Disappearance

Awake

Chapter 3

Three days later and they had no leads and Emily still hadn't woken up. Doctors said her body was so exhausted and beaten down she just needed to rest. They hadn't found any serious injuries, only bruising and scars. 

Rossi and Morgan were taking a shift in her room while the others worked on finding the man. Morgan sat in a hard wood chair next to her bed while Rossi stood by the windows with his hands in his pockets.

Morgan studied her face. A day didn't go by in the past two years that he didn't think about her. She constantly filled his mind. Where she was, what was happening to her, what she was thinking. He spent countless nights studying her case file. Some nights he would think he had something, while others he would just stare at the small picture of her that was paper clipped in the file. For two years all they had to go on was the grainy security tape that showed her stumble outside a bar with a man who kept his face aimed away from the camera. No eye witnesses. Nobody recognized or knew who she went out with that night.

"You wanna grab drinks tonight? I'm buying," Morgan said, trying to persuade Emily to agree.

Emily smirked as she was packing up her files and purse to leave. "Raincheck?"

"You got somethin' better to do?" He joked with her.

She looked up at him, her big brown eyes glistening in the light, "Yes, actually, I do."

He raised his eyebrows and smiled, "what, you gotta date?"

"and what if I did?"

He held his hands up in defeat, "alright, alright. Have fun Prentiss. I'll see you Monday."

She grabbed her bags and began walking out the office doors, "thanks, you too."

He remembered the last conversation they had. It would be forever engraved in his mind. If he had pushed a little harder, even if she protested, maybe he could've gotten a name. Or even a location. Then they would've had something to go on from the start instead of having absolutely nothing.
He kicked himself everyday for not doing something. Maybe if he had pushed her to get drinks with him instead. Maybe this whole thing never would've happened.

"She'll wake up, Derek. She's a fighter, always has been." Rossi said reassuringly.

"Yeah, but c'mon man. We don't know what kinda hell she's lived through for the past two years. What if–"

"No, Morgan. We can think about the 'what ifs'. She's going to need us more than ever, whether the Prentiss stubbornness likes it or not."

Morgan chuckled. He knew Emily was stubborn as hell and they would help her through this, as a family.

A slight moan grabbed both the men's attention as their eyes widened. The tiny figure on the bed was moving her arms and legs, almost as if she was pouring life back into them.

Derek looked up at Rossi, then turned his gaze back to the bed. "Emily? Can you hear me?"

As soon as he grabbed her hand to hold, her eyes shot open. "Don't touch me! Please, leave me alone!"

Derek instantly let go, completely shocked. He held both of his hands up in the air in surrender. She managed to sit up with her legs tucked in close to her body, her arms hugging her legs. Her brown eyes were darting around the room, searching for any sign of  him.

"Emily, it's Dave. Do you know where you are?" Rossi' gentle voice asked.

His only response was an empty gaze followed by her eyes darting around once again.

Derek sighed. The doctor had warned them of this, only he didn't actually think she would be this incoherent.

"Emily, it's Morgan. Derek Morgan? FBI?"

The more little details he gave her, the more she came back. He could see in her eyes that she was beginning to recognize them. She squinted at them, looking over every feature of their faces, desperately trying to recognize them.

"Emily you're safe, okay? Do you understand? You're safe now." Derek repeated, tears pooling in his eyes.

Then he saw it. Full recognition in her eyes. "M–morgan?"

Relief flooded into Derek's body. "Yes baby. It's me, I'm right here." He moved him hand to hold hers but stopped himself before touching her. No physical contact just yet, and he was okay with that. He just needed to see her breathing and alive.

"You guys found me...I knew you would.." She said, resting her head back on the pillow.

"No, Emily you managed to escape," Derek said, shooting a glance to Rossi.

Rossi stepped in after noticing Derek's pause, "a couple found you outside their home, do you remember that?"

Tears welled in her eyes and she shook her head, "...no.."

"Emily it's okay."

Her heart starting racing as little bits and pieces began to recreate themselves in her mind. The running. Screaming. Pain. Then everything went completely blank.

"Emily? Look at me, are you okay?" Derek asked, his voice laced with panic as she began to hyperventilate.

"No...please help me...no! No! No! No!" She cried and suddenly began hitting her hands on her head, "No, no, no!"

Rossi quickly made his way to the door and yelled for a doctor.

"I'm going to need you two to step outside, now please." A young nurse told them.

Rossi had to practically pry Derek away from Emily and guide him outside. His eyes never left the screaming woman on the bed. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she screamed about a man touching her. They watched from outside as they injected her with sedation and watched as she slowly faded into sleep.