(Author's note) I say this I'm not to sure if I made it clear but when you see italic it means Reid's inner thoughts. The next thing I must do Disclaimer: I'm sorry Criminal Minds but I did not make profit off of this story nor do I plan to but I do plan on borrowing the character for a second and then putting them back where I found them in better condition. Okay I think that's it and now the checklist is done and I give you a fair warning of this being a Single until further notice.
The night was young and so was the very still figure in the hospital bed with yellow blankets surrounding him. He looked dead in his sleep and the only evidence of his life being present was the sound of the now slight heart wrenching shallow wheezing. The sound like nails on a chalkboard to the dark man sitting in the room watching him, listening to the rhythmic beep of the cardiac monitor beeping evenly like a waltz or some other dance with a tempo of 123 223. Occasionally the pulse-ox-meter would beep signaling the up 5 increments and then down 3 increments of oxygen returning to the body that was nearly ravaged by anthrax. Every hour that passed Spencer was slowly returning from wheezing to a beautiful shallow breath thought the dark man sitting in the uncomfortably stiff hospital chair with non-existent padding and 1960 burnt orange coloring. The room was small but open, clear windows lined the front of the room acting as the doors and near the back sat Derek Morgan not too close to Spencer but far enough away that didn't feel intimate and to respect his privacy if he wanted Derek to leave. Looking at the clock hanging above the nurse station Morgan realized that the clock read 7 pm only hours ago Reid had woken up, and was better from the cure and was on the mend as Dr. Kimura had put it as well as the rest of the survivors of the attack.
He heard the door open and a petite nurse named Shelby came in to change the oxygen tank, she asked him to wait outside Reid's room. After Shelby left saying he could go back in, and adding that if he needed her she was across the hallway he winked at her, as she was very pretty she smiled and disappeared with the empty oxygen tank down the hall. He came inside to see Spencer no longer wearing a facemask but instead a thin oxygen line under his nose he twitched his nose at it but didn't complain. He began to feel tired and saw Reid notice his tiredness. Reid spoke with a gravely voice "Why don't you go home Morgan. I'll be here in the morning and I'm pretty sure visiting hours are going to be over soon in fact there shouldn't be visiting hours in this closed off ward" he said as realization hit him.
"Reid you nearly died today shut-up and just accept the fact that I'm here because I'm your friend Kid." Morgan said leaning closer to Reid and patting his hands then returning his hand back from Reid's hand returning his hands once he saw the suppressed jump he knew Reid did not do well with touch. He knew Reid didn't do to well with being touched especially after the Hankle incident and didn't care much for being treated like a kid. Derek couldn't help it though Reid looked like a kid with a canula and an IV line with multiple bags hanging off the stand. He was excessively small in the hospital bed and paler than normal. He smiled when Reid twitched his nose again he looked like a bunny eating.
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Reid was sleeping calmed by the fact of Morgan sitting with him in the sterile hospital room with sheets around him he felt warm and every so often the tight feeling in his chest would lessen as the oxygen helped him breathe. The cure circulated through his body as well as copious amounts of antibiotics but no pain meds he had refused narcotics. He knew he would have to be on antibiotics for the next 60 days but he would just be happy as soon as this guilt for being so stupid at the house and going ahead of Morgan eased. I really messed up he thought as another thought came from his mind you made it right and saved the lives of victims here and countless others in the process.
The thoughts continued through his head until a very petite nurse came in to stop the beeping in the room that was the oxygen tank it looked heavy in her small hands. It was very heavy as it represented the ability to breathe now and at least until his lungs could heal. It was a second later the young nurse smiled at him and began to speak "Hi, I'm Shelby" he liked that as he didn't like people to touch him she drew his attention again. "Dr. Reid I have to switch the oxygen tank your going to feel discomfort as it becomes hard to breathe but I just need you to keep breathing okay?" he nodded his consent and mumbled something about 'I'm always good at concentrating.' He looked at where Morgan had been and saw he was outside his back to the room his eyes passed from him to the clock as he heard a faint snap of the now empty tank being removed and then unplugged. He noticed the nurse disappear underneath the bed from his peripheral vision and pulled out the now empty tank and it became as she had said would happen a little harder to breathe. Remembering what the very petite nurse said he concentrated on the clock watching the second hand tick and saw it move slow in its progress. He knew he was imaging it, he felt his chest tighten as his alveoli protested the small supply of oxygen he was getting. Then he heard a hiss and then a small pop as the new oxygen tank snapped into place below his bed and then he felt his lungs fill with air again making the ticking of the clock speed to more normal pace then the nurse repapered.
She leaned the now empty tank against the bed, took his wrist in her hand and felt his pulse, and looked at her watch she spoke then with another smile "Okay Dr. Reid we are going to lessen the oxygen in an hour since your pulse to oxygen ratio is improving." She wrote the number down, looked at his BP cuff, and wrote all the numbers down needed to take his vitals. He looked at Morgan out of the room still wondering why he was here. Shelby caught his attention then she was very pretty with her purple scrubs and flowers clip in her hair she was blond and reminded her of a very petite version of Lila. "Dr. Reid the doctor's say you can leave as soon as you can raise your pulse ox-meter to 96-100 and I'm sure you know this but we will redo your chest X-Ray to make sure the lungs are healing in the meantime." She stopped writing apparently done with her notes on his chart and pulled out some tubing from a cabinet he recognized it. "This is a nasal cannula and will replace your oxygen face mask okay Dr. Reid I'm going to wait for your breathing to adjust to make sure you can breathe using this okay?" He nodded his consent as she took off the mask he was using to breathe for the moment. Then placed the cannula in his nose and over his ears it felt weird but it helped him breathe and that he was always okay with he hadn't known until know how much he breathed he knew the statistic a voice in his head said 20160 a day if you remain at rest. His chest was tight at first because it tightened from the lessened oxygen but then he could breathe through the very annoying somewhat ticklish thing she tightened the plastic to his chin making sure to untangle the curled plastic like a lazy snake being uncoiled from a long sleep. The tightening begging to lessen as Shelby stood there watching him. "Don't worry that annoying feeling is the oxygen rushing into just your nose and your nose is reacting to trying not to sneeze" he nodded sleepily wanting to go back to his sleep. Shelby stood then and said one last thing before her departure with the now empty can it looked much easier to carry now. "I'll be seeing more patients tonight but if you need anything push the button okay and Lydia is the other night nurse if I'm too busy.
He waited and saw Derek give one of his winks at the nurse as he talked to her and then enter the room. Oh great he thought he is going to stay I just want to be left alone and flirtatious man wants to chat he thought and crinkled his nose not unlike a cartoon character. He faced the man who entered and slumped more against the pillows as Morgan sat down thankfully on the chair near the end of the bed. He saw the tired man sit down almost as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, Reid spoke with a gravely voice "Why don't you go home Morgan. I'll be here in the morning and I'm pretty sure visiting hours are going to be over soon in fact there shouldn't be visiting hours in this closed off ward." Thinking maybe Morgan had flashed his badge and made it sure that he could stay as if he really did care yeah we were part of a team but did Morgan really care this much. He thought and then he heard Morgan speak "Reid you nearly died today shut-up and just accept the fact that I'm here because I'm your friend Kid." Awe Morgan does care said his inner thoughts and then he felt his hand being touched and he had to suppress a jump, which then made Morgan realize he didn't like being touched. He didn't care though because Morgan didn't say anything as he put his hand back into his lap. He made his nose twitch again which made Derek smile and the awkwardness in the room disappear as he lay on the bed his blankets covering him he heard the pulse ox-meter emit another beep and he heard this feeling of lessening in pressure in his lung meaning the pulse ox went up he smiled then. Morgan noticed and said "Get some rest Kid you need after the day you had I'll be here when you wake up.". He felt less guilty but probably not as badly as Morgan he probably thought the whole thing was his fault but he was acting in his usual manner. He thought for a second then felt his eyes start to close protesting once as but as he heard Derek say he would be there when he woke up he was grateful.
(THE END?)
(Author's Note) Okay Techincaly this is an AU but I was just thinking I could expand on this story I have some what of an idea to do with the disease beating on Reid's body. I mean there are so many thing that can happen with Anthrax victims even after their cured or I could just stop while I'm ahead and leave it with the bromance.
