Chapter 3
Cait Hotchner had just settled into bed. It was the last Tuesday in June and she had made her prep list for the weekend. Matt had graduated from high school four weeks earlier and the open house in honor of this graduation was scheduled for Sunday. Since the Fourth of July fell in the middle of the next week, Aaron took the first part of the week off, which meant he would be around for the open house. He was finally using up some of his lengthy accrued vacation time, since, as usual, the family had spent the time around Cait's birthday two weeks earlier at the Barkley family ranch.
Yet, it hadn't been the most pleasant trip. A day before the Hotchner family was to fly west for their annual vacation, Victoria Barkley, the family matriarch, had suddenly passed at the age of 91. A determined, tough woman that raised her family and ran a ranch as a young widow, she went the way she wanted. Still very spry for her age, a massive heart attack ended the life of the fabled woman of the area as she was looking at the newest foals making their first trip outside of the horse barn. They spent the first few days of their vacation in mourning with the rest of Cait's family.
Cait, the oldest grandchild, delivered a humorous and yet heartfelt eulogy for her grandmother at the funeral, ending with the words, "I'm very proud and yet humbled to stand in front of all you and say I am Caitlyn Victoria Barkley Hotchner." Victoria Barkley's six oldest great-grandsons, including Matt and Mike served as pallbearers.
Yet, something ate at Cait. Being the oldest, she was Grandma's favorite. And when she had come home that first summer with a new husband and son that made her life complete, Victoria Barkley had embraced Aaron (unlike Mark, her first husband) and dotted on Jack. While he said nothing, Cait knew her death had sparked old memories in her youngest son. He wasn't himself the next day, before finally settling into the family time. But there were times that Cait noticed he was still more quiet than usual.
Yet, Jack was her first thought when she took JJ's phone call. Scrambling from bed, she dressed in seconds. As she quickly went up the steps to tell Matt, she thought, there is a demon still inside my son. This is too close to grandma's death.
She walked into Matt's room and found him on his laptop, the buds from his iPod in his ears. She went to the side of desk, got his attention, and quietly said, "I need you downstairs now."
Matt, noting his mother's look, quickly pulled out his buds and followed her down the steps. Cait swung into the study to pick up her handbag.
When they walked into the kitchen, she quietly said, "JJ just called. Uncle Dave has been shot. He's on his way to Georgetown right now. Dad is in the ambulance with him. They think a ricochet hit his femoral artery."
"How bad is he? That's pretty serious, isn't it mom; the femoral getting hit?"
"It depends on how bad it was hit. JJ said he was conscious and talking when they put him in the ambulance. I take that as a good sign. Matt, I've got to get there. Re-set the alarm after I leave and I'll text you when I know more."
"You want me to wake the bros?"
Cait shook her head. "No, just let them sleep." She kissed his cheek. "I'll let you know as soon as I know more."
"I've got things here, mom. But please…."
"I promise Matt." She grabbed her purse as Matt turned the alarm off and Cait flew out the door. As she pushed the speed limit to get the hospital, she said a quick prayer for their dear friend. Twenty minutes later, she was pulling into the hospital parking lot, her parking permit for the university getting her close to the door.
She sped in the door of the ER and was immediately recognized by Dr. Janice Marshall, head of trauma medicine. It paid off to work at the same university. She gave Cait a quick rundown of the situation, saying that she was the lead doctor on him in the ER, and added Dave was in surgery on the fourth floor. Cait thanked her, grabbed an elevator and got off on the fourth floor. She walked up to the nurse's station. A nurse turned and looked at her. "Who are you looking for Dr. Barkley?"
"Hi Maria. My husband; he came in with David Rossi, an FBI Agent."
"Your husband's team just joined him. They are down the hall and to the right."
"Maria, I know you don't know much, but who is doing Agent Rossi's surgery?"
She looked at her computer screen. "Dr. Petrovsky. Agent Rossi is in good hands."
Cait smiled. "Yes, he is. Thank you Maria." Cait made her way down the hall and found them all in the waiting room. Aaron had his suit jacket off and his sleeve on his right arm rolled up. He pulled her into a tight hug. Cait could feel the tension in every fiber of her husband's body. She pulled out and rubbed his chest as she nodded to the rest of the team.
"Aaron, was he conscious the entire time in the ambulance?" Hotch nodded.
"Let me look at your shirt sleeve."
"Cait," Hotch questioned.
"Please, let me look at it." Trusting his wife, he rolled it down. Cait studied the blood on his cuff.
"That's not very much, considering."
"We got to him pretty quick." Cait picked up his jacket and examined it as well.
"I'd say in a helluva hurry. When JJ called, I expected a lot more. I ran into Janice down in the ER. She said all of you did a great job in taking care of him. The EMTs were impressed."
"You'll never know how happy it made me when they rolled him into the ER and she was standing there waiting for us," Aaron commented. Dr. Janice Marshall and Cait were old friends. She and her husband were at Cait and Aaron's wedding reception. The two couples had gotten together more than once since then. Cait rubbed his left arm.
She looked at all of them. "Well, the minimal blood loss is good sign number two. Let's go three for three. Did they ask you to call a priest?"
"Cait," Reid asked.
"Reid, this is a Jesuit university and hospital. If someone is critical, the first thing they ask is if the patient is Catholic. And if it's bad, they ask that a priest be notified."
"They never even asked," Aaron said. "You are taking that as a good sign?"
"Yes, I am. And Dr. Anton Petrovsky is doing the surgery. He's excellent. Dave is in good hands." Cait could see the whole team relax a bit. She pulled out her cell phoned and quickly texted Matt what she knew.
"Cait, what the hell was Janice doing here anyway? On a Tuesday night?"
"You know her Aaron. She likes to see how things are working in her department and loves emergency medicine. She pulls a weekend night rotation every quarter just to keep sharp." Cait, who also thrived on working emergencies before Mike was born, added, "I don't miss that rotation." Cait's cell pinged back. She read the message and then handed the phone to Aaron.
Good to hear about Unc Dave. I've got fort. Tell dad hi & luv him. Keep me in loop.
Aaron smiled, handed the phone back to Cait and wrapped his arm around her waist. The team all settled down in the couches and chairs in the waiting area. Just then Garcia roared in, with Erin Strauss hotly on her heels.
"How is he?" Garcia said in her usual voice of concern.
"He's in surgery baby girl."
"How bad is it?" Strauss added.
"Chief Strauss, based on what with the lead ER doctor told me as well as the team, it's very serious, but I do not believe critical."
Strauss smiled. "I'm glad you're here Cait. It pays to know people in the right places."
"Yes, it does," Cait smiled in return. She and Aaron sat down next to Reid on one of the couches and Hotch wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulder. Cait leaned against his shoulder and chest, rubbing the top of his thigh.
A little over two hours later, Cait looking down the hall, seen Petrovsky approaching. She nodded at Aaron and they both got up. The rest followed their lead.
"Dr. Barkley," he said nodding. "I'm looking for Aaron Hotchner."
"Dr. Petrovsky, this is my husband, Aaron Hotchner." They shook hands.
"You're listed as family to Agent Rossi," he asked Aaron, eyeing him closely. He knew immediately that the Italian he operated on was no biological relation to man he was looking at. Cait looked at Aaron as he nodded and picked up on Petrovsky's knowledge. "He's being moved to recovery as we speak. The wound was about eleven centimeters; just under a half inch. We were able to close it very easily but it did need a small vein graft. He'll be off his feet for a while, but he will make a full recovery." The group let out a sigh of relief.
"Dr. Petrovsky, technically Aaron and I are not biological family. But in every other sense, more than family."
Petrovsky smiled. "I won't tell if you don't," he winked. "He should be coming out of the anesthesia in fifteen minutes or so, and then the two of you can go in and see him. Dr. Barkley, I don't need to tell you with the blood loss, he will need rest. Just a few minutes please."
"Of course, Doctor," Aaron said.
"A nurse will come and get you when he's starting to wake." Petrovsky looked at the rest of the team. "I suggest all of you go home and get some rest as well. From what I've heard from Dr. Marshall and the EMTs, you saved your teammate's life tonight. And caught a madman in the process. Well done Agents. And thank you."
The team thanked Petrovsky.
###
A/N: For those of you joining my story for the first time, this is where the Yank tries to explain certain things to international readers that may or may not be understood. If I step on toes with things already known, I apologize once again. But I've received some PM's from other folks that appreciate this. So, I just play it safe. That said, in my area of the US, high school graduates usually get a party, known as an "Open House", in honor of the graduate. As this story plays out, you will find out what that entails.