Disclaimer: See chapter 1
-----------------
"Who's here for Spencer Reid?"
"I am," the small voice said as Fletcher literally jumped away from Theresa and ran to stand in front of the doctor. "I am," he repeated.
The adults stood as one. "We all are," Hotch said. "I'm Aaron Hotchner. I have Dr. Reid's power of attorney."
"How's Spencer?" Fletcher asked.
The doctor looked at Hotch, his eyes questioning whether it was alright to speak frankly in front of the child. Hotch nodded. It probably wouldn't make much sense to the child anyway, Dr. Kelly thought. "Luckily, the injury was in the lower aspect of the femoral artery in the subsartorial canal below the profunda branch." He looked at the group to see if they were comprehending what he was saying.
"Go on," Fletcher urged. "I understand the vasculature of the human leg. I'll explain it to them," he flicked his thumb at the others, "if they don't."
Dr. Kelly's eyes widened as he looked at Hotch, once again Hotch just nodded. "We tied the femoral artery off below the second perforating artery which we anastomosed to the arterial plexus of his knee to prevent circulation in the leg from being impaired. We had to repair some muscle and soft tissue of course, but because of the quick application of the tourniquet and the speed in getting him here and into surgery, Agent Reid will walk out of here in a few days."
It was as if a huge breath they didn't realize they'd all been holding was released. "He's going to be okay, really?" Fletcher asked and the doctor nodded. "When can I see him?"
"Well, it's rather late now and he's still in recovery. He'll probably be pretty groggy for a while. You could probably come back sometime tomorrow."
"Tomorrow," Fletcher echoed the doctor's words. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving Spencer. I'm not."
"Okay, what if I get one of the nurses to take you in when they get him to his room and then you can go home, get some sleep and come back tomorrow," the man suggested.
"No, you don't get it," Fletcher was adamant. "Spencer is home. Where he is, is home for me so I'll just stay in his room and if he needs anything I can get it for him."
"The boy is right," Hotch stepped forward. "Spencer is Fletcher's guardian and he does live with him when he's not in school in Baltimore."
"Hey there sunshine, you can come home with me if you want," Garcia told Fletcher.
"No," Fletcher said loudly. "I need to be with Spencer. He needs me now. I can be there for him."
Hotch pulled the doctor off to the side. "Would it be so bad to let the boy be with Spencer? They do have a very special relationship. Fletcher, as you probably noticed, is a genius. He's older than his years. He's not apt to wander off or anything if that's what you're thinking. He'll stick like glue to Spencer."
"We can't leave an unattended child alone with a patient, I'm sorry."
"Well, then there's nothing to worry about doc. I'll stay with him," Morgan replied. "I wasn't about to leave my little brother alone anyway, no matter what you said."
-------------------
Justin drove through the relatively quiet Washington streets, the traffic less hectic at this hour. Theresa was silent beside him. "You okay?" he said at last.
"Ches, I am fine. I have never had someone I cared about be so hurt. I was afraid for him…and for Fletcher," Theresa answered.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Was there something, you know, between you and this guy?" Justin held his breath. The guy was a doctor three times over, an FBI agent, good looking and he took in little kids. How could he hope to compete with that?
"No," she was thoughtful for a moment. "Do you want me to be honest?" she said at last.
"Please," Justin nodded his head as he kept his eyes on the road.
"At first I had a, how do you say, squash, on him."
"Crush, you had a crush on him?"
"Ches, it was a silly thought, just because he was the first man to treat me with decency and respect, and he made me feel like I deserved that. He helped me stay in this country. He took me into his home when I was charged with a murder and he helped get the charge dismissed. He even suggested I get my GED so I can go to cooking school and be a chef. He is a hero for me. But, in the end, what would we talk about? He is so smart and I…well I am not as smart. I care for him very much but I am much more comfortable talking to you. That is okay, ches?"
"That's great," Justin stopped at the light, reached over and squeezed her hand.
The lights were dim when the nurse showed Morgan and Fletcher into Reid's hospital room. Phoebe had wanted to stay as well but the hospital staff insisted that only two people could stay and Morgan and Fletcher were not about to be denied.
Fletcher looked at all the equipment. There were IV poles with pumps, one had a bag half full of clear liquid, the other was red, blood, Fletcher thought. There was a cuff around Spencer's arm that took his blood pressure at set intervals and a pulse oximeter probe on his finger. Oxygen tubing went into his nose. A nurse in pink scrubs was recording the data on a clipboard. "Hi," she said, "I'm Natalie. I'm Dr. Reid's nurse for the night."
"Is…is he okay?" Fletcher asked eyeing all the equipment.
"Yes, he's fine." She tapped one of the IV pumps. This is all pretty routine. Not everybody gets blood or oxygen after surgery but he lost a fair amount which lowered his oxygen saturation, hence the oxygen. Once his blood volume is replaced, that'll bounce back up. He'll likely just sleep and when he does wake up he'll be kind of groggy for a while," the nurse explained.
"Is he in any pain?" Fletcher asked.
"At the moment the anesthetic hasn't completely worn off. He will be in some pain when he wakes up and we'll give him something." She turned to leave and Morgan followed her to the door.
"Natalie," he said, "about those pain killers."
"I know, no narcotics, the patient made that quite clear to the staff before they put him under and again in recovery. The doctor's ordered a non narcotic, Toradol. Don't worry; we'll take good care of him." She turned and went out the door.
Morgan turned back into the room to see Fletcher on his knees on the chair beside Reid's bed. He held one of Reid's hands in both of his tiny ones. "S…Spencer, it's me. Can you hear me? It's Fletcher. I'm here. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere, no matter what anybody says." Tears began to fall from his deep blue eyes. "I'm not leaving you. We're a team;" he gently stroked Reid's hand, "Un…unbeatable. You just sleep now and I'll be here when you wake up, okay? I'll take good care of you." He laid his head down on the bed beside his guardian, still holding his hand.
