Something sad flashed in his eyes. That's it, she's getting to the bottom of this.

"C'mon, Reid. Talk to me," she said softly, resisting the urge to put her hand on his knee. She didn't want him spooking.

"It's stupid," he muttered.

"Doubtful. If it affects your behaviour this much obviously not."

"You sound like a psychologist. "

"We are basically federally sanctioned psychologists," Emily pointed out. "With guns."

That got a smile from him. It was a small one but it was still a smile.

"I'm just not used to people looking after me. No one's ever done it before," Reid said softly.

Emily frowned, confused.

"I've always looked after myself," he elaborated.

"Not always, you were a child once," she pointed out.

Reid just shrugged.

"My mother's schizophrenic, Emily. When she was having episodes she never noticed when I was sick and when she wasn't, I just wanted everything to be good and normal that I hid any illness from her."

"Seriously?"

"I never got seriously ill as a child," Reid explained. "Some stomach bugs but I learned to run fast to something I could easily clean."

"Your mom would have noticed," Emily maintained.

She'd met Diana Reid. That woman loved her son, there was no way she'd dismiss any illnesses.

"Oh, she cared," Reid assured her. "But she couldn't take care of me. Pharmacies weren't to be trusted because of the government."

"Surely you dad-"

"William hated if I complained about being sick. Told me to 'grow up' and 'men don't cry over sniffles'. He got me medicine but he was so scathing about it that by the time I was six I never went to him when I was ill," Reid added with a shrug.

Wait, didn't William Reid leave when Red was eleven? He was just a kid! A little boy. Emily was furious, how could he? That evil, awful, horrendous-

"And at High School or College people just assumed that because I was smart enough to get there so young, I could look after myself."

OK, if Reid's matter-of-fact description of how his father dealt with being sick made her furious, this made her blood boil. Every adult knew that teenagers were notoriously stupid about looking after themselves, even more so those that are under more pressure. Just the thought of a lost, gangly, teenaged Reid being ill at college away from everything he knew made her heart ache. No wonder he was like he was, literally no one gave a damn. Well, that wasn't the case any more.

Reid gave her a sad look. He didn't even appear bothered by all this information.

She did the only thing she could, Emily wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. She didn't know who needed it more, him or her, but it helped. Poor Reid, she often forgot that he basically raised himself. Especially after his father left. No wonder he didn't know how to take it when people wanted to look after him. Damn all those adults that only saw his brain and not the child when he was growing up.

"Thank you," Reid whispered gratefully in her ear.

She leaned back, still holding him and replied, "You're welcome. Any time you need me I'm here, you know?"

"I do," he said honestly, probably for the first time.

A warm feeling blossomed in her. Reid trusted her to be there for him, there wasn't a lot of people on that list. She smiled at him. Oh, he looked like a mess. His face was still flushed and his eyes were bloodshot. The skin under his nose was turning raw from incessant rubbing at his mouth.

Reid wriggled awkwardly; the blanket had gotten tangled between them. She could feel his sweat seeping through his clothes. That was a good sign, right? She cast her mind back to high school Biology, that meant his body was fighting the infection?

"Um, can we stop hugging now? I don't want to cough on you or something."

Emily chuckled and unwound herself from him. He did the same but gave her a final squeeze before releasing her.

"I think I've been here too long for us to worry about you sharing your germs," she teased.

"Doesn't mean you want me to cough on your face. In fact, droplet infection is-"

"Ew," said Emily, scrunching up her nose.

"Well, yes it's disgusting," Reid said matter-of-factly. "That's why even if you are looking after someone infectious you should avoid direct contact with them. You are far more likely to get what they had or worse."

"You have a cold, not a deadly disease," Emily pointed out dryly and then scrunched up her nose. "But you do smell, you need a shower."

"I know," Reid groaned, stretching his arms and she heard a cracking noise. "That felt good."

"You'd feel better after cleaning yourself up."

Reid grinned at her, "Do you have a problem with sweat, Emily?"

He had that glint in his eye. She edged away from him.

"I have a problem with sweaty people touching me unless we're both sweaty and sated."

Unfortunately, the very obvious innuendo didn't faze him. She supposed that she had nothing on Morgan.

"Oh, really..." was all the warning she got before he lunged at her.

Well, he tried to. He forgot about the tangled blanket and his dulled reflexes. Good thing too, or she would have been caught. She easily jumped up for his couch making him crash into the cushions. He muttered something foul at her in Russian. That was just mean.

"Take. A. Shower. Now."

"Has anyone told you that you're incredibly bossy?" Reid asked dryly as he picked himself up but doing as he was told and making his way to his bathroom.

Emily watched him carefully, making sure he had his bearings. She didn't want to coddle him or become overbearing but she would prefer it that he didn't end up unconscious.

"Loads of people," Emily replied easily, picking up the dishes and sending him a smirk. "I know how to get what I want."

"I know you do," Reid muttered, closing the bathroom door behind him.

Emily wondered if he knew how sexual he made that sound with his raspy cough-laden voice. She hoped not. Then again, as much as Morgan liked to think Dr Spencer Reid was certainly not innocent. Oblivious, yes, but not innocent.

Thankfully she heard the shower turn on, that would hopefully help clear his chest and nose a bit. Easier breathing would go a long way in helping him feel better.

Now to plan ways to keep them sane until she deemed him fit for the world again.