Evolution, a Spencer Reid/Criminal Minds Fanfic

Chapter 14. Out of the Woods

In the interest of time, Morgan loaded the rescued girl into the back of Chief Mayhew’s squad car. He slipped in after her in case CPR would be needed before they reached a hospital. In truth, her pulse was so weak he couldn’t really tell if she needed it already. While the Chief drove with lights flashing and siren wailing, Morgan rested his ear against the girl’s chest. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on hearing the faint, slow tick of her heart.

She didn’t disappoint him. When he carried her into the ER and laid her on a gurney, he was pleased to see the staff scramble when the attending physician yelled ‘Live one!’. He was grateful he hadn’t brought them a corpse. On the other hand, a pessimistic, little voice whispered to him that their speed also declared this a life-or-death situation with no room for error and no more time to be lost. She’s not out of the woods yet, he thought, belatedly realizing what a terrible pun that was.

xxxxxxx

Hotch stayed with the Range Rover. He watched Morgan, Mayhew and the girl speed away. The siren grew faint quickly, forest dampening its shriek. By the time the woods were quiet again, Rossi and Prentiss had returned, flanking a subdued Reid.

“You alright?” Hotch thought Reid looked sad, but not as sick as he himself still felt.

Reid nodded. “You?”

“Not sure.”

Rossi plucked the keys from Hotch’s hand. “That’s it, then. Into the car, children.” He cast a significant look at the men. “You two are getting checked out as soon as Garcia can send me coordinates to get us out of here.”

“I know where to go.” Reid’s voice was quiet, but sure. A look of confusion passed over his face as he explored some inner terrain the others would never know. “Huh. I think I know where the hospital is, because that’s where Sarah is now.”

“Who?” Hotch had missed out on the naming of the victims.

“The girl he saved.” Prentiss draped a companionable arm around Reid’s shoulders and gave him a one-armed hug. “Hero,” she said softly, hoping it would lift some of the gloom that had settled over him.

“But the others…” Reid looked back in the direction of the anonymous graves they’d just left.

“…were gone before we even knew about this case, Reid.” Prentiss slid into the backseat beside the young doctor so she could whisper for his ears only, “Besides, taking the blame for everything that goes wrong is Hotch’s thing. Don’t step on his toes. He doesn’t look like a guy who wants to share right now.”

Reid looked at their leader sitting in the front passenger seat. The only ‘look’ he could attribute to Hotch at the moment was…green. And pale. Apparently, Reid’s mental journey had been harder on his boss than anyone else. It made him appreciate what Hotch had done to bring him back even more.

Rossi gunned the engine and looked over his shoulder. “Okay, kid. How do we get outta here?”

xxxxxxx

On the way to the hospital, guided by Reid’s occasionally hesitant directions, Hotch called J.J. and Garcia. Once he’d filled them in on the events of the last hour, he asked J.J. to see about getting a forensics team to the gravesites of Brandenhoff’s other three victims. As they drove through town on their return route, Reid gasped and jerked upright.

“There’s another, Hotch. It’s a white house with a porch. We passed it on the way out. I think it’s Brandenhoff’s, but it was his mother’s before that.” Reid sighed and rested his forehead against the window. “There’s a body buried under the porch…Charlene…Yeah, that’s it. Charlene…I think. I’m not sure. Everything’s fading.” He closed his eyes and watched images blur, perforate, recede.