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“Mayday, mayday, mayday,” Reid’s voice came over the radio. It sounded muffled and weak, but it was there.
Morgan sighed in relief despite the distress signal and the worrisome sound of Reid’s voice. The team had spent the last five minutes trying to reach Reid through his radio, and they’d been met with complete silence up until now.
“Reid, what’s your status?” Morgan asked.
There was a pause before Reid responded. “Uh, unknown?”
Morgan shook his head. Reid didn’t sound like himself. He sounded confused. Something had definitely happened.
This was not good. Morgan knew that using Reid as bait for their unsub was a terrible idea, and he’d never wished he’d been wrong more than he did right this moment.
“Tell me what you do know, then,” Morgan prompted.
Another pause before the response came through. “He used a stun gun on me, I think. I have an electrical burn on my neck. I must have passed out. And now I believe I’m in his trunk.”
Morgan spoke in a purposefully slow and steady manner. “We’ve been tracking your location and we’re headed towards you. So just stay calm, and we will find you.”
“I know you will. Just… hurry, please? It’s dark and cramped and my neck hurts. And my head too. I must have hit it on something, because it’s not normal for a person to pass out from a stun gun. And I think it’s bleeding. My hand is wet.”
Morgan’s concern grew greater. Reid normally spoke precisely. He was being much less than precise at the moment. If he had a head wound severe enough to cause confusion, they needed to get to him quickly.
“Okay Reid. Can you open the trunk? Most vehicles have an emergency release.”
“No,” was Reid’s answer. “I tried to find one already, there isn’t one. Why would someone remove that safety feature from their car? I guess, if they planned to abduct an FBI agent and stuff them in their trunk, that might be a good reason.”
Morgan heard Hotch’s voice come on the radio now. The rest of the team was in an SUV behind him. “Reid, we’re tracking you but it’s not exact. I need you to try to listen for a minute and tell us if you hear anything that might help us pinpoint your location.”
The silence on the other end was expected now, but dread still filled Morgan’s chest with each passing second of silence.
“I just hear the car’s engine. And other cars passing us. That’s it.”
It was Prentiss’s voice on the radio now. “Reid, you’re doing great. Do you remember anything before you passed out? The unsub’s face, or the colour of his car, maybe?”
“He… he had a beard. A black one. And a baseball cap, so I couldn’t see the rest of him very clearly. He was big. And his car… I didn’t get a good look, but I remember it was orange. Because I remember thinking, that’s a very flashy car for someone trying to get away, you know? And then I don’t remember anything after that.”
“Garcia?” Morgan asked.
“I’m on it,” came the response from the tech analyst.
“Oh, hey Garcia, I didn’t know you were here,” Reid said casually.
“Reid, I need you to focus,” Hotch said, though he didn’t sound as stern as usual. He was clearly picking up on how off Reid sounded.
“Right. What am I focusing on?”
Rossi chimed in. “Staying alert, kiddo, and telling us anything that might help us find you.”
“Yes, sir. On it.”
Morgan pressed harder on his gas pedal, hoping against hope that he could catch up to the unsub before anything further happened to Reid.
“Guys,” Reid said. His tone was different, his voice was full of fear now.
“Yeah Reid, what have you got?” Morgan asked cautiously.
“I know where I am now. You need to come get me.” The fear in Reid’s voice didn't seem to translate to urgency.
“Tell me where you are and I’ll be there as quick as I can, Reid.” Morgan tried to sound as reassuring as possible.
“Well, I studied the maps of this town a lot,” Reid said, “so I know that there’s only a couple of bodies of water, and judging from where we started and how long I’ve been awake. Plus it’s the only one that a bridge goes over…”
“Reid, where are you?” Morgan interrupted.
“In Redshell River. We probably went off of the highway 8 bridge, judging by how far we’re sinking. There was a crash and a splash, and we’re sinking and water is slowly filling the trunk. It’s cold. Come get me out now, please.” The panic in Reid’s voice was unmistakable.
Fuck.
This is bad.
This is really, really bad.
The only positive Morgan could think of was that he was less than a minute out from the bridge, according to the GPS on his dashboard.
“I’m almost there Reid,” Morgan tried to reassure the man. “Just hang in there. Take deep breaths, and as big of one as you can manage right before you run out of air. I’m going to get you out of there.”
It was dead silent on the radio now. The next thirty seconds were the longest of Morgan’s life.
As the bridge came into view, Morgan saw exactly where the car had gone over the edge. Morgan parked haphazardly, not giving a second thought to the fact that he was blocking traffic.
Morgan took a moment to open the back of his SUV and grab the crowbar that was in there. He wasted no more time, running and diving off of the bridge where the side was broken away.
The first thing Morgan noticed was how cold the water was. The second thing he noticed was how murky it was. He just kept swimming down, hoping a car would come into view. He was thankful that the current wasn’t very strong, and he didn’t think he was drifting too much, but it was difficult to be sure.
Morgan’s lungs started to show the first signs of protest for their lack of air, but Morgan pushed that to the side. However long he’d been under for, Reid had been under longer. He needed to get to him. Morgan wouldn’t resurface without him.
Just as Morgan was starting to worry that maybe he had drifted too far, he saw it. An orange sedan, sitting at the bottom of the river.
Morgan wasted no time in swimming over to it and jamming his crowbar underneath the lid.
Getting leverage underwater, it turned out, was not easy. He fumbled the crowbar twice before he managed to get it, and himself, in the right position to be able to pry the trunk open.
When it opened, a cloud of bloody water floated out, and it took a second before Morgan could make out where the blood was coming from – Reid. His eyes were closed and he wasn’t moving.
Shit.
Morgan grabbed Reid around the chest and wasted no time in kicking off from the car, trying to get both of them to the surface as quickly as he could.
Morgan’s lungs were protesting harder now, and resurfacing felt like it was taking forever.
Morgan could just start to see the sun through the murky water when he felt Reid being pulled in the opposite direction. Morgan looked down, confused, and saw a man with a black beard pulling down on Reid’s leg.
Morgan’s lungs were screaming at him. He needed air. But he couldn’t leave Reid. Morgan kicked at the man several times, finally landing a blow to his face that caused him to relinquish his hold on Reid. Morgan kept swimming up as furiously as he could, though he was starting to feel weakness setting in.
Morgan’s head finally breached the surface of the water, and even as he gasped for air, he made sure to position Reid so his head rested on Morgan’s shoulder, keeping it above the water. Hands appeared on him, which he flinched at, but quickly realized that it was Hotch, in the water with him, attempting to help him keep Reid afloat.
“I got Reid,” Morgan said through gasps. “The unsub, he’s down there somewhere. I kicked him. See if you can find him.”
Hotch nodded and disappeared below the surface of the water.
Morgan looked around for a place along the shore to swim Reid to, and saw JJ, Rossi, and Prentiss standing along the shore. The spot they had picked was as good as any, and Morgan began swimming his way to them.
Though the current wasn’t very strong, Morgan was exhausted and swimming against it took a lot of effort. Morgan used all of his strength to get him and Reid there as quickly as he could. If Reid wasn’t breathing, and Morgan suspected he wasn’t, seconds could make the difference in whether or not they would be able to get him back.
As Morgan got closer to the shore, Rossi, JJ, and Prentiss waded out to meet them. When the two groups met each other, JJ and Prentiss took ahold of Reid and dragged him up onto the shore. Rossi assisted an all-but-spent Morgan to the shore as well.
Morgan collapsed the moment he was on dry land, lying on his back and breathing heavily while still keeping tabs on what was happening with Reid.
JJ and Prentiss had laid Reid down on his back, away from the water. JJ checked his pulse as Prentiss checked his airway.
“No pulse,” JJ said, despair clear on her voice.
“He’s not breathing,” Prentiss said, only slightly more measured than JJ was. “We need to start CPR.”
“The ambulance is still five minutes out,” Rossi said, a phone in the hand that wasn’t resting on Morgan’s shoulder.
Morgan panted, his energy completely spent, but he did not tear his eyes away from Reid for even a second as JJ started compressions, pausing every so often for Prentiss to give rescue breaths.
“Come on, kid, just breathe,” Morgan said as he dragged himself closer to where Reid’s lifeless body lay.
The grass beneath Reid’s head was crimson with blood that seeped from the head wound Reid must have sustained when he was stunned.
JJ was on her third round of compressions when Hotch appeared on the shore, an unconscious man in his arms.
Rossi dropped the phone he held on the ground and rushed to help Hotch with the unsub. His condition mirrored Reid’s, and after a moment, Rossi was performing compressions on the unsub in sync with the ones JJ gave to Reid.
Morgan watched as Reid’s body was jostled by the impact. Morgan heard a crack and knew that JJ must have broken one of Reid’s ribs. She froze her compressions and just stared at her hands.
“JJ, it’s okay, that’s normal, just keep going,” Morgan urged her, but she was frozen in place.
Morgan didn’t waste another second. He moved to Reid’s side and gently slide JJ’s frozen form out of the way, starting his own compressions.
“Wake up Reid, damnit,” Morgan yelled. “You’re not allowed to go out like this. Not on my watch.”
Morgan heard coughing, and looked to Reid’s face expectantly. It wasn’t him. It was coming from the unsub. At least that bastard would live to have charges laid against him for all of his crimes, but that wasn’t any comfort at the moment.
“Reid, you don’t get to die today. Not while that son of a bitch lives,” Morgan said as he finished his round of compressions.
Prentiss did another set of rescue breaths, and just as Morgan placed his palms back on Reid’s chest he felt it.
Reid’s chest rose.
Reid took in a giant gulp of air and started coughing. Water gushed out of his mouth, and Morgan was quick to put Reid on his side in the recovery position. He rubbed Reid’s back, and spoke through tears that he couldn’t control. “You’re alright. That’s it, get it all out.”
When Reid’s coughing fit finally subsided, Reid opened his eyes and the first thing his gaze landed on was Morgan.
“Morgan…” Reid said through gasps of air and winces of pain.
Morgan’s tears continued to fall, though they were tears of relief and happiness now.
“Don’t talk, kid. Just breathe. Just keep breathing, that’s it.”
Morgan finally allowed himself a moment to look around. Hotch and Rossi had a handcuffed unsub in the recovery position between them, but both of them had their attention focused on Reid. Relief was painted all over their faces. JJ was crying beside Morgan, with one of Reid’s hands in her own. Prentiss was making her way back up to the road, waving down the ambulance that was pulling in.
After the medics arrived, everything was a flurry of activity. Another ambulance was called, and both Reid and the unsub were taken to the hospital. Morgan rode with Reid, though the young man had passed out before even being loaded into the ambulance.
The entire team had arrived at the hospital only moments after Reid and Morgan did. Reid was quickly taken for evaluation, and Morgan was relegated with the rest of the team to the waiting room. Hotch had filled out the medical forms for Reid, and while the team waited for an update on his condition, they each had to give their accounting of events to the local law enforcement officers, and fill out statement forms to ensure that the charges against the unsub would not be thrown out on any technicalities.
After several hours, a doctor approached the team, clipboard in hand.
“Agents,” she called, though the team was already moving to gather around her.
“How is he?” JJ asked.
“He’s going to be okay,” the doctor answered. There was a chorus of relieved sighs around the group.
The doctor continued. “He has a serious concussion that we are going to need to watch closely. He also has two broken ribs that, while painful, will heal.”
JJ shook her head. “That’s my fault.”
The doctor was quick to cut JJ off. “CPR, when performed properly, almost always results in broken ribs. It’s a small price to pay for his life, which you saved by successfully resuscitating him.”
JJ closed her eyes and nodded. Morgan wrapped an arm around her shoulders as a measure of comfort. He hoped that she would take the doctor’s words to heart.
“He took in a lot of water, and his lungs are still slightly struggling to get him enough air on their own as a result, so we are keeping him on an oxygen canula for the time being. He has a burn on his neck which looks like he was electrocuted, possibly with a stun gun, but thankfully his cardiovascular system doesn’t seem to have sustained any lasting damage. Our biggest concern right now is going to be his neurological functioning. Between the concussion and the unknown amount of time he was without oxygen, it’s possible that there will be some memory loss or confusion. We are hopeful that there won’t be any more serious cognitive repercussions, but we just won’t be sure until he wakes up.”
“When can we see him?” Rossi asked.
The doctor shook her head. “He’s being settled in a recovery room. You’ll be able to see him soon, but we can only allow one visitor at a time. I’ll have a nurse come and let you know when he is ready for visitors.”
Hotch thanked the doctor and she left.
Morgan ran back over everything the doctor had said. Reid had some serious injuries, but of course the biggest concern was a brain injury. Morgan balled his fists in anger at the idea that Reid could have long lasting brain damage.
“Morgan,” Hotch said, pulling him out of his thoughts and back into the waiting room.
Morgan gave a quick glance around the room, and it was all he needed to know that everyone else was in a similar state of processing the information the doctor had given.
Hotch, at least, covered his worry better than most.
“Morgan, I think you should go in first,” Hotch said.
Morgan gave Hotch a nod of gratitude.
“Ow.”
Morgan had been at Reid’s bedside for hours, and there had been no sign of him waking up until now. Reid hadn’t even opened his eyes or moved yet. The word seemed to come out of nowhere, pulling Morgan out of his thoughts.
“Reid?” Morgan placed a hand on Reid’s arm in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.
“Ow,” Reid said again. He lifted his free hand to his head as he opened his eyes. “My head is killing me, what is going on?”
Morgan quickly turned off the bedside lamp to dim the lighting a little.
“You’re in the hospital,” Morgan offered.
“What happened?” Reid asked.
Morgan furrowed his brow in concern. “What do you remember?”
Reid closed his eyes for a moment in thought. “The last thing I remember is us setting up the sting. You were worried about me. I guess you were right to be. But I don't remember anything after that.”
Morgan nodded. “He got the jump on you. You took a stun gun to the neck, and apparently busted your head on something in the way down. The unsub stuffed you in his trunk and drove away. We were without contact with you for five minutes before you woke up and radioed in.”
Reid’s hands floated to the burn on his neck, and the cut to his temple, both of which were bandaged. He didn’t respond, yet, so Morgan kept going. “You didn’t sound quite right, the head injury made you sound confused. But you were able to give us enough information to find you. The unsub drove the car into the river with you still locked in the trunk. I had to crowbar you out.”
“I died, didn’t I?” Reid asked softly.
Morgan reluctantly nodded. “Yeah kid, you did. But we got you back. What makes you ask that, though?”
Reid made eye contact with Morgan now. “I don’t remember what happened. But I remember seeing a warm light, and shadowy figures calling me into it. It was the same thing I saw before Tobias Hankel resuscitated me in that shed.”
“Reid, you never told me that.”
Reid sighed. “I didn’t really know how to make sense of it, back then. Still don’t.”
Morgan grabbed ahold of Reid’s hand and squeezed. “You don’t have to make sense of it tonight. You can just rest.”
Reid nodded and closed his eyes.
“Morgan?” Reid said, eyes still closed.
“Yeah, kid?”
“Thank you.”
“For what?” Morgan asked.
“For saving me,” Reid said, opening his eyes and meeting Morgan’s once again. “Like I said, I don’t remember what happened. But I remember some feelings, if that makes sense. I remember being scared. But I knew you were coming. You gave me hope. And I think that helped me hang on. Thank you for coming for me.”
“Always, pretty boy. I’ll always come for you.”