"Spencer," Garcia said brightly, all bubbles, from the phone Gideon had leaned up against a few of the books on Reid's end table. "Who is your most favourite lady in the whole, whole wide world?"

Reid gave this a moment's thought. "My mom," he said, smiling that close-lipped smile that meant he knew what the right answer was, and was intentionally avoiding it.

Garcia stared out of the camera for a moment, stumped, her lips pressed together in something almost like a pout, and then she said, "You know I want to be mad at you, but that's actually really, really cute."

"Thank you," Reid said, and Gideon stifled his laugh against his wrist.

"You know what else is cute?" Garcia asked.

"Objectively, or in my opinion? Because some studies have posited that "cuteness" is mainly predilected on the factors that make the subject most similar to human babies, such as…" Gideon watched Reid's face, watched him momentarily sit still, his mouth open, his eyes searching the air in front of him as he tried to remember what he was going to say yes, and Gideon glanced at Garcia's expression on the screen, at her concern, her confusion. He leaned into the camera focus, giving a nod of his head.

"A cute thing," Garcia said, rallying quickly, "is right at your door!"

The door opened, and a young woman wearing a plaid skirt and a leather jacket stepped in, giving them a sheepish little grin. In one hand, she carried a broad, rectangular basket with a cloth draped over its edges, and she settled it down on the edge of Reid's bed. Gideon helped her pull up the bars either side of Reid's mattress, and then she pulled up the cloth, opening the front of the basket.

The first kitten to toddle forward, its feet padding over the sheets, was a little calico cat, and Reid laughed, putting out his hands and letting it shove its head into his palms.

"These guys are twelve weeks old," said the young woman, and Gideon grinned, leaning in to look at the other cats as they slowly, carefully moved out of the carrier, looking around. Reid didn't grab at them or pick any of them up, just putting out their hands and letting them pad over his arms, falling over his hands. "A local family's pet gave birth, and they were planning to adopt them all out, but Mom broke her leg and suddenly it's all a lot, so we're gonna be putting them up soon – but socialisation and exposure to different environments is always a good idea."

"They're so soft," Reid said softly, stroking long fingers over the back of a tabby's head, and it squeaked, trying to climb up to his chest.

"This why you kept rescheduling?" Gideon asked, turning back to Garcia, who was squirming in her seat on camera. "You wanted to make sure you could see the kittens too?"

"They're so adorable!" Garcia said, and Gideon chuckled, looking at the calico, who had come to the edge of the bed, and was miaowing in Gideon's direction. It had dark yellow eyes that were very wide, focused on him, and when he picked it up, his hands gentle, it curled up in his palms and began to purr. "Thanks so much, Shanelle!"

"It's no problem," Shanelle said, smiling. She was a pretty girl, Gideon thought, one of those girls whose smiles really lit up the room, whose joy was a contagious thing. "Penelope told me the guy in the bed was pretty cute, so this pretty face is my payment in kind right here."

Gideon chuckled, glancing at Reid, but he didn't seem to notice, mystified by two of the kittens, who had both curled up on top of Reid's chest, leaning their little heads in toward his throat. The last of the kittens, another tabby, was lying over Reid's knee, purring as Shanelle stroked her knuckles over its back.

"They want to be close to your throat," Gideon said as Reid fidgeted, laughing, but looked confused as the kittens tried to squirm up closer.

"Why?"

"It's warm, exposed skin," Gideon said, "and they'll be able to feel your heartbeat."

"The claws are kinda sharp," Reid said.

"Yeah, those murder mittens'll do it," Garcia said from the phone screen, and Reid glanced at it, smiling – the beam on his face was the biggest, most genuine smile Gideon had seen from him since Reid had visited his cabin in Virginia. "I love you, Reid. I wanted to spread that love with some furry friends."

"I feel very loved," Reid said softly. "Thank you."

Shanelle could only really stay for an hour, and for the whole time, the kittens mostly slept – the calico kept moving back and forth, over Gideon's lap, trying to climb up his arms and then his shoulders, looking around the room and showing an interest in just about everything.

"These guys are up for adoption?" Gideon asked Shanelle.

"Sir!" Garcia said. "Yesss!"

"What do you think, Spencer?" Gideon asked. Reid didn't hear him, his eyes closed, but he was awake from what Gideon could see, his chin gently rested on top of one of the tabby kitten's back, gently stroking his thumb over the other kitten's head.

"Hey," said Morgan as he stepped into the room, slowly closing the door behind him. "Looks like I'm missing a party in here."

"Party's kind of over, I'm afraid," Shanelle said, checking her phone. "Mr Gideon, if you give me your cell, I can send you more info? You're Derek Morgan?"

"Uh huh," Morgan said.

Shanelle looked at the phone, making an exaggerated o and raising her eyebrows at Garcia, and Morgan grinned.

"You have to take them?" Reid asked, opening his eyes.

"Afraid so, Doc," Shanelle said, gently scooping the two kittens off his chest. "Hope they helped, though!"

"They did," Reid said, his head tipping back on the pillow. "Cats purr at specific low frequencies, and some specialists believe that certain frequencies of sounds promote bone growth and the healing of fractures… And there's obviously a sense of, um… Relaxation…"

"Thanks, Garcia," Gideon said softly, and Garcia gave a little salute as she closed out the call. Gideon handed the calico back to Shanelle. "And thank you, Shanelle. It really is good of you to go out of your way like this."

"What can I say?" Shanelle said, looking between Morgan and Reid. "I'm a sucker for a pretty face."

Gideon shook her hand, watching her go, and then he reached for Morgan's. Morgan hesitated, but he shook Gideon's hand, then stood straight, crossing his arms loosely over his chest and looked down at Reid.

"Prentiss said he was concussed," he said softly.

"He's been talking about you all day," Gideon replied, and Morgan inhaled, then sank down into the other chair, watching Reid… How could he really call it sleep, when he was barely out for half an hour at a time, on and off, when it was hard to tell if he was even really asleep?

"He gonna be okay?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah," Gideon said. "It'll be a slow process – slower than he wants – but he'll be fine."

Morgan nodded, and the two of them sat in the quiet as they watched Reid sleep.