In The End
The shot rang out through the whole house. Emily sat bolt upright and stumbled from the bed. Thinking quickly, she picked up her won gun and rushed towards the sound of the shot. She walked into the living room and groped for the light switch. When the lights flickered on, a gasp escaped her. Moran lay on the floor, one hand clutching his leg, the other trying to level his own weapon in the direction of the kitchen. She could see the pool of blood seeping into the carpet.
"Derek," she rasped, falling to her knees at his side.
"Where'd they go?" Morgan grunted. Emily took the gun from his hand. Gently, she took it and pressed it atop his other one on his leg.
"Just put pressure on it," she whispered, trying to regain her composure. Morgan was about to open his mouth when there was a noise in the kitchen. Emily was on her feet in seconds, gun leveled in front of her.
"Don't move," she called. Two figures turned around. One held a gun in their hand. Emily reached for the light and it blinded the two intruders. Emily's jaw dropped a little when her own vision cleared. They were just kids.
"Drop the weapon," she ordered, pointing at the young man to her left. He glanced at his companion and slowly put it down. Emily reached forward and picked it up.
"Look…we're sorry...please don't shoot us," the other boy said. Before Emily could respond, Morgan let out a groan of pain.
"Stay here," he spat and backed up. She found her purse and pulled out her cell phone. She flipped it open and dialed 9-1-1. It rang once or twice before someone picked up.
"9-1-1. please state your emergency," the woman on the other end said calmly.
"I need an ambulance and a squad car," Emily said.
"Please state your location Ma'am," the woman said. Emily took a breath, trying to keep herself calm as she gave the dispatch woman the address.
"Now Ma'am," the woman began.
"Agent Prentiss. My name is Agent Emily Prentiss. I have an agent down," Emily interrupted.
"Alright Agent Prentiss. An ambulance and officers are on their way," the dispatch responder stated. Emily knew she should stay on the line but she had other things to worry about. She hung up and bent down next to Morgan.
"They're on their way," she whispered.
"Can I get like a towel or something?" he asked, trying to smile. She nodded and headed back to the kitchen. She knew that a bath towel would be better but she needed to keep an eye on their intruders. She grabbed a dish towel and returned to Morgan's side.
"What the hell happened?" she asked, removing his hands and applying pressure to his leg.
"They broke in through the balcony door," Morgan answered.
"I went to go see what was going on. I don't think they expected anyone to be here…." He continued.
"Shh. Just breathe," she murmured. She could feel a tear slither down her cheek. She would have wiped it away but she didn't want release pressure from the wound. They just stared at each other for a minute before footsteps lurched behind them. Emily looked over her shoulder to see the two boys approaching.
"I told you not to move," she snapped.
"Em…take it easy," Morgan breathed.
"Derek, they broke in and shot you. Don't tell me to calm down," she spat.
"We swear…we thought some old lady lived. We didn't think anybody would be home," the boy who had had the gun rambled.
"We just wanted the stereo," the other boy added.
"So go buy one next time," Morgan grumbled just as the front door burst open and EMTs rushed in with a gurney.
"Agent Prentiss?" one of them asked. Emily nodded and stood up.
"Agent…shit man…you shot a fed!" one of the boys exclaimed.
"We're so screwed," the other one groaned as the cops walked in. Emily quickly briefed them on what had happened while the EMTs tried to get Derek onto the gurney.
"I don't need oxygen. I got hit in the leg," he protested.
"Excuse me," Emily said and walked over to the gurney.
"Stop being an ass and do what they tell you," she said firmly. The look on her face told him not to cross her right now.
"Yes, Ma'am," he murmured and pulled the mask over his nose and mouth.
"You going to ride with him?" the head EMT asked.
"Yeah. Just give me a minute," she answered. She rushed back into the bedroom and gathered up their clothes. She pulled on pants and tossed the rest in her carry on bag. When she returned they were wheeling Morgan out the front door. She'd made sure to also grab both of their badges.
A few hours later, a woman in a white lab coat appeared in the waiting area. Emily looked up when she motioned for her to follow. The doctor led Emily into a private room where Morgan lay.
"You're friend here is very lucky. The bullet only tore some muscles. With a little physical therapy and keeping the weight off for a few weeks he should be fine," she announced.
"Thank you," Emily said and waited for the doctor to leave.
"Some weekend huh?" he asked, patting the bed next to him. She sat down and squeezed his hand.
"Yeah….you should have woken me up," she muttered.
"I thought I could handle it," he replied.
"You want me to call Hotch and let him know?" she offered.
"That'd be great," he answered. She nodded and headed outside to make the call. The phone rang five or six times before the other end picked up.
"Hotchner," Hotch answered. It was clear he'd been sleeping.
"Hotch, it's Prentiss," Emily began.
"How's California?" he asked.
"It was fine up until these two idiot kids decided to break in," Emily answered, trying to mask her anxiety with a laugh.
"Are you and Morgan alright?" Hotch pressed.
"Yes…and no. Morgan got shot in the leg. He'll be fine but he's going to be out for a few weeks," she said as quickly as she could.
"Shot? Where were you?" Hotch demanded.
"It was the middle of the night. I had no idea what was going on, Sir," she shot back defensively.
"I heard shots fired and I went and investigated the situation. I handled it," she added.
"Are you going to make your flight back tomorrow?" he asked, not sounding pleased at all.
"I'll have to ask the doctor," Emily yawned. With that she hung up and returned to Morgan's room.
"Well he's not happy but he'll get over it," she grumbled.
"The doctor said we should still be able to make the flight tomorrow," Morgan whispered, stroking her hair.
"We still going to see your Mom?" she asked.
"Do you want to?" he replied.
"Yeah…I would," she sighed. She managed to curl up on the bed next to him, her head resting on his chest.
The following morning, local PD drove them back to the house to pick up the rest of their bags. Emily had called her mother and explained the situation.
"I feel bad leaving before the window is fixed," Emily admitted as they loaded the last of their bags into the cruiser.
"We'll give you a call as soon as it's fixed," one of the officers assured her. She gave him an appreciative smile as they climbed into the car. The ride to the airport was silent. Not even the crackle of the police radios seemed to intrude upon Emily and Morgan's thoughts.
"Have a safe trip," the officers called as Emily and Morgan headed for security. This time they had their badges in hand.
The flight to Chicago seemed shorter than the previous leg and Morgan was glad to be free of the cramped space. He'd called his mother and told her to meet them just outside security.
"Derek what happened?" she asked, seeing her son walking towards her on crutches.
"Ma, I'm fine," he promised, giving her a kiss.
"This is Emily," he introduced.
"Agent Prentiss. We met when…" Emily trailed off.
"It's nice to see you again," Mrs. Morgan said, pulling Emily into a hug.
"You too," Emily agreed.
"Well you two can't stay long. You have a flight to catch. Maybe you'd like to come spend Christmas at home, honey," she suggested, cupping Morgan's cheek in her hand.
"Maybe. We'd better get going. These guys are giving us the death glare," he said. He kissed his mother on the cheek and Emily exchanged another hug before they went back through security. As they took their seats on the second plane, Emily looked over at Morgan.
"You probably never want to go on vacation with me again," she mused.
"I'd go anywhere with you. You make things interesting. And come on…a little scar on my leg is better than being dragged out of bed and being accused of murder," he said with a smile.
"Only you could make that sound romantic," she laughed. He smiled broadly as the cabin door closed and the plane began to taxi towards the runway.