Chapter 10

warnings: This chapter has been reported to be very fluffy.

August 1

Morgan knew it was too good to think they could make it through this without a seizure. He was pulled from sleep just before the sun came up by Spencer violently thrashing in the bed. After pressing the call button, he tried to keep his arms from repeatedly beating against the bed rails. The nurse arrived just as the hand with the IV smacked the rail hard and jammed the needle before dislodging it. Blood started dripping everywhere.

"Help me hold his shoulder." The nurse said.

Derek lay across Spencer and watched her jam the needle into the muscle between his neck and shoulder, delivering the anti-convulsive. Thankfully, it only took seconds for the seizure to stop.

"Let me get a clean gown and some sheets, then we can get him cleaned up." She left the room and returned quickly.

They worked together and soon had Spencer bathed, dressed, bed changed, hand bandaged, and a new IV line started. Shortly after eight, Spencer started to wake up. The young man brought his hands up and rubbed at his eyes. He winced and looked at his bandaged hand before laying it back down on the bed.

"You had a seizure this morning and jammed your IV before it came out." Derek waited for Spencer to say something but was disappointed once again. He pushed the tray of food over the bed and raised the head. "How about some breakfast?"

Morgan sighed when Reid simply looked at the food. He hated this; it was worse than when Peter died. The plate of eggs and sausage was still warm, so he unwrapped the plastic utensils and began feeding his friend. He was glad that this was allowed even though Spencer wasn't talking.

xxxxx

At nine o'clock, Garcia promptly entered the room. She saw Morgan wiping Spencer's chin and noticed that he had apparently been feeding the young man. "Hello, my lovelies." She announced.

"Hi, Baby Girl."

"And how is my Sweet Pea this morning?"

"Not very talkative, I'm afraid."

She walked over and kissed Spencer on the cheek. "That's okay. I'm sure I can talk enough for the both of us."

Derek laughed. "I'm sure you can." He stood up and pulled the rolling tray over to the side. "He had a seizure earlier, so he'll probably sleep most of the time. I'll be quick and back before you know it."

"No, you will take a shower. You will take Clooney for a walk, and you will take a nap for at least one hour AFTER you have done the first two things."

"Bossy much?"

"Absolutely." Garcia lowered the head of the bed to a nice forty-five degree angle. Then she pulled the covers up and tucked them around the slender man. Last, she pushed his hair out of his face and continued petting his head (it always worked to make Spencer sleep).

She smiled over at Derek and handed him keys. "I brought one of the Bureau SUVs so you could drive it home."

"What, I don't get to drive Ester?"

"Not a fat chance." She smiled sweetly and then turned her attention back to the man in the bed. He was almost asleep.

xxxxx

Morgan followed Garcia's instructions. While he walked Clooney, he pulled out his cell phone and called Hotch.

"Hello?"

"It's Morgan."

"How is Spencer?"

He stopped for a moment while Clooney sniffed a mailbox.

"He had a seizure early this morning and banged-up his hand with the IV. He's not talking, Hotch . . . and I had to feed him his breakfast."

"Give him time; he's been through an awful lot lately, and the drugs in his system are going to make everything harder."

"They are going to start him on a different anti-seizure medication this morning. His neurologist will be in late afternoon, and his therapist is supposed to be there a little after lunch."

"How is the investigation going?"

"I haven't heard anything yet, but Dr. Shelton is supposed to evaluate Reid and decide if he is able to take the stand. Somehow, I don't see that happening. The rape kit came back and confirmed Eric's DNA, so we just have to prove that it wasn't consensual. The drugs in Spencer's system clearly indicated the presence of a sedating drug that hadn't been prescribed. It was combined with all his other medications, and there really is no way he could be considered able to consent to anything, much less sex."

Morgan stooped down and used his bag to get Clooney's deposit, and then headed back toward the house.

"Hotch, there is something else I wanted to ask."

"Anything."

"I don't want Spencer coming back to this house where everything happened. Would you mind if we stayed with you until I find a new house?"

"Of course not. I have more than enough room. Tonight, I'll have Rossi come over and help me clean out the spare room."

"Actually, I was thinking that Reid and I could just share a room. He doesn't need to be alone right now, and he'll have his own room again as soon as we get a new place."

"Are you sure? It's not a problem to clean out that other room."

Derek smiled. "I'm sure . . . and thanks. Well, I'm back home now, and Garcia has ordered me to take an hour nap."

Hotch chuckled on the other end. "You better do what she says. She has amazing powers, you know."

"You don't have to tell me." Morgan hung up and climbed into bed. A moment later, Clooney came back from getting a drink in the kitchen and hopped up on the bed next to his master. Dog and man were soon fast asleep.

xxxxx

Morgan sat in the waiting room. He looked up when the elevator dinged again. "Hotch." He called after his boss.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Dr. Shelton is with Spencer now. I couldn't get him to eat any lunch."

Hotch walked over and sat down across from him. "That boy is stronger than you are giving him credit for. Look at what he has already been through."

"I know, but what if this is the proverbial straw?"

"It's not."

Dr. Shelton walked into the waiting room and took a seat by Derek. "I'm very concerned. You are aware that the last few sessions I have been worried. We were both assured that it was due to his medication. I am going to up his anti-depressant once we have him back on it. Derek, you need to watch him for signs of self-harm. He has pulled himself into a tight shell, and at this point, he doesn't want help." The doctor paused for a moment. "The DA has already contacted me regarding his ability to testify. At this time, there is no way he can handle a trial. He is barely hanging on in that room."

"I don't want to lose him." Morgan whispered.

Dr. Shelton placed a hand on Derek's shoulder. "I promise we will do everything to keep that from happening. I can't promise that he will be okay. But Derek, I do know how much you have helped that young man and how much he trusts you. Hopefully, that will be enough."

Morgan watched the man that he and Spencer had begun to think of as a friend walk away. This was going to take a lot of work.

"Hotch, I think . . . maybe I need to put in for that transfer."

"Don't make any rash decisions. You'll be on leave until Spencer is out of the hospital. Then we'll see about you working from home or at least the office here. Give it some time. If it comes down to a transfer, then you will go with the team's blessing. But for now, let's give the kid time to adjust."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes before Morgan went back to the room. He found Spencer on his side curled around a pillow-fighting sleep. "It's okay to sleep, Spencer. I'm right here. I promise I won't leave while you are asleep."

xxxxx

August 6

The sedan pulled into the parking lot of the medical arts building. Morgan walked around and opened the door for Spencer. He immediately attached himself to Derek; he was not letting him out of his sight.

The reception area held several other patients today. Spencer was not used to this, and when Derek stepped up to the counter to sign-in, he buried his face in the other man's chest and tried to be as small as possible. He didn't want anyone looking at him. He knew they could tell. He knew they could see how dirty he was. He wanted to cover his ears, but that meant that he would have to let go, and there was no way he was doing that. The other man was never going to be out of his sight again. His breathing was becoming erratic, and it was hard to focus.

"Come on Spencer. Daria said we could wait in another room." Morgan said.

Spencer clung to Derek and allowed himself to be led to a smaller room that had a bed, one chair, and a single floor lamp that gave the room a nice glow. Dr. Shelton walked in behind them.

"Spencer, Carmen is getting you something to help you relax. I want you to lie down and try to rest until it is time for your appointment. Okay?"

He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to take the medicine. He didn't want to think about what had happened. He started to cry.

xxxxx

Morgan sat in the driver's seat and rested his head against the steering wheel. Spencer was reclining in the seat next to him, probably asleep. It had been a rough appointment, and now Dr. Shelton wanted the young man to take the anti-anxiety medication daily. Derek was worried; things seemed to be getting worse, not better.

xxxxx

August 14

Garcia swung around in her chair and stared at her two favorite boys. She quickly kissed Morgan on the cheek and then pried Spencer away to wrap him in a warm hug. It took a moment, but he soon melted into her embrace. Derek gave her a smile and slipped out of the room. "How are you doing, Sweet Pea?" She petted his hair a minute and then pulled him over to a chair next to hers.

"We're helping out one of the other teams today. Right now, I'm looking for single parent households around Rosemond Elementary. You can help me look through their pictures for a red-head." She pulled a monitor around to him and then turned his chair to face it. Garcia petted his hair and turned back to her own computer. He wouldn't talk, but she knew that didn't mean he couldn't communicate with her.

xxxxx

Derek knocked on Hotch's door.

"Come."

"Hi, Hotch."

"Morgan, where's Spencer?" The Unit Chief closed the file he was reading and set it aside.

"I left him with Garcia. She's the only one that can make him feel comfortable."

"Except you." Hotch added.

"No, that includes me. I make him feel safe, but she makes him feel like nothing is wrong. That's why I want to know if I can come back to work and if he can hang out in her office." Morgan watched the older man considering this.

"It's not just so I can come back to work. I really think he needs to spend time with her. Somehow, she just has a way with him and she can't exactly take time off to take care of him, as much as I wish she could. He really needs this, Hotch. Dr. Shelton is concerned about the lack of progress. Spencer may never get better than he is now. I have to try something." He knew he was begging, but he couldn't help it.

"We have to keep an eye out for Strauss-keep her from realizing that he is here every day."

Morgan wanted to kiss the man. "Thank you. This is going to work, I know it." Derek left the office feeling a small amount of the burden lift. Garcia was the only one that actually communicated with Spencer these days. Everyone else just seemed to talk at him.

He quickly went back to Garcia's office. "Are you kids having fun?"

"Absolutely; do you know how fast he can read?" Garcia asked.

"No." Morgan walked up behind Reid's chair and placed his hands on the young man's shoulders so he could look at what he was doing. It was amazing watching him scroll through the information.

"Like a gazillion words a minute." She said.

Derek watched Spencer smile at her and roll his eyes. The young man reached over, smacked her hand, and then pointed at the screen.

"That's it. Gotta go, Morgan. See ya, Sweet Pea." She was out of her office so fast that both men just stared at where the vivacious tech had been.

"Are you ready to go?" Morgan asked.

Spencer nodded his head. When they reached the door, the young man wrapped one hand around Derek's arm and the other hand clutched the back of his shirt. "It's okay; you're safe here." They left the office and met Emily coming down the hall.

"Morgan, I didn't know you were here." She peeked around his shoulder. "Hi, Spencer."

Morgan could see the question in her eyes and gave her a small shake of his head. "I stopped by to make some arrangements with Hotch. We'll see you next week, okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

He heard the confusion in her voice, but he wanted to get his friend home before talking to him about the arrangements.

xxxxx

August 21

Garcia was on her way to the break room when she spotted her boys coming through the glass doors. She over-heard them talking.

"I promise she wasn't staring at your scar."

Penelope noticed that once again, Spencer was hiding behind Morgan. "There's my white and dark chocolate. I was beginning to wonder about you two."

"We had a bit of a delay this morning." Morgan said.

Spencer detached himself from the older man, walked over, and gave her a big hug without letting go.

"Don't worry, Sweet Pea; you know I'll take your side." She pulled him away from her by grabbing his head and pulling him down so she could kiss his forehead right where the jagged scar began. "Let's get some coffee." Garcia took his hand, led him to the coffee maker to fix their morning drinks, and then took him to her office. He was like a wounded puppy that you had to remind that he was now loved.

Penelope sat at her computer and waited for the scared man to settle at his own terminal. "We're going to be working on a geographical profile today for Hotch. There's a map already pinned to that board." She pointed behind them at a white board. "We need to mark the locations of all the murders. First, where the bodies were found and second, where they each went missing." They spent the rest of the day marking the map and inputting various data to link all of the victims.

Around three in the afternoon, Morgan walked into her office with a fresh cup of coffee. "How's it-"

"Shh, I just got him to lie down. He's been nodding off for about an hour."

Derek took Spencer's seat and scooted next to his confidant. "His neurologist wants to change medication again because he doesn't think Spencer should need a nap during the day."

"Pish posh, that boy is still recovering. His body has been through the ringer with all this medication. So what if he takes a short nap? It's a whole lot better than when he slept most of the day. He's really a lot of help in here.

"I think he's having some absence seizures and that's what's really making him tired. There have been several times that he's just staring off into space, and not long after, he gets a little groggy. It happens most days." She watched her friend's reaction to the news.

"We're trying to get his cocktail of medications just right. I'll let his doctor know. Thanks."

She watched him stand and look down on Spencer with a tired expression. He needed a break.

xxxxx

August 22

Morgan sat at his desk working on case reports from the one they finished last night. He was still tired since they didn't get home until after midnight. Spencer was probably sleeping in Garcia's office. The tired man nearly jumped out of his chair when his cell phone vibrated.

"Hello."

"Morgan, this is Detective Dan."

"What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to update you on Reid's case. It looks like we found three more cases against Middle. The evidence is rock solid. He's not going to get away with what he did."

Derek took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let it out slowly. "Thanks for letting me know. Maybe Spencer can have some closure now." He hung up the phone and when he opened his eyes, Prentiss was sitting on the edge of his desk.

"They found more victims in Reid's case. He's going away for sure."

"That's great; we should celebrate. Do you think Spencer would be up to going out for dinner?"

"No, but maybe Hotch wouldn't mind if everyone comes over for Chinese."

"Hotch wouldn't mind." Hotch said.

Both profilers jumped, and Hotch caught Emily before she could hit the ground. She pushed his hands away and turned to face him. "Don't do that!"

"So, why is everyone coming over?"

"We're celebrating the break in Spencer's case. They found more victims and definitely have enough evidence and witnesses now to put him away without Spencer's testimony." Morgan explained.

"I thought we could go out, but Morgan said that Spencer isn't up to that yet." Emily said.

"Well, you let JJ know we'll meet at six and I'll tell Rossi. Morgan, be ready to leave by five and we'll stop and pick up sodas for everyone."

xxxxx

"You should stay in the car with him. I can get everything, and then the both of you can help carry it in."

Morgan leaned the front passenger seat back and took Spencer's hand. He rubbed circles on the back of it. "Shh, it's okay, you're safe." He was pleased when the young man settled back into a restful sleep. Garcia was getting through to him, but he still wouldn't talk to anyone.

xxxxx

Later that night, everyone sat around Hotch's dining table sharing stories about how each one met Gideon. Rossi was apparently the talk of the bureau-and not necessarily in a good way. Spencer was glad to see Morgan enjoying himself. He had noticed that taking care of him was dragging the other man down. Derek didn't mind, but Spencer cared about his well being, too. Slowly, he got up and touched Morgan on the shoulder.

"Are you going to take a bath, or do you want to take your medicine now and go to bed?"

He shook his head, then walked over to Garcia and gave her a hug from behind. She reached up, squeezed his arms, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "G'night, Sweet Pea." He smiled when everyone else blew him a kiss. They all said good night, and he waved while heading for the stairs.

Garcia was the best; she loved him just like his mom. Despite all of his awkwardness, both women just knew how to make him feel better. He really wished he could see his mom again. His scars would probably frighten her, though.

A/N: Don't forget to vote for the next story over at my profile. This one is probably at about the half-way point.