Morgan was deep in conversation with the Doctor overseeing Fuller's care, Dr. Carlton, when the doors to the private waiting room they were occupying burst open to reveal a frantic Dr Spencer Reid. Seeing the Doctor, Reid immediately rushed forward and began questioning her at full speed, ignoring the subdued conversations behind him as the women had caught up to him. The only thing that mattered in that moment was making sure Fuller was alive, that she would be alright, and that he would have the chance to tell her how he felt. He couldn't lose her before she even knew! Even if she didn't feel the same way (which was highly probable in his opinion), he couldn't live the rest of his life haunted by 'what if'. And he was confident that she wouldn't allow things to become awkward between them with that outcome.
'Miss Fuller has just gone into surgery so that we can remove a bullet which has lodged in her left thigh, and we are going to have to give her a blood transfusion due to the amount of blood loss at the scene. She has two additional wounds on her right upper arm and her left thigh; however these are clean wounds and will only require stitches. I suspect the shot to her arm may have damaged the bone due to the level of swelling, and so we will have to take her up for an x-ray when she had recovered from surgery.
As soon as she is in recovery I will come and speak with you again, and providing all goes well you should be able to see her about an hour or two after that when she is placed in a room off the ward. Any questions in the meantime please ask one of the nurses and I will try and stop by when I have the chance. It's a fairly straightforward procedure, so try not to worry too much. She should be out and in recovery in no time.'
With a final comforting smile, Dr Carlton left and Reid collapsed onto a seat in slight relief, remaining silent and lost in his thoughts as small talk began amongst the other agents. He may have been somewhat reassured but he couldn't relax yet, not until he was sure she was ok. He needed to see her.
Two hours later, the whole team sat anxiously awaiting news and completing paperwork – luckily their case had been in a small town close enough to Quantico so they didn't need to rush away back to the officer. Fuller had come out of surgery just under an hour ago and was in recovery, they were just waiting for her to be moved into a room where the team could visit. Surgery had been successful, but Fuller had yet to regain consciousness. As usual Reid had completed his report far quicker than the rest of the team, and after pacing around the waiting room exactly 46 times; going on two coffee runs; and visiting the rest room once, he decided he could not wait anymore and went in search of anyone who could provide an update. Just as he reached the door it opened, nearly knocking him off his feet as a nurse entered.
'Miss Fuller is now in her room if you would like to see her? I'm afraid she hasn't come around yet so you will only be allowed in for one hour as a group before I have to follow hospital protocol and allow a maximum of two visitors at one time.'
The agents quickly followed the nurse to Fuller's room and entered cautiously, unsure as to what they would see. Reid rushed to her bedside and gently took her hand in his, careful not to jostle her in any way. She was breathing regularly, the heart monitor held a steady pace, and despite the bandages and slight bruising she was beautiful. Releasing a sigh of relief Reid finally let himself believe that she would be okay, she just needed to wake up. A soft smile reached his lips as he leant forward to brush a fallen strand of hair behind her ear and gently kiss her cheek. He startled slightly as he felt someone slip an arm around his shoulders to give him a sideways hug, Morgan had been so relieved to finally see some of the tension released from his young friend's shoulders and to see Fuller alive and doing relatively well. Giving a timid smile of thanks to his friend, Reid returned his attention to the object of his affections. She was going to be fine, and soon enough she would wake up and he would tell her. He would finally confess his feelings because even if she didn't feel the same, they could just stay friends and that was fine because nothing could ever hurt as much as losing her with her not knowing. Even a rejection would be better right now, because at least she would know. He had to take the chance – she meant everything to him.
