Because I don't know what else to write for my other story, so I'm writing this as a way to clear my head.
One-shot set in season 6 after episode 12
ON TO THE STORY!
x
Pain.
Excruciating pain, ripping through his skull and causing his whole head and face to throb.
"Get it together, Spencer." He mumbled to himself, rubbing hard at his eyes with his fingers. Maybe the harder he rubbed them, the faster the dizziness and blurriness would go away. Of course he knew that wasn't going to happen, but he could hope, couldn't he?
He needed hope if he was going to get through this migraine.
His head felt like it was about to explode.
Reid walked out of the bathroom, and laid down on the couch in the jet. All he could do was lie down with an arm draped over his eyes in an attempt to shield them from the lights.
Even the dimmed lights in the cabin were far too bright and made his headache worse.
"Any idea what's up with him?" Prentiss asked Morgan, nodding her head towards Reid.
"No...he says he's fine, but I'm not so sure."
"He told me he pretended to have a headache to throw off the suspect. I'm not so sure he was pretending though." Hotch said, looking at the two of them.
"Hey, Reid?" Morgan asked.
Reid didn't respond, instead, he pretended to be asleep. The migraine was at its peak, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to carry on a conversation without tipping them off.
"Must be asleep." Rossi said, staring at Reid.
Reid rolled onto his other side and pressed his face into the crack between the back of the couch and the seat cushions as nausea creeped up on him. His stomach flipped, and he sat up quickly, his hand darting to his stomach. Reid opened his eyes, which was a huge mistake, as the lights made the migraines much, much worse.
"You okay, pretty boy?" Morgan asked, frowning as he watched Reid's face pale. He mumbled something incoherent before making a b-line for the bathroom and locking the door behind him. He knelt over the toilet, breathing heavily as he tried to quell the sudden nausea. It faded enough to keep him from vomiting all over the place, and he stood upright, grimacing at the headache.
Not two seconds later, there was a pounding on the door.
"I swear to God if you don't open this door right now, I'm kicking it down."
The volume of the pounding, coupled with the volume Morgan's voice made him clutch his head in pain and sent him stumbling backwards.
"Just...hold on." Reid said weakly, his voice hoarse and muffled from behind the door.
The team all exchanged worried looks. Reid opened the door, swaying slightly on his feet.
"Are you okay?" Prentiss asked as he walked past them.
"I'm fine." He mumbled, sitting back down on the couch.
"You look like death, kid. You sick?"
He felt like death.
"I'm fine, Morgan." He said, his tone edging on frustration. His head was killing him, and the nausea was building again; the conversation was definitely not helping anything.
They still had only been in the air for thirty minutes when the nausea came back full force. Reid inhaled sharply through his nose, and made a b-line for the bathroom. He just barely made it to the toilet before what little he'd eaten at lunch came up. Morgan and Prentiss were the only two of the team still awake, and they were both in the bathroom in an instant.
"Shit, man. Why didn't you tell us you were sick." Morgan sighed putting a hand on his back.
"I'm fine." Reid groaned, standing up shakily.
"You're in here puking your guts up. You're not fine."
"Airsick." He choked out, stumbling back to the couch and collapsing onto it.
"Airsick? Really?" Prentiss asked, skeptical.
"Yes." He mumbled, pulling his knees to his chest.
"Reid, you've never been airsick."
Morgan sighed. "You're gonna need to come up with a better excuse than that."
Reid averted his eyes. "It's just a headache."
"That's making you sick? Reid, that's not just a headache." Prentiss said.
"Migraine, headache...same thing."
Prentiss shot him a flat look. "It's not, and you know it. How long have you had it?"
"Since yesterday."
Morgan and Prentiss gawked at each other. "Since yesterday? Why the hell didn't you say anything, man? How long is a migraine supposed to last anyways?"
"Shhh." Reid groaned, clutching his head. "A migraine can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days."
"You're squinting, want me to turn the lights off?" Prentiss asked softly
"Yes, please."
x
Reid woke up to the sound of muffled voices, and when he opened his eyes, he realized that he was lying on a couch in an unfamiliar apartment. His head hurt too much for him to figure out where he was. He was sweating, too, and the unbearable stuffiness of the room was making his migraine much worse than it needed to be.
He sat up, and swung his legs over the side, wincing at the brightness of the room. A pair of sunglasses, two pills and a bottle of water sat on the coffee table, and he practically shoved the glasses on his face before taking the pills.
The stabbing pain behind his eyes was almost blinding.
He was exhausted, too.
The voices got louder, and he moaned in pain, clutching his head and ducking down to stare at the ground. He wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep for, and if his head didn't hurt so badly, he'd be mortified at the fact that someone (he's guessing Morgan) had carried him from the plane to wherever he was.
He should be more concerned at the fact that he didn't recognize his surroundings, but he felt too crappy.
He heard footsteps in the doorway, and he reluctantly looked up.
"Hey, kid. How's the head." Morgan asked. "I'm guessing not any better?"
"Why am I in your apartment? And did you carry me here?"
"You were way out of it. and I wasn't about to feel you up for your keys, so I brought you here."
"Oh."
"Hotch and I carried you here. You're not my bride, I'm not gonna carry you across my threshold." Morgan teased. Reid cracked a smile before groaning and rubbing his temples. "Can you stand? I want to move you to my room."
"I don't want to move, I'm fine here." He mumbled.
"It's not dark enough in here for you, I know the glasses are helping somewhat, but it's still fairly bright and warm."
Prentiss walked in from the kitchen. "Morgan and I blacked out his room while you were sleeping. We have fans going, I heard a cool, dark room is supposed to help with migraines."
Reid nodded, and stood up, swaying on his feet. Morgan and Prentiss steadied him, and helped him into Morgan's room. True to their word, the room was completely dark, and the fans had made the room considerably cooler than the rest of his apartment.
He stumbled to the bed, and pretty much face planted; Prentiss helped him under the covers.
"Hold on a second." Emily said, walking into the bathroom, and returning a few moments later with a cool washcloth. "Roll on your stomach for me."
Reid obliged, and stretched out, cuddling a pillow. "What're you doing?"
She put the washcloth on the back of his neck, and then rubbed his back lightly. "Get some sleep, hopefully the migraine will be gone when you wake up."
Morgan and Prentiss walked out of the room, shutting the door quietly, leaving Reid to drift to sleep.