It's around 10PM when Reid is conscious of the sounds of footsteps moving past his door. He knows those steps aren't the nurses shoes. The nurses don't wear shoes with that style sole. They wear shoes that clack, or pad, the gentle thud of the laced-loafers are a guarantee that Hotch had actually come back.
He tried to wipe the smile off his face at the thought that Hotch had come to keep him company at the expense of his own son, his own abandonment issues aside, he decided to label this a work-hazard, not a courtship ritual. Romances shouldn't start in hospitals, and they probably shouldn't end their either. He glances around, for the past twenty minutes he'd been fully awake, almost bushy-tailed with some faux-energy that he was sure he'd crash from soon.
As far as he could tell, he'd been lying in bed unconscious for maybe 25 of the last 31 hours. Stir-crazy, cabin fever, all of these were terms to describe his condition, ants in the pants, anxious… giddy? Hotch opened the door without knocking. Reid spotted Morgan leaning against the window sill, he'd fallen asleep there twenty five minutes ago, bored out of his mind and assuming Reid would sleep through the night, but just in case he needed anything, and he knew the man meant it, he'd be there.
That had been his plan, until his boss nudged him a few times and ordered him to go home and rest in a proper bed.
Surprisingly, Morgan followed that order. Then again, Reid mused, Morgan was usually obedient to Hotch, except when he was required to open up to others and trust, then he'd be a bit leery. Everyone in the BAU was like that, except Garcia and JJ… well, scratch that last one, actually. JJ wasn't in the BAU any more, he reminded himself very bitterly.
Despite the anxious ways he kept scanning the room, almost begging Hotch to start talking to him, he just couldn't bring himself to make the first move. His stomach doing somersaults, while he'd love to blame on his emotions, was still based on the experimental amounts of water he was taking in. It didn't help that his throat was so parched, but the IV was keeping him anything but dehydrated, and the catheter constantly made him feel like he had to pee, even if he wasn't… well… was constantly, really. It was too strange, and slightly gross to think of it, he looked at Hotch, hoping the man would derail his very random trains of thoughts.
The busiest Amtrak station is Penn Station, despite Washington DC being the center of Amtrak. Thomas the Tank engine was created and first released in September of 1984 on 35mm film.
"Reid, how's your stomach?" Hotch finally started. Reid let out a breath of relief.
"Surgically altered."
Hotch rolled his eyes, "I mean how does it feel, Reid? How do you feel?"
Reid smiled, that had been Hotch's way of preventing Reid from addressing an issue, he was sure, but he refused to profile his boss at the moment. "Very sore, I know I'm probably just imagining it, but my stomach—it's like I can feel a bunch of strings in it. It's preposterous, we don't have the same sensory perceptions in our organs as we have in skin… even the brain, for example, is completely unable of feeling pain. A headache is almost solely related to the muscles or blood vessels or skin above the skull, although the dura mater also has some sensory functions via pressure-receptors."
"Reid…" Hotch looked exasperated, he loosened his tie, "It's 10 at night, do we really need to go into that?"
"…I'm bored, and my sleeping cycle has been altered tremendously."
Hotch reached behind him, pulling out a book, surprising Reid. He was thankful it wasn't the Jungle, he already read it ten minutes ago after twelve minutes, it took that long to flip the pages. Begrudgingly, it had been an interesting read, but he'd already known the book.
"What's that you have there?"
"Rudimentary courtship rituals." Hotch smiled, Reid's eyebrows rose in curiosity. He suspected Hotch would hand over the book, but he did not. Instead he made sure the door was almost completely closed, leaving it cracked just in case a nurse needed to come in. "Are you familiar with Elizabeth Barrett Browning's sonnets?"
Reid's lips curled up almost in an unnatural happy expression, his face glowing at the thought.
"You probably could tell me line by line, I just hope not to ruin it for you." He cleared his tightening, dry throat. Nervous, and Reid appreciated it all the more for it.
"If thou must love me, let it be for nought, Except for love's sake only. Do not say: 'I love her for her smile… her look… her way. Of speaking gently, …for a trick of thought that falls in well with mine and certs brought. A sense of pleasant ease on such a day' –For these things in themselves, beloved may, be changed or change for thee, and love so wrought, may be unwrought so. Neither love me for thine own dear pity's wiping my cheeks dry- a creature might forget to weep, who bore thy comfort long, and lose thy love thereby. But love me for love's sake, that evermore thou may'st love on, through love's eternity." Hotch looked over to Reid, he shudders at the sensual look the younger man gives him. "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach…"
Hotch slowly closed in on Reid, hand grasping Reid's as the other kept open the page for him to reference. He secretly had memorized it via audio tape driving over, but he'd never admit it.
"When feeling out of sight. For the ends of Being and ideal Grace. I love thee to the level of everyday's most quiet need, by sun and candlelight. I love thee freely, as men might strive for right; I love thee purely, as they turn from praise. I love thee with passion put to use in my old grieds, and with my childhood's faith. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose with my lost saints, -I love thee with the breath, smiles, tears, of all my life! –and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death."
Reid's breath hitched. "Stop reading now, please…"
Hotch closed the book looking at Reid anxiously, "I'm sorry… I should have chosen something lighter… happier maybe…"
"Your lips, they need to be on mine now." Reid nodded faintly, "Right now." He coaxed, to Hotch's delight, the older of the two men dipped down to kiss Reid, slow, sensuous and deep. The passion added to the butterflies in his stomach. Reid slipped his hands through Hotch's hair, ignoring the pinching feelings of his IV.
Hotch, catching a wince from Reid, pulled back, breaking the contact. "You're amazing. I love you."
Reid tried to look away, blushing, "Isn't that my line…?" Reid looked at the clock, "Rounds start in another five minutes…"
"Right, I guess I should make myself scarce for a few minutes."
"…Do you have to?"
"Probably not, but I would rather not chance it. I'll be back soon. I'll bring some CDs, unless you still want to listen to Beethoven's death march."
"And Chopin's… I didn't have the heart to tell Garcia what she was doing to me." Reid smiled.
"Well, it's about time I introduce you to the glories of the White album, I also have a portable DVD player, want to watch Clockwork Orange?"
"What is that even about? Prentiss mentioned it the one time, and for the life of me, I don't get why that would make me feel guilty for liking Beethoven… really? What?"
Hotch leaned closer to the hospital bed, "Hmm, no, I think that might be better for a different time. I think a romantic comedy might be better."
Reid cocked his head slightly and gave Hotch a dark look, "You know, you're secretly a bully."
"You say that now, because I'm not telling you, but once you see it you might think I'm overtly heroic."
"You are overtly heroic, that doesn't mean you can't be a bully secretly." Reid pouted.
"I know, have you seen…" the sound of soft padding coming closer and diverting last minute caught Hotch's attention. "That GQ of a nurse is still here, huh?"
"You can still hear that? I thought the hearing loss was worse."
"In the right ear, it is, but my left ear recovered well. I'll be back."
"Please don't leave me. What if he starts trying to flirt with me? He's almost as bad as Rossi after two bottles of well-aged wine. Almost."
"No one's that bad. I'll be back. Just wait for me, besides, I'm pretty certain he's straight. He made it obvious how much he liked Garcia, but at least he's professional enough to leave you alone."
"It was funny to see Prentiss snubbed for Garcia, it's a shame Garcia didn't even pick up on it."
"With Morgan in the room? With her? There's no way she'd notice. You're stalling, I'm going. I'll be back." And with that he tucked himself into the bathroom.
TBC.
