Adrenaline
By Montez

Disclaimer: I own nothing Criminal Minds and its characters are owned by CBS. This fanfic is purely for entertainment.

A/N: This is my first Criminal Minds fanfic. I've watched the show on and off over the years, but never really kept up with it. I finally started catching reruns and have become hopelessly hooked. Bought all four season and have watched them back to back, need to catch up with season five, hope to see those reruns soon. Anyway I watched the season four premiere on DVD which was just awesome with the way they started it with Hotch standing there catching a floating piece of debris from the explosion. Like I said loved the way the episode played out, but it just struck me odd that Hotch didn't have more injuries than a blown eardrum and shrapnel in his leg. This little fic is my version of what could have happened and how hurt he could have really been. Hope you enjoy-please be kind, like I said this is my first attempt with the BAU-Montez

Chapter 1

Adrenaline, according to Webster's, is a stimulant secreted by the adrenal glands. However if you ask any member of law enforcement it's the rush you get during a chase, knowing you are closing in on your suspect or the hyper-awareness that you feel just before a raid. But as Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner's eyes snapped open, it was the overwhelming feeling that he had missed something important, something vital to catching the allusive group of terrorist that seemed to be trying to hold New York hostage. It was David Rossi's voice the filled his jumbled mind, listing all the characteristics of the UNSUBS thus drawing the FBI's Behavioral Analyst Unit to the conclusion that they were not just dealing with their normal group of sicko's, but a well organized, well disciplined group of terrorist.

It took a moment for everything to flood back into Hotch's clouded mind, he was in a curtained off area, lying on his back, a faint beeping sound just off to his left. Pushing himself up Aaron realized he was lying in a hospital bed, the memories of the explosion and finding FBI Agent Kate Joyner bleeding to death in the middle of the street, several yards away from the burning vehicle returned in an instant. He remembered turning her over to try and find where the blood was coming from only to see the gapping wound on her back and what he was sure was her spine exposed as he tried desperately to pinch off the source of the bleeding while repeatedly yelling for help from the emergency responders that were at the end of the block. It was Kate's broken voice that reminded him that it had been the injured agents themselves that had warned the first responders of the possibility of their being secondary explosive devises and not to enter the area until it was cleared.

Derek Morgan's voice is what finally cleared Hotch's thoughts as he pushed himself the rest of the way up and off the gurney. A nurse immediately tried to get him to lie back down, but he knew he had to get a hold of his team, Morgan being the first since he was their, their profile of the UNSUBS had been wrong, they were missing something. Within thirty minutes the rest of the BAU team was at the hospital, Rossi having handed off Aaron's go-bag so the younger man could get dressed. The entire time the agent was getting dressed the doctor stood their protesting reminding the agent he had been in an explosion and that more test needed to be run. Hotch effectively ignored the man as he joined his team at the nurse's desk. He continued to hold a tissue to his right ear, if he had been honest he was having a real problem hearing out of it and the constant ringing wasn't helping his concentration, but he pushed on.

Doing a quick run through of the profile with his team they realized that the hospital, itself, was the target, more importantly it was the patient that the Secret Service had shut the hospital down for, but because of Agent Hotchner's pleading to allow them in with Kate in the back of the Ambulance, he finally realized he had been tricked into driving a rig full of explosives into the basement of the building. Taking off down the stairs once they caught sight of the 'paramedic' on security cameras, it was the rush of adrenaline that dulled any of the Agents injuries. Hotch; Rossi, Reid and Prentiss had heard over their earpieces that Morgan was now at the ambulance and requesting Garcia to find him the quickest route to an open area to which he could drive the rig. Knowing Derek was getting the vehicle out of the basement they focused on finding the terrorist. Splitting into two-man teams, Hotch and Rossi went down the right side of the hallway then down a second hall as Reid and Prentiss went left, doing the same. Coming into the loading area the team effectively encircled the man, who was sitting against a piece of fencing, gun in front of him, a large knife pressed to his own throat, a cell phone held up in his left hand. As they approached they could see the man press the button one more time, then the hint of a smile crossed his face. Upon being ordered to drop his weapon the suspect drew the blade across his throat, bleeding out in less than a minute.

Knowing there was nothing left to do the team headed back upstairs to the Emergency Room as the building was being flooded with personal from several different agencies including Department of Homeland Security, Secret Service, as well as FBI from the New York Office.

"I have to find Kate." Hotch told Rossi, as he quickly headed toward the elevator, David and the rest of the team stopping to brief the incoming agents to what happened.

Getting off on the fourth floor the buzzing in Agent Hotchner's ears was starting to return as was the pain that was making itself known from his leg that he had been limping on for the last 30 minutes. The Hospital was on minimal staffing because of the bypass order so there weren't any nurses at the station near the elevators when Aaron stepped off. Quickly he pushed through the silver doors that lead to the operating theaters.

Stepping through the doorway of the first operating room he saw, Hotch found two orderly's cleaning up, "What happened here, where's the surgeon?" Hotch's mind was trying desperately ignore the covered body that sat in the corner of the room.

An older man stepped from a small room near the back of OR, making his way toward Aaron, "I'm sorry, we did everything we could."

Hotch's eyes drifted to the covered form as the doctor left the room and the orderly's stepped back toward the room the surgeon had emerged from. Taking a few steps the older agent stared at the blue covering, seeing the blond hair that was just barely sticking out from the top. Gently he reached and pulled the sheet back; uncovering the now peaceful looking, pain-free face of Agent Kate Joyner. As he looked at his fellow agent, his friend, he felt tears sting his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Placing the cover back in place he noticed her hand sticking out from the side, reaching for the hand, that just a few hours ago clung so desperately to his arm, he almost recoiled from the coldness, but instead gave it a gentle squeeze then placed it under the sheet.

Taking a step back, the buzzing in his ears intensified as did the pain in his leg, along with new pains he had not noticed before, like the pounding of his head and the heaviness his body was suddenly felling. Turning he slowly made his way out the doorway, into the hall. Dropping the Kevlar vest he had been carrying he put his right hand to his ear, squeezing his eyes shut a moment. Slowly opening them he could make out his team at the end of the hall, talking with the same man that had told him they had done all they could.

Agent's David Rossi, Dr. Spencer Reid, Emily Prentiss, they were all there, they were all okay. He knew Derek Morgan was safe, even after his foolish stunt that probably saved all their lives. Agent Hotchner knew that JJ and Garcia were still safely at one of the Emergency staging centers, his team was safe. The older man stumbled a little as his vision started to gray, reaching a hand to find perch on the wall, a blinding pain shot through his head, like someone had stuck a hot poker into his right ear. Drawing in a strained breath he heard the faint shout of his name as he felt himself start to fall, his world going black.