"Dad, do you know where Mom is?" Hotch and his team were working a case in upstate New York and Jack's mid-morning call had caught Hotch off guard. He knew that Jack was at a new student orientation session at the University of Chicago, and he couldn't imagine why he was calling to ask about Laurel.
"Not really," Hotch replied. "From what she told me when we spoke last night, I assumed she was working at home this morning."
"Well, I have been trying to reach her for over an hour," Jack reported. "And, even if she doesn't answer when I call she usually calls me back right away. She's hasn't returned any of my calls."
"Why don't you try calling around?" Hotch was getting an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Maybe someone else knows."
"I've already called Aunt Tovah," Jack reported. "She's working from home today so she's headed over to the house to check on Mom. I also called Aunt JJ and she is going to meet her over there. They both promised to get back to me as soon as they know anything."
"It sounds like you've done the right thing," Hotch told his son. "Now, make sure someone calls me just as soon as you have an answer – Okay?"
"Okay," Jack sounded scared.
"Hotch, what's wrong?" Morgan had noticed the look on his boss's face.
"It's Laurel," Hotch replied anxiously. "No one can get in touch with her. I don't know where she is."
"Is someone looking for her?" Anderson immediately questioned. "What about Dave?"
"Dave is on a book tour," Hotch told him. "But Tovah and JJ are on their way over to the house."
"Well, just sit tight, Man," Morgan advised. "If something is wrong, they'll know how to handle it."
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
"We found her lying on the kitchen floor, unconscious." It was a short time later and JJ was on the phone talking with Hotch. "So we immediately called 911 and got an ambulance over here."
"They just left the house on the way to the hospital," she continued. "Tovah is riding with her and as soon as I lock up here I'll be going too. I've called Jessica and she's going to pick Sophia up at daycare, and then she'll get Paige after her afternoon skating session. She's going to talk with either Tovah or me later and we'll decide where the girls will spend the night."
"She's unconscious?" Hotch suddenly felt as if the air had been knocked out of him. "Was she breathing? Did she hit her head when she fell?"
"She was having trouble breathing and her pulse was weak," JJ reported. "The paramedics were giving her oxygen when they left here. One of them mentioned pneumonia, but that was just a preliminary guess. We'll know more after she gets to the ER."
"Hotch!" JJ could hear Morgan in the background. "Hey, Hotch – You don't look so good, Man. You had better sit down!"
"JJ?" another male voice came on the phone. "This is Grant Anderson. Hotch looks as if he is about to pass out. Once we get him stabilized, we'll get him to the airport and on his way home. Is it okay if I call you and give you updates on his flight?"
"That sounds great, Grant - Thanks" JJ assured him. "And, I'll call Garcia to make sure he has the best possible plane reservations. We need to get him back here ASAP."
"I'll drive him to the airport and put him on the plane myself," Anderson promised. "We'll get him home!"