Stage Four (Criminal Minds, Reid)

[matilda3948]

Hi all, in the mood to start a new Criminal Minds story. This features a sick Reid and has spoilers for the last season. I'll try and update it regularly.

Spencer Reid sighed and got out of bed. Another day and, most likely, another case. His team hadn’t had to travel in over a week which meant they were first in line for any BAU case. He made sure his go-bag had everything he needed and then started getting ready for work. As Reid stood in the bathroom brushing his teeth he felt his mind begin to wander. He really didn’t want to go to work. He really didn’t want to do much of anything these days. While the intense pain of Maeve’s death had faded, he found himself stuck in a persistent dull malaise. “Stage four,” he mumbled to himself, referencing the five stages of grief. Depression. Yeah, that seemed to sum up where Reid was right now. He was making it through the day but he felt like he was simply going through the motions—he found it difficult to sleep and had little interest in spending time with his friends. For the most part, they let him take the time he needed, knowing Reid had a long road ahead of him. In the beginning Morgan, JJ, and Garcia were persistent in coming by and trying to get him to talk. Eventually he reemerged from his apartment and rejoined the team. He found a sympathetic confidant in Rossi and knew he was always under Hotch’s quiet watch. Reid knew his team—his family—had his back but, as he’d told Rossi weeks ago, Reid felt it was time for him to be moving on. Unfortunately, moving on was proving harder than he’d ever imagined. After making steady progress for the last few months Reid felt stuck and too apathetic to really care.

He moved through his apartment mechanically: filled his travel coffee mug, slung his messenger bag over his shoulder, grabbed his keys. He was nearly out the door when it dawned on him that he had a headache, so he grabbed a couple asprin and swallowed them with a gulp of coffee. He put his sunglasses on, squared his shoulders, and steeled himself for another day.

Reid walked into the bullpen and flipped on his computer. He said good morning to Blake and JJ and then went to go refill his coffee. Caffeine was proving to be a remarkable substitute for regular sleep.

“Good morning, Pretty Boy,” Morgan said coming into the break room. “Save some coffee for the rest of us.”

“Ha. Ha,” Reid said. “If there’s one thing the FBI will never run out of, it’s coffee.” He got out of Morgan’s way and starting adding sugar to his coffee.

“Do we have a case yet?” Reid asked.

“No, but it’s just a matter of time,” Morgan said. When Reid didn’t respond, Derek looked to his left. The young genius had his head tilted back slightly, eyes closed for a few seconds before catching a sneeze in the bend of his arm. HehhMNTchh! “Bless you,” Morgan said.

“Thanks,” Reid sniffed. Morgan surveyed his friend; he looked tired and maybe a little pale, but that wasn’t really anything new. Reid had definitely lost some weight recently—not that he had much to lose. For the moment Morgan decided not to say anything, not because he was convinced Reid was okay, but because Garcia came into the room.

“Good morning, my pets,” she said. “Hotch needs us in the conference room in ten minutes. Possible serial killer causing havoc in Portland.”

HehhNGTxs! Reid sniffled another sneeze into his arm.

“Bless you, sugar!” Garcia said. “Don’t be late. Bad guys to catch.” She left the two men alone to go set up to present the case. Reid tried to follow her out of the room only to have Morgan block his path.

“You alright?” he asked. Reid sighed.

“I’m fine, Morgan. Let’s go.”

TBC...

[ID2006]

Yay, I love me some sick Reid.

[sadie22233]

omg I love Criminal Minds and I love, love, love sickie Reid! Can't wait to read more

[phoenix]

Aww, Reid! In addition to being one of my favorite characters on television, he was the first character I started reading sneeze!fic for. So glad that people are still writing him! I particularly like Reid and Morgan together (platonically or otherwise), so regardless of where things go on that front, the scene with the coffee and the concern was lovely. Looking forward to the next installment!

[Glimmer]

yay i love this!!

[Amberlight24]

Of course I love this so so much!!!! Thank you!!!! More please!!!

[matilda3948]

Thanks for the feedback love You guys are sweet. This part gets a little plot-heavy and angsty but, what can I say, I love to mess with that poor character. It's also quite a bit longer. Enjoy

“I’m fine, Morgan. Let’s go.”

They took their seats at the conference table as Garcia got ready to present the case. Hotch was the last to enter and he took the chair across from Spencer.

“Good morning, everyone. Let’s get started,” he said. Garcia immediately launched into her presentation.

“We got a call from Portland PD this morning about a possible serial killer targeting women in the area.” She turned her back to the screen and brought up the first gruesome image. The team’s eyes were on the screen, while Hotch watched Reid. Penelope had pulled up pictures of three murdered women, gunshot wounds to the head, and carefully staged postmortem. To Hotch’s surprise, he couldn’t discern even a small reaction from Reid. Garcia continued to rattle off the facts they had so far,

“Victims range between 30 and 40 years old and were found within 24 hours of their time of death.”

“Any overlap in their social circles?” Blake asked.

“Nothing obvious, but I just started looking.”

“Look at the way they’re posed,” Rossi said, nodding towards the screen. “Arms crossed, hair smoothed out.”

“Like an angel,” Reid said with a subtle sniff.

“Definite sign of remorse,” Morgan added. Reid sniffed again and turned away from the table, no longer able to hold back the sneeze he’d been fighting since Garcia had started her presentation. He suppressed a quiet HehhNTsh! against his wrist and immediately turned back around.

“If the unsub holds to pattern he’ll take another woman tomorrow night. We don’t have time to waste. Wheel’s up in an hour,” Hotch said. As everyone began to file out of the room Hotch quietly asked for Reid to wait a moment. He carefully assessed his youngest agent, sharp eyes taking in the pale skin, dark bags under his eyes, and obvious fatigue. “Reid, if you’d prefer to sit this one out, it’s no problem.”

“Why would I do that?” Reid wasn’t aggressive, but he sounded tired. Hotch frowned and tilted his head. He decided a direct approach was best.

“I don’t want this to trigger difficult memories of Maeve. There are some obvious similarities to her case and—”

“Hotch,” Reid sighed. “A case can’t trigger something I think about all the time anyway.” The worry lines around Aaron’s eyes deepened, but he nodded.

“You also sound like you’re fighting a cold,” he said.

“I’m fine,” Reid mumbled.

“You look exhausted, Reid. Are you sure you won’t consider staying behind on this one?”

“I appreciate it, but I’m fine. I’ll see you on the plane, Hotch.”

*******

His heart was racing. That was the first thing that registered through the fog in his head. He heard muffled voices but they couldn’t cut through the ringing in his ears. He felt pressure on his arm and he blinked several times trying to will the room to come back into focus.

“Spence?” He registered JJ’s voice, but it seemed like she was miles away.

“You with us, Pretty Boy?” Morgan—it was Morgan’s voice. “It’s okay, man. Just take a couple deep breaths. It’s over.”

What was over? Reid’s normally lightning fast mind was muddled and hazy, but he slowly started to piece things back together. He was in Portland with his team. They’d been chasing a serial killer for three days. They’d tracked him to a loft where he was holding a woman. There was a standoff. The unsub was using the woman as a shield. Morgan ordered him to drop his gun. That’s right. It was a standoff.

Reid felt his vision begin to clear and he realized he still had his gun leveled, finger on the trigger. He holstered his weapon.

“Spence, are you okay?” JJ asked again. At the sound of her voice, he remembered. The unsub was dead but not before he killed his hostage. Both were laying dead on the concrete floor a few yards away from him. They’d failed. Again. Reid tore his eyes away from the bodies and found his entire team watching him with worried eyes and suddenly Reid only had one thought on his mind. Wordlessly, he took off his bulletproof vest, his gun and holster, and his badge and set them all neatly on a nearby table. He turned and walked out the building ignoring the sound of his friend’s voices.

“Spence? Wait!” JJ called.

“Reid!” Morgan called, ready to go after him, when Hotch grabbed his arm.

“Let him go,” the Unit Chief said.

“Are you kidding me?” Morgan shouted. “He leaves his gun and his badge and you’re going to let him walk away?”

“Morgan, he’s not walking back to Quantico. I’m just saying to give him some space,” Hotch said. Morgan sighed and ran a hand over his face. “I’m not going to let him quit just like that, but you have to let him clear his head,” Aaron said. “After what he just saw…give him a little time.”

“Yeah,” Morgan sighed. “Alright.”

Local police, EMT’s, and press were now flooding the scene and the different members of the BAU team split up to manage the chaos. Hotch briefly caught Rossi’s eye the older man nodded. Aaron quietly slipped out and took one of the team’s SUVs to go look for his wayward agent. He was halfway back to the hotel when he saw Reid walking along the side of the road. He slowed down and pulled up alongside him, rolling the window down.

“Get in the car,” Hotch said. Reid just looked at his boss and complied, getting in the passenger’s seat. Neither man said anything but Hotch kept watching him out of the corner of his eye. He was actually a little concerned that Spencer was bordering on shock—tremors routinely shook his body and his eyes were still unfocused. After the unsub shot his hostage Reid was unresponsive for a couple minutes—frozen with his gun trained on a target that was no longer there.

HehhNGTshh! Reid sneezed into his hands.

“Bless you,” Hotch said quietly, fishing a handkerchief out of his jacket while keeping one hand on the wheel.

Hehh EhhNTchhoo! Reid took the white square his boss was holding out to him in time to catch a third sneeze. HehhNGTchhoo! He coughed slightly before resting his head against the window and closing his eyes. Intellectually Reid knew that adrenalin had kept him going for the last two days—keeping the worst of his cold symptoms manageable while they chased leads and closed in on their unsub. It was a basic fight or flight reaction, but now that the danger was gone he felt the full force of everything hitting him all at once—the depression he’d been battling for months, the horror of watching another woman die right in front of him, and the virus that he’d barely held in check. His limbs felt like lead, his head full of cement, and an odd shakiness he couldn’t seem to control.

“Reid?” Hotch’s voice was quiet and Spencer turned to his right finding his boss standing by the open car door. They’d arrived at the hotel and Hotch was waiting for him to get out of the car. “Come on,” he prodded. Wordlessly, Spencer followed his boss. The walk across the hotel lobby seemed to take all his energy and by the time they reached Reid’s room, his hands were shaking too badly to unlock the door. Hotch took the keycard from him and opened the door. Reid all but collapsed on the edge of the bed, cradling his head in his hands. Hotch pulled a chair over so he was sitting across from him, their knees almost touching. He took one of Spencer’s hands and pressed his finger to the pulse point in his wrist. Reid’s heart rate was a bit elevated but not high enough that it warranted intervention. Next, he pressed a hand to Spencer’s forehead and found he had a mild fever. Reid sniffed and rubbed his nose. He coughed lightly at first, then harsher. Hotch went into the bathroom and came back with a glass of water.

“Here,” he said, holding the glass out to the younger man. After Reid managed to take a couple sips, the coughing died down. Hotch resumed his seat across from him and sighed. “Okay, here’s what I propose,” he said. “For now, I’ll tell the team that you’ve reconsidered quitting.” He raised a hand when Reid looked ready to object. “I know you want some space and that’s the only way I can think of that will convince them to give it to you. Okay?” Reid nodded before scrunching up his nose and grabbing the handkerchief from his pocket.

Hehh…EHH HehhNTCHHHoo! HehhGNSSHHoo!

“Bless you.”

“Thank you, Hotch,” Reid whispered.

“I’m not done,” he said gently. “I’ll lie to the rest of the team but only on the following conditions.” Reid swallowed nervously. “First, when we get back to Quantico you come and stay at my house until I decide you’re healthy enough to stay alone.” Reid nodded. “Second, you answer my questions honestly—about your physical health and otherwise.” Reid nodded again. “And you promise not to make any decisions about your job until we’ve had a chance to really talk it through.” This time, Reid just dropped his eyes. “Hey,” Hotch said. “If we talk about it and it’s really what’s best for you, I’ll accept it but you’re in absolutely no condition to make that decision right now.” Hotch laid a hand on Reid’s shoulder. “Spencer, do you believe I have your best interest at heart?” he asked.

“Of course,” Reid said.

“Then I need you to trust me, okay?” Hotch asked. He was starting to feel like he was in the middle of another hostage negotiation. After a few seconds, Reid nodded. “Good,” Hotch said. “Why don’t you lay down for a couple hours? We’re going to meet downstairs at 7:00pm and head home.”

“Okay,” Reid said, settling back onto the bed. Aaron went into the bathroom and grabbed a box of tissues of the counter, then pulled an extra blanket from the closet. He put the tissues in easy reach and spread the blanket over top of his sick agent. Reid was curled up on his side just staring straight ahead.

“Get some rest and call if you need anything, okay?” Hotch asked. Reid nodded slightly. Hotch had barely made it to the door when he heard a series of wet, exhausted sneezes shake free from Reid’s body. HehhNSCHH! HehhEHHngtshhoo! Ehh HehhGNCHHooo! Heh—AhhSNGSSHHOOO! “Bless you,” Hotch said as he closed the door behind him.

TBC...

[Amberlight24]

Ohmygoshness this is soooo wonderful!!!! Thank you so much!! I can't wait for more! I love the thought you have put into this: its not just fluff and that makes it even better! You are an awesome writer and I'm eagerly awaiting for more!

[gummiflummi]

Can't wait for another part. Poor Reid!

[ID2006]

Sick sad Reid just melts my heart, and ohhhh some Hotch caretaking, I think I can do with that.

[Amberlight24]

I SO hope you continue

[matilda3948]

Thank you all so much for your kind words Sorry it took me so long to update, but I hope this was worth the wait. Also, it's late and I haven't really proofread this, so I apologize for the typos that I'm sure are everywhere.

The plane ride home was tense to say the least. Hotch had met his team, sans Reid, in the lobby and explained that Spencer had reconsidered quitting, but didn’t want to discuss the case they’d just completed. Hotch asked that they all respect his wish for privacy and not push him to talk until Reid was ready. The Unit Chief looked at each one of his agents, holding Morgan’s gaze until the other man nodded in assent.

For his part, Reid felt terrible. He woke up feeling worse than he had when he went to bed, but he pulled himself together and met his teammates downstairs exactly at 7:00pm. He had that funny feeling that they’d all been talking about him just before he walked in and, of course, they had.

“Let’s go home,” Hotch said, heading towards the exit of the hotel. Reid’s teammates followed the letter of law when it came to dealing with him, but maybe not the spirit of the law. Rossi took Reid’s bag to load into the back of the SUV and squeezed the younger man’s shoulder as he did. JJ sat next to him on the way to the airport and she patted his knee a couple times as they drove. As soon as the plane took off Reid laid down on the sofa and feigned sleep. He didn’t want to see one more concerned look or sympathetic smile. He just wanted to hide. Eventually he fell into a light, uneasy sleep catching snippets of conversation over the course of their flight. The whole team was out of sorts—they hated when a standoff ends the way this last one did. It lead to severe second guessing and guilt. He was listening to Blake and Morgan discuss alternative method for talking down their unsub, ultimately deciding that they’d taken the best course of action. Reid rolled over with his back to his team, sniffled as quietly as he could and tried to tune out their voices.

It was JJ’s voice that registered next. She must have been sitting right across from Hotch.

“He didn’t reconsider, did he?” she asked. He couldn’t make out Hotch’s reply, but heard JJ’s audible sigh. “And he’s sick on top of it too, right? He was fighting it before we left.”

“He’ll be alright,” Hotch said.

“I’m worried about him,” she said. “This could set him back again.” Hotch sighed.

“I’m not sure he was as far along as we thought he was,” he said.

HehhNGTS! Reid’s body jerked forward as he stifled a sneeze. JJ turned in her seat and looked at him.

“He’s shaking,” she said, getting up and going to get a blanket. Reid felt her drape the blanket over him and then her fingers lightly brush against his forehead. He opened his eyes and she smiled at him. “Need anything?” she whispered. He just shook his head and pulled the blanket up to his chin.

The next time Reid woke up it was to Hotch’s voice.

“Reid, wake up. We’re landing soon.” He felt Hotch’s hand come to rest on his shoulder and Reid reluctantly opened his eyes. His boss was sitting on the edge of the sofa, keeping his voice low. “Come on, Reid. You can sleep more when we get home.” Reid felt his nose begin to prickle and he sniffed a couple times before quickly turning as far from his boss as possible and sneezing. Hehhngxtt! Ehh HehGNTSS! He couldn’t repress a small groan before sniffling wetly. “Bless you,”

Hotch said, standing up and going into the jet’s small bathroom. As he walked back to his seat, he slipped a handful of tissues to his sniffling agent.

Once the plane landed, Hotch stood up and addressed the team.

“Good work, everyone. I know this wasn’t the outcome that we were hoping for, but every one of you gave it your all and I’m proud of you. We’re off rotation for 72 hours, so just email me your reports and get some rest.”

The weary profilers gathered up their belongings and began saying goodnight to one another. Reid did his best to avoid making eye contact with everyone, but Morgan wasn’t easily dissuaded.

“Hey man,” he said and waited until Reid looked up at him. Derek frowned and looked over his friend. “You know that if you need anything…want to talk about—”

“I know,” Reid said. “Thanks, Morgan.” Disappointment and worry was written all over Derek’s face, but he nodded and wished his Pretty Boy a good night. As soon as it was just him and Hotch left on the jet, Reid held the crumpled wad of tissues up to his nose and gave it a satisfying blow. He coughed a bit before throwing his messenger bag over his shoulder and turning to his boss.

“Ready?” Hotch asked. Spencer nodded and they made their way to Hotch’s car. The drive to his house was quiet and for the second time that day, Reid found himself being silently chauffeured by his boss. Aaron carried both of their go bags into the house and switched off the security system.

“Jack’s with Jessica?” Reid asked.

“Yeah. It was too late to pick him up tonight.”

HehhNGTSH! Reid directed a sneeze then a harsh cough into the bend of his arm.

“Bless you.”

Hehh EhhNG’TXS! “Thag you.”

“You don’t need to try and hold your sneezes back like that,” Hotch said frowning. “It’s got to hurt.” Reid blushed a brilliant red. “You know where the guest room is, right?” Aaron asked. Reid nodded. “Why don’t you go change and I’ll fix us something to eat?”

“Okay,” Reid said, grabbing his bag and walking down the hall to “his” room. After shutting the door, Reid ran a tired hand over his face. He said a silent word of thanks as he spotted the box of tissues on the nightstand. He’d done his best to downplay how bad his cold was getting and he was thankful for a few minutes away from Hotch’s eagle eye. He grabbed several tissues and began the lengthy process of trying to empty his stuffy nose. He grabbed tissue after tissue, pausing only to clear his throat or cough every now and then. Finally he felt a small measure of relief, temporary though it would be. Reid dug through his bag and found his favorite FBI sweats. It was all he really felt like wearing lately and he washed them at least twice a week. He stuffed some tissues into the front pocket of his oversized hoodie and went back to the living room.

“Hey,” Hotch said. “I know you probably don’t have much of an appetite, so I just made some soup and grilled cheese.”

“Thanks,” Reid said as he sat down on the sofa and picked up the bowl of soup. He couldn’t help the small smile when he looked down and saw a steaming bowl full of chicken and stars soup.

“Jack’s favorite,” Hotch said, taking a bit of his sandwich. After Reid managed a few spoonsful of soup, Hotch said, “Okay, so how are you feeling?”

“I’m alright,” came the automatic reply. Aaron raised an eyebrow and Reid sighed. “Sorry. I’m uh…I’m tired and…I guess—I mean I’m…I don’t feel well,” he finally whispered. Hotch nodded.

“I want to take your temperature and then I want you to take something. Do you just want a couple asprin or some Nyquil?”

“Um…hehh EHH…” He held up finger to signal he needed a moment and grabbed a tissue from his pocket. HehhNgtSH! HehhGNsshhh! Ehh EHH…HehhNTschhoo!

“Bless you. Nyquil then,” Hotch said, getting up. Reid blew his nose and took a drink of water from the glass on the table. He rubbed his temples and sighed.

“Headache?” Reid’s head jerked up—he hadn’t heard his boss come back.

“Uh, yeah.” Aaron nodded and sat down next to Reid. He had a digital ear thermometer in one hand and a nearly full bottle of medicine in the other.

“Hold still,” Hotch said, gently placing the thermometer in Spencer’s ear. A few seconds later the beep alerted Aaron to the fact that Reid was running a low grade fever. “Not too bad,” Hotch said as he poured out a dose of the cold medicine into a little plastic cop. “Take this.” Reid downed the medicine in a single swallow and shivered. “I know it’s bad, but it will help you sleep.”

“Thank you,” Reid said quietly. He stirred his cooling soup but didn’t move to take another bite.

“You don’t have to eat that if you’re not hungry,” Aaron said.

“Sorry, not much appetite.”

“How long has that been going on?”

“Since…since she…”

“Okay,” Aaron said, squeezing Reid’s shoulder. The younger man swallowed the lump in his throat and yawned. “Come on,” Hotch said. “You should be in bed.” He followed Reid down the hall to the guest room. “Can I get you anything? Is there anything that would make you more comfortable?” Reid shook his head. “Spencer, you’re my guest—please be honest with me.” Reid ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

“Um, could I have a glass water and…uh…maybe another blanket?”

“Of course. I can turn the heat up a little too,”Hotch said.

“You don’t need to do that—just a blanket would be good.”

“I’ll be right back,” Hotch said. He got Reid a glass of water and was going through the linen closet when a thought occurred to him. Aaron went into his son’s bedroom and unplugged the small nightlight from the wall. As he came back into Reid’s room he found the young man sitting on the edge of the bed with tissues covering his nose and mouth.

Hehh Ehh…Heh EHH HehhNgsschhooo!

“Bless you,” Hotch said, setting the glass of water in easy reach.

HehhEHHKTsschhoo! His thin frame shook with another exhausted sounding sneeze.

“Bless you, Spencer. You okay?” Hotch asked.

“Yeah,” Reid sighed. “Thanks.” Aaron shook out the blanket and draped it on top of the comforter already on the bed, then he plugged the nightlight into the wall. “What’s tha—” Reid stopped when he got sight of what Hotch was doing. He gave Reid a small smile and stood back up.

“I want you to be comfortable,” he said. “Now get some sleep. I’m just down the hall if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Hotch.”

“Good night, Spencer.”

TBC...

[darkness-is-the-light]

*Fangirling* OMG!!! This is so adorable!!! Continue!!! I think I... (lol, don't mind me)

[Amberlight24]

You have no idea how happy you have made me!! Thank you so so much! I hope there is more! But I'll be patient, promise

[Foxfire]

Awww, poor Spencer muffin! I don't like the writers of the last season being soooo cruel to our poor baby! But I love how you write him!

[Amberlight24]

I do hope you continue this!

[matilda3948]

Hi there. Sorry! I've been soooo busy lately, but I promise I haven't abandoned this story. I'm very glad that so many of you have been enjoying it and I'm sorry to keep you waiting. Here's the next section:

“Good night, Spencer.”

Hotch put the dishes from earlier in the sink and then turned off the lights on his way to his room. He checked the time and decided he’d risk waking her up and dialed Beth’s number.

“Hey,” she answered.

“Hope it’s not too late,” he said.

“No. I’ve been expecting your call. Garcia texted and said you guys landed three hours ago.”

“Garcia texts you?” he asked, sitting down on the edge of his bed.

“Only occasionally,” Beth said smiling. “So did you have to go back to the office or something?”

“No,” Hotch sighed. “I brought home an unexpected houseguest.” He then proceeded to recount the details of the previous case. When he was done, he heard her sigh.

“Poor Spencer. Poor you. What a mess.”

“Sorry,” Hotch said. “I didn’t mean to dump all that on you, but I just—”

“Stop,” Beth said. “No apologizing for telling me about your day, got it?” He smiled.

“Got it. I’m just not exactly sure what to do for him.”

“What do you mean?” Beth asked. Hotch leaned back against the pillows and shifted the phone to his other ear.

“He’s been forcing himself to come to work for the last couple months. He doesn’t want to do anything social with the team. He doesn’t want to talk about Maeve. He doesn’t want to talk about the case. He doesn’t…he doesn’t want to do anything.” Hotch could hear the anxiety he felt for Reid seeping into his voice—anxiety that he’d carefully kept at bay for the last few weeks. “I think he just wants to hide in bed all day,” he said.

“So let him,” Beth said.

“What?”

“Aaron, you’re a ‘doer’ a ‘fixer’ but this may be one of those times where you can’t do anything. Instead of trying to get him up, get him talking, get him working, maybe you just let him stay in bed. You guys are constantly on the go, always moving, always fighting. Maybe it’s time to let him stop,” she said. She wasn’t surprised when he didn’t respond. “Spencer’s sick and traumatized, Aaron. It’s okay to let him shut out the world for a while and repair himself. You’re there to keep an eye on him, make sure he eats occasionally, but maybe what he really needs is a safe place to hide.” Beth was quiet for a moment as she let Hotch digest her advice.

“You think that will help?” he finally asked.

“It helped me when I lost my dad,” she said quietly. “And it doesn’t seem like anything is working right now, does it?”

“No,” he sighed and rubbed his forehead. “I’m really worried about him, Beth,” he finally admitted.

“I know,” she said. “Have you told him that?”

“No.”

“Might be time.”

“Yeah.” Another heavy sigh.

“Trust your gut, Hotchner,” Beth said. “You know what you’re doing.”

“I wish I had your confidence,” he said.

“Well, you can call me anytime for a reminder,” she said. “Now, you sound absolutely exhausted. You should get some sleep.”

“You’re probably right. Thanks for talking me through things.”

“Always. I love you,” she said.

“I love you too.” He hung up and smiled as he replayed the last few minutes in his head. A year ago he would have thought it impossible to love another woman. Amazing how time changes things. He quickly changed out of his work clothes and got into bed. As he switched off the light he heard a harsh sneeze come from down the hall. He quietly made his way down the hallway and cracked the door. In the dim light Hotch could just make out Reid’s form curled up near the edge of the bed. He couldn’t tell if the younger man was asleep or not until a violent HehhAhhhNGSSCHHHooo! shook through him. Reid groped around for the box of tissues next to the bed and Hotch opened the door, letting light from the hallway spill into the room.

“Spencer? Are you okay?” He asked, pushing the tissues within Reid’s reach.

“Hodtch?”

“Yeah it’s me.” He sat down on the edge of the mattress and waited until Reid had blown his nose before he pressed a hand to his forehead. “Your fever’s up,” he said.

“Didn’t bean to wake you ub,” Reid mumbled.

“I hadn’t gone to sleep yet,” Hotch said, brushing a couple stay pieces of hair away from Reid’s forehead, a worried frown settling on his face. Reid tried to keep his eyes open, but he was so tired. “Close your eyes,” Hotch said quietly. He slowly ran his hand through Reid’s hair a few times until he felt his breathing even out and saw his body relax into a deeper sleep. Once he was sure Spencer was soundly asleep, Aaron finally returned to his room.

Hotch was up at 7am the next morning—sleeping in by his standards. His first stop was to check on Reid and was pleased to hear faint snoring coming from underneath a pile of blankets. After tossing on some jeans and a sweater, Aaron set about making some breakfast and started his first pot of coffee for the day. He’d checked his email and was halfway through the morning paper before he heard sounds of life from the spare bedroom. It started with some coughing, then a sneeze, then another sneeze…and another. By the time the fifth sneeze echoed down the hall Aaron was on his feet. Reid was still curled up in bed, tissues clutched to his nose. Hotch winced in sympathy when the younger man blew his nose and dissolved into another flurry of sneezes.

HehhNTSCHHoo! NTCHooo! Hehh EHH…HehhNGTSSHHoo!

“Bless you.”

“Hodtch?” Watery red eyes shot up at the sound of his boss’ voice. “What are…” Reid’s voice trailed off as he looked around him and realized for the first time that he was not in his own bed.

“You came home with me last night,” Hotch said. “Remember?”

“Yeah,” Reid sniffled. “Sorry.”

“For what?”

“Uhh…I’b uhh…”

“I’m going to bring you some coffee. You’ve got a cold, but you’re still Reid,” Hotch said with a slight smile. He went into the kitchen to give Reid a few minutes to wake up and pull himself together. He make a couple slices of toast, dusting them with cinnamon and sugar, then poured a mug of coffee with an obscene amount of sugar in it. He grabbed the thermometer and some Tylenol from his medicine cabinet before carrying it all into Reid’s room.

Spencer was sitting on the edge of the bed looking nervous but a little more awake. Hotch handed him the coffee first and set the toast down on the bedside table. Reid took a couple small sips.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice raspy and quiet.

“You’re welcome. Can I take your temperature?” Hotch asked. Reid nodded and reluctantly held still while Hotch gently put the thermometer in his left ear. A few seconds later he found that Spencer was still running a fever. Hotch frowned. “How are you feeling?” he asked. Reid sniffed and reached for his coffee again.

“I’b okay. I cad go hobe.”

“Spencer?” Hotch waited until Reid looked at him. “Do you remember what we talked about yesterday? About you being honest with me?” Reid nodded and tucked his hair behind his ear. Aaron kept his voice low and, he hoped, calming. “How are you really feeling?”

“My throat hurts,” Reid mumbled. “And I have a headache and my body aches and…and I’m…I’m just so tired.”

“Okay,” Hotch said. He shifted so he was in front of Reid and carefully felt the glands on either side of his neck. He noticed how Reid stiffened and had to fight not to pull away. “I’ll be right back.” Hotch went and grabbed a flashlight from the kitchen and came back into the bedroom. “Open your mouth for me.” Reid wordlessly complied and Hotch clicked the light on, revealing an angry, red throat but no blistering. “Good news is that it doesn’t look like strep,” Hotch said. “But if that toast is too rough on your throat I’ll make you something else,” he added, noting that Reid had only taken a couple bites.

“Actually it’s pretty good,” Reid said.

“Cinnamon and sugar is one of Jack’s favorites.”

“Where is Jaahh…Hahh EhhNGKssshhooo! Heh EHH… HehhNTSSHHooo!”

“Bless you. It’s Friday. He’s at school. He’ll be excited to see you though.”

“I don’t want hib to get sick,” Reid said.

“He’s seven, Reid. If there’s a cold germ out there I promise that between school, soccer, and scouts, he’s already been exposed. Plus, I think it would be good for you to see him.” When Reid shot him a puzzled look, Hotch just shrugged. “I can’t remember the last time I saw you smile. Jack’s good at getting people to smile.”

When Reid didn’t take the obvious opening to talk, Hotch decided not to push it. “What do you feel up to doing?” he asked.

“Uhh…whatever you want. I just deed to clean ub a little.” Reid stood up and Hotch grabbed his forearm when he swayed on his feet a little.

“Easy,” he said. “Reid, you’re sick. I just meant do you want to go back to sleep, or maybe come lay on the sofa and watch a movie? I might have some books you haven’t read.” He could feel Reid shaking slightly, but he wasn’t sure if it was fatigue, cold, or something else. He heard Reid whisper something, but he couldn’t make it out. “What did you say?”

“I don’t want to be in the way.”

“You are never in the way,” Hotch said. He gently put a hand on the side of Reid’s face and turned his head. “Spencer, you are never in the way,” he repeated slowly. This time Hotch was sure the tremor he felt run through Reid’s body was because he was holding back a huge mix of emotion—sadness, shame, and so much uncertainty about what to do in the situation. Hotch, however, knew exactly what to do in the situation. He closed the slight distance between the two of them and wrapped his arms the too-skinny genius. Reid’s body was rigid. Hotch knew he wasn’t used to being hugged—except for the occasional quick hug from Garcia, an arm rub from JJ, or a pat on the back from Morgan, Spencer’s life was void of physical contact. Hotch suspected much of his childhood was as well. Reid lasted all of five seconds before he freed himself. He sunk down onto the bed again, clearly exhausted.

“Can I have a couple of those?” he asked quietly, nodding towards the bottle of Tylenol.

“Of course,” Hotch said. He handed Reid a couple and he downed them with a swallow of cold coffee. “You want more?” Hotch asked. Reid shook his head as he reached for a tissue.

“HehhNTSSHHHooo! HehhSSCHHHOO! Scuse be. No thag you. I’b going to sleep a bit longer if that’s okay.”

“You can stay in bed all day if that's what you want, alright?” Hotch tried not to smile at the look of utter disbelief aimed towards him. Instead he walked around the bed and pulled the curtains tight to block any daylight from creeping into the room. Then he grabbed one of the blankets that had fallen onto the floor at some point and shook it out. He waited until Reid laid back down and then he draped it across his upper body. “I’m not far if you need anything, okay?”

“Okay.”

TBC...

[Amberlight24]

This is adorable. amazing. so well written! I can't thank you enough haha! I will always look forward to more! Hotch is so understanding and sweet with the as always adorable Spencer Reid!

[Malachite]

*applauds in awe *

[darkness-is-the-light]

Oh my, this is so cute!! You never really see Hotch as a sweet caring person but you know it's in there. Great job!! Continue please!!! You really capture the characters as they are and that's hard to do that. (Sorry if that make no sense.)

[ID2006]

I so needed some schmoopyness.

[matilda3948]

I so needed some schmoopyness.

Right?? I've been needing it too.

Okay, there's probably one more section after this. It's a little plot-heavy in the beginning but don't worry--there's plenty of cuteness and sick Spencer.

Hotch was restless. Four times he’d been in to check in Reid—bringing him something to drink, more cold pills, some lunch which mostly went uneaten. Most of the time Spencer was awake when he went into his room, but he always denied Hotch’s offer to talk or come join him in the living room. Try as he might, Aaron couldn’t seem to make any inroads in making Reid feel comfortable enough to let his guard down. Spencer bristled at any show of affection or human touch and he completely shut down if anyone made an attempt to talk about Maeve. He’d reacted much the same way after Emily…after Gideon…after Georgia…after Elle. Hotch sighed as he looked in on Reid once again. The young genius was sleeping curled up on his side. Hotch pulled the bedroom door shut so Jack wouldn’t wake him when he got home in an hour or so. Then Aaron sat down at his desk, grabbed a legal pad and a pen, and broke his team’s cardinal rule. He wrote “The Victimology of Spencer Reid” across the top of the paper and began profiling the man in the next room.

After 45 minutes Hotch sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes before surveying his work. He scowled at the assessment he’d written as if that would somehow make it less grim. Although he didn’t like digging into Reid’s past like he was a victim, Aaron was stumped about how to help him and decided breaking the “no profiling each other” rule was worth it if it would help him get through to Reid. He surveyed the profile he’d created: Paranoid schizophrenic mother, abandoned by his father, no siblings. Child prodigy who made no meaningful social connections in school. Youngest BAU profiler in FBI history. Friend and coworker disappeared after a questionable shoot. Held and tortured by UNSUB. Several near death experiences. Drug abuse. Abandoned by mentor. Death of another friend and coworker. The shock of her return and the realization that he’d been lied to by the closest thing he had to a family. Death of the only woman he’d ever loved. Hotch’s final assessment? Given the lack of stable family influences and a series of deeply traumatizing events, it is not surprising that Spencer Reid has trouble trusting other people. In fact, given his personal history it is remarkable that he functions as well as he does. However, he operates with the daily assumption that everything and everyone he loves will, sooner or later, be taken from him, likely in a violent and sudden manner. To mitigate what he sees as an eventuality, he minimizes emotional connections to the point of solitude. He reread the assessment again, worry lines deepening around his eyes. It wasn’t that Hotch was surprised, but there was something about seeing the many tragedies of Spencer’s life written down in a single list that made his heart hurt. Maeve had been a real chance at happiness—the first person Reid had deeply trusted and loved in a long time. She hadn’t disappointed him or abandoned him, and he’d been robbed of a promising future with her.

His musings were cut short when he heard Jessica’s car pull into the driveway. He opened the front door and was met with a very excited Jack Hotchner. Aaron scooped him up into a giant hug.

“Oh, I missed you,” Hotch said, squeezing his son tightly.

“I missed you too, Daddy.” Jessica came up the sidewalk and handed over Jack’s backpack.

“He’s had quite a busy couple of days,” she said, giving her brother-in-law a quick hug. “I’ll see you on Monday?”

“Thanks Jessica,” Hotch said.

“Bye Aunt Jessica!” Jack called as he went inside. Hotch closed the door behind them and followed his son into the kitchen. His picked Jack up and set him on the kitchen counter while he went about fixing him an after school snack. Jack talked nonstop about the things he’d done in the days that Hotch had been gone. When he finally paused to take a breath and a bite of the peanut butter sandwich his father had fixed for him, Aaron interjected.

“Hey buddy, we have a special visitor staying with us this weekend,” Hotch said.

“We do?”

“Yeah. Uncle Spencer.” Aaron smiled as the little boy’s eyes lit up.

“Where is he?”

“He’s sleeping right now. Uncle Spencer got sick while we were away and I didn’t want him to have to be by himself so I thought he could spend a couple days with us. Is that okay?”

“Yeah! We’ll help him feel better,” Jack said. Hotch ruffled his son’s hair.

“That’s certainly the plan.”

Reid rolled over and resisted the urge to groan. His head was pounding—the pressure in his sinuses was almost unbearable. He pulled the blanket up to his chin and tried to go back to sleep. He didn’t have any idea what time it was or how long he’d been cooped up in Hotch’s guest room. He sniffed thickly and rubbed his nose. He heard voices—Jack was home. That meant it must be at least late afternoon. Reid sighed. Hotch might let him hide out all day, but he’d have a tougher time avoiding Jack. Maybe he could go back to sleep or pretend to be asleep. He didn’t want to see anyone—not even Jack. He was perfectly content to just stay hidden in bed for the foreseeable future.

Unfortunately, Reid’s body had other ideas. His nose was beginning to run and he muffled a couple coughs into his pillow. After trying and failing to find a position where his nose wasn’t threatening to run down his face, Reid conceded and grabbed some tissues from the box on the nightstand. He blew his nose as quietly as possible but it did little to relieve the congestion plaguing his nose. He was on his third round of tissues when felt the telltale prickling deep within his sinuses that signaled that the sneezing was just moments away. The sensation was familiar to Reid—something that happened when was deeply and truly ill. It foretold not one or two sneezes, but five or six or more of the wrenching, violent sneezes that left his nose raw and his head spinning. He stacked three tissues on top of each other and held them a few inches from his nose. He could feel the first sneeze building, slowly growing from a steady itch to an urgent overwhelming tickle. Hehh EHH HehhNGTNCHHooo! sniff sniff Ehh EHH…Hehh HehhSNTSSCHHooo! Reid kept the tissues pressed to his nose as he prepared to repeat the process again. His breath came in rough, uneven gasps for a few seconds before sneezing again. HehhGNTZshhhooo! Heh AhhhEHHTZCHHoooo! Ahh…EHH Hehh HehhAHHHNTSSSCHHHOOOO!! He doubled over with a sneeze that seemed too large to have come from his small frame. Spencer groaned as he blew his nose several times. He sighed and coughed roughly just as he heard a knock on his door. Hotch opened the bedroom door and stuck his head inside.

“You okay?” Reid nodded. “Can you handle a visitor?” Hotch asked. The words were barely out of his mouth before Jack appeared at his father’s side looking like a puppy itching to be let off its leash. Reid nodded again and Hotch looked at his son. “Remember, he’s sick.” Jack did his very best not to launch himself at his Uncle Spencer, reigning himself to eagerly climbing onto the bed. His eyes narrowed just like his father’s did when he was surveying a situation. Jack frowned as he took in Spencer’s unshaven face and pale complexion. He put a small hand on Reid’s forehead.

“Daddy, he has a temperature,” he said seriously.

“Does he?” Hotch asked, approaching the bed. He also felt Reid’s forehead and concurred with his son’s diagnosis. “Don’t worry, Jack. It’s not too bad.”

“Is Daddy taking care of you?” he asked Spencer. Reid cleared his throat.

“Yeah he is.” That answer seemed to satisfy Jack and he settled down on the bed and began explaining his latest exploits at school and soccer. Hotch took advantage of the distraction to let a little light into the room and assess what Reid needed. He took the wastebasket that was nearly overflowing with tissues and went to empty it. Then he grabbed a new box of Kleenex and poured Reid a glass of orange juice before coming back into the bedroom. It was clear that Jack hadn’t stopped talking while his father was gone and Hotch felt obliged to give Reid an out if he wanted it.

“Jack, Uncle Spencer isn’t feeling well. You may need to let him rest.”

“I’b okay,” Reid said in a raspy voice, accepting the glass of juice from Hotch. It wasn’t the smile Aaron was hoping for, but it was the first time Reid hadn’t taken the opportunity to be alone. He’d take what he could get these days.

“You wanna watch a movie?” Jack asked. Reid’s body language clearly said no, but he didn’t have the heart to tell Jack no.

“Sure. You caahhh…AHH…” Spencer turned his back to the little boy and pinched his nose. HehhNGTSHH! HehhSNTCHHH! Hehh Ahh…HahhEHHSNTSSHHHooo! Unable to stifle the last one, he settled for catching the wet sneeze in his hands. Hearing the desperate wet sniffling, Hotch quickly grabbed a few tissues and reached over his son.

“Here,” he said, holding this tissues right in front of Reid’s face. Humiliated, Spencer quickly snatched the tissues and pressed them to his streaming nose.

“Bless you, Uncle Spencer,” Jack said, oblivious to Reid’s embarrassment.

“Thag you,” he said after blowing his nose. “Why don’t you pick out a bovie and I’ll be there in a binute?” Jack grinned and hopped off the bed. Hotch lingered for a moment and watch Reid swing his legs over the edge of the bed.

“If you don’t feel up to it, it’s okay,” Hotch said. “He’ll understand.” Reid rubbed his forehead and sighed.

“No, it’s fine. It’s just a movie.” Once Reid stood up, Hotch looked him over.

“Do you feel any better?” he asked. Reid shrugged.

“I don’t know.”

“Okay,” Hotch said, believing that Reid truly couldn’t tell if he was feeling better or not. “I was thinking we’d have pizza tonight, but I’m happy to get something else if that doesn’t sound good to you. I’d really like you eat something before the day’s over.”

“Pizza’s fine,” Spencer said as his eyes glazed over in the familiar pre-sneeze look. This time Reid was able to pull a few tissues from the box before sneezing a wet double, HehhNGTsschhooo! Heh EHH HehAHHNSZSHHOOO!!

“Bless you,” Hotch said. Reid nodded his thanks and took a sip of orange juice before taking the glass and his box of tissues into the living room. He sat down on the sofa with a tired sigh. Jack had a variety of movies spread out on the floor trying to come to a decision. He finally settled on Cars and popped it into the DVD player. He settled down next to Spencer and hit play. Hotch smiled as he watched Jack lean against Reid’s side, becoming engrossed in a movie he’d seen at least fifteen times. Reid frequently had to sneeze, cough, and blow his nose, but Jack was unfazed—just happy to have one of his favorite people at his side.

After pizza, another movie, and getting his soccer gear ready for the next morning, the youngest Hotchner was fading.

“Okay, Jack. Time for bed,” Aaron said.

“Do I have to?” he asked, yawning. One look at his father indicated that, yes, he did have to. Jack said goodnight to Spencer and made his way to his room.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Hotch said. After he tucked his son in and explained where his nightlight had gone, Hotch made tea for Reid and himself. He put both mugs on the coffee table and turned to Spencer. “Do you have the energy to talk for a few minutes?” he asked.

“About what?” Reid asked.

“I have something I want to show you.” Hotch went to his office and retrieved the legal pad. He sat down across from Reid and then handed it to him. Even feverish, tired, and depressed, Hotch could still hear anger in Reid’s scratchy voice.

“What the hell is this?” he demanded. Hotch sighed.

“It’s my last resort,” he said.

“You thought profiling me would somehow convince me to stay at the BAU?” Reid asked.

“No. In fact I knew it might make you angry enough to finalize your decision.”

“Then why…why?”

“Because nothing I’ve tried has worked. I don’t know how to get through to you and now I think I know why,” Hotch said, nodding towards his report. “And because I am worried about you. Spencer, I am worried about you,” he repeated slowly.

“M’fine,” Reid mumbled.

“No you’re not,” Hotch said.

TBC...

[Amberlight24]

This is as always amazing! I really love how you put so much thought and fluff together...its just perfect! I'm really interested to see how Reid reacts and if he'll let Hotch in...so sweet!

[darkness-is-the-light]

Oh my lord, could this get any better? I can't wait to see what will happen next. I really wish they would make an episode revolved around this, but no, the writers are too mean to us *pouts in a corner*.

[Amberlight24]

I agree with you Belieber!!!!