Chapter 18
Morgan sat facing Ron Hunt, arms resting on the table, waiting. He could see the man was now defeated, beaten, and broken, and not the smug, arrogant and cocky man at the time he was arrested.
"Whenever you're ready, man," the agent said, his eyes never leaving Hunt's face.
Leaning his head back, Hunt looked up at the ceiling and let out a deep breath before sitting up straight again and looked directly into Morgan's face. He began picking at his fingernails as his eyes shifted to his hands.
"I…we…that is, Daria and I were watching from behind concealed panels in the house when we saw Agent Hotchner and some dark-haired woman enter the room. There were hidden panels all throughout the house. We had planned to kill both of them and then make our escape, but then they split up, with Agent Hotchner going one way and the woman the other. We also knew there were three more agents upstairs looking around, but they didn't worry us."
"Why not?" asked Morgan. "Weren't you and your wife concerned about five FBI agents on the premises?"
Hunt shook his head. "We weren't worried. The hidden panels weren't in the original plans when the place was built. We knew nobody would discover them as long as we kept quiet."
"Then what happened?"
"Agent Hotchner entered one of the rooms alone. Daria agreed that I would take care of the woman agent while she kept her eyes on Agent Hotchner. It was my job to get rid of the woman agent. But I didn't want to kill her, just incapacitate her for awhile. So I left my hiding place, snuck up behind her and hit her with a club. I didn't know whether she was dead or not because as soon as she collapsed in my arms I laid her down on the floor and left the way I came. I had to get back to Daria."
"What happened next?"
"Agent Hotchner still had one room at his end of the hall to check out. I wanted to kill him, but Daria persuaded me that we might have better luck using him in the experiment than the women. So Daria and I arranged for him to find her thinking she was just another victim of whoever was killing these women while I watched. He came to her aid immediately. The plan had been that once he was at her side, I was to reveal myself as a threat to her and she would show her fear of me which was exactly what happened."
"Okay," Morgan interrupted. "Agent Hotchner and Agent Prentiss split up with Agent Prentiss going one way and Agent Hotchner going the other. After you assaulted Agent Prentiss, you rejoined your wife and decided to kidnap Agent Hotchner for your own sick experiment. How am I doing so far?" His eyes were narrowing. Hunt lamely nodded.
"Okay. Tell us how you overpowered Agent Hotchner, and how you got him out of that house without being seen?" Morgan asked.
A slow smile appeared on Hunt's face as he glanced at Morgan. "It was so simple even I couldn't believe it. Agent Hotchner was so predictable. He came to Daria's assistance when I appeared. Keeping his body in front of hers, he faced me with his gun drawn demanding I drop the club which I refused. Daria was on the floor behind him moaning like she was in pain. As I took a step closer to Hotchner, that's when Daria jabbed a syringe into the back of his thigh."
"What was in the syringe?" asked Morgan already suspecting the answer.
"It was a fast-working paralyzing drug. In seconds he was on the floor unable to move. We relieved him of his weapons and Daria told him she couldn't wait to see how out-of-control we could make an in-control man like him. I then reminded her we had to get out as there were others in the house."
"So what did you do then?"
"I got the stretcher we had hidden in the tunnel behind the wall panel, covered him with a sheet, then carried him out through the wall panel. We had an ambulance waiting in the woods in back of the house. We loaded him into it and took off."
"And this was while you were in Central State in Louisville?" asked Madison, still unable to comprehend how badly he had apparently misjudged Dr. Hunt and his family.
Ron glanced upward at the Police Chief. "Yes, sir."
Morgan shifted in his chair. "Okay, now let's move on to Sacramento. Tell me why it took three years before you and your family decided to begin the ECT treatments on Agent Hotchner after all that time seeing as you had him as a prisoner three years ago."
Hunt took a deep breath and exhaled out his mouth. "We knew we couldn't stay in Louisville any longer, so dad began searching for someplace we could go when he received a phone call from a friend in Sacramento who informed him the current COS was leaving Sierra Vista, and the position would be opening up and he would be perfect for the job. He'd even put in a good word for him if he was interested. Dad was. So he went ahead of us to Sacramento, got the position, and then began to get things set up with the hidden lab."
"The one inside the storage closet?" asked Madison. Both he and Morgan saw Hunt nod, his eyes looking glazed.
"It took dad an entire year to get everything set up so he could continue the experiments we began at Central State."
"How did your father feel about you and your wife bringing Agent Hotchner as a hostage?" asked Morgan folding his arms and leaning back in his chair.
"He was extremely angry and said we should have just killed him; that we could kill him now and dump his body somewhere. But then Daria explained her idea about how much more impressive it would be if dad could succeed with his experiment on a team leader of an FBI unit. I could tell dad was intrigued by the idea, so he agreed to keep Agent Hotchner alive for now, and Daria and I were to keep him drugged and transport him to Sierra Vista under the name of Adam Hefner."
Morgan exhaled deeply. "So let me get this straight. You and your wife kidnap a federal agent, drug him, then transport him from Louisville to Sacramento just to be part of some kind of bizarre experiment of your father's?" Hunt didn't respond. "I asked you a question, dammit!" the agent shouted slamming both hands on the table so hard it caused Hunt to jump in his seat.
"Yes," Hunt nervously responded. This agent frightened him just with the glare in his dark eyes.
Standing erect, Morgan crossed his arms across his broad chest. "What happened between leaving Louisville and arriving in Sacramento?"
"The paralytic drug started to wear off after a few hours. So we kept Agent Hotchner tied to a chair in the house we were using in Louisville while Daria and I were packing and making arrangements for our move to Sacramento." Ron hung his head and heaved a hugh sigh of relief. "If only he hadn't tried…"
Morgan and Madison exchanged puzzled looks. "If only who hadn't tried what?" Morgan asked suspecting he already knew the answer.
Hunt looked up at the agent, his lower lip trembling. "Agent Hotchner. He tried to escape. That's why we had to put him in a medically induced coma for a year. We couldn't let him get away until Jack decided if he would use him. If he had escaped it would have ruined everything. It was either put him in a coma or put a bullet in his head."
Morgan's dark eyes narrowed as his face darkened with rage; the muscles in his face could be seen tensing and he ground his lower jaw. It was taking all his inner strength not to jump across the table and wrap his powerful hands around Ron Hunt's throat until he ceased breathing. Hearing what they had done to Hotch during his three years of captivity was enough to make him want to take the law into his own hands and damn the consequences. But he promised himself he would keep himself under control, but it wouldn't be easy.
Rossi turned his head hearing the door to Hotch's room quietly open to see JJ look in. Her eyes first fell on the sleeping Hotch before looking at Rossi.
"How is he?" she mouthed not wanting to wake the sleeping man. Rossi glanced at his friend before quietly rising from the chair and following JJ out into the hallway just outside the door.
"As well as can be expected," Rossi explained. "He still doesn't remember anything, but for some strange reason, he feels comfortable with me." He saw the blond smile at him.
"Why wouldn't he? He's known you for about twenty years."
Rossi chuckled at JJ's words. "True. But he still does despite not remembering who I am. He even asked me my name. But I'd have to say he's still scared and confused by not knowing who he is or remembering anybody or anything else."
The blond placed a hand on the older man's arm. "Hotch will be all right. We're going to make sure of it. Whether or not he returns to the BAU is not important. What is important is that he recover his lost memories and be whole again."
Rossi smiled slightly. "Thanks, JJ. You always know exactly what I need to hear and when I need to hear it." The blond simply smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Listen, can you do me a favor?" the older man asked.
"Sure. What do you need?"
"I need to stretch my legs a bit and get some coffee, but I don't want to leave Aaron alone for long. Can you sit with him for a few minutes until I get back from the cafeteria? I promise I won't be long."
"I'd be glad to," she said, her hand gripping the doorknob.
"Thanks. Can I get you anything? Coffee maybe?" asked Rossi.
"I'd appreciate it. Thanks." Seeing the tired older man nod, she watched him turn and head down the hall before she quietly opened the door and entered the room. Fortunately, Hotch was still sleeping. JJ quietly sat down in the chair Rossi had vacated. Leaning forward, she placed a hand on Hotch's, and gently squeezed it, her blue eyes focused on her friend. "It's going to be all right, Hotch," she said softly. "You're going to be all right. And all of us are going to be right here to help you every step of…" she closed her mouth when Hotch, turning his head in her direction, opened his eyes slightly and noticed her. His eyes widened, and he immediately pulled his hand away from her and tried scooting over to the other side of the bed, terror evident in his eyes and on his face.
"Who…who are you?" he stammered.
"Hotch, take it easy. My name's Jennifer. Jennifer Jareau. But everybody calls me JJ. You and I are very close friends."
Hotch shook his head frantically. "I…I don't know you! What do you want from me? Where's Dave?"
Caught off guard by her friend's reaction to her, JJ got up and tried to calm Hotch down as the heart monitor started going crazy with incessant beeping. JJ touched Hotch's arm with her hands only to have him try to get away. "He just went to get some coffee and asked me to sit with you until he came back. I'm not going to hurt you, Hotch. Please calm down." She could see he was becoming more terrified of her.
"Get away from me!" he shouted at her. "I don't believe you!" The look on his face terrified the blond. Her head turned at the sound of the door opening to see a nurse hurry into the room followed closely by Rossi carrying two Styrofoam coffee cups. He also hurried inside placing the cups on the nightstand as the nurse brushed JJ out of the way. He watched the blond cover her mouth with a hand and, with tears running down her cheeks, bolt from the room. He looked at the nurse who had pressed several buttons on the heart monitor to stop the incessant beeping.
"Can you stay with him while I step outside? I'll be less than ten minutes," he said putting a hand on the nurse's shoulder. Seeing her nod without looking at him, Rossi grabbed one of the Styrofoam cups and glanced back at Hotch. "Just relax, Aaron. I'll be back very soon. I'm gonna be right outside this room. I promise. Is that okay with you?" He saw the younger man, whimpering and clutching the blanket tightly, nod slowly. Rossi then left the room.
He found JJ, her face up against the wall, hand over her mouth, sobbing uncontrollably. Placing the cup on the floor at his feet, the older man gently gripped the blond by her shoulders and turned her towards him, allowing her to bury her face in his chest as he held her tightly, running one hand repeatedly down her long blond tresses. "It's okay, kiddo," he said softly. "Aaron's just so scared right now. It's nothing personal."
JJ pulled back and looked into the older man's eyes. "I've never seen Hotch like that before. He was absolutely terrified of me. What are we going to do?"
"Shhh. We'll be there for him for as long as it takes for him to regain his memories."
"But…but suppose he doesn't? You heard what Reid said about ECT treatments and how with each treatment the person loses ten percent of himself."
"That's not going to happen with Hotch," Rossi said gently pressing the side of JJ's head against his chest.
"How can you be so sure of that?" she said not moving her head. "He may never again be the Hotch we know."
"I know because this is Aaron Hotchner we're talking about, and he's always beaten the odds. You wait and see. He'll do it again."
JJ pulled back again and smiled as she wiped at her eyes. She chuckled. "I must look a mess," she said.
"You look beautiful as always," Rossi announced before bending down and picking up the coffee cup and handing it to her. "But you might want to splash some cold water on your face before you rejoin the others," he suggested with a grin.
"I will. Thanks for the coffee." She started to turn and find a bathroom when she suddenly stopped and looked back. "Tell Hotch I'm sorry I upset him."
"I will," Rossi assured her before turning away and re-entering the room.
Morgan, having gotten up from his seat, was pacing back and forth slowly with hands on hips while trying to process what Hunt had told him. "So in other words," he said continuing to pace. "It was either kill Agent Hotchner or put him in a medically induced coma." He turned and stood behind the chair he'd previously been sitting in and stared at Hunt. "What made you decide to put him in a coma instead?"
Hunt sighed wearily. "As I told you, he tried to escape while we were packing for the move. He was tied to a chair where at least one of us could keep an eye on him at all times. But we were so busy packing and moving boxes and such that we didn't notice he was working on the knots binding his arms behind the chair. We didn't realize he had freed himself until I was passing in front of him with a box and he lunged at me knocking me down. We wrestled on the floor and he got the upper hand when he suddenly fell over onto me unconscious. I discovered my wife standing over me with a syringe in her hand. Apparently she had noticed him working on the rope binding him and had prepared a sedative just in case."
"Is that when you and your wife decided to put him in a medical coma?" Morgan asked. He saw Hunt nod.
"It was the only way to keep him compliant," the man said with a sigh "Then, about six months before we left for California, Jack advised us to bring Agent Hotchner out of the coma and start him on the drugs that would put him in a catatonic state by the time we reached California which we did."
Morgan, enraged, leaned forward, hands flat on the table glaring at the handcuffed man. "You sorry-ass excuse for a human being! You kept Agent Hotchner in a coma for one year, bring him out of it, and then pump him repeatedly full of drugs that'll put him in a catatonic state?"
"Yes. He was so out of it by the time we arrived at Sierra Vista hospital, he was ready for us to begin the ECT treatments." A small smirk appeared. "And the two treatments we were able to do were having an effect on him."
"Don't you mean three treatments, Ron?" asked Madison coolly. He was completely disgusted. He saw Ron look up at him, puzzled. "That's right, three. Seems the late Mr. Cochran subjected Agent Hotchner to a third treatment without anybody knowing hoping to possibly kill him by damaging his brain to the point the became a vegetable for life."
Morgan leaned so close that his face was a mere few inches away from the man. "Or did you not even give a damn that you, your wife and father could have ended up putting him into a permanent vegetative state?" His voice was like ice. Hunt didn't answer, but instead, looked down at his hands. Morgan looked at Madison. "You can take it from here, Chief. I need to get to the hospital." He gave one last disgusted look at Ron Hunt before turning and exiting the interrogation room.