Where's Spencer?
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.
'When sense is wanting, everything is wanting ~ Benamin Franklin.
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Ashley Davis looked at her watch and sighed. It was nearly 2:30 am, She hated to be the one to close up the bar but the boss man was sick and had left early. At least Freddy was still here working and she had him to walk her home afterward. She had locked the doors, wiped the tables down and polished the bar. Boss man had already taken the till home with him. All she had left to do was put the garbage out into the bin out back. She looked at the large green bag with disgust.
"Hey Frederico, come take the trash out, then we can leave." she called.
Frederico appeared from the kitchen carrying an armload of clean beer steins. He raised his eyebrows at her.
"That's not my job, you do it," he said as he set down the heavy tray of glasses.
"But I'm a food server, it probably goes against some sanitation code or something,'' She saw his incredulous expression as he gestured around the empty room.
"I don't see anyone here to serve food to chica."
"Ok ok, It's dark and creepy out there and it stinks, please Freddy," she whined.
His lips twisted into a grin. He effortlessly hoisted the heavy bag over his shoulder and headed toward the back door..
"Fine, Miss scardy cat, just come hold the door open for me." he called over his shoulder to Ashley.
She laughed "What, are you scared of the dark?"
"No, just last time I tripped on a rat, The rat wasn't stoked about it."
Ashley held the heavy door open as Freddy disappeared into the darkness. The mugginess of the night air hit her like a wall. They were having a heat wave in LA the last few days and the stench of the dumpster hung in the air like a big smelly hot wet dog. She heard Freddy give a startled yelp.
"Hey what's wrong, you trip on another rat?" she called out. He didn't answer right away:; the silence made her uneasy.
"Freddy, you still there?"
"Holy Shit!" Suddenly Freddy was right in front of her, a look of pure panic on his face. He grabbed her arm and pushed her inside.
"What's going on,what's wrong?" she said, starting to feel her own panic setting in.
Freddy took a deep breath "I think there's a dead guy out there!"
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Morgan left his hotel room thinking about Reid. It was 6:30 in the morning, far too early to be knocking on the guys door; especially if he were getting some much needed sleep. He looked down the hall towards Reid's room. He wasn't surprised to find he wasn't the only one who was a little worried, David Rossi was standing outside Reid's door.
"Hey Rossi, did you talk to Reid?" He said as he strode over to his fellow profiler.
Rossi looked up. "No, I was going to but it's too early."
Morgan nodded."That's what I thought. I'll call later if we're not out in the field,"
Rossi agreed "Let's grab a quick bite and head over to the station, Hotch is probably there already."
The two men headed toward the stairs and managed to miss Prentiss coming out of her room. She had the room directly across from Reid's. She stood staring at his door with the 'Do not disturb' sign on it.
Something felt off to her. She wanted to knock on his door and wake him up. Her brain argued that it was too early and to leave him alone. Her intuition, if that's what it could be called said something else. Why did she have this nagging feeling something was wrong? She felt it late last night when she had trouble sleeping. She kept dozing off and waking up and for the life of her, she wasn't sure if she had actually heard Reid leave his room last night or it was part of a dream she had. Deciding it was better to leave him be for now, she made herself ignore the mental debate that was going on in her head. There was an unsub out there killing people. This was what she was supposed to be concentrating on.
Emily gave herself a mental shake and went to meet up with her team mates.
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Reid opened his eyes and quickly shut them again. It was far too bright. He could barely stand to look at the bright lights over his head. With his eyes closed he tried to deciper all the strange things he was feeling. Pain was certainly one of them, and he knew he was lying on his back as well. He was moving too, very fast, or was he swimming, his head certainly felt like it was swimming. Again he opened his eyes. It was still as bright but this time he could make out indistinct shapes swimming over him. One of the shapes began to speak.
"Hey there buddy, you're awake," a deep male voice said.
Reid tried to sit up and groaned as the pain in his head and ribs forced him to lie down again.
"Where, where where...?" he said thickly, unable to put his thoughts into words.
"Take it easy" said the kind male voice.
Reid felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Hotch?" he said hopefully
"Are you Hotch?" said the man.
Reid shook his head causing the pain to hit him again. He was aware of something cold and metal on his chest. The male voice spoke again.
"Alright, you're in an ambulance, we're taking you to a county hospital. A couple of kids who work in a bar found you on the ground out back.
You've been beaten up pretty bad. Do you remember anything?"
Reid wanted to answer the man but when he lifted his head to speak he was hit by a monster wave of nausea and vomited over the side of the gurney.
"I guess that's a no ," said the man.
XXXX
The team had caught a break, Unfortunately it was in the form of another victim. A victim who survived. Apparently something spooked the unsub before he could complete his kill. The woman he had left for dead had managed to crawl out of her car and scream for help.
Hotch and Morgan went to the hospital to see if they could interview the woman. Prentiss and Rossi went to the crime scene to see what they could glean from the site.
The two agents walked solemnly around the victims car. The CSI guys had already taken every sample possible. Now it was left to them to try and figure out, why this woman, why this car and this particular time of day?
Their minds re-enacted the crime the way it must have played out. All they ended up with was more questions instead of answers. They both looked around at the old run down buildings surrounding them. Their silent witnesses.
"Too bad these walls don't talk " Rossi remarked as they walked back to their SUV.
Emily grimaced."I don't think I'd want to know what they've seen" She buckled up her seat belt. "Should we go to the hospital to meet up with Hotch"
"Yeah I think he's expecting us," Rossi was quiet for a moment. "Morgan has called the hotel three times and hasn't got an answer,"
Emily didn't have to ask what Rossi was talking about, she too had called Reid a couple of times and hadn't reached him. She was worried but she had to put it aside for now.
"Ya know maybe Reid got up and went out or he's sitting around the station feeling left out..," she said. She tried to be funny "Or he's educating the desk sargeant with some obscure fact."
Rossi nodded. They were silent the rest of the drive. Neither one wanted to admit how worried they were becoming.
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Reid hated hospitals, all the people, the smells, the strange hands touching him. He was in an exam room lying on a table, His clothes had been removed; he was wearing one of those drafty hospital gowns. He heard the voices again, a male and female this time.
"This is the John Doe that came in Doctor" said the female voice. "I think He's waking up again"
Reid peered up at a middle aged man in white. His vision was still a little fuzzy.
"What's your name?" The doctor asked.
Spencer wet his lips to speak "Re...Reid," he answered.
"Good, now what's your last name?"
Spencer was distracted, for a brief moment he thought he saw a familiar handsome black man pass by the large window of the exam room.
"MMMorgan!" he gasped.
"Good, now were getting somewhere, nurse this man's name is Reid Morgan make sure you write that on his chart."
Reid blinked several times, maybe he had only imagined he saw Morgan. His head really hurt. Morgan wouldn't be here. Reid turned his head to the side and saw the IV in his arm and the nurse with a needle in her hands.
"Giving you a little something for the pain sir, relax."
"Yes, good, thank you" he mumbled as he finally found the relief he had been seeking.
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TBC
AN: Think I'll end it here for now. Please read and review. Let me know what you think. Did Reid really see Morgan? I'm trying to update a little faster these for the last chapters reviews.