It took a week.
Only a week for Mitchell Diaz's life to go down the drain.
It started out with the murders of two strangers in a city miles away. But once the BAU show up after the third murder occurs in her city, everything gets put together.
She...
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CHAPTER 49:BIRTH
REID AND MORGAN WENT TO THE APARTMENT BUILDING TO SPEAK WITH THE FRONT DESK WORKERS, AND CAME BACK KNOWING WHO THE UNSUB WAS.
Tanner Johnson.
"He lost a child, didn't he?" JJ asked Garcia,
"Yeah. Last year. A 10-year-old son Jeremy. According to reports, Jeremy was playing with a friend, they were like fake wrestling, when Tanner, a free-lance photographer slash nighttime doorman got a call, left the room to take it. When he returned, his son was unconscious. The friend was trying to revive him from a chokehold gone horribly wrong." Garcia explained,
"His son was strangled. That's why he uses a garrote." Hotch stated,
"Jeremy was on life support for a few days, but he died." Garcia finished,
"Tanner blames himself. He stopped watching for a minute and he lost his son." Blake said,
"That's a hell a stressor, but what triggered the murders?" JJ asked,
"Garcia, what happened to Tanner's wife? Did the marriage survive?" Hotch questioned the tech analyst,
"Uh... No. She kicked him out two months ago, right before the killing started." She answered,
"So he loses his child and then his wife and home. It's enough to make anyone unstable." JJ said,
"Add guilt to that and it's all too much. He dissociated." Blake finished,
"Paternal transference. He claimed the residents of his apartment building as his family." Dave explained,
Mitchell stared at the crime scene photos. But why the hair? The IDs? The photos? Tanner is running out of time, but why? Why is the clock ticking?
"But we're missing something." Mitchell stated, "Why is he documenting all of this? We profiled he's running out of time. Garcia, is Tanner terminally ill?"
"No, but I just found out something else that's interesting. Hannah, Tanner's wife, she's pregnant."
Everyone came to a realisation.
"That's who he's watching online." Blake stated,
"Garcia, when is the baby due?" Dave asked,
"The baby's due..." She typed away on her phone, "Yesterday."
Mitchell looked around at everyone, "We found our deadline."
He was watching, waiting for the baby to be born. Everything he had done was proof that he could take care of his child.
Everyone apart from Rossi and Hotch slipped into their vest and began their drive towards Hannah Johnson's house to arrest Tanner.
"He's not gonna hurt Hannah or the baby, will he?" Garcia asked,
"Not while she's pregnant. He has to keep the child safe." Blake answered from the passenger seat,
"And after?" She asked,
But they didn't have an answer. Because they didn't know.
"Tanner thinks his book proves he can take care of the baby." Rossi said through the speaker,
"And if she rejects that, he could unravel even more." Hotch continued,
"Uh-huh, and what happens then?" Garcia questioned,
"No one will be safe, not even the child." JJ answered,
Morgan and Reid had arrived first. JJ pulled up beside them and Mitchell was out of the car before JJ could put it in park.
Mitchell was nervous. This was her first time taking down the unsub with the team.
The front door was busted down and they could hear screaming from Hannah inside. The women went around the side and Mitchell peeked between the curtains. She could see Morgan aiming his weapon at the unsub while Reid was putting on a pair of gloves.
"Oh, my God." Mitchell whispered,
The baby was coming. Now.
"We need medics to Hannah Johnson's residence right away." Blake whispered into her radio,
"They're already on the way." Rossi informed them,
The women watched as Reid tricked Tanner into giving him his knife and Morgan quickly pulled the man away. They entered the room as Reid comforted the woman, "Don't worry, Hannah, your baby's doing fine, but you need to keep pushing. Ready?"
"Medics on the way." Blake told them,
"We can't risk moving her now. We'll have to deliver the baby here." Reid told them,
"Oh, God!" Hannah moaned,
Mitchell put her gun back in its holster and kneeled next to the woman and grabbed her hand, "It's going to be okay, Hannah, I promise."
"Squeeze her hand as hard as you can and push." Spencer told her,
"Oh, I can't. I can't." Hannah sobbed,
"Yes, you can. You're doing great." Reid replied,
Mitchell winced as Hannah squeezed her hand painfully and pushed, "You're doing great. I can see the head. Keep pushing. Keep pushing."
The paramedics came in as Morgan dragged Tanner out of the house, "No!"
Mitchell brushed back Hannah's hair, "Keep pushing, all right? Keep pushing."
There was more screams of pain and suddenly there was the cries of a baby. The medics handed Spencer a blanket and he wrapped the baby up.
"You did good." Mitchell whispered to Hannah and Reid walked over with the baby.
She watched in awe as he handed him over to his mother. Mitchell stepped back and walked over to the man, "Spencer, you just delivered a baby. I thought you weren't that kind of doctor."
"I'm not." Spencer shrugged and JJ laughed,
Mitchell let out a small laugh and sighed, "I need a drink."
