Hey everyone, here is the next chapter for you all. I hope you enjoy it. Again, I'm sorry for it being as short as it is. I'm trying to sort some stuff out now and I didn't have a lot of time today. Enjoy!

Ms. Reid / Your review made me laugh out loud which was awkward because I was on a bus when I read it. Thank you for it though.

Zugzwang is such a sad episode and the ending makes me cry. It takes a lot for me to cry but that gets me every time. I just had to have that Thomas Merton moment in the last chapter.

Thank you all for all the reviews, you are wonderful and amazing. Virtual cookies for all! Thank you!

Enjoy and please review

All mistakes are my own

Reid opened his eyes and saw Hotch, Garcia, Morgan and JJ in his room. He still felt frail and tired. He licked his lips and took a shaky breath. Everyone stopped talking and looked at him. Morgan was the first one to talk. "Hey, you feeling okay?"

"Just tired," Reid smiled gently. "Did I fall asleep?"

"The moment I let you go, you fell back to sleep. You've been asleep for about four hours," Morgan said. "Do you need anything?"

"Can I have some water?"

Garcia quickly grabbed a cup and the jar of water next to the bed. She poured him a cup and placed a straw in it. He went to grab the cup but she moved it away. "I'm here to look after you. Take small sips. The doctor said it is okay."

Reid let a small smile and did what Garcia told him. He took a few small sips of the water. He loved how it soothed his throat. He stopped drinking and Garcia put the water on the bedside table. She stroked her hand through his hair. JJ came to his other side and gave him a small hug. "I'm so happy you are okay, Spence."

"Give it a few weeks and I'll be taking Henry to the park," he smiled at her. He realised that he wasn't in too much pain. "Am I on narcotics?"

"A very low amount," Hotch said. "We are monitoring you. Your heart has taken a lot of stress and the doctor advised that it would be better if you were on a low dosage. The stress from the pain would be too much now. It's a very low dosage. Trust us. We won't let anything happen."

"Please, don't. I do trust you. Don't let me get addicted to anything."

"We won't," JJ assured him. "Just focus on getting better."

"Why did you do it?" Garcia asked, her eyes beginning to water. "Why did you make him take you instead of me? You almost died."

"Can I speak with Garcia and Morgan alone for a minute?" Reid asked Hotch and JJ.

"We will go and get some coffee," Hotch nodded. JJ gave Reid's hand a small squeeze before walking towards the door.

"I hope you are getting decaf," Reid joked gently. "I don't want to imagine how much of the stuff you have drunk."

"We didn't even hit your level," JJ grinned back at him.

The door closed, leaving the three alone. Garcia quickly wiped a small tear from her cheek.

"We need to talk properly," Reid sighed. "Garcia, everything he did to me, he would have done to you. I couldn't let him do that to you. You are a wonderful woman and unique to the world. We all need the joy you bring to us all when we have a bad case. Never in my entire life have I known someone like you. I refuse to let anything darken the wonderful joy and light you have inside. You mean everything to Morgan and everything to me. I don't want to see you cry."

"It's just hard," Garcia said as she wiped her eyes.

"Reid," Morgan began. "We all feared we would lose you in the back of the SUV. You couldn't focus at first and you lost so much blood. It was everywhere. You died in the back of the SUV. For a small moment, you died in our arms. Seeing you now, it makes us realise how close we came to losing you forever."

"You didn't lose me," Reid replied. "That is the important thing."

"You got tortured and beaten by Kyle. You've been through a horrible and traumatic experience. You don't have to talk about it now but I want you to know that we are here when you are ready."

"Why are you worried about me?" Reid said. "What he did to you can't be easy on you?"

"What he did to me?!" Morgan asked in shock. "He didn't hurt me."

"Physically, no. He did hurt you though. He used us against you. I know he sent the videos to you. He wanted to make you weak. Your torture wasn't physical, it was psychological. My injuries will heal. The bullet wound will heal, anything broken will heal and the bruises will disappear. Memories of seeing him hurt me won't disappear so easily."

Morgan didn't say anything, he looked down at the bed before looking back up at Reid. "You are my brother. I think of you as my little brother. I feel like I have failed to protect you and that hurts more than anything."

"You didn't fail," Reid said. "You came for me and you kept me alive. You were willing to sacrifice yourself to save me. Don't ever do that again. Imagine how much it would have hurt Garcia and myself if he had killed you."

"I just didn't want to see you get hurt anymore," Morgan said. "I thought that by killing me, he would get his revenge. He never intended to kill me, I see that now. He shot you, Reid. He shot you because he wanted me to know how it felt to lose someone I love. To lose a part of my family."

Reid's eyes fluttered gently as he began to get tired. He forced himself to stay awake.

"I'm not going anywhere. You are not going to lose any of us."

Morgan went to say something but closed his mouth as he watched Reid lean back into the pillow and fall back to sleep.

"He is more worried about you than himself," Garcia said before she shook her head. "I wish I had his strength."

"So do I," Morgan smiled.

Four hours later

Blake read her book as she sat Reid's bedside. Hotch had ordered Garcia and Morgan home, it was an order, not a request. She knew that they didn't want to leave but they needed to sleep and wash. She looked up and noticed that Reid had a small sheen on his skin. He was sweating. She got up from her seat and felt his forehead. It felt hot. She pressed the call button and waited for the nurse. A young nurse walked into the room.

"I think he as a fever," Blake said. The nurse pulled out a small ear thermometer and put it into Reid's ear. She waited till a beep came. She looked it and frowned.

"He has a temperature of 101," the nurse frowned. She quickly checked his vitals, she stopped when she saw the urine bag.

"What is it?" Blake asked.

"I need to call the doctor. Spencer has blood in his urine."

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