the mall was crowded as usual. though as soon as i stepped into the courtyard, a wave of relief washed over. i found an empty table, sitting down with my coffee. i wasn't a huge fan of the mall, i preferred thrift shops and small stores. nonetheless, the mall had the closest shop that would fix a dress. after my accident last night with my boyfriend getting a little bit too excited and tearing my dress off, i needed it fixed. don't wear your favorite dress on your anniversary, lesson learned. reid had left for a case this morning about a shooting, meaning that he was probably going to be gone for a while. i sipped my coffee, opening my book. before i could even finish the page, a loud bang caused me to freeze. i looked around for the source of the sound, finding a man on the second story of the parking lot.
aiming the gun at what seemed to be my head, i ducked behind a plant pot. i debated trying to get out of here, but didn't have a chance to choose before a rush of pain came through my entire body. i laid back, letting my waist bleed for a couple of seconds. take my chances of getting shot again or loose a little blood, there was an obvious choice. thank you spencer reid for teaching me what to do in literally any situation and thank you to my dad who taught me boxing against my will. a bullet in my stomach was not the worst thing i've felt. i waited there, laying on the ground as i watched the shooter. with my calm relaxed position the man assumed i was dead. after a couple more seconds of gunshots, he disappeared, looking over one more time to make sure nobody was alive. as soon as he was gone, i got up wrapping the scarf that was once around my neck, now on my waist . pain shooting through me entire torso as i squeezed it.
"911 what's your emergency?" "there's been a shooting. at quatico mall." i let out a loud breath, laying back down. "ma'am are you ok? how many are injured?" the operator asked. "there's a bullet in my stomach, but i'm alive. there's a lot of bodies around me. i don't who's dead and who's alive" i stuttered. "ok, dispatchers are on the way. ma'am what's your name?" she asked. "rowan, rowan evans" i let out a long breath. i heard faint sirens, a sigh of relief washing over me. "the guy, he was in the parking garage. he was shooting and just left" i said. "thank you, i just need you to hold in there, ok" she said. i nodded, even though she couldn't see my face. the bright red and blue lights got my attention as i relaxed. i closed my eyes softly, trying to think about something else to get rid of the pain.
"we've got a survivor!" someone called. "rowan" a familiar voice got my attention. i must be dreaming, or i'm dead. "spencer?" i asked, confused. "rowan, i need you to open you eyes" he said. i opened my eyes, finding him over me. "spencer" i grinned. "your ok rowan" he said softly, picking me up. a groan escaped my lips as he set me down in the ambulance. "spencer don't leave me" i whispered, reaching my hand out. he looked back at someone, saying something that i couldn't make out. seconds later he got into the ambulance with, squeezing my hand lightly. "i don't feel so good" i said softly, directed towards reid. "hey your going to be okay. your a fighter rowan, you can beat the shit out of me in seconds" he chuckled, trying to get me to stay up. i chuckled, groaning in pain seconds later.
"ok, don't laugh. but stay up for me" he begged. i nodded, not knowing if i actually could. "spencer, tell me something" i asked, the lights getting brighter. "um, garcia, penelope garcia our technical analyst went through my credit card usage cause they wanted to figure out if i had a secret girlfriend or something. and they found a reservation for 2 at winery we went to last night along with the flowers i bought you and they spent about the entire day annoying me about who the mystery girl was" he chuckled, bringing a smile on my face. "what'd you tell them?" i asked, my voice hoarse. we pulled up to the hospital, an abrupt stop as i was taken out. "your going to be fine and we're gonna go to frostie's just like i promised" he mumbled, kissing my hand 3 times. our code for i love you. i tapped my finger 3 times on the bed before he disappeared from my eye sight.
~~~
i heard the subtle hum of a hospital. i had heard it one too many times as foster care worker. meeting kids in hospitals was common thing. over the machines, i heard the turning of a page. and another one, and another one. there was only one person i knew could read that fast. i opened my eyes, the light above me nearly blinding me. "spencer" i said softly, my voice quite hoarse. "rowan" he let out a sigh. setting his book down on the side and moving closer to the bed side, he smiled. "how are you feeling?" he asked. "better if you could turn down the light" i said, laughing a little. i heard him get and switch of the light as i opened my eyes again. "is that better?" he asked and i nodded. he handed me a glass of water as i sat up slowly, with his help. "i did everything you said to" i smiled. "yeah and you helped us catch the guy" he smiled. "i did?" i looked at him confused. "we caught him trying to leave the parking garage. we wouldn't have gotten to him if you hadn't told the operator he was there in the first place" he smiled, kissing her hand. i grinned, happy i helped.
"how do you feel?" he asked. "like i could use some frostie's" i giggled. "i'm going to get you all the frostie's you can eat" he chuckled. a soft knock on the door got they're attention. "hey" the woman smiled. "rowan this is jj, derek, penelope and emily" reid introduced. "spencer was talking about you and how you found out about me" i giggled, looking up at penelope. "it's one of my skills" she grinned. "how are you feeling?" emily asked. "better, it hurts a little but i'll be fine" i nodded. "you were smart out there. telling us where the unsub was." jj pointed out. "thanks, i felt like i should've mentioned it before it was too late" i explained. "we caught the guy thanks to that" she grinned and i smiled. "i'm still trying to figure out, how reid manages to get a girlfriend" derek teased and i laughed. "yeah i wonder too sometimes" i teased. reid shot me a playful glare as i giggled.
i slipped my hand into his, not really wanting to let go. they headed out, letting me rest. "what were you doing at the mall? you hate shopping there" he reminded you. "i needed to get the dress that you ripped, fixed" i reminded him. "oh" he froze. "spencer, it wasn't your fault" i argued. "if i hadn't ripped your dress then" "we wouldn't have laughed ourselves into bed and ended up having a great night. spencer reid. it is not your fault that i was there. it was a chance thing spencer!" i whined. "i know, i just feel bad" he sighed. "you wanna do something for me to make it up?" i asked and he nodded. i scooted over on the hospital bed, making room. "then give me endless cuddles and kisses cause you can't change the past but you can make a great future" i shot him a glare. he sighed, chuckling as he climbed into bed with me. he wrapped his arm around me, careful not to hit your bandage. he pressed his lips against yours, bringing a smile onto your face.
