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"Please just tell me if he's alive!" Hotch begged through the oxygen mask. "Please."
"Sir, please" The EMT was exasperated. She couldn't tell the man yes, his passenger was alive, but not for long. She might have only had a years experience but the with the injuries he was displaying, the kid was a good as gone.
"Sir, you have extensive bruising, a severe head injury and internal bleeding. You have to stop moving." The second female EMT came into Hotchs view. The man as just a bit older then Hotch himself, but carried the same hair color Reid does, making him struggle all the more. The color his hair was before it was involuntary died red.
"Lets move him out."
"Nooo." He groaned. It was getting really hard to talk, to think. They had to take Reid, he was hurt worse. "R'ed" It came out garbled mush. A hand clasped his. He was able to turn his head only slightly. Blinking rapidly to stop the tunnel vision, he noticed Elle.
She was walking with him. "They're trying to get Reid out now, he's going to be fine Hotch. Don't worry."
The pain was going away, the fear too. He was faced with an infinite amount of darkness.
He welcomed it gladly.
But before he could fully be enveloped in the darkness he heard a voice, Elle's voice. "He's alive, he's out and he's alive."
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"Spencer, can you hear me?" Grace Evans, EMT, asked. "Spencer, if can you hear me squeeze my hand." She placed her hands in his. Nothing. Her head turned slightly to the right but her eyes stayed glued to the unresponsive young man in front of her. "No response. Shallow pulse, mild respiratory distress." Placing the air mask more securely on Reid face, she motioned for her team to load the young doctor into the awaiting ambulance.
"What's going on?"
"Sir, step back. We need to do our job."
"Morgan, come on." Gideon pulled his am back, which JJ clasped tightly.
The rain had stopped almost the same moment that Hotch had been pulled out of the SUV. That was almost ten minutes ago, but to the four remaining agents it seemed much, much longer.
No! Gideon wanted to scream at whoever's sick joke this was. He wanted to kill whoever had did this. Wanted to make them suffer as he watched his young friend's body seize. Ripping coughs tearing through his body, blood spewing out of his mouth as he desperately tried to get air in.
"Emergency Intubation!" Her voice was loud but calm, as she directed orders to her peers.
JJ clasped Morgans arm tighter, a muffled sob escaping into the cold night. He pulled her tight as if trying to protect her from what he could not protect Reid from. Protect her from the outside world. At what time precisely had he screwed up so badly?
Unlike Morgan and JJ, Gideon couldn't take his eyes off the broken and battered young man. He covered his mouth with his hand, partially to keep him from throwing up. No! Don't let them see you break! "I'm riding." Gideon stated his voice even, but held conviction.
"Sir-"
"I'm not asking." He turned to his team. "Call Garcia, meet us at the hospital." He ran to the ambulance, paused just a moment and turned back to his team. "Stay safe." his voice cracked, almost inaudibly and if JJ or Morgan were aware of it, they didn't say.
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"Office of Peaches and Cream, who wants a taste?"
"It's Morgan."
"In that case, you can have more then just a taste."
"Pen, something happened."
"What's going on. Did someone-"
"No." he sad maybe a bit to forceful, no one had died. "Its Hotch and Reid. They were in a car accident. They're - It's not looking very good."
No baby girl, no honey, no any kind of reassurance. "Where are they being taken?"
"Mercy General"
"I'll meet you there."
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"I'm sorry Sir, but this is as far as allowed." Her hand held firm against his chest. A physical barrier forcing him away from Reid. He doesn't know what she say written on his face but whatever it was caused her to relax her stance. "We have the best doctors in the state here. We will do everything we can to keep him alive. She gave him a half smile before rushing away. Since when is keeping someone alive good enough? He turned to the door marked waiting room and very reluctantly walked through. How was he supposed to tell his team that the youngest member had died for exactly 34 seconds before they were able to bring him back?
"Elle." She had rode with Hotch "How is he?"
"He lost-" Her voice broke, it was painfully obvious she had been crying. "- so much blood." voice cracking again "You can't lose that much blood and be ok."
"Hotch is a fighter, so is Reid. They'll both be ok."
"How bad is Reid?" Her voice wavering dangerously as she tried to steady herself. He took the seat next to her.
"He's fighting." There was a moment of silence.
"That doesn't answer my question." he sighed.
"Not good, Elle. Not good."
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Haley Hotchner arrived half an hour later. "What's going on? Nobody would tell me anything!" She was near hysterics, but little Jack in her arms was surprising quiet. "Gideon, please."
"He's alive. That's all we know."
"What happened?!"
"It was a double collision, first on the passenger side, then head on."
"Who..." Another sob. "Who else..."
"Reid, just him and Reid."
"Was he... was he..."
"No, he was driving, and no it wasn't his fault." In fact, that was Gideon's next task. Find out exactly who did this to his family.
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"Aaron?" The voice was demanding, a no nonsense type. Much like Gideons. "Aaron Hotchner, I need you to open your eyes. Can you do that for me?" Slowly. Very slowly, Hotch was able to open his eyes. His vision was blurred but he could see shapes and light. Bright light and too many people. Why was he here again? His head throbbed with his heart, each beating in rhythm with the other. Pain, unbelievable pain.
"Good Aaron, very good. I need you to listen very carefully okay? I know your in pain and we're going to try to fix it, okay? We're going to have to perform emergency surgery. Do you understand? Squeeze my hand once for no, twice for yes." One, Two. It was getting harder to focus. The heart monitor added another noise that echoed in his head. It was odd hearing your heart on the inside and outside, not something Hotch wanted a repeat performance of. "The impact of the accident had caused your head to slam into the drivers seat window. Do you remember?" pause "The impact caused a piece of the skull to break off. It has to be fixed. You also suffered a torn spleen, which is another top priority. Do you understand?" One, two.
"You're going to be ok." He turned to the attending team. "Prep him for surgery."
The doctor walked toward the waiting room, taking in a deep breathe as he went.
"Family of Aaron Hotchner." A young petite women holding a small child stepped forward.
"That's us" She said indicting those behind her as well.
"Do you want me to keep Jack out here with me?" Garcia asked. Haley nodded gratefully, handing over the child into Garcia's awaiting arms. "Thank you"
"Right this way." He led them into a conference room, where he took a seat opposite them.
"As we speak , your husband is being prepped for emergency surgery." The women choked back a sob. "Two things need to be addressed. First, we need to stop the internal bleeding caused from a ruptured spleen. Then, most importantly, a piece of skull that broke off has to be secured back into place. Its in the front cavity, so we can save time with no hair needing to be removed for surgery to take place." He took a breathe. "I'm sorry if this seems rushed, but with Agent Hotchners case time is of the essence."
"Are there any questions?"
Gideon answered first. "What are the chances of him making a full recovery?"
"If everything goes as planned, there should be no lasting consequences. The risks of this type of surgery are extension, brain injury and death are just two possibilities. I will send another doctor to answer anymore questions you have and explain the risks and surgery in greater detail."
The doctor excused himself, leaving 5 devastated people behind him.
Yayyyyy!!!!! You guys are amazing!!!!! I was so excited after 4 reviews that I went that night and wrote that next chapter and here it is. So yes if you guys still like the story I'm definitely going to continue it.
Review to let me know about the chapter!!!
