Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hotch, Rossi, JJ, and Morgan stood in the hotel lobby, exhaustion plastered on each of their faces. It was painfully early, 5:39am to be exact. It was still dark out. The team had wrapped their case in Boston too late the previous evening to fly home. They were eager to get back, so they opted to take off at first light.

Hotch checked his watch again. Every agent on his team had shown up in the lobby on time, except for one. Reid was 9 minutes late. The team’s scheduled departure time would be in jeopardy if he was much later.

Hotch handed a spare room key to Morgan. He always collected the second key to each of their rooms, just in case. Hotch rarely needed to use them. Morgan disappeared down the hallway where their rooms were, re-appearing a couple of minutes later with a bag in his hands. “He’s not in his room. His go bag was still in there, fully packed, but his jacket and messenger bag are gone.” He placed Reid’s go bag with the rest.

JJ picked up her cell phone and dialed a familiar number for the third time that morning. “It’s still going straight to voicemail,” she said as she hung up, having already left a message for him to call her.

Hotch thought for a moment. “Maybe he couldn’t sleep and went for a walk. He does that sometimes. That doesn’t explain why he’s late or why isn’t answering his phone though.” Hotch knew that 9 minutes late was not yet worth panicking over, but Reid was always punctual, and kept his phone on him at all times. Hotch’s gut was telling him something was wrong, and he’d learned long ago to trust his gut.

JJ asked, “Do you want me to wake Garcia to track his phone?” The concern in her voice was not well disguised. They all worried about each other, but when it came to Reid, being the youngest of them, they worried just a little bit more.

Before Hotch could answer JJ, a noise from the front door of the hotel caught his attention. A figure stumbled through the door. Hotch was the only person on the team that was facing that direction, but the noise combined with Hotch’s panicked expression quickly had the rest of the team turning around to see what he saw.

Time seemed to slow as Hotch assessed what he was seeing in a split second.

The figure was Reid. He was holding his gun in his right hand, finger on the trigger and hand trembling. Hotch saw that both of Reid’s hands were cut up and covered in blood. He was moving very awkwardly, as if he was in pain and it was all he could do to stay on his feet. His left cheek had a large abrasion, his lip was split, and both of his eyes were black. Reid’s eyebrows were knitted together in pain, but his eyes had a blankness to them, as though he wasn’t really taking in anything in front of him. There were blood smears all over the front of Reid’s clothing, but Hotch couldn’t see any obvious major wounds. Reid was, however, wearing several layers of clothing, including a sweater vest and a black peacoat, which were likely obscuring injuries Hotch had no doubt they’d find.

Hotch held both of his hands in front of him nonthreateningly, and slowly closed the distance between himself and Reid halfway. He gave the rest of the team a small gesture with his hand that told them to stay where they were.

”Reid, I need you to drop the gun,” Hotch said calmly.

Reid shifted his gaze to Hotch, seeming to just now register that anyone was in the room with him. “Hotch.” The word was quiet and desperate.

Reid dropped the gun and it clattered noisily to the floor. Hotch thought it was less because he’d told Reid to drop it, and more because he didn’t have the strength to hold it anymore.

Hotch rushed forward to Reid immediately, sensing correctly that Reid would not remain on his feet much longer. As Reid stumbled, Hotch lunged forward faster, catching the young man part-fall, and managing to keep him from hitting the ground. 

“Reid, where are you hurt?” Hotch asked. Reid didn’t seem to register the question. The rest of the team took in the scene before quickly rushing into action. Each seemed to know what they needed to do without being told, which Hotch was grateful for.

JJ had her phone back out, calling for an ambulance and staying on the line to relay any new information as they discovered it. 

Rossi was busy asking the lone staff member at the hotel’s front desk for towels or sheets, anything they could use to help stop bleeding should they need it. From the amount of blood on him, Reid was bleeding heavily from somewhere, they just weren’t sure where yet.

Morgan sprang forward to help Hotch hold Reid up. Reid’s legs had since lost any ability to hold his weight, the adrenaline that was keeping him upright having now run its course. Reid’s eyes were still open, though unfocused. His body was now almost completely limp, and the only thing keeping him upright was Morgan and Hotch’s grip on him.

Hotch got right in front of Reid and tried again. “Reid, I need you to tell me what happened,” he ordered.

“St-stabbed,” Reid stammered out before letting out a small whimper of pain. 

Hotch’s eyes went wide, and he immediately began checking Reid over carefully with his eyes, trying to find the source of the bleeding. He removed Reid’s jacket, eliciting another groan of pain from Reid as he did so. A large patch of red seeped through the back of Reid’s sweater vest. Hotch lifted Reid’s sweater vest and the button-down shirt underneath to expose his bare skin and grimaced at the sight of a moderately sized and heavily bleeding stab wound on Reid’s left lower back. “Here. I found it. It looks deep. Damnit.” Hotch took just one more second to check the rest of Reid’s torso, ensuring it was the only major wound. He noted that there were a great deal of bruises and abrasions on Reid, some smaller cuts on his arms, and some blood in his hair that might indicate a head wound, but nothing else seemed to be bleeding profusely except the stab wound, so that took priority at the moment. Hotch quickly grabbed several of the towels that had been placed beside him by Rossi and pushed them desperately against the wound.

“Ow,” Reid yelled in pain as Hotch applied heavy pressure. 

JJ relayed the information about the stab wound to the dispatcher she was still on the call with. Meanwhile, Rossi directed the young lady at the front desk to make sure the area was kept clear, seeing that the commotion had roused a few of the other hotel guests to peek their heads out of their doors.

Morgan kicked Reid’s gun to the side and lowered Reid to the ground gently, laying him on his side, allowing Hotch to apply pressure to Reid’s back more easily, while Morgan braced Reid to keep him from being pushed forward by the pressure. Hotch tried to reassure the young agent. “Reid, we’ve got you. An ambulance is on the way. Can you tell me what happened?”

Reid’s eyes rolled shut and he went completely limp.

“Reid! Kid, stay with us!” Morgan shouted to no avail. He put his hands on the young man’s face, trying to rouse him. When he couldn’t, he checked the pulse on Reid’s neck and sighed in relief that it was still there, though it was weak.

Sirens could be heard in the distance. Rossi assisted the hotel staff in corralling more hotel guests back to their rooms while JJ rushed out the front door to meet the medics. 

As the medics entered the hotel lobby, they quickly took over the care of Reid. Hotch and Morgan moved out of their way, never taking their eyes off of their friend. The medics were talking to each other as they worked, but Hotch didn’t register a word of the medical jargon they were saying. He had the thought that Reid would know exactly what every word they were saying meant. Then Hotch realized that he himself probably would too, if the words were registering, if only for the amount of time he and his team spent in hospitals and around medical staff, both for victims and for their own injuries.

Hotch followed the medics’ movements with his eyes as they checked Reid’s vitals, packed his wound, and moved him to a stretcher for transport. As the medics reached the front door, one of their voices finally broke through to Hotch. “If anyone is coming with us, they need to jump in right now.”

Hotch looked at his team, immediately knowing the right call. “JJ, go with him, and keep me updated. The rest of us will see you as soon as we can.” JJ nodded and immediately exited the hotel to the ambulance. It sped away with its sirens blaring.

Hotch looked down at his hands and sleeves, which were covered in Reid’s blood all the way up his forearms. He looked around the hotel lobby. The smears of blood took up far too large a space on the linoleum floor. He stared at it, trying to process what had just happened and the fact that all of this blood had come from a young man he considered family.

Rossi noted the dazed look in Hotch’s eyes, and the same could be seen in Morgan’s. He attempted to pull them back to the present. “Hotch, what do you need us to do?”

This had its desired effect. Hotch snapped back into the present, and assumed leadership of the situation. “Dave, local PD will be on scene any moment. I need you to coordinate with them. Make sure they secure and process the scene. This will officially be their case, but we’ll need them to agree to allow us to assist with it. Do whatever you need to do to make that happen.”

As Rossi nodded and exited the building to meet the police, Hotch grabbed an unused towel from the floor, using it to wipe as much of the blood off of his hands as he could. He handed another to Morgan to do the same, though Morgan had far less blood on him and cleaned up quicker than Hotch. “Morgan, can you check Reid’s jacket?”

“What am I looking for?” Morgan asked, already moving across the room and grabbing it.

Hotch dropped the towel, hands as clean as they could get without soap and water. He pushed up his sleeves to make the blood on them less noticeable. “Reid didn’t have his messenger bag on him. I want to know if he was carrying his cell phone or his wallet.”

Morgan patted down the jacket and shook his head. “No, nothing here. You think this might be a mugging gone bad?”

Hotch sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe. But if his cell phone isn’t on him, we might be able to track it to an unsub or the scene of the incident.”

Hotch pulled out his own cell phone and made a call, putting it on speaker.

“Sir?” A tired and obviously just awoken Garcia answered.

“Garcia, you’re on speaker with me and Morgan. I need you at a computer and I need you there right now.” Hotch said.

Some shuffling could be heard on Garcia’s end for about 20 seconds, and she sounded decidedly more awake when she spoke again. “Yes sir, I have my laptop at the ready. What do you need?” Hotch could hear the worry in her voice, which was warranted given the time of day and the fact that they weren’t currently on a case.

Hotch sighed. “Reid was stabbed this morning.” They heard Garcia gasp on the other end, but Hotch continued. “He’s on the way to the hospital. JJ is with him. He doesn’t have his phone on him, so I need you to track it.”

They could hear Garcia typing frantically. “On it sir. Is he okay?”

Hotch weighed his options on what to tell her. “He’s lost a lot of blood but he was hanging in there when the medics arrived. I’ll let you know the moment we have an update from JJ at the hospital. In the meantime, I need you focused.”

Garcia was quick to respond. “Of course sir, anything for Reid. Looks like his phone is off, I can’t track it.”

Morgan sighed. “Garcia, we need to know where Reid was this morning. Can you check if he made any purchases?”

There was a moment of silence but for the sound of rapid typing. “As much as I disdain diving into the personal lives of my comrades, I will do so for the greater good. Okay got it. I see a purchase this morning from a coffee shop about three blocks from your hotel. Sending you the address now.”

Hotch asked, “Garcia, what time was the purchase made?”

Garcia was quick to respond. “5:17am.”

Morgan frowned and didn’t hesitate to voice his concern. “So that’s almost 25 minutes before he made it back to the hotel. If you figure the walk is 5 minutes, maybe 10 in the condition he was in… that’s 15 minutes unaccounted for.”

Hotch nodded. “We need to walk it and see if we can find anything. Garcia?”

”Yes, sir?” Garcia responded.

Hotch softened his voice a little, aware that the woman was at least as worried as the rest of them were. “I need you to stay at the ready if we have any more questions, but in the meantime, get yourself here. He’ll want to see you. Feel free to call JJ and check in, she’s alone at the hospital and I’m sure she’d like someone to talk to while she waits for news.”

Garcia sniffled, and Hotch had no doubt that she was crying. “Will do, sir. Let me know what you find. I’ll be there as quickly as I can.”

Hotch hung up the phone, thinking for a moment before going to his go bag and pulling out some spare latex gloves he kept in there.

Morgan watched him, knowing better than to question the man, but curious about what he was up to.

Hotch put on the gloves and then crossed the room back to where Reid’s gun lay. He opened the cylinder of the revolver. “Not a shot fired,” he remarked. He set the gun back down and pulled off the gloves.

Morgan raised an eyebrow. “How does a trained FBI agent with a gun get that beat up and stabbed, and never fire a bullet?”

Hotch sighed. “That’s what we need to find out.”

Chapter Text

Hotch and Morgan took a moment to speak to the hotel staff, apologizing for the commotion, thanking them for their help, and rebooking their rooms. Both men washed up and changed their shirts before heading out.

The two men stepped outside of the hotel, giving a nod to Rossi who was coordinating with the first set of local PD officers to reach the scene. Hotch noted that the sun was just beginning to rise. It felt like it should be later in the day, that such a significant event couldn’t possibly have taken place in such a short period of time.

Just then, Hotch’s cell phone started ringing. Seeing it was JJ, he waved Rossi over before picking up. “JJ, you’re on speaker.”

“Hey guys,” JJ started. “Reid was just taken in for surgery.”

Morgan asked, “Do you know anything more about his condition?”

JJ sighed. “Not much. He was out for most of the ambulance ride. He opened his eyes for a couple of minutes and squeezed my hand, but he didn’t say anything. When we got to the hospital, I watched them checking him over before they kicked me out. He’s got a lot of bruises and cuts, but the stab wound seemed to be the biggest concern. They’re worried it may have nicked his kidney.”

“Thanks for the update, JJ,” Hotch said. “Let us know if you find out anything else. We’re going to keep working over here. Can you please call the airfield and explain to them why we missed our takeoff time?”

“Will do,” JJ affirmed before hanging up the call.

Hotch pocketed his phone and looked up at the two other agents with him. “Dave, I need you to stay here and manage the scene. Morgan and I are going to try to retrace Reid’s footsteps and try to figure out what happened.”

Morgan looked down. “Looks like we might be literally following footsteps, Hotch. Look at this.”

Hotch glanced down at the sidewalk, and saw that there was a trail of faint bloody converse sneaker footprints heading to their left. His stomach sank at the sight, and he found himself needing an internal reminder that Reid had made it to the hospital.

Hotch took a deep breath to harden his resolve. “Let’s go.”

The two men followed the trail, which grew more faint the further they got from the hotel until it all but disappeared altogether.

Fortunately, thanks to Garcia, the men knew where Reid had come from, and continued to work their way towards the coffee shop, keeping an eye out for any signs of interception along the way.

As the men walked, Hotch remarked, “It’s very quiet out here this time of day. Seems like Reid made it from wherever he was attacked to the hotel without running into anybody else.”

Morgan nodded in agreement, but also offered an alternative explanation. “Yeah, or no one was willing to approach the bloody man holding a gun,” Morgan said gravely. “But this is a side street, so most of the traffic is on the next street over.” Morgan was doing his best to think about this as just a case, and not think about his battered friend. Looking ahead, Morgan saw something on the sidewalk that caught his attention. “Hotch…”

“Yeah, I see it,” Hotch responded as the two men picked up their pace.

As they approached what they’d seen from afar, Hotch voiced what they were both thinking. “A tray of four coffees, just dropped in the middle of the sidewalk. And a fifth off to the side. This has to have been Reid.”

Morgan bent down to read the labels on some of the coffee cups, being careful not to touch anything since he didn’t have any gloves on him. “Yeah, this was definitely the kid. These are our exact orders.”

As Morgan stood, Hotch looked around at the surrounding area. “This is just past the entrance to that back alley. That’s where the unsub came from.”

Morgan acted it out as he spoke. “So Reid’s walking this way. He passes the alleyway, and then someone comes up from behind him, startling him and causing him to drop what’s in his hands.”

Hotch picks up the narrative. “The unsub has a knife to him, and he keeps Reid from being able to get to his gun right away.”

Morgan nods. “Now, if this was just a mugging, Reid would pass over his bag right here and it would be done. He knows better than to escalate that kind of situation.”

Hotch walks into the back alley as he speaks. “If what happened lasted 15 minutes, the unsub wouldn’t risk staying out there on the street. Reid was pulled into this alley and likely between those dumpsters down there, where he’d be out of sight from anyone passing by.”

As the two walked down the back alley, the space between the dumpsters came into view. Hotch immediately pulled out his phone. “Rossi, we need PD and forensics in the back alley just off of 5th and Grant.”

Hotch and Morgan retreated back to the street once forensics arrived to process the alley. There was no doubt that they had found the place where something terrible had happened to their friend.

They hadn’t touched anything, wanting to be sure that any trace of the unsub was preserved. But as they’d waited, they’d looked around as much as possible. Reid’s phone was smashed in the ground. His messenger bag was splayed out, with various bits of its contents around it. A book had been carelessly tossed aside, many of its pages ripped out. Reid’s wallet was out, devoid of cash but not seeming to be missing any credit cards. On top of the messenger bag were Reid’s FBI credentials. On the ground further back was Reid’s belt, curled up and covered in blood, and an empty holster. There were traces of blood everywhere — mostly concentrated on the ground and the wall between the dumpsters, but traces could also be seen further out as well. The only things in the alley that seemingly weren’t covered in blood were the messenger bag and its surrounding contents. Forensics would have to tell them how much of this blood belonged to Reid, but there was no doubt in their minds that at least most of it was his.

Hotch was first to speak once they were back on the street. “I think there was more than one unsub.”

“I agree,” Morgan confirmed. His voice remained steady, but Hotch couldn’t help but notice that the man’s hands were balled into fists. “At least two, from the looks of things. One of them rifled through Reid’s bag pretty good before leaving it there, and Reid wouldn’t just stand there if he had an opening like that to get away. It’s possible he was stabbed first, but I don’t think he would have made it if he was bleeding out for that amount of time.”

Hotch nodded in agreement and continued spinning theories. “So we have one unsub whose primary motive seems to be the mugging. But all he took was whatever money he had in his wallet. He didn’t even take the wallet itself let alone Reid’s bag. Why not?”

Morgan sighed. “Well, Reid’s credentials look like the last thing to be taken from the bag. I think they had no idea Reid was a fed, and freaked out once they realized he was. Last thing you want is to be caught with the stolen possessions of a federal agent, especially one that you roughed up.”

Hotch put his hand to his chin pensively. “So Reid probably was initially disarmed then, and the unsubs left his revolver with everything else. Reid grabbed it on his way back to the hotel.”

Morgan nodded, having surmised the same thing.

Hotch continued. “So the second unsub is a sadist then. His goal was to inflict pain. He’s strong enough to get Reid back here and keep him here for a while. Reid’s defensive combat skills are decent, and he would have tried to get away as soon as it became clear that this was more than a mugging.”

”Yeah, but the unsubs had a knife, and his gun. He was back here for a while, and it looks like he put up a hell of a fight, but he couldn’t get away. Maybe the first unsub helped to subdue him.”

Hotch shook his head. “I don’t think so. There’s blood all over that alley. But there’s none on Reid’s things. I don’t think that unsub engaged with Reid once the attack began. He might have had Reid’s gun, maybe threatened him with it, but he wasn’t part of the beating.”

Morgan nodded in agreement. He couldn’t keep himself from picturing his best friend, scared and being beaten up. All because he wanted to get the team coffee before an early flight.

Hotch took a deep breath before broaching the next topic of discussion. “Morgan, we need to address the elephant in the room.”

Morgan sighed. He knew this was coming. “Reid’s belt was removed, I know. It might have just been used to tie his arms and stop him from fighting back.” Morgan was pacing at this point, trying hard to remain objective and not picture the things that might have happened to Reid in the alleyway only feet away from where he stood.

Hotch was doing better at keeping his composure on the outside, but internally, he was in just as much turmoil at the thought. “Maybe,” Hotch said. “But think back to when we first saw Reid. His appearance. Reid’s shirt was untucked, Morgan.”

Morgan searched his memory. “You’re right. That could have happened in the struggle though. Or maybe he just forgot to tuck it in this morning. I don’t want to jump to conclusions here, Hotch. Not about this.”

Hotch gave a small, sad nod. “I know. We’ll have to wait and see what Reid says. I just want us to be ready to hear something we might not want to hear.”

Hotch thought again to Reid’s appearance in the hotel lobby. “His tie was untucked too, and it was crumpled. I think they probably gagged him with it to keep him from yelling out.”

Morgan nodded, closing his eyes, trying to banish the onslaught of horrible thoughts running through his mind. Then he opened them and looked at Hotch, deciding he needed to voice one of them. “The kid must have been terrified, Aaron.”

Hotch had to break eye contact to keep his carefully crafted, stoic expression from crumbling. A heavy silence befell the pair. It was interrupted a few moments later by a text to Morgan’s phone.

Morgan pulled out his phone and read it. “Garcia got a flight. She will be at the hospital in about 90 minutes.”

Hotch nodded. “Let’s go check out the coffee shop, and then grab Rossi and head over there ourselves.”

Morgan nodded and the pair walked side by side down the street, away from the alleyway that would haunt their thoughts for a long time to come.

The two men turned up nothing at the coffee shop. The barista there confirmed seeing Reid, but surveillance footage showed that he was the only person in the shop and no one followed him out.

They met back up with Rossi at the hotel, who had successfully endeared himself enough with the cops on scene for them to promise to keep Rossi updated on the progress of the investigation. Morgan grabbed Reid’s go bag in case he needed anything from it when he woke up.

The three men arrived in the waiting room to find JJ pacing and holding a cup of herbal tea. She looked up when they entered and gave them each a hug. They formed a small circle, standing in the otherwise empty waiting room among a bunch of chairs.

Hotch asked, “Any news?”

JJ shook her head. “Not since he went into surgery.”

Hotch sighed but resigned to the long hospital wait they had unfortunately become accustomed to at this point.

JJ asked, “What did you guys turn up?”

Morgan filled JJ and Rossi in, attempting to give the most sanitized version possible of what they had pieced together. “Reid was jumped by at least two unsubs on his way back from getting coffee. He was disarmed and forced into a back alley where he was mugged, beaten, and stabbed. From what we can tell, it looks like he fought back pretty hard but couldn’t get away. The unsubs took off once they realized he was FBI, leaving his gun and everything else except whatever cash Reid had on him. Once the unsubs were gone, Reid grabbed his gun and somehow made it two and a half blocks back to the hotel.”

JJ’s eyes were wide as she listened to what had happened to Reid. “Spence must have been so scared,” she said, unknowingly mirroring what Morgan had said earlier.

Rossi, who stood beside JJ, put a reassuring hand on the woman’s shoulder as he responded, “He’s a hell of a fighter though.”

Hotch nodded. “Yeah. He’s strong. He’ll be okay.” 

Hotch thought for a few moments about what the best next steps in the investigation should be. As the rest of the team sat, he instead approached the nurse’s station, pulling out his credentials as he did so. “Excuse me, I’m SSA Aaron Hotchner with the FBI. Is it possible to get an update on the status of Spencer Reid?”

The nurse barely held back an eye roll, obviously having been asked this question by JJ more than once already. She checked her computer before responding. “He’s still in surgery.”

Hotch nodded. “We’re investigating his assault. Is it possible to get his personal effects for evidence? And I’d like to speak to someone who helped with his intake.”

The nurse forced a smile. “Yes sir, I’ll send in a nurse who was working the ER, and track down his personal belongings for you. Hang tight.”

Hotch headed back to the seating area, though he remained standing, hopeful that he wouldn’t have to wait too long. “Rossi, I’ve got them bringing down Reid’s personal effects. We’re going to need someone from forensics to pick up and process the clothes he was wearing. If there’s any usable DNA or fingerprints, I don’t want to miss it. We need to catch these guys.”

Rossi nodded. “I agree,” he said, as he pulled out his phone to call the local forensics unit in.

A few minutes later, a nurse came in holding a bag that read ‘Patient’s Personal Belongings.’ “Aaron Hotchner?” She shouted.

Hotch turned at his name and approached her, guiding her with an open palm to the corner of the room so as to have a private conversation.

The nurse spoke softly, taking the hint that this was to be a conversation between just the two of them. “I heard that you are with the FBI and you wanted to talk to someone about the intake of Dr. Reid?”

Hotch nodded. “Yes. I saw him prior to the arrival of the paramedics, and saw the stab wound, but there wasn’t time to fully assess his injuries. We’re trying to track down the individuals who attacked him, and any information you can give us about what happened to Dr. Reid would be very helpful.”

The nurse shook her head. “I’m sorry, agent. Without a warrant or the consent of the patient, I can’t disclose his medical information to you.”

Hotch sighed. “I should be in Dr. Reid’s file as his medical proxy. You’ll find that he’s given consent for all of his medical information to be shared with me.” Hotch pulled out his credentials again so the nurse could verify his identity. 

The nurse grabbed a tablet from the nearby nurse’s station, taking a few moments to pull up the relevant screen. “Okay yes, I see that is in his file. Thank you for your patience. Here are his belongings,” she said as she passed Hotch the bag before continuing. “Aside from the stab wound, which he’s having repaired in surgery now, Dr. Reid had a great deal of contusions and abrasions all over his body. He took a few hits to the head, so a concussion is probable. He had some cuts to his arms, a few looked deep enough to need stitches, but none seemed overly worrisome to me. His knuckles were pretty banged up, so it looks like he fought back. We suspected some bruised or cracked ribs, but nothing else seemed broken from our initial exam. They should have sent him for pre-op imaging regardless, just to make sure.”

Hotch considered what he was being told. None of it was overly surprising, he’d seen a lot of these injuries first hand. “Is that everything?” Hotch asked.

The nurse fidgeted and looked to the side before answering. “That’s all I’m able to tell you at this time, sir.”

Hotch nodded somberly and thanked the nurse. The way the nurse had reacted all but confirmed his suspicions. He knew the hospital would not disclose it even if they had suspected or saw signs of sexual assault – that could only be disclosed with the express consent of the patient, even to a medical proxy. But he could read between the lines.

Hotch went back to the seating area, holding onto the patient bag until forensics arrived.

Morgan raised an eyebrow and asked, “So, what did they say?”

Hotch shook his head. “Nothing we didn’t already know.”

Chapter Text

Garcia arrived at the hospital a brief time later. She looked like she had been crying recently.

“Oh my loves,” she said as she made her way around the room, hugging everyone. She ended with Morgan, who she then sat beside. He draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

“Anything?” Garcia asked.

Everyone just shook their heads sadly, not even having the energy to reply verbally.

Garcia shrugged off Morgan’s arm and stood with purpose. “Okay, I am taking that as a queue that everyone needs coffee. I saw a cart on my way in. I’ll be right back.”

Morgan and Hotch looked at each other. Morgan gave a slight nod, understanding the assignment, before standing and putting his arm back around Garcia. “I’ll come with you, baby girl,” he resolved. 

Garcia and Morgan arrived back with coffee for everyone. Even JJ took a cup. When Rossi raised his eyebrows, she shrugged. “Coffee is fine during pregnancy as long as it’s consumed in moderation, and this is my first cup today. My doctor said it’s fine. And if I ever needed a coffee, it’s right now.” Rossi nodded, accepting the explanation. JJ gave him a small smile back. She understood he was only trying to look out for her.

The team sat in silence sipping their drinks and thinking about their friend. Morgan sat on one side of Garcia holding her hand, and JJ sat on the other with her head on Garcia’s shoulder. Rossi and Hotch both sat separately, keeping tabs on the case through their phones. The team had pushed around some theories on a profile, but they all agreed that until Reid woke up or forensics came back, there was little they could do.

A short while later, a surgeon entered the waiting room, and the entire team stood and approached. “Family of Spencer Reid?” the surgeon asked.

JJ responded immediately and firmly. “That’s us.”

Hotch asked, “What can you tell us about his condition?”

The surgeon looked the team in the eyes as she spoke. “Dr. Reid is in recovery, and he’ll be moved to the ICU soon. Our main concern was a lacerated kidney from the stab wound. We were able to repair the damage and stitch him up. The surgery went well, but we’ll need to keep an eye on him for complications since kidney issues can cause a patient to decompensate quickly. He’d lost a lot of blood when he arrived, so we gave him several transfusions. Aside from that, he has a concussion, two fractured ribs, and three cuts on his arms that required stitches. He also has a lot of minor abrasions and lacerations that we’ve cleaned and bandaged, and a great deal of bruising. Barring any complications from the surgery, he should be fine with time, however he’s going to be in a great deal of pain for the next few days. Which one of you is his medical proxy?”

Hotch replied, “That would be me.”

The doctor nodded. “I’d like to speak with you privately if I may.”

Hotch nodded and followed the surgeon to the same corner as he’d talked to the nurse. She cleared her throat. “I understand Dr. Reid has requested no opioids be administered to him. I need to caution that, with his injuries and the surgery, his pain level is going to be quite high. If this is a matter of prior addiction, there are ways to ensure that the pain meds are administered responsibly. There’s no need for an addict to avoid opioids altogether, and I’m worried that him doing so will do more harm than good.”

Hotch was already shaking his head. “Dr. Reid has made it abundantly clear to me that he is not to be administered any narcotics. If he wakes up and can’t handle the pain, we can have another conversation about it with him, but I’m not about to go against his wishes without his explicit consent.”

The doctor looked skeptical, so Hotch continued. “He’s gotten through three gunshot wounds without opioids. He has a high tolerance for pain, and non-opioid options have worked well for him in the past. All I’m asking is that we respect his wishes unless he tells us differently.”

The surgeon studied the determination in Hotch’s eyes, and nodded. “I understand, and will abide by his wishes. You are a great advocate for your agent, Mr. Hotchner. He’s lucky to have you. I’ll have a nurse come by when he’s settled in the ICU, which shouldn’t be long. While he’s in the ICU, I’m afraid he’s only allowed one visitor at a time, but as long as you’re letting him rest and he wants you there, we’ll waive visiting hours and allow someone to be with him at all times.”

Hotch nodded and shook the surgeon’s hand. “Thank you, doctor.”

Hotch rejoined his team who gave him questioning looks. He decided to fill them in. “It was just questions about Reid’s directive when it comes to pain meds. I told them that they need to honour his wishes.”

Everyone else nodded. They were all aware of Reid’s medical directive, and while they didn’t talk about why Reid had it, they all knew. They understood that part of their job when Reid was in the hospital was advocating for him, especially in this regard.

Hotch added, “Once he’s settled into the ICU, we’ll be able to sit with him, but only one at a time. I’d like to go in first.”

The rest of the team nodded again.

Hotch then turned to JJ and made a request. “JJ, now that we have some details, can you inform Emily? Stress that she doesn’t need to come here, but I’m sure she’d like to know.” 

JJ nodded. “I kind of already talked to her when I first got here, but I know she’d love an update.” JJ retreated to the back corner of the waiting room to make her call. Hotch saw that when she hung up the phone, she made another one, and suspected she was filling in Will as well. It was only a couple of minutes later that a nurse entered the waiting room to escort Hotch to Reid’s room.

As Hotch entered Reid’s room, he felt a renewed surge of sadness for what the young man had been through. He looked so damaged and fragile, lying asleep in the hospital bed.

Hotch regarded what he could see of the injuries. Reid’s face was covered in cuts and bruises, and he had a bandage on the side of his head, no doubt the cause of the concussion and possibly the reason Reid was so dazed when he’d entered the hotel. Hotch found himself amazed that Reid had made it back to the hotel in his condition.

Hotch’s gaze traveled to Reid’s arms, where several cuts were bandaged. The areas that weren’t bandaged over were heavily bruised. Hotch noted that Reid’s wrists had faint ligature marks on them. They were thick, and Hotch suspected they would match Reid’s belt that was found at the crime scene. Hotch shook his head in an attempt to dislodge the thoughts that couldn’t help but follow.

He took a seat in the chair to Reid’s right, and pulled out his phone to work while he waited for the young man to wake up.

Chapter Text

Reid felt himself awakening. Before he even opened his eyes, he knew where he was. The smell and the sounds of a hospital were unmistakable, especially for someone who had the misfortune to be in them as often as he did.

Reid opened his eyes slowly, adjusting to the light in the room. The first thing he noticed was pain, and he let out a small involuntary groan. The second thing he noticed was Aaron Hotchner sitting beside his bed. Hotch sat up and leaned in closer at the sound of Reid waking, pocketing his phone as he did so.

“Hotch,” Reid said quietly.

Hotch’s normally stoic expression was replaced by one of concern. “Reid. You gave us quite a scare.”

Reid gave the slightest of nods. “Me too.” His brain was still fuzzy and short responses were all he felt capable of at the moment. Bits and pieces of what had happened to him were coming back in flashes. He tried to push them away.

Hotch offered Reid some water from the cup on his bedside table, which Reid accepted gratefully. Hotch held the cup so Reid could sip out of the straw, nodding to indicate when he was done.

Hotch cautiously put his hand on Reid’s shoulder, relieved when the young man didn’t flinch at his touch. “I’m going to go get the doctor, but I’ll be right back, okay?”

Reid nodded. 

While Hotch was gone, Reid tried to take stock of his condition. He looked at his arms, covered in defensive wounds, bruises, and ligature marks. His left arm had an IV inserted into it, and Reid fought the immediate urge he had to pull it out.

Reid could feel a bandage on the side of his head, which coincided with a pain that almost certainly indicated a concussion. His lower ribs were definitely bruised if not broken, and it hurt every time he took a breath in. The lower left side of his back felt like it was on fire, and he distinctly remembered being stabbed. And then, lower down, a pain he didn’t want to think about quite yet. He kept his eyes on the door, anxious for Hotch’s return.

Hotch re-entered the room, and a woman in a white coat entered right behind him. Hotch stepped back to Reid’s side, but didn’t sit. “Reid, the doctor wants to update you on your condition, and ask you some questions,” Hotch said softly. “I’m just going to step outside, but I’ll come back when she’s done, okay?”

Reid shook his head and grabbed Hotch’s left arm with his right hand. “Stay.” He looked Hotch in the eye. “Please.” He felt pathetic. He was sure he sounded pathetic, and he thought Hotch must think the same because he had been speaking to Reid in a tone of voice usually reserved for his son, Jack. But Reid didn’t want Hotch to leave. He didn’t want to be left alone. And anyway, he knew he’d have to tell Hotch about what happened to him eventually. This seemed the easiest way. He might not even have to say the words, if the doctor asked the right questions in the right way. He didn’t think he could say the words right now.

Hotch nodded, and Reid released his arm, which quickly found its place back on Reid’s shoulder, an ongoing indication to the young man that he wasn’t going anywhere.

The doctor asked, “Are you sure? I have some sensitive questions to ask you, Dr. Reid.”

Reid nodded slowly but determinedly. “He can stay.”

The doctor nodded and Hotch took a seat, keeping his hand on Reid’s shoulder.

The doctor went over Reid’s condition with him, and Reid nodded along. None of it was overly surprising to him, though the kidney laceration and concussion were both slightly concerning, as both had the potential to develop complications. After detailing Reid’s medical status, the doctor started asking questions.

“Dr. Reid, I understand you have a directive in your medical file to abstain from narcotics. I want to assure you that this directive has been followed thus far. However, this is going to be a painful recovery. We can provide support and resources if addiction is your concern.”

Reid was firm in his response. “I’ll be fine. Please don’t ask me again.” He could tell that his pain level was already growing as the anesthesia continued to wear off, but narcotics were off the table, so he shut down that conversation.

The doctor nodded. “Please let my staff know if your pain levels get too high, and we can increase your dosages or discuss other options. We just want to ensure that you’re able to rest and heal.”

Hotch felt this was a good time to add a couple of related requests that he was sure Reid would make if he had the energy. “Doctor, I hope this doesn’t come across as doubt in you or your team. It’s just that we had a close call in a past hospital visit with a rogue nurse. We would greatly appreciate it if you could take Dr. Reid off of his IV as soon as you are comfortable. And please make a note that from here on out, either Dr. Reid or an agent accompanying him needs to see the labeling on any medication before it is administered to him.”

The doctor nodded. If any of what Hotch had said surprised her, she didn’t show it. “I’ll make that note. And I can take that IV out right now, if you’d like. We can administer your pain medication orally, Dr. Reid, you just have to promise me that you will stay hydrated.” Reid nodded.

The doctor gently removed Reid’s IV, placing a bandage over the spot it had been inserted. A look of relief fell across Reid’s face, and he was grateful to Hotch for knowing what he needed at a time when forming words required effort. Occasionally, being surrounded by profilers was helpful.

Picking her tablet back up, the doctor continued. “Okay. Now this next question is sensitive, but it’s something I ask all physical assault victims.”

Reid spoke up softly. “Please don’t call me a victim.” He disdained that word being used to describe him. He hoped that Hotch took the message to heart as well.

“Sorry, Dr. Reid,” the doctor said as she made a note on the tablet. “As I was saying, this is a question I would ask any patient in your condition. Were you sexually assaulted in this morning’s incident?”

A single tear fell down Reid’s face at the memories the words immediately conjured. Reid quickly wiped the tear away, before giving a small nod. He avoided eye contact with either of the people in the room. Reid felt the hand on his shoulder squeeze just a little tighter. He was grateful he’d asked Hotch to stay. Ashamed as he felt, the man's presence was comforting and grounding. And this was the easiest way for Hotch to find out, assuming the team hadn’t already pieced the whole thing together.

The doctor made no reaction to the admission, simply making a note on the tablet again. Reid greatly appreciated her professionalism. “Dr. Reid, would you consent to a Sexual Assault Forensics Exam?”

Another tear fell, and Hotch produced a tissue that Reid took with a nod of thanks. Reid looked at the doctor this time, knowing she’d need a verbal confirmation. “Yes. I consent.”

The doctor nodded. “Thank you Dr. Reid. There’s a specially trained nurse who will be in shortly to perform the exam. Do you have any questions for me?”

Reid shook his head, and the doctor left.

Hotch’s stomach clenched at the admission Reid had just made, but there was no room right now for his own feelings. He needed to focus on getting Reid through this. He could see Reid avoiding eye contact as he struggled with his thoughts. He was clearly scared and ashamed. “Reid, can you look at me please?” he asked gently.

Reid slowly turned his head, giving Hotch the requested eye contact at great effort. Reid’s eyes were red. Hotch’s were a little red as well, Reid noted. Hotch gave Reid a small smile of reassurance. “I know that wasn’t easy for you, but I’m proud of you. This exam is going to help us catch and prosecute whoever did this to you. I promise you we will find them.”

“I know you will,” Reid said with full sincerity. Then he upturned his lips just a little. “The hard part will be stopping Morgan from killing them once you do.”

Hotch gave the tiniest of laughs, relieved to hear Reid talking a bit more and even attempting humour. “Yes, well, he is pretty protective of you. We all are.” 

Hotch felt himself getting emotional, and reminded himself again that this moment needed to be about Reid. He cleared his throat before continuing. “So listen, someone will need to grab your statement after, but for now, can you just tell me how many unsubs we are looking for?”

Reid looked down again. He fidgeted, picking at his blanket as he spoke. “There were three men, all caucasian. In their 30s, I think. They wore ski masks so I couldn’t really see them. One of them just robbed me though. The other two…” Reid trailed off and another tear fell.

Hotch nodded. Three unsubs. Reid hadn’t stood a chance.

Hotch took Reid’s hand. “You don’t need to go into it right now, Spencer. What you’ve given us is already really helpful. Listen, I’m going to have to leave the room when they come in for the exam. The team’s all in the waiting room, Penelope flew in this morning. I need your permission to share this all with them.”

Reid appreciated the man asking, knowing his privacy was important to him. He hated the idea that the people he loved would know this had happened to him. He knew it would hurt them. But even if he thought he could have somehow gotten through this process without them finding out, he refused to add himself to the staggering statistic of sexual assault victims who never reported the crime. Oh great, now I’m calling myself a victim. He needed the men who did this to pay for it, if not for himself, than for all of the other men they had and would continue to do this to. Reid looked at Hotch and nodded. “The team needs to know.”

Just then, a kind looking nurse entered the room. Hotch gave Reid’s hand a squeeze. “That’s my queue. When the exam is over, who do you want me to send in?”

Reid answered. “Morgan, please. And ask him to bring me some jello?”

Hotch smiled. “Will do.”

Hotch re-entered the waiting room where his team sat in much the same positions as when he left. They all perked up when they saw him.

Garcia was first to ask, “Is he awake? How is he?”

Hotch nodded. “He’s awake, and he seems okay.” Everyone seemed to relax a little at that.

JJ asked, “So what are you doing back out here, shouldn’t someone be with him?”

Hotch shook his head, contemplating how to drop this kind of news. He decided to ease into it, giving a statement that would assuredly prompt a follow up question. “They needed privacy to perform an exam.” 

Morgan asked, “What kind of exam, Hotch?” Morgan had his suspicions, having seen the crime scene, but he’d been the one to preach about not making any assumptions, so he was trying not to.

Hotch sighed, and looked down. That was the question he was hoping for, allowing him to give a clinical response that still told the team what they needed to know. “Reid consented to a Sexual Assault Forensic Exam.” Hotch couldn’t look at the faces around him, but he heard a couple of gasps and knew that this was a shock to most of them.

Hotch let them have a moment for this information to sink in. Then he looked up and put on his team leader voice. “Look, I know this is incredibly difficult. But this isn’t about us right now. It’s about Reid. We are going to get him through this. And, we are going to catch the men that did this. If you can’t keep a level head while you work this case, I understand and there will be no shame in stepping away from it. But if you can, I need you to focus and treat this like any other case. Reid deserves that from us, at the very least.”

Hotch saw each team member’s resolve harden a little at that. “Okay, so we will rotate sitting with Reid and working the case. Morgan, you’re next up with Reid when his exam is done, and he had a request.”

Morgan raised his eyebrows. “Anything.”

Hotch gave a small smile. “Jello.”

Morgan shook his head and smiled back, relieved for the tension to be broken for a moment. “Some things never change. I’ll be back,” he said, as he stood to seek out the hospital’s cafeteria.

Chapter Text

It was a while later when Morgan was informed that he could go see Reid. In one hand he held two containers of jello and two spoons, and in the other was Reid’s go bag. Morgan was sure to open the room’s door quietly in case Reid was resting. As he entered, he could tell that something was wrong. Reid was lying on his side, as curled up as he could get himself in his condition, and he was struggling to breathe.

Morgan quickly clocked it as a panic attack. He dropped the go bag and set down the jello, placing himself in the chair by Reid’s bedside so he would be in the young man’s eyeline. He grabbed both of Reid’s hands with his. “Reid, it’s okay. You’re safe. I’m right here.” Reid looked at Morgan but continued to gasp for air. Reid’s hands were shaking and tears were streaming down his face. Morgan continued. “Reid, just breathe, nice and slow. Follow me.” Morgan proceeded to take a long, exaggerated breath in, and then slowly exhaled. Reid attempted to copy him. “That’s good, Reid, just like that.” After a few minutes, Reid’s breathing had calmed back down to normal.

Morgan stopped doing the exaggerated breathing but continued to hold Reid’s hands. “You better? You with me?”

Reid nodded. “Yeah.” He pulled his hands away from Morgan, wiping his face with them. Morgan handed him a tissue. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened.”

Morgan kept his voice calming but not patronizing. “It was a panic attack, Reid. It’s okay. Nothing to apologize for.”

Reid focused on his breathing for a few more moments. He felt even more pathetic than he had before.

Morgan could see Reid was struggling with something. “Talk to me, Reid. What’s going on in that head of yours?”

Reid avoided meeting the eyes of his best friend. He didn’t know how to verbalize what had led to the panic attack. He didn’t have the words. And that felt odd, because he always had words. He always had some factoid or statistic he could throw at a situation to help understand it better. He’d been told before that he uses his intellect as a shield, but right now his shield was shattered. Nothing in his arsenal could protect him from how violated he felt, both in that alley and then again as he went through the exam. 

He had held it together through the exam as best he could, but it had taken everything he had. The nurse took his information – about his sexual and medical history, about his assault, about his state of mind. Then she took samples – from his hair, his fingernails, his mouth, his private areas. She took photos – of his injuries, his bruises, his entire body. And she took what she needed for STI tests – blood samples, urine samples, cheek swabs. Thankfully, the rapid test for HIV had already come back negative, but many of the other test results wouldn’t come back for days. By the time she was done taking things, he felt like he had nothing left. 

Then, the nurse helped him clean up. She gave him a sponge bath. Brushed his hair. Allowed him to brush his teeth. The process of getting cleaned up just felt like yet another violation on his body, but he thought he would feel better afterwards, to have the filth of that alleyway washed off of him. He thought maybe it would return something to him. But it didn’t. He still felt empty, still unclean. He didn’t think he’d ever feel clean again. As soon as the nurse had left the room, as soon as he was alone, he had fallen completely apart. 

But Reid couldn’t say all of that. So instead, he deflected. “Can you help me sit up?”

Morgan hid an eye roll, seeing right through the deflection tactic but indulging Reid anyway. He helped his friend roll onto his back, and then used the bed’s controls to raise the head of the bed into a sitting position.

“Thank you,” Reid said. “Is that my go bag over there?” he asked. 

Morgan nodded. “Yeah, what do you need?” he asked, as he stood to grab it and placed it on his chair so he could access its contents.

“A cardigan? I’m cold.” Reid answered. Morgan rifled through the bag, grabbing the first sweater he saw and holding it up. Reid nodded in approval, and Morgan gently assisted him in putting it on.

Reid pulled the sleeves down over his hands and lightly rubbed his arms. He was grateful both for the warmth, and for the marks on his arms to be covered and out of his sight. “Thank you.”

Before putting Reid’s bag back on the floor, Morgan reached into a side pocket and pulled out the two books that were in there, placing them on Reid’s side table. Reid nodded in silent gratitude. Even if he didn’t have the energy to read them, nor was he even allowed to read with a concussion, he had always been comforted by the presence of books. He wasn’t surprised that his best friend knew this, but it was still a thoughtful gesture.

Morgan then held up the two containers of jello from the side table, and Reid chose the red over the orange. Morgan handed him a spoon. “Are you going to want this second one?” Morgan asked with his eyebrows raised.

Reid rolled his eyes. “I see the spoon you brought for yourself, Morgan. Go ahead.” Morgan smiled and removed the lid from his jello.

As the two men ate, Morgan filled the silence with a story about his most recent home restoration nightmare. Reid was only half listening, but was appreciative that Morgan was capable of holding a one-sided conversation, not feeling up to their normal back and forth at this particular moment in time. He was also grateful to have a few minutes that were about anything other than what had put him in this hospital bed.

When Reid finished his jello, Morgan took the empty containers and spoons, disposing of them in the garbage. He used this as a natural transition. “Okay kid,” Morgan started. “I don’t want to push you, but the sooner we get your statement, the more the team will have to go on for the case. And I think you should talk about it before you psych yourself out about it. But it doesn’t have to be with me. I can get the local PD in here if you’d rather give your statement to someone who doesn’t know you.”

Reid was already shaking his head. He didn’t want to talk about it with anyone, but given the choice between Morgan and some random cop, he’d take Morgan. Reid trusted him as much as he could trust anyone right now. “I want to give my statement to you. That's why I asked for you.”

Morgan nodded. He was touched that the kid had chosen him to open up to. It did make sense though, given Morgan’s past. He was the most likely to be able to understand what Reid had gone through. 

“If things are feeling a little unclear, I can give you a cognitive,” Morgan offered.

Once again, Reid shook his head immediately. “I don’t want a cognitive.” Reid swallowed and picked at his blanket. “I remember every detail.” The last thing he wanted was to be walked through a more vivid recollection of the events than he was already experiencing.

“Okay,” said Morgan. Damn eidetic memory. He then put his hand on Reid’s arm. “If you get overwhelmed, just try to remember three things.”

Reid looked into Morgan’s eyes. “What three things?”

Morgan replied, “We all love you. We’re all here for you. And we’re all proud of you. Nothing you go through is going to change any of those things. Ever.”

Reid nodded, and took a deep breath to prepare himself. He was trying desperately not to talk himself out of giving his statement. His brain kept cycling between feelings of shame, frustration for feeling ashamed, and residual fear from the attack. On top of all of that, he was in a lot of pain, which he was trying to ignore because he refused to entertain the idea of needing stronger pain medication.

Morgan started off with a question, hoping both to ease Reid into speaking about the incident, and to get the most pertinent information from him first.

“Did you get a good look at any of the unsubs?” Morgan asked.

Reid shook his head. “They were wearing ski masks. But I could give you approximate heights and weights, and what they were wearing.”

Morgan nodded, and Reid listed those details. Morgan typed them into his phone as a text to Hotch, knowing those details were the most immediate information they needed. “Okay, that’s a big help. Are there any other details you can remember about them that might help us?”

Reid closed his eyes and forced himself to remember the men, and the horrible situation he’d been in just hours ago. He swallowed nausea as some of the details came back to him. “Their hands were calloused.” Reid tried not to think about those hands being on him. He opened his eyes. “They smelled bad, like body odour and alcohol and cigarettes.” Reid couldn’t resist the shudder that went through his entire body at the thought of those filthy men doing what they did.

Morgan did his level best not to react to Reid. The last thing Reid needed right now was to witness an outburst from Morgan. Morgan wasn’t even sure if it would be anger or sadness that won out if he did let his emotions through. So he did what he had done with countless victims before — put them first, showing empathy but hiding his own emotions. “Reid, those details are really going to be useful, thank you. Now, can you walk me through what happened this morning?”

Reid nodded. “I was ready early this morning, so I decided to go to that coffee shop a few blocks from the hotel to grab coffee for everyone. I left the hotel at 5:10am. I got to the shop without incident, and it was empty except for the barista working.

“I got everyone’s orders and left. I had walked about half a block back when I passed an alleyway. Just as I got past it, I felt a knife to my neck. I dropped the coffees and reached for my gun, but a second man was already beside me. He grabbed my arm and then took my service weapon from my holster before I could get to it.

”I put my hands up and told them they could take anything they wanted. And then a third guy came out of the alley.” Reid swallowed heavily.

Morgan nodded, trying his best not to picture his best friend surrounded by three large men, alone in the dark. 

“So one of the unsubs grabbed my bag from me, and the other two grabbed each of my arms. They forced me into the alleyway, back behind some dumpsters. I fought them as hard as I could, Morgan.”

Reid said this last sentence as if he was trying to convince Morgan of it. As if Morgan might believe anything else could be true. Morgan put a hand back on Reid’s arm. “I know you did, Reid.”

Reid closed his eyes tight for a moment before opening them and continuing. “I kicked them. I tried to get my arms free. I yelled as loud as I could, until one of them stuffed my tie into my mouth as a gag.

”When I fought, they hit me. When I stopped, they…” Reid remembered with a cringe, the feel of a calloused hand caressing his cheek softly. It was at that moment he knew what they planned to do to him. He pushed away the thought and forced himself to keep going. “They were suggestive. So I kept fighting. I broke away from them at one point. I got maybe 10 feet from them, and then one of them tackled me to the ground and dragged me back behind the dumpsters.

”It was just the two unsubs that were attacking me as the third went through my stuff. He kept pulling things out and admiring them, and then either breaking them or putting them back in the bag. He smashed my phone. He…” Reid’s voice cracked as he remembered one item in particular that had been ruined. “He ripped apart Maeve’s book.” Reid let a single tear drop. Morgan handed Reid another tissue which he accepted gratefully.

“I’m sorry, Reid. I truly am. I’ll see what we can recover of it.” Morgan made a mental note to attempt to get that particular item out of evidence as quickly as possible. Reid had never told Morgan what the book meant, but Morgan had made some seemingly accurate assumptions based on when the book had first appeared, and how Reid regarded it when he thought no one was paying attention to him.

Reid took a deep breath and continued. “One of them took my belt off, and I used the opening to elbow him in the face.” Reid remembered that moment of victory with a small amount of pride. “I don’t know how badly I hurt him, but I’m pretty sure his nose was bleeding through the ski mask. That made him angry, and he tied my arms behind my back with my belt. Then he pushed my face into the wall and started pulling… pulling at my clothes. I got myself flipped back around and kneed him in the groin.” That particular moment of victory came with too heavy of repercussions for Reid to feel proud of himself for it, though he was sure the rest of the team would relish in that detail. “That made him even more angry. He pushed me back into the wall again and that’s when he stabbed me. I couldn’t fight back much after that, I tried, but it hurt too much. He… he held me against the wall for the other guy...” Reid’s voice spoke at barely a whisper by this point. He wiped more tears from his face with the crumpled tissues encased in his left hand.

Morgan’s heart felt like it was breaking as he listened. He was stabbed before he was raped. He must have been in so much agony. It took all Morgan had in him to push down his rage, resolving to stay strong for Reid. He looked at his friend and saw that Reid’s entire body was trembling. Morgan took Reid's right hand in both of his. He could tell that Reid was struggling with the words, and knew he could help him with that. He’ll need to talk about it eventually, to someone, but it doesn’t need to be forced right now. “Reid, I know what happened next, I won’t make you say it. All I need to know is, was it both of them?”

Reid nodded slowly.

“What happened after?” Morgan was trying to keep the narrative moving, hoping the swiftness with which they were able to get past that particular part would keep Reid’s mind from focusing on it too much. 

Reid took a deep breath. “I was lying on the ground. I pretended to be unconscious, that seemed to get them to leave me alone for a couple of minutes. Honestly, I was in so much pain, I didn’t want to move anyway. And then the guy going through my bag must have found my credentials. I heard him say ‘he’s a fed’ and another one said ‘we can’t get caught with a dead fed's stuff, just leave it.’ And they took off. I laid there for another minute. I fought passing out. I knew that if I did, I would probably never wake up. I pictured you guys finding me there like that, and I couldn’t let that happen. So I got my arms free, and I got up. I saw that my gun was left there so I picked it up in case they came back. I convinced myself that if I could just get to you, I’d be okay. And I guess I was right. Honestly the walk back to the hotel is a blur, I just remember willing myself to keep putting one foot in front of the other. And then I remember seeing Hotch and knowing I made it.”

Morgan squeezed Reid’s hand again. He could tell that his friend was nearing his limit and getting tired, but there was one more important question he needed to ask. “Reid, what can you tell me about their behaviour?”

Reid looked to the side, thinking about the question. For just a moment, Reid had that expression on his face that he gets when he’s thinking about a case. But the expression was fleeting, quickly reverting back to sadness and exhaustion. “They were having fun.” Reid swallowed heavily. “They were laughing, cheering each other on, joking with each other even.”

Morgan continued the thought. “So they seemed like they were friends.”

Reid nodded. “Best friends. Maybe even brothers.”

Morgan nodded. “Good, that’s good Reid. And they didn’t seem hesitant, or nervous?”

Reid shook his head. “No, they were confident. And they each knew their roles. I am pretty sure they’ve done this before.”

Morgan shook his head. “Garcia already looked. We couldn’t find any police reports of similar incidents.”

“Yeah, but rape is the most underreported crime there is, especially in men.” Reid’s brain provided him the information automatically, and it was leaving his mouth before he even had time to think about it. “It’s estimated that fewer than 1 in 10 male rape victims report their assault.”

Morgan again had to fight to keep his emotions in check, pride and sadness fighting each other in his mind. He said the word. That’s not nothing. “You’re amazing, you know that? Always pulling out one of your statistics to help break the case. Listen…” Morgan looked Reid straight in the eyes. “I know that what I went through as a kid and what you went through this morning aren’t exactly the same. But I hope you know that I’m always here to talk, or even just to sit with you if you need a safe space to work through things quietly. I felt a lot of shame over what Carl Buford did to me. It took me a lot of time and therapy to get over that. I just want you to know that there’s absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, and no one is going to think any less of you because of this. Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud of you than I am right now. You were outnumbered and you fought like hell. You didn’t give up. And you are still here. Thank you for that, Reid. Because none of us wants to know what it feels like to live in a world that doesn’t have you in it. You’re so important to us, kid. Don’t you ever forget that.”

Reid hadn’t realized how much he’d needed to hear all of that. Tears fell, an onslaught of them rather than just the one or two he’d let slip before. The mixture of relief and grief and pain he was feeling all at once, was too much for him to stuff back down. Morgan leaned forward to hug Reid, moving slowly and searching for body language that indicated whether this was okay or not. Reid lifted his arms, allowing the man in. Reid let out a few sobs and many more tears in the comfort of his best friend’s arms.

Morgan held the hug until Reid let go, after the sobs had subsided. Reid noted that Morgan’s eyes were red, and another juxtaposition of emotions hit him — guilt for putting his friends through this turmoil, and gratitude to have friends that cared about him so much. He decided to focus on the latter feeling. “Thank you, Morgan.” He knew the words were inadequate, but he was too emotionally and physically exhausted to say anything more eloquent.

There was a moment of silence in the room, and Morgan could see that Reid was fighting sleep. “So kid, I’m going to let you rest. Would it be okay if I tagged Penelope in to sit with you while you sleep?”

Reid nodded and there was something close to a smile on his lips. “I’d like that.”

Morgan sent a text and it was less than two minutes later that the familiar sound of heels could be heard approaching in the hallway.

Chapter Text

As Garcia entered the room, she was delighted to see that Reid was still awake. She gave a hug to Morgan as he stood and met her just inside the door. “I moved everyone to a conference room down the hall. Room 216,” Garcia whispered. “I have my laptop. Tell the team to text me instead of calling, if they can.”

Morgan nodded. Talking was always easiest, but no one wanted to disturb Reid’s rest, nor did any of them think it was a good idea for them to be discussing the case in earshot of him.

Morgan left, and Garcia approached Reid’s bed, repressing the urge to gasp at the sight of him. Instead, she asked softly, “Reid, would it be okay if I gave you a hug?”

Reid gave the best smile he could muster. “I’ve been waiting for a Garcia hug since I woke up. Just be gentle, I’ve got one or two bruises, if you didn’t notice.”

Garcia smiled widely, not at the joke, but at the fact that Reid was up to telling one. She pulled Reid into her arms softly, and felt his arms across her back. She thought that she probably needed the hug more than he did.

As they broke their embrace, Garcia sat in the bedside chair. “Do you need anything?” she asked.

Reid shook his head. “No, thank you, I’m just going to try to sleep,” he said as he closed his eyes.

“Will the sound of my typing bother you?” Garcia asked as she pulled out her laptop.

Reid responded without opening his eyes. “That’ll be nice, actually. You know one study showed that 38% of people fall asleep faster with white noise? And until I do, it’ll be a steady reminder that you’re close by.”

Garcia smiled. “I am happy to be your personal white noise machine any time, my love.” She gave his hand a quick squeeze and smoothed the blankets over Reid, before opening her laptop and beginning to work. It didn’t take long for Reid’s breathing to become slower and just slightly louder, a sure indication that he had fallen asleep.

The rest of the team gathered in the conference room, everyone but JJ drinking another round of coffee and making small talk between Garcia’s exit and Morgan’s arrival. When he entered, JJ handed Morgan a coffee of his own and asked, “How is he?” Worry was etched on her face.

Morgan put a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “You know, he’ll never believe it himself, but Reid’s the strongest of all of us. He’s going to be okay, you’ll see.”

JJ gave a sad smile, knowing Morgan was right but still deeply worried about her friend. She took a deep breath, then put her hand on Morgan’s before he pulled his away.

Hotch gently cut in, trying to bring the conversation back to the case. “Did he tell you anything that will help?”

Morgan nodded, looking Hotch dead in the eyes. “He told me pretty much everything.” Morgan was doing a decent job of keeping a facade of strength on his face, but Hotch saw right through it. Morgan was hurting. They all were, but Morgan now knew the details, and with his past, it clearly hit close to home.

Hotch nodded. “Okay. Good. So what did he say that might help us find these unsubs?”

Morgan tried his best to shift into profiler mode and sift through all of the information Reid had given him. “Reid thinks the three men have a bond. Best friends, if not brothers. They joked around with each other the way that men with a brotherly bond do.” He knew as well as anyone that a brotherly bond did not necessarily come from a blood relation. He’d long considered Reid his own little brother.

“He also thinks that they’ve done this before. Now, I know we already looked into police reports, but Reid reminded me that this is the most underreported crime that there is.” A surge of pride went through Morgan as he thought about how much strength it took for Reid to be honest about what had happened to him. They lived in a society that shamed men for going through this kind of thing, and that shame is what kept Morgan quiet about his own experience for so many years. Morgan was determined to do anything he could to minimize Reid’s shame.

Rossi asked, “So what, we should look at hospital records, beatings and stabbings without the sexual assault element?”

Morgan slowly nodded. “Maybe. But I think there are a lot more victims out there that won’t have gone to the police or to the hospital. I doubt most of the victims were roughed up as bad as Reid was. The sexual assault and robbery were the main motives, not the violence. Reid said they only beat him when he fought back, and he was stabbed in retaliation for hurting one of them.”

JJ was curious. “What did he do?”

Morgan smiled just a little. “Elbow to the face. Knee to the groin.”

Rossi had a proud look on his face. “Atta boy.”

It was just what the group needed to break the tension in the room. Everyone let out a small laugh.

Hotch pulled out his phone, and Morgan stopped him before he hit the most used number on his speed dial. “Garcia asked that we text her, she didn’t want to disturb Reid.”

JJ had a thought. “I think Garcia’s going to be the person doing the heavy lifting for a bit, and it’ll likely be easier if she’s here in the room to bounce things off of. Besides, I really need to see Spence with my own eyes. Why don’t I go switch with her?”

Hotch nodded, and JJ wasted no time texting Garcia to give her a heads up. “The team needs you, can I come tag you out?”

A moment later, JJ’s phone dinged. “Be quiet when you come in, he just fell asleep.”

“Spence is sleeping,” JJ relayed to the group. She smiled at that, glad to hear that he was able to rest. “I’ll go get Garcia. Text me with whatever you find.”

Garcia rejoined the group. Seeing Reid had improved the woman’s demeanour and also her determination to find who had done this, so she wasted no time in jumping into work. She quickly had her laptop open on the table. “Okay, tell me who I’m looking for.”

Hotch started. “We have two sexually violent predators and one thief. The three are either brothers, good friends, or a mix of the two. Let’s assume at least two are brothers. Can you pull up a list of brothers in Boston and the surrounding area who have been convicted of robbery or sexual assault?”

Garcia typed furiously. “Looks like crime tends to run in the family. It’s a long list.”

Morgan added more parameters. “Look for men who work in manual labour jobs. Reid said their hands were calloused and they smelled like body odour.”

Garcia went back to typing on her laptop. “Still a long list. Manual labour jobs are popular with ex-cons, it’s often the only work they can get.”

Morgan had another idea. “Can you check ER visits from this morning? Reid said the man he elbowed was bleeding from his nose, maybe Reid broke it and he sought medical treatment.”

Garcia’s hands moved faster than seemed possible as she worked her way through medical information that they all knew better than to ask whether she was supposed to have access to. “I see five admittances with broken noses this morning in Boston hospitals, but none of them are on my sibling list.”

It was Rossi that had an idea next. “Can you check those admittances for criminal history?”

Garcia nodded. “Looks like most of them are clean. However, this guy piques my interest,” Garcia said as she pulled up a photo. “Jason Neeb was incarcerated for sexually assaulting a man five years ago. He served two years and now he works in construction.” Garcia did some more typing as she cross referenced against her previous list, having an idea of her own. “And if I compare him back to my sibling list, it looks like he was cell mates with this guy.” Garcia pulled up another photo of a man. “This is George Moss, arrested for armed robbery. And he’s brothers with Thomas Moss,” Garcia said as another photo appeared on her screen, “Who has a sexual assault on his rap sheet. He wasn’t in prison at the same time as the other two, but all three work on the same construction crew now.”

Hotch put his hand on Garcia’s shoulder. “Good work as always, Penelope. Is Jason Neeb still in the hospital?”

Garcia shook her head. “No, he was discharged hours ago. And before you ask, their home and work addresses are already on your phones. The brothers live together.”

Morgan kissed the woman on her cheek. “Thanks mama. We’ll go track these sons of bitches down. You stay with JJ and Reid, and text us with any updates.”

”I’ll keep them company too,” a voice said from the doorway. Everyone in the room looked up, immediately recognizing who the voice belonged to. 

“Prentiss!” Morgan said, rushing forward and giving the woman a hug.

Rossi stepped forward next, cupping Emily’s face and giving the woman a kiss on each cheek. “You’re a sight for sore eyes.”

Hotch gave Emily a hug as well. “I explicitly told JJ to tell you that you didn’t need to come,” he said, though the smile on his face indicated he wasn’t actually mad.

Emily gave a wave of her hand, dismissing Hotch’s concern. “Well unlike the FBI, Interpol actually encourages people to use their vacation time. I’ve got a bunch saved up, and I’m between cases. Besides,” she said. “It’s Reid. He’s family. You all are.”

Hotch was quick to snap back into work mode. “We will catch up later, I promise, but right now we have a lead on our unsubs.”

Emily stepped out of the doorway, and the three men rushed out the door.

Garcia had been hanging back, allowing the men to get their pleasantries out of the way so they could get to work. Now that they were gone, she rushed forward and enveloped the brunette in a giant hug. “I can’t believe you’re here! Reid is going to be so glad to see you.”

Emily returned the hug. Garcia grabbed her laptop from the table, placing it in her bag, and began escorting Emily to Reid’s room.

As they walked, Emily asked, “How is he?”

Garcia nodded. She was still smiling, but Emily noticed the smile no longer reached her eyes. “He seems remarkably okay, considering. I only saw him for a minute before he fell asleep, but he made a bad joke, so that’s something. He gave Derek a lot of details that are going to help us catch the guys that did this.”

The two women were outside of Reid’s hospital room now. They looked in the door’s window. The lights in the room were slightly dimmed, but they could see that Reid was still fast asleep, with JJ by his side. Garcia waved her hands in the window, catching JJ’s attention, and pointing to Emily who smiled at her through the window.

JJ looked surprised, and quietly but quickly made her way out of the room.

“Emily!” JJ exclaimed as she gave the woman a hug. “You didn’t tell me you were coming.” She kept her voice low, not wanting to disturb Reid who was just on the other side of the door from them.

Emily smiled. “I wanted it to be a surprise. And I was worried you would try to talk me out of it. I hopped on a jet right after your first call to me, I just felt like I needed to be here.”

JJ nodded. “I would have, so thanks for not letting me. It’s really good to see you.”

Emily found herself looking through the door’s window at Reid with worry. She wondered to herself how each bruise on his face had come to be there, and what other marks were hidden under his blanket and cardigan.

Emily asked, “Can you tell me a little more about what happened? You said he was jumped and then stabbed?”

Garcia’s face went white. “Oh no, she doesn’t know, does she?” Garcia asked JJ.

JJ looked guilty, and rubbed the back of her neck. “I haven’t had the chance to talk to her yet since Reid woke up and we found out everything. And I wasn’t exactly sure how to say it over the phone.”

“Oh Jayje, of course not. I’m not exactly sure how to say it either. We’ve all just been tiptoeing around it, even Hotch. And I know that’s not exactly healthy and we deal with this kind of stuff everyday… but it’s so different when it’s someone you love, you know?” Garcia was crying now, and she shuffled through her handbag to find a tissue, using it to wipe the tears from her face.

Emily’s face was painted with worry. “I need one of you to tell me what happened, right now.”

Another tear dropped down Garcia’s face. She took a deep breath, and forced the words out. “Reid was raped, Emily.”

Emily’s mouth hung open as she processed the words she had just heard. It was what she had feared when the two women had started deflecting, but it still hit her like a gut punch to actually have it confirmed. Emily pulled Garcia and JJ into a group hug, rubbing their backs as she again stared through the hospital room’s window at a sleeping Reid. Despite the cuts and bruises on his face, he looked peaceful, but she was sure his waking thoughts were anything but.

Emily found herself saying, “He’s going to be okay.” She was saying the words mostly for her own benefit, but Garcia and JJ nodded.

Pulling out of the hug and wiping the last of her tears from her face, Garcia looked back to the sleeping form of Reid. “Only one of us is supposed to be in the room with him at a time.”

JJ pulled out her phone. “I’ll leave the two of you to figure that out. I’m going to take a few minutes to call Will and the boys. It really is good to see you, Em.” She squeezed the woman’s arm before heading down the hallway to the now empty conference room.

Emily shrugged. “I want to sit with him, but he’s not expecting me, and I don’t want to startle him. Let’s go in together. What are they going to do, kick one of us out? We might as well sit together until they do.”

Garcia nodded, and the two women entered the hospital room.

Chapter Text

Garcia sat in the chair closest to Reid, while Emily pulled up another chair to her right. Despite how quiet the two women were, Reid stirred as they sat down at his bedside.

“Garcia?” Reid asked, eyes still closed.

Garcia took Reid’s hand. “Yes, it’s me. And Emily is here too.”

Reid opened his eyes, turning his head to take in Garcia, and then Prentiss.

”Emily?” Reid looked confused.

The women stood and changed places, allowing Emily to be closer to Reid and take his hand. “Hey, handsome. They told me not to come, but you know how stubborn I am.” Emily had a soft smile on her face.

Reid rubbed his eyes with his free hand. “What are you doing here?” he asked gruffly.

Emily squeezed Reid’s hand just a little tighter. “I came for you, Reid. You’re family, and when I heard you were hurt, I couldn’t get here fast enough.” Emily sensed something was wrong, and she was concerned that surprising Reid had been a bad idea. Granted, she hadn’t known the full extent of the situation when she’d hopped on a plane. “If me being here is making you uncomfortable, I can go,” Emily offered.

Reid shook his head. “No, sorry, you just surprised me. I’m happy to see you.” He sounded slightly more awake now, and less annoyed. Reid lifted his arms, allowing Emily to give him a hug. 

There was a moment of silence as Reid sorted through his thoughts, and he could feel his friends studying his face. He knew immediately what had woken him up, and it was the same reason he had been bristly with Emily, which he felt bad about. But he was in a great deal of pain. Too much. “Garcia, do you know what they’re giving me for pain management?” he asked through a poorly disguised grimace.

Garcia nodded. She was always on top of his meds. “Right now they’re alternating you between acetaminophen and ibuprofen. It’s been…” Garcia checked her watch. “Almost three hours since your last dose, so you should be due pretty soon.”

Reid quietly asked, “Can you ask them to come and increase my dosage, please?”

Garcia raised her eyebrows in surprise and concern. “Of course hun, I’ll go find someone right away.”

Garcia exited the room quickly, worried with the knowledge that Reid rarely asked for additional pain meds.

Emily released Reid’s hand and sat in the vacated chair beside him. “Talk about stubborn, you must be the most stubborn person I know, healing from a stab wound with nothing more than what most people take for headaches. You’re the toughest of all of us, you know that, right?”

Reid smiled despite his pain. “I’ve missed you.” There was another moment of silence, this time Reid studying Emily’s face, taking in the sight of a dear friend whom he hadn’t seen in well over a year. Then Reid closed his eyes and said, “Tell me something.”

Emily had a slightly puzzled look on her face. “Like what?”

Reid scrunched his eyes as a new wave of pain hit him. “Anything. Distract me. Please.”

Suddenly Emily understood the assignment. Her friend was in pain, and on top of that, had been through a trauma. He needed her to give him something else to think about.

Emily talked about the first thing that came to her mind that might interest Reid, which was her most recent visit to the British Museum. She described the exhibits she saw, telling him all she could remember about their history. She was pretty certain that he already knew everything she was saying, probably better than she did, but it didn’t matter. He just needed her to talk, and the least she could do for her friend was to oblige this simple request.

Emily stopped talking when Garcia re-entered the room, a man in a nurse’s uniform following behind her. The nurse quickly checked Reid’s chart. “Dr. Reid, I understand that you’re experiencing some pain. Looks here like you’re about due for another round of acetaminophen anyway. Do you think the same dosage as before will suffice, or do you require an increased dosage?”

Reid cracked his eyes to look at the nurse. He appreciated the way he spoke to him, straight to the point and giving him a choice in his care. “Increase the dosage, please.”

The nurse nodded. He entered something into a nearby machine, which popped open a drawer from which he pulled a pill bottle. He showed the bottle to Reid, allowing him to read the name of the drug and its dosage. “We previously gave you 500 milligrams, so I’m increasing you to 650.” The nurse handed Reid two pills, which he promptly swallowed with the water Emily passed him. 

The nurse continued. “I’ll check on you in a bit and see how that’s going for you. Please don’t hesitate to press the call button here,” he said as he pointed to a red button on the side of Reid’s bed, “if you need anything. Remember to stay hydrated and try to eat something. Do you have any questions for me before I go?”

Reid shook his head. “No. Thank you.”

The nurse nodded and exited the room, Garcia closing the door behind him. “Okay, admittedly the bar is basically on the ground given your last hospital stay, but the staff here seem pretty great, right? He didn’t even get us in trouble for having two of us in the room with you.”

Reid nodded. “Yeah, they seem pretty good, and so far non-homicidal which is a definite improvement.” He gave a small smile to Garcia. He was still in pain, but he knew that making the occasional joke would make Garcia worry about him less. He thought he understood the protectiveness the rest of the team felt for him, because he felt a similar protectiveness over her, and would do all he could to spare her from pain. Even his. Especially his.

Emily had heard the story of the last hospital visit from Garcia, but only just connected the dots that this would be Reid’s first hospital visit since a nurse almost killed him, after he was shot in the neck. She thought to herself that Reid really must have just about the worst luck in the world.

“I’ll take the front, you take the back,” Hotch said to Morgan as they pulled up in front of Jason Neeb’s townhouse. They each had a couple of uniformed officers with them as backup. Rossi had already cleared the address of the brothers and was now making his way to the work address, but they weren’t hopeful. Judging from the state of their apartment, it looked like the brothers had packed bags in a hurry and fled.

Morgan was rounding the corner of the bank of townhouses when he saw movement coming from the back yard.

“Jason Neeb, FBI!” Morgan shouted as he pursued a man who was now running from him through neighbouring yards. Morgan spoke into his mic as he ran. “The unsub is on the run, southbound. I am in pursuit.”

Morgan  moved as quickly as he could, working to close the gap between himself and the unsub. “Jason Neeb, stop!” he shouted as the unsub jumped a picket fence and Morgan followed.

The unsub had made it across a street and into a store parking lot when Morgan finally caught up to him. Morgan tackled the man to the ground, feeling no guilt when the man’s arms and face scraped the pavement in the fall. Morgan stood, roughly picking the man up with his arms behind his back and cuffing him. “Jason Neeb, you’re under arrest.” 

The local police officers caught up with Morgan at that moment, and Morgan passed the man off to them to take care of reading the man his rights and transporting him. Hotch was quick to follow as well, after having cleared the townhouse.

Hotch put his hand on Morgan’s shoulder. “A clean arrest, you didn’t even pummel him. That’s growth.”

Morgan smirked. “I’m not giving that son of a bitch any excuse to  worm out of these charges. Besides, I didn’t need to rough him up, pretty boy already took care of that.”

Hotch looked over to the man who was being escorted into the nearby police cruiser. He had to admit, his heart swelled with pride when he saw the man’s clearly broken nose covered by a nasal splint, and his two accompanying black eyes. 

Hotch sat in an interrogation room opposite Jason Neeb, staring the man down.

“Where are George and Thomas Moss?” Hotch asked sharply.

Jason shrugged. “Do I look like their mama? I don’t know. I ain’t seen them today.”

Hotch didn’t blink. “When did you last see them?”

Jason smiled. “Last night after work, I went to their place and we had some beers.”

”Where were you between 5am and 6am this morning?” Hotch asked.

Jason’s smile diminished just a small bit. “At home in bed.”

Hotch sighed. “Listen Jason, there’s no point in lying. We’ve got all of the physical evidence we need to put you away for a very long time. Your DNA is all over the crime scene and the victim. But I can help you. Tell me where to find George and Thomas, and I’ll tell the DA you cooperated. The brothers are hanging you out to dry, Jason, pinning the whole thing on you. Don’t let them get away with that.”

Jason’s smile turned into a sneer. “That boy ain’t no victim. He one of yours?”

Hotch stared blankly, refusing to give Jason the reaction he was looking for.

Jason continued, his voice low and taunting. “He wanted it. He begged me for it. He was so pretty, who was I to turn him down?”

Hotch blinked, the only betrayal on his face that what the man had said had bothered him. “If it was consensual, why is your nose broken?”

Jason shrugged. “What can I say, the pretty ones always like it rough.” He winked at Hotch, who slowly stood and left the room.

He wasn’t surprised to see Morgan in the observation room, staring daggers at Jason through the one-way mirror. His only surprise was that Morgan’s fists were balled up at his sides and not through a wall.

Morgan looked at Hotch, the anger seeping through in his voice. “You’re giving up already?”

Hotch shook his head. “I’m going to have the detective take over the interrogation while we keep looking for other leads.”

Morgan had a questioning look on his face. “Why, Hotch?”

Hotch sighed. “Because I want to punch that man just as badly as you do right now. I can’t be objective enough to get anything useful out of him. None of us can.”

Morgan nodded, relaxing his fists.

Hotch put a hand on Morgan’s shoulder. “We’re going to find the other men. They will pay for what they’ve done.”

Morgan nodded. “We better. I won’t sleep until I know that the people who did this to Reid are locked up.”

Hotch and Morgan headed out the door, back to the hospital where the rest of the team waited.

Chapter Text

The team gathered in the conference room, expecting Morgan and Hotch any moment based on the text they’d received. Rossi had spent some time with Reid while waiting for them to get back from the interrogation, but now Emily sat with him again so the team could figure out where to look next.

Hotch and Morgan walked into the room with purpose, Hotch wasting no time in asking, “How’s Reid?”

Garcia stammered. “Uh, well according to him, he’s fine.”

Hotch raised an eyebrow. “And according to you?”

Garcia sighed. “Well… I think he’s in a lot of pain, sir. He asked for his dosage to be increased but I still don’t think it’s enough.”

Rossi voiced his opinion next. “I agree. He’s not sleeping and he’s not able to carry a conversation for any amount of time. Kid’s got a decent poker face but I saw right through it. Someone needs to convince him to take something stronger than Tylenol, Aaron.”

Hotch nodded and sighed heavily. “I’ll be back. The rest of you, keep working please.” Hotch exited the room.

Hotch entered Reid's hospital room quietly. He saw that Emily was sitting in the bedside chair, reading aloud from a book. Reid lay in the hospital bed, eyes half open, staring at the ceiling. His expression was blank, but in a way that seemed incredibly forced.

Emily noticed the man enter and stopped reading. She looked at Hotch, who jerked his head slightly to the side. Emily understood, closing the book and setting it back on the bedside table. “Looks like it’s shift change. I’ll be back later, Spence.” Emily gave Reid’s hand a quick squeeze, kissed him on the temple, and stood. Reid barely acknowledged her. As Prentiss passed Hotch, she looked up at him pointedly. He understood that she was just as concerned about Reid as the rest of the team had been.

Emily left, and Hotch moved to stand beside Reid’s bed. He decided to open with good news, and try to use the conversation to assess for himself how badly Reid was hurting.

“We arrested one of them, thanks to you,” Hotch said.

That caught Reid’s attention enough to meet Hotch’s gaze. “You did? How?”

Hotch gave a proud smile. “You broke his nose badly enough that he went to the ER. We found him through medical records. We know who the other two are as well, thanks to the information you provided. Now we just need to find them.” He dropped the smile now, going instead for sincerity. “You did good, Reid.”

Reid gave a small, fleeting smile. “I broke his nose?”

Hotch nodded. A silence fell over the room as Hotch studied Reid’s face and Reid tried to avoid his gaze. After a few moments, Reid couldn’t take it any more. “Don’t do that,” Reid said.

Hotch raised an eyebrow. “Don’t do what?”

Reid rolled his eyes. “Don’t profile me. Just ask.”

Hotch sighed and took a seat in the chair. “How much pain are you in?”

Reid considered his options. He could lie, but Hotch would see through it, and it would just result in a longer conversation as he dug for the truth. “A lot,” Reid admitted. Another wave of pain rolled through him, and with the cat out of the bag, it wasn’t worth the energy to hide it anymore. He gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut.

Hotch waited for Reid to reopen his eyes to continue the conversation. “You need something stronger, Reid. You can’t heal if you can’t rest. You know that.”

Reid shook his head and rubbed his palms into his eyes in an attempt to quell the pain that surged behind them, deep in his skull. “I can’t. I promised myself I would never go down that path again.” The pressure on his eyes did nothing to help, so he laid his hands back down at his sides. “And I won’t let them take another thing from me,” He said softly.

Hotch’s voice was firm but kind as he tried to make his subordinate see reason. “Reid, you’re holding yourself to an unreasonable standard. Recovered addicts can be given narcotics for pain management. As long as they are administered responsibly, there’s very little risk. Taking a prescribed medication for pain is not the same thing as relapsing. And in fact, addicts are less likely to relapse after an injury if they receive proper pain management, because they’re less likely to self-medicate. I know that you know all of this.”

Reid shook his head again, and met Hotch’s gaze. “This is different. It feels like giving up. Like giving in.”

It was Hotch’s turn to shake his head. “It’s not different just because it’s you, Reid. In this situation, you’re just like everybody else for once. When Foyet stabbed me, I was on pain meds for weeks.” He hated talking about his own trauma, but it was worth the discomfort to try to get through to Reid.

“Yeah, but you’re not an addict,” Reid said, only just holding back the tears of frustration over the fact that that word applied to himself. “And you were stabbed a lot more times than me.”

Hotch kept pushing. “My stab wounds were shallower, and Foyet purposely missed all of my major organs. You weren’t so lucky. Not to mention that you have other injuries too.”

Reid didn’t have any other arguments, but he wasn’t willing to give in, so he just stayed quiet and focused again on not allowing his face to betray his pain.

Hotch wasn’t about to give up either. “Reid, I think you’re punishing yourself. You think you deserve all of the pain the world throws at you, and you just have to grin and bear it, because of a mistake you made over 8 years ago. A mistake you made when you were a kid who’d been through a terrible ordeal. But you’re not that kid anymore, Reid. This ordeal doesn’t need to go the same way. And you don’t need to keep suffering.”

Reid shook his head, and a couple of tears finally betrayed him, falling down his face. “I just can’t do it again, Hotch. If I relapse, I don’t know if I could get clean again. I’d lose my job. I’d lose you guys. I can’t risk it. I’ll take the pain over that possibility.”

Hotch placed his hand on Reid's shoulder. “You won’t relapse. You’re strong, and we’ll be there for you this time. We’re not leaving you alone in any of this, Reid. You’re stuck with us. In fact, I’m pretty sure you’re going to be sick of us after this.”

Reid looked Hotch in the eyes. He saw no hint of a lie there. Just concern – more concern than he would normally let himself show. Reid sighed. He really was in a lot of pain, and it was hurting his friends to see him like this. He relented. “Okay, I’m not saying yes. But I’m willing to talk to the doctor about options.” He added, “And I’m not going back on the IV.”

Chapter Text

An exhausted Hotch headed back towards the conference room an hour after he’d left, and found the atmosphere in the room to be surprisingly casual.

Emily noticed him first. “Hey, it’s Hotch, he can break our tie. Do you want Mexican or Chinese for dinner? Rossi is buying.”

Hotch looked confused. “What is going on here?”

Morgan filled the unit chief in. “We got the guys, Hotch. Well actually, the Providence Police Department got them, with the help of the beautiful and brilliant Penelope Garcia.”

Garcia cut in. “Well I am both beautiful and brilliant, thank you very much, but this was more of a case of our unsubs being criminally moronic. They used a credit card I flagged at a gas station just outside of Providence. The local police there were more than happy to roll up and snag them for us.”

Hotch smiled in relief. “Good work everyone. In that case, I vote Chinese. But someone needs to stay with Reid.”

Morgan stood. “Yeah, we’ve got that all worked out already. I’m heading there now. Garcia is going to bring me back some leftovers, and JJ is going to tag me out later tonight after she gets some rest. How’s the kid doing?”

The room quieted, everyone curious as to why Hotch had been gone for so long and anxious to hear the answer to Morgan’s question.

Hotch nodded. “He’s a lot better now. It took some convincing, but we got him to agree to take codeine for the pain, and it seems to be working. He ate and is sleeping now. He’s promised to be more forthcoming if he’s in pain, so please,” Hotch looked pointedly around the room at everyone, “don’t pester him about his pain level or try to profile him, you’ll just end up agitating him. He’s fragile right now, but we can’t treat him that way. More than anything, he needs to know that everything will eventually go back to normal. He needs to feel like we aren’t going to start treating him differently. That we still respect him.”

 Morgan stepped towards the door. As he got to Hotch, he put a hand on the man’s shoulder and nodded, a gesture to show appreciation. Then he left the room, heading towards Reid.

When Reid woke the next morning, he felt remarkably well rested. His pain levels had gone down drastically since he agreed to take something stronger, and he was grateful, though his concerns weren’t completely washed away and wouldn’t be until he wasn’t taking them anymore. 

Looking at the clock on the wall, he determined that he’d slept for nearly 12 hours in total. He’d been roused several times overnight by hospital staff, waking just long enough to take more pain meds and allow them to check on his concussion before dozing back off.

As such, he’d already known that at some point overnight, Morgan had been tagged out for JJ, and he was not surprised to see the blonde woman still at his bedside now.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” JJ teased as she noticed Reid was awake. JJ had her phone in her hand and, judging from the woman’s smile when it lit up again with an incoming message, she had likely been texting with one of her sons.

Reid gave her a lopsided smile in response. “Henry?” Reid guessed, gesturing to her phone. JJ nodded. “Tell him I said hi,” Reid responded.

Reid’s hand found the controls to his bed, and he used them to shift into a sitting position. Then, he grabbed the water bottle from his bedside table and drank half of it before replacing it back on the table.

JJ smiled at Reid. “Hey listen, I’ve got some good news,” she started. They’d been waiting for him to wake up fully to be able to tell him.

Reid gave JJ another half smile. “Good news sounds wonderful right about now,” he said.

“They caught the other two unsubs last night. They’re all off the streets. And there’s so much evidence against them, all three are going to be in jail cells for a very long time.” JJ took Reid’s hand. “You’re the reason we were able to catch them before they could do this to someone else.”

Reid smiled. “That is indeed some very good news. Thanks, JJ.”

JJ could sense that a change in subject was in order. “Are you hungry?” JJ asked.

Reid wasn’t really hungry yet. He didn’t usually eat first thing in the morning, instead starting his morning with a coffee and waiting until he was at work to grab a muffin or pastry. But he had the feeling that he was going to be given food whether he agreed to it or not, so he simply replied with, “I could eat.”

JJ smiled. He had gotten a full night’s rest, he drank some water, and now he was agreeing to eat, all without needing to be pushed into it. Those meds really were helping. “What can I get you?” JJ asked.

“A muffin? And a coffee?” he said hopefully.

JJ rolled her eyes. “Sorry Spence, decaf is the best I can do.”

Reid made a face at the suggestion. “Orange juice then.”

“You’ll be okay while I go and grab it from the cafeteria?” JJ asked.

Reid nodded. “I’ll be fine, JJ. Thank you for checking.” Reid had decided, after his talk with Hotch the night before, to try to be thankful rather than defensive when the team worried about him. To a point, anyway.

JJ stood, and rather than exiting the room, she fished something out of her pocket. “Garcia stopped by this morning with something for you.” JJ produced a cell phone, setting it on the bed beside Reid’s hand. “She said that she cloned your last phone, so it should be all set up just the way you like it. She also said something about it hurting her soul to set you up with such ancient technology and that she’s ready to welcome you into the age of smartphones whenever you’re ready.” JJ winked at Reid, who smiled and picked up the phone. 

Reid looked at the phone’s exterior before scrolling through the contacts. As far as he could tell, it was in fact an exact replica of his previous phone. “I will text her a thank you.”

JJ smiled. “She’ll love that, she knows how much you dislike texting.” Then JJ said, “If there’s anyone you want to call while I’m gone, I can drag my heels making my way back up here.” It wasn’t phrased as a question, but Reid knew it was one.

Reid’s neutral facial expression downturned a little. JJ worried she had said the wrong thing “What’s wrong?” JJ asked.

“Nothing,” Reid tried. He could tell JJ didn’t buy it. He sighed. “I can’t call my mom until I’m sure that she won’t be able to sense that something’s wrong. I don’t think I’m there yet.”

JJ nodded. It broke her heart that when Reid was hurting, he felt the need to protect his mom from it instead of being able to get the comfort he needed from her. JJ knew that Diana’s mental illness complicated things in their mother-son relationship, and that there were no simple answers there. Whenever possible, JJ tried to avoid giving advice, and instead offered support. “You do what you think is best, Spence. You always do when it comes to her.”

Reid nodded, still fiddling with his phone.

JJ took a shot. “Is there someone else you’re thinking about calling?”

Reid shook his head. “No. Well, yes, but no, I’m not going to call her either.”

JJ thought she knew who the ‘her’ was. “Blake?” JJ knew that Blake had moved to Boston when she left the team. JJ had been wondering if Reid was going to reach out to her during the case, but they’d been so busy he wouldn’t have had the time even if he’d wanted to.

Reid nodded. “I’d like to see her. But…”

“But what, Reid?” JJ pushed.

Reid sighed again. “The last time she saw me in the hospital, she quit the FBI.”

JJ sat back down. “I don’t think that was about you so much as it was about her. If you want to see her, call her. I’m sure she’d be happy to hear from you.”

Reid shook his head. “It doesn’t feel right to put this on her.”

JJ put her hand on Reid’s arm, catching Reid’s eyes and locking in. “You can decide how much you tell her, for the sake of your own privacy. But Reid, she cares about you. Tell her you’re here and want to see her, and let her decide what she does with that. How do you like it when others try to decide for you how much you can handle?”

Reid gave a half smile. “Okay fine, you’re right. I hate it when you guys do that. I’ll call her.”

JJ smiled, patted Reid’s arm, and left the room to grab breakfast as Reid scrolled through his contacts list. He clicked her name before he could give himself a chance to back out.

The phone rang only twice before it was answered. “Dr. Reid, what a lovely surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Reid couldn’t help but smile, feeling comforted by the familiar voice.

Reid cleared his throat. “Hey Alex. I… I mean the team, we’re in town.”

Reid thought he could hear her smile from the other side of the phone. “You know, I heard a rumour that you all were here, but I thought you’d be long gone by now.” Reid should have known that she’d have seen they were here in Boston, given that their presence had been in the news. The crossword wasn’t the only part of the newspaper Alex Blake paid attention to. He was glad that she didn’t seem upset that he hadn’t called before now.

Reid wasn’t quite sure where to go from here with the conversation, so he stalled. “Yeah, well, we got held up.”

“Well I hope this phone call means that you have some time to meet up,” Alex suggested.

Reid was happy to hear that she did seem to want to see him. “Yeah, I have some time on my hands and I’d love to see you,” he replied, kicking himself for stalling again.

“Do you want to come by campus?” Alex asked. “I can give you a tour.”

Reid stalled again. “About that... I’m going to need you to come to me.” His face was in his free hand at this point. He was fumbling this phone call so spectacularly badly.

“Uh oh. What hospital are you at?” That response confirmed how badly he’d messed up this conversation. Or maybe she was just that good. Either way, Alex had clearly picked up on something and there was no going back now. But still… 

“What makes you say that?” Reid asked, avoiding the topic one more time.

He heard Alex sigh. “Do you forget that I was a profiler, too? And I know you. Are you okay? And what hospital am I coming to see you in?”

Reid sighed. “I’m at Boston Medical Center. And don't worry, I’m fine.”

“I’ll be there in an hour.” Blake said.

Chapter Text

The past hour had been a flurry of activity. The hospital staff had stopped by for their rounds, and decided that Reid was doing well enough to move from the ICU into a normal room. Reid texted JJ to let her know of the change, concerned about how she would react if she showed back up to his hospital room and he was just gone.

He’d barely finished his breakfast in his new room when Alex arrived.

She appeared in the open doorway with a small bouquet of flowers, and a handful of books. She took one look at Reid. “This is what you call fine?” Blake exclaimed. “Do I need to give you a lesson on the linguistic evolution and proper use of that word?”

Reid gave an apologetic shrug, before smiling. “Alex, it’s good to see you.”

Alex set the flowers and books on Reid's bedside table before moving in for a hug. She was exceedingly gentle, not yet knowing how extensive Reid’s injuries were, but she could take some guesses based on the giant bruise that was his face. After Blake hugged Reid, JJ stood and hugged Blake as well.

JJ pointed to her phone. “I have some calls to make, so I’ll give you guys some time to catch up. Now that you’re not limited on visitors, are you okay if everyone stops by for lunch?”

Reid smiled. “Yeah, that would be nice. Thanks JJ.”

JJ left the room and Alex took the seat she’d previously been sitting in. “So, tell me.”

Reid had already figured out exactly how much of the story he was planning to tell her. “I went for coffee at 5am yesterday morning, and got ambushed by some guys in an alley. They beat me up and stabbed me. They tried to mug me but ran away when they realized I was FBI. The team tracked them down already.”

If Alex thought there was more to the story, she didn’t let on. “I’m so sorry, Reid. That’s awful. Your job is dangerous enough without this stuff happening to you off the clock. Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” There was a calmness and a sincerity to her voice that Reid found very soothing.

Reid nodded. “I have a small kidney laceration, but there shouldn’t be any lasting damage. I’m fine, really.”

Alex smiled. “Well I’m really glad you called me. I’m sure that wasn’t a given, after how I left things.” She paused for a moment, dropping her smile. “Listen, I’m really sorry about how I handled that. I’m not sorry that I left, but I am sorry about how I went about it. It wasn’t fair to you, after what you’d just been through.”

Reid shook his head. “It’s okay. Really. I just hope you’re happy.”

Alex smiled again. “I am very happy. I love my job, and James and I are doing really well. It’s been nice to stay in one place for a while, and to see my husband every day.”

“Well then, we’re good,” Reid said. Alex seemed genuine, and he wouldn’t begrudge her happiness. Sensing a change in topic was needed, Reid looked over to his bedside table. “What books did you bring me?”

Alex smiled, and spent a few minutes telling him about the books she had brought him that she thought he might enjoy. On top of the pile was a book of crossword puzzles. He picked it up and handed it to her. “I have a concussion, so I’m not supposed to be reading yet. Could you read me the clues and we can do one together?”

Alex nodded. “I’d love nothing more.” She pulled a pen out of her bag, and opened the book to the first puzzle. 

They’d worked their way through many by the time JJ re-entered the room, with the rest of the team, including Emily, right behind her.

Reid smiled as he watched everyone greet and hug Alex, asking her how she was and returning her questions with their own life updates. The group settled themselves around the room, forming a circle that included Reid’s hospital bed. Garcia had brought a variety of sandwiches and salads for lunch, which everyone picked at while they talked, at first as a large group, then naturally breaking up into smaller groupings. Reid had joined in at first, then found himself happier to observe the conversations rather than participate in them. It was nice. His friends. His family. All together. Enjoying each other’s company.

Reid felt himself getting tired. As he closed his eyes to the soothing sound of friendly chatter, the noise in the room died down. He opened his eyes again. Everyone had clearly noticed he was falling asleep and quieted down so as not to disturb him. “Keep talking,” Reid said. “It’s comforting. It's like the best white noise machine ever.” He sent a sleepy smile Garcia’s way, and she winked at him before continuing her conversation with Morgan and Blake. Everyone rejoined their conversations, and Reid faded off to sleep with a slight smile on his face.

Chapter Text

Reid woke up with a gasp. His heart was racing too fast. His breathing was too quick. The visions from his nightmare still swam through his brain.

“Are you okay?” a voice asked. Reid looked to his left, and saw Hotch by his bedside. The rest of the room was empty, thankfully. 

Reid nodded. “Just a bad dream,” he explained as he continued to catch his breath and slow his heartrate.

Reid checked the clock. He had only been asleep for a few hours, and it was still daylight outside. It felt extra disorienting to wake from a nightmare in the middle of the day, somehow.

Hotch silently handed Reid a bottle of water. Reid accepted it, and adjusted his bed back up into a sitting position before drinking some of it. He briefly wondered how the bed kept getting adjusted back down without waking him up.

After drinking some water, Reid handed the bottle back to Hotch with a nod of appreciation.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Hotch asked.

Reid considered. Hotch already knew some of the most deeply humiliating things that had ever happened to him, and had proven himself as a trustful confidante. He decided to open up. He knew that was uncharacteristic of himself, and vaguely wondered if the meds were making it difficult to put up his normal guards, or if he was just fundamentally changed by what he’d gone through.

Reid cleared his throat. “I dreamed that I didn’t get back up. I couldn’t get back up, no matter how hard I tried. I could see you all, in the distance, but I couldn’t get to you. In my dream, I died in that alley.” He could still see it in his head – his friends so close, but too far, as he faded into nothingness.

“But that’s not what happened.” Hotch said, his tone of voice steady, as if this was just any other topic of conversation. “You did get back up.”

Reid looked down at his fidgeting hands. “I almost didn’t.”

Hotch just looked at Reid, waiting for him to say more. 

Reid gave in. “There was a moment, after the men left, where I just lay there. And I thought that maybe it would be easier and less painful if I didn’t get up. If I just died there.”

Hotch leaned forward, ensuring that Reid heard every word he said next. “But you did get up, Reid. And you found us. You’re not weak for having that fleeting thought, you’re strong for overriding it. I will never not be amazed by the strength that you displayed when you got up off the ground in that moment.”

Reid still looked unsure. “I guess.”

Hotch sighed. “Reid, I’m going to tell you something I’ve never told anyone before.”

That caught Reid’s attention. He looked up and Hotch caught his eyes.

“After Foyet, I lied.” Reid raised his eyebrows. Hotch rarely spoke of what happened with Foyet, and yet here he was bringing it up for a second time in two days. 

Hotch continued. “In the reports, and when Emily asked, I said that after he stabbed me for the first time, it all went blank. That’s not true. I was awake through it all. Foyet knocked me down with a hit to the head, but I was conscious. I just laid there, while he stabbed me. While he talked to me. While he boasted. I just laid there. Do you think I was weak?”

Reid shook his head. “No, Hotch. You’re the strongest person I know.”

Hotch raised one of his eyebrows, ready to make his point. “Well then, how come I’m not weak for staying down, but you think you’re weak even though you got back up?”

Reid thought about it for a moment. He couldn’t find a flaw in the logic. Maybe Hotch was onto something yesterday when he said I hold myself to unreasonable standards.

Hotch saw the tension Reid had been holding since he’d awoken from the nightmare, dissipate.

Reid smiled, just a little. “Thank you, Hotch. I know you don’t like sharing this kind of stuff. But that really helps me.”

Hotch nodded. “I know you aren’t a big sharer either. Maybe we’re both growing. Maybe that’s a positive thing that comes out of this. Something good has to.”

Reid nodded. Something good. That would be nice.

Then, Reid made a connection he hadn’t before. “Foyet was from Boston,” he stated.

Hotch just nodded. “Yes.”

Reid responded. “I really hate Boston.”

Hotch nodded again. “Yeah, me too.”

Chapter Text

Reid spent a total of six days in the hospital before he was released. The team stayed in Boston with him for that time, Hotch having quietly used some of his well earned goodwill to make it so. Emily was called back to London for a case on the fourth day, but she promised to visit again soon. Blake visited Reid most days, and even brought James on one of her visits so that the two men could finally meet.

Reid’s mood had been up and down throughout the hospital stay. There were some moments when the strongest feeling he felt was gratitude to be alive and to have the family that had formed itself around him. And there were many others where the overwhelming emotions were fear, shame, or anxiety. The team got him through it all.

Reid now sat on the edge of his hospital bed, waiting to be discharged. Morgan was picking him up, and the rest of the team was meeting them at the jet.

Morgan entered the room. “You’re all clear, kid. I’ve got the car pulled around.”

Reid heard him, but didn’t move, distracted by the object slung casually over Morgan’s shoulder. He raised his eyebrows. “Is that…”

Morgan flashed his brightest smile. “Yeah. I got them to release your messenger bag out of evidence for you.” He took it off of his shoulder, and handed it to Reid.

Reid turned the bag over in his hands. Something seemed off. The bag looked almost brand new. Certainly not in the condition it was in last time Reid had seen it.

Morgan saw the question in Reid’s eyes and answered it. “I took it to someone who does leather restoration. I wanted to make sure we got all traces of that alley off of it, without ruining it.”

Reid looked at Morgan with gratitude. “Thank you.”

He undid the clasps on the bag, opening it to find that it contained most of the possessions it had at the time that it was taken. But Reid was only looking for one thing, and it sat on top.

Reid pulled 'The Narrative of John Smith' out of his bag, noting that it was the only thing in there that remained in an evidence bag. He looked to Morgan for an explanation.

Morgan took a breath and sat down beside Reid on the bed. “So about that. I left it in the bag because a bunch of the pages are falling out, and I wanted to keep it all together while we figure out what our plan is with it.”

Reid opened the bag and carefully pulled the book from it. The dust jacket was dirty and had some tears, but the cover underneath looked to be in good condition. Reid reluctantly opened it to the first page, and let out a sigh of relief to see that the page with Maeve’s inscription was in perfect condition. He ran his hand gently over the words written there. Then, as he flipped further into the book, he saw that the rest of the book hadn’t fared as well. Some chunks of pages were ripped out at the spine, while others were ripped down the middle of the page. Several of the pages were dirty and crinkled from touching the wet surface of the alleyway.

Reid closed the book and looked over at Morgan. “What plan? It’s ruined.” His eyes felt watery but he held back his tears. 

Morgan shook his head. “I took it to a bookbinder to discuss options, but I didn’t want to decide anything without talking to you first about it. I know it’s important to you, and I didn’t want to make the wrong decision.”

Reid continued looking at Morgan, silently asking him to continue.

“So option one would be that we pull out and frame the page with the inscription,” Morgan offered. Reid tried to picture that page sitting in a frame somewhere in his apartment. It felt wrong for it not to be in the book. Reid shook his head at the suggestion.

Morgan continued. “The second option would be to have the book rebound as it is. Some of the torn pages would need to be taped, and the ones that got wet won’t ever be fully restored, but it would retain all of the original book.” Reid considered that for a moment. A surge of anger went through him, thinking about how he’d be reminded of the alley every time he flipped through it and found a dirty spot or a torn page. The book was tainted. He didn’t react, waiting to see if Morgan had any other suggestions.

“And the third option,” Morgan offered, “Would be to get a second copy of this same book, and have a bookbinder replace what’s ruined from this copy with the same pages from the other.”

This sparked something in Reid, and he gave a small, sad smile. “Morgan, did I ever tell you the story of the night I got this book?”

Morgan shook his head. “No. I didn’t want to ask about it. It seemed personal.”

Reid nodded, acknowledging that it was, but he told the story anyway. “It was the night I was supposed to meet Maeve for the first time. We booked a table at this restaurant, but I thought Maeve’s stalker was there so I called her and told her not to come.”

Morgan nodded. So far he knew all of this.

Reid continued. “Maeve left, but not before leaving this book for me with the hostess.”

“It was really important to her that you have it,” Morgan affirmed.

Reid nodded in agreement. “Yes. The thing is, I also brought Maeve a gift that night too, but I never got to give it to her. I got her this exact same book, Morgan.” Reid smiled as he held up the book in his hands. “Which means,” Reid concluded, “That I have a second copy of this book back in my apartment, another copy that’s connected to Maeve. And I can’t think of a more perfect solution than combining the copy meant for her with the copy she gave me.”

Morgan patted Reid’s leg, smiling and nodding in confirmation that this was the plan. He didn’t trust his voice right now to speak without letting his emotions take over. The more insight he received into the story of Maeve and Reid, the more he couldn’t help but feel that the world was a deeply cruel and unfair place, especially when it came to one Spencer Reid. But those thoughts were not helpful at the moment, so he pushed them aside.

Reid stared at the book’s cover for a few seconds more. “Do you know what this book is about?” Reid asked.

Morgan cleared his throat before responding. “No, tell me.” He was genuinely curious.

“Well, it’s basically just a book of a man’s scattered observations of the world,” Reid said. “It’s told from the perspective of a man who has gout, and is confined to bedrest for 6 days.”

Morgan smiled. “Sounds familiar.”

Reid nodded. “The thing is, the story is rough and unfinished. What’s really interesting about it is how this book came to be. Sir Arthur Canon Doyle wrote it in 1883. It would have been his first novel. But the manuscript was lost in the mail and never found. Doyle tried to rewrite it from memory, but he never completed it. It wasn’t published until 2011, after it was sold at auction. I used to wish that I could read the original, the story as Doyle meant it to be. I used to feel sorry for Doyle that he lost it and could never get it back. But that’s just how life goes, I guess. Things get lost, they get taken from you. And you can’t reclaim them, but you can try to rewrite, to rebuild. That’s really all you can do, otherwise you’re just stuck wishing for things that will never come to be.”

Reid took one last look at the book, before placing it back in his messenger bag.

Morgan stood from the hospital bed, and Reid followed. “Kid…” Morgan started. He didn’t have the words to express how much he cared for Reid. How much his heart ached when he thought of everything Reid had been through in his short lifetime. How proud he was that so far, none of it seemed to have broken him. Like the book the two were just talking about, Reid had had pieces of him bent and damaged and even torn out. But he always persevered. He always found a way to repair the damage. Never entirely, there would always be scars, blemishes that remained as a reminder of what had happened. But, after a long and difficult repair process, the book would remain whole. It wouldn’t be exactly the same book, but the end result would have a beauty all its own, a character and a uniqueness that wouldn’t have been there if the book had just remained on a bookshelf.

But Morgan couldn’t say all of that, he couldn’t form the words. So instead, he pulled Reid into a hug and tried to express his care and pride through the gesture. He felt Reid wrap his own arms around Morgan’s back, and he heard Reid sniffle, a sure sign that the tears he had been holding back had finally fallen. Morgan held the hug for a few beats, until Reid pulled away.

With no more words, the two men left the hospital room and headed home.