Self Destruction in 4 Distinct Parts ➵ Criminal Minds

Part 3 - The Consequence

Aaron reached for his phone blindly in the dark of his bedroom. This was always the worst time to get an urgent case, two in the morning. The phone always woke Jack up and he had to call Jessica to come and look after him, it disturbed everyone.

" I'm on my way Garcia..." he mumbled into the phone, turning on a bedside light. However the voice coming down the other end of the line wasn't a chipper one accompanied by the faint sound of clicking heels. It was the voice of Detective Scott Hardman, a police chief in a small area of Washington.

" If the case is urgent Detective you need to direct all information and calls to Agent Jareau-"

" I'm very sorry to interrupt your sleep, Sir, but this isn't about a serial killer." He said. Aaron swung his legs out of bed and asked him what else he'd be contacting the BAU about. Hardman explained that it was a long story; he'd gotten a call a half hour ago about a rape taking place at a party in a suburban neighbourhood, but when he got there the rapist was unconscious and suddenly the charge was looking more like assault and battery.

" Why are you telling me this?" Hotch asked.

" Because the person who hit him over the head with a beer bottle is a woman called Melanie Carlisle." He said. Aaron felt his stomach drop at the mention of her name, he knew that she'd been struggling and now he wished he'd asked her more about it when she said she was fine. Hardman went on to explain that he thought she was bullshitting when her friend said she worked for the FBI, but when she gave him Aaron's name and phone number he had to reconsider.

" You know her?"

" Yes, she's a member of my team," Hotch said gravely. Hardman asked if he could come to the address of the party, they weren't going to charge her with anything until she was coherent.

" Coherent?" Hotch asked, already getting changed.

" I can't tell you how much alcohol she's had, she's throwing some of it up right now. But um... I think she's taken something too." He said. Aaron sighed and thanked the Detective for the call. He should've pushed her when she said she was fine. Everyone was so worried about Reid after Maeve died than no one thought to ask her about what'd happened to her in the time she spent with Diane. He'd heard the fight between Mel and Reid, it was bad. Then she was cornered in that alleyway and everyone just let her say she didn't want to talk about it because they didn't want to make her angry. But he was her unit chief, he should've said something or done something, made her have a re-evaluation with their psychologist. He pulled on his shoes and called Jessica as he left the apartment, she could be there in five minutes to look after Jack and he was confident he'd be safe for that long. Once in the car he drove as fast as he could push it, there was one stop he had to make before he went to that house.

Spencer turned a light on and reached for his phone which was vibrating itself in circles.

" Garcia?" he groaned.

" No, it's me." Hotch replied.

" New case?"
" No, I need you to get up and get dressed, I'll meet you at your apartment in ten minutes."

Reid frowned, if it wasn't a case, why was he being woken up at two in the morning?

" Reid, just do as I say," Hotch said, hanging up the phone. Spencer sighed and pulled himself out of bed, pulling on jeans and the shirt he threw on the floor yesterday, grabbing a cardigan on his way out of the door. Aaron was already parked on the road so he just jumped into the car.

" Are you gonna tell me what this is about now?" He asked.

" Mel." Aaron replied, pulling out into traffic. Immediately Spencer's heart started beating ten times faster, what about Mel? Hotch told him what had happened and Reid sank back in the seat, it was all his fault.

" Don't say that..."

" So you're going to sit there and tell me that this isn't all connected to what I said to her a few weeks after Maeve died?" Reid said.

" She could've dealt with it in more constructive ways..."
" But I knew that she wouldn't..." Spencer said, tears now stinging his eyes. He knew Mel, she was his best friend, she dealt with things by self destructing, and he should've stopped her before she got to that point.

" We all should've done more, but it's what we do now that's going to count," Hotch said, pulling up at the house.