𝗜𝘃𝗼𝗿𝘆 - 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀

Part 8: Familiar

JJ sat on the floor of the hotel hallway by her room. The ambulance sirens blared outside but slowing muffled as they drove away.

Her mind was crammed full of questions.

She wondered if Ella was hurt or even dead. She only pondered on that subject for a few moments before her breaths became shallow and quick. The thought of losing another sister was too much.

When she closed her eyes she saw a man in front of her, a familiar one. He was tall with broad shoulders and had bright blue eyes. Ellas father. He was sitting in front of her, this is real. She opened her eyes and still saw him, he was saying her name. This is real. She reached for he gun and pulled it out and aimed it at the man, who also drew a gun.

"Put it down!" JJ cried.

As her vision began to unblur, it became more clear who the person in front of her was. Emily.

"JJ!" She yelled. "JJ it's me." She put a hand on her knee and JJ slid her gun back into its holster.

"I'm sorry," JJ apologized. "It's just," She stopped.

"Just what?" Emily was intrigued.

"I thought you were Ellas dad." She replied with a sigh. "I need to sleep." That was the truth, she hadn't slept in almost 3 days. The stress of the whole situation was driving her mad.

"Okay," Emily helped JJ up and walked her into her room. "Get some rest, we'll talk tomorrow." JJ nodded and drifted off into a calm state. The bliss of sleep overtook her body.

***

JJ stood outside of Sadies hospital room and waited for Emily to arrive so they could give her a cognitive interview. She stared into the room at the small girl who was sitting with her parents at her bedside. Her brother sat at the end of the bed by her feet and they giggled as they played games on their moms phone.

After a few minutes, JJ felt a hand on her shoulder. "You ready?" Emily stood behind her. JJ nodded in agreement and they walked into the room. The agents cued for Sadies family to leave the room, they all stood up and made their way into the hallway.

"Hi Sadie," JJ sat down in the chair next to her bed. "I'm JJ." The young girl was twisting a hair tie around her fingers as she looked up at JJ. Her eyes showed that she recognized JJ, but not just from last night.

"You're the woman that he sent me to," Her eyes fell, she was now staring at the hair tie in her hands. JJ gazed at her with sympathy.

"We're just going to ask you a few questions Sadie." Emily laid a hand on her arm. "Are you ready?" The girl nodded slowly and closed her eyes.

Emily and JJ walked her through a cognitive interview. She remembered vividly how the house smelled and looked. She could almost feel the icy air blowing against her face.

"How'd you get your cut Sadie?" Emily asked. Sadie shut her eyes tighter and pulled at the neck of the hospital gown.

"He hit me," She replied. "Hard."

"Why did he hit you Sadie?" JJ squeezed her hand tight. "It's ok," She said reassuringly. "You're safe now." Sadie took a deep breath and recalled the moment that hot white pain overtook her face and head.

"I asked when I could go home," A tear tumbled down her cheek. "I just wanted to go home." She mumbled.

The women decided that Sadie needed a break. They told her to open her eyes and she did, clearly upset that she had to relive the trauma all over again. Just as the agents were leaving the room, Sadie stopped them.

"JJ," She called out, catching the attention of the two women. "Your sister," JJ took a few steps towards her, eager to hear what she had to say. "She recognized him."

***
Sorry for the short chapter!