For disclaimer; See Chapter One
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The Consultant
Chapter Ten
Reid had never felt more relieved to reach his apartment before. He felt his whole body relax as he pushed his key in the lock, to the point that he found it near impossible to get his legs to move the final few feet to his recliner.
He wasn't glad to be home because he hadn't enjoyed his day with Emily, on the contrary, he had never had a day like it. He'd never spent time with a woman like Emily before, or any woman who made him feel the way she did. He couldn't stop thinking about her, how she had leaned into him in the planetarium so she could hear him tell her about the constellations and spiral galaxies, how she seemed completely relaxed with him and how, for the first time in his life, he felt at ease with someone else, other than his mother, being so close to him.
One thing he couldn't deny though was the toll the day had taken on him physically. It was his fault, no one else's. His pride had stopped him from accepting the wheelchair Adele had offered and his pride had stopped him from using one of the blue bays right outside the museum to park in, resulting in a good ten minute walk to the gallery before they had even started the tour. It hadn't been a conscious decision but Reid could still identify what he was trying to achieve by his actions. Logically he knew Emily knew he was disabled, she saw him walk with the aid of his canes every day, but a small part of him childishly wanted to avoid drawing any more attention to it than he had to. A small part of him hoped she could forget, just as she had that day in the coffee shop.
He was paying the price now and would be tomorrow. Screwing his eyes shut he tried to stamp down on the nagging fear that he wouldn't be well enough to go into the office on Monday. How stupid would that be? Drawing the whole team's attention to his physical weaknesses because he'd been trying to hide them from a girl that he liked?
After only five minutes Reid knew he wouldn't find comfort in the recliner and reluctantly pushed himself up with his canes and slowly walked to his bedroom. At a snail's pace he changed into his sleep pants. He pulled his shirt off over his head and his hand strayed to the Velcro fastenings of the stiff lumbar support. It wasn't usual for him to sleep in it but he knew if he removed it now he'd be in agony. Sighing, he straightened up, pulled the Velcro strapping open and then pulled it tightly closed again, bringing the support more tightly around his lower back. Finally he grabbed an oversized FBI t-shirt from under his pillow. Garcia had given him the shirt at the end of his probationary three months. He smiled as he pulled it over his head. It was a ridiculous shirt but he liked it. He could only wear it in his apartment as Garcia had embroidered the word 'consultant' below the letters 'FBI' in a rainbow of different coloured wool, but it was definitely his favourite. No one had ever given him something made especially for him and he had been surprised at how touched he had felt at the time.
Once he was done changing Reid pushed his unwilling body back to the kitchen and filled one of his larger flasks with coffee. He grabbed a pack of rice krispie bars from the cupboard, shoved them in to the stretched out pocket of his pants and moved through to the lounge. Stopping at one of the overly stacked sets of shelving he leaned his cane against the wood and grabbed a DVD. Gripping the case between his teeth he took up his cane and, despite the early hour, carefully made his way to bed.
Reid woke up with a jolt. The phone was ringing and on his TV screen Commander Will Riker was boldly ordering a saucer separation on the bridge of the Enterprise D.
He rolled to his left, feeling for the remote, only to be met by a searing pain that originated in his lower back and shot down his left leg. Groaning, he gritted his teeth, his hand clenched in the comforter. After a moment he took a deep breath and opened his eyes. He slowly turned his head to locate the remote. Finding it on the pillow next to him he lowered the sound of Star Trek Generations and tried to reach for the phone that was set on his night stand. The twist of his shoulders set off another volley of sharp pain in his lower back.
'Gah.' He gasped as he lowered his arm.
The phone gave two more shrill rings before the answer machine kicked in. From the lounge Reid could hear his mother's disembodied voice. It was too far away to hear exactly what she was saying but he could tell it was her.
'Great. Now you want to talk to me.' He muttered breathlessly.
His stomach rolled and he took another deep breath. The pain was making him nauseous. He needed to get to the bathroom. Cautiously he pushed himself up and levered his legs over the side of the bed. The room tilted as fresh spasms circled his lower torso and black spots danced before his eyes. After a moment spent steadying his breathing Reid reached for the phone. His mother had already rung off but he slipped the handset into his pants pocket in case she called back, then, gripping his canes firmly, he pushed himself upwards.
His left leg was almost completely numb and the sole of his foot gave an unpleasant feeling of pins and needles when he pressed it to the floor. Grimacing, he let his right leg bear most of his weight as he set his canes forward. Dredging up every ounce of strength he dragged his left leg along, his weight fully on his canes.
His knuckles were white as he gripped the smooth wood and he grunted with exertion as he struggled to raise his left leg enough to compensate for the drooping of his foot. Every time his damaged vertebrae and inflamed nerves flared up he would experience loss of muscle tone in his left leg and his foot would feel as if it had gone to sleep, refusing to obey the signals from his brain.
His stomach lurched as he reached the hallway and in his haste to reach the bathroom Reid stepped forward with his right leg before he had his left foot flat to the floor. His leg buckled and the canes he relied upon slipped from under him, clattering loudly onto the wooden planks, moments before he landed heavily next to them.
The phone was ringing when Emily stepped out of the bathroom. She'd been in the shower for a while, treating herself to a long overdue beauty regime. Running into her bedroom she snagged the handset before the caller hung up.
'Hello.' She said.
'Hey Emily, it's me.' JJ's voice came through the line.
'Hey. I thought you were visiting your "sick aunt".' She said sarcastically.
'You're actually making those annoying little speech marks with your fingers right now aren't you?' JJ said.
'Just with the one hand. I can't do both and hold the phone.' Emily laughed.
'Funny.' JJ said. 'Anyway, I was visiting my very sick aunt but something came up.'
'What? She got a case at the last minute?' Emily said dryly.
'Why does everyone think I'm dating Detective LaMontagne?' JJ said.
'Why do you think you need to keep it a secret?' Emily countered as JJ sighed loudly.
'I wasn't calling to talk about me, I was calling to make sure you were ok. The case seemed to take it out of you.' JJ said.
'I'm fine, really.' Emily said.
'Really? Come on Em, it's me you're talking to.' JJ said.
'Really. I was upset but I pulled myself together. It's the job JJ, you know that.' Emily said.
'I know it's the job Emily, but knowing what it entails doesn't mean we're not affected.' JJ said.
'You don't have to worry about me.' Emily sighed.
'I don't have to, but as a friend I'm going to. I just didn't want you sitting at home, alone, thinking that you couldn't talk to anyone, which is why I've been calling you all day. You really shouldn't screen your calls you know.' JJ said, sounding a little hurt.
'I wasn't screening, I was out.' Emily said. 'So you see I wasn't home alone so you needn't have worried.'
'Lucky girl. I was bored to tears and had no one to hang with.' JJ complained.
'Ha! So you weren't just checking up on me, you wanted someone to go out with.' Emily laughed.
'Ok, you got me, I'm not completely selfless. So what did you do with your day off?' JJ asked.
'Oh, um...well. I... I went to the Smithsonian with... Reid.' She said carefully.
'Reid. Our Reid?' JJ asked.
Emily gritted her teeth. 'Our Reid.' She confirmed.
'Hold that thought. Let me get Garcia on the other line.' JJ said, the smile evident in her voice.
'Great.' Groaned Emily as she sank down onto her bed.
Reid lay on his side, the hard wooden flooring digging into his left hip painfully. He had landed on top of one of his canes, the other had skittered away from him and was resting against the skirting a little way down the hall.
Taking a deep, steadying breath Reid rolled onto his back, letting out a low moan as he did so. Squeezing his eyes shut he set his teeth against the pain. All he had to do was stay still for a little while, get his breathing under control and then try to pull his cane from beneath him. Simple. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. It was cracked and a little dingy.
'I should get someone in to paint.' He said to himself.
Morgan paced his living room floor as he dialled the number on his cell phone. He was officially having the worst weekend in history. His date the previous night had stood him up. He wouldn't have minded so much but this woman had pursued him relentlessly and finally when he had asked her on a date she'd taken him up on the offer and then not showed. Morgan could have profiled her and defined her abandonment and daddy issues but instead he laughed it off.
Saturday night was supposed to be for the boys. Poker night. It was a long standing commitment and he'd been looking forward to it and then one of his buddies had bailed. One of his kids was sick and he couldn't make it and it was up to Morgan to find an extra man to make the numbers up. Sighing he waited for his cell to connect.
'It's probably social suicide to invite him, but it'll be worth it to see someone kick Stillson's ass.' He muttered to himself.
Reid had been staring at the ceiling for about five minutes when the phone rang in his pocket. It made him jump and the slight jarring of the movement sent his back into spasm again. Groaning he fished the phone out of his pocket.
'Dr Spencer Reid.' He said.
'Reid, it's me.' Morgan said.
'Morgan? Do we have a case?' Reid answered, praying that they didn't.
'No case kid. What are you doing tonight?' Morgan laughed.
'What? It's already tonight.' Reid said.
'It's nine thirty Reid, the night hasn't even started yet. Look I need a fourth for poker, you in?' Morgan said. 'I know I'll end up broke and regretting it and possibly with friends who will never speak to me again but you know ...' Morgan tailed off.
'What?' Reid said. He was trying to follow Morgans conversation but the throbbing in his back and the chill that was setting in from laying on the floor were distracting.
'Are you ok?' Morgan said.
'Yes, sorry. I was in the middle of some reading. Sorry, what were you saying?' Reid replied.
'I wanted to know if you were up for a game of poker.'
Reid could feel draught all around him and knew he needed to get up. Keeping the phone to his ear he carefully rolled himself onto his side, stifling a gasp as his cane dug into his ribs and his stomach rolled.
'Hey, kid, are you alright?' Morgan's voice was filled with concern.
'What? Yeah, sorry Morgan I really have to go and finish the letter I was writing. I'll see you Monday ok? Have fun at the bar.' Reid said, breathlessly.
Morgan was quiet for a moment. 'Sure thing kid. See you Monday.'
Morgan stared thoughtfully at the cell phone in his hand for a couple of minutes before shoving it into his pocket. He grabbed his jacket and his keys and headed out of the door.
Emily's ears rang with the sound of Garcia enthusiastically clapping her hands over the phone.
'Oh this does sound deliciously promising my doves.' She said happily. 'When are you going on date two?'
'We've only just got back from date one PG and really, I'm not even sure that it was a date.' Emily said.
Garcia and JJ both made dismissive noises and Emily rolled her eyes at the phone in her hand.
'Did he ask you to go out for the day with him?' Garcia asked.
'Yes.' Emily said.
'Was he attentive and did he ask you what you wanted to do?' Garcia continued.
'Yes.' Emily sighed.
'Did you hold hands?' Garcia demanded.
'Ha! No, we did not hold hands!' Emily countered triumphantly.
'Oh, oh, it's a void question in this case.' JJ interrupted happily.
'How so?' Garcia asked as Emily made objections in her ear.
'Spence can't hold hands when he's walking, he has his canes.' JJ said.
'Objection sustained. Void question Agent Emily. Did you kiss?' Garcia asked, bluntly.
The silence was a beat longer than it should be and Garcia barely managed to withhold a shriek of glee.
'Yes, alright you vultures, yes we kissed. Satisfied?' Emily said.
'The question is Emily, were you?' Garcia laughed naughtily.
It only took Morgan eleven minutes to reach the apartment block and another two to sweet talk one of the exiting residents enough for her to not notice that she had just let a stranger into the small block.
The place he was looking for was on the ground floor and he found himself knocking and trying the door handle simultaneously. No one answered and the door was locked.
Morgan paused and spent an extra moment wrangling with what he should do. Silently he slipped his cell from his pocket and dialled Reid's number. He could hear the faint ring of the cell within the apartment. He knocked again.
When Reid still didn't answer Morgan pulled a small black wallet out of his back pocket. Removing a small metal rod he inserted it into the lock and deftly wiggled it. The resulting click was loud in the stillness of the apartment.
Pushing the door open Morgan stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him. The first things to register were the canes he could see laying on the floor further down the hallway and the sound of coughing that was coming from the same area.
'Reid?' Morgan called as he walked down the hall. Stepping over the canes he came to a doorway. Light spilled from around the half open door and the coughing had been replaced by deep breathing.
Morgan pushed the door open and stepped into the bathroom.
Reid shrieked.
Emily's ear had begun to feel hot from holding the phone to it and she had started to multi task and tidy up her bedroom whilst JJ and Garcia carried on the conversation without her.
'Emily!' Garcia said loudly.
'Ow, what was that for?' Emily moaned as her ear rang.
'You weren't listening! JJ asked when you were going to see him again.'
'Monday PG. We work together.' Emily quipped.
Both JJ and Garcia were silent for a moment. 'Why are you so evasive about this honey?' Garcia finally asked gently.
Emily sighed. 'Why is JJ so secretive about Will LaMontagne? Why are you so guarded about how you and Kevin met? It's just...the job and the team...everything gets consumed Garcia, everything. I think... I think I could really like him, even though he's probably all wrong for me and unlike any other guy I've ever gone for. I'd just like to hold onto this for a little while longer before it gets swallowed up, and that's before I even think about the ramifications of breaking the fraternisation rule!' Emily said.
'The rule applies to Agents. Reid is a consultant ergo no rules broken. And for the record I would love to tell you about how Kevin and I met ...' Garcia suddenly stopped and both JJ and Emily heard Kevin's deep muffled voice in the background. 'But I can't really discuss it.' She finished primly.
'Emily, listen to me. Spence seems like a really good guy and they don't come along that often. Screw the job, screw the team, go for it.' JJ said.
'Screw the team? Really JJ?' Emily blew out a low whistle. 'Boy, am I glad Gideon left.' She laughed.
'What are you doing in my bathroom!' Reid yelped from where he sat on the floor, his back against the wall. 'You scared me half to death!'
'I knocked! I rang! I was worried.' Morgan yelped back, more than a little worried at seeing his friend on the floor. 'What the hell happened, did you fall?'
'What? No!' Just ... why are you even here?' Reid said.
'I called you...'
'And I said I was busy!' Reid said, interrupting.
'I called you and you sounded off! You were distracted and confused.' Morgan said.
'I was not! I was in the middle of something.' Reid said, his tone indignant.
'And what was that? Reading or writing a letter, because you sure as hell couldn't decide fifteen minutes ago.' Morgan said as he glared at Reid. He watched as his friends shoulders slumped and suddenly, as quickly as it had risen, Morgan felt the anger seep out of him. He crouched down next to Reid.
'What's wrong.' He asked.
Reid looked away from Morgan and swallowed. 'Nothing, I just ... I tripped and... I needed to get to the bathroom. I felt sick.' He said.
'You think you picked up a bug or something?' Morgan asked.
Reid shook his head. 'Not that kind of sick. Sometimes, when I've pushed things too hard, my back seizes up and the pain makes me nauseated. I just need to go to bed and rest and I'll be fine by Monday. Really.' Reid said.
'And how do you plan on getting back to bed? Your canes are in the hallway.' Morgan said.
Reid's face flushed. 'I can do it. I've done it before Derek. Please, just go home.'
Morgan stood and pulled off his jacket, tossing it over the side of the bath.
'What are you doing?' Reid asked.
'I'm helping my friend who's sick, what does it look like?' Morgan said. 'This is what friends do Reid. You need to get used to it. Now, tell me what you need, kid.'
Reid leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. 'I need my chair.' He said finally.
'Where is it?' Morgan asked.
'Study. It's the room across the hallway.' Reid said, his voice sounding defeated.
Morgan gave his shoulder a quick squeeze as he left the room. Pushing the study door open Morgan was greeted with a dark room dominated by a large desk and a vast amount of books. Sitting in the corner, at one end of the desk, was a wheelchair.
When Morgan returned to the bathroom Reid was leaned forward, flushing the toilet.
'You ok?' Morgan asked.
'I need to brush my teeth.' Reid said quietly.
The room fell silent. Morgan tapped his hands a few times on the back of the chair.
'Can you um... are you...do you need me to help you?' Morgan said finally, as he nodded toward the chair.
Reid nodded. 'You can't pull yourself up into a wheelchair unless you want it to end up on top of you.' Reid let out a small, mirthless laugh.
Morgan leaned down toward his friend. 'Put your arm around my shoulders and I'll support your waist, alright?'
Reid nodded again. 'I just...I need to take it slow, ok?' Reid breathed.
'As slow as you want to kid.' Morgan agreed.
Reid slipped his arm around Morgan's neck and tensed a little as he felt Morgan grasp his waist.
'Ready?' Morgan asked.
He felt Reid nod and slowly helped him stand. When Reid was almost upright he heard him draw in a sharp breath.
'You want to stop for a minute?' Morgan asked.
'Please. Just for a second.' Reid breathed.
As they stood in the bathroom, Reid leaning against Morgan, Morgan could feel how tense Reid was. He was hardly breathing.
'You ready to sit down now?' Morgan asked.
Reid nodded again and Morgan helped him step toward the chair. Once he was seated Reid expertly manoeuvred himself over to the low sink and grabbed a toothbrush.
'I'll put some coffee on.' Morgan said as he left the room.
Morgan fixed the coffee and then took a look around Reid's living space. The lounge area was large and opened out into a smaller kitchen area that had a counter to separate the two spaces. All the walls were painted a soft white, which, combined with the rich wooden flooring throughout gave a relaxed feel to the place. What stood out the most though were the little touches that made it clear that a disabled person lived here.
Morgan had noticed when he arrived that the light switches were lower than in his own home. The furniture was well spaced, the door frames wider and the floors kept free off all clutter. Everything designed for the occupant of a wheelchair. Morgan was unsure why he felt so surprised by this. Reid had already told him that he'd spent some time in a wheelchair in the past, but to see his current living space geared up for it was still a shock to him.
'You found the coffee?' Reid said, making Morgan jump.
'Yeah.' Morgan said, raising his cup. 'You have a nice place.' He said, lamely.
Reid flushed and looked away as he wheeled himself toward the couch. 'Look, Morgan, you really didn't have to come here. I know it looked bad but really, it's not a big deal.' Reid said.
'Not a big deal? I found you on the floor Reid.' Morgan said.
'And I would have made it back to bed just fine. I'm grateful for the help, truly, but...' Reid shook his head. 'I just over did things today and, like I said, sometimes when that happens my back complains. The last time it happened was about five months ago and I rested and a couple of days later I was good again. All I want right now is to sleep, so really, you can go home Morgan.'
Morgan gave Reid an appraising look. 'Alright, but only if I know you've made it to bed.' He said.
Reid's knuckles whitened as he clenched his hands on the arms of his chair. Morgan folded his arms.
'I get it kid, really I do. You've independent and you won't allow your disability to define who you are and you hate when it's forced into people's faces.'
'I thought we didn't profile each other Derek.' Reid snapped sulkily as he pushed himself back and started to wheel down the hall.
'I'm not finished.' Morgan said.
Reid stopped his chair and turned back to look at Morgan.
'Like I said, I'm a friend and I need to be sure you're ok. When you're ok I'll go back to being occasionally insensitive and you can go back to being insufferable and we won't talk about this again.' Morgan said.
Reid still had a sulky expression on his face when he turned his chair back toward his bedroom and muttered 'Fine!'
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