Spencer never should have taken the case with the others.
He had not wanted to either; he wanted to stay home and finish watching the Fifth Doctor's run with Tsuki and keep working on his scarf. He wanted to sleep with his head in her lap while she played with his hair. He wanted to play with Tyler, he rather liked the little kid, and pet Charlie. But he knew he had a job and despite his worries about leaving Tsuki alone, Abby promised that the two would be fine, go have a day out with Tyler and that he needn't worry. It was somewhat comforting having her not question his overprotectiveness, and same for his teammates who mainly just reminded him they needed him and that he could always call her to make sure she was okay. But between the potential unsub causing such a racket at the border and and all the questions, the entire BAU team would be needed to properly untangle this particular case and that meant their genius and somewhat nervous Doctor Reid.
But no one expected it to become the horror show it did. What started with missing homeless people had led them across the border and into what looked to be one of those cases where the stomach turned no matter where one looked. A duo of unsubs, one quadriplegic and manipulative as hell, one developmentally challenged and stronger than any of them; it was not a happy ending, it was not one of those cases that left any of them with a good taste in their mouths and the trip home was solemn, leaving Spencer to just stare at his phone. He had known it would not end well, he had felt it in his bones and in his veins; he'd even asked Hotch but the man, always the most composed of them, tried to keep him focused. Unfortunately his feeling had been correct and between a good man being arrested for murder to avenge his lost sister, and a man who never really seemed to have a chance being gunned down, he felt himself be weighed down.
He wanted to go home. He wanted to be with his solace again; Spencer sent texts to Tsuki, trying his best not to tell her what had happened, still in some small way wanting so desperately to protect her from the worst his job could bring upon him, but she seemed to pick up on something being wrong nevertheless and tried to comfort him without knowing details. The gentleness of her words, reassurances that he could always depend on her, count on her, were almost enough but he knew it wouldn't be until he actually saw her again. A rest would do him well and he daydreamed of just laying on his bed beside her as she read him something, stroking his hair and letting him feel as if all the stress and all the darkness was far away and gone.
The reality though was that the BAU never did seem to get a break. They were barely back, and certainly not rested, when the new case came up; he was just barely asleep in bed, curled up beside her, when the call came in. He whined, he complained, he tried to ignore it, but she told him it would have to be urgent and that things happen. It didn't seem fair, it wasn't like there weren't other teams that could handle cases or things that should be best left to the police first but eventually despite all complaints he managed to pull himself out of bed, and away from her, to go to work. Again. After getting only four hours of sleep. He needed coffee and a lot of it.
"I'll see you once you get back," she told him, kissing his cheek as she handed him a thermos of coffee; it was warm and smelled nice but still wasn't enough.
"I don't want to be back, I want to sleep," he said and pouted, causing Tsuki to chuckle at him.
"How is it you keep reminding me of a puppy, Spencer? Go, I'm sure there was a good reason for this; you go work your case, I'll bake us some treats, and when you get back we'll snuggle and relax."
"You're not gonna be alone while I'm gone will you?" Even exhausted, both mentally and physically, he couldn't help his concern.
She smiled. "You know, you really don't need to worry so much about me; I'm a grown adult and take care of myself."
Part of him felt bad and he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know, I know, I just...it's hard not to worry, with my job and what happened..."
Her trembling form in the Library of Congress, that sense of dread when she didn't answer his messages, and the anger upon knowing who had caused her to suffer. He still didn't feel alright about it, though she had recovered and her bruises were almost all gone; the events at the pig farm were still on his mind and he couldn't help a small amount of fear in his bones as he thought about leaving her alone.
Tsuki watched him for a moment then shook her head, moving to wrap her arms around his neck to pull him close in a hug. This too felt warm and she too smelled nice but this too was not enough for him. "I'll see if Abby wants to come over then; I'm sure if you're being dragged back into work, Aaron will too and she'll probably appreciate the company while Tyler's at school. Just try not to worry so much, okay? I really will be okay; Theodore is behind bars and I have faith that if anything did happen to me, I would be swiftly saved by DC's most brilliant non-medical doctor."
"Is that supposed to be make me feel less worried?" he said though he could not resist a small smile and a little chuckle.
She did not answer, simply leaned up to kiss him lightly upon the lips before letting go. Tsuki was smiling which felt like a good thing. He just figured they would need to work hard to make this got dealt with quickly and efficiently, for both his sake and for Hotch's. That way Tsuki and Abby could both get more time with the men they loved.
At first Spencer didn't really know why they would even be needed for this case. It was one of those events in which the unsub was hunting people but the answer would likely be found easily enough if someone just talked to the would be victim, a Doctor Barton, and look at potential culprits. Though time was of the essence, and new surrogate victims were promised if Barton didn't give the unsub his son Jeffrey to murder instead, the situation wasn't so insane and dire that they might be needed.
But then the kid forced the issue and time became even shorter. Spencer sat in the living room, feeling exhaustion fill his every bone and thought as he listened to all the commotion. Jeffrey had escaped the house and now while Derek and JJ tried to keep him safe at school, Emily and him were assigned the task of trying to figure out with Doctor Barton who could be behind all this.
There was of course a problem: no Hotch. Despite calls, texts, attempts, their leader had not contacted them and no one could get in contact with him. A familiar sense of foreboding came across him and he was suddenly reminded of not too long ago when someone else had been completely out of communication, only to be found terrified and hurt. Of course this was Aaron Hotchner they were talking about, the idea of him cowering anywhere as not so much laughable as it was completely and utterly incomprehendable. There was no way that their stoic unit chief was gonna end up being found like Tsuki was but it didn't mean that he didn't feel a deep unease inside him as each minute went by and Hotch did not arrive or call any of them. The others seemed to be intent on their missions, and he would be too, but it didn't mean that he didn't feel the need when calling Garcia to ask if she had heard from him.
"No I haven't, why? You think something's wrong?" For a non-profiler she certainly could read them like a book at times.
"I don't want to believe it but," he said and trailed off; he knew she would get the implication.
"Yeah, I understand, sweetie. I'll keep my ears open and my eyes focused for anything; in the meanwhile try to focus on the case, okay? I'm sure your honey wants you home as sane as you left and last thing I want is for that sweet little fairy to be sad, as I'm sure you agree," she told him and he could practically hear the smile in her voice.
"Thanks Garcia." He wanted to believe that everything would be okay, or maybe he just had to. The thought that maybe something happened to Hotch too would be too much; the man was the backbone of a team that consisted of brilliant individuals but Spencer would never pretend that there wasn't dangers to them each. Recklessness was their bread and butter and traumas that threatened them in every case, not just him but them all. It was only through the leadership of Hotch that they didn't manage to completely self destruct, that and the deep bonds that they formed from years of working together, and him being out of commission potentially left a bad taste in Spencer's mouth that he had to drown in coffee.
In what felt like no time at all they had their files and a sea of documentation lay before them. He could read them all in a matter of minutes of course but the point was not to read them; the point was to find out which, of any, would point them towards the culprit they searched. Doctor Barton seemed uncertain, antsy, and Spencer couldn't exactly blame him for it; his son's life was on the line and the boy was not in the house but in a public place that was only safe now because of the efforts of his teammates and the administration. This wasn't an ideal situation under any circumstances but it was the one they were in and he was going to do what he could to get this dealt with so they could make sure Hotch was okay, he could go home and get the affection he was promised.
Part of him wanted to contact Tsuki, even if just to send her a text and make sure she was okay; insecurities had strengthened once more with this new situation with Hotch but he knew all it would do was distract him and he needed to focus. She'd understand, she'd probably insist upon it, not wanting his worries and concerns to outweigh the responsibility he had to save lives and catch criminals. He didn't want that either, though knowing this, wanting this and always doing what was necessary didn't always match up the way anyone might want.
Beside him Doctor Barton seemed agitated and Spencer did his best to not so much try to control the situation as redirect energies; he tried to think of how Hotch would handle this situation, or JJ. They were good with people and good at getting the best out of them. He needed to do the same, especially when Emily had left to go see if she could go pick up Hotch, get him over to them; this work should be done with multiple people but Spencer was capable and he was smart and he tried to reassure himself and Doctor Barton that this was not a problem because they would be okay.
It became a problem though when Emily called. His blood ran cold, knowing that there couldn't be a good reason for it and there wasn't. Hotch's apartment had been hit, Hotch was missing, and there was blood on the ground. His head spun some as he thought of things that could have happened and he felt the dread growing exponentially within his chest. There was no point in panicking; he glanced over to where Doctor Barton was wandered over to, their own efforts there being rather stymed. The doctor noticed and asked what was going on, became more upset by Spencer seeming to be wasting time on the phone; this too was understandable under the circumstances and not a single thing here felt comfortable or right. Hotch was missing, his apartment had blood in it, and a teenage boy was in danger of being killed by a person that they still didn't really have a clue about.
"I'll find Hotch," Emily promised and he trusted her to but it didn't make this more acceptable; nothing could do that and she knew this.
She wanted him to focus, he would, he had to. Hanging up he took a deep breath and took a second to think, just a second; Doctor Barton needed their assistance and they had no time to waste but Spencer needed to think. Reorganize his thoughts, categorize the panic, focus on what was important; there had to be a better way to find the unsub, some clearer clue, something that would point to where they needed.
"We can do this," he reassured, to the doctor, to himself; Emily couldn't come back, she had to find Hotch, but Spencer Reid was a genius who could read books faster and more effectively than anyone else on his team and the clues were right in front of them; he just needed to look for them.
He got the doctor to sit down again, to breathe and they went over the cases again, tried to narrow them down more. The letter was important, the words used, the actions; this wasn't about something the doctor had done but what he hadn't. It wasn't about a life he'd actively tried to save but a life that maybe wasn't helped at all. Doctor Barton operated on countless people in the span of his day in the ER and that was not a fault or problem; it was simply a fact. But the unsub was angry and the answer had to lie less in the people who knew he had least tried but the people who felt like nothing had been done. Just as they informed him that there would be nothing he could do to save his son.
It felt like an eternity but it was only hours. What made it feel longer was the avalanche that seemed to fall all at once. Doctor Barton remembered a man whose son had been pronounced brain dead before even arriving at the hospital, who had asked about his own children. At the same time Hotch had been found but the details seemed to lead to something a lot darker than Spencer was really ready to handle or face on four hours of sleep between two stressful cases.
The doctor tried to leave, it was time to pick up Jeffrey and this was the Routine which they had told him to uphold anyway, but the negging at the back of Spencer's mind didn't go away and he promised to follow. Then Emily called; LC, living children. And it became all too clear all too quickly the true answer to the riddle they didn't even know was there before them. The gunman didn't want Jeffrey at all...
"Barton!" Spencer's heart rate went up and he rushed to get to the doctor; if he was right, and he was certain he was, this was the moment. When better to go after his true target then when the target was going about his usual routine, going to get his son, thinking this could be over only to find out it wasn't. He just barely got there in time, heard the unsub yell out "doctor" before shooting; Spencer threw Doctor Barton to the ground and felt a sharp agonizing pain in his leg. It made his head spin, more so than when he hit the ground with their would-be victim, but he tried to ignore it, tried to focus. Doctor Barton was alive, the unsub was there, and he needed to do more than let the pain control his mind. Especially as it awoke parts of him that he was already always suppressing; how good would it be to have some painkillers right there, just a little, just a bit. Of course it would be bad and it would hurt him a lot more but pain was a terrible thing and addiction more so.
He needed...many things. Check that the doctor was not hit. Get his gun back into his own hands. Try to get the unsub to calm down and see the reason and reality; his son did not die because of Doctor Barton, he died because of a car accident, because of things that neither father had power or control over. His leg hurt, it hurt a lot, but he focused, he pointed all the adrenaline towards trying to deescalate the situation. The unsub still had a gun and Spencer was on the ground with the doctor and he wasn't wearing his vest; Tsuki would be upset if she knew he was facing an armed suspect without a vest. He seemed to do that a lot now that he thought about it, which was a pretty dangerous. He should rethink that. He needed to focus; things were getting jumbled and sidetracked and that wasn't going to help any of them.
"Your son was killed by a car and this is not what he would have wanted." After stress and adrenaline and panic on both sides, the unsub seemed to understand these words, letting Spencer's words finally sink in. As the man lowered his gun, Spencer was struck with how much he disliked situations like this, unsubs like this. It was so much easier to handle the monsters, the evil ones, those ones who hurt people because they enjoyed it. Not because there was something that had gone wrong and all they were trying to do was ease some deep pain. He often found himself feeling more sad than anything when it came to ones like this man, wondering if there was a way to help them, thinking of how maybe this was just how humans had to be ultimately. They suffered, they caused suffering; all he could do was try to be one of the people who mitigated as much of the potential as possible.
The gun was down but still there; Spencer begged, pleaded in as calm a voice as he could manage to have the unsub drop the gun but still every second ticked by and he could hear sirens and he could tell that the ending he wanted was not coming. He could still hope, pray, even as the pain in his leg started to twist his thoughts; please let this be the one time they didn't give up, please let this not be a day when I have to shoot someone, please let me forget this pain and not give into all those bad impulses.
He could control the last of those, he could even somewhat control the second. The first though, the first was up to their unsub and he wanted to die. Spencer gave one last plea before seeing the gun raised again and he shot, feeling it in his heart as much as in his hands; he didn't like using his weapon at all but he knew when he had to and he had to. The unsub dropped, the doctor tried to tend to Spencer but he convinced him to go to the unsub as well; Spencer would be fine, he was sure he'd be fine, he was just in pain and bleeding but it was just his leg, knee, somewhere in that area. The unsub though probably wasn't wearing a bulletproof vest either and Spencer knew vaguely where his aim was.
It was strange how things could get busy and quiet all at the same time; it was as if the pressure of everything suddenly burst and all the noise and activity was melding into one. His leg still hurt though, a lot and as he watched Doctor Barton do his thing, the medics arrive, everything start to move towards an ending, he thought again of how much he didn't want to get out of bed today. Would Tsuki be upset that he got shot in the leg? He was trying to do his best to do his job and this was one of those risks; part of him didn't want to worry her, another wanted to see her pout and huff at him. It was cute when she did that.
Oh the doctor was back; he was trying to focus but the pain was spreading into his ears and he could feel his heartbeat everywhere. That was either good or not, he wasn't sure. The bullet went right through? Good, good. He needed the doctor to go to his son, there was his son and Spencer's teammates and his brain immediately went back to the other problem.
"Are you okay?" Oh JJ, did he look okay? Though it was fair, maybe he had just fallen down, and started bleeding from his leg for no reason. No, that was the pain talking; she was worried.
"I'm fine," he said and repeated that, partially for himself, mostly to keep her and the others focused.
Morgan wanted him to get to the hospital, which was reasonable, not a bad idea. But there were more important things. "You need to call Emily."
He told them, he told them that something had happened to Hotch, and he could feel the air leave them all. They looked at one another, words unspoken but feelings known; if something happened to Hotch then things were bad. But what had happened and who had done it and why; all of these things needed to be talked about yet he found himself not wanting to say them. Let them find Emily, let her explain, he didn't want to think right at that moment about the truth of what was potentially going on. That that monster was back.
From there he was moved, with a lot of hesitation and complaining on his part because he was Fine and he was certain he would be Okay, but as Morgan reminded him "you got shot in the leg, Pretty Boy, you're going to the hospital even if I have to drag your ass in". Which was fair he supposed but didn't they have more important things to do?
They located Emily at the hospital and while the team went with her to check on Hotch, Spencer was dragged away by nurses and doctors who wanted to treat his leg. He wanted to see Hotch but a familiar face made him pause, wondering if maybe he was hallucinating. It made no sense that Tsuki would be wearing doctor's scrubs, she wasn't a doctor, she was a bookseller. Though he supposed she was certainly smart enough to be a doctor, she could be whatever she wanted if she wanted and he would support her no matter what. Also where were her glasses, did she even wear contacts? His head was spinning.
"Tsuki, I didn't know you were a doctor, not that I'm complaining but you should have told me," he said furrowing his brow.
Doctor Tsuki seemed surprised but almost amused by this and a nurse tried to get Spencer to lay down on a bed for them. "Sir, we're gonna give you something for the pain but we need you to lay down."
"No, no drugs, no painkillers, I'm fine, really, I can handle it." It really did hurt but if Tsuki was here then obviously it would be okay. He couldn't help but feel better knowing she was there.
"We're going to need to do surgery; the bullet went right through his knee, tearing through the tendons," a different nurse said but it seemed to be aimed at Doctor Tsuki.
The lookalike smiled with a nod and then looked at Spencer. Those warm honey eyes made him feel like he was drowning. "Okay no painkillers but is it okay if we put you under at least, just so we can get your leg fixed up?"
"As long as if it's you, Tsuki, I'll do whatever you ask." He smiled, he was sure it was goofy. She certainly chuckled and turned to the nurse holding him, giving orders. There was a response, "yes doctor Kokuryuu" and he didn't much like the auditory hallucinations. He already worried about his genetic disposition towards schizophrenia but the pain was making things much worse and he was feeling off and dizzy.
Wait, no, that may have been the anesthesia. Last thing he saw was Doctor Tsuki smiling at him.
This was far from the first time Spencer had woken up in a hospital bed but it was certainly the first time his side felt so heavy, and not simply because his knee was wrapped up like a mummy. The grogginess lasted for a time after he opened his eyes and he groaned a bit, feeling something shift beside him. Movement, he didn't move yet; he turned his head to check and blinked.
Tsuki was curled up beside him, her head resting on his shoulder and one arm drapped over him. Between her petite form and his skinniness the two managed to fit rather snugly into the bed, and he was aware of that sanitized smell that came with hospitals but there was that far more pleasant scent lingering close, her scent. He could not resist trying to bury his face in her hair, breathing it in; it was comforting to him and though this certainly was confusing, he felt more at ease with that scent.
"Oh look, you're awake." He nearly jumped, not expecting someone to speak. More so to look up and see Tsuki looking at him; he looked down, there was Tsuki, he looked up, there too was Tsuki. Except, no, not quite; the face before him looked a lot like her, the same long black hair though it was tied back in a professional looking ponytail, and the same sort of amber eyes, and the same smile. But that wasn't Tsuki, the features were off, and the person in the doorframe, even in their more baggy clothing with scrubs and a doctor's coat, was clearly a male.
They tilted their head and stepped further in. "You look confused Doctor Reid."
"You're..."
"Your attending physican, Doctor Meigetsu Kokuryuu, though you can of course just call me Getsu," the Tsuki lookalike said and chuckled, "I believe you're well acquanted with my twin sister Tsuki."
"Twins..." He looked at Tsuki again; she shifted, she stretched, but did not wake yet.
"Yes twins; I'm the elder of the two of us. When your friends brought you in you seemed a bit delirious, called me Tsuki and everything; I wish I could say that you're the first but nope, it's pretty common. Though I was certain that time had made it far easier to tell us part." His voice was similar to hers too but deeper, it gave him some comfort but only a little.
"Tsuki is here too," Spencer said and realized he sounded dumb, stating the obvious.
Getsu nodded. "After we managed to knock you out and tended to your leg I called her. Considering how you were acting, it seemed like you would want her here; she's been sticking to you like glue ever since she got here."
Ah there it was, the warm fuzzy sensation again; it made Spencer smile and he looked back at her, still curled up into his side. He tucked some of her hair behind her ear, watching her as she continued to slumber, and he let out a small sigh. "I hope I didn't worry her too much..."
"Well I can't say it's a bad thing that she's here; your injury was pretty straightforward but it will take time for you to properly heal. You won't be able to walk for a time, having someone to help you will make the situation a lot better for you." He sighed again. The agent suspected as much, though part of him had still been hoping that it wasn't going be that serious. It did give him a pretty good excuse to stay home with Tsuki he supposed but this would greatly limit the things they could do together. Not watching shows and movies of course, or reading. Oh he wouldn't be able to go to Nevermore, or at least visit her apartment for a time since she only had stairs and no elevator; that was certainly a shame, he was hoping to spend time with her there again soon. But at least his apartment complex had one, he wouldn't need to worry about getting home at least and she already was staying with him so...
"You really do like to space out, don't you?" He was basically at this point hardwired to react when he hears Tsuki's voice and her brother's was close enough to set him off, pulling him back to reality. He blinked a few times then turned red and embarrassed, tucking back his hair behind his ear.
"I don't mean to..."
"It's cute, leave him alone, brother." Now that was his Tsuki, though her voice sounded groggy and small. She sat up on the bed, rubbing her eyes and stretching; her glasses were stuck in her hair and Spencer chuckled before pulling them out, watching her. She took them back and smiled back at him, "Spencer."
"Oh look, the gremlin woke up," Getsu said smirking and tilted his head, "What have I told you about sneaking into people's hospital beds?"
"You make it sound like I repeatedly get into people's beds!" she said indignant, glaring at her twin; Getsu continued to look amused and she huffed before turning back to Spencer; her gaze softened and she took his face in her hands, "How are you feeling, you're not in too much pain right?"
He leaned into her touch, it really did feel so nice. "I'll be fine, please don't worry."
"Spencer, I'm going to worry no matter what; I love you after all. Now answer me properly."
"...I'm in a lot of pain but really, I'll be fine. I was aware as an agent that this can happen to me, getting shot, so it's not that big of a deal. And your brother said it was pretty straightforward so it's not serious."
She huffed again, furrowing her brow. "You got shot. You won't be able to walk without assistance for quite a while. That certainly sounds serious to me."
"If you're not careful, you could exasperate the injury and thus cause yourself permanent damage, resulting in lifelong pain," Getsu added, "Not taking your injury seriously would be a grave mistake, Doctor Reid."
"I'm taking it serious, promise." Something about having two near identical individuals semi-scolding him about his injury made him feel more like a child than anything else. He knew he had to be careful and he knew this was more serious than if he had just gotten hit with a blunt instrument or something. His ability to do his job was temporarily on hold while he was like this and he couldn't help but feel both antsy and bothered. Especially as he thought about how Hotch had been attacked and his team needed to figure that one out too; two members of the team being out of commission wouldn't help anything and he got the sense that Hotch would be no more willing to stay still than he. But at least Spencer currently had Tsuki; Abby likely would go see Hotch but who knew when that might be.
"Sorry to make you leave Abby when you two were probably having fun doing something," he said deciding he preferred to move on; he didn't want to be scolded more.
"It's fine; she understood when I told her what was going on. You can't just ignore when your loved one is injured after all," she answered and smiled at him, something he couldn't help but return.
And feel a bit bad about at the same time. "Tsuki...I wasn't the only one hurt today. Hotch was too."
"He was at the scene as well? But Getsu didn't mention anything about that." She looked up at her brother and he was frowning. Spencer could tell he knew about the agent but unlike with him and Tsuki, he was more tightlipped about that one.
"He wasn't at the scene; he was at his apartment. Someone...Emily found blood and apparently he was brought here by someone." Not just someone; they had had Morgan's badge, Morgan's credentials, used Morgan's name. And there was only one person who they knew who could have those outside of Derek Morgan himself, a person who had been captured only to escape. Someone with a reason to hate Aaron Hotchner. "I don't know, I only know he was in pretty bad shape. I don't know if anyone's contacted Abby yet, I'm sure they have or won't depending on how important it seems to them..."
"I'll text Abby." It was not a suggestion, it was a lot more concrete than that, and part of him understood. Getsu had called her about him because he'd understood that she would want to know if Spencer was hurt; no doubt in Tsuki's mind it was only reasonable, right that Abby be given the same consideration. He understood this and no one did anything to stop her as she shifted, still beside him in bed as she pulled out her phone and started to text quickly. A strange sort of emotion filled him, both ease and concern, a sense that something was wrong and yet that everything was fine; it was the contrast between having Tsuki there who gave him such comfort, while somewhere in the hospital his boss lay badly injured. He took a deep breath and rrested his head on her shoulder, causing her to absentedly start to stroke his hair as she continued to communicate with her friend.
Her expression changed. There was a furrowing of the brow and more concern and she paused for a moment before turning to Spencer. "Spencer, why would they need to put Abby into witness protection? What is going on?"
His heart sank and he didn't know either. Hotch was attacked and it was by someone who was best described as a major enemy for the BAU, but he wasn't entirely sure how that related back to Abby. Maybe Haley, they were divorced but she was still important to Hotch on multiple levels and not just because of Jack, but Abby...
"There were some developments and it's been deemed necessary for Abby Phillips, her son Tyler, as well as Hotch's ex-wife Haley and their son Jack to all go into witness protection." Spencer stared towards his door where JJ was. She looked solemn, that expression she often wore when trying to explain something to a victim's family; it wasn't cold so much as it was as much controlled as possible, not Hotch's emotionless expression but a JJ interpretation. It was Not A Good Thing and he felt his heart drop.
Tsuki did not appear to count that as an explanation but for her credit she did not ask more questions immediately. Haley, Abby, Tyler and Jack; combined with what had happened to Hotch, Spencer could only guess why this was necessary and it wasn't good. He put an arm around Tsuki to pull her closer and JJ, noting this, sighed some before turning to Getsu who had simply been watching this whole situation silently. She opened her mouth then stopped, the same sort of confusion as Spencer had felt crossing her face; she too glanced over at Tsuki then back at Getsu and blinked a few times before speaking, "Um, doctor...?"
"I'm Tsuki's older twin brother Getsu," he answered trying his best not to laugh now; he was very good though, "I'm a doctor here at St Sebastian's. I assume you were wanting to ask for a moment alone with the patient?"
"Yes, if you wouldn't mind."
"I have no problem with that but I think Doctor Reid and Tsuki might have feelings about being separated."
Tsuki bit her lip and started, with hesitation, to try to dislodge herself from Spencer's side. "I can go temporarily; I'm certain it's something important."
Part of him was tempted to stop her, tell her not to go and that she should stay. It wasn't just about his own comfort; Abby was her best friend and witness protection meant that her friend was in danger, she was not going to be able to see her or talk to her for an unknown amount of time and that would be hard and unfair to ask of her to have to handle without letting her know why. But at the same time knowing could put her in danger and it was likely involving Hotch too at the same time. They couldn't just release important, and dangerous, information to a civilian. This wasn't a simple situation, there was no simple answers; he put a hand through his hair and she smiled lightly at him, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"It's okay, I'll be outside with Getsu." That didn't really make him feel any less bad about this situation but at least she seemed to understand. Tsuki walked over, grabbing her twin by the arm and dragging him outside.
The room fell into silence, neither JJ nor Spencer spoke at first. She approached slowly, furrowing her brow as she looked over his injury then at his face. "How are you feeling?"
"I could definitely be better but Getsu seems to think it's a simple enough situation; I'll need to be off my feet for a time, on crutches for a while, but it didn't sound like any permanent damage was done as long as I'm careful," he answered giving a small shrug and he laid back in the bed, "Why is Abby going into witness protection, JJ?"
She sighed; he doubted she expected him to cut his part of this so short but he wanted to know. No, he needed to know, even if Tsuki didn't get to.
"Foyet attacked Hotch in his home; we didn't get many details from him, I think he remembers more than he's saying but none of us want to push the issue, but he took two pages from Hotch's address book."
"Two? Why two?"
"I don't know but they're the ones that Haley and Abby were listed on, as well as leaving inside Morgan's now returned credentials the picture of Haley and Jack he keeps with him. We got all four into custody and brought them to talk to Hotch on their own; I'm fairly certain this is the first time Haley has met Abby's girlfriend and I really didn't want to see how that plays out."
Somehow he wasn't convinced but he kept that to himself. Spencer sighed. "So for their safety it's been decided that all four need to go into witness protection."
"Foyet wants to make Hotch suffer and how better to do that than attack his son and the woman he's in love with," JJ said nodding, "I know it's not exactly following with the profile we have on him of course but in the circumstances..."
"He choose not to kill Hotch for some reason, brought him here to where he could be treated for his wounds, and left clues that made it clear that not only does he know about Haley, Jack and Abby but he is willing to go after them. George Foyet enjoys making others suffer, he especially enjoys tormenting and harming couples; Haley is Hotch's ex-wife but Abby is the woman he's with right now and a far more attractive victim in terms of proximity to Hotch and potential for causing psychological damage. Only Jack, his son, is a better target but as long as Haley is kept safe, Jack will be too. And Tyler can't exactly be separated from his mother considering the situation with his own father so two small children uprooted from their lives along with their mothers because one serial killer..." It didn't seem fair, it didn't seem right, but neither of these were important points when it came to handling serial killers. Especially in the case of ones as intelligent and sadistic as George Foyet.
"It should only be until he's caught, then they can all come home." The implication was left floating. Foyet had already escaped custody once and he had gotten away again after taking Hotch to the ER. It was hard to be certain how long it might be until they manage to catch him again, how long those four would need to stay hidden away to keep them safe, to prevent Hotch from losing those he loved.
JJ sighed and continued. "It's likely they'll all be kept together so at least this means they won't be entirely alone, and Haley and Abby will both have an adult with them to help with the boys."
"I suppose," Spencer said though he wasn't sure if that really made the situation any better, "I assume you don't want me to tell Tsuki any of this."
Fair, it really was dangerous information and knowing probably wouldn't make it better. Still she was worried and she cared a lot about Abby and Tyler; it felt wrong to keep everything from her.
"It would likely be for the best that she not be told everything, just that there's a threat to her friend's life that needs to be dealt with," JJ said with a gentle smile.
"Understood." A silence fell again; he didn't know what else to say, or what else could be said. Hotch was injured, four people were going into witness protection, he had been shot in the leg and now couldn't walk for a while; this had been a terrible followup to the horrible events in the pig farm.
JJ placed a hand on his shoulder and there again was that kind smile. "I'm gonna go tell the others you're okay; just focus on healing up and getting better, alright? Listen to your doctor and your...nurse."
He turned bright red, staring at her with wide eyes as she chuckled and turned to leave the room. Tsuki peeked in and looking at her, he just felt more embarrassed. Leave it to his teammate to find ways to leave him flustered.
His girlfriend approached, moving to his bedside but didn't move to climb back beside him. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he said still blushing.
"Everything alright with Hotch?" Her concern was sincere.
"He'll live." He waited for what he was certain would be an inevitable question but it never came. Instead she reached out to touch his forehead and her cool touch made him shiver a little.
"You're red."
"JJ was teasing me."
"Oh." That caused her to chuckle and he too smiled.
"May I join you again?" she asked and this caused him to look at her again, smiling.
"You don't need to ask, Tsuki." He scooted over some and with a smile of her own, Tsuki climbed back onto the bed, cuddling up to him. She was warm and soft and the comfort of her presence made him feel more at ease again.
There were bad things that had happened and there were bad things that had yet to happen that surely would; Spencer was certain that the days to come, weeks, months would prove to be difficult and challenging, for him, for Hotch, for Abby and Haley and the kids, for all of them. But he wanted to focus on each day as it came and do as JJ had suggested: to recover so that hopefully he could get back to helping his team sooner rather than later.
God knew that what was coming would require all of them.