Chapter 17

The movement of the ambulance over the uneven dirt road rocked its passengers. Kahlan looked around at the five boys riding with her. She couldn't help it, but her mind immediately went to 'The Lord of the Flies', a book she had read in middle school. While the boys in front of her weren't a pack of wild kids, the lost look in their eyes couldn't be missed. They were all quiet, and except for a few glances around the ambulance, they all kept their eyes on the floor. Her heart cried because she knew each of these boys had been broken, and she wasn't sure if they would ever be whole again. She sat on one side with her arm around Wyatt. Damien sat on her other side and he kept getting closer, so Kahlan but her arm around him, too. Across from Kahlan was Tommy. While he wasn't the only thirteen year old boy in the vehicle, he certainly was the leader. When he actually looked at Kahlan, she saw kind eyes. He had his arms protectively around Josh and Mike. She didn't know if any of the other boys knew if she was Wyatt's mom or not. Normally the resemblance couldn't be missed, but all these boys looked enough alike that they could easily pass for brothers. She felt her anger rise as she knew that was the plan. Have a bunch of boys that look alike and no one would question it. Fucking asshole! She wished she had the power of resurrection. If she did, she would resurrect Holt just so she could kill him again – slowly and painfully. She wanted to tell the boys to be happy, that they were going home, but the day had been too overwhelming already; and she wasn't sure if they all remembered home anyway, so they rode in silence, and tears quietly made their way down her cheeks.

When the ambulance eventually made it to the hospital, the boys filed out to the waiting arms of five female nurses. Kahlan noticed immediately the maternal nature and love in their eyes. She also saw Rossi standing by the door and she smiled at him. She knew he must have picked out the best nurses to handle the boys and he had done a damn good job. The nurses didn't barrage the boys with questions or a lot of attention; they just quietly took one boy each and lead them inside with quiet reassurances and affection. Wyatt looked at back his mom. "Go ahead; I'll be there in a moment." He nodded and went with his nurse. Kahlan walked up to Rossi.

He put his hand on her cheek and wiped a tear away with his thumb. "You ok, Kiddo?"

She smiled at him and the term of endearment she hadn't heard since she was young coming from her own father. "I will be, but I'm not sure about them."

Rossi looked toward the door like he could still see the boys. "Yeah. It will take some time, but they will make it. If they survived all that, they can survive anything."

"I just hope they haven't been broke beyond repair."

He led her inside. "I don't think so. If they were beyond repair, they would have been like Chris."

She considered that, and a small smile crossed her lips. She marveled at how well Rossi could read the kids, and she wondered why he never had any of his own. She knew he would make a wonderful father, and maybe that was why he clung to the team's kids. He was the perfect grandpa to them even if he wasn't related to them. Again, she marveled at the closeness of the team. As they got closer to the ER rooms, they could hear Hotch's voice; while he wasn't yelling, they could clearly hear the threat in it.

"No. I do not need to stay overnight. I don't care. No, you will not." They could hear Hotch saying.

Rossi shook his head and went to his room. With a smile, Kahlan followed. "Hotch, what are you doing?" Rossi asked him. Hotch was standing up, hospital gown on over his jeans, and he looked like he was about ready to kill someone with his glare.

Hotch turned to Rossi. "Dave, tell them I am not staying overnight for observations. That I am perfectly fine to leave," Hotch demanded.

"Sir, your cat scan shows a concussion. You need to be watched. You haven't even been stitched up yet," a male nurse pleaded with him and looked to Rossi for help.

"Aaron, sit down and shut up, and let the poor man do his job," Kahlan told him in her 'I'm the mom, that's why' tone. Rossi gave her a grin.

Hotch looked at her and sighed heavily, but he sat down and glared at the nurse. "You can stitch me up, but I am not staying."

"I'll go get the doctor," the nurse said and then left.

"Hotch, are you crazy? That bump on your head loosen a few things?" Rossi asked him. Hotch glared at him. "You can't go running around with the back of your head ripped open."

"I told him he could stitch it," Hotch told him simply. Rossi shook his head again. He knew Hotch was way too stubborn for his own good sometimes. "It's just a scratch."

"Yeah, then how come I could put my fingers in it and feel your skull?" Kahlan asked as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"When did you do that?" Hotch asked, clearly surprised.

"While you were still unconscious, which that right there should tell you it was bad if it knocked you out." She shook her head.

"It knocked me out?" Hotch asked, suddenly a little unsure of himself.

"You don't remember?" Rossi asked with concern. Kahlan was suddenly a little scared, too.

"I saved that boy," Hotch started. They could tell he was trying to piece everything together. Kahlan was even more scared. He had had a conversation with Wyatt for Christ's sake. "I remember something about coffee. What the hell would coffee have anything to do with it?" He asked as he sank further into the bed. He ran a hand down his face.

Kahlan sat beside him and took one of his hands in hers. "It's alright. You got hit pretty hard." She tried to relieve some of the stress she could tell was building in him.

"Yeah, you'll be fine with a little rest," Rossi told him. With a glance at Kahlan he left to find the doctor.

"You don't remember Wyatt?" Kahlan asked him quietly.

His eyes darted around as he searched his memory and then he looked at Kahlan. He could tell by the look on her face that her son was alright, and he could tell he must have met the boy, but he just couldn't remember. "Was he the one in the barn?"

She winced. "Maybe you should lay down," she suggested.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. The slight headache he had was turning into an all-out explosion in his skull. Kahlan got up and patted the bed. He sighed heavily but laid down. He knew he was missing something important about the boy, and he wondered what else he was missing. He locked eyes with her. "Tell me," he pleaded.

She told him the story of everything that had happened in the barn as she watched his face. "Then you and Wyatt had a conversion while I was out checking on everyone else, but I don't know what you all said."

He wrinkled his brow. "Why was I thinking something about coffee?"

She laughed. "That was real."

"Huh?"

"When you finally woke up, Dave gave you shit about being lazy and sleeping on the job. Then you gave him shit about taking a coffee break in the house."

He smiled a little. "Sounds like us."

A doctor came in with a suture kit and asked Kahlan to step out. She let go of Hotch's hand, gave him a kiss on the forehead, and told him she was going to go check on the boys. On her way out of the room, she stopped to look at the doctor. "Don't let him try and tell you he remembers what happened. I just told him the story."

The doctor smiled and she looked at Hotch. He gave her feigned mean look; she just smiled and left.

The boys were taking turns being x-rayed, getting their wounds cleaned, and being photographed. They needed the evidence for the case against Holt's wife and the young men. While the boys still seemed reserved, their moods were a little lighter. Kahlan figured the more time they spent around other people and away from that ranch, the better off they would be. She found Wyatt sitting in a chair by himself. "Hey, you." She sat down next to him and a smile grew on his face.

"I knew you'd find me."

Kahlan knew he wasn't referring to right then in the hospital. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. That's what I kept telling all of the other boys. I told them 'my mom will find me, and then we'll all get to go home," he told her truthfully. Kahlan marveled at her son's loyalty and trust in her, and she started crying. He put his arm around her waist. "What's wrong? I shouldn't have said that?"

"No, it's not that. That was very brave of you. I'm just sad it took me so long." She got up and kneeled in front of him to look him in the eyes. "I tried, Wyatt. I tried my hardest, but I just couldn't find you immediately," she told him through her tears. "I am so sorry. You were living with that monster, and he was hurting you, and I. . . I couldn't find you for so long. I am so sorry."

Wyatt pulled her into a hug. "It's ok, mom. You found us and that's what matters. I never thought you gave up on me, never!" They held each other tightly and they both cried.

A few tears fell down Rossi's face as he witnessed the scene from down the hall. He took a deep breath and smiled. He knew they would be alright, and he was proud to have been part of the team that reunited the boy with his mother.

XXX

An older couple volunteered to open up their home for the boys and the agents, and it was big enough to accommodate them all if they doubled up. They accepted and after two days of treatment, interviews, and counseling the boys finally had time to just be boys. Garcia had shown up the day after the raid. "They haven't had anyone to spoil them in a long time, and I don't care if I know them or not, I cannot let those little men go any longer without toys!" she told JJ as she arrived in Wyoming with several boxes. All of the boys immediately fell in love with the colorful, happy woman. Hotch figured that Garcia was probably the strangest woman they had ever seen, but kids loved her and her quirkiness. He smiled at the thought of her being their fairy godmother. The boys were busy throwing a football, or playing hand held video games, or playing with the toys. The town also took up a collection to get them all a few new outfits. If Hotch hadn't known what the boys had been through, he would have thought the scene in the yard belonged to one big happy family.

The next day, the boys were finally reunited with their parents. It was a tearful reunion for everyone involved. JJ even noticed Morgan sheading a few tears. Garcia had set the boys up a facebook page so they could keep in touch, and she gave them a print out of it and made sure they understood how to use it. She also made sure she was part of the private page so she could keep in touch with them, too. Then slowly each of the boys said good bye to the agents and each other and got into their parents' vehicles to head back to their lives and try to pick where they left off. The parents thanked Kahlan and the team profusely for finding their sons, and Hotch was surprised that the Jenkins were even genuinely happy to see Mike. Hotch had to admit he was worried about them. And worried what Kahlan would do to them if they didn't respond well enough to meet her expectations.

Unfortunately, two of the families didn't have a reunion. The CSI unit had found the graves of the two boys plus another three boys whose ages ranged from early childhood to late teens. DNA tests matched Kyle and Devin, but the other boys were not in the system. The whole team was devastated to learn that three more families were missing boys, but all they could do is submit their findings in to the database for Missing and Exploited Children.

Kahlan and the team met Kyle's and Devin's families, and they tried to explain what had happen to their sons. While the families weren't happy, at least they could bury their sons and try to move on with their lives. They thanked Kahlan and the agents and left to go receive their sons' remains.

The Jacksons, Chris' parents had it the roughest. They were able to see their son, but he was still in custody for everything he had done at the ranch. He was adamant that they were not his parents, but the doctors and counselors assured the Jacksons that with time and counseling, Chris would eventually remember them. They had him transferred to a state hospital near their home in Idaho.

By the end of it all, Kahlan and Wyatt were the only ones left with the team. Kahlan and Hotch were sitting on a bench watching Reid teach Wyatt a few magic tricks. Hotch noticed that Wyatt was a very fast learner, and Reid was extremely pleased. As soon as Hotch had seen Wyatt, he had remembered their conversation. Hotch thought it was because Wyatt's eyes could see into him, but he never told anyone.

"I guess I'll rent a car and drive home tomorrow," Kahlan told him.

That caught him off guard. While he knew that they wouldn't be able to stay together every day, he hadn't really thought that she would be leaving so soon. Other than the kiss she gave his forehead, they hadn't shared anything but casual contact and conversation since the raid. Hotch didn't want to think about what he had thought of as the beginning of a relationship and where it might have been headed. She obviously didn't feel the same. Had it all been a lie? Could I have been so wrong? "I, see."

"Well, we can't stay here, and Collin's family is dying to see Wyatt."

"I'm sure," he agreed.

JJ walked into the yard. "Hey, Hotch, the Wyoming DA needs to speak with you," Hotch got up to take the call leaving Kahlan to watch him leave.