A/N: Writing the Hotch scene was extremely difficult. Hope I did okay.

Chapter 22

Garcia swore under her breath as she had searches running on two computer screens at the same time. Each of the people she was researching sickened her as far as their possible connection with the assault on her boss. But the one which sickened her the most had to be Jason Hemminger. The thought one of their own possibly being involved caused all kinds of thoughts in her head as to what she would do to them if true. As she read over the information on the screen in front of her, she pressed a button on her phone.

"What's up, Penelope?" asked the gruff voice of Dave Rossi.

"Sir, I still haven't located Coral James Blackman, but I found something on that other person you wanted."

"Go ahead, Garcia," Rossi ordered. "We're in an isolated section of the cafeteria. Nobody can hear us. What d'ya find?"

"Nothing that stands out, sir. Jason Hemminger is single. He never married, although he was engaged three years ago to an Agatha Pearson."

"Was, Baby Girl?" asked Morgan.

"Yes, my Cup of Hot Chocolate. No explanation given, except to say she left him at the altar."

"Where's the ex-fiancee live, Garcia?" asked Prentiss.

"Uh, let's see…oh, she still lives in Quantico at the same place." She gave them the physical location.

"What else?" asked Rossi, not really that interested in the man's love life unless it had a bearing on the case. But it would still be checked out.

"Well…he's been with the Bureau for two years after graduating the Academy. OMG! Oh no. Oh no, no, no."

"What is it, sweetness?" asked Morgan, now worried.

"Hemminger applied to the BAU after Emily entered witness protection after Ian Doyle tried to kill her. His application was rejected by Hotch, after which our raven-haired Goddess rejoined the BAU after Doyle met his Maker."(1)

Prentiss's eyebrows arched in surprise, and disappeared into her bangs as the others stared at her.

"If Hemminger is partly responsible for what happened to Hotch…" she began. "That can be considered a motive. He might have wanted revenge for rejecting him. Anything else?"

"Well, Hotch was partnered with Hemminger's father when…"

"We have that, kitten," Rossi interjected. "Get back to us if you locate Coral James Blackman."

"Will do, sir. Garcia out." The call was disconnected.

Rossi picked up his coffee and took a drink before sitting it down again.

"So what do you think, Rossi?" asked Morgan. "You think this Hemminger might be the other person responsible for what happened to Hotch?"

"I'm not sure. But something about him troubles Emily, and that's a good enough reason for me that we should check him out."

Reid chewed his lower lip and took a drink of coffee.

"What's bothering you, kid?" asked Rossi.

"I'm not sure exactly. I just wonder why Hemminger's fiancee broke up with him on the day of the wedding. That could be a stressor."

JJ shrugged. "Might be worth finding out what happened."

"I agree," Rossi concurred. He looked at Reid and Prentiss. "Emily, tomorrow morning, I want you and Reid to pay Miss Pearson a visit and find out what you can."

"Understood," Emily replied.

Rossi, hearing his phone ring again, removed it, and checked the caller ID. He pressed it to his ear.

"Rossi. Okay, I understand, Detective. I would appreciate that. My team and I are gonna go home, and start up again in the morning. Thanks."

As he finished the call, his phone rang again. He pressed a button and returned the phone to his ear. "Rossi. Yes, Agent Deegan. Okay. I'm sending my team home for the night and we'll be back tomorrow. I would appreciate that. Thanks. Goodnight." He put the phone away.

"What was that about?" asked Reid.

Rossi sighed wearily. "Detective Moeller told me his men haven't found anything, and he is going to have the men now searching replaced. They'll continue the search. And Agent Deegan informed me the agents haven't found anything either. They are bringing in fresh eyes to continue the search. They'll contact us if they find anything."

"You said we're going home," JJ said. "We're giving up then?"

"Not at all," Rossi explained. "But we've been going since this morning. We need to get some rest. We'll pick up in the morning with fresh eyes. We're gonna meet at the BAU tomorrow and go over things. Hotch is being guarded, and nobody will have access to him. After we go over things tomorrow, Reid and Prentiss will visit Agatha Pearson. Morgan, you and JJ will try and find Darryl Wheaton's daughter. I need to talk with Hotch."

Morning found the hospital bustling with nurses and doctors. To visitors and patients it seemed like business as usual. But to members of law enforcement, it was anything but normal. There had been no sign of the imposter.

Aaron Hotchner moaned as he struggled to open his eyes. It was like they were weighed down with lead weights.

"Open your eyes, Agent Hotchner," said a male voice. "I need you to wake up now."

Hotch didn't remember much of what happened to him. All he did remember is how much his body hurt. The pain from the simplest of movements brought the memory back with a vengeance. Then he recalled why his body hurt so much. He had been raped, sodomized, and beaten. Nothing could change that fact. I was raped and sodomized. Oh, God! He found it difficult to swallow the lump in his throat. His head slowly turned to the side painfully as he tried to force his eyes open.

"That's it, Agent Hotchner. I understand you don't want to right now, but I really need you to open your eyes for me."

Every fiber of Hotch's being told him not to obey. It was too painful even to open his eyes. Still, a little voice inside advised him it was all right to obey this order. He forced his eyes open a slit, and looked up in the direction of the voice. He saw a man and a woman beside the bed.

"That's good enough, agent. In case you don't remember, I'm Doctor Correa, and this is Nurse Givens. She's going to help me. I need to examine you and see how you're healing. Will you let me do that?"

Hotch's only response was a slight nod of his head, even though he wasn't sure how his body would respond to being touched.

"Then let's get started."

He pulled back the sheet covering the man's body. But the minute he touched the hem of Hotch's gown, total chaos broke out with Hotch. He instinctively shrank away from the hand, but the pain didn't allow him to go far. Also, a scream left his lips.

Hotch thrashed about trying to get away from the hand. He didn't see the hand as healing. He saw a hand which would cause pain. And he needed to get away from it. Nobody noticed the door behind them had opened, and four agents, attracted by Hotch's screams, hurried into the room with guns drawn and pointed.

"Agent Hotchner, stop!" Correa begged. "You're going to re-injure yourself!" He didn't want to hurt the already injured man, nor did he want to sedate him again. He tried to grip the agent's wrists along with his nurse, but Hotch fought them both as fear overcame his common sense.

"What's going on in here?!" asked one agents, gun pointed at the doctor.

"Help me hold him down before he pulls out the IVs or hurts himself further!"

The four agents were stunned. It was hard to see one of their own so terrified. Especially Aaron Hotchner with whom they were familiar. Two of them put their weapons away, and hurried forward. They helped the nurse hold Hotch's wrists, while the doctor quickly prepared a syringe. Hotch was struggling to break loose, all the time screaming in fear.

"What is going on here?" a voice demanded.

The two agents who still had weapons drawn but now lowered, looked and spotted Dave Rossi standing beside them. Apparently the older man had come to the hospital, and had been drawn by Hotch's shouting. He stared at the doctor's back and noticed the syringe in his hands. He stepped forward after taking in the scene before him. He knew what he had to do.

"There's no need to sedate him, Doctor," he said heatedly. It broke his heart seeing and hearing his friend act like a scared rabbit.

Ignoring him, the doctor swabbed an alcohol laden cotton ball on Hotch's upper arm and prepared to insert the business end of the syringe into his arm. Rossi grabbed Correa's wrist stopping him. The doctor glared at him with annoyance.

"Agent Rossi, your friend is in danger of either hurting himself, or pulling out his tubes. I need to sedate him so I can examine him. If you want to help, then stand back. Let me do my job."

Rossi looked at the agents holding his friend down on the bed. He didn't blame them in any way. They were simply following orders. "Both of you! Out! Now! I'll handle this." The agents hesitated. "I said out! Now!" The agents released Hotch, and quietly started to leave. Rossi stared at the other two. "You two can also leave." They put their weapons away and obeyed Rossi's orders as well. The older man stood beside the bed and gazed down at his friend. Hotch was trying to curl up within himself, but the pain clear on his face from the effort, showed the older man how much pain he felt. Whimpers were heard.

Rossi looked at the nurse. "You can release him, nurse." The nurse hesitated and looked questioningly at the doctor. Correa nodded. The nurse released Hotch's one wrist she was holding. Rossi faced the doctor and released his wrist.

"Put the syringe away, doctor. You won't need it, I assure you."

"Agent Rossi…"

"Doctor Correa, I assure you your examination will take place. Just put the syringe away. You won't need it. I promise."

With a sigh, the doctor disposed of the syringe in a waste receptacle. He then took a step back from Rossi and waited.

Satisfied, Rossi looked down at Hotchner and smiled. He reached out and gently stroked Aaron's hair in a calming way.

"Aaron, look at me," he said gently. He waited for Hotch to face him. "Please, Aaron. Look at me, and listen to my voice."

"Dave…help me…please…don't let him hurt me."

"Agent Rossi…" Correa began not convinced.

Rossi gave the man his version of the Hotchner stare. "I said you will be able to conduct your examination." His stare told Correa his orders was not to be discussed. The doctor nodded his understanding. Rossi turned back to his friend.

"Aaron, I want you to listen to me carefully. Can you do that?"

Hotch, hearing Dave's calming voice, began to relax his body. He nodded his head.

Rossi smiled. "Okay. Good. Now, Aaron, this doctor is in charge of your care, and needs to examine you to make sure you are healing well. He can't do that if you fight him. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

"Don't want to be touched," Hotch explained. "He'll hurt me. Dave…don't let him hurt me. Scared."

Rossi fought to keep a tight rein on his emotions. The last thing Hotch needed was for him to 'lose it' in front of him. He hated seeing how broken his friend had been after this attack on his person.

"I know you're scared, Aaron. But we need to check if everything is healing. To do that, he has to touch you. But he won't hurt you. I promise." He saw his friend becoming anxious again. "Listen, the guards are gone. It's just you, me, the nurse, and Doctor Correa. You trust me, don't you?" Hotch nodded slowly. Rossi smiled. "Okay. How about I stay with you while the doctor examines you? You know I won't let anybody hurt you."

Hotch's eyes shifted to the doctor, and back to Rossi.

"You'll stay with me? You won't leave while he's here?"

"I'll stay the entire time he's here. I promise you. And if I sense you getting upset or frightened, I'll have the doctor stop. Fair enough?"

A small smile, which looked more like a grimace, appeared. "Okay." He knew he could trust Rossi.

Rossi smiled before he turned his face toward the doctor. "Go ahead, doc. Do what you have to do. But I want you to keep in mind that I will stop the examination if Agent Hotchner becomes upset or scared. Do we understand each other?"

Correa nodded. "Perfectly, Agent."

"Then go ahead," Rossi ordered. He continued to stroke Hotch's hair with one hand, and held the hand closest to him in his other. The older man's eyes never left the doctor as he watched every move the doctor made. It was when the doctor touched the hem of Hotch's gown that Rossi felt the hold on his hand by Aaron tighten.

"It's okay, Aaron. He's almost done."

Another few minutes later, the doctor looked apologetically at Rossi.

"I'm sorry, but I need to turn Agent Hotchner onto his side and examine his rectal area."

Rossi let out a deep breath and studied his friend. Aaron had been so brave. Could he be brave a bit longer?

"Aaron, the doctor needs to examine you more personally. He has to turn you onto your side." He felt Hotch tense up considerably. "I'll be here the entire team. I won't leave you alone or let anybody hurt you. I promise."

Hotch squeezed his eyes close tightly. "Do it."

Rossi nodded at the doctor who, with Nurse Givens' help, struggled to turn Hotch onto his side, his back to them. Things were going okay until Correa touched Hotch's butt cheek. The agent's body flinched and he fought to get away. Rossi quickly let go of Hotch's hand, and encased him in a hug, trying not to hurt his friend further. Yet sorry for any added pain he might cause the man. He pressed his head against the top of Hotch's head while facing the doctor.

"Do what you have to, doc. But try and be quick about it. I don't know how long I can hold him."

Correa proceeded to examine Hotch's rectal area working as quickly as he dared. His patient's body fought against him touching the surgically repaired anus. Hotch continued to whimper.

Rossi continued holding his friend. "Shhh. Its okay, Aaron. Only a few more minutes and he'll be finished."

About five minutes later, Correa pulled down Hotch's gown, and turned the man onto his back. He pulled the sheet back over his body, then nodded at Rossi. The agent slowly released Hotch and found much to his relief that his friend had passed out.

"Well?" asked Rossi eying the doctor.

"Things seem to be healing well. Thank you, Agent Rossi, for your help. I really didn't want to sedate your friend again. I'm just glad I didn't have to do it."

"That's okay, doc," Rossi replied with a smile. "I didn't mean to sound so rough. But this man is like a son to me, and I'm very protective towards him."

"I can tell."

"Can I sit with him for awhile? I know it's not time for visiting hours yet. But I'd rather he not be alone, and sees a familiar face when he awakens."

"Go ahead. If anybody says anything, tell them I gave you permission."

(1) The episode in which Prentiss entered Witness Production is LAUREN, Season 6.