Author's Note: Thanks to the reviewers of the last chapter: Zolidify; canny-bairn; stefi; midmac; zzz-zzz84; SparkleInTheSun; littlegreenbottle; crazyobsession101; and Love-B .xo.
Sorry for the delay, I'm up at my parents house and it's not exactly prime writing time :) Special thanks to SignedSealedWritten for making me update, and brynnifer who's always fantastic.
Relinquishing Manuel into Derek's capable hands, Hotch gently tugged JJ towards the approaching ambulances. "JJ, we need to get you out of the snow," Hotch choked down his emotions as he realized that not only was JJ's thick coat missing, but her jacket and usual sweatshirt were nowhere to be found leaving her only in her sweat pants and long sleeved t-shirt underneath Derek's thin jacket. "I'm sure you're cold."
JJ shivered in his arms, but otherwise remained silent as she tried to shirk away Hotch's help. Hotch grimaced as JJ suddenly stopped and clung tightly toward him.
"JJ, are you okay?" He asked softly, not wanting to startle her.
"It's a cat." Her voice trembled with terror.
Frantically Hotch scanned the landscape in front of them to find whatever was terrorizing JJ to help her avoid it, only to realize that there was nothing between them and the ambulance but large drifts of snow. "A cat?"
"It's barking." JJ clung tightly and stepped around some invisible barrier. "I need my jacket." She pled, holding up her wrist as if that explained everything perfectly.
"You're right. You need your jacket." Hotch supplied supportively, cringing as he forced away the questions that plagued his mind. "They have it there in that car." He pointed toward the ambulance where the medics had begun racing toward them.
JJ swooned lightly and staggered before Hotch reached out and caught her before she tumbled into the snow. Sighing, Hotch scooped JJ into his arms, "I'm just going to take you to that car right over there." He pointed, not wanting to frighten her, but not certain what was going on. He quickly strode over to the waiting paramedics and set JJ lightly on the waiting stretcher.
"Be careful," Hotch growled as one medic hopped in the back of the truck with him and leaned over JJ. "She's—" He paused, utterly unable to describe what exactly JJ was, "She's been through a lot."
The medic nodded and quickly placed his fingers against JJ's wrist to check her pulse. "Her pulse is irregular." The medic shook his head. "I'm starting an IV." He called out to no one in particular.
As the medic leaned over the blonde, JJ reacted without warning. Almost instantly, she shoved the other man hard, tossing the unprepared medic practically into Hotch's lap. She quickly scrambled off the stretcher, yanked the door open and flew out of the ambulance without a second thought.
Hotch pushed the medic away and darted after her. A few short steps later, he scooped JJ up as she thrashed in his arms. Her arms lashed out angrily in a frantic attempt to get free.
His head jerked back as JJ slapped her hand hard across his chin. Tears sprang to his eyes and JJ dropped her weight, sliding to the ground.
"My jacket!" She cried, scrambling through the snow toward where the other profilers were quietly preparing Manuel to be transported in the other ambulance. "Señor has my jacket!"
"JJ!" Hotch lunged after her, tripping over the soft snow.
It didn't take long for Hotch to catch up with her. Placing his strong arms around her waist, he held her as she crumpled against him in the snow.
She sobbed against him, burying her face into his chest. "Solo quiero mi chaqueta." She murmured softly.
He stroked the back of her head gently as she trembled lightly. "It's going to be okay, JJ." He encouraged softly. "We'll find your jacket." Whispering into the transceiver, he instructed the team. "Keep an eye out for JJ's jacket. She needs it."
He smiled gratefully as he saw the paramedic slowly approach. "JJ, it's going to be okay."He assured, grimacing as she shivered in his arms. He quickly shed his own jacket and placed it over her quivering shoulders despite the bulkiness from.
The medic spoke up softly, "We may need to sedate her."
Hotch nodded, biting back his feelings of inadequacy. "Do whatever you need to." He instructed, holding JJ closely to his chest.
It didn't matter the cost, he would do anything to protect her.
Even if he had to protect her from herself.
Derek quietly stepped into the waiting ambulance, grimacing at the man on the stretcher that had caused so much pain not only to JJ, but to the entire team.
But no one could quite understand that Derek himself had been an unknown victim of Manuel's debauchery until this very day.
Because Derek had been seeing Manuel on a regular basis—except to Derek, he knew the man as Dr. Miguel Santos.
His therapist.
"Agent Morgan." Manuel gasped as he pulled the oxygen mask off his face. "I'm a little busy now, but if you'd like to reschedule…" The man smirked vilely, exerting the little control he still had as the medic applied pressure to the exit wound.
"Shut up." Derek spat as the doors shut behind him. Looking up at the medic who was working over Manuel, Derek tried to remain calm. "Do you need me to do anything?" He asked.
"Put pressure here." The medic instructed, guiding Derek's hands to Manuel's stomach.
Manuel winced as more than enough pressure was applied to the gaping wound in his abdomen. "The best part—" The other man rasped, "is that I never would have known Alejandra was afraid of dogs if you hadn't told me."
Derek ground his teeth angrily as he desperately tried to reign in his emotions, but prodded Manuel's injury and smirked as he saw the other man cry out in pain. "I trusted you." He bit out angrily.
"At my house, I have a gift for her." Manuel smiled as he breathed in the oxygen provided through the mask strapped to his nose and mouth. "Please make sure she gets it."
"Go to hell." Derek spat, pushing against the wound with fervor.
"I'll see you there." Manuel smirked before suddenly drifting into unconsciousness.
As the ambulance doors opened, Dr. Nielsen stepped back involuntarily as JJ attempted to fling herself out of the door. "Déjame ir!" She moaned.
"What the hell?" Dr. Nielsen asked angrily as they pushed JJ's gurney through the hospital doors. "You told me you'd be here in thirty minutes. It's been two hours."
"No. No! No quiero!"She sat suddenly up only to have Hotch gently push her back down to the gurney.
"I believe hospitals are open 24 hours for emergencies, doctor." Hotch spat out with disgust, following JJ as far down the hall as they would let him go. Turning toward the blonde, he gently caught her errant fist and pushed it back toward the gurney. "JJ, I need you to calm down, it's okay."
"Thirty-four year old female, 94 pounds. Body temp is down to 95⁰." The medic announced in a rush as he tried to keep JJ secured to the gurney. "Unknown duration of exposure."
"How did her body temp get so low?" Dr. Nielsen spoke over JJ's frantic cries and glanced up at Hotch and nodded his approval as Hotch followed them into the trauma room.
"I—" Hotch shook his head full of self loathing, "I lost track of her."
"You lost track of her?" The younger man asked incredulously, "Do we need to repeat our earlier conversation—"
"Por favor." JJ was begging, with tears rolling down her face as she hysterically tried to free herself. "No quiero!"
"He hurt her." Hotch bit down the emotion that swelled within him. Hurting JJ didn't even begin to describe what Manuel had done to her, and even in the short span that JJ had spent with him, he had no idea what the man had done to her.
Or what terror the man had exacerbated.
Dr. Nielsen paused almost imperceptibly as he quickly picked up the message underlying Hotch's words. "Man—" He trailed off, not wanting to frighten JJ by speaking her tormentor's full name, but needing to know for certain that the infamous man was involved. Because if Manuel was involved, Dr. Nielsen would be running every test imaginable.
Hotch nodded reluctantly, unable to fully express what Manuel had done to once again destroy the woman that he cared about like a daughter.
And he'd be damned if he let that bastard get away with it.
Hotch followed the gurney into a trauma room. Dr. Nielsen grimaced as Hotch stepped around the machines to take a spot near JJ's head, but allowed Hotch to stay by her side.
Because even if it helped JJ feel slightly more comfortable, he was willing to let the dark haired agent do whatever he needed to.
Hotch waited expectantly outside JJ's hospital room door.
"Hotch?" Rossi asked, coming up from down the hall.
"Dave." Hotch breathed a sigh of relief, grateful at least that he wouldn't have to go through this all alone at the moment.
"Prentiss and Reid are getting with Garcia to find everywhere that Manuel might have taken her." Dave informed him. "It's over."
Hotch quirked an eyebrow before shaking his head sadly, "It's never going to be over. Not for JJ."
"Is she—okay?" Dave asked, not sure how to phrase his question.
"They stabilized her. Apparently Manuel gave her some sort of hallucinogenic." Hotch leaned against the door as he waited for JJ to return. "It was bad."
"Emily said you were going to have them insert a feeding tube."
Hotch nodded grimly and looked up at Dave's grave face. "Do you think I'm doing the wrong thing?"
Rossi nodded thoughtfully. "I think you're finally doing the right thing." He bit his lip thoughtfully, "But I don't know that any of us can help JJ get the care she needs."
Hotch groaned, "Dr. Nielsen suggested admitting her to a full-time care facility—even if just for a few weeks."
Dave nodded, clapping his hand on Hotch's shoulder comfortingly and marveling at how Hotch could appear far more like a devastated father than a concerned colleague.
But he had learned that this team, this group of people was far more than a collection of adept agents.
They were a family.
Reaching into his wallet, he pulled out a card and held it out to Hotch. "I thought this might happen." He admitted, "so I found somewhere—"
"You thought this might happen?" Hotch asked incredulously, "You were waiting for this to happen?"
"If you'd pull your head out of your ass long enough, you'd realize that this was going to happen sooner or later." Dave warned, "I just wanted to be prepared."
Hotch nodded, forcing himself to regain control of himself. "You found somewhere?" He asked, prompting Dave to continue his explanation.
"It's a great place. Call and ask for Gina. There's a room waiting for JJ."