Enjoy!
Chapter Forty-Four:
"I'm honestly relieved," Reid said as he and Iris ate ice cream in the kitchen.
"That's an interesting reaction," Iris said.
"People kept saying we were in love from the way we reacted to each other. I think our feelings were only surface-deep in a lot of ways."
"But you two seemed to click so nicely," she said. "And you had sex!"
"At your prompting! I think Gwen knew I needed to be intimate with a woman after only knowing men for so long. It was kind of, I don't know, necessary, more than passionate."
"I was really rooting for you guys," she said.
"Plans change," Reid said. "People fall in and out of love. It's human nature."
"How does your other ex, feel about all this?" she asked. "She probably won't be happy to hear about your heart being broken."
"I sent Cat a letter saying I broke it off," he said. "It isn't that far from the truth. I don't know why it took me being knocked into a coma for us a realize we weren't right for each other long-term, but it did."
"Your life sounds like a dumb romance," Iris said.
"The future is not set in stone," Reid said. "Gwen Calvin played a vital role in my healing progress. Now that time is over. It is time for a new beginning."
Iris nudged his tub with her.
"Cheers to that!" she said. "You're busting out of this place next Friday."
"Part of me can't believe it," Reid said. "And part of me is going to miss you."
"I'll be around," she said. "You're still going to be coming here for outpatient treatment three times a week for two months, right?"
"Right."
"We'll be fine," she said. "You can't get rid of me as easily as Gwen."
Reid smiled.
"I hope not."
…
"Dr. Reid, I want you to paint a future for me," Jetta said. "Take your time, and focus on what you really want out of life."
Reid closed his eyes.
"There is no future, but pain for you, animal."
He opened them and painted a child that looked like him. He had a mop of curly brown hair and brown eyes with a hesitant smile.
"He's beautiful," she said.
"But is it realistic at my age to want a child?" he asked.
"Forty-three is hardly old," she said. "I'm sure there are women out there who'd want a kid with you."
"I also scared of being a father. What if I'm too damaged to be one?" he asked.
"Dr. Reid, you are not too damaged. You'd be a great father."
"The only thing you are is an animal."
"I'm scared," Reid said. "I'm excited about leaving here, but I know I will regress out there as it will be a shock to my system. I just don't know what to do."
"You're going to be okay," she said calmly. "I don't doubt it for a second. Will you have episodes, yes? But will you break through them? That, too. It is all about balance Dr. Reid. The good will outweigh the bad in the end."
"In the end you're going to die a filthy animal."
"His voice is growing louder in my head again," Reid said.
"That is also partially your anxiety talking, the point of you staying here is for you get well enough to get out. I don't know for sure if you'll ever get his voice out of your head for good, but you will learn to live with him on the edge of your mind."
Reid looked away.
"Dr. Reid, you have made tremendous progress since you started here. You're not as sensitive to touch. Uris isn't causing violent episodes. You've known love and have accepted rejection remarkably well. You may not consider yourself a fighter, but you are. Be proud of who you've become, Dr. Reid, because I certainly am."
"Thank you, Dr. Jetta," he said.
"You're welcome."
…
Reid was asleep Thursday night, when he heard an urgent knock on his door. He opened it to see the night counselor.
"The BAU wants to see you," he said.
He quickly grabbed his robe and went to the visitor's room. The team was assembled there and on a table was a multi-sided, large wooden puzzle box.
"The governor of Maryland's young twin daughters, have been abducted," Prentiss said. "They didn't call us and tried to do it through a private company. When they paid the ransom, the only thing they got was this in return."
"Can I work on it?" he asked.
"We wouldn't be here if we could figure it out without you."
Reid carefully examined the box and then put certain tiles back in place. He carefully began to work on it.
"I need a pen and paper," he said.
It was quickly given to him.
"There are layers to this puzzle, I think they're coordinates," he said.
Garcia pulled up her computer.
He read out the numbers as he shed each layer. It revealed a small wooden box. He opened it to reveal two sets of bloody unicorn stud earrings.
"Guys, I've got it," Garcia shouted. "It's a house in a remote part of the Chesapeake Bay."
"Can I hug you?" Prentiss asked.
"Only if you promise to tell me if you found the girls."
"I will," she said.
She hugged him and everyone quickly left. Reid let out a sigh of relief. Even with his partially numb hand, he was able to get the job done.
…
The girls were dead. Prentiss told him they were dead before the puzzle box was sent. A deranged master carpenter who hated the governor's policies and wanted to send a message.
"How are you doing Dr. Reid?" Juno asked with Ormes.
"If this had happened earlier in my treatment, it might have devastated me," he said thoughtfully. "But the farther away I get from the trauma, the more I remember about who I used to be as an agent. Not every case ended with the unsub being taken down. We don't always save everyone. Sometimes all we can do is assess the case based on what we know and move on from there."
"That is a very mature way of looking at it, Dr. Reid," Ormes said. "It okay to be sad though. This won't affect your release date."
"I know," he said. "I want to get back into the mindset of an agent. I'll never hold a gun again, but I need to be ready for these situations where there are no happy endings."
"I think you have a bright future ahead of you Dr. Reid," Juno said.
"As do I," Ormes said.
"Animal."
Reid focused on Juno and Ormes. He would not let Uris win.