Thanks for the support as always!
Chapter Seventeen:
Garcia and Prentiss met with Ormes.
"He's making significant progress," she said. "We discovered recently that Uris was preparing to kill him when Reid struck first."
Garcia gasped. Prentis remained still.
"What is next in his treatment?" she asked.
"We're going to work with him in more group settings and try to get him outside now that the weather is better."
"I've set a date for my wedding," Prentiss said. "I was wondering if it could be live-streamed here."
"I don't see where that would be a problem," Ormes said.
"I brought some things to remind of home," Garcia said.
She pulled a purple scarf, and The Narrative of John Smith.
"He can't keep the scarf in his room," Ormes said. "But I'm sure he'll appreciate the feel of it."
"Did something happen recently?" Prentiss asked.
"I'm not at liberty to say," she said. "People think that the process of healing is linear. It isn't. There are setbacks and then progress, and possibly another setback. It takes patience and perseverance, by everyone involved."
"I think I understand," Prentis said.
"I do too," Garcia said.
"I think Reid is ready for you," Ormes said.
They walked to the visitor's area and took a seat at a table. Ormes took a seat in the corner.
Then Reid appeared. He was dressed in a blue shirt dress shirt and black slacks. If it weren't for the scars and terrified look on his face, he'd almost look like himself before his captivity.
"Hey," he said nervously.
"Hey Reid," Garcia said. "Read anything good?"
Reid took a seat.
"I tried to kill myself," he said bluntly.
"Oh Reid," Prentiss said.
He started crying.
"This young woman who had been in a European sex cult for sixteen years, she tackled me just as I was about to jump off the roof. They have staff problems here over the weekends."
Garcia started crying.
"I don't want to lose you!" she said. "I just got you back and I don't want to lose you again."
"I'm afraid," he sobbed. "I'm afraid I won't be the Spencer Reid you know and love."
"You don't have to be," Prentiss said. "You just have to live. We need you, Reid, in whatever form you choose to be."
"I just feel so broken," he said. "I miss who I used to be. Now I feel like nothing."
Reid's head jerked like he was remembering something. He began to cry even harder.
This wasn't part of her expertise, so Prentiss wasn't quite sure what she was doing. She got up from her chair and went over and hugged him. At first, he tensed up, but then he nuzzled her hair as he cried. Garcia came over and rubbed his back.
"I don't want to die anymore," he said. "I'm just afraid there isn't much of the Spencer Reid you know left."
"We love you just the way you are," Garcia said.
"I don't want to be a charity case," he said.
"Knowing you has made me a better person," Prentiss said. "A better chess player especially. But your heart, you have taught me so much about empathy. You mean so much to me."
"Ditto," Garcia said. "You have shown me how amazing the world is. You care about things in ways I can't begin to understand. You don't have to be the Reid I knew three years ago, you just have to be here."
"I promise I won't try to kill myself again. I promise I won't try to kill myself," he said. "I promise."
"I know you won't," Prentiss said. "I believe you and I believe you mean it."
"I do too," Garcia said.
"This wasn't how I planned the visit," he said as he let go of them. "I wanted to keep it light but I couldn't keep the secret from you."
"Don't be afraid to tell us anything," Prentiss said. "We can take it."
"Absolutely," Garcia said. "Now Emily has an announcement."
"About your wedding?" Reid said.
"You're good," she said. "Three months from Saturday. We're getting a videographer so you can watch it if you'd like."
"I'd love to," Reid said.
"Great," Prentiss said. "And Garcia is still wearing the mint-green dress."
She pouted.
"Just a slight color variation and I would have been happy."
"I can't wait to see all of it," Reid said.
"Maybe I'll sneak you some cake too," Prentiss said.
"I like cake," he said with a laugh.
Juno and Ormes appeared.
"The fun is over," Prentiss said with a sigh.
"I'll see you next week?" he asked anxiously.
"Count on me," Garcia said.
"You're being taken off stand down, aren't you?" Reid said.
"I'll try to be here," Prentiss said. "If not me, then another team member."
"Okay," he said.
"We've decided to allow for a weekend visitor," Ormes said. "Derek Morgan has cleared our screening process."
Reid's face lit up.
"Great!"
"I'll take you back to your room," Ormes said.
"It was good seeing you guys," Reid said.
"It was good seeing you too," Prentiss said.
Juno walked with Garcia and Prentiss.
"That was another good step in the right direction," Juno said.
Prentiss realized her shoulder was damp with his tears.
"I didn't realize he was still this bad," Prentiss said.
"It's not unusual for patients to have setbacks, especially this early in treatment," Juno said. "I'm only sorry about the security breach."
"Yeah, about that," Prentiss said. "Is there anything we can do to prevent that from happening again?"
"We changed to the elevator codes and Reid is being kept on a different level of supervision during the weekend. That is why having Derek Morgan come in this weekend was so important to us."
"You know about his history?" Garcia said.
"Yes," Juno said. "We did our homework. We think him seeing Morgan will help significantly."
"Thank you for letting us visit as always," Prentiss said.
"Your visits are important to him as they are for you," she said.
They took the elevator down and walked to her car.
"You okay?" she asked Garcia.
Garcia began to cry.
"No," she said. "He tried to kill himself Emily! Who's to say he won't again and succeed the next time?"
"I believe, he won't," Prentiss said. "I think he scared himself when he did the last time."
"I don't know what I believe," she cried. "I just don't!"
Prentiss rubbed Garcia back. They still had a long road ahead of them. It was going to be hard on everyone.