Escalation
Chapter 11
Emancipation

"The emancipation of our physical nature is in attaining health, of our social being in attaining goodness, and of our self in attaining love." – Rabindranath Tagore

'FBI Freeze!'

'Nobody move!'

The three agents burst into the room, drawn there by the sound of gunfire. They stood, adding to the frozen tableau in the room.

four men stood in front of the agents, one holding a gun. The overpowering smell of cordite filled the room. On the floor in front of them was a man, naked except for a towel tied around him. Next to him knelt a woman. Nobody moved for an eternity, then the woman moved between the fallen man and those with the guns.

'Don't kill him, please, someone help him.'

'Drop your weapon.' Rossi said.

Very slowly the man with the gun began to raise it, his finger white on the trigger.

'I said drop it.' Dave repeated.

The man fired his gun simultaneously with the agents. The shot went wide as the Agent's bullets hit the target, the man dropped the gun and fell to the floor. One of the other men went to pick up the weapon, and Prentiss took him out with no preamble.

'Anyone else care to try.' Dave said.

The remaining two men raised their hands and allowed Morgan to cuff them. They were cuffed together, and Morgan took them down to the SUV that was waiting for them. Then he returned.

Prentiss went to the fallen man. He had a gun shot wound to the chest, and was coughing painfully, flecks of blood on his broken lips.

'Oh my god, Rossi, This is Hotch!'

Rossi was by her side in an instant. He stroked Aaron's hair from his eyes, and took his hand.

'Aaron, you are safe now.'

The man lying in front of him screwed up his eyes and turned his head away.

'No....' he whispered. 'Not safe....' and his words were cut off by a fit of agonised coughing. Blood ran from the corner of his mouth.

'Stay with me, Aaron.' Rossi said.

Morgan had returned and he pulled out his mobile.

'I don't think there is time, Derek. We will have to take him to the ER.' Rossi said, Lifting Aaron in his arms. 'We need to hurry.'

Hotch moaned softly as Rossi lifted him off the floor. The three agents and the woman ran out of the room and down the stairs to the second car. Ever so gently, Dave laid Aaron on the back seat, and sat down with him. The woman got in beside him. She didn't ask, and no one told her otherwise. Prentiss sat in the front. Morgan took the driving seat. He started the engine.

'How's he doing?' he asked.

'He's not good.' Dave answered as Morgan spun the car round and drove back towards the city.

He drove like a maniac as Dav held onto Aaron in the back. Aaron's eyes were open, and staring up at Dave. Dave could feel the warmth of blood as it soaked the towel, and he pressed his hand onto the entry wound on his chest.

'Keep awake, Aaron.' Dave whispered to his friend. Aaron looked up at Dave, his hand squeezing Dave's.

'Take care..... of Jack..... please...... I am .... dying.'

'No Aaron, you can take care of him yourself. You are not going to die on me. Open those eyes, now Aaron!'

Hotch had closed his eyes and turned away from Dave. Dave took Hotch's face in his hands.

'Open your eyes, Hotchner!'

Hotch's eyes fluttered open, and tears fell from them and ran down the side of his face into his hair.

'The woman.... helped me. Is.... she here?'

'I'm here.' She spoke for the first time. 'I won't leave you.'

Morgan turned the SUV into the hospital, and drove into the ambulance bay. Dave jumped out and ran into the ER.

'I need help outside, please!'

A doctor ran forward to him.

'Outside in my car!' Dave said, and the two of them ran out to the SUV where Morgan and Prentiss were standing by the car. The woman was in the back, holding onto Aaron. She got out as the doctor approached.

He leaned into the car and felt Hotch's neck for a pulse.

'There's no pulse, help me!' he said, and pulled Hotch out of the car and laid him on the floor of the ambulance bay. He began CPR.

'Go inside and get me some help!' he said, and Dave and Morgan ran into the ER and called for help. three nurses and another doctor joined them and rushed outside, one of then grabbed a gurney and brought it outside. Quickly they lifted Aaron onto the gurney, all the time, the doctor was administering CPR.. They pushed the gurney through the doors and through the ER to the resus room. The three agents and the woman were left in the ER. They sat down, exhausted after the trauma of the preceding hour.

Dave turned to the woman.

'Tell us who you are.' he said to her. She began to explain.

'I am so ashamed of what I did. I had been drinking, and I was egged on by the others. I have no excuse, and I went back to tell the man how sorry I was. I didn't hurt him again, I wanted to get him out of there.'

'His name is Aaron Hotchner.' Morgan said. 'What's your name.'

'I am Libby Cotter.' she answered. 'Is Aaron going to be ok? I wanted to help him. Please don't let him die!' Libby began to cry. Emily sat by her and put her arm around her.

'It's ok, Libby.' she said. 'You did the right thing in the end, and almost lost your life doing it.' She smiled a shaky smile at the woman. 'Hotch is tough. he'll pull through.'

-0-0-0-

That wasn't what the doctors were thinking. They got Hotch breathing again and he Had a pulse now. They ran a rape kit on him, and were horrified at the injuries Hotch had. The man had been assaulted by many agessors, and they were most concerned with stopping the bleeding. He had lost a good deal of blood, and they set up a drip of plasma expanders to bring up the blood volume. He groaned in agony as they turned him onto his side to examine him, and cried out as they ran their tests. A nurse sat with him and stroked his hair and held his hand.

he had been beaten, and had several cracked ribs and facial bones, including his cheek and right orbit. He had cuts and contusions all over his body and was severely bruised. They did what they could in resus, and then sent him to theatre where his internal injuries were repaired.

But after what he had been through, the psychological damage was far worse that the physical. The doctor went to speak to his friends.

-0-0-0-

Libby Cotter told the agents what they had done to Hotch. She was crying as she told them how they had assaulted him and knocked him about, and how he had offered no resistance.

'We had all been at the wrong end of a man's fist in the past, and wanted to get our own back.' she said. 'I am so sorry.'

Hotch never hurt anyone.' Morgan said angrily. 'He went out of his way to help people like you, and you turn on him like this.'

Dave put his hand out to Morgan.

'She realised and went to help him.' Dave said. 'Leave all this until later.'

Morgan closed his eyes and was abut to say something, when the doctor came into the room.

'Are you the friends of Mr Htchner?' he asked.

Dave stood up and offered his hand.

'We are. Do you have news?'

Mr Hotchner is in a stable but critical condition.' the doctor said. 'He had severe internal injuries and has lost a lot of blood. It seems he has been raped by multiple assailants. He is very ill.'

Prentiss stepped forwards. 'Can we see him?' she asked.

'He is only just out of surgery.' the doctor said. 'He is in a drug induced coma. He would be in too much pain to be awake. It will be several days before he can receive visitors.'

Rossi turned to Morgan. 'You and Prentiss go back to the precinct and process Miss Cotter. I will remain here and wait for news. I will go and see Reid and tell him what's happened.'

Morgan, Prentiss and Libby left the ER and went back to the SUV which was still in the ambulance bay. Dave went to enquire after Reid.

-0-0-0-

Rossi found Reid in physiotherapy, practicing walking with a prosthetic foot, and from what Dave could see from the doorway, was doing a good job. When Reid saw Rossi, he stopped and sat down.

'Have you found him?' he asked.

'Yes. he's alive, but badly beaten and mistreated. It will be a long time before he is able to come back to work.'

'He's been raped, hasn't he?'

Reid remembered the previous victims had all been raped and beaten. Ross didn't answer the question, but Reid knew.

'I want to go and see him.' he said.

'he's had surgery, Reid, and is still in a bad way. He was shot in the chest, and had severe internal injuries. It will be some time before he can have visitors. He's still unconscious, in a drug induced coma to protect him from the pain.

Reid felt tears gather in his eyes. 'I have to be with him. I should have had his back when he was abducted. I need to be with him.'

Dave touched Reid briefly on the shoulder. 'Just get yourself fixed, Reid. We are two men down. We need you back at work.'

Spencer blinked back the tears.

'Just get yourself well, Reid. Aaron is going to be fine. It will just take time. Don't worry, you will be able to see him soon. I'll make sure the doctors tell you as soon as he can have visitors.

-0-0-0-

Reid sat in the chair by his bed and thought of all that Rossi had said. He reached for his crutches and hobbled out of his side ward. There were no nurses at the workstation, they had presumably been called to an emergency.

It was late at night, and the corridors were lit by emergency lighting. It looked totally different to how it looked during the day. Reid continued down the corridor to the lift. he knew exactly where he was going, and he vowed no one would stop him.

Intensive Care was in the third floor. He pressed the button and waited as the lift doors closed and he was taken closer to Aaron. The only problem was how to get past the nurses at the ICU workstation. But he had an idea of what he was going to say.

'I am sorry, but Mr Hotchner is too ill to have visitors except from immediate family.' the nurse said, just as Reid expected.

'I am the closest he has.' Reid lied. 'I am his lover.'

The nurse looked surprised and checked her list again. 'It says nothing of him having a lover here.'

'That is understandable, since it was a secret.'

The nurse smiled. 'I'm glad Mr Hotchner had someone. You may go in.'

Reid smiled back. He had lied of course. Hotch was not Reid's lover, nor would he ever be. But Reid loved him, and wanted there to be more in their relationship. He hoped that someday, Hotch would be able to reciprocate his love.

And Hotch shouldn't be alone.

Reid went to the side ward where Hotch was lying in a coma. There were heart monitors on his chest, and a tube into his throat. The blood on his face and body had not been washed off yet, and he looked a mess. Reid didn't stop the tears now. He sat in the chair beside him and took his hand. Reid noticed how pale and thin he looked.

'I am so sorry, Hotch. I should have had your back and I failed. I won't fail you now though. I will never fail you again.'

He leaned over and kissed his forehead, and rested his head on the bed and went to sleep.