"Why do you make it so awkward to look after you?" Emily demanded, glaring at him as he awkwardly shrugged the blanket off his shoulders that she was trying to tuck around him.

The man was freezing, with shivering body and cold hands. He needed to keep warm and he will let her help!

Reid opened his mouth to angrily retort and then shut it with an audible 'click'. Her eyes narrowed. Oh, there was a reason.

"I don't like being coddled," he replied, not looking straight at her.

Seriously, had being sick messed with his brain that much that he forgot they were both profilers? Emily raised an eyebrow.

"I don't," he whined.

"Bullshit," she said sharply. "You don't mind it when Garcia tries to make you feel better or JJ helps support you or when I try and make you smile. Why is it when you're sick or injured all that goes out the window?"

Reid stubbornly kept his mouth shut. Emily folded her arms. She would get to the bottom of this once and for all. The man was so infuriating. Silence stretched between them. Emily refused to break it, he will talk even if he looked all pathetic and tired and adorable. It was for his own good damn it!

He shifted slightly. Emily resisted the urge to smirk. He was breaking, just a little bit more time...

'Ring ring' her cell phone rang obnoxiously.

Angrily she grabbed it as Reid shot it a grateful look. Oh, whoever spoilt this was going to pay. She didn't bother looking at the caller ID as she lifted the phone to her ear, it was Morgan's ringtone.

"What?" Emily barked into her cell, keeping a sharp eye on a nervous looking Reid.

He needed to know that he wasn't getting out of it that easily.

"Woah, pretty boy got you running ragged?" Morgan asked her jokingly.

"What do you want?" She asked, not deigning him with a response.

They all knew Reid was the least demanding of any of them when ill, to the point of self-destruction and exasperation. Like she said before, infuriating.

"Just checking in," Morgan said calmly. "Garcia wanted to but I beat her to it."

"You'll pay for that later," Emily said smirking.

Reid looked at her curiously with those doe eyes of his.

"I know," Morgan said dismissively, she could almost see his gleeful expression.

Honestly, those two.

"How's our baby genius? Is he still sick? Does he need anything?" Emily heard Garcia's voice twitter in the background, she should have known the woman was hovering beside Morgan.

"Woah, Miss Thing," Morgan said, voice slightly muffled as he probably turned to stop Garcia. "Let the woman speak."

Emily chuckled down the phone as Reid edged closer to her, unable to contain his curiosity. She held up her hand and gave him a pointed look. He pouted and sank back into the nest she'd made him. He would rest even if it bloody well killed him.

"So, how's Pretty Boy doing?" Morgan asked again.

"He's getting more annoying," Emily informed him, making Reid frown.

"So, he's now conscious and coherent but still sick," Morgan deduced easily. "And refusing all help."

"Give the man three points," Emily replied blandly.

Morgan chuckled down the phone. It wasn't funny, Reid needed to get better.

"Need any help?" Morgan offered. "I could restrain him so you can force his medicine down his throat."

"Crossed that hurdle," Emily answered smugly. "With help from a spoonful of sugar."

"Oh really?" Morgan asked, making his voice go low.

He definitely had that suggestive look of his on his face right now.

"Head, gutter, out!" Emily spluttered. "I was candy you horn dog."

Reid pulled a face at her, guessing that Morgan had somehow made an innuendo. He wasn't exactly wrong and Emily was not going to explain. The poor guy would blush violently and she didn't think his body could cope with that right now.

Morgan just chuckled again, "Sure thing, Princess. You can't stay in that high tower of yours forever."

"Shut up."

"Is he OK? Does he need anything?" Garcia burst out, hurting her ears.

Emily winced and Reid gave her a sympathetic look. He could hear her as well.

"He's getting better," Emily soothed her. "Even more so if I can get food into him."

"Oh, I can make him my mum's special soup. It lifts any cold I swear."

Reid gave her an alarmed look and shook his head violently, curls sticking to his damp forehead. Emily winced in sympathy. She knew exactly what soup Garcia was talking about. It had been provided to her when she got a chest infection. The 'demon liquid', as Emily called it, was supposed to be a tasty spicy Mexican soup but she didn't know what Garcia's mother added but it turned your insides to liquid and made you breath fire.

"It's okay, P.G, I don't think his stomach can manage that yet. I got him some chicken soup," she assured their enthusiastic friend.

"Not even noodles?"

"No solids yet."

"Poor baby."

"Hey, I'm your baby," came Morgan's mock-injured tone.

"Hush, you're not sick, my God of chocolate thunder."

"Gods don't get sick," Morgan bragged.

Emily rolled her eyes at their antics and jiggled her legs impatiently. She wanted to get back to Reid.

"Guys, Reid is fine and getting better. He'll be back next week," she explained loudly over their flirting. "But I'm sure he won't mind visitors in a day or two."

Reid's eyes widened and he shook his head. Tough luck. He was going to let them help him. Especially if he wasn't going to be sensible about it.

He snatched her phone from her.

"I'll be back by We-no, Thursday," he spoke into the phone, ignoring her outraged glare.

She wrenched it out of his hands and spat, "Ignore him, he's getting delirious again. Fever and all that."

"Emily-"

"I'll keep him in one piece and make sure he's back to full health," she promised their friends giving Reid a pointed look.

His self-preservation finally kicking in, he stopped trying to get at her phone to contradict her.

Giving Garcia and Morgan a few friendly platitudes Emily forcibly hung her phone up and set it on top of a handy stack of books, somehow not slamming it. Reid leaned back into the sofa, looking exhausted but apprehensive. Steeling herself to calm down and continue their original conversation, she folded her arms and gave him a look. A look that said 'I-will-get-the-information-I-want-with-or-without-your-cooperation'. It was extremely effective.

Reid gulped.

Especially on three-time PhD's.