Morgan & Reid are together in this. Don't like, don't read.
-CM-
Sitting by the bed that held his loved one, watching his chest fall and rise evenly and gently, still slightly pale but in a peaceful looking sleep, Derek Morgan lets himself relax for the first time since they had gotten the case early that morning. The main lights in the room had been dimmed slightly, creating a slight darkness to the room but nothing too dark that would scare Spencer if he woke up. The room was silent besides the machines in the room and from the hallway in the ICU corridor. Derek, for once, had no interest in watching anything on the TV, even though there was a hockey game on he'd been waiting weeks to see. All of his focus was on Spencer Reid and the machines monitoring his vitals. Nothing could take his attention away from him…except the sound of his phone vibrating in his pocket. Taking it out, he smiled for the first time since Spencer had walked into the shack at Dr. Nicholas's house.
"Hey Baby Girl," he spoke softly into the phone as he laced one of his hands with Spencer's, squeezing lightly due to the pulse oximeter on his finger. "How you holding up?"
He hears her sigh before she answers. "Better now that this case is over and everyone I love is safe. How's our boy genius doing? You haven't updated us in a while."
Derek shut his eyes tightly as he recalled what had happened just hours before. When he had first arrived at the hospital after Chad Brown had been arrested, he had to wait nearly an hour and a half to speak with Dr. Kimura who was going back and forth between Spencer's room and the medical room where they were testing the contents of the inhaler. While they were waiting for the results she had managed to speak briefly with Derek. Right then, Spencer was as stable as they could have him. "We did have to intubate him because his respiration levels were dangerously low and he did start coughing up blood in the ambulance and developed aphasia. We should know soon if we do have the cure." Hearing those words had Derek close to breaking down and crying until one of Dr. Kimura's assistances came out with the results of the tests. She had run away from Derek then, and other nurses had to hold Derek back as he tried to run with her.
Each team member had been either texting or calling Derek constantly for updates and ask what was happening. For the most part it had been simple responses he sent since he didn't have the answers they were looking for. So tired of his phone going off almost constantly, Derek eventually sent one massive text saying 'When I know anything you guys will too.' It had been nearly six hours since the last message had come through his phone;Garcia was the first one to try calling him since then.
"He's doing a lot better," he replied and he ran his thumb over Reid's hand. He smiled when he heard Garcia sigh loudly in happiness and guessed she was close to tears when he heard her sniffle. "The cure was in the inhaler and he's responding to the medication rather well. He's no longer intubated but he'll be on oxygen for a while from what Kimura told me. He hasn't woken up yet and Kimura told me he probably won't for the next 12 hours or so."
"So the rest of us should probably hold back on visiting for a few days right?" It could have been said as a statement but Derek could hear the uncertainty in her voice.
"It's probably best. Kimura said his body had to fight hard so he'll be tired and sore for the next little while. She updated me on the other patients; they're responding well to the treatment, too, but they're also extremely fatigued and sleep most of the day. Everyone's expected to make a full recovery, though it'll take some time." A yawn cut Derek off from speaking any further. He could hear Garcia chuckling as he rubbed his tired eyes.
"I'll let you get some sleep. I'll spread word to everyone to hold back until you say so Chocolate Thunder. Take care of yourself so when Boy Wonder wakes up you're good and strong. Let him know we love him and we'll see him soon."
A small smile appeared on his face as he stood up. "Will do mama. Talk to you later." He closed his phone as he grabbed a spare blanket one of the nurses had left him before walking to Spencer's bedside and kissed him gently on the forehead. "Good night, Pretty Boy. Wake up soon so I can see those beautiful eyes of yours again." He repositioned his chair so he was closer to the bedside, latched one of his hands with Spencer's and wrapped the blanket around himself. When one of the night nurses walked in some time later to take Spencer's vitals, he smiled at the sight that was in front of him: the patient still sound asleep with some color coming back with a small smile present, and the gentleman sitting beside him holding his hand tightly and snoring softly, sleeping contently.
-CM-
The sun was up and shining bright when Derek woke up the next morning. He slowly sat up, shifting his neck from side to side to try and get the kinks out that had appeared overnight and stretching his arms in the air. Pushing the blanket off of him, he rubbed his eyes and looked to his right. Spencer was still asleep though he looked slightly better, even with all the machines he was still hooked up too. More color was returning to his face and the lesions that had popped up were already smaller than yesterday. Just as he had done the night before he stood up and placed a light kiss on his man's forehead before running some of his fingers through his hair.
"Good morning, Pretty Boy," Derek said lightly. Despite knowing he wouldn't wake for a little while longer, but not knowing if he could hear him or not, he didn't want to disrupt his slumber. "I'm still here with you, waiting for you to open your eyes for me. The whole team is worried; they were hounding me like crazy last night. Wake up soon so you can show them you're doing well. Come back to me so we can go home soon."
The sound of the door opening made Derek look up and start shifting in a defensive pose, ready to protect his unconscious man even though they were in the hospital. It was a natural instinct, especially around Spencer since he was always finding ways to get himself in trouble. When he saw it was Dr. Kimura, he relaxed and smiled at her.
She smiled back before speaking. "Good to see you awake Agent Morgan. It looks like you slept well; you look better rested," she said as she moved closer to her patients bed and grabbed his clipboard from the front of his bed. She then looked to the machines and studied the current readings and ones from earlier on the paper printouts. A smile appeared on her face, which prompted Derek to ask what he hoped to hear.
"Is he doing better?" When Kimura gave him a nod, he collapsed back into his chair and let out the breath he had been holding in. He gave Spencer's hand a squeeze as he listened to Kimura talk to him.
"His respiration levels have improved greatly since he first arrived. I'm going to keep him on the oxygen for a while longer. His chest is going to be very sore for a while and the extra oxygen we're giving him will give his muscles and lungs a chance to recuperate before having to do all the work by themselves again. It shouldn't be much longer before he wakes up." She stops speaking and when Derek to make eye contact with her, she continues. "Why don't you go down to the cafeteria while he's still out and get yourself something to eat? He's going to need you when he does awake again and you haven't left his room since you got here."
Not wanting to leave his boyfriend's side, but knowing Dr. Kimura had a point and remembering Garcia's words from last night, he resigned defeat and got up. Before leaving he placed another gentle kiss on his forehead. "I'll be right back baby," he speaks before following Dr. Kimura out of the room.
The cafeteria was easy to find since most of the hospital population seemed to be heading in that direction. He stopped in the gift shop first to grab himself a magazine and then continued to the cafeteria where the only thing he found to be edible, at least to him, was the Jell-O cups they had. Grabbing one and a bottle of water, he paid for his items and walked back to Spencer's room. Seeing him still asleep Derek detoured into the bathroom to take care of business and splurge in a quick shower before redressing and taking his seat by Spencer's bedside. He then sat back down in his chair and opened up his magazine and stated to eat his oh so healthy breakfast.
So engrossed he was in his magazine and Jell-O he didn't notice Spencer waking up, not until he heard his groggy voice speak, "Are you eating Jell-O?"
All Derek could do was smirk as he looked up at his boyfriend. Of all the things Spencer could have said when he first woke, of course he would ask if Derek was eating one of his favorite desserts. A wide smile seemed to be plastered to his face as he spoke. "Hm. Hey kid." Derek looked outside the opened room door to see Kimura right outside. "Hey doc," he called to get her attention, "Look who's back." As Derek turned back around and stood up from his chair he heard Spencer ask in a slightly stronger voice, "Is there anymore Jell-O?"
Kimura hears him ask and answers before Derek can speak. "Hey. Not so fast." Both she and Derek watched as Spencer managed to sit himself up slightly, and even though she saw him place a hand on his chest, she wasn't too concerned. She listened as Spencer and Derek spoke back and forth about the case and took notice to how exhausted her patient still looked. "His stain and cure are locked up in containment at Fork Detrick. With all of the other bio agents people don't know about."
"Hm, really? What else do they have locked up in there?" Derek couldn't help but ask.
Kimura couldn't help but give him a smirk as she walked towards Spencer's bedside. "More than you would want to know Agent Morgan." Taking her stethoscope off around her neck and placing the buds in her ears she tells Spencer to lean forward as much as he can. As she listens to her patient's lungs and heart she can't help but smile at the couple in front of her. One of Spencer's hands had gone to his chest and his face was scrunched up and his eyes shut tight while Derek had his hand placed on Spencer's cheek and speaking softly to him. She had never seen a couple quite like them before.
It wasn't long after that she told Spencer to lie back down. As his head hit the pillow both Dr. Kimura and Derek noticed that the pained expression was now gone and replaced by exhaustion on Spencer's face. "Everything seems to be alright for now, much better than it was before. I'd like for you to get some more rest," she said looking at her patient, whom could barley keep his eyes open, "before we try having you eat anything. The discomfort you feel should be less intense the next time you wake up. Are you sure you don't want something for the pain?" She remembered Spencer refuse her back in the lab, but she thought it was just because he was trying to be tough and strong. Seeing both Spencer and Derek shake their heads, she realizes that something had to have happened in his past to forgo the drugs that normal people jumped for when experiencing this much discomfort. She now looks over at Derek as she speaks. "If anything changes just alert one of the nurses and they'll page me. Just make sure he takes it easy."
Derek nods his head and watches as Kimura leaves the room. A hand squeezing his own turns his focus back to the man in the bed, and he smiles down when he sees Spencer giving him a small smile that, to Derek, looked more like a grimace of pain. "Hey baby," Derek whispers as he leans down and places a gentle, quick kiss to Spencer's lips. Or he intended for it to be quick. As he tried to pull away, Spencer pulls his hand out of Derek's and wraps it around his neck. They continue to kiss until the need for air becomes over powering, especially for Spencer who starts to cough uncontrollably. Derek sits him up slightly and runs soothing circles on his back until the cough fit ends and then helps Spencer lie back down, running his fingers through his hair. "Don't talk just yet Spence. Focus on taking slow, deep breaths," he says when he saw Reid was about to try and speak.
"Hi," Spencer manages a little while later. His chest still hurt greatly, making breathing still quite difficult, much less talking, but he had to let Derek know he was ok. He tried to smile but every muscle in his body was sore. He did manage to hum, however, when he felt Derek's hand move back to rest on his cheek and he realized too late that his eyes had closed against his will. Feeling his energy drain Spencer managed to speak before he fell back asleep. "Love you Derek."
He couldn't be one hundred percent positive but he thought he heard Derek say, "I love you too, Pretty Boy" before he slipped into unconsciousness.
-CM-
When he woke up next Reid noticed that the sun was gone and the only light present came from the lights above his bed. The pain was still present throughout his whole body, especially his chest, but it wasn't nearly as powerful as when he first woke. Looking around his room he noticed that balloons were everywhere possible: tied to the TV stand, on the bed rails, and even tapped to the doors. No doubt about that was all from Garcia, and the simple gesture made him smile, which he noticed didn't hurt anymore to do such a simple task. A water pitcher sat just to his left on a moveable table, making him realize just how thirsty he was. Looking around and noticing he was alone in the room, he went against the reasonable voice in his head that said to call for help and tried to get it on his own. Reaching his arm out brought a renewal of pain, but he continued to do try even after he felt a cold sweat start to develop on his forehead. Just as his fingers touched the cool plastic he heard two sets of footsteps run into the room, and then a set of hands pushed his away from the pitcher and one hand on his face. The pain became too much and Reid shut his eyes tight and a moan escaped from his throat.
Despite his eyes being shut he knew whose hand was on his face, even before he heard the voice. "Shh, Pretty Boy. Just try to relax; the pain will go away soon. Just stay still and take slow deep breaths. Follow my lead Spence."
Spencer did as the voice said and focused on getting his breathing under control and relaxing. It wasn't long after that he noticed the pain was going away and he no longer felt the cold sweat on his forehead. Opening his eyes again he smiled up at Derek and hummed when he placed a kiss on his forehead. Turning to his left he wasn't surprised to see Garcia there, cup of water with a straw in her hand, bouncing on her heels in anticipation. When she saw he had his attention she walked to his bed and sat on the edge, moving the straw towards his mouth. Spencer opened his mouth and moaned in delight as the feel of the cool liquid went down his throat, finally getting some relief to sooth the dryness.
After he finished he licked his lips to moisten them before speaking. "Hey Garcia," he managed before another coughing fit hit him. Closing his eyes tight, yet again, as the pain became unbearable he didn't hear Derek and Garcia talking to each other. He did, however, feel one of them pulling him forward, his head resting on their shoulder and two sets of hands rubbing his back, trying to help sooth the pain away. While not helping much it did bring a sense of comfort to him while he fought the waves of pain. After what felt like forever the fit passed but his position didn't change and the hands continued to rub his back. Lifting his head up slightly Spencer placed a kiss on the neck belonging to the person holding him forwards, humming slightly when one was placed on the top of his head.
"Ready to lay back down?" he hears Garcia ask to his left. While sitting up hurt a little bit more it relieved the congestion that was in his chest and made breathing slightly easier. He shook his head and kept his eyes closed, snuggling closer to Derek. For a while no one says anything, all of them content with the silence, knowing that eventually this would be behind them and in the past. It was some time later that Derek moved his head to look down at Spencer's face and noticed his eyes were closed and he was fast asleep. He looked to Garcia and slowly both of them maneuvered Spencer off of Derek's shoulder and back onto the bed, using multiple pillows Garcia had brought to prop him forward a bit more to, hopefully, make him more comfortable.
Garcia places a light kiss on Spencer's cheek before announcing she was going to leave for the night.
"Can't thank you enough for all of this Baby Girl," Derek says as he moves to hug Garcia. "I know Spence appreciates it even though he didn't get a chance to say it to you."
"Oh, he did sugar. I could see it in his eyes. It's no problem at all; anything to make him feel more comfortable in this place." She hums when Derek places a kiss on the top of her head. "Shall I tell the team late tomorrow to visit?" she asks as she takes one last look at Spencer.
Derek eventually nods his head after thinking for a moment. "I think that should be good. Even if he sleeps through it, I think he knows we're here for him. Just give me a heads up before you come; who knows, maybe you guys will be here when he gets approval to eat something."
"Jell-O?" Both turn their heads in surprise to see Spencer awake again looking more comfortable than he had previously. Apparently all the pillows supporting him were working.
With a wide smile on his face Derek responds, "Maybe, Pretty Boy. We'll see what Dr. Kimura says tomorrow."
Garcia, however, supplied a different answer. "Of course Boy Wonder! Any particular flavor you want?" No matter what Derek of Dr. Kimura said, she wasn't letting her genius best friend be subjected to hospital food his whole stay. She had them herself and vowed to never let any of her friends have them either.
A full smile appeared on Spencer's face before he said, "Red please. Thanks Garcia. You're the best." A large yawn escaped from his mouth, but once through he managed a quick "Love you guys" before he slipped back to unconsciousness.
"I don't care what he said," Derek says as he turns back to face Garcia, arms crossed against his chest, "we're waiting for the doctor's word before he has his dessert. The last thing I want to have to do is clean him up because his stomach couldn't handle it."
Garcia was about to protest but stopped when she realized that Derek was right. That was the last thing she wanted to see too, especially since she would probably end up getting sick as well. "OK, fine you win. I'll bring it when I come back, but I'll make him wait until he gets the ok to eat again. Take care of yourself and I shall see you sometime tomorrow." They shared one last hug before she left the room, her heels clicking down the hallway until they disappeared as she got into the elevator.
Closing the door to the room, Derek walked back over to Spencer's side and pulled up some of the blankets and adjusts some pillows before sitting back in his chair. Placing his hand in Spencer's once again, he leans forward to kiss it before speaking softly into the quiet room. "Good night Pretty Boy. Thank you for waking up today. You made me the happiest man today just by doing that. I'll be here through your whole recovery, I promise. You're stuck with me, and the team. We have your back Spence, there's nothing to worry about." He leans back in his chair and watches his mans chest rise and fall steadily. As he closes his eyes to rest himself, he can't help but think of how lucky he is to have Spencer in his life.
-CM-