The Cold and the Case: Present for Sophie83540(CM, Reid)

[24Me]

An awesome friend of mine, Sophie83450, has been giving me nothing but support and help from the time that I started writing fanfictions. I've had a hard year, and she's been supporting me through it all. She's awesome, and I wanted to do something to repay her, so I asked her for her dream fic prompt. I hope I did it justice! There's another part or two coming, but I wanted to get this one up. Thanks for being so sweet and kind, Sophie!

Reid is sick on a case, Hotch lets his fatherly instincts take over as he cares for Reid. No slash or funny business or anything. Set in season 1, between episodes 6 and 12, but no spoilers(at least in this part). I own nothing!

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"What? I called ahead!"

Hotch looked up from the file he was reviewing at the sound of JJ's alarmed voice.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we don't have six rooms."

He placed the file securely in his bag, and strode over to the front desk. The sooner they got the keys, the sooner Reid could get some rest-he looked exhausted. He had also been suspiciously quiet all day, particularly as the hours ticked by, and had ducked into the restroom twice more than was usual-both times, right before getting into the SUV.

"How many rooms are available?"

The man behind the front desk looked at him with an expression of intimidation and apprehension-the effect Hotch had been going for.

"Three, Agent. Two full-size beds in each." JJ and Hotch exchanged glances.

"We could double up." JJ said, her tone a question. Hotch nodded.

"Thank you. We'll take them." He took the keys, and walked to the rest of the group. He glanced at Reid, who was leaning against a wall, his eyes closed and hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket, and made an executive decision. "Morgan, Rossi? You're in room 340C. Prentiss, you're with JJ in 123A. Reid? You're with me, 245B. Get some rest-we'll meet down here tomorrow at 7."

Reid's body immediately tensed when Hotch announced that they would be rooming together. He was obviously intimidated by his boss, and Hotch hated to make him feel uncomfortable, but he wanted to keep an eye on the younger agent, just to be sure he was okay.

The pair walked took the stairs in silence, then started down the musty-smelling hallway. Reid seemed to be struggling slightly to keep up, so Hotch slowed his pace.

"Want me to get your bag?" Reid's pale cheeks flushed pink.

"No thanks-I've got it." He answered quietly. Aaron let the matter drop, and fished the key card out of his pocket once they reached the door. It took a minute to get open.

"Hh-gnsh." The sneeze was quiet and subdued-nearly silent, even in the empty hallway-but Reid's whole body shuddered with the force of it. Hotch felt a sudden sense of clarity wash over him-his youngest agent was sick. Deciding to throw him a bone, Hotch pretended he hadn't noticed the sneeze, and opened the door, holding it open for Reid to walk through.

"Which bed would you like?" Reid asked quietly, a hint of congestion in his voice. Hotch claimed the one nearest to the door-a habit of his-and chose not to comment. The younger agent have a soft sniffle, and immediately went into the restroom. Hotch heard the sound of water running, as well as a muffled "tssch! Hhhkkkttsh!" and something that sounded suspiciously like a dry, raspy cough before Reid emerged, his face pale except for his pinkening nose and cheeks. Hotch hid a concerned frown-there had been a cold going around Jack's school recently that had left the little boy looking much like Reid did three weeks prior, and it hadn't been a fun week. Jack had been tired, listless, and feverish for days, and had also spent quite a bit of time coughing and sneezing-which had then taken down his Aunt and mother the week after. Hotch really hoped that that wasn't what Reid had-he was worried about the agent.

As he stood to unpack his suitcase, he snuck another look at the young genius. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, shoulders hunched and tensed, looking tired, embarrassed, uncomfortable, and unsure of what to do with himself. The older agent was tempted to say something, but held his tongue for the moment. Hopefully, this was a merely a slight cold, and Reid would be able to sleep it off. Fussing over him would only put him on the defensive, and make him work himself into the ground.

--

Reid was not thrilled with the situation in any way, shape, or form. He had been coming down with what promised to be his annual cold from hell, and had been hoping to keep it from the team. He'd been planning on spending his moments in the hotel room self-medicating and resting to kick it, or at least delay symptoms. Now, he had to hide his burgeoning cold from a very observant boss who intimidated the crud out of him, an activity at which he expected to fail miserably in.

He wasn't quite sure what to do with himself. To stick to his normal pattern, he still had at least 3 hours before another trip to the bathroom, as he had used one to have a sneezing fit once inside the hotel room. At barely 8:00, it was too early to sleep, particularly since they had a "late" call time the next morning. There weren't books, other than a dusty bible, in the room; he didn't watch TV and wasn't sure if Hotch did or not; and it was too late at night to justify a trip out of the room. Awkward silence seemed the best fit for the present moment.

In truth, sleep sounded amazing. His head was pounding, his skin felt too tight, he was willing to bet on a low grade fever, and everything in his body ached. Plus, there was the stupid runny congestion both plugging and threatening to leak from his nose, which was buzzing with a ticklish, tingling feeling that promised that this cold would be one filled with sneezing and sniffling galore-unfortunate, when you had a boss and profiler as a roommate for the foreseeable future. It was going to be a long case.

--

Hotch finished unpacking, hung his suit up in the closet, and laid out his clothes for the next morning at the foot of his bed, before sitting down at the small table in the room to review the case file. He heard the sound of a zipper, and hazarded a glance-Reid was sitting cross legged, bent over so that his elbows were on his knees and his head propped in his hands, staring intensely down at the file. The notoriously stern profiler felt a swell of fatherly affection, something that he felt often around the younger profiler. He looked much younger than his years like that, all folded up and a pensive, a childlike expression stretched across his features.

They reviewed in silence for roughly ten minutes, before a sniff caught Hotch's attention. He fought the urge to look up, unwilling to embarrass Reid. A few moments later, there was another liquid sniffle followed by a sharp intake of breath, and he looked up just in time to see Reid's blonde head bob forward with several harshly stifled sneezes.

"Hhghn! Nngh! Nnngxt! Hhh-ggxt!"

They had obviously shifted the congestion, because Reid sniffed near continuously for about 20 seconds, before his boss took pity on him and retrieved the tissue box from the bathroom, and deposited them on the bed in front of his younger agent.

"Bless you." He said quietly, before sitting down and going back to the file while Reid turned away and gave a soft, but productive-sounding, blow.

"Thangk you." This time, there was more than a trace of congestion when Reid spoke. Hotch was itching to ask Reid if he was okay, but held his tongue, knowing how his younger agent responded to concern from others.

--

Reid was absolutely mortified as he was forced to give a relentless series of wet, drippy sniffles following an equally mortifying sneezing fit. He heard Hotch get up, but kept his eyes downcast, wishing he could just disappear. That urge tripled when his boss placed a box of tissues on the bed. Reid immediately felt his face burn in humiliation.

"Bless you." He looked up in surprise at Hotch's words-his voice was filled with suspicion, clarity, and something that, if it had come from someone else, Reid would have labeled as concern. His boss was already sitting down, though, and disappearing into the file. He blew his nose before speaking, which made him feel a bit better, but also irritated his sensitive nose.

"Thangk you." Reid wanted to groan in annoyance-he sounded stuffy. This year's cold seemed to be pretty content to settle into his head-unfortunate, as he wound up a drippy, blocked up, sneezing mess whenever he had a head cold.

Every year, he managed to catch some god-awful germ or virus. However, this was his first year coming down with something under the watch of a certain intimidating profiler with the initials of AH, and he wasn't sure he could suffer through it as unobtrusively as he had in college, or in his childhood, where he had either worn a mask to protect others and toughed it out, or locked himself in his room, respectively. His brain took a rabbit trail and jumped back to four years ago, when he had had a nasty head cold turned sinus infection. The year after that, he hadn't gotten a cold-he'd gotten food poisoning-but that had just been hell and he didn't even want to think about it. Reid had to concede that he preferred a miserable head-concentrated cold(this wasn't as limited to his nose as his last one had been) to food poisoning. He also preferred it to last year's cold, which had been stuck in his chest, and stuck him with a congested, hacking cough that turned to bronchitis, which had then proceeded to last for nearly two months, most likely due to lack of sleep and adequate nutrition brought on by writing a major paper.

His nose tingled, jerking him from his thoughts, and he gently pressed a finger to the twitchy, already-slightly-raw, appendage. The edges of his nostrils felt damp and cool, while his sinuses felt hot, like a miniature feather pillow had exploded inside them. He suspected that Hotch had noticed something was up already, and really didn't want to add any fuel to that fire by sneezing again. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to have much choice in the matter.

Stop it! Reid ordered himself. You should be able to control a simple sternuatory reflex brought on by an immuno response to a mere rhinovirus. A rapid expulsion of mucous and air isn't necessary, and now is not the time.

No matter how he rationalized it, however, his body refused to obey his demands, so he took in a nearly silent gasp of air, crushed his nose in his fingers, and let his head bob forward three times in rapid succession. That didn't seem to satisfy the itchy tickle in any way, though, and he pitched forward with another, less stealthy inhale.

"Hhgnt! Nngt! Gnnt! Hhhggnish!" The final sneeze seemed to bring some relief, but he knew that his fit hadn't escaped his boss. He refused to look up, his cheeks on fire as he felt Hotch's piercing, calculating gaze on him.

"Bless you." Hotch seemed to be about to say more, but stopped himself. Reid didn't look up from the file.

"Thagk you." He whispered, mortified beyond belief at his body's betrayal. His ears felt nearly as hot as his throat. The stifling had left his already aching head throbbing, his sinuses more clogged, and made him more focused on his unpleasant symptoms. He just wanted to crawl under the covers and sleep for a week. Trying to relieve the pressure, he brought a hand back up to his nose and massaged his forehead and the bridge of his nose.

A soft clearing of the throat from Hotch made him jerk his head up.

"I'b sorry, sir-whad was thad?" The horribly nasal quality of his voice made him cringe internally.

"I just asked if you were feeling alright?"

Reid nodded, determined to keep as low of a profile as possible.

"I'b finde-jusd allergies." His voice cracked at the end of the word, causing him to cough dryly into a closed fist for a few moments. He looked anywhere but at his boss, trying not to look as guilty as he felt.

--

Hotch didn't believe for a second that Reid was suffering from allergies. Their hotel was a bit musty, yes, but Prentiss was highly allergic to dust, and had less severe allergies to mold and mildew, and would have been showing visible symptoms after spending nearly 20 minutes in the hotel lobby. Garcia had told him the pollen count was extremely low-it was cold and had just rained earlier that day, and the hotel had an extremely strict no-pets policy, with the guide-animal rooms on the first floor for convenience of their people. Besides that, Reid showed no symptoms of ocular or dermal irritation, one or both of which were usually present in an allergy attack. Given his symptoms, and the fact that Hotch was a father of a four year old and had a good intuition, Reid was all but certainly ill. The only trouble was getting Reid to admit it without pushing him too far.

He paused for a moment to figure out a strategy for dealing with this. His instinct was to force Reid to admit he was ill, but experience told him that wouldn't work. He figured his best option was to try to get Reid to go to bed early, which would allow him a good night's sleep to try and kick the cold. Then, if Reid wasn't better by morning, Hotch could deal with that.

"Ah-ngsh! Hhh-NGsh! Tsscht! Hhhgsht! Kttsh!" The five sneezes were breathy, almost like kitten sneezes. Hotch opened his mouth to bless Reid, but was cut off by that raspy, dry cough that sounded like it was torn from the lining of his subordinate's throat. The older man frowned, and got up to get a bottle of water from the small fridge in the corner of the room. When the spasms eased, Aaron handed it to the blushing blonde genius.

"Bless you, Reid. Are you alright?" He had to consciously resist touching Reid's forehead to check for a fever, though, judging by the slight heat radiating off the younger profiler, he had his answer anyway. Reid nodded, obviously embarrassed as he had no choice but to take the bottle and drink from it, trying and failing to conceal a wince.

That did it for Hotch. He wasn't prepared to deal with an illness, so he grabbed his keys off of the dresser and pocketed them before looking in his suitcase, and pretending to be missing something.

"I need to run out and grab a couple things. Do you need anything?" Reid shook his head. Hotch nodded, and left with a "I'll be back in a bit".

--

The moment his boss was out of earshot, Reid let out a low groan and slumped backwards, massaging his throbbing temples and letting himself feel miserable. This cold was kicking his butt. He'd felt it coming on the day before, when they hadn't gotten this case yet, and he had desperately hoped that he could keep it under wraps. One missed bus on a cold drizzly night later, and that hope was gone.

He had no doubt his boss knew about his illness. The tickle in his nose refused to leave him alone, so he had sniffled, coughed, and sneezed repeatedly. Hotch had obviously been disgusted and left. Speaking of tickle...

Alone in the hotel room, Reid just grabbed two tissues, layered them together, and then snapped up a bit off the pillows with each sneeze.

"HhhihYIISHoo! HhhhtSHIEW! Hhhih...TSCHIEW! Ahhh...huhhh...hhhKKTSHeew!" The sneezes were nasal, high pitched, breathy, and desperate-he hated it. They screamed illness, and each one taunted him with a buildup of one or two breaths before giving him the release he craved. His allergies were awful too, but they always tumbled out over each other, nonstop. Two opposite ends of the miserable spectrum. He supposed it was fascinating after the affliction passed-analyzing how he sneezed, or how something affected him and how to prevent it in the future, but in the midst of it, it was annoying.

Reid quickly found himself becoming tired, and decided that it wouldn't hurt to close his eyes until Hotch got back. It might ease the pounding and squeezing behind his eyes a bit. With a soft sigh and a sniffle, he scooted backwards and propped himself in an upright position against the pillows that rested against the headboard. He might as well take a quick nap, too-twenty minutes should do it.

--

Hotch returned nearly an hour later from his shopping trip, carrying two bags of supplies. He stepped inside the dark room, but something stopped him from calling out or flipping the light switch. He switched on the dim light close to the door, and let his eyes rest on Reid, who was huddled against the headboard, mouth open as he gave soft, congested snores.

The older man frowned deeply. It was just past 9 o'clock-too early to be sleeping. Reid must be sicker than he thought. He laid out the supplies on the nightstand: cough syrup, cough drops, tissues, DayQuil, NyQuil, Ibuprofen, orange juice for the mini fridge, a thermometer, and a decongestant. Hopefully, the medication would help Reid feel better.

Now came the issue of whether or not to wake the sleeping agent. He couldn't sleep upright-it would hurt his neck-and he was shivering. Hotch could probably maneuver him into a prone position, but Reid would be humiliated if he woke up. On the other hand, waking Reid would also embarrass him. He stepped forward and placed a hand on his agent's forehead, which elicited a frown from him and a low groan, followed by a cough, from Reid. The younger man was warm, though his temperature was probably not elevated above 100 degrees.

To delay his decision, and possibly allow Reid to wake up on his own, Hotch decided to get ready himself. He spent about ten minutes brushing teeth, combing his hair, washing his face, and changing into a long sleeved shirt that hugged his muscular arms and highlighted, but didn't cling to, his built trunk, and a pair of sweatpants before heading back into the bedroom to get into bed around 9:20.

A glance at the young profiler showed that he was still sleeping soundly, so Hotch decided to wait until 10 to wake him. He settled onto his bed, sitting on top of the covers, clipped a book light to the case file, and turned off the light in the corner. It wasn't a perfect arrangement, but it was quiet and wouldn't disturb Reid.

At 9:47, the sound of rolling over made Hotch look over at Reid's bed, which let him see Reid swing his legs over the side and turn on the light by his bed, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he did so. He caught sight of the goodies on the table, and frowned, obviously confused.

"I'b sorry, Hotdch, butd are you okay?" Aaron nodded, concerned. His youngest agent was more congested, and also sounding hoarser than before.

"I'm fine, Reid. Are you?"

It was hard to tell in the dim, warm glow of the lamp, but it looked like the genius was blushing when he answered.

"Yeah-itd's jusdt allergies. I'll be finde."

Hotch swung his legs over the side, and walked over to stand beside Reid's bed, looking down with his arms folded over his chest and giving his agent a touch of the signature "Hotch Glare". He arched an eyebrow, noting that Reid looked embarrassed and uncomfortable.

"Are you sure that's what it is?" Reid shuffled his feet, not really looking at his boss when he answered.

"Yepb. I'mb pberfecdtky finde."

Hotch sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.

[darkness-is-the-light]

Oh my god. You are so incredibly sweet! I almost cried while reading the beginning... And the story is truly wonderful. Thank you so much! I never expected this.

[AnteatersOnParade]

This is a wonderful gift! So beautifully written! The character interactions are very thoughtful and seriously well-balanced. Plus, Reid's cold is written so perfectly. This is fantastic!!! It's very obvious that a lot of care went into creating this; Sophie's a lucky chicka!

[party_snake]

Oh my gosh this fic is amazing! Reid too cute!! Please continue! <3

[meepsy]

Wow this is one of the most intricate and well-written sneezefics I've ever read! You described Reid's cold symptoms beautifully -- I can really feel how miserable he is! So great -- please, please continue!!!

[jezebel215]

this is really good! i love how hotch has to be stern to be caring and reid is just ... reid :-)

[24Me]

You guys are the sweetest people! Thank you so, so much! You have no idea how much that means! Sophie, I'm so glad you liked it!

Thank you all for your patience. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of preparing for auditions, auditions, studying for finals, and dance classes, so finding time to write has been challenging. I've been able to get part 2 done, though! I'm suspecting that there will be 1-2 more parts after this, but we'll see. As always, feedback is lovely, and I hope you enjoy!!!

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The tension in the room was nearly palpable for almost a minute before Aaron finally caved. The longer he kept Reid up, the less chance he had to sleep it off.

"Alright. I'm going to turn in, and I would suggest you do the same-we have a busy day tomorrow." The younger man nodded, then stood up and trudged to the bathroom, stopping only to grab a few tissues and his pajamas.

As soon as the door was shut, Hotch let a frustrated sigh escape his lips. He was irritated that Reid wanted to hide his illness, but even more irritated that he couldn't rightly be judgmental about it-after all, he was the same way. The two of them were one in the same in their approach to illness-rather than trying to "milk" it, or spend time with people, they chose the "family dog behind the couch" approach.

He wasn't tired, but decided to try to sleep, anyway, if only so that Reid would, too. Aaron was only beneath the covers for a moment when he heard a soft set of sneezes, followed by several miserable-sounding rounds of nose blowing and a chesty, hoarse cough.

"Hh-TSHssh! Hhh-NGSshhh! Huh...KTSchhh!"

They were partially stifled and heavily muffled, but the unit chief had a son, and could detect signs of illness in others from a mile away. A moment later, Reid emerged, looking vulnerable and sick. His face was paler than normal with the beginnings of a fever flush high in his cheeks, dark shadows under his eyes, and a red, raw-looking nose. Hotch turned out his light and rolled over, allowing Reid to settle into bed without scrutiny. He had thought that he wouldn't be able to fall asleep, but the day must have been longer than he thought, and he was asleep within ten minutes.

--

Reid, on the other hand, could not seem to get comfortable enough to fall asleep. He was too hot with the covers on and shivering slightly without them, which was extremely unpleasant and led to tossing and turning that served no purpose. He'd stayed still until he'd heard Hotch's breathing even out, then he had started shifting to try and find a more comfortable position, which had been in vain. The congestion and tickle in his swollen nose was making it impossible to rest comfortably-it was a classic "Spencer Reid" head cold. It had started off mild and then started rapidly worsening. By his best guess, it would probably keep worsening until at least the next night, where it would plateau and leave him a sneezy, miserable mess for a few days. For the time being, sleep wasn't going to happen.

With a soft sigh, he cast a longing look at the medications on the nightstand next to him. On one hand, he was pretty sure that he would feel better after taking them. On the other, Hotch would notice they were open, and would know for certain that he was sick. As of now, the genius was clinging to a desperate hope that Hotch believed his "allergy" story, though that was highly unlikely, and he really preferred to keep it that way.

The fluttering, miserable tickle distracted him from his internal debate, and he felt his nostrils flare against his will. He raised a hand and gently rubbed a loosely-curled finger underneath his irritated, germ-ridden nose, hoping it would be enough to alleviate the tickle. It was, for the time being-the tingly sensation retreated once again to his sinuses, leaving his nasal passages somewhat less compacted.

Quietly, he swung his long, gangly legs over the side of the bed, and grabbed the tissue box before padding into the bathroom and shutting the door. Only then did he turn on the light, grab a handful of the tissues, and give a thick, gurgling blow that he did his best to keep quiet. One was definitely not enough, so he threw the soaked tissues away and repeated the process two more times before giving several tentative sniffles. His nose felt sore, raw, and hot, but his passages were slightly less clogged.

The sick profiler returned to the bedroom and sank down under the covers gratefully, then immediately fumbled for the tissues as the urge to sneeze surged through him. He barely got them to his twitching, red nose in time to stifle the sneeze so that he wouldn't wake his sleeping boss.

"Hhhgnkts! Ngtks! Ngknts! Hhh...hhhNGSTK!"

He felt far from done, and was puzzling through which was worse: waking Hotch and letting him be witness to this humiliating display, or continuing to stifle, which was immensely difficult and painful. Stifling seemed the way to go, though. He drew in another shuddering gasp, and redoubled his grip on his nostrils.

"Aah-ggnkts! Nnnhgksh! Ttkch! Hhh...hhhkktnx! Ngts! Ngsht!"

For the time being, the niggling ticklish itch receded, leaving him sniffling and feeling fatigued, sick, and miserable. The pounding in his sinuses, as well as the congestion clogging his nose, made it impossible to close his eyes, though the stifling had spared his throat, which he was grateful for. Unfortunately, the tickle that had been in his nose shifted focus, causing him to clamp a pillow over his mouth as he coughed harshly into it, the chesty coughs scraping against his raw throat. The spasms finally eased, and he replaced the pillow beneath his head after looking over to be sure Hotch hadn't woken-he hadn't.

Getting out of bed had helped him to to stop feeling overheated, at least-he was now just chilled, and loathe to get out of bed again. However, he really needed to blow his nose again, so he grabbed a large handful of tissues and returned to the bathroom. It was cold and his sinuses were throbbing, and he felt absolutely horrible as he blew his nose, wincing as the pain in his sinuses was exacerbated by the vibrations. Reid made a mental note to keep an eye on that-he didn't need a sinus infection, although he had to concede that there was a *slight* possibility that that was what this was. He could see how he was feeling in the morning, he decided, before throwing the soggy tissues into the trash can and plodding back to bed.

It seemed like he had just gotten settled under the covers when that pesky tickle flared into an itch again, and he was forced to sneeze into his pillow-which was so unsanitary that he didn't really want to think about it-in order to muffle the sternuatory explosion.

"Aammgackpshh!"

As his breath hitched wildly following that sneeze, Reid pinched his nose shut with one hand and fumbled for the tissues with the other. He got them to his nose just in time to sneeze into them-far preferable to his bare hands, or the pillow.

"Hhgnshhh! Hhh-hihhgsshoo! HNnipshuh! Ttshoo!"

They were more high pitched than his normal sneezes, and harder to stifle, too-they were still quiet, but less so than the previous fits. There was a similar follow up, though-another raspy, painful coughing fit.

Fifteen minutes, one trip to the bathroom to blow his nose and get water, and one sneezing fit later, Reid was finally able to get comfortable enough to feel able to fall asleep. He settled back against the pillows, and shut his eyes. One hour later, he was finally asleep (just after midnight), though not before three more sneezing fits. This was shaping up to be one nasty head cold.

"Hhggshoo! Hhtschoo! Nnggshuh!"

"Aackpshoo! Hhhggtshuh! Nnnptsh! Kkktschuh!"

"Hhhihh...hhnngshhh! Tsssschoo! Hhhpshuh! Tschiew! Nngxxtsh! Hhkkstchoo!"

--

Morning came all to quickly for Reid when he had to slap his alarm off after what felt like only minutes of sleep. He sat up and pressed a hand to his forehead as the dull, pounding headache he had been nursing spiked to a sharp throbbing as a result of the movement, and assessed how he was feeling. Definitely no better-actually, quite a bit worse. His whole face felt like it was weighed down by the concrete in his sinuses, there was the obvious headache, and he could feel that there was a collection of mucous in his chest. Just great.

The sound of a door opening startled him, and he jerked his head up-unable to cover a wince as he did so-to look right into the worried eyes of Aaron Hotchner. His boss was holding a cardboard tray that held two cups and a brown bag, but what struck Reid more was how tired he seemed. Hotch looked like he hadn't slept any more than Reid had, which was weird.

Unbeknownst to Spencer, Hotch was an extremely light sleeper, and had woken up when Reid had shut the door to the bathroom the first time. He had laid awake and worried the entire time, listening to Spencer toss, turn, cough, and sneeze. Only respect for Spencer's privacy kept him from acknowledging that he was awake, though every fiber of his being screamed at him to treat him like Jack for five minutes to make him feel better.

Hotch came over and placed one of the cups on the tray, and got a bagel and fruit cup out of the paper bag and handed them to the younger agent.

"Breakfast." He explained following a questioning look. "I doubted that you would really feel up to much before going in today." Even illness-fogged, Reid picked up on the meaning behind the words and careful tone-Hotch knew he was sick. He made a last resort to dig in his heels and insist he was fine.

"I'b fide." Unfortunately, he hadn't counted on the fact that his voice was an octave deeper than normal, weak, hoarse, and hopelessly congested. "It's just allergies." He added quickly, though he knew at this point he wasn't going to get away with hiding his illness. In all honesty, he didn't feel up to it-his face felt like it was on fire and he felt so, so tired. Going back to bed sounded awesome.

Hotch set the rest of the food on the dresser and walked over to sit on his bed, facing directly across from the young genius and leveled him with a mild glare.

"Reid. Now you're insulting not only my skills as a profiler, but also as a father." The words would have hurt had they not been delivered in a light tone with a smile in his eyes. As it was, Reid cracked a sheepish smile.

"Right. Sorry." Even though Aaron knew, he was very reluctant to show just how crappy he was feeling. His nose didn't particularly care about his mortification though, and he was forced to yank a handful of tissues to the germ-ridden appendage as a ticklish itch surged out of nowhere.

"Okay. How are you fee-"

"HhhNNGSHuh! KTCHuh! HhhGGSHoo! Hhh...hihh...TSCHuh!NGSH!PSHoo! Hhhh...hihh...hhhh..."

He desperately needed to sneeze, but it was stuck. Reid could feel his cheeks burning as he realized how stupid he must look, head tipping backwards and damp tissues a few inches from his face. His embarrassment only increased as the bed dipped, and warm, strong hands swapped out the wilted tissues for dry ones, which was super gross. He turned away as quickly as possible, hunching in on himself in an effort to avoid Hotch.

"GNNXTsh! HGSHuh! NXGTshoo! Kstch!-NGSH-GGSHoo! HhhanGGSHoo!"

The final sneeze bent him in half with the force required to stifle it, his head spinning and breath coming in soft, ragged breaths as he tried to catch it. His sinuses were pounding after stifling so much, and he felt humiliated and defeated. What was worse was that there was a warm hand on his back, and another on his forearm, bracing him as he recovered.

"Bless you, Reid. Are you alright?"

Reid nodded slightly, and sniffed twice-deep and gurgling, though they had been gentle-as he tried to put off blowing his nose until his boss was no longer holding onto him. Thankfully, Hotch seemed to get the message, and stood up. A moment after, Reid heard the sound of a cardboard box being opened, and when he opened his eyes after blowing his nose, Hotch was sitting across from him with a thermometer in his hand, concern visible in his piercing gaze.

"I had started to ask you how you were feeling, but I think I have an idea." Reid blushed.

"I'b okay. It's just a little cold. I cad work." Hotch narrowed his eyes, assessing him.

"I need you to be honest with me, Reid. You don't look well, and I'm concerned that you might have a sinus infection, or at the very least, what Jack had. Now, how are you really feeling?"

In fact, Reid was pretty sure that he had one or both of what his boss had mentioned. From what he had heard, Jack had been really miserable-Aaron had taken three half days to stay home with him. He rubbed a hand over his face, suddenly feeling very tired.

"Ub, dot great." He admitted, then grabbed a tissue, turned away, and blew his nose as quietly and politely as possible before turning back to face Hotch. "Ugh, sorry."

Hotch waved him off.

"Please don't worry about it. I can tell that you aren't feeling very comfortable with this, and I wish you wouldn't be embarrassed. You can't help getting sick."

"Thadnks." He was still congested, but at least he was less so. "I'bm dnot feelidng great, I guess."

He punctuated that statement with a congested cough that he directed into his elbow before getting under control with a few sips of water. Following that, he had to blow his nose again, as the congestion had increased during the coughing fit, and he blushed at the gurgling.

"Sorry, excuse mbe." Reid mumbled, not making eye contact as he rubbed the back of his neck, feeling uncomfortable and embarrassed.

"Spencer. You have nothing to apologize for. How about you tell me what's not feeling well, so that I can see if we have medicine for it here, and then you go back to sleep for a little while?" The younger man frowned.

"Wait, I cadn work-" He protested feebly. Hotch shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Reid, but not today. Don't worry-the team can work without you, even if they would prefer not to. It won't kill Morgan to do his own paperwork."

That made Reid crack a smile, miserable as he was. Hotch returned it with half of one of his own.

"What's hurting, for lack of a less fatherly to put it?" He asked, eyes laughing. Reid smiled again.

"Uh...mby throat adnd head ache, adnd I thindk I mbight have a fev-hhhihhh-fever..." He trailed off, breath hitching audibly, and grabbed a handful of tissues to sneeze thickly into them. Hotch caught a glimpse just before that of Reid's wildly flaring nostrils and half shut eyes, face awash in ticklish misery, and winced in sympathy. The poor man sounded miserable-in the time that he had been awake, he hadn't gone five minutes without coughing or sneezing.

"Hhh...hhhGNXTshuh! GSSHuh! NGSH! NGXT! Hihhhh...hihhh...hhhKTSch! CSH! HGSHoo!"

The sneezes were stifled still, and Hotch could tell that Reid's sinuses were suffering for that as he turned away, wincing as he blew his nose.

"God bless you, Reid." The older agent said empathetically. The younger man nodded his thanks, and put his head in his hands miserably.

"Thadk you. Excuse be."

Hotch nodded.

"Let's just get some medication into you. I'll text Rossi and let him know you and I are staying back today."

[silentdreamer789]

This is so awesome. I don't even like Reid that much...but I love this!

[Kshu]

God this is wonderful!

[meepsy]

Oh my god he is SOOO miserable!! I loved how you went through his whole ordeal of having to get up so many times to blow his nose. And he's still so bashful about it!! Ahhh too cute! I can't wait for the next part!

[uniquelyme]

OMG!!!! THIS!!! This is soo amazing and fantastic!!! Reid and Hotch were always my favorite and this just is just capturing everything I could hope for in this fandom and Yesssss!! THIS!! This!! this......

[truth]

This is soO cute and hot at the same time omg yes give me MISERABLE. I've never even watched Criminal Minds but I love this.

[24Me]

Hi guys! So, updates are coming a lot more slowly than I had hoped-the musical I'm in really picked up the pace, and so did the other production I'm in. Between school, rehearsals, and dance classes, I haven't had much time to write. This part is shorter, but it's what I have written so far and I want to keep updating as frequently as possible. Thank you for understanding, anf enjoy!!!

Reid's fever flush immediately deepened.

"Oh, it's finde-you cand go, I'll be finde by mbyself-" Aaron shook his head.

"I'll work from here, and if the team needs me, the crime scene and precinct are both half an hour from here. They can handle it-I looked over the file, and it seems to be about as cut-and-dry as it gets." While it was true that he wasn't really needed, Hotch was really staying back to keep an eye on Reid, make sure he hydrated, and make sure he rested. He was hoping Reid could kick this before the flight home-otherwise, he was in for a rough time.

The blush didn't leave Reid's face as he asked a question.

"Mbay I at least work fromb here? I cand help." Again, Hotch shook his head, but gave a gentle faint smile.

"No. I'm sorry, but I really need you to rest today to try to get over whatever this is. You look exhausted, and you didn't sleep well last night." Reid didn't make eye contact as he realized that Hotch knew about his difficulty sleeping the night before.

"Wait-how did you kndow?"

This time Hotch winced-he felt badly that Reid was so embarrassed. His tone was apologetic when he spoke.

"I'm a light sleeper, and after spending the last few weeks waking up for Haley and Jack, I woke up. I'm sorry-I wasn't sure whether to let you know I was awake or not. I was trying to spare you from any embarrassment." Reid nodded.

"It's finde. I'mb really sorry I woke you-I was tryindg to be quiet, but I couldnd't get comfortable and I kept sndeezindg-"

"Reid. I'm not upset at all. You can't help being sick, I just hate that you don't feel well. Why don't you just take it easy today, and then we can re-evaluate tomorrow."

Though it was phrased as a question or request, Spencer knew an order when he saw it, and nodded.

"Okay. Thandk...hhh...thank you." He managed before sneezing again, a wrenching "HANGSCHeeeew!" that made his eyes water and his boss cringe in sympathy-the poor boy genius sounded absolutely miserable!

"Bless you. You're welcome. You should eat that-", he indicated the bagel, coffee, and small bowl of fruit, "-before it gets too cold. I'll text Rossi." Reid nodded, and began eating, wincing slightly as even the soft eggs and fruit aggravated his sore throat. Aaron eyed him surreptitiously with concern, and sat back against the headboard.

Dave, it's Aaron. Reid and I are staying back at the hotel today-he's got a cold and I want to keep an eye on him. Can you guys handle it today? -A.H.

A moment later, his phone vibrated in response.

We can handle it, don't worry. Is Reid okay? Do you need anything? He seemed particularly tired-and quiet-yesterday.

-D.R.

Hotch felt his lip tug upward in a minute smile. While it had been slightly nice to not be hearing so many facts and statistics the previous day, it had also been strange, worrying, and, in all honesty, too quiet.

He's alright-has a headcold from hell, though, I'm pretty sure it's what Haley and Jack had had. I made a run last night to the pharmacy, so we have it covered for now, but I'll let you know. -A.H.

Gotcha. Take care today. -D.R.

You, too. -A.H.

"HNGXTsh! NGXTshoo! Hhh...hhGSHuh!" The three, poorly stifled, sneezes drew Hotch away from his phone.

"God bless you. You shouldn't stifle like that-it'll make your sinuses hurt more."

Reid flushed.

"Sorry, I just...I dod't wadt to bother you."

Hotch sighed, and kept his voice gentle when he spoke.

"Spencer. For the last time, you aren't bothering me-you're sick and it's not your fault. I just care about your well being."

This time, the genius' face colored for a whole other reason. It took a moment for him to find his, albeit hoarse, voice.

"Thank you. That-thank you." His boss nodded.

"Any time. Now, let's take your temperature. Then, you can take some medication and try to get a little more sleep."

Reid nodded, then held up a finger and leaned away, doubling over with another fit.

"Hh-ESH-oo! HhhTSHoo! Hhh-PSSH-ooh! Hshioo! Gggsshuh! KTSSHoo!" He didn't turn back right away, instead keeping his hands over his mouth and nose.

"Bless you-" Hotch started, but was cut off by a desperate-sounding inhale and a simultaneous shake of the head from the younger agent.

"ACKPSHuh! HhhYISHoo! HhhDSCHuh! Ahhh...hihhh...Ack'PSH'tsh!" He immediately turned red following the fit of wet-sounding sneezes, and didn't remove his hands from his nose. "Excuse be for just a bobedt." It came out extremely congested. Hotch nodded.

"Gesundheit." Reid nodded his thanks, and retreated to the bathroom. The water ran, there was the sound of multiple wet, congested, gurgling blows, and then a raspy sounding fit of jagged coughs. He returned a moment later, still slightly flushed with embarrassment and with a much redder, more irritated-looking nose.

"I amb so sorry." He apologized. "That was so gross."

"It's perfectly alright. The thermometer is there when you're ready." Aaron was eager to find out the temperature-he was truly concerned about how ill Reid seemed.

The younger man sniffed experimentally, then placed the stick under his tongue. They say in silence for a minute until it beeped, and then he removed it.

"Onde-oh-onde poindt t-two-" Reid announced, his voice trailing off shakily towards the end of the sentence and giving a breathy hitch. "EhYISHoo! ESHOOoo! Hhh-YITSCH-oo!" Thankfully, there were only three this time, and he managed to get a tissue to his face in time to avoid a repeat of the previous fit. "Ugh, I'mb sorry, I just cand't seemb to stop sndeezindg!" His voice was frustrated.

Aaron nodded.

"It's perfectly fine-you can't help it. Why don't you take some DayQuil, cough syrup, and a decongestant, and then try to get some sleep? You might feel better when you wake up."

As much as Reid wanted to argue, he felt truly awful, and hadn't gotten much sleep, so he nodded. He downed the pills and syrup, wincing when they brushed his throat, and then blew his nose before slipping back under the covers. However, one last time, he tried to get his boss to let him work.

"Hotch? Are you sure you dond't wandt help with the case?"

"Reid. I'm going to put my foot down on this-you need to take it easy today, and we'll revisit this tomorrow."

As frustrating and embarrassing as it was to not be able to help due to a cold, Reid had to admit that he was glad to not have to push through. It would be hard to focus when he was coughing and sneezing all the time. It felt nice to lean back against the pillows and snuggle under the thick comforter as he tried to beat the slight fever chills.

Aaron listened from his place at the small table in the room as Reid's breathing evened out and turned to soft, congested snoring within minutes. He had a feeling that Reid wasn't going to be much better the next day, but they could cross that bridge when it came.

[jezebel215]

yay! :-) this was delightful, as always!

[darkness-is-the-light]

Still so very, very adorable. You are so very kind to be putting so much work and effort into this story that just happens to be absolutely wonderful.

[PetalPunk]

Omfg this is the best! I don't watch CM but I do t have to to see the. Character personalities within this fic. Seriously great job writing this. Keep up the amazing work! I get all fuzzy when I read a male sick doc and when it's written well I get extra fuzzy.

[24Me]

Thank you all so, so much for your patience with the slow updates! I was in a musical and didn't have time to write, but now I have a bit of free time again before my next show, so I'm trying to finish! Thank you for the lovely comments-they mean everything to me, and I'm so happy that you guys like this! It's turning out to be longer than expected, but I'm aiming to be done by June at the latest, factoring in writers block possibilities, finals, and two shows to prepare for. I'll get busy again in April, but I'll try to make sure I write when I can!

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It was roughly an hour later when Aaron's phone vibrated softly on the table, causing him to jump slightly. He looked over at the bed, and was relieved to see that Reid was still sound asleep-he hadn't even stirred. Quietly, he slipped into the bathroom and shut the door before answering the call.

"Hotchner."

"Hi, Hotch, it's JJ."

His brow furrowed unconsciously as he immediately wondered if something was wrong.

"JJ, is everything okay?"

"Yeah-Rossi just said to call if we had anything new, and we might have a suspect. Garcia's running him down now."

JJ's voice was calm, but he could hear quite a bit of activity in the background. Just as he was about to ask another question, JJ told him to hold on and held the phone against something, muffling the sound. People were speaking in the background, and it sounded urgent. She came back on a moment later.

"Hotch, we have the suspect. It's a Zachary Morrison-Garcia tracked him down to an abandoned cottage about three miles into the woods."

"JJ. Are you going on a raid?" His voice was serious.

"Yes. We're getting ready now."

Aaron bit his lip. He didn't want to leave Reid alone, but at the same time, he couldn't leave his team. He knew they could handle it, but he really didn't want them to have to.

"Okay. I'm going to meet you there."

"Oh, it's fine-we have it covered-" JJ started. Aaron shook his head.

"JJ. I know you have it covered but I would feel much better if I were there." He heard her sigh.

"We'll pick you up in twenty minutes."

They hung up at the same time, each hurrying to get ready. Hotch quickly but silently exited the bathroom after checking the weather on his phone(miserably cold and rainy, as it was late fall), then entered it once more to change into khaki pants, a black turtleneck, and gray woolen sweater. It took him less than two minutes to change and to put on a pair of hiking boots. Reid managed to stay asleep the entire time, so rather than wake him, Hotch simply wrote a note and placed it on the nightstand where Reid would see it if he woke.

Reid-

We have a possible UNSUB, and are going on a raid. My phone will be off, but I'll call once we are on our way back to see if you need anything. Try to relax, stay hydrated, and if you can, go back to sleep. We will be fine.

-Hotch

After placing the note, he grabbed his black coat and a thin pair of gloves, then placed his gun and badge on his belt, before rushing downstairs and waiting under the lip of the roof outside the hotel. It truly was miserable outside-it was very chilly, and not quite pouring, but close. He was glad when the team pulled up early, Rossi driving.

"How's Reid?" JJ asked the second he had sat down and buckled in.

"He's alright-sleeping right now. He didn't sleep well last night, and he feels miserable, but his fever is pretty low. I might take him to the doctor tomorrow to see if he has a sinus infection, though-he sounds awful."

JJ's eyebrows knitted together with worry.

"Oh, the poor thing-does he need anything?"

Hotch shook his head, giving her a small, grateful smile.

"No-I got a lot of supplies yesterday evening. Thank you so much, though." JJ nodded, and then returned to looking out the window.

Twenty minutes later, the SUV pulled to a halt at the end of a long dirt road, and the team piled out. Within minutes, they were buckled into Kevlar vests, guns loaded and drawn. It had mercifully ceased raining for the time being, but the wind was cold as ever.

"JJ, Jason, Elle-you take the front. If there's a basement, check there. Morgan-you're with me around back. We'll take the first floor. Once we're clear, Jason's group go to the second floor-we'll take the barn. Let's move."

The team quickly moved out, filing around the house while checking to make sure no side doors were available. Hotch went first while Morgan covered him, as Gideon and the female agents did the same. Hotch reached the back door, and yelled:

"FBI-open up." After repeating three times, he nodded to Morgan, who rammed the door, and then they moved in, guns drawn.

Years of sitting empty and falling apart had left the air inside the house thick with dust and mold. Layers of the stuff covered the walls and floors of the house, though the mold was mainly concentrated around the corners of the ceiling. Footprints were clearly visible, indicating someone had been here. The two men moved through the house, taking turns checking in the room and covering the other.

"Clear." Morgan finally whispered into headset.

"Clear." Gideon's reply relieved them all. "Heading to 2 now."

"Got it. We'll check the barn."

Morgan and Hotch retraced their steps, and exited through the back door. It was raining again, though not as hard as it had been. Having taken off his gloves to have better mobility, his hands were beginning to get cold and stiff. He was glad that JJ and Elle were inside, as chauvinistic as it was. Morgan covered him once again as he peered into the barn

The inside was in even worse shape than the house had been. Dust was thick in the air, and there had obviously been animals of some kind, judging by the manure. Seeing no immediate danger, he waived Morgan in.

Guns drawn, quite aware that the UNSUB would have an advantage in here, they crept slowly and carefully through the barn, methodically checking every stall, behind every piece of equipment, and behind the equipment wall. There had definitely been some sort of activity-bloody instruments and a bloodstain on the floor seemed like they were in the right place. At last, they checked the hayloft.

It was an easy takedown. Zachary surrendered quickly when Morgan and Hotch were both pointing their guns straight at him, and the police had taken him into custody and transported him to the prison, where he would be held for a few hours before being transferred to a federal penitentiary. The team was currently working to process the home and the barn. It was uncomfortable-the temperatures were in the low forties, it was pouring and windy outside, and the barn was incredibly drafty, as well as leaky.

"Good Lord, it's cold." Elle said with a rueful smile as she placed a knife into an evidence bag before handing it to a tech.

"I know-I'm freezing!" JJ made the mistake of adding. Both women seemed to forget who they were standing near. In a flash, Aaron had stripped off his coat and was holding it out to JJ, whose jacket was lighter than that of Elle's.

"Here." He said, his tone kind but firm. JJ shook her head.

"Oh, no, Hotch-then you won't have anything-" He gave her a mild glare.

"I'm fine, JJ. You, on the other hand, are shivering. Put this on." She knew better than to argue, instead accepting the coat and letting him help her slip into it. It was warm and smelled faintly of his cologne.

"Thank you, Hotch. Let me know if you want it back." He nodded, though both knew full well he would not ask for it. His eyes narrowed as he took in Elle's cold-flushed cheeks and slightly trembling hands, and he took off the pullover and his gloves.

"You should put this on under your coat." Both women desperately wished they hadn't said anything. Elle protested, but in the end, she was wearing his pullover and gloves. Hotch stoically continued to work in his turtleneck, though the way his muscles clenched in his back and jaw every so often, it was obvious he was trying to hold back shivers.

By the time they were finished with processing the scene, they were all damp and chilled. Hotch led the way back to the SUV, his hair and clothing quickly plastering to his skin in the downpour without a coat or hat. The moment they reached the car, Elle and JJ practically flew in, with Morgan climbing onto the bench seat between them and Gideon snagging shotgun. Hotch put a towel over the chair, and then climbed into the driver's seat. Beads of water dripped off his hair, his whole body was clenched to keep from shaking, and he looked colder than anyone else. Still, he swore that he would just need a hot shower and a change of clothes, and then he would be just fine.

---

Reid woke up a little over an hour after Hotch had left, and immediately sneezed harshly enough to send himself into a semi-upright position.

"Heh'EKSH'tttsh! Hhh'UCK'psh! Hhh...hhhGSSHuh! HhhhTSCHooh!"

Head spinning, hand still cupped loosely over his mouth, he stretched out the other and pulled a handful of tissues, which he immediately put to use. While the thick blow did clear his passages slightly, the vibration of blowing sent him into a chesty, jagged coughing fit that didn't end until he had popped a cough drop from the bag on the nightstand. When he finally caught his breath, he sat up slowly and immediately sneezed again as the congestion shifted.

"Heh'ETSCH! KTSHuh! Hhh'PSH'iew! Hhh...hhh'GSH'uh! TSCHOO! Hhh'RSH'uh! Hhh...hhhh...ETSHooh! Hhh'YISH!" The sneezes left him dizzy and didn't fully satisfy the teasing itch plaguing his sinuses, and he scrubbed at his nose furiously before finally venturing a glance at the clock. It was 12:28-he had been asleep for at least two hours, which was embarrassing. Thankfully, Hotch wasn't there to witness this.

The young genius rubbed his eyes, and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, feeling groggy and confused. This cold was making him absolutely miserable-he was too congested to breathe through his nose, his sinuses ached and nose itches, his throat felt raw and tender, and he constantly felt the need to either cough or sneeze. Further assessment of himself showed that he was definitely still running a fever-nothing worrisome, but enough to give him mild chills and vertigo-and he decided the best course of action was to medicate and clean up to be more presentable when Hotch came back. He reached over to grab the bottle of DyQuil, and frowned when he saw a note attatched to it.

Reid-

We have a possible UNSUB, and are going on a raid. My phone will be off, but I'll call once we are on our way back to see if you need anything. Try to relax, stay hydrated, and if you can, go back to sleep. We will be fine.

-Hotch

That sparked a bit of adrenaline in Reid's system, and he abandoned the medicine for his phone, hoping there would be a missed message. There was no such luck.

Now, his mind was racing with all kinds of questions. When had they left? Did they have backup? Was the team out in the pouring rain that he could currently see coming down in sheets outside the hotel window? He considered calling Garcia to ask where they were, or if they had apprehended the suspect, but decided against it-he was too hoarse and congested to have a conversation without being babied by the sweet, mother-hen-like "Technical Goddess". With a sigh that sparked a brief coughing fit, he figured his best bet was to follow the earlier plan: meds, hydration, and cleaning up.

In 15 minutes, Reid had downed a glass of water; a dose of Robotussin, DyQuil, and Tylenol; and washed his face, combed his hair, brushed his teeth, and changed into a pair of sweatpants and his FBI sweatshirt before climbing back into bed. Being upright for that long had caused him to feel vaguely dizzy and unsettled, and he was too tired and fuzzy to do anything but sit in bed and watch TV.

"Hhh'KSH'uh! Nn'PSHoo! KkTSCHuh! Hhh'GSHHoo! Hhh...hhh'errSSH! 'Ktsch!"

And sneeze, apparently. He thought ruefully, pulling out a tissue and giving a thick, heady blow that left his already-chaffed nostrils feeling raw and irritated. The action made him cough again, and he rolled his eyes in frustration. He'd only been awake twenty three minutes, and he'd already had multiple coughing and sneezing fits-this just sucked. The rattling, chesty noises eventually quieted, and he turned off the TV-it was making his head hurt. He closed his eyes, and started dozing off.

Reid was nearly asleep when his phone rang, and he tried to sound as awake as possible when he answered, wishing he hadn't fallen asleep when he realized that it was Hotch on the caller ID.

"Spedcer Reid." Unfortunately, he had neglected to clear his throat prior to speaking, so not only did his sinuses sound packed and his voice raspy, but his words caught in his throat and sent him into a nasty coughing attack that seemed to go on forever. Even though there was no one in the room with him, Reid felt his whole face burn in humiliation-he couldn't even get the words out to excuse himself. Finally, he unwrapped a cough drop and sucked on it furiously until he was left breathless and red-faced, before picking the phone up off the bed and apologizing profusely.

"I ab so sorry, Hotch, I just couldd't stop coughidg-" His voice was hideously congested and sounded as if every word cost him. Thankfully, his throat didn't feel too badly besides being raw from coughing-Spencer felt better in that aspect than he felt.

"There's no need to apologize. Are you alright? You sound miserable." The unit chief sounded worried, and the young profiler rushed to insist that he was okay.

"I'b sorry, I'b fide-I soudd worse thad I fee...hhl...excuse be-" Stupid respiratory system! He felt the ever-present tickle suddenly wax, and had to scramble to excuse himself, and to get tissues, before putting the phone face down on the bed and sneezing.

"Hh'ACKPSH'uh! HhhKKTSHuhhh! Hh'GSHooo! 'TSCHoo!'KTSCH!'TSHuh! Hhh'ESH'oo! Hhh...Hhh...'PSH!" He sat for a moment, trying to catch his breath, before blowing his nose and picking up the phone again. It had been a long time since he had felt so embarrassed!

"Really, I'b fide-it's just a little cold-"

"You'll have to excuse me if I don't believe you." There was a smile in Aaron's voice. "Do you need anything while we're out?"

Reid shook his head, then remembered Hotch couldn't see that.

"Ndo, I'b okay. Thadnk you, though. How was the raid? Is everyode okay?"

"It was safe and successful. We're all a little wet from the rain, but we're fine. We'll be at the hotel in about 10 minutes." There was a bit of background commotion, and then Aaron spoke again. "Morgan says to try not to die before we get there."

Reid blushed furiously. He hadn't realized the whole team had heard him! As if sensing his embarrassment, the unit chief said a hasty goodbye and hung up. Spencer flopped back against the pillows and covered his eyes with his hands. He felt a little better with the medicine, but his ego would need some time to recover from this week.

-------------------------------------------------

[jezebel215]

oh this was wonderful! I'm imagining Spencer having that last fit while on speaker phone :-)

Also, it seems like Hotch was out in the rain for a while... just saying

[PetalPunk]

Gahhhhh! This is so wonderful! Every chapter makes me feel all warm and fuzzy!

[BlueGirl]

Aww! I love fatherly Hotch and embarrassed Reid! You've written them both really well.

And even though it's evil of me, when you described some of Reid's previous illnesses, I kind of hoped this one would linger... And Hotch has been in the rain for a while, and exposed to Reid's illness...

[2SHY222]

Wow! I don't watch CM but I really want to now.I'm looking forward to reading more

[24Me]

Hi everyone, I'm finally back and doing a bit better. I'm still struggling but i'm trying to make the most of every day, and I have finally been able to write something I'm okay posting. This isn't long but it's an update that has taken FAR too much time to get up, particularly since it is a gift. I'm working to get this story finished and then my next priority is "Carry On", but we'll see what happens after that. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get this written, Sophie, but I hope it's okay. I'll get the next portion up as soon as possible, but I wanted to post something even if it wasn't much. Thank you all for your support and patience, and I hope you'll bear with me. Hopefully I can post more regularly, but school and ongoing mental/physical health problems are still a major part of my life, so I make no promises on when the next time this story will be updated will be. All I can say is it will happen at the very earliest it can. I'll shut up now and just post the update, haha.

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The tension in the car was palpable as a worried silence descended over everyone in the van following the phone conversation. Reid had been on speaker phone, at JJ's request, so that she "could tell if he was lying" about how he was feeling. He had sounded absolutely horrendous, and now the caretaking instincts in each profiler were kicking in. JJ was the first to break the silence, her voice deeply worried and brow furrowed with anxiety for the newest-and youngest-member of the team.

"Oh, Hotch-he sounds horrible!" Elle nodded in agreement.

"That definitely sounds like bronchitis-he's going to be down for the count for a while."

Hotch sighed internally, hands clenched tightly on the steering wheel as his mind spun in a million directions. He wanted to get home to Jack, but Reid would be miserable on a flight with his(granted, only presumed, but very probable) sinus infection, and it would be a nearly 20 hour drive to get back to Quantico. The young genius did sound terrible-Hotch wanted to get him to a doctor as quickly as possible, but something told him Reid would resist. He didn't want to embarrass Reid by making a fuss over him, but he also didn't want to sit idly by and do nothing. There was the matter of the extra paperwork piling up, and then Reid's mental health-could their recent experiences be causing Reid more distress than he was letting on?

"Hotch? Hotch? Are you okay?" He pulled back out of his thoughts as JJ snapped her fingers softly, looking concerned as she gazed at him from the back.

"What? Yes, I'm fine-just thinking." JJ studied him intently for a moment, then nodded.

"So, what do you think?" Hotch felt his cheeks warm in a moment of embarrassment as he realized that JJ had been talking to him. He'd been so lost in his own world that he hadn't registered the question.

"Sorry-what was the question?"

"Do you want me to take him to UrgentCare? They could write a script for antibiotics." Hotch considered her offer carefully. On one hand, he was all but certain Reid would need treatment of some kind for this. On the other, he was sure Reid would be humiliated if he found out that someone else on the team knew just how sick he was, and Hotch didn't want him to "shut down" and try to cover up how poorly he felt. He shook his head.

"Thanks, Jayje, but that's not necessary. I'll check on him when I get back to the room, and if need be, I'll take him." JJ looked confused, but nodded.

"Okay, but I really don't mind..." The unit chief bit his lip, then explained his reasoning.

"I'm worried Reid might try to cover up how badly he's feeling to avoid "inconviencing" you. It's not your fault-" he rushed to explain, "-but he doesn't like showing illness in front of others. He only let me in because we're rooming."

His explanation satisfied JJ, and the conversation in the car changed topics. Hotch kept his eyes on the road and blocked out how cold he was by focusing on plans for getting home.

-----

He'd stopped dripping by the time he got up to his hotel room, but it was still chilly as the drafts found their way into his damp clothes. He was fishing his keycard out of his pocket when a nasty-sounding coughing fit reached his ears. It was still going strong when he walked inside to find Reid sitting with his legs over the side of the bed, face red and eyes shut tightly, coughing into a clenched fist as he braced the other hand on the nightstand. Hotch immediately filled a water cup in the bathroom, and then returned to Reid's side.

Placing his hand on the genius' back, he felt quite a bit of heat, which brought a concerned furrow to his brow.

"Try to take deep breaths, and take a drink when you can." He said quietly from his position next to Reid on the bed. Reid nodded, face red with exertion and eyes streaming.

Hotch waited for what felt like hours as the wracking spasms finally eased off, letting Reid take the cup from his hand and take a few sips. Finally, the younger man placed the cup on the nightstand, and ran a hand over his face before leaning forward, visibly winded. The chief sat silently, letting Reid catch his breath before speaking.

"Your temp is up." Reid nodded.

"I'b okay." He croaked, wincing at the way his voice cracked. Raising a fist to his mouth, he cleared his throat, and then tried speaking again. "Hodestly-I took sobe mbeds a few bidutes ago. They should kick id sood, and I soudnd a lot worse thad I feel, addyway."

Hotch believed it. Reid did sound horrible-whatever this was was clearly settled in the younger agent's chest and sinuses. He passed the tissues to Reid, who blushed furiously as he plucked several and turned away to blow his nose. It made a horrible honking sound, and only seemed to irritate the raw, red appendage, as he snatched another handful before dissolving in a fit of ticklish, congested sneezes.

"Huhh'HHHGSSSH'uh! HHHDDDSCH'ooh! NGGHSSSSDH! Hhh'RSSSH'uh! GGGSH'uh!NNNNGSSSH'uh!HHHHDSCH'ooo! Hhh...hhh'YISH'uh! 'PSSSHuh! Hhhh'ISSSH!" He stayed bent over, tissues firmly in place over his nose, following the desperate, slightly messy-sounding fit. Aaron placed the tissue box within easy reach, then tactfully stood and went to his suitcase to allow Reid a bit of privacy. He needed a change of clothes, anyway.

To the soundtrack of soft blows and the occasional rattling cough or two, Hotch plucked a long sleeved white t-shirt and khaki pants from his suitcase. Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he looked to see Reid standing up, holding onto the edge of the nightstand and closing his eyes for a second.

"You okay?" He asked quietly. Reid waited a moment, then opened his eyes and nodded.

"Yep-just a little dizzy."

The younger man stepped into the bathroom to wash his hands, then walked back out and settled back against the pillows on his bed, legs crossed and head propped on his hands. He looked young and innocent with his slightly flushed cheeks and red nose, and Hotch felt a wave of paternal instincts crash over him, which he quickly tamped down. Reid was not Jack, and couldn't be treated like him.

"Hotch, are you okay? You're really wet." Spencer observed quietly, breaking the silence. His boss nodded-he'd forgotten his own discomfort for a moment in light of Reid's, but now he was acutely aware of the chill in the hotel room, and how damp and miserable he felt.

"Yes-we got caught in the rain, but I'm fine. I just need to go change." With that, he stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. In under two minutes, he had changed his clothes, hung the wet ones over the edge of the tub, and combed his hair into its usual professional submission before deciding he looked presentable enough to go back to where his sick agent was. They needed to figure out a game plan for getting home.

Reid was in the same position as before, a notebook open in his lap, when he returned. Though he normally wasn't one for small talk, Hotch decided it was best to ease into the discussion of whether to go to a doctor or not, and so decided to engage.

"What are you working on?" Reid looked up and blushed slightly.

"Independent case notes-I just like summarizing." He explained. Aaron nodded, pleased that Reid's voice was less congested than it had been before the blow, and settled into the chair beside the bed to study his sick agent. The medicine did seem to be working, but the ever-present rattling cough caused Reid to turn his head, the noise scraping against his throat. It sounded damp and unpleasant-definitely painful. He took the opportunity to plunge into the discussion once the other man had regained his breath.

"Reid, I truly think you should see a doctor." His words were met by the predicted reaction. Reid seemed to shrink into himself a bit, and flushed deeply.

"I'b fide-" His argument would have been far more convincing had the insistence in his tone not caused his voice to catch, sparking another round of chesty, bone-rattling coughs. Hotch grabbed the cup of water of off the nightstand and leaned forward in his seat, waiting until the spasms had died down a bit to pass the cup to his sick agent. When Reid surfaced, flushed and breathing raggedly, he found his boss looking at him with a quirked eyebrow that perfectly conveyed his skepticism, forehead tight with concern.

"Really." Spencer smiled slightly, smart enough not to laugh as he was sick of coughing.

"Okay, mbabye...hihhh...mbabye fi-hhh-ide is t-too strodg hhh...huhh...a wo-hhhh-rd-" He managed to squeak out the sentence as he grabbed frantically for another handful of tissues before dissolving into another flurry of sneezes.

"Hhh-GGGISHuh! Tttschio! HhRSSHoo! TSCHah! HhhHGHGSHnnuh! TSSCSCH!-HHRSSISH!-KSSSTCHiuuh! Uhhh...ATSCH! UhHISCGH! AhhhITSCH!-NIGSTCH!-USHuhh! Oh, mby God..."

He choked out following the harsh fit, before the burbling cough shook him yet again. He rolled his eyes in exasperation as he coughed wetly into his elbow, the hacks sounding deep and harsh and shaking his shoulders. When the spasms eased off again, he leaned back and placed his hand against his forehead, lips pressed together in pain as his head throbbed.

Hotch felt helpless sitting there, and quickly decided enough was enough. His voice was gentle but firm when he spoke after giving Reid a few moments to collect himself.

"Spencer, you need to see a doctor. If this is how badly you're feeling on day...three?" Reid nodded reluctantly and Hotch continued. "I'm concerned you'll keep getting worse without antibiotics-it seems like a sinus infection." The younger man shifted uncomfortably, looking anywhere but Aaron's eyes. Hotch could practically hear the fight in his head: say 'I'm fine' or admit defeat?

---------------------------------------------------------------

Please feel free to review and leave feedback and constructive criticism, or suggestions as to what you would like to see next. Sometimes prompts can help if I hit writer's block, and I'm writing this for all of you, especially Sophie, so let me know if there's a direction you want this to head and I'll see what I can do.

[Melody]

Hey 24me! I found this story a little while after you went on a hiatus... First off, I just want to say you are an incredible writer! Your descriptions and your characterization is so on point! You truly do have a talent for writing! This CM story really is one of my favourites for this fandom. I am glad you are doing better with your mental/physical health. I know those issues can be so debilitating and I can't imagine how much strength and willpower it takes to overcome those things and it's amazing that your doing that. Hearing about strength like that so very admirable. It's amazing how dedicated you are to finishing this gift to Sophie... Anyway I love the update and I can't wait for the next part!

I wish you all the best in your endeavors

Edited October 9, 2015 by Melody

[darkness-is-the-light]

I promise, you're doing a wonderful job. The wait is absolutely no problem, as your own needs should certainly come before any story. Post when you can, that's all that matters.

[24Me]

This is a really short update, but I wanted to get something up before Christmas! I'm still working on my stories, but there's a lot on my plate with school and I'm only getting busier from here, so I'm so sorry that my updates aren't regular. I'm trying to get the stories done, but it's taking awhile, so thank you for your patience!

He made a weak final protest, exceedingly uncomfortable with all the attention and concern, but his attempt to deflect made no impact.

"Really, I'll be fidne-" he tried, but his voice cracked. His shoulders shook silently for nearly 15 seconds before he gave up and let the barking spasms escape. Hotch handed him the cup for the third time, causing Reid's already flushed face to turn a shade of red found on tomatoes, and watched with quiet concern until the younger man had had a minute to catch his breath. Reid looked anywhere but Aaron's eyes, clearly understanding that his argument was useless.

Hotch leaned forward and gazed intently at the young genius, making sure that his voice was calm and without any emotion that could be construed as anger when he spoke.

"Spencer, I know you are embarrassed, but you are not fine and I'm not going to allow you to get worse when you could be getting better. Now, your choices are see a doctor here, or see one back home." Reid sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, then looked down and mumbled something. Hotch frowned. "I didn't quite catch that, I'm sorry."

"I said, I dodn't wadnt to be a burdedn." His voice was soft, but Aaron listened hard and felt something inside of him soften.

"You're never a burden, and you never will be." He waited a few beats to let that sink in, then continued. "I would recommended seeing a doctor here-there's an urgent care a few blocks from here. A dose or two of antibiotics could make the plane ride more pleasant." Reid nodded, then winced and grabbed a tissue as the need to sneeze overwhelmed him.

"HhahGNSH! HANGSCHeew! 'TSHoo! Uhhh...hhhISHHuh! KTSCHuh! NGSHoo! HhhPSHuh!TSCHoo!KTSHoo!ISHuh! Hhhhh....hhhYISHeew!" He grabbed another handful of tissues and gave a long burbling blow, interrupted by a messy-sounding sneeze. "NGGGXHSToo!" Spent from hours of coughing and sneezing relentlessly, he caved.

"Okay, I thidnk you're right." Aaron nodded, satisfied with himself.

"I would suggest going sooner rather than later. Let's leave in 10 minutes?" He asked. Reid gave a slight nod, his nostrils flaring and eyes fluttering as he was seized again by the need to sneeze.

"That worKSHIOO! Works! HehESH! TSCHah! HGGSHoo! HhhRISHoo! USSSSSHuh! NGGGSoo! TSCH-KTSHUH!-USHuh! YIISSHuh!" A final wrenching sneeze seemed to calm his irritated nose, and he sighed in a combination of relief and exhaustion. "That works."

Hotch gave a slight smile and stood up, pleased with himself for getting Reid to agree to a trip to the doctor. For a moment, he was distracted by a throb in his temples, and he had to consciously resist putting a hand to his head. It passed, and he made a mental note to keep hydrated, as he evidently hadn't drunk enough that day, then turned his focus back to Reid.

The younger man edged forward on the bed before standing up gingerly, his hand resting on the nightstand, obviously cautious of dizziness. Aaron watched him intently for any signs of unsteadiness, ready to move in and steady him if necessary. Instead, Reid's face had a flash of annoyance and ticklish desperation as he quickly raised a tissue to his irritated nose.

"HhGSHuh! UuhSHiew! HhhRSHoo!" This time, it was a series of three quick, heady sneezes, followed by an awful coughing fit that left Reid breathing heavily, face red from exertion.

"Bless you." Hotch said, his voice gentle and with a definite sympathetic edge. "Are you alright?" Reid nodded, then winced and immediately sneezed.

"HhKTSCHuh! AtSHuh! HPSHuh!" He grabbed another tissue and blew his nose fiercely, sparking another fit of rattling, chesty coughs before putting gentle pressure on his sinuses.

"This is ridiculous. I'mb so sorry, Hotch." Reid looked at the ground, clearly embarrassed. Aaron made his tone as caring and as gentle as it could be, then spoke.

"It's absolutely fine, Reid. This isn't your fault! I just feel badly that you don't feel well-you sound miserable." The younger man shrugged, his face flushing from the potent combination of a fever and mortification, then moved towards the bathroom door.

"I'mb goidng to get changed-I'll be ready in a few mbinutes." He grabbed a hoodie, his sweatpants and the tissue box before going into the bathroom and closing the door. Aaron heard the sink turn on and then the sound of a harsh blow, followed by an achy and congested-sounding round of coughs. He sighed softly, and got himself ready to go.