Hey everyone, here is the next chapter for you all. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I have fulfilled a certain request in this chapter. I hope it is what you wanted . Enjoy, my lovely angels.

Thank you again for all the reviews. They are wonderful and I cherish them all. Thank you!

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All mistakes are my own

Dr Lockhart stood at the side of Reid's bed. She had finished redressing and tending to his stump, she had also placed two stitches in his neck from where the knife had cut into it. She checked his vitals and hung another drip. She liked him as a patient, he was a young man and she hated that he'd gone through so much for no reason. She promised that one of her goals would be to improve his attitude to his current situation. A negative attitude would hinder his recovery and prevent him from living a full life again. She always tried to have her patients leave the hospital with a smile on their face and a positive outlook. Pulling up the blanket, she smiled at him as he slept.

"Sleep well, Spencer."

She made her way to the waiting room where she found Hotch and Rossi. "Hello, agents."

"Hello, Dr Lockhart. How is he?"

"He's asleep and I'm hoping he will have a restful sleep at that. I need to speak with you. It's important. Please, take a seat."

They all took a seat. Dr Lockhart took a deep breath before talking.

"I'm worried about Spencer."

"What do you mean?" Rossi asked.

"I discussed some things with him, before he got attacked. I discussed the rest of his treatment and his future options. I was truthful with him and I made it clear that he wasn't going to have an easy recovery. He has to learn to walk again with a prosthetic. He also has the option of using a wheelchair for the rest of his life."

"Reid wouldn't want to do that," Hotch shook his head. "He would want to fight and learn to use the prosthetic."

"I thought that he looked like that kind of man as well. He seems to have lost some the fight inside him. He was honest with me. He doesn't want to fight to rebuild his life or fight to use the prosthetic. He feels like too much has happened to him and that each time he's brought himself back to normal, something has come along and destroyed all that work. He's lost the will to fight and that scares me. I like Spencer and I want to see him leave this hospital with a smile on his face. I need him to have a lot of strength for what is to come. His recovery will not go quickly if he doesn't face it with a strong heart."

"Is that how he seriously feels?" Rossi said.

"The attack today has not helped his recovery. He didn't need that. He's scared and I don't know what that attack might have done to him. He was already brutally tortured and almost killed. He just had a knife to his throat. Look, I spoke to him and he does still feel like it was your fault for his leg. I told him that it wasn't and that you made me try the antibiotics first before doing the amputation. I also pointed out that it wasn't you that inflicted the injuries or tried to kill him. I think I have given him something to think about. Please, talk to him. I need you to try to bring up his spirit."

"We only knew Joseph had escaped when the alarm went off," Rossi sighed.

"He planned that escape," Dr Lockhart nodded. "He must have watched us. I spoke to a nurse. He had slipped out of his restraints and escaped during the shift change. When we switch over, there is a small amount of time where there are only a few of us on the ward. A full investigation is underway as we speak. I don't like the fact he escaped. We had a case a few years ago where a fellow doctor got stabbed by a patient who had escaped."

"I can't talk to Reid," Hotch shook his head.

"Why not?" she asked.

"He screamed at me. He never wants to see me again, work with me or anything else. I think he was in too much shock to care that I was talking to him earlier after we shot Joseph. He's right to hate me. He trusted me with his medical decisions and while I don't regret one, I regret the other."

"Am I to understand it's about morphine? There is nothing on his chart but the paramedic mentioned it when they brought him in."

"Don't put anything on his chart," Hotch said urgently. "He's got a past and we can't have a record of anything."

"I won't put it on there but don't lie to me. Should I be worried?"

"He was forcefully given a drug for two days during a kidnapping. He got addicted but he's clean now. He hasn't touched it in a very long time. He's always said to never give him any narcotics but he was in so much pain in the ambulance that I told them to give him something. I allowed the morphine because he's gone through too much pain already. He doesn't need any more."

"I won't remove the morphine," she replied. "His body is still healing and I don't want any stress on his heart. I will take precautions when he leaves here with any pain medication that is given to him."

"Thank you," Hotch smiled gently. "For being so understanding."

"A nice doctor gets a nice attitude from her patient," Lockhart smiled. "Just talk to him. He needs to understand that this isn't the end of the world. It's just the start of another one."

Reid woke up to find a soft hand stroking through his hair. He opened his eyes to see Garcia above him. "Hi, sweetie."

"Hey, Garcia," he smiled softly. "Is it safe?"

"It's safe," she said. "He's dead and he can't hurt you any more. I'm sorry I haven't been back in here. I got a little scared when you woke up and started yelling at me."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I was in shock. I still am but I don't know how to process everything."

Small tears came down his cheeks. Garcia wiped them away with her thumbs. "Hey now, don't cry. I know this a big shock for you all but I want you to know that we are here for you. I know you don't like all of us but we just wanted you to stay alive. We love you too much to ever lose you, baby boy."

"I feel like I'm useless now. How am I supposed to do my job anymore? The FBI won't want to keep an agent who can't go into the field. I just want to lay here and give up."

"That isn't the man I know."

"I don't think he exists anymore," he whispered.

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