JJ smiles reaching toward Reid to put her hands on his shoulders, "You know, I can't have you getting sick just because I'm not at the office to send you off to the doctor's."

Garcia beams, "Hotch has you covered on the mother-henning aspect. It's a good thing, too… Junior G Man here didn't even tell me his stomach was upset since you…" she sniffled and looked at JJ, "Well, since you left us."

JJ lips an apology to Garcia, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes, her phone begins to vibrate on her hip. She bites back a string of syllables and opts for a sad smile.

"It's time for you to head back already?" Prentiss asks, shocked at how little time the blond was spared to give her ex-teammates the time she'd have loved to dole out.

"Duty calls…" she sighs, "You wouldn't believe what they have me doing at this job." She takes hold of Reid's hand and squeezes. "Now you listen to me, Spence. I expect you to have a full recovery and to start writing me letters. They don't have to be every day, but I don't want you to be a stranger. You're a part of my life, and Henry's and I don't want you trying to get out of that just because we don't work together any more. You understand?" She swiped at the bottom corner of her left eye, the eye with the most precarious of tears looming.

"I promise, should we do a monthly dinner?"

"I'd really like if we could try to." She hugs him, her phone vibrates again, angrily. "Ugh, I have to go. I'm so sorry Spence, feel better. Oh, and make sure Morgan gives you your Jell-O, I told him it was sugar-free so he might actually let you have it."

Reid pouted for a moment.

"It's not really sugar free, Reid, I lied to him…" She smiled, rolling her eyes, "Honestly, you profilers think you're immune to getting duped, I'm better at it than any of you will ever know fully. Get well soon!" She squeezed his arm then waved vaguely at the room, hugging Garcia and Prentiss on her way out.

Reid looked down at his chest, blinking and hoping he wouldn't cry in front of everyone then looked up to smile at the rest of his family. He spotted Hotch coming back inside the room just in time to shake hands with JJ, a firm hand on her shoulder, a knowing look, and then they parted. Hotch's eyes caught onto Reid's and Reid quickly diverted his eyes to address the others in the room.

"So, there's Jell-O…?" Reid asked, a nurse came in behind Hotch and fiddled with the bags to the side of Reid's arm, jarring his IV twice. He winced slightly, unconsciously. It didn't hurt that he could feel at least. If he measured hurt as a feeling of pain, there would be none, but if he chose to measure it in the damage of tissues and bruises he'd have by tomorrow? The wince was probably justified.

The woman squeezed his bicep, he gave her a strange look, she injected two shots into the tube capturing the end of one IV line and then uncapped another needle, filled it with the contents of a small vial she had in her dress pocket, injected the IM into his bicep and quickly left before anyone thought to speak up.

Reid was thankful no one questioned her about what drugs were and weren't going into him or his progress. He was far too hazy to deal with knowing that at the moment and would prefer the silent solace of rest. His stomach lurched, though, the earlier thoughts of Jell-O were quickly replaced with a feeling of disgust at the sensation of ingesting anything, soft and wriggly or otherwise.

"You know, if I'm not going to be able to eat I hope they opt for an IV instead. Experts believe Garfield would have survived his assassination if he had been fed instead of having his nutrients given to him as a suppository."

Garcia flexed her brows.

"…Garfield was the second President of the United States ever assassinated. He was shot in the back and died from an infection after surgeons attempted to remove the fragments from his back."

"Reid, why would you even think something like that!" Garcia gave him a stern look, "You're going to be up and out of here, back on your feet in no time! Sir," She looked at Hotch, "Permission to order your agent around."

"Permission granted." Hotch said ruefully.

She smiled, "Thank you, sir. That's an order, for you to be back to 100% pronto." She nods satisfied. Reid smiles back at her sincerely and lets out a yawn, his eyes getting heavier.

"And that looks to be our sign to get back to the office, ourselves." Rossi mentions, gesturing to the bed with Reid half-asleep on it. "Hotch, Morgan and I should be able to hold down the fort."

Prentiss picked up behind them, "Oh, before I forget- here's a few books from your place, and your go bag, Reid. Oh, and what's this…?" She opened his bag partially and started to pull out a ludicrously stuffed-in get-well balloon out. She tied it to the end of the bed before setting the bag down in a corner. "Well, we'll get out of your hair now."

She nudges Garcia when the red head didn't start her immediate retreat with the rest of the group.

"But… hey… but I…"

"Come on, baby girl, we need to let pretty boy get his beauty sleep."

Reid smiled again, flicking his wrist to give a meek wave. "You'll stop back in after work, right guys?"

"Of course." Garcia said quickly and seriously. Rossi rolled his eyes at her, he and Prentiss took the efforts to push her towards the door.

Morgan tapped Reid's arm. "I'll be back to check on you tonight, you can count on it. We all want to be kept in on the loop." He glances at Hotch, suggesting the man's presence as the new resident mother hen. "Get some sleep. And Reid…"

"Yeah?"

"You need anything, don't hesitate to call."

"Thanks." Morgan wrapped an arm around Garcia, seemingly to take up the cause of keeping her occupied for the week in his bed, if the playful way he cupped her ass meant anything. Hotch waited for them to exit, closing the door as they went.

"So, how are you feeling?"

"Tired. What did they give me anyway?"

"Intramuscular relaxer and sedative. Reid, about earlier…"

"You told me you love me…?" Reid tested the waters, unsure of how much was real and imagined, but he couldn't help but think even in his wildest imagination he'd never be so charitable to himself.

"I did, and I do. I'm glad you're getting through this alright. Are you in any pain?"

"Expected amounts, probably why she tranked me, if they can't outright numb me, they'll keep me unconscious through the worst of it."

"Probably. I'll be here, too."

"That helps more than you'd think… and Hotch…?"

"Yes, Reid?"

"I do too."

He smiles, looking at the half-asleep Reid in the hospital bed. "Get some sleep. I'll see you when you wake up."

"Well, then, good night."

TBC.