Missing.
Summary. . . . . . . . . . . Two agents go missing, one is found, just what has happened to the other? And how long do you keep looking?
Disclaimer. . . . . . . . . Not mine, never will be, just playing in this wonderful sandbox.
A.N. . . . . . . . . . . . . . I'm so sorry this chapter has taken so long to get out to you, real life and a muse on vacation have kind of knocked me for six these last weeks. Thanks to lolyncut for the kick up the bum to get moving again. Thanks also, once again to everyone who has taken time out to read this fic, and to those who have reviewed, or added to favs. Your support, as always means a lot. Here's chapter 14, I hope that you enjoy. Peanut x
Previously on Criminal Minds.
We both rush over together after the echoes of the shots had died down, a quick check all we needed to confirm are aims were true, before we push him aside like the garbage he was and turn our attention upon the one we came here for, the missing piece of our family, our heart. Seeing him in the flesh for the first time in a year brings tears to our eyes, and tells us all we need to know. We may have found our son, our brother, but the real battle is about to begin, and it's a battle we could still yet lose.
Gideon's POV.
I can't believe it. No matter how hard I try, I just can't believe it. We have him back alive, and I just can't believe it. I never once gave up complete hope, but as the days turned into months and then a year I started to worry, as the hours counted down into minutes I started to doubt, we all did, but we did it, and he's here, his cold hand gradually warming in my own, his chest rising and falling as he pulls in air, his eyelashes fluttering as he battles another dream, and I can do little to stop the tears from falling from my eyes. I have him back, my son has been found, and this time I'm not about to walk away because I know there's still a huge war to wage, a war to reawaken the man he used to be.
I stopped listening as the Doctors rambled on about malnutrition, dehydration, hypothermia, blood loss, infections, broken bones, joint damage; the list seeming to go on and on and on. Stopped listening because I knew, deep down, none of that would matter if Spencer didn't have the will to fight back. Weight could be regained, bones reset, blood replaced, but there was no fix, no instant cure for the mind, and we all knew that that would be where the battle would be fought, the battle to bring back the Spencer we all loved.
I'd sent the others back to the hotel to rest up after Reid had been placed in his own private room after surgery to fix his wrists, they'd all protested, all wanting to be there when he woke up, all wanting to help, but I know Reid, I know how he thinks, I know what he feels, and I know that a room crowded with people, even if they are like family, would not be what he would like to wake up to. He's going to be tired and disorientated and fearful and emotional, and I know he'd be loathe to break down in front of everyone, so I put my foot down, used my right as Reid's listed next of kin to insist they go, but I know they haven't, know that right at this moment Emily will be sat all stoic and unemotional on one of the couches in the lounge area, whilst Hotch leans against the wall wondering if he could have done anything differently, he couldn't; and Morgan will be wearing a hole in the tiles of the hallway, as he paces back and forth, back and forth, scaring off anyone who dares come within feet of Reid's door, demanding to see credentials of every doctor and nurse that enters. I also know that JJ and Garcia will be here soon, and as I realize those facts I also realize how wrong I was. I'm going to need their strength soon, Reid's going to need their strength soon.
My thoughts turn back to the frail and broken form upon the bed that seems to drown his tall frame, as the nightmare he's been battling increases, soft moans and hoarse pleas for help escaping from dry and chapped lips, causing more tears to fall from my own raw eyes and sobs to choke me as I hear my own name mumbled over and over again, always followed by a distraught cry of apology, and I have to wonder just what is going on in that oversized brain of his? Just what does he think happened to me? Just what did that bastard tell him? It all becomes clear to me soon enough though as I watch the nightmare escalate quicker than I can stop it and a haggard cry of "Gideon, noooooooooo" echoes around the room, causing me to flinch back momentarily from the misery that emanates from Reid, before my brain finally kicks in gear and I reach for the flailing body that's struggling against the restraints.
I feel hurt as Reid flinches from me as I brush sweat soaked bangs from his eyes, but it doesn't last as soon enough he's responding to the comforting touch, calming down and once more drifting off into oblivion, causing momentary pangs of regret to consume me as I wish he would stay awake just that little bit longer. I know that sleep is the best thing for him at the moment, but I just need to see his eyes, I need to know he's still in there, they've never been able to lie to me, and I know that I could tell from just one glance, just how big of a task we have before us, just how far Reid has retreated, just how willing he is to come back. I also now know I need him to see me, that he believes that I am dead, and I know that knowledge will only hamper his recovery. For now though, all I can do is offer comfort and wait, something I have no problem doing.
To Be Continued. . . . . . . . . . . .
A.N. . . . . . . . . . Thank you so much for your patience, I can only hope that the wait was worth it? Catch you soon, Peanut x