Reid had been patient all week; they all had. They had wanted to see him and to spend time with him but he refused to see them. Dr. Spencer Reid knew better than any of them, that had the tables been turned and one of them were in his place, Morgan would not allow them to wallow in self-pity. He wouldn't allow them to waste away or give up and in fact, he would probably be the one overseeing their care, especially the physical rehabilitation part. So, that was his reasoning for being in the hospital today. He waved at the others who were standing around in the waiting room spending their lunch hour in the small cramped room. He wasn't accepting, no today and he was willing to take whatever his older friend had to dish out. Today it was Morgan who was going to listen whether he wanted to or not.

He didn't knock; he simply pushed the door open and stepped inside. Judging by the look in his eyes, Morgan was surprised to see him, shocked that his skinny friend had the gall to disobey his command to stay away.

"Reid, I thought I said…" He began.

"I know what you said, Morgan but I'm not about to let you spend another day in this room sulking and feeling sorry for yourself!"

Morgan closed his eyes and turned away as his friend approached the bed. His walls were up and his countenance was ridged and unbending. It didn't matter Reid was here to stay whether he wanted him there or not.

"Please. Leave."

"No Morgan, I'm not leaving. All of us have been here for you everyday that you've been here, waiting, worried, hoping that you'll let us see you and everyday you rudely turn us away! Well, Hotch, Rossi, JJ, are willing once again to spend their lunchtime in the waiting room, but I'm not! Not today, Morgan I'm here in this room today and I'm not leaving!"

He turned and looked with surprise at his determined friend who'd never ever taken such an adversarial stance with him before. He didn't know quite how to respond to him as he stood there watching him.

"I don't feel like talking."

"You don't have to talk you just have to know that you're not alone, okay? Morgan, you're not alone. We love you, all of us and no matter how all this turns out we're going to be here for you! Do you hear me? We're your family and we're not going anywhere."

He thought he'd done a good job killing all emotions but suddenly he felt the anger melting being replaced by sadness and sorrow but most of all fear. He was afraid of feeling afraid and not being strong and no longer being in control. This is what he'd felt all along, the fear of losing control of his life, others making decisions without consulting him or caring what he wanted. He was afraid of not being able to protect the ones he loved or himself. It was too much to bear and if that was to be his life than he wanted to die. He wanted to curse as one lone tear escaped down his face. Instead he nodded that he understood and Reid smiled. The next several minutes were spent in silence.

The commotion of Jason coming through the door with a wheelchair broke the silence of the moment drawing their attention to the over-eager therapist.

"Good afternoon, Gentleman. I see Mr. Grumpy is having visitors today! That's a good sign."

"Don't get too excited, he had no choice in the matter."

Reid and Morgan exchanged glances. Morgan's frown made Reid look away instead watching Jason as he locked the wheels of the chair in place.

"Well, Derek and I are going to have a party of our own for a few hours so…"

"No worries, I'll be here when you get back."

Reid watched as Jason helped Morgan into the wheelchair and he suddenly understood what it was that made Morgan so adamant about being alone. He was completely helpless and totally dependent on others. That was not who Morgan was and it was difficult watching his friend literally being lifted into someone else's arms and carried. It was hard to watch and in that moment his admiration and respect for the man who'd always been invincible like the big brother he'd never had, skyrocketed. He silently vowed to do whatever he could to make sure that he survived this and got his life back.

This was the last thing Morgan wanted and what he feared the most. He saw the pity in his friend's eyes and it made him sick. He didn't want to be pitied he wanted to be left alone. No one understood that and they weren't listening to him. They meant well but there was nothing anyone could do to change what had happened. He craved just ten minutes of solitude with no doctors, no nurses and no therapist. Nobody was listening no matter what he tried to say. Nobody was listening.

"I'm listening, Derek and I understand. Don't worry they won't be around long once they realize that you're never getting out of that chair! Ha! But I, yes, I'll be there, always! This time you won't be able to run from me, D! I'm going to make you remember all the things we used to do when you were a kid. Remember the cabin? Remember the supply cabinet at the center and my office? I'm here, D, and I ain't leaving!

Derek's friend waved as Jason pushed the chair out of the room toward the elevators; this was going to be a tough session by the look on his patient's face. He was losing him and still he had not found a way to break through the wall that he'd built around himself. Jason remembered how his mother always accused him of being stubborn like his father. Derek Morgan was perhaps the most stubborn patient he'd ever had. As he pushed the down arrow he smiled acknowledging that at least they had one thing in common.

Suddenly there was a loud commotion at the nurses' station catching both men's attention. An elderly man dressed only in a thin hospital gown was yelling at the petite nurse at his side and she was obviously having problems controlling him.

"Looks like old man Duncan is at it again."

"What's wrong with him?"

"Alzheimer's but he's here because he fell and broke his hip. He likes wandering the halls butt-ass naked but with the Alzheimer's the staff has to keep a close eye on him."

"At least he's on his feet."

"Well he wasn't two weeks ago. Now we can't keep him still."

Both men continued to watch the confrontation, which the young nurse seemed to be losing. The elevator pinged and the doors opened just as Mr. Duncan slung the nurse to the ground.

"Damn! Wait here."

Jason quickly rushed over to the desk as Morgan looked on. The elevator doors remained open as an invitation for him to enter. Realizing that no one would know he was gone he wheeled himself inside and pressed the button for the lobby. As the doors closed and the car jerked to a start he realized that this had been his first act of independence in over a week. He watched as the numbers rapidly passed by until the car came to a halt.

After just a few minutes Jason had Mr. Duncan back in his room and under control. The nurse who'd been assigned to him was grateful. She accepted Jason's offer of dinner and a movie and after pocketing her number scribbled neatly on a napkin, he glanced toward the elevators.

"Shit!"

Morgan squinted against the bright light of the mid afternoon sun. He had no idea where he was going but it felt good to be outside. He thought how easy it would be to get lost long gone before anyone noticed that he had escaped. As he slowly struggled to wheel the cumbersome chair down the walkway he was already exhausted and frustrated at the fact that his life had been reduced to four wheels and viewing the world from a sitting position. He saw the car coming toward him and suddenly it was clear that he didn't want this, not this life of dependency and helplessness. It would be so easy to just end it all. Just one carefully timed accident and it would be over. The car was getting closer the driver totally unaware of the role he or she would play in his plans. He wasn't thinking about his mother or his sisters and what they would think if he were to just let go and let the chair roll out into traffic. He kept hearing Carl's voice in his head cheering him on and laughing. The bright light of the sun was the only thing around him that seemed real. The horn blaring in the background seemed so far away and the voice yelling his name did too. Everything was fuzzy like a bad dream now as he removed his hands from the wheels and closed his eyes.

"DEREK, DON'T DO IT!"