Disclaimer: Criminal Minds and all its characters belong to CBS. I own nothing. I do not own anything you recognize.
Previously on Criminal Minds- Dr. Sawyer took up position at the front of the gurney. Unlocking the brakes, he started pushing. "Come on gentlemen, let's get you to your room for the night." he whispered. Together with the orderly, they rolled the gurney across the room and out of the cubicle.
CM
Dr. Sawyer sauntered into the waiting room and smiled at the worried family members. "Okay folks, the Bobbsey twins are settled into their room and I've made arrangements with the nurses on that floor for y'all to stay with them." he announced.
"What took so long?" Dave asked as stood and stretched the kinks out of his back. "That old bat start trouble or something?"
The doctor snorted. "Naw, nothing like that. The delay was actually my fault. I spent a few minutes checking over Little Bit once we got to the room." he explained as he walked down the hall with the profilers.
"How is he?" Emily inquired, side stepping an abandoned wheelchair.
"Well, his ear is looking better but I'm a little concerned about his fever. It's higher than I'd like." Dr. Sawyer replied. "Course the problems with the medicine and then all this with his daddy could have something to do with that. I'm going to keep an eye on it while he's here. I've instructed the nurses to monitor it closely and I'm gonna drop by to check as often as I can."
"Thanks man" Derek said. "We appreciate all you're doing for us."
"Just doing my job" the doctor downplayed. Rounding the corner, he went over to the bank of elevators and pushed the up button. Smiling as the doors immediately opened, he led the profilers inside and punched the button for the second floor.
The doctor and the agents chit chatted as the ancient elevator slowly ascended to the desired floor. Breathing a collected sigh of relief as the doors finally slid open, the group swiftly stepped out of the metal box and walked down a dimly lit corridor to room two hundred four. "This is where I take my leave." Dr. Sawyer said, stopping in front of the door. "I've gotta go finish my rounds. If y'all need anything, just let the nurses know. They'll be more than happy to get it for you."
"Thanks Dr. Sawyer" Rossi gratefully stated as he shook the younger man's hand.
"Anytime man" the doctor replied. "Y'all have a good night now." he added before turning and striding down the hall.
Morgan gave the doctor a parting wave and then pushed the heavy wooden door open. Creeping inside, he grinned at the sight of his two missing family members sound asleep on the stark white bed. After assuring himself that they were fine, the muscular man shuffled around the bed and took a seat on the couch by the far wall.
Rossi and Prentiss quickly joined him while JJ chose to take the chair beside the bed. The group sat quietly for a while and just watched their loved ones sleep. The steady rise and fall of their leader's chest and the congested breathing of their littlest agent soothed the worried profilers, allowing them to relax for the first time all night. Sighing, the family leaned back against their seats and settled in for a long night or more like morning.
Dave ran a hand across his face as he glanced at the three awake members of his team. He hated to break the calming silence but he knew he didn't have a choice. "Guys" he quietly called. He waited until he had everyone's attention before continuing. "Morgan and I need to head to the police station. The local cops have no experience handling a case or a suspect like this. We need to be the ones conducting the interview. I don't wanna give Scott any ammo he could use to free himself."
"You got that right. That man has no business out on the streets." Prentiss agreed as she stood and stretched. "I should go, too. I'll swing by the hotel and grab Spencer's meds and things and then come back."
"Call Garcia while you're out. She'll have a fit if she sees Hotch has been admitted and we didn't tell her." JJ advised, pulling the blanket up around Spencer's chin.
"I'm on it." Morgan answered. "It'll be better coming from me."
"You'll get no argument from me." Emily said with a smirk. "I'll be more than happy to let you make that call."
Seeing Reid toss and turn for a few moments before settling back down, Rossi frowned. "Come on you two. Take it outside before all your yapping wakes one of them up." he softly ordered, keeping his attention on the sleeping boy.
Following their friend's gaze, the two profilers nodded and quickly scurried out the door.
"Call if anything changes." Dave advised JJ before following the others out the door.
CM
Morgan and Rossi walked into the police station in time to see Captain Bellows stomping towards the interrogation room. Doubling their pace, they quickly caught up to the riled man. "Captain" Rossi said, stepping in front of the policeman. "You can go back to your office now. We'll take it from here."
"Gladly" the Captain huffed. "If I had to deal with that arrogant SOB much longer, I'd strangle the cocky little prick."
"I take it he hasn't confessed to anything." Rossi deduced.
"Nope, the only things he's said so far are things I ain't about to repeat in public." Bellows responded.
Derek chuckled. "Sounds like a real charmer."
"That's one word for him." the captain muttered.
"Captain Bellows! That reporter's on the phone again!" Officer Stubing hollered as he ran up to the group. "He says he's not gonna leave us alone until he gets a statement from you."
The captain threw up his hands as an exasperated sigh left his mouth. "I gotta go tend to this mess." He informed the profilers. "The prisoner is all yours. Just do me a favor and get him to spill his guts."
"We're going to try." Rossi replied. He waited for the captain to stomp away before turning and striding into the interview room with Morgan. Taking a seat at the table, he swiftly scanned the suspect. "Mr. Scott, I trust the police have been treating you fairly."
James snorted. "Yeah right, that's why I'm handcuffed to the flipping chair instead of back home." He grumbled.
"You're handcuffed to that chair because you attacked a FBI agent." Morgan growled, pacing around the small room.
"The guy snuck up behind me! What was I supposed to do?" Scott ground out.
Rossi scowled at their prisoner. "If he came up behind you, then how is it you managed to hit him in the back of the head?" he questioned.
"I'll tell you how! The prick is the one that snuck up on Hotch!" Morgan yelled.
James smirked. "Maybe I did. But I had every right to hit him. He was in my home uninvited."
"Since when is an abandoned warehouse considered a home?" Rossi challenged.
"Since I started living there." Scott threw back with a shrug.
"Doesn't matter" Morgan stated, shaking his head. "We had the real owner's permission and a search warrant for the property. That gave us the right to be there whether you like it or not."
"Still don't explain why you came in guns blazing and arrested me. I ain't done nothing." The suspect declared as he slouched back in his seat.
Rossi raised an eyebrow. "We're merely detaining you for questioning. We haven't arrested you."
"Yet" Morgan loudly whispered.
The young man shot the profilers a wicked grin. "Oh, I get it. Good cop, bad cop right?" he chuckled, pointing to Rossi and Morgan in turn. "And here I thought the mighty FBI had more sophisticated tactics. What's next? The rack?"
"Mr. Scott, being accused of five murders is no laughing matter." Rossi scolded, dropping the case file on the table top for their suspect to see.
"Murders? What murders?" Scott asked, feigning innocence.
"The murders of the five teachers" Morgan answered. "Tiffany Segars, Ernest Martin, Maria Hastings, Tammy Branan, and Ethel Weeks" he recited, slapping pictures of the victims as he called each name.
James glanced angrily at the smiling faces before diverting his gaze to a spot above the profilers' heads. Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he said, "I remember hearing about them on the TV. Don't know who done'em in but I'd sure like to shake their hand. Those a-holes deserved what they got and more from what I understand."
"Really?" Rossi questioned, leaning forward. "How do you figure that?"
"Easy, those so called teachers were nothing more than child abusers. They tortured the kids in their classes; treated'em like dirt." James declared.
"And you know this how?" Morgan asked as he perched on the edge of the table.
"My girl, my ex-girlfriend was in their classes. She told me all about them. She told me how they wouldn't help her, made her stay in and finish work that she didn't even understand, and then called her stupid when she got it wrong." Scott ticked off, crossing his arms.
"You're talking about Amy, right?" Rossi clarified.
Scott looked stunned for a moment. Wiping a hand across his face, he slowly nodded. "Yeah" he replied, nodding. "You know she went to some of those jackasses when she decided to try to get her GED and they refused to help her. They told her she was too stupid to pass the test."
"James, are you sure about all of that?" Morgan asked. "Cause it just doesn't sound right to me."
"I'm sure all right! Amy and her mom both told me and they wouldn't lie! Not about that and not to me!" Scott hollered.
Shaking his head, Rossi calmly reached into the box he'd brought in and pulled out an insanely thick file folder. "James, did Amy's mother ever tell you about all the conferences she attended? The ones where the teachers attempted to get her to agree to allow Amy to be tested for special ed.?"
"No, they didn't do that! Them teachers are the ones that refused to help Amy! Not her mom!" Scott growled.
"What about all the changing schools or the long string of absences?" Morgan prodded. "Did they tell you about those and how they affected her learning?"
"Amy didn't miss a lot of days and her and her mom didn't move much either." The young man emphatically stated. "That's just something the teachers made up to make her mom look bad."
"Son, I know you want to believe that but it's just not true." Rossi softly said. "The truth is the teachers tried their best to help Amy but her mother blocked them at every turn." Seeing Scott shake his head, the profiler slid the bulky folder across the table. "Here, take a look at her school records. You'll see I'm telling the truth."
James eyed both agents before yanking open the folder. He slowly scanned page after faded page, eyes widening with each new revelation. "No, no it can't be" he muttered as he shakily turned a sheet. "They told me…Amy swore they…Oh G! They were innocent! I killed innocents!"
CM
Dr. Sawyer crept into the Hotchner's hospital room and shuffled over to the bed. He nodded at JJ and Prentiss before pulling a temporal lobe thermometer out of his coat pocket. Checking the readout a few seconds later, he smiled. "One hundred point five, much better" he whispered as he walked over to the ladies. "Any racing to the bathroom?"
"No, Spence has been sleeping like a baby the whole time we've been here." JJ advised.
"I'm gonna take that to mean he's been peacefully sleeping and not that he's been up every couple of hours crying." The doctor joked. "How about daddy? He good?"
"He would be if the nurses would quit coming in here waking him up." Emily grumbled.
"Yep, that's a hospital for you. They tell you to rest and then come wake you up every hour to ask if you're sleeping." Dr. Sawyer agreed.
"You got that right." Prentiss groaned. "I'm surprised they haven't woken Spencer yet."
"Give'em time. The morning's not over yet." The young doctor teased.
JJ snickered. "If they know what's good for them, they'll steer clear of Spence. I'd hate to think what Morgan and Rossi would do to them if they wake the little guy up."
"Where are the dynamic duo anyway?" Dr. Sawyer asked.
"They had some work to do at the police station." Prentiss replied. "They'll be back as soon as they can."
"Good. I think Little Bit will rest better with his whole family here." The doctor said. "Just make sure you tell them no hitting on the nurs…I mean no fussing at the nurses. They're just doing their jobs."
"I like the other way better." Derek whispered as he trudged in the door followed by a weary Rossi.
Dr. Sawyer glanced in shock from Morgan to Prentiss. "I think that's my cue to leave." He quietly said before turning and hurrying out the door.
Morgan chuckled. "What got into him?" he questioned.
"You and Emily are supposed to be married. Remember?" Rossi huffed, swatting the younger man on the arm.
"So, what does that…ooooh! No wonder he high tailed it outta here. He probably thought Em was gonna hand me my head." Morgan mused.
"Derek, if you were my husband that wouldn't be the body part I'd hand you for that remark." Emily warned, smirking as her friend's mouth dropped open.
"You wouldn't!" Morgan exclaimed. Looking at the woman's raised eyebrows, he gulped. "Dang! You would, wouldn't you?"
The sudden rustling of sheets drew all eyes to the bed. Seeing their littlest family member sit up and sleepily fist his eyes, the group rushed to the bed. "You okay, Spencer?" Rossi questioned as he placed the back of his hand against the boy's forehead. "You need anything?"
Reid nodded. "I've gotta go to the bafwoom." He announced, raising his arms.
Smiling, Morgan quickly scooped the youngster up. "I've gotcha kiddo." He whispered. Settling the sleepy toddler on his hip, he quickly went into the bathroom and shut the door.
"Spencer?" Aaron moaned, feeling around the bed for his charge.
"Relax Aaron" Rossi instructed. "Spencer's safe. Morgan just took him to the bathroom. Go back to sleep. We've got this."
Nodding, Aaron closed his eyes. Wrapping an arm around Reid's stuffed Ewok, he fell back asleep.
"Awwww" the girls chorused.
Rossi rolled his eyes. "That's going to make getting Spencer back to sleep a lot harder." He grumbled.
"Good thing I brought a spare." Emily said, holding up the boy's stuffed saber tooth tiger as the door to the bathroom opened.
Morgan carried Reid out of the bathroom and over to the couch. Plopping down, he settled the sick boy in his lap and began to rock.
Spencer fisted his eyes with a yawn. Seeing Prentiss holding one of his security animals, he held out his hands, reaching for it. Taking the stuffed toy, he hugged it to his chest. Melting at the feeling of a gentle hand rubbing comforting circles in his back, Spencer leaned back against his best friend and stuck his thumb in his mouth. Closing his eyes, he quickly drifted to sleep.