Saving Agent Hotchner | 1

26. Panic and close calls

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Your ears were ringing and you couldn't make it stop. You opened your eyes and you were met with a cloudy night sky - no stars to be seen. That's when you see it. Shadows around you, an overwhelming warmth and an alarm going off. You attempt to move your head, but you're met with a pain you've never felt before. You can feel yourself trying to move, but as for actually moving, you can't. It's like you've been paralysed. Powering through the pain in your neck and the headache you've gained, you set your eyes on two figures standing just under 10 feet from you. You instantly recognise the taller figure - it's Aaron. His suit jacket is covered in dirt, there's blood around his face and he looks like he's just crawled out of a fire. You don't recognise the other figure standing with him.

"Hey, you okay? Sir, are you o- what's your name?" The second figure asked, concerned.

Aaron. His name is Aaron.

"Aar..." You tried to speak, but all you could muster was a small moan as you tried to move your arm. Keeping still, you tried to call out for him, but once again, you couldn't say anything. Your throat couldn't make a sound. You were too sore, and you had clearly inhaled too much smoke from whatever fire was nearby. Even coughing hurt as you tried to breathe normally.

"Call 9-1-1, tell them there's been an explosion." Aaron insisted.

"Sir, are you okay? You a cop?" The figure asked, still confused and concerned.

You tried calling out for Aaron one more time, but it was no use. You watched - with tears streaming down your face - as Aaron turned around and set his eyes on the SUV that was now engulfed by flames. His face turned down slightly and he saw her.

"Kate!" He called out, immediately running to the blonde on the ground. You couldn't move any further to see what was going on, but judging by how panicked Aaron sounded, she must've been as injured as you, maybe even worse.

"Listen, Kate. Don't worry. We'll get 'em." Aaron reassured her as he tried to keep her from bleeding out. You - on the other hand - simply moved your head so you were looking back up at the sky. Even thinking about attempting to see what was going on made your body hurt.

"I know." You could hear how scratchy her voice was.

"Call 911. Tell them...that a Federal Agent..." Aaron took a breath.

"Kate! Kate!" Aaron panicked.

"My purse! I can't find my purse. What happened?" Kate coughed.

"I don't know, a bomb exploded, an I.E.D. I think it was an I.E.D." Aaron explained.

"Kate. Kate, we're gonna get you out of here, okay? We're gonna get you out of here." At this moment, your heart broke. You were already severely injured, but you didn't care about that. All you cared about was the fact that your boyfriend hadn't even realised that you were merely feet away, almost just as injured as Kate.

"They're coming, they're coming. Officer down! Officer down! Here!" Aaron called out.

"Aaron. They're not coming. We told them not to, remember?" Kate breathed again.

"Sam, you need to get out of the area." Aaron insisted.

"I just want to help." Sam exhaled.

"If you want to help, get somebody down here. Kate, I need you to wake up. Stay with me. Stay with me." Aaron kept insisting.

"I feel cold. It's such a cliché, isn't it? I feel cold." She chuckled.

"Kate, stay with us, please. We're here! Please! Please! We're here! Someone!" Aaron called out, looking toward the barricade at the end of the street.