They didn't know how but Dave was living still, not awake but living. He stayed in that bed for a week with no movement, just healing and in a medically induced coma. Everyone visited, every day and every moment they could. Reid and Morgan though, they went above and beyond sometimes staying the night so Joy and Hayden could go back to Dave's house and get some sleep. On these nights both men would sit there silently watching the man they both considered a surrogate father. They would hope beyond all hope that he would wake up one day and crack a joke. They knew though that it was unrealistic and if he did wake up he would probably never be the same, a shell of his former self. They both spent many nights at the hospital reminiscing about "the good ol' days", reading to Rossi or in Morgan's case, praying. Morgan would even some times play music from his phone, quietly, to fill the room with something other than silence.

Eventually Joy and many others had to head home or back to work and it was left to Hayden and the the two men plus Pen to watch him. Reid went as far as to use all his vacation day just to watch over the man and help out Hayden. When he too had to go back to work Penelope was there when Hayden or Morgan wasn't. They were all there as his IV's were day by day slowly removed and eventually the ventilator too but Dave was still living. By some miracle he was still alive and fighting, which largely fascinated the doctors who thought he wouldn't make it through the night three weeks ago.

Today was the day, today they would ease him out of his coma. Morgan, Reid, Penelope, and Hayden were all there for it with Joy on Face Time. The rest of the team was on a case and got Anderson to cover them so they didn't have to worry about being an agent down and Kevin was covering Penelope.

"It'll be a few hours before he'll wake up and when he does it may take a few times before he can stay awake for a conversation," the doctor told them all as they watched from their seats as he eased Dave from his coma before leaving them alone in the room. Morgan and Reid were sitting on the small couch by the room window watching Dave intently while Hayden and Pen were in chairs on the other side of his bed.

"Maybe we shouldn't all be staring at him" Morgan said quietly as he turned to look out the window while casting quick glances at Dave every few seconds.

Reid opened the book he had been reading Dave and began reading once more. The book he was reading was "Envy" by Sandra Brown, a book about a best selling author named Maris Matherly-Reed and a man who does't want to be found. He took his time with it and didn't read at his normal speed so he could insure Dave understood the plot of the book. It was stupid he knew but it was scientifically proven that people could still hear while in a coma.

Hours past and eventually everyone but Morgan went to get coffee and lunch, figuring one of them should stay behind to watch David. And there Morgan stood at Rossi's bedside, watching in amazement and pure joy as the man very heavily lifted one eye lid and then the other.

"Hey Dave" Morgan whispered as he sat next to the man.

Rossi wouldn't look at him or even acknowledge his existence, closing his eyes once more. He couldn't do this, he felt embarrassed for the way Morgan had to see him. He unfortunately was not blessed with amnesia regarding the event. He remembered every painful and humiliating moment, Dave squeezed his eyes shut as he felt hot tears cascade down his cheeks. He turned his head in shame, not wanting Morgan or anyone else to see him cry.

"Dave, Dave It's okay. You're in the hospital, and the guy is dead" Morgan reassured him the second he saw the tears. He felt helpless, unsure of what to do to help him.

Rossi ignored him and refused to face him, he couldn't let him see him more weak than he already had. Morgan couldn't see him lower than he already was and David was going to make sure no one ever did. These were his fading thoughts as he slipped back into the dark realm of sleep haunted by nightmares and pain.

Derek watched as Dave's face relaxed and realized the older man must have fallen back to sleep in his exhaustion. He already had a bad feeling about Dave's recovery and the man had only just come out of a coma. He wasn't so much worried about the physical but the mental, he was fairly sure that on top of the torture itself that Dave went through it probably brought back bad memories of his time in war. Derek did not look forward to when the two things finally came together in an explosion of devastation.

When the rest of them got back from lunch Morgan let them know that Dave had woken up for a few minutes. He left out the fact that the profiler had also started crying and hadn't looked at him deciding it was probably best to leave it out. What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them and plus he had told the doctor who agreed that the mental damage would be a hard battle to heal. It was one that both he and Reid were willing to spend every second helping him fight even if he didn't want to. It was made clear to him by the doctor that David would never work again, at least not anything past being maybe an author again. Derek took that in and it hurt, it hurt to think that world's best Criminal Profiler would no longer be able to do his job.

"Reid" Morgan stepped into the room after getting his dinner and sending the woman home to sleep.

"Yea?" Reid asked pausing in his reading to Rossi.

"Dave's not going to be working again"

"I know" Reid sighed and put the book down. "I've always known. It was statistically unlikely that he would and he'll need extensive help with most things from now on plus because of his knees Dave will be confined to a wheel chair the rest of his life" Reid rambled.

"He'll need help," Morgan sighed as he sat down and began to eat, his eyes never once leaving Dave's sleeping form.

"I know and that's why I'm switching to teaching at the academy," Reid told Morgan in a matter-of-fact tone.

"But you love the BAU and plus I retired and Savanna and I both agreed we'd help take care of him" Morgan argued.

"It won't be the same without Rossi and honestly I think this will be better in the long run. You'll need help anyway because you have Hank to take care of too," Reid said in what started strong but ended sounding like a plea.

Derek watched Spencer for a moment before nodding in agreement. The kid was right, Savanna and him were going to need help and they didn't want Joy or Hayden to feel like they had to do it alone.

Dave could hear whispers in the room, he slowly opened his eyes in the dimly lit room and his heart started racing at the darkness and his eyes shot open in fear. "Oh god he was back in the basement" Dave thought to himself. He had to get out of there! Dave's head whipped around as someone touched him, he jerked away from the contact in fear of the pain sure to follow.

Derek stood there in shock at the amount of terror in Dave's eyes from the simple touch on his shoulder. His stomach squeezed in sadness that this man had gone through so much horror that he feared even contact from his friends.

"Dave, Dave it's okay. It's just Derek and I. Alright? It's Derek and Spencer. We're not going to hurt you," Reid said reassuringly like he was talking to a scared child.

Spencer and Derek. Spencer and Derek. Oh god. A fresh wave of humiliation hit Rossi and he turned away in shame and partial fear. "Get out" his voice rasped, he couldn't let them see him like this. "Get out!" he yelled a bit louder and when no one moved he lost it "GET OUT NOW! I DON'T WANT YOU HERE! LEAVE!" Rossi roared effectively scaring the crap out of both men who had never heard him yell. They quickly left the room to let David calm down a bit before they talked to him again.

This wasn't going to be a war to heal his body but a war to heal his mind.

"There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds." ~ Laurell K. Hamilton