(Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal minds or it's characters
So you may be wondering what happens to poor old Spencer Reid in the last chapter. Well I'm here to explain. This chapter is dedicated entirely to the doctors escape.
Enjoy and if you want you can leave me a fabulous review, just a thought.
Spencer lifted his head groggily off the steering wheel. He squinted around, confused. He was in the SUV, but out of the windows the road had disappeared. He narrowed his eyes out of the glass; was that water?
It was only then that he noticed how cold he was. His legs were painfully cold, and he couldn't move his left one. The chill licked his from his toes to his abdomen. He glanced down and realised why. Water was gently tickling at his lower torso and filling the car with its icy sharpness.
Spencer's breath caught in his throat as the memories flooded back. He whipped his head around. The windscreen was cracked innumerably, water spraying through the lines of impact. Behind the windows was a deep blue. Spencer, pushed his face against the window, his breath quickening when his eyes caught the riverbed and the moonlight hitting the waves above him.
He snapped his seat belt off and tried to get up. He used the door to steady himself and pulled up, but a sharp agony twisted through his lower body and he collapsed back down with a splash.
"Oh god, no..." he rasped, trying to move from his seat. His leg was trapped. He grabbed his thigh and yanked hard and gasped in pain. He looked down, watching the water fill with crimson.
"HELP!" He screeched, his voice breaking. Terror grasped him and it permitted him to cry weakly. I'm going to die. He said to himself. I'm going to drown just like Mara did, the thought of her made him sob harder. He saw her face flash before him.
"I'm sorry," he cried. She smiled at him in his mind. She was replaced by images of his team. Morgan was shaking his head. They looked disappointed in him. Don't give up, Rossi ordered, scowling at him.
"I..I can't..." he mumbled. The images disappeared leaving him alone. Leaving me to die, he though bitterly. He looked down at his leg, which had stopped causing agony, and was pulsating regularly. The water was to his biceps now and steadily rising.
He looked back at his leg and closed his eyes. He fumbled with his thigh, keeping his eyes closed and pulled again, this time a bit more gentle and conscious of the agony it would cause. Again the pain coursed through him and he fell back weeping. The water was a darker red now, and it was lapping at Spencer's underarms. I can't die like this, he prayed.
You're weak, the voice came from inside his head, but he still searched the SUV to see if Tobias Hankel had been there. Spencer wiped his face of tears and gritted his teeth.
"I'm not weak", he growled and he pulled his free foot from under him, using it to push away the dash board. His teeth were locked so tightly together that he felt sure he chipped at least one of them. He took a deep breath and pushed against the dash board with his foot and pulled on his leg with his hands. The pain was unimaginable, he could feel metal burrowing into his skin and as he pulled it sunk deep and tore the pale flesh. But he didn't stop, even when the metal scraped against a bone. He yanked hard and the metal released its teeth from Spencer's leg and he was finally free from the grasp of the battered SUV.
Reid laughed aloud, looking at the tattered skin of his left leg and grinning.
"I'm not weak", he repeated quietly. He opened his eyes, finally believing his own words. "I'm not weak!" He yelled, chuckling. The water was up to his shoulders, but he didn't panic this time. Logic, he told himself. Dr Spencer Reid knew basically everything, so he knew that in this situation he had to wait for the water to fill the car, so the pressure would be equalised and then he could open the door and escape.
The water was up to his neck now. Stay calm, his mind whispered. His tried to steady his breathing, but when he peeped out through his eyelids the water had risen to his chin. He lifted himself up so his head touched the roof. His heart skipped a beat when water started to lap at his lips. He put his face right up to the top of the SUV, taking deep breaths. There was around 2 inches of breathing space left. Spencer took one last breath before the water invaded.
He opened his eyes under the water, shutting them instantly when the coldness bit into his eyeballs. Spencer felt around for the door, knowing that the pressure had equalised. He found it and opened his eyes again, squinting through the water. Already he could feel the need for air, he let out some of the breath he was holding as he grappled the door handle, but that only made the desire stronger.
Spencer opened the door, his lungs begging for air. The door didn't hassle him; he swam from the wreck, almost screaming each time his left leg moved, allowing dirty river water into the open wound. He saw the moonlight getting closer and he began to power through the pain. His lungs gasped for air, squeezing tightly inside him. He was so close to the surface, he could practically taste the cool night air.
Suddenly he was jolted back into the depths. The invisible hand of a current wrapped around his torso, dragging him back under. He yelped, swallowing water as he did and harassing his already painful lungs. He felt his body being torn back and forth, his leg pounding with agony.
Black spots danced over his vision. He swam desperately against the current that repeatedly dragged him down. He kicked his legs against the invisible hands, the water around him began turning red, but adrenaline overrode the pain as he lashed through the water, his lungs ready to burst.
Kick. Swim.
Kick.
He began to buck with convulsions for oxygen.
His head broke the surface and he gasped for air, taking water back with it and spluttering. He breathed as deeply as he could, kicking his injured leg violently to stay afloat. He could feel the icy tendrils of a current threatening to tear him back under. He glanced around swiping his wet hair out of his eyes. He rasped, fearing that the blessed oxygen may be taken away again, and he knew the next time he went under he wouldn't be coming back up.
He spun around in the water, making ripples around him. He allowed his leg to rest as he spun around, the bridge had disappeared, he saw only water and the narrow trees surrounding. The water began to cloud with wisps of blood and Spencer had to close his eyes against the giddiness, his head bobbing under for a minute. He came up coughing again.
His eyes caught a muddy bank a short swim to his right. He prayed his body could hold out and began to swim. The short swim turned out to be much longer. He could feel other aches springing up across his body, his face stung with pain, his nose had already been broken by Lance's fist, but now his whole face burnt with the same intense throb. His shoulder was also now rebelling against the swimming.
He ignored all his ailments, focusing on getting to the bank. The water got shallower and he could feel rocks shifting beneath him. He stood all too quickly, collapsing back into the waves. He attempted it again slower this time, but still his leg forced him to remain down.
Spencer heaved his soggy self from the waves, his teeth began chattering and he wrapped his arms around himself. Now's not the time to stop, he reprimanded. Spencer groaned as he dragged himself to the nearest tree, using it to support him. You have to get back. Alex and Hotch need you, he told himself and this seemed to get the adrenaline pumping again.
Reid stood on his two feet, battling the pain radiating from his body. He took a step, buckling into a tree. He gritted his teeth and got his mucky, wet, purple converse back under him. He took a successful step, and another, and another. He focused his mind on the injured agents and this carried him out of the trees and onto a road. He saw in the near distance the bright lights of the bustling city, he could hear the nostalgic tones of beeping horns and car exhausts. He narrowed his eyes on his target and set off on a speedy limp, barely noticing the small trail of blood he left behind.
He was so close he could taste the city when he finally flagged a taxi. The driver looked him over wearily. The young, dripping wet man smiled tiredly at the driver.
"You look like you need a hospital, buddy", the driver frowned worriedly, seeing the state of Reid's bloody leg and the dark bruises peppering his face.
"No, I...I need to get to Miami Police Department. Y..you know it?" Spencer muttered, desperate to get in the warm car. The driver kissed his teeth, 3 of them were gold and 1 silver. When he smiled the front silver one glinted against the reflection of the moon, reminding Spencer of being trapped in the SUV, with the moon beating down on the waves.
"Course I know it. What you wanting there?" The Driver questioned and Spencer hissed in pain and impatience. The driver tapped his ringed fingers on the wheel and gave Spencer a multicoloured smile with his variety of teeth.
"I'm an agent helping on a case. P...please, can you take me there?" The driver nodded, knowing not to ask more and he unlocked the door, letting Spencer in.
"You got money? No offence or nothing, you just don't look like you have any", the driver grumbled, wincing when a sodden Spencer sat on his clean seats.
Spencer blinked at him and reached down to his injured leg, reaching into his sock and pulling out some bills. The driver nodded, turning back to the wheel and rolling his eyes, why do I get the weirdos? He thought with a chuckle.
Spencer practically fell out of the car when they arrived. The driver stuck his hand out and Spencer gave him the whole stash from his sock, not caring how much of a tip he was giving.
He stumbled through the door. Tara looked up and grinned at him, though her bubbliness soon fell away when her eyes saw what a state he was in.
"Oh sugar! What happened, baby?" She gasped, hurrying over. Spencer waved her off with a heavy hand.
"'M fine, I..I just need to get up there and see the others", he insisted pointing at the stairs. Tara gaped at him and released her latch on his arm. Almost there, he thought, lifting his foot onto one step and almost tumbling back down. He scrunched up his face (which was painful to do considering the damage he'd done to it). He climbed another step, pushing past the brick wall his body had mentally built.
Tara watched him as he heaved himself up each step, she had a hand over her mouth the whole time. When he got to the top step she finally saw sense and grabbed the phone to call an ambulance.
Spencer sighed happily as he feet connected with the second floor. He slumped into the door, pushing a dirty, cold and trembling hand against it, only just managing to get it open.
And there they were, albeit most of his team and his old team. He almost passed out there without even speaking to them. He took another deep breath and steeped froward.
"...the body", Spencer caught Morgan's words and a panic suddenly grasped at his broken body. He shuffled closer again, his eyes taunt with worry.
"What body?" He asked forgetting his whole ordeal for a split second. Everyone's faces whooshed around, locking onto him, their mouths dropping open.
"Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" Spencer asked, before his legs finally gave way.
Again thank you all for your support.
Tannerrose5 I'm so glad you like it, it took a while to get off the ground, but I'm glad people are enjoying it. I have ideas for the finale, but I'm just hoping they live up to expectation.
Criminalmindsadict16, thank you for your review, much appreciated. I'm glad you like it, I'll try and keep that streak going.
I have a wedding tomorrow, so there won't be any chapters I'm afraid, but I'm working on them.
Back at you ahowell1993, in a while crocodile.