An Investigation of Disturbed Minds
I don't believe in fate or destiny. I believe in various degrees of hatred, paranoia, and abandonment. However much of that gets heaped upon you doesn't matter - it's only a matter of how much you can take and what it does to you: - Henry Rollins
Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.
More scans. They needed to take him for more scans and an MRI. Hotch stood by nervously as they detached the drips from Spencer's arm and got him ready. Aaron could see another tear creeping out of Reid's eye and he lent forwards and brushed it away with his thumb.
"I will be here when you get back. I'm not going anywhere." Hotch stood with his hands stuffed in the pocket in the front of his hoodie and wanted to scream. If he hadn't gone in that museum half cocked they wouldn't have taken him too and this wouldn't have happened. Hotch had an overwhelming feeling of guilt at what he felt he had let happen to Spencer. All he ever wanted to do was protect him and now this. Once again he was at a damned hospital waiting to see if Reid would recover.
Hotch looked at his watch. Floyd had been gone a long time – almost three hours had passed by. He thought he would have been back before now. Aaron looked around for a phone. He had lost his cell phone back at the museum. The girl with the un-naturally white smile and startlingly straight teeth smiled up at him when he asked at reception if he could use the phone. "Certainly sir." And with nails which where impossibly long she pushed the telephone over to Aaron.
He dialled the apartment. It rang three times 'Sorry I am unable to take your call right now. Please leave a message after the tone.' "Floyd if you are there pick up." He waited until the little click to tell him the message had stopped recording and replaced the receiver.
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Spencer could feel movement. A twisting sensation as he was moved away from where he had been. Again he tried to scream and call out for help. Where was Aaron? Where was Floyd? Why had they abandoned him? He could feel his heat pounding and his breaths becoming shallow and fast. Spencer didn't want these people to know he was panicking. 'Calm Spencer calm. They can't hurt you if you stay calm. Remember who you are. What you were, what you are capable of still being.'
He felt movement stop and someone touching his arms and putting something over his nose and mouth. Slowly his breathing deepened. He felt drugged again. Just as he was beginning to awaken they drugged him. In a half dream state he felt he was being lifted and laid on a table. He felt restraints being pulled tightly around him and hushed conspiratorial voices from somewhere in the distance. The mask was removed from his face and someone pushed his hair back off his forehead. More mutterings. A touching of hands and he was moving backwards into what can only be described as hell.
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Floyd woke up laying on his front. He looked to the side and saw white walls. He tried to sit up, and it was then that he realised he was in a straight jacket again. Always the bleeding straightjacket. "bastards." He muttered. Whoever had him knew him. Knew he couldn't get out of this bloody contraption. Yet.
He sat up and tested the buckles but wasn't in the slightest bit surprised that he had been restrained as tightly as he could be. He tried to think. Spence had told him once how to get out of these things.
Spence. What was happening to Spencer? Flanders stood up and walked to the door. "Who the hell are you? Show yourselves you sons of bitches!" His shouts and threats fell on deaf ears. He had been held like this before and got away, so initial panic over he sat in the middle of the room and waited. Floyd wanted to try to contact Reid but something was wrong again. Something always going wrong. He pulled his knees up close and sat looking at the door. 'First man through is dead.'
After what felt like an eternity he heard someone unlocking the door. He moved quickly, got to his feet and stood next to the door with his back to the wall. His intention was to rip out the throat of the first man through the door and he gave it a jolly good go too, but the volts of electricity which flowed from the taser and into his body dropped him immediately to his knees. Four other big guys followed the first through the door.
"Be careful with him. He is no use to us if he is dead." A tall middle aged skinny guy standing back said.
Still on his knees but quickly regaining his ability to move Floyd scuttled back out of ranger of the guy with the taser.
"On your feet Mr Franks and try to bite someone again and I will muzzle you."
Floyd was kneeling now in the corner of the room watching the men standing with clubs tasers and a muzzle. The skinny chap who seemed to be in charge was holding a small auto- injector in his hand and a smile on his face. He gauged where everyone was and how long it would take to kill and devour parts of them then looked down. No way would he comply with these people.
The five moved as one. They stepped forwards weapons ready. Then they pounced. Floyd was expecting to be tasered again but instead felt the club around the side of his head and at the same time a club in the face. He was pushed back onto the floor and not having the use of his hands prevented him from fighting back in the manner he was used to. The strapped the muzzle to his face and pulled him to his feet.
"Thank you gentlemen. Now if you will just hold him still while I give him his medication." And a grin from a face with too many yellow teeth.
Flanders let the men hold him and take his weight, and pushed back kicking at the man with the needle. Floyd was never one to say 'no' to drugs, but he did like to know what they were. Because of his continued struggle against them the guards – for want of a better word - were asked to make Floyd stop moving and so they pulled him down and pushed him onto his front. Floyd immediately tried to get back up onto his knees but the kick and then the foot pressing down on the back of his neck stopped him.
"Oh do stop struggling Mr Franks. We will do this to you if you like it or not. Just stay still or accept the consequences. One which you can lay and enjoy so you can experience what you do to others or you can try to scream and shout and act like a fool. Decision is up to you. Or of course you can stop fighting this now and let me give you your medication."
Floyd could feel the guys behind him sliding his sweat pants down.
"Screw you!" Floyd shouted. At least this was just something to stop him biting and not stopping him talking.
"No Mr Franks. You are the one who is going to be screwed unless you shut your dirty mouth and keep still"
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He screamed inside his mind as the slid him into the machine. It banged and rattled and made noises in his ears. It made him drool and shake and finally he was pulled out again. Hands again touching him and moving over his body and holding his hand and putting fingers on his face. He felt he was being lifted again and put back on the 'bed' he had been on previously and was now moved along again.
Voices, continual voices and touching. Why did they have to keep touching him? Why couldn't they just leave him alone?
Hotch stood and watched, white faced with the worry. Floyd still hadn't come back and it was nearly five hours now. He stood looking down at Spencer, wondering what was going on in that genius brain on his. He could see behind his eye lids his eyes flickering from side to side. A nurse came in the room and gave Aaron a quizzical look. Were these two men together? Like as in 'together'? or just 'friends with benefits.'? She couldn't figure it out. The guy on the bed with his long ratty hair pushed back behind his ears only looked about twelve, yet it said on the records here that he was a lot older than that. A pretty man, she thought as she looked over at the tall dark haired man watching her every move.
"I need to change him sir." And she whipped the curtain around the bed.
Aaron quickly pulled the curtain back again. "If you don't mind, I think he would be more comfortable if I did that for him."
Again that little look. "If you say so." She placed a pair of navy pyjama bottoms on the bed and slapped latex gloves into his hands. "You might need this."
Hotch stood by the bed and heard the sound to of the curtain being pulled again for their privacy. He looked down at Spencer and with a sigh slowly and carefully pulled back the covers.
It didn't take long to quickly change his clothing. It was soaked in sweat. He covered him over again and looked at his face. A quick kiss on the end of his nose and he pulled back the curtains to see the nurse standing here with her arms folded. She raised an eyebrow at him and spoke. "The doctor will be here soon." She turned and walked away indicting a bin to place the laundry in.
Aaron walked back to Spencer and sat on the chair next to his bed. He placed a comforting hand over Spencer's and spoke calming soft words to him.
"I will get a book and read to you. I know you love people reading to you." He held the hand tighter. "I will get something sent in." Aaron didn't think he would be able to leave Spencer alone long enough to get a book. He looked at his watch again and a small bubble of fear for Floyd began to form. He couldn't think of any reason why he wouldn't have come back, unless he had just abandoned Spencer again. That wouldn't be the first time. He decided to keep Flanders' name out of the little one sided chats he was having with Spencer right now.
A polite cough behind Aaron caused him to turn and look up at Spencer's doctor.
"I am going to take Dr Reid off the medication we are using to keep him asleep and see how it goes. I am unable to predict how much damage has been caused by the blows the Doctor took to his head. It is I am afraid a matter of keeping fingers crossed. Initial quick results back do not show bleeding in the brain, which is what we were worried about, but that doesn't mean there is none."
Aaron nodded and looked back at the sleeping face. 'Please wake up and be well Spencer.'
It was slow, but over the course of a few hours life seemed to be returning to Reid's body. He felt movement in his fingers, he saw his legs jerk a few times and when Aaron pulled back the covers he watched with a smile as Spencer started to curl and straighten his toes.
Finally he opened his big hazel eyes and the sight of them made Hotch's tummy turn with happiness. They eyes flicked from side to side not seeming to see or focus for a short while then they fixed on Aaron.
Hotch smiled at him. "Hey you."
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Reid was finally allowed to wake up. He tried so hard to keep still and not to let them know he was awake but finally he opened his eyes and looked up at the dark shadow above him. He quickly glanced around, catching someone out of the corner of his eye. A deep breath and he let his eyes look at who it was.
He opened his mouth and screamed.
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Somewhere deep underground the lab rat was still struggling and shouting abuse. His struggles became weaker and finally they stopped as he felt the needle piercing the side of his neck and he was sucked down into darkness.
Animal studies can neither prove or guarantee the safety of any drug. They are not a substitute for testing in humans: -J Jennings, Vice President Science & Technology of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association.