I don't own anything related to CM.
Sorry for the long wait. School and college apps kept me preoccupied for a while. But on the bright side, season nine comes out tomorrow! I can't wait!
Also, challenges to Reid's moral scruples will be rolling in the next couple of chapters. I kept things a bit slow so far to make it more realistic for JJ.
Chapter 4
The next couple of days proceeded without a hitch. The woman kept her promise and no further murder attempts were made. She ate three regular and nutritious meals without any extra prodding or fact rattling. She continued to keep to her room and away from Reid whenever possible, something he did not fail to notice. Reid allowed for the issue to lie low, but it was a bit tedious now that he needed to put a collar on the woman. She was long past due for a hospital visit and the collar would prevent any unwarranted invitations.
Biting his lip, Reid fiddled with the collar once again. He already programmed a PIN number earlier in the morning, but decided to test it an extra time. His nervousness built as he waited for Prentiss to bring the woman to the kitchen table where he waited.
He looked up at the jingle of the kitten's bell. The cuddly creature padded up to him and nuzzled his leg. It seemed fond of him as opposed to its owner who drudged herself into the room with support from Prentiss. The woman seated herself across from him and bore through him with a suspicious look.
Under the uncomfortable feeling, Reid avoided the woman's stare and referenced to the collar. "If you will..." he paused, feeling a hitch in his throat. "Please lift up your hair. I need to put this around your neck."
After receiving a reassuring nod from Prentiss, the woman followed his directions.
He felt the woman tense at his fingers' brief contact with her neck. He decided to prattle on, hoping it would distract her as he quickly worked. "I'm not sure if you know what this is, but it's meant to keep you safe. This collar was created by the federal government when they developed the current system."
"No man can bother you when you're wearing it," Prentiss added. Reid noted how she left out that the only exception to the rule was the one who installed the collar, himself.
"There's also a GPS chip embedded in this. If you get lost or send off a distress signal, Prentiss or I can come help you." He paused awkwardly, not knowing how to phrase the following. "You can send a distress signal by tugging on the collar continuously." He hoped his words wouldn't offend the woman.
The woman offered no response, which Reid took as a somewhat positive sign. At least she didn't try to throw him off of her. He hoped that counted for something.
"It's all done," Reid announced. He remained seated, instead allowing the woman to stand up. As soon as he removed his hands she shot up and skittered back to Prentiss.
When the woman faced him he couldn't help but take a peek at how the collar looked on her. The color and texture definitely matched her features, but the presence of the collar itself bothered him. Somehow it didn't feel appropriate to such a thing around her neck. He almost wished it was replaced by a necklace of some sort.
"We'll take you to the hospital now." Prentiss said. She gently steered the woman to the door.
"Dr. Foss will make sure that you're physically healthy," Prentiss explained. She gave the woman's hand a squeeze of reassurance. "She's here to help you."
Perched on the chair furthest away from the door, Reid observed the woman. He recalled the car ride on the way to the hospital. She seemed to retain a childish fascination about everything. The way the sun shone on her skin. The passing blurred trees and scenery. The sounds of traffic and nature. He pondered how little of the world she saw.
The door squeaked open and in stepped a petite brunette. She wore a warm smile that reached her eyes. She began to introduce herself. "Hello, my name is Dr. Foss." She extended her hand to Prentiss, but merely waved at the woman.
Slowly, but surely the woman returned the gesture with a miniscule wave of her own.
Reid took that as a cue for his departure. "I'll be outside," he excused himself without sparing another glance at the woman.
Outside in the hall he hunkered down on an uncomfortable plastic chair. For one of the rare moments of his life, he didn't understand something. It made no sense to him why he felt a small twang of attachment towards the woman. It wasn't as if she was the first of her kind that he saw. He worked on numerous cases similar one to this before. Maybe this time was different simply because he was the one who discovered her. Perhaps he felt morally obligated to care for her.
His swirling thoughts were interrupted by another person plopping onto the seat beside him.
"Hey, Reid," Morgan called. "Haven't seen you at work for a while. How have you been?"
"I could be better." Reid replied. He sheepishly grinned. "How's the fort been without me?"
"We're doing so and so." He shook his hand like a seesaw to emphasize his point. "Listen, Hotch did some digging after a guy stopped Prentiss. Turns out that there hasn't been any harassment complaints. There's usually at least a handful."
"Does he think it's related to the woman?" Reid's voice dropped in volumes at the mention of the woman.
"He's not sure. But for the time being, it's best for her to remain with you. There's a big chance that she's a high risk victim that wasn't meant to be found alive. Until we find out who she is, we can't have her being out there unprotected."
"If it comes down to it, can I even protect her?" Reid felt a sense of weakness and vulnerability. He, a federal agent, was questioning his marksmanship and training. He remembered how he was kidnapped by an unsub before. He believed there was nothing to say he would be able to stop an intruder that's near breaking down his door to find the woman.
"Hey," Morgan patted him on the back. "It won't come down to that and if it does, I'm sure that you can. You did it before. Don't be so hard on yourself."
Before Reid had a chance to respond, powerful clacking of heels echoed throughout the hallway. The two looked at the spunky FBI tech analyst that strutted down the hospital floor as if it was a catwalk. A magenta colored gift bag hung from her hands.
"Reid!" Garcia exclaimed. She rushed to him and gave him a hug before having a brief once over to scan for any bruises. Once satisfied with her inspection she started chatting. "Have you been getting enough rest, pumpkin? How's the mysterious beauty doing?"
Reid smiled as he replied. Garcia's bubbly attitude always managed to brighten his day. "Yes, I've been getting adequate sleep. She's doing alright. She seems to trust me more."
"I'm glad to hear that my junior g-man." She ruffled his hair despite his light protests. "So I hear that she's a blond... Just like Lila."
Flushing a pink cotton candy hue, Reid turned to Morgan with a look of plead and desperation. Morgan chuckled and decided to help his friend from what he considered an amusing situation.
"There there, Baby Girl." Morgan intervened. "There will be plenty of time to tease Pretty Boy later on." He paused when the magenta gift bag caught his eye. "Is that for the mystery woman?"
Garcia gave a sheepish smile. "I wanted to get something nice for her. Don't give me that look. These were on sale and by purchasing them I helped facilitate the economy."
Morgan raised his eyebrow, skeptical. "If you say so, Baby Girl."
"Garcia, you don't have to do this." Reid stammered. "I'm choosing to take care of her. I don't want everyone else to be inconvenienced by it."
He was shushed by Garcia placing a finger on his lips. He looked at the finger questionably.
"Nope, I don't want to hear it." Garcia stated. "We all want to help you and the woman. No arguments."
He tried to protest with futile attempts. He soon surrendered and nodded with puppy eyes. Before he was able to say anything else, he noticed a familiar face peeking from around the corner.
"Hey," Reid called. Both Morgan and Garcia turned to see who he referred to.
The woman regarded the trio with a mix of apprehension and curiosity. She made no move from her location, half hidden by the corner of the hall. Her gaze shifted from Reid to Garcia and Morgan as if trying to distinguish a visible bond between them.
"Um, would you like to come over here?" He waved her over in a hesitant manner. "These are my friends, Morgan and Garcia."
"Hey," Morgan greeted politely.
"Hi," Garcia sang cautiously. "Won't you come join us?"
At first there was no visible response. The woman remained still as an animal hiding from its predator. But then a breakthrough occurred. Step by step she moved closer to the trio and took a seat beside the one she was most familiar with, Reid.
Later that evening Reid stood in the kitchen while stirring a bowl of macaroni and cheese. He hoped the woman was not lactose intolerant. The cheesy meal was the only sufficient food he was able to produce after a quick cooking lesson from Prentiss.
He scooped some of the edible substance into a smaller bowl. He was about to stick the bowl into the microwave when an unfamiliar voice reached his ears.
"Reid?"
Please review.
