Truth and Lies

Chapter 15

** Emily's POV **

Morgan looked from John to JJ, who was starting to lose consciousness. I didn't know whether to intervene or not.

"Morgan..."

"I'm sorry Jayje." He said before pressing the trigger on his gun.

I stared, speechless, as the bullet flew through the air, piercing John's stomach and through JJ's left shoulder. She fell on top of John as he hit the floor, a fresh pool of blood forming from both of their injuries.

"Jayje!" I screamed, running toward her. 

Morgan was still standing in the doorway so I took off my jacket and pressed it hard against the bullet wound.

"JJ, come on. You're gonna be fine. Come on." 

The rest of the team arrived fashionably late, and took in the scene. JJ was hanging limp in my arms as I struggled to lift her. Morgan had found his energy and was checking John's pulse. Reid was staring at the blood that plastered the floor, and Hotch was looking at Morgan.

"Ambulance is outside." Hotch said finally, and he helped my carry JJ outside.

"She's got a GSW to the shoulder and a lot of bruises." I explained to the doctor.

"We'll take it from here. Thank you."

John was pronounced dead at the scene from exsanguination (bleeding out) due to the gunshot wound to the abdomen. Hotch was talking to Morgan, and Reid was talking to the doctor.

"Hey, Spencer, how are you?"

"I'm alright, Emily. I, um, I spoke to the doctor and he said that she had all the signs of sexual assault as well as the superficial cuts and bruises."

"Spence..."

"Emily, why didn't she tell us she was a lesbian?"

I honestly had no answer to that.

"I don't know, Spencer. I'm sorry."

He walked away with sadness in his eyes that broke my heart. Reid's just a kid really, and he's been through so much. I just wanted to keep him close, keep him safe. He watched the ambulance drive off with its sirens blaring, the red and blue light bleeding into the night air.

"Come on, I'll drive." I said, pulling him to the SUV.

Morgan and Rossi and Hotch were taking the other SUV to the hospital. Something tells me it was going to be a hostile trip.

"What really happened?" Reid asked after a while.

"Well, Morgan and I found her. John was talking to her with his back to the door. When we opened the door, he turned around and held her with a knife to her neck. Morgan tried to talk him down, but she was starting to lose consciousness, so Morgan shot him."

"Just like that?"

"Yeah, why?"

Reid didn't say anything in response.

** Morgan's POV **

I was seething throughout the journey to the hospital.

"Morgan, what were you thinking?"

"She was suffocating, man, she needed air. I had to do something."

"He wasn't going to let her go?"

"I don't know, man, alright. He wasn't moving."

"Strauss is going to investigate this, you know that. You endangered the life of another agent and killed the suspect." He reminded me.

"Really? I endangered life? Hotch, you know that's not the case. I pulled the trigger because that was the best decision." I answered as we pulled up and I jumped out of the SUV.

"And you aimed at his stomach where you knew he'd bleed out from."

"What are you saying, Hotch?"

"John Winters died because you shot him in the stomach. He didn't have to die, he didn't need to be shot directly in the stomach."

I was utterly speechless. Hotch just walked away to the hospital, leaving Rossi and I standing outside the entrance.

"He's got a lot on his mind, Derek. Just let it go."

"Whatever." I said and followed him inside.