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I'm back with the latest chapter. Next chapter will belong to Sarry22, be sure to favourite and follow her and check out her ongoing story 'The Monster'; it's awesome!

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Spencer opened his eyes slowly and frowned when he felt no pain weigh his body down. He glanced down at himself; gone was the mundane hospital gown that had been stained with his own blood, in its place was a pristine white pair of trousers and socks and a white top. He stood up slowly, surprised at how easy it was. He stared at his hands and carefully spun in a circle; a smile broke across his face at how free he felt.

He paused and fumbled around his body, looking for the injuries he'd acquired. The impalement wound had vanished and his thigh was no longer a mess of flesh, blood and bone.

"Hello?" He called shyly. He gaped at the white light ahead of him. Behind him lay Darkness, so dark that he could not see anything beyond it. In front of him was so much white light that he couldn't distinguish anything in that direction either. That was until a figure began to emerge from the light.

Spencer shielded his eyes and squinted at the figure. As the figure got nearer Spencer realised it was a woman. He could make out her white dress and long wavy brown hair. He narrowed his eyes in disbelief.

"Spencer, is that you?" She asked, stopping in front of him and looking him up and down.

"Maeve."

"Hotch!" Emily tore out of her bed and wrapped her arms around her boss. Hotch was so taken aback that all he could do was watch her. Morgan was pulling on a shirt the nurse had given him and he hissed in pain as he carefully guided his arm through.

Garcia and JJ slipped in and Garcia pounced on the two agents.

"Oh thank god you guys are alright!" She cried, giving Morgan a firm kiss on the cheek.

"Speak for yourself," he grunted as he led his injured arm into a sling.

"He's feeling a bit sorry for himself," Emily winked, releasing JJ and wiping her relieved tears away. Morgan grunted in reply.

"Where's Reid? Rossi?" Garcia asked seriously, hoping they knew more.

"Rossi is getting stitches on his hands, you remember when he was hanging off that ledge. He must have tore 'em up pretty bad; stubborn old man didn't tell me though, I thought he was in pain in the helicopter," Morgan sighed with a ghost smile gracing his lips. "He'll discharge himself and find us if he's anything like the Italian I know. As for Pretty Boy; I've been told nothing. I've asked, god knows I've asked, but they all say the same; 'he's in surgery' 'we don't know anything more'. It's driving me insane!" Morgan slammed his good fist on the bed and groaned.

"I'm sure he will be okay," Garcia whispered.

Before the team could answer the door opened and a short, stout nurse stuck her head through.

"Is Jennifer Jureau in here?" She asked in a dry, nasal voice. JJ raised her hand like a child and the nurse ushered in the figures behind her.

"Oh my god!" JJ staggered forward and enveloped her husband and son in a tight hug, crying into Will's shoulder with happiness.

"Thank god you're okay! We've been waiting for news from you guys," Will said in a croaky voice as if he had been crying.

"I missed you two so much. Oh, Henry!" She gave him a big kiss and took him from Will's arm, cradling him as if he were a baby again.

"I missed you, mommy," he murmured, returning a quick peck on her scratched cheek. "Don't leave again," he pleaded. JJ brushed the hair from his eyes and tilted his head up so he could look into her eyes.

"Never, baby."

"Are you guys okay?" Will asked, his hand still glued to JJ's back to make sure she was still with him.

"Just beat up and tired," Morgan made his best effort at a smile, but inside he was in turmoil. Garcia was glaring at the floor, trying to hold herself together.

"Where're the others? Rossi and Reid?"

"I'll explain later," JJ hissed so that Henry couldn't hear.

"Have you been discharged?" Will asked.

"Technically yes," Hotch added with a small grin. He was pretty sure that they had all discharged themselves.

"I'd like to take you home, Jen," he simpered. JJ would have loved to go home and sink into a warm bath, but she knew that her team needed her.

"I need to stay here so I know what's happening," she insisted.

Hotch cleared his throat and stepped forward. "I know you what to be kept updated, JJ, but I think it would be better for you to go home. Be with your family; get some rest," Hotch implored. Neither Henry or Will argued, but JJ shifted a little uncomfortably.

"Hotch! How can you even think of going home!? We have no idea how our boy genius is and you want her to go home!?" Suddenly, Garcia snapped, angry tears tumbled down her face. "He could be...he could..." she took a deep shuddering breath, "he could be dead for all we know! You can't go! You can't leave Spencer!" The team stood in stunned silence as Garcia choked on her built up emotions and turned her back on them.

"What's wong with uncle Spence?" Henry whispered, fear lacing his every syllable. JJ wiped her tears quickly away and gave Henry her biggest smile.

"He got a little bit hurt, but he's going to be okay," she promised, but it was too late, her son's face had already dropped with sadness and fat tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Did he die, mommy?" He mumbled. JJ remembered how Henry's goldfish had died a few months before and he had cried for a few days straight. She had no idea children could have such a good perception of death at the delicate age of 6.

"No, baby," JJ replied, desperately trying to brush her tears away.

"Then whewe is he!? Uncle Spence!?" Henry cried, looking around eagerly for his godfather. "Uncle Spence!?" JJ handed her son back to Will and had to turn away so Henry couldn't see her sob. She felt her heart tear at the edges.

"I want to stay here...with you," Spencer whimpered, brushing his hands lightly through her soft hair. The last time he saw her hair it was sticky and matted with blood. There was no bullet wound in her head now; her skin was flawless as it had been before the irrefutable bullet buried itself beneath it. Spencer traced where the wound had been and sighed when she took his face in her hands.

"I know. I want you to stay, but that's selfish...you have so much more to do, Spencer," she whispered, pressing her cheek into his cold trembling palm.

"So could you. Y-you had so much more to do," he stammered, feeling hot tears cascade down his cool cheeks. Maeve's shook her head and pushed the tears aside.

"I had no choice, Spencer. You do. Please don't give up, not for me, I don't want that," Spencer's breath hitched as her gentle fingers traced the prominent rings under his eyes. She took a step closer, placing a plan on his chest to push him back. Spencer began to feel the pain again, he glanced back and saw the darkness he left behind.

"Please, Maeve, I want to stay here with you," Spencer pleaded, but Maeve pushed him back again.

"Do this for me. It's not your time yet." Spencer took an unwilling step back and felt pain shoot up through his leg. He looked down and saw his white trousers darken with crimson. He looked back up at Maeve and the light beyond her.

"I can't do this without you," he blurted out and she gave him another push away from her. His face became paler and the bruises he'd sustained during the storm started reappearing.

"Maeve," he coughed, looking down at his bloodstained palms.

"Would you have wanted me to give up if I had the same choice?!" Maeve cried, forcing Spencer back. His white t-shirt flooded with blood from the wound on his side. His bare arms became streaked with dust mingled with dry blood.

"No," he croaked, looking up at her as he tried to keep his balance, pain tearing through him like a lightning bolt.

"I can't watch you give up. You can do this, Spencer." Reid gazed up at Maeve and swallowed thickly. Blood trickled down the side of her head where the flesh had parted to make way for the bullet that sent her here. Her skin was the same sickly pale as his, yet she still smiled at him.

"I'll see you someday, but not today," she sighed. Spencer reached out for her one last time and caught her warm pale fingers in his dirty cold ones. She gave him a light shove and he was swallowed by the darkness once more.

Rossi staggered out of his room the sound a doctor groaning at him to wait behind him.

"Just let me see my team," Rossi grumbled as the doctor caught up with him. He rolled his eyes and without a word began leading the way.

Rossi got to the room and thanked the disgruntled doctor before shoving the door open with his shoulder, avoiding using his injured hands.

"Rossi!?" He looked up just as Garcia coiled her arms around him like a snake. He couldn't return the hug due to his bandaged hands.

"Easy!" She released him a little apologetically.

"I'm not as young as I look," he grunted and the team laughed. He shot them all false glowers before settling in the armchair that Garcia had abandoned. She shuffled onto the second bed beside Emily and the mood became somber once more.

"That suits you," Morgan snorted, pointing to the gown. Rossi gave him a look, that made him cover his mouth quickly.

"Where's the kid?" Silence followed and Rossi looked up curiously.

"Hello? Where's Einstein gone? What rooms he in?"

"We don't know," Garcia whispered.

"You don't- has no-one told you where he is?" They shook their heads. "Right," he got to his feet abruptly, making Garcia and Morgan jump. "I'm going to have a little word with the doctors."

Just as he got to the door it opened to reveal two older doctors decked out in scrubs, smears of blood peppering the crinkled outfits.

"We were told you were looking for information of Mr. Spencer Reid?" One asked, holding the door open for the second one and coming into the light where the team could see the vivid blood against the green scrubs.

"Dr," Hotch, Emily and Morgan said in unison.

"Sorry. I assume you are all members of Dr. Spencer Reid's family?"

"We're his team. I'm his medical contact, what you tell me can be told to the rest of my team," Hotch insisted. Henry looked around in bewilderment and Will pulled him into his arms.

"I think I'll take Henry to the vending machine," Will added as he made his way to the door.

"But-" Henry started to protest, but Morgan quickly cut him off.

"Don't eat all of the M and Ms they're my favourite," Henry gave him a wicked little smile and made it his mission to eat the M and Ms before Morgan found out. As soon as they left Rossi pounced into action.

"I don't want all the ins and outs, okay. Be straight with us. Is...is he still-"

"Alive?" The second doctor asked. Rossi nodded anxiously. "Yes." The team sighed in relief.

"For now," the first doctor added and Garcia squeaked in fear.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Growled Morgan, eyeing the doctors angrily.

"That means that Spencer is in critical condition. He's on a strict 24-hour watch and we're hopeful, but we've seen a situation like this go downhill many times before," the first doctor looked around at the stunned team. "He's a fighter, that's for sure," he added to try and reassure them.

"Why's he on a watch?" Questioned Hotch, though he dreaded to hear the answer.

"His heart has been under a great deal of stress; it gave out on the table twice an-"

"He died?" Emily gasped.

"His heart stopped, yes, but we got him back. He is on a heavy dose of morphine...I know we were told no narcotics, but without it the pain would be too much for his heart to deal with. If his heart stops again we doubt very much that we will be able to bring him back. If he survives past the next 24 hours we will lower the dosage and see how he copes."

The team listened in silence. Hotch visibly cringed when they mentioned the morphine.

"Do you want to hear the 'ins and the outs' now?" The doctor asked. Hotch nodded on behalf of his shocked team.

"The biggest problem we had was with the sheer volume of blood Dr. Reid lost. I'm surprised he didn't go into shock sooner. We had to gave him several blood transfusions just to get him to a suitable level and he needed more during surgery. The leg wound was beginning to show signs of infection; he is on a strong course of antibiotics to counter this. The bone was openly fractured, muscle and nerves were damaged. If he makes it past his current condition he will need physical therapy to regain mobility of his leg. He may not gain full mobility again; often injuries like this lead to a limp or considerable stagger, but that just depends on how much effort the patient puts into therapy."

Hotch remembered Reid saying the same about his last leg injury and after just over a year he was walking fine again; 'defying statistics' as Rossi had put it.

"Whatever impaled Dr. Reid got deep enough to slice his small intestine open. We managed to repair the damage, but we also found extensive internal bleeding," the doctor took a quick breath, recalling the blood he had over his hands and the desperate attempts to restart the young man's heart. "He also has some superficial injuries; bruising across much of his body, lacerations, some of which needed stitching, a broken rib, and a mild concussion." The Doctor stopped abruptly as if coming to the end of an important letter.

"He is currently on a ventilator to help him breathe," the second doctor added.

"Can...can we see him?" JJ mumbled.

"Normally I'd say no, but he's been declining and I think he needs something to hold onto."

"What do you mean?" Morgan hissed in frustration.

"It's extremely possible that Spencer is aware and can hear what's going on around him. You need to show him what he's got to come back to because if he continues to decline he will die."

Spencer couldn't feel his body. He could only hear as if he were locked in the recess of his mind.

He was already starting to regret his decision to come back. The soft beeping noise only worsened the deep and heavy silence that sat on top of him like a dead weight.

Why didn't I stay with her? He thought. Why did I come back?

A soft squeak of door hinges added to the banal heart monitor. It sounded like the beeping of a bomb, ticking away his dwindling second.

What have I got to live for? He thought bitterly.

Through the numbness, he felt a smithing small and soft rest on his bruised, cold and still hand.

"Hi, Uncle Spence, it Henwy. Please, can you wake up."

Another chapter over!

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