Sorry for the wait, hope it's worth it!
Chapter XXXV
"Agent Jareau?" A voice penetrated her subconscious. JJ winced at the sound and continued to ignore it. "JJ?" The blonde shifted and hissed in pain before forcing her eyes to open. Dr. Monroe's bright eyes stared down at her as she waited for her patient to recover.
"I'm awake." JJ groaned and tried to sit up straight before giving up the notion.
"I'm sorry to wake you but I couldn't find the rest of your team." Monroe told her.
"Is everything alright?" JJ frowned in confusion at the doctor's wide eyed gaze.
"Doctor Figueroa asked me to inform you that Adrian Hail is awake." Monroe's look betrayed the aura of power she gave off. She was afraid of him and rightfully so.
"Could you pass me my cell phone? I'll get the team back here." JJ waited as the woman riffled through the plastic bag that contained her personal items. She took the device from her hand and prepared to send out a group text.
"He asked for Agent Prentiss." Monroe added quickly. "Figueroa said he isn't sure whether or not he'll make it." JJ nodded her understanding before returning to the phone.
Hail's awake & asking for Emily. Where are you guys?
JJ
"Thank you for letting me know." A thought struck her. "Have you by any chance seen Agents Prentiss or Hotchner?"
"Last time I saw them was about an hour ago." Monroe hinted at a smile. "They went into an on-call room."
"Ah." JJ shook her head with grin. "About time." Monroe laughed wholeheartedly before handing her a stack of papers.
"Your release papers; Merry Christmas." JJ beamed at the woman and signed them in a hurry before giving them back. Monroe helped her ease out of bed and hobble over to the bathroom to change into her clothes. Waiting outside the bathroom door just in case, she saw Agents Morgan, Rossi and Reid make their way down the hall.
"Good afternoon Doctor." The elder man, Rossi, greeted. "I take it she's already signed the release papers?"
"Faster than I've seen in a while." Monroe offered the man a smile.
"Have you seen Agents Prentiss or Hotchner?" Reid inquired and Monroe did everything she could not to blush.
"Present." Emily's voice called from behind the group. They turned and found her hand-in-hand with Hotch. "JJ changing?"
"Almost done." They heard the blonde call from behind the door. The team made themselves comfortable around the room as they waited for their final member to join them. Minutes later, JJ emerged in the clothes she had been wearing the day of the raid.
"I'll give you all some time to talk." The blonde doctor smiled warmly at the group before leaving. JJ positioned herself gently in a chair, leaving the bed free for Emily and Hotch to sit on side by side. She shot her friend a look telling her that the events of the previous hour were written all over the woman's face. Emily blushed involuntarily and Hotch seemed to be holding back a smile.
"You said Hail wants to see me?" Emily asked the smaller woman and JJ nodded in return.
"There's no way in hell-"
"Morgan, it's alright." Emily raised a hand. "He can't hurt anyone where he is now."
"That doesn't mean we're going to let you-"
"You don't have to let me do anything." Emily crossed her arms and frowned slightly.
"I think we should discuss why Hail is so interested in seeing you." Hotch interrupted the would-be argument.
"She might have established a rapport with him." Reid pointed out. "Despite the fact that things didn't end the way he planned, what you said to him seemed to trigger something."
"Something like what?" Morgan asked.
"Maybe he finally got some feelings." Emily mumbled.
"That's not possible." Reid said matter-of-factly. "He's a sociopath with-"
"I was kidding Reid." Emily smirked at the younger agent who nodded in understanding.
"Well we have to find out." JJ stated. "What if he wants to confess to more murders before he goes?"
"Goes?" Emily raised an eyebrow.
"It's kind of a coin toss between prison and hell at the moment." The blonde explained and a few broke into amused grins. Everyone agreed and asked directions to Hail's room on the fourth floor. Two police officers were posted outside and after flashing their credentials, the team entered the dark room. The beeping of a heart monitor was the only sound and the room smelled like a mixture of blood and antiseptic. Emily in front, the team took in the sight of a defeated Hail and couldn't help but feel accomplished. His head turned away from them and gazed out the partially covered window into the night sky. The rest of the team stayed back as Emily made her way towards the side of the bed, her arms crossed in front of her. He didn't seem to notice their entrance and continued to stare out the window.
"Hail." Emily called to him. She debated whether or not she should whisper but decided against anything that made him comfortable. The man made a sound in the back of his throat before slowly turning his head like a confused zombie. Emily ignored the multitude of wires that ran around the man and instead focused on his nearly yellow face. His once sparkling golden eyes had hollowed, leaving them an almost black abyss that she was reluctant to look into for too long lest she fall in. Hail's wrist moved, making him aware of the handcuff around it, as he tried to get her to come closer. Emily took a single step and noticed the team behind her stiffen. She looked over her shoulder and offered them a small, reassuring smile.
"You came." Hail's raspy, strained voice said. Turning her attention back to him, Emily crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. His deteriorating state did not soften her approach.
"What do you want?" she asked authoritatively. Hail's lips curved into a rather sickening smile as he tried to sit up straighter.
"Pass me the water?" he asked tentatively and raised his arm slightly to point behind her. She rolled her eyes but did as he asked, placing a single cube in the man's bony hand. He was evil, yes, but the one thing Emily wasn't was cruel. She waited as Hail worked on melting the cube in his mouth before asking again.
"You didn't ask me here to play nurse." Emily told him. "Tell me what you want so we can leave."
"Didn't realize you brought the whole gang." Hail struggled to look around her and gaze at the team. "You're all so stealthy."
"I'm not going to ask you again." Emily was eager to see Mackenzie and didn't want to waste any more time than necessary on the man.
"Agent Jareau, are you feeling any better? I doubt poor Alek is." Hail ignored her and latched gazes with JJ who wisely bit her tongue.
"Goodbye Hail." Emily spun on her heel and rapidly made her way to the exit. The team parted, allowing her room to pass, before they heard,
"Did she cry?" Emily stopped, one foot in midair, and waited. "Right before she died, did she cry?" Her fists clenched at her sides, the team stiffening as they heard their audible crack. Emily spun on her heel and glared at the man. She half expected someone to stand in her way and hold her back as she took three purposeful strides towards him. No one did. Knuckles white, Emily approached the bed, noticing a twisted smile on the man's face. It took every ounce of self-control she had not to pull out of her gun and save the hospital the time and money it took to keep him alive. "I bet she did."
"You want to know a secret Adrian?" Emily's voice remained deadly calm as she slowly relaxed her muscles.
"Of course Emily."
"I'm glad you're dying." She admitted quietly. Though she knew that the BAU felt the same, anyone in their position caught saying something like that could easily find themselves without a job. Hail chuckled once more before a cough forced him to stop. His body shook with the force and Emily could see him wince. Good.
"Oh Emily," he shook his head slowly. "That's no secret. But that's also not the reason I asked you here."
"Then what is?" Emily shifted her stance and crossed her arms.
"What you said about me; is it true?" his gaze wavered and Emily could sense genuine curiosity in his question.
"About you not being able to love?" Hail nodded. "Yes, it's true."
"Why?"
"How should I know?"
"Isn't that your job?" Hail spat in her direction.
"My job is to catch people like you." Emily emphasized. "Not help them."
"So you think…you think that someone could help me?" Hail's voice was meek, almost sad, as he stared at the ground and played with his bed sheets.
"No Adrian, you're beyond help." Emily told him the truth. "There's no cure for what you are."
"That's bullshit!" Hail shouted, nearly leaping out of his bed. Emily jumped backwards, admittedly startled by his sudden reaction. His wrists strained against the metal of cuffs and his injuries preventing him from actually getting to her but he continued to try. "You tell me how to fix it and you tell me right now!" It was Emily's turn to laugh.
"I don't think you understand the situation." She motioned to the room. "You're the one lying in a hospital bed. You're the one on the verge of death and you're the one who-in the event you do survive- is going to prison for the rest of his life." She pointed a finger in his face and leaned in close. "You won't be telling anyone what to do for a long, long time."
"You think you can cage me?!" Hail shook with the force of his rage, his heart rate going mad as he struggled to breathe. "You all think I'll just lie down and let you destroy everything I've worked for?!"
"You're delusional and psychopathic and the world will be better off without you in it." Emily narrowed her gaze. Hail's features softened slightly.
"You're right, I can't love and you want to know why?" He forced himself to sit straighter, bringing his face inches from Emily's. She didn't flinch but she also failed to notice how Hotch had taken multiple steps forward and was only stopped by Rossi grabbing his arm. "Because every time I hit her, I liked it. Every time she cried or screamed or bled because of me, I liked it!" Emily saw the madness dancing in his eyes and was momentarily frightened by the intensity of his words.
"Well I'm sorry to inform you that that won't be happening again anytime soon." Emily practically snarled at the man who simply continued to show his teeth.
"Oh that's right," Hail lolled his head. "Because the bitch is dead. It's funny, you know. I wanted to be the one to kill her; to feel her pulse weaken with my bare hands, but your man did it for me." He laughed manically. "I've had cops do my dirty work in the past, but this one did what I wanted without getting paid. Isn't that just…peachy?"
"Want to know what's peachy?" Emily raised an eyebrow. "In a few weeks, you'll be sentenced to either life in prison or death and I'm going to be there for it. I'll be the first one in the court room and the last one to leave but know one thing Hail: when the time comes for them to put that needle in your arm, no one will be there for you. You'll die alone just like you lived alone and no one will even blink. That's a promise." Emily's words seemed to have rattled Hail to the core. He gazed up at her, mouth agape, as the truth of her words began to sink in. She straightened and turned to leave, waiting for Hail to retaliate. She wasn't disappointed.
"You don't know anything." Hail shook his head in disbelief. "I'll be out in no time, you'll see!" His voice gradually rose as Emily neared the door. "You all better watch your backs because I swear to God, I'll make every single one of you suffer for putting me in here! Do you hear me?! You'll join that slut Mackenzie in the bloodiest way possible, I swear to God!"
"God doesn't give two shits about you Hail." Emily informed him without even turning around. "Oh and by the way, I'll make sure to give Mackenzie your 'get well' card." The sounds of Hail's certifiable screaming were drowned out by the onslaught of nurses that flooded his room as the BAU quietly made their exit.
Is Hail evil enough or should I crank it up a little? Hmm...