Hey everyone, here is the next chapter for you all. Gothina234 here. Sorry for the delay in posting this but I've had a bad two weeks and just needed to work through that. Enjoy and we look forward to hearing from you all.
Reid laughed as he twirled Garcia and continued to dance with her. He had resisted coming out with the team at first but was glad to have been convinced by them. As Garcia encouraged his awkward dancing, he enjoyed the feeling of being normal and being able to forget that he had diabetes. It was a constant worry in his mind even though he had now managed to have a routine that kept his diabetes in check. The song finished and Garcia grasped his hand and pulled him back to the table. "I love watching you dance," Garcia giggled as she pinched his cheek. "Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm feeling fine," he assured her. "I'll check my blood sugar soon though. I know how much you worry."
"I have every right to worry about you," Garcia said. "Morgan has emergency snacks in the car with your kit so tell me if you need one."
"Once Morgan is back from the restroom, I'll go and test my blood sugar and have a snack," Reid smiled before taking a sip of his sugar free soda. "I'm happy that you convinced me to come out tonight. Being out tonight is taking my mind off a lot of things."
"Talk to me, Reid," she sighed. "You don't need to keep it all cooped up inside."
Reid took one look at her eyes and immediately relented. "I guess I'm still adjusting to having diabetes. I feel guilty sometimes when I watch you all sacrifice your time to help me. It took a whole afternoon to install the system in my apartment and it was an afternoon you could have spent out with JJ and Henry."
"Hey," Garcia pointed her finger. "That system gives me peace of mind. I did not waste an afternoon. We spent that afternoon together and I wouldn't have wanted to spent it with anyone else. Don't feel guilty. You would help any of us out if we needed help. We're a big family, Reid, and we look out for each other. That should be burned into your mind after all these years."
Reid let out a small smile before it fell from his face. "The incident with Deputy Lewis has just shaken me."
"Don't think about that ass," she shook her head. "From what Morgan told me, you don't need to waste your time thinking about him and his dumb ass."
"Could you say ass anymore?" Spencer chuckled as he sipped his drink.
"Morgan has a nice ass," Garcia giggled playfully.
"Do I now," Morgan's voice came from behind her causing her let out infectious laugh that travelled to Reid, who also let out a strong laugh.
He looked down to his watch and decided it was time to check his blood sugar. "Guys, I'll be back in a few minutes. I'm just going to test myself and have a small snack from the car. Can I have the keys?"
Morgan rummaged through his pocket and handed over the keys. Reid gave him a nod of thanks before making his way through the crowd and trying not to bump into many of them. The night grew quieter as he got to the parking lot and he took a deep breath in to appreciate the night air.
"You son of a bitch," a voice growled behind him. He barely had a chance to turn before two hands grabbed the front of his shirt and threw him against a nearby car. Reid grunted in pain as his ribs and shoulder absorbed most of the impact before his body fell to the floor. Looking up, his eyes widenened as they fell upon Lewis, the deputy who had accused him of being a drug addict and who had also lost his job. Reid brought up his leg and kicked Lewis in the stomach as the man charged at him.
Lewis recovered quickly and stared at Reid with eyes overflowing with fury. "You got me fired! My girlfriend left me because of you and I am going to make you suffer."
"You got yourself fired," Reid snapped back.
Lewis thrust out his arm and Reid managed to dodge the punch only to have a foot connect with the back of his knee. He fell to the floor and let out a painful yelp as a fist smashed into nose. The back of Reid's head connected with the ground as the force of the punch sent him sprawling to the floor.
"Get away from him!" Morgan's voice ripped through the air. Reid looked up to see Lewis tackled to the floor by Morgan's warrior charge.
Garcia appeared a few seconds later and was by his side in an instant. "Oh, baby boy!"
A pink cotton hankerchief appeared under his nose and began to soak up the blood running from his broken nose. He couldn't help but lean against her as he began to feel dizzy. "Garcia, I don't feel too good."
"I'm calling an ambulance. We came out when some guys yelled that a fight was happening," she said him. "God damn that asshat who hurt you.
"Ow!" Reid moaned as the nurse pressed the tape holding the bandage over his nose.
"Sorry," the nurse apologised as she finished. "You're all set now. The doctor has already filled out your discharge papers so you are free to leave but please follow his orders. You'll heal up nice and quick if you do."
"Thank you," he smiled before watching her leave the room. He rose up from the bed and grimaced at the pain in his shoulder and ribs. Luckily, he had only bruised his ribs and his shoulder had escaped with only some deep bruising and swelling. His nose was another story. Lewis had broken it and it was going to take a few weeks to heal. He winced as the light caused his headache to spike but was also relieved to have escaped a concussion. The nurses had already checked his blood sugar and given him his insulin before he had eaten in the hospital.
Garcia walked into the room with Morgan and instantly wrapped her arms around him with great care. "Are you okay?"
"A little bruised and puffy but I'll be fine. I can go home now. I'm just looking forward to going home and sleeping in my own bed."
Morgan shook his head. "In your dreams, kid. You're staying with me tonight."
"I can take care of myself," Reid argued softly. "It's just some bruises and a broken nose. What happened to Lewis?"
"In custody for assualt on a federal agent," Morgan answered. "I called Hotch and he is going to deal with everything. Don't change the subject, pretty boy. I would feel more comfortable if you would stay with me tonight. I noticed you were a little shaky earlier and it wasn't from the attack."
"Morgan is right," Garcia chimed in. "For our peace of mind, stay with Morgan tonight and then you can go home tomorrow. Don't make me use my adorable pleading face. You'll do what I want for the rest of your life if I do it."
Reid couldn't help the small chuckle at Garcia's words. "I'll stay with Morgan."
A month later
"We've got a unsub operating nearby," Hotch informed the team as Garcia brought up a set of photos on the plasma. "We have six dead bodies but they weren't connected sooner due to the unsub dumping here and over the state line. The two departments only realised a connection a few days ago."
Hotch gave a small nod to Garcia to continue. "My doves, I will keep my eyes on you as I don't want to see the photos. All the victims were male and taken from their homes and the coroner and department put the time they were kept at about three days. Cause of death was trauma to the brain as in he shoved a spike into the back of their heads. Before death, they had been beaten and tortured. Full details are listed on your tablets and in Reid's file."
"They all look like typical alpha males," Emily observed as she swiped through the photos. "There is a lot of rage behind these wounds."
"There is definitely a signifigance to the way he kills them. He is careful not to kill them during the torture as the spike through the head is symbolic for him. All the victims have it in the exact same place," Morgan said.
"He may other victims," Reid spoke up. "He may have practiced to see the extent of the torture he could inflict."
"How often is he taking the victims?" Rossi asked Garcia.
"Every two weeks," she replied.
"He's taking his anger out on a male figure," JJ said before looking up at Hotch. "We should go to the last victim's house and take a look around."
Reid and JJ made their way to the last victim's house. JJ glanced to Reid and smiled at the way he was eating his sandwhich and snack. She had made sure that he had checked his blood sugar and taken his insulin before they had left the department. "Feeling better, Spence?"
"I always do after eating," he nodded before taking another bite and chewing. He swallowed and reached for his bottle. "Dammit."
JJ looked to her side quickly to see Reid searching for something before looking back at the road. "What's wrong?"
"I snagged my medical bracelet and the band snapped," he said before letting out a sound of relief. "I got it. I'll have to get it fixed later. You all stay near me most of the time when we're on a case and you all know my medical needs."
"We'll get it fixed later tonight," she agreed. "Put it in your bag though. Garcia had that custom made for you. I don't know anyone who has the Tardis font on their medical bracelet."
Reid watched JJ disappear up the stairs of the victim's house and made his way through the living room. The house seemed normal enough but he knew from years of experience that while everything might appear normal, something wrong and abnormal was lurking within the faux normality. He noticed a small room just past the living room and pushed the door open to find a study with books piled on shelf after shelf of bookcases. He shuffled through the papers on the desk, absorbing the words of them almost immediately. He stopped when he saw a small piece of paper tucked under the computer monitor.
He pulled out the piece of paper but didn't get a good look as he was yanked back and large cloth shoved over his mouth. A large arm kept him immobile as he tried to kick out.
"Ngh!" he struggled as the cloth was pressed harder over his nose and mouth. The energy and fight from his body drained away as the chloroform invaded his nostrils and senses. His eyes fluttered before closing.
"You just had to come and interfere," a voice whispered in his ear before darkness consumed him.
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