On My Own Too Long

Reid and Prentiss

Chapter Four

September 2011

There was never one peaceful moment she spent while living in protective custody. She always was looking over her shoulder, sleeping with a gun under her bed, waiting for Doyle or someone he hired to show up.

The farmhouse where she was staying was far from the nearest town, which made it easier for the marshals to keep track of who was coming and going down the only two lane street that led to her home. Just one marshal stayed with her at all times. Most times a person in witness protection was on their own in a new city with a new name but her case was special.

Doyle was dangerous enough to warrant round the clock protection for Emily.

Still she couldn't stay in the farm house all the time. Sometimes she had to go into town for food or to see the doctor. It was during a trip back from the doctor that their pick up truck was rammed by a black SUV and run off the road.

The marshal jumped out and raised her gun but had to take cover when a volley of automatic weapons fire came flying back at her. Emily grabbed a gun out of the glove box, her hands shaking as she did so, desperate to not let her life end on the side of a road in Iowa.

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"I knew I shouldn't have let you talk me into coming to the ER."

"When you're curled up in the fetal position from pain I don't think you should need anyone to tell you its about time to see a doctor."

"I'm a doctor myself so there is nothing they can tell me here that I can't figure out on my own," Reid told Morgan, as Reid lay in a hospital bed.

He had been admitted due to his intense headaches but now Reid was getting fidgety because the doctors could find no cause for them. After months of going through tests and having episodes where he could barely leave his darkened bedroom, Reid was ready to try and read his way into some cure on his own and turn his back on the established medical community.

"Not that kind of doctor, genius," Morgan told him, while shaking his head at him.

"More of a doctor than you'll ever be. Unless you count playing doctor with nurses as being a doctor."

"You must be feeling better since you're getting cranky." Just then Morgan's phone rang. He pulled it out, noticed it was Hotch calling him and answered "Hey...what?" Morgan ran his hand over his bald head. "Yeah, yeah, okay. I'll meet you at the airstrip."

Once Morgan disconnected the call Reid asked "A case?"

Morgan gave him a pained look and let out a deep sigh. "Don't freak out, kid, but-"

"What? Why would I freak out? What happened?"

"Prentiss was-"

"Emily! What happened to Emily?" Reid started to get out of the bed. Derek tried to keep him in it but it was useless and Derek gave up.

"Calm down! Just let me tell you first, okay?"

"So tell me already!" Reid took a breath. "She's in trouble, isn't she? Did Doyle find her?"

"Yeah, looks that way. The marshal that was with her was found on the side of the road lying next to the truck that her and Prentiss were last seen inside of ten minutes before when they were in town together. There was no sign of Emily at the crime scene. We're heading out there to start searching for her but you-"

Reid stood up and headed to the closet to get his clothes.

Morgan said "You need to stay here. You're in no shape for this right now. Let us handle this."

Reid gave Morgan a look that said there was no way in hell that was happening. Morgan sighed in defeat and waited around for Reid to change so they could drive to the air strip together.

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In the dirty and dark barn, all Emily could think to do was pray for help to come quickly. All this stress was taking its toll on her body. She felt like she was being split in two from the pain.

Her screams didn't bring anyone to check on her. She was on her own to live or die, for hours and hours on end, until finally the barn door slid open. Squinting against the flashlight that was being aimed at her face, she panted "I don't care what you do for me but get a doctor here for-"

A maniacal laugh rang out. "An eye for an eye," Doyle said. "A child for a child."

"You love children. You don't want to be responsible for an innocent child's death. I know you don't." A labor pain hit her and she screamed, gritting her teeth. "Its too early. If I don't get some help-"

"What? Your child will be taken from you? Like my Declan was? What goes around certainly does come around, Lauren, doesn't it?"

"I can help you find Declan if you help me save my-"

He kicked her and she screamed. "You will help me find my son and only then will I let a doctor take your baby before I take your life."

"Please don't hurt my babies. Let them have a good life."

"Twins? How precious. Well, well, well, now you know how it feels to be a parent deprived of being able to protect their child. Does this make us even? I don't think so, Lauren, because I haven't had my son for eight years now while you still have your babies right here with you."

Panting hard she told him "Hate me all you want. Make me pay. Torture me to within an inch of my life. Take my life, I don't care, but I won't tell you a damn thing," she cried out in pain "till I know my babies are safe!"

He kicked her again. "The time to negotiate has passed. We do this my way now."