Chapter 15

Cochran's body fell against the machine as two slugs tore into his body. He struggled to stay on his feet but was failing. As he began to slide down to the floor, he reached upward with an arm and stretching his fingers, tried to reach the button, but a third slug tore into him and he crumbled to the floor and lay still. Both Morgan and Rossi, who had fired the shots hurried forward, and while Morgan kept his weapon aimed as a precaution, Rossi knelt down and pressed two fingers against Cochran's throat. He soon looked up, and shook his head before placing his weapon back in his holster. Morgan did the same as did JJ. The trio then hurried to the table where Reid, after making sure the ECT machine was turned off completely, removed the electrodes from Hotch's temples while Prentiss removed the rubber block, and began unfastening the restraints. All the while Hotch was barely conscious and his head slowly moved from side-to-side. He was barely aware of activity taking place around him, and of hearing voices, but right now he really didn't care. Reid then gently removed the needle from Hotch's arm, removed his own handkerchief, and wrapped it around the puncture site, using it as a temporary bandage to cover and protect the injection site until they could get Hotch to a hospital.

"Hotch! Hotch! Can you hear me? It's Morgan!" asked Morgan resting a hand on the man's shoulder, gently shaking it. All he got in response was unintelligible mumbling.

Rossi grabbed his best friend's hand and held it tightly in both of his. "Aaron. Aaron, it's Dave Rossi. If you can understand me at all, squeeze my hand. C'mon, Aaron." He got no response from his best friend at all even though Hotch slowly turned his eyes in Rossi's direction and looked at him with blank, unfocused eyes that were barely open.

"We need to get him to a hospital," Reid said, worried. "But not here."

Prentiss glanced at Reid and Morgan. "We called for an ambulance while en-route here," she announced. "They should be here in a few short minutes."

About five minutes later, Chief Madison appeared in the lab followed by two EMTs, one of them pulling a rolling stretcher behind him.

"Which one is the patient?" one EMT asked glancing back and forth between Hotch and Cochran.

"Don't worry about him," Rossi replied indicating the body on the floor. "He's not going anywhere." He gestured the EMTs forward towards the table; and as they began to work on Hotch, the agents stepped back to allow room to work, but stayed close to the agent at the same time. "As far as we know, he's been given three ECT treatments, and perhaps succinylcholine and God only knows what other drugs he may have been given," he added.

The one EMT who was shining a light in Hotch's eyes, glanced over his shoulder at the older agent. "Electroshock treatments? Does this gentleman suffer from depression or has been taking antidepressants at all?"

"No," Morgan replied. "The ECT treatments and the drugs were all forced on him."

"My God," the EMT said softly but his words were still heard by some of the others.

"What's his name?" asked the man's partner while he was checking Hotch's blood pressure.

"Hotchner. Aaron Hotchner," said Prentiss. "And he's with the FBI."

Morgan walked over to the Police Chief. "Chief Madison, Daria Hunt is in a room around the corner bearing the name Adam Hefner on the door. She's been beaten and possibly raped. A doctor from this hospital was examining her when we left to come here. You should have some of your men accompany her to the local hospital along with one of our agents. Mrs. Hunt, her husband, and Dr. Hunt are all under arrest for kidnapping a Federal agent, and possibly the deaths of the six women here in Sacramento, and probably the ones in Louisville as well."

Chief Madison nodded grimly as his eyes looked at Hotch as he was being moved from the table onto the stretcher. "Two of my men are posted outside that room as the doctor's still examining her." He exhaled deeply. "I just can't believe any of this," he said, stunned. "I mean, I've gotten to know Jack and his family since they moved here, and they're good people and pillars of the community."

Morgan sighed. "Yeah well, sometimes if somebody seems to good to be true, they usually are." He glanced over his shoulder at Rossi. "Rossi, I'm going with Chief Madison to arrest Dr. Hunt and his son, but someone will have to accompany Daria Hunt to the local hospital and place her under arrest."

Rossi nodded then his eyes fell on Prentiss. "Prentiss, accompany Dr. Hunt's daughter-in-law to the hospital and place her under arrest for kidnapping of a Federal agent and accessory to twelve counts of murder."

Prentiss hesitated. "I'd rather accompany Hotch to the hospital," she replied.

Rossi smiled faintly. "I know you would. But I really need you to do this."

Madison put his hands on his hips. "If it eases your mind any, Agent Prentiss, the only hospital in this area is Sacramento General. Your Agent Hotchner and Daria Hunt will both be taken there. I'll also have two of my men posted outside her hospital room the entire time she's there."

Prentiss nodded reluctantly and glanced back at Rossi. "You'll call and let us know if you hear anything on Hotch while Morgan and I are gone?" she asked.

"The minute I hear anything," Rossi replied with a smile. He then looked over at Chief Madison. "Agents Reid, Jareau, and myself will be accompanying Agent Hotchner to the hospital. That's where you'll find us."

"We're ready to move him," one of the EMTs announced. The top of the stretcher had been elevated and a breathing mask was over Hotch's mouth and nose. The agent seemed completely out-of-it and oblivious to what was going on. "Whoever's going to ride with us let's go."

"JJ, you and Reid follow us in the SUV; I'll ride in back with Aaron," Rossi said. He then motioned for the EMTs to get moving. As they watched the EMTs with Rossi following, roll the stretcher out of the room, JJ, standing beside Reid, put a hand to her mouth, her blue eyes bright with tears.

"I can't believe after all this time, we found Hotch and he's alive," she said quietly.

Reid glanced at the blond and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. "Hotch is alive. But we have to be prepared for just how much of Hotch is there, and will he regain what's been lost due to the treatments. Hopefully in time, the entire Hotch will come back to us."

JJ rested her head against Reid's shoulder, letting her tears fall. "Spence, what are we going to do if the Hotch we know is lost forever?" Raising her head, she looked into Reid's eyes. The younger man didn't respond right away as he was trying to arrange his thoughts. Finally, he figured it best just to be honest. "I have no idea and really don't want to even go there until we know more. C'mon, let's go." He led her out of the room.

All during the ambulance ride, Rossi sat beside his best friend, arms resting on thighs and hands clasped between his knees. He never let his eyes stray from Hotch's face, afraid that if he did, something might happen. He couldn't believe that after three years, his best friend was here in front of him, alive. Not in the greatest of condition, but definitely alive. He raised his eyes momentarily to glance at the EMT across from him who held a stethoscope to Hotch's chest.

"You're gonna be okay, Aaron," Rossi said softly reaching down and resting a hand on the younger man's arm. He suddenly noticed Hotch turn his head slightly in his direction, and appeared to be looking at him through barely open eyes. And despite that, Rossi could still see the vacant look in those dark brown eyes. "It's okay, Aaron," Rossi kept his voice reassuring even though his emotions were all over the place. "I know you're probably confused and scared right now. But I'm not gonna hurt you, so you don't have to be afraid of me."

Hotch continued looking at this man with the beard who was looking down at him. He didn't recognize him, and had no idea who he or this 'Aaron' was, or why this stranger was calling him 'Aaron'. Yet, there was something strangely familiar about that name that he couldn't figure out. And just as strange to him was that for some reason he felt safe in this man's presence but didn't know why. Why should he feel safe in a stranger's presence? Too exhausted to continue trying to get his muddled brain to work, Hotch closed his eyes and allowed the darkness to sweep him away.

JJ was staring at her reflection in the window while Reid was driving right behind the ambulance. She really wasn't paying attention to her reflection, for her mind was on the man in the ambulance. The man she considered a close friend, in addition to being Jack's father and Haley's husband. Haley and Jack! How were they going to explain to Haley that Hotch might not remember her, or to Jack that his daddy doesn't know him?

"JJ?" Reid asked, concerned. "You okay?"

Brought out of her thoughts, the blond turned her head towards Reid and smiled weakly. "I was just thinking. If Hotch has no memory of us or his family, how are we going to explain that to Haley and especially to Jack. He's so young, he won't understand why his daddy might not recognize or remember him. He's going to be so hurt and confused."

"I know. We just have to be there for both of them for as long as they need us to be, and try to help Haley get Jack to understand that his father's lost memories are hopefully only temporary, and that they will return eventually but that it could take a while."

JJ found herself chuckling despite the seriousness of the situation. "Believe me, Spence, children Jack's age don't have a lot of patience about things. It's going to be extremely difficult for him to both understand and live with his father not recognizing or even knowing him. And he'll pick up on Hotch's awkwardness and being uncomfortable around him."

"I know that," Reid replied. "All we can do is hope and pray that Hotch's memory loss is temporary, and that in time he'll regain what he's lost."

Then JJ asked the question that she knew was on Reid's mind as well. "What if Hotch never regains what he's lost? What if the memories he's lost never come back to him?"

Reid licked his lips and hesitated before he answered. Then after a few seconds of silence, he exhaled deeply. "Honestly, I don't know," was all he could answer.

Prentiss was following behind the ambulance that was carrying Daria Hunt to the hospital, mindful of the patrol car in front of her and knew there was another one in front of the ambulance. But it was another ambulance that occupied her thoughts right now; the one carrying her former boss and friend. She chewed her lower lip and blinked several times trying to keep her tears from falling as her lower lip began to tremble. Right now she was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that not only had they found Hotch after three years, but that he was alive.

She couldn't even begin to imagine what Hotch had gone through during those three years, but what had these people done to him? It was obvious from the needle marks she had seen on his arms that over the years he had been given drugs, probably to keep him under control and in a catatonic condition similar to that of the deceased women. But it was the electroshock treatments which worried her the most.

She remembered what Reid had said about with every treatment Hotch would lose ten percent of himself. If Reid's statistics were correct, and she didn't doubt for a second that they weren't, Prentiss wondered if Hotch could or would ever regain that thirty percent he lost; or would it be lost permanently. She had seen the vacant look in his eyes while she was undoing the restraints. His look of confusion, fear, and non-recognition tore painfully at her heart. She wiped at the tears that ran down her cheeks.

Morgan, with Chief Madison seated beside him in the SUV, were following two other patrol cars en-route to the home of Ronald Hunt after getting the address from Garcia who squealed with delight when Morgan told her they had found Hotch and he was alive. But he thought it wise for now not to tell her what had been done to the agent, seeing as they really had no idea what may have been done other than the electroshock. Morgan didn't mention that to Garcia either as it would only frighten her. Right now, all Morgan wanted to do was punch something; a wall, a door, a window, somebody. He really didn't give a damn which or who. His anger was mounting minute by minute not only for what he knew had been done to his friend, but imagining what he must have endured while he was missing was too much to even think about.

Chief Madison, although not a profiler, could see the rising anger on the agent's face, and could understand it. He probably would have felt the same if it had been one of his men. The few days the BAU had been in town, he had noticed that these agents were not just agents and not really friends, but more like a family who cared very deeply for and about each other. Their facial expressions when they found Agent Hotchner was more like having finally located a long lost family member.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Madison asked Morgan, watching him.

"I will be," Morgan replied not looking at the Chief. "Once I get to the hospital and find out what's happening with Hotch."

Madison exhaled through his nose. "Look, I don't know anything about Agent Hotchner other than what you told me when you and your team first got here, but I truly hope he fully recovers from whatever was done to him."

Morgan then glanced briefly at Madison before turning his attention back to the road. "I really hope so, too, man," he said slowly. "Because I'd hate to be the one to have to tell his five-year-old son his daddy doesn't know or remember him, and may never because of ECT treatments." Madison nodded understandingly and the drive continued in silence.

Morgan knew that whatever happened from this moment on, he would never forget the look in Hotch's eyes. A look of not recognizing anybody who was around him before the EMTs arrived. What if Hotch never regained the parts of himself that he was robbed of by the treatments? What if the Hotch he knew was forever gone and what was left was an empty shell with no memory of who he really was, the team, and worse, his family. How would they all deal with that? Worse yet, what would happen to Hotch in that case? Morgan bit his lower lip as his eyes became moist. He blinked several times to keep his tears from falling and wondering why this had to happen to his friend, and what would be the repercussions. He also knew only time would supply the answers.