll let her take over from here."
Dr. Carlson moved to sit down on the table with Dr. Newman. "First off Agent Hotchner, let me say to you and your sons my deepest sympathies on your loss. I know this is very hard on all of you right now." Hotch nodded at her.
"Zach suffered a significant blow to his knuckle. Along with the cut, that Dr. Newman and his staff stitched, requiring…" she looked at Newman.
"Four stitches," Dr. Newman responded.
"He has significant trauma to the knuckle. By the X-ray alone, I can tell he has some major damage in the knuckle area. I'm guessing its ligament damage. But until I get to see an MRI of that, I really can't tell you more."
"Dr. Carlson," Zach spoke up. "I play baseball; catcher and relief pitcher."
"Zach, one step at a time; the first being taking care of what you have to go through as a family. I can't touch it anyway until the stitches come out. From there, I'll get you in; we'll do the MRI and then go from there. Until then, Dr. Newman and his team have got it immobilized exactly the way I want."
Dr. Newman continued. "Aaron, what both of you need is rest, and ibuprofen. Three to four, every six hours, depending on the pain for the next two days is my recommendation. Zach, with his stomach, can't handle any prescribed pain meds, so please make sure that you keep him on that regimen. He also needs all three of his areas to be continued to be iced for another 24 hours. Your nose could handle that too."
"I'm on that job Doc," Rossi said. Dr. Newman turned to look at him and smiled.
"After that, get through what you have to. Dr. Carlson and I will update your primary doctor. Call Dr. Schmidt for an appointment early next week for both of you to be re-examined and he'll get the ball rolling."
Aaron reached out his hand. "Thank you Doctor."
Newman shook his head, shaking Aaron's hand. "Just take care of your family, Aaron. If you need anything," he said, handing Hotch a business card, "you call us; day or night. That's what we're here for." He looked at Jack. "You sure you're OK? You don't hurt any place."
Jack shook his head. "Just my tummy; it's like Zach's right now."
Newman looked at Hotch. "Just go easy on dinner tonight with both of them, with lots of milk." Hotch sadly smiled at him. "If Jack continues to complain about that later, a half-teaspoon of liquid Pepto will help him." Hotch shook his hand again.
JJ walked over to take Jack out of Hotch's lap so he could get up. Jack balked. "Jack, you heard the doctor. Your daddy has sore ribs. I'm just helping him." Jack smiled at her and held out his arms, while Dr. Newman helped Aaron off the sofa and JJ handed Jack back to him. Dr. Carlson guided Zach up.
"Are you feeling light-headed?"
Zach shook his head. "Like Doc Newman first told me; I have a hard head," he sadly smiled at her. "I'm OK." Dave took charge of Zach.
They went out the ER door. JJ looked around and spotted Will in the parking lot with Henry in his car seat. Hotch noticed as well. "JJ, go," he said.
"Not until I get Jack in the car with you. Then the three of us are going to get something to eat." They got to the Bureau SUV; she and Dave got them settled in. "I'll call Morgan with an update. Dave, if you need anything, call me; or any of us; Penelope too. She wants to help."
Dave squeezed her hand. "I know. Go spend time with your family. You need it."
-00CM00-
In New York City, Tim Lacey walked into Albert's, a well-known restaurant on the corner of 57th and Lexington a little after nine in the evening. Given that it was a Tuesday, the crowd was starting to die down. The hostess smiled brightly at him. "Table for one?"
Lacey looked at her and shook his head. "Ma'am, can I speak to you in private?" She nodded and followed him out to the sidewalk. "Is Sean Hotchner working tonight," he asked, showing her his FBI credentials.
"Yes he is. Is he in some kind of trouble?"
"No ma'am; but I do need to urgently talk to him. But I don't want to upset your customers or your staff. Could you assist me in getting that done?"
"If you go around the corner Agent to the alley," the hostess pointed, "there's a door that leads out of the kitchen. I'll have Sean meet you there."
Lacey smiled at her. "Thank you." He moved around the corner to the spot. Less than two minutes later, Sean, in his white chef's jacket that had embroidered on the left pocket "Assistant Head Chef", and the appropriate chef's hat, appeared. Lacey introduced himself, showing his credentials. He watched the blood drain from Sean's face.
"It's Aaron," he questioned.
"No Sean, he's going to be OK." He laid out for Sean what had happened and gave him Dave's phone number.
Sean took a long walk down the alley, pulling of his chef hat. He finally knelt down into a crouch and started brushing away tears. This was the part of the job that Tim Lacey always hated.
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