"Come on! Come on!" Hotch yells as the unsub darts out the back door. Morgan, Hotch, and I follow through the back door while Reid, Rossi and a local officer head out the front in order to cut the unsub off if necessary.
The back door leads to a man made path through acres and acres of trees. "Split up!" Hotch directs which we do with ease as it's become a routine by now. Especially with on-foot pursuits. Hotch went straight ahead, Morgan branching off the the left as I went right.
I glide over lose tree branches, avoid obstructive rocks in my path, as well as ducking underneath low branches, the adrenaline steering me through each obstacle. I felt like I was flying through these woods all the while keeping a steady eye out ahead of me in search for the bright red t-shirt the unsub was wearing. The far-sounded snapping of twigs and crunching of leaves earned my full attention as it brought me to a sudden stop in the pursuit.
I peered my ears out for the sound once more. Just one more mistake and I'd have him. As I scan the surrounding area, adrenaline pumps through me like the constant state of pumping blood. Just ahead I saw a red t-shirt standing out against the forest color theme and moved towards it for further investigation.
It was caught on a tree branch as if he abandoned it. Of course he did. I continued to scan the area knowing that he couldn't have gone too far but I was immediately caught off guard at the sound of a gunshot. I processed the sound before the pain as I dropped to the dirt covered ground, the sound of leaves rustling as the unsub fled the scene. "Emily!" I heard Morgan shout not too far and within seconds he was kneeling at my side.
"He went that way." I managed through the pain in my leg. Stubbornly I try to sit up but the pain shot through me at any effort to move.
"Don't move, alright." Morgan encouraged while hesitating whether or not to leave me or pursue the unsub.
"Go, Morgan, go." I insist further, wincing at the pain as I continued to try and sit up.
"Emily, you just got shot. Stay still." He directed me more sternly than before. The sound of leaves crunching behind me momentarily paralyzed me before realizing it was Hotch.
"He's gonna get away." I inform the two of them as I tried to encourage my team to remain objective.
"It's okay, Morgan. I got her, you go get Drysdale." Hotch directed as he held his phone to his ear. "We need medics." He insisted as Morgan disappeared in the trees, I could hear Reid's slightly panicked tone on the other end of the call. "Emily's shot."
He ended the call and began to attend as well as he could to my wound, tying his tie just above the wound to reduce bleeding. "Go Hotch, I'll be okay. We can't let him get away." I keep objective despite my pain, I know that getting justice for the 5 lives lost is more important that some superficial gun shot on my end.
"Reid will be here with the medics soon. Just hang tight." He encouraged before following suit into the woods, disappearing in seconds. I manage to sit up enough to see the wound, grimacing at all the blood along with the pain.
Drysdale is smart. He used the bold color to distract me, catching me with my guard down and knew that he could distract the rest of the team by taking me down. But why? Why take that risk? I swear to god if he gets away I will hunt him down myself, as soon as the pain resides anyways.
As Hotch promised Reid and the medics appeared within minutes. Pinned down I had to belt out my location through a disgruntled "here!" Leading Reid right towards me.
"Over here!" He called out to the medics as they followed suit to my side. "Emily, are you okay? What happened?" Reid panicked as the medics began to lift me onto a stretcher.
"I let my guard down." I admitted shamefully on my behalf. The medics began to strap me down to keep me from bumping around as much as possible while moving through the woods.
"Did they catch him?" Reid directed the topic as he knew dwelling on my open wound was not a sure-fire way to get information out of me. Instead he brought up what I care about most to distract me; The team.
"I don't know, they went after him." I informed him. A sheer look of fear running down his face as he attaches to my side the whole way towards the ambulance. "It okay Reid, I'm not going anywheres." I assure him just before they lift me into the ambulance, Reid swinging in as well as he decides to ride along with. I smile at his dependability just before pain reaches its highest and I become light headed. I could feel needles pricking my arm and I could hear the sound of my clothes cutting in order to gain access to my wounds.
As soon as they begin to apply direct pressure the pain becomes unbearable and everything goes dark. But I'm still here.
————————————
I've suddenly come to consciousness at the sound of Jayjes soft voice. "Oh, Will shes waking up. I'll call you later. I love you too." Next thing I know Jayjes hands are at my side, one hand brushing my shoulder where as the other squeezed my hand. I find the energy to open my eyes, adjusting them to the brightly lit hospital room. "Hey, Emily how are you feeling?" She asked tentatively as she looks into my eyes, suddenly noticing the strain in them as I try to maintain eye contact. "Oh is it too bright?" Jayje offers as she pushes her self off the chair and begins to adjust the blinds before I could even answer her.
"Thanks." I say softly, the morphine just wearing off, my entire body asleep still.
"Of course," She insist sweetly as she walks over to my bed side. Her small, soft, crime fighting hands covers my forehead and begins to feel for a fever. "You're pretty warm, should I go get the nurse?" She questions with the caring blue eyes I've come to grow so familiar with.
"No, I'll be fine. Except could you help me sit up a little bit?" With a split second of processing the request JJ is in full bedside mode as she's quick to help.
"Sure, what do you need?" Offering her helping hand with a lopsided grin knowing more than anyone just how stubborn I am. You play enough online Scrabble with some one you'll surely pick up on a thing or two.
"Could you fold the pillow behind my shoulders?" I asks while attempting to sit up as best as I could from the bed to give her access.
"Of course," She says already in motion. Her hands lays flatly at the base of my neck and lifts me to sit up just enough to be able to wedge the pillow in place. "How's that?" She accommodates, her hands hovering the pillow just in case she'd have to readjust them.
"It's perfect, thank you." I assure her, thanking her for her gracious bedside manner. She smiles back to say thank you before reclaiming her seat. "Did they catch Drysdale?" I inquired hopefully.
She apologetically shakes her head causing me to deflate in disappointment. They were too worried out me out there and now this methodical sick-crazed unsub is still out there. "Morgan thinks he got a lead on his next move though. Garcia is looking into it." She informs collectively easing my nerves.
That's why she's good at her job. She knows how to talk to people in a way that makes them feel safe and optimistic. It's not so much her words as it is her ability to stay calm during dreadful situations. She's goes under an insane amount of pressure every day but always comes out with a clear decision and evidence to back them up.
"That's good." I'm relieved to hear. If there's anyone who could help find Drysdale its Garcia. She got our last lead and no doubtably she'll get our next one. "Shouldn't you be there too?" I exam her knowing that Jayje is an essential member of the team and could be there helping them find Drysdale rather than sitting bored with me.
"There's nothing I could really do at this point so I offered to sit with you until my press conference tonight." She explained dutifully.
"Thanks-wait, tonight's your conference? How long have I been asleep?" I couldn't have slept through a whole day could I?
You were awake for a little bit after surgery but you were really high on morphine." She admitted amusedly, a effortless smile appearing out of thin air as she looks away for a second to try and regain her professionalism.
"What did I say?" Ultimately unsure if I really even want to know the answer to that.
"You and Morgan were taking about some Vonnegut guy and then you started telling everyone to call you Kilgore Trout." She recalled the last two words distastefully as though she was lost on the significance. However I knew full on what she was talking about.
I groaned lightly to my self, embarrassed over my inner nerd showing through. I'm used to talking to Morgan about it although the rest of the team had no idea. "Wait everyone? Who's everyone?" I plead dreadfully.
"Everyone, Em." The way she stressed the word sent more fear to rush through me. "The whole team was here, even Garcia was on the phone for you. You even told the doctors walking by to call you it." She explains pretty entertained by the recollection of the memory.
Without even realizing I got control over my body again my hands were covering my face like a shield from my deep blush. "Oh my god," I say mostly to myself but it erupts another light chuckle from the blonde across the room.
"Don't be so embarrassed, it was adorable." She insist. A sweet thin smile doing wonders from across the room. It was a comforting smile especially in a situation like this I could really use a friendly smile like hers.
I peer through my fingers to see a genuinely amused blonde. "No, it's nerdy." I correct her while dropping my hands to show her how serious I am.
She tilts her head at me, waiting for me to comply. We had a mini telepathic conversation that went something like;
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously..."
"Seriously?"
"No,"
"Okay fine, Kilgore Trout is my guilty pleasure. I love all of his adventures and I used to have the full series but now I only have a few copies." I confess as I lost all my self control. I could never stay mad at Kilgore Trout for too long.
Jayje sends me a triumphant smile before the nurse walks in. "Hey, how are you feeling?" She asks attentively as she begins to check the varying monitors and screens.
"I'm okay," I assure her through a confident smile.
"That's good, luckily the bullets stayed in one piece which made for a smooth surgery. They didn't hit anything major and with luck you should be out of here by tomorrow night. We just want to keep you for an extra 24 hours to avoid infections. You'll be sore for a week or two but with approval from a physical therapist you should be able to go back to work in no time. Sound good to you Kilgore Trout?" She teases the nick name sending a jaw dropping gasp to leave my body, my eyes snapping back to Jayje who's stifling a laugh.
The nurse laughs as well, before leaving the room, allowing me to focus my attention on Jayje who's still trying to suppress her laugh. "You weren't kidding." I state shockingly towards my friend who lost her battle with her laughter.
"No, I wish I was." She agreed which influenced me to join in on the laughter. Once the laughter died down I had laughed myself to the verge of having to pee. As I began to peel my self from the bed unannounced Jayje bolted to her feet. "Emily, what are you doing?" Her tone full of concern.
"I have to go to the bathroom." I casually inform her while pursuing with getting out of bed. I clutch onto the IV stand to keep me steady while I took careful steps towards the bathroom.
JJ relentlessly watched me carefully as she prepared to catch me at any given moment. I managed to get to the bathroom without her help, although as I went to leave the wheels in the IV stand got caught on the corner causing me to loose balance. Thankfully JJ was right at my side to prompt me up.
I struggled to balance myself again so Jayje decided to help me the rest of the way. Her arm wrapping around my back to keep me up, wedging her shoulder under my arm to keep me vertical. My hand gripped desperately to her shoulder while I held onto the metal pole for dear life. We shuffled our way back to the hospital bed where she even helped me get back into. Lifting my wounded leg up to the bed so that I could swing my other leg up beside it.
As I laid back down Jayje readjusted the pillow to keep me comfortable, making sure I was okay before returning to her seat. JJs phone suddenly rang prompting her to dig through her coat in the other seat to find it. "Hey Derek." My attention immediately snaps to JJ as I analyzed her expression for information. "Okay, thanks for letting me know. Yeah, I'll tell her. Good luck." She pulled the phone from her ear to end it before looking back at me.
"Derek's lead followed through, Drysdale is going to end it." She informed me, suddenly the conclusion coming to light.
"He's going to Miss Layton's. I should be there with them." I insisted stubbornly as I tried to flee from the bed once more.
"Emily you could barley stand. They got this covered. The only thing you can do right now is rest and regain your strength for tomorrow." She lectures me with no room for discussion.
"It's my fault he's still even out there. It's my fault Miss Layton's life is on the line." I work out guiltily on my behalf and my instincts gaining control but yet again it's no use because JJ is the one thing standing between me and the door and she's making sure I know that.
Jayje shakes her head arguably. "No, it's not Emily. He's experienced and meticulous, he just got ahead of you that's all. There's nothing you could do in the moment." She defends the light of the situation.
"I should've known though." I argue in spite of better judgement.
"You got distracted,"
"Which is why I shouldn't have let down my guard."
"Emily," She calls my name sternly, getting my full attention. "It's not your fault." She insists strongly, standing her grounds, as she made sure I heard her this time, really heard her. Her hand squeezing mine for only a second to reassure me of this but how could've I have told her to hold on for a few seconds longer and I'd believe her then, anything for her to not let go. But she did and that's the reality of things. When will I learn to let go too?
I saw no point in disagreeing, sometimes she could be more stubborn than I am. "JJ?" I ask after a few moments of silence.
"Yeah?" She quipped tender heartedly.
"Could you pass me the remote please. If I'm gonna be bed ridden I rather endure it with some Bob Ross." Trying to sound positive about this for her.
"Yeah, here you go." She says placing it in my open palm. I turn on the TV while Jayje adjusted the TV so that I could see it better.
"Thanks," I call out appreciatively to her as she sits back in her chair as I begin to scroll through the guide. Shortly coming across just what I was looking for. "It's on!" I call out excitedly to my friend, "Wanna come watch it with me?" I extend the offer with a head toss in my direction.
Accepting the offer she carries her chair over beside my side, immediately getting pulled into the beautiful canvas Bob Ross has already started. "Oh wow! He painted that?" She exclaims in pure admiration.
"Have you ever watched Bob Ross?" I inquired as my eyes drop to hers in disbelief.
"No, I've never heard of him." She responds honestly encouraging me to fake offense to her response.
"Really?" I recover suddenly intrigued by her attraction to the show already. I turn back to face the screen and indulge in how remarkable his detail and texture is. "Some people think he's a serial killer and all of his paintings are of his dumpsites which is his way of reliving the murders." I inform as casually as ever without a second thought which had JJ giving me this one big and one small eye kinda look
I picked up on Jayjes responding silence drawing me to look over at her. Her expression heavy on me as if I just spoiled the ending to a movie. I look back at her apologetically watching her previous expression subside.
"We work way too much." Shifting the blame to our excessive work schedule, which is definitely accurate.
"Ya think." I scoff as I gesture to my current situation, pulling a innocent laugh from the blonde. We continue watching the rest of the movie, occasionally talking but mostly we were intrigued more and more at his skills and techniques. Bob Ross is always so calming it's just what the team needs before each debriefing. Or the entire bureau for that matter.
One thing that's become noticeable since I've returned to the BAU is how it's not only Hotch who hardly ever smiles. Day after day the bureau is crawling with judgmental frowns, creating a hostile workplace environment, but after all it's what we're all taught at some point in life. Stay objective and you won't be effected.
"You get involved, you get hurt."