Reid was amazed; he made it to the door of his suite just as midnight struck. He unlocked the door with the skeleton key, a difficult task with trembling fingers. He was so excited to find what was waiting for him, the mix of different scents wafted into the hall as he opened the door, the first clue of what waited inside.
Walking in, he spotted the table, set and ready for a lovely dinner for two. Reid reached over and lifted one of the silver trays, looking over the meal. He'd barely eaten a slice of pizza at the Yard, not wanting to spoil his appetite before coming home to his wife. Their dinner was ready, the bedroom looked like a perfect scene in an foreign romance film. It sat complete with both the lights and the covers turned down; an attractive invitation.
He couldn't help the smile that spread over his face, even if he wanted to. "Sweetheart, I'm here." He called. "I told you I'd make it. See, you had no reason to doubt me."
After a few moments, there was no answer. That was odd. The bathroom door stood ajar; she must have heard. He looked around, searching for her, but there was no one else to be found. "Riley?" he cried. "Did you hear me?"
Perhaps she was waiting for him in that long awaited bubble bath. Excited, he quickly removed his shoes and socks and left them by the bed before walking in there, trying not to seem too eager. His beautiful, loving bride waiting naked for him in the bathtub, he could not imagine a better way to come home.
Reid pushed open the door, standing in the frame, over looking the room. He couldn't see Riley anywhere, just the candles and bubbles and abandoned clothes on the floor... Riley was never much of a housekeeper, but she obviously put a lot of effort into tonight, she wouldn't just leave her clothes on the floor. The red lingerie caught his eye. Silky and sparkling in the flickering light, Reid was sure she looked fantastic in it... but why would she put on that nightgown when she got home... only to remove it to get into the tub?
Another shimmer of red caught Reid's eye, trailing on the porcelain of the tub into the water. It looked like paint, sliding into the depths of the soapy water... just below the foam, he spotted something resembling seaweed... something raven and curly, floating to the surface.
The truth hit him like lightening. "Oh God," Reid exclaimed, running to the tub. He reached into the water, his hands searching, almost instantly finding the form beneath the surface. "Riley," He cried, wishing she'd respond and climb out. But she wasn't moving. Quickly mustering his strength, Reid heaved the soaking dead weight out of the tub, struggling to pull her out.
It was true Reid was stronger than most people suspected of him, but before tonight, he never would have believed he was capable of such a feat. The water sloshed out onto the floor as Reid dragged his wife into the dry air, her body covered from the suds.
There was a wound on the side of her head, blending with the water. "Riley," he cried, pulling her into his lap. "Come, on Riley, wake up! You have to wake up!"
She was completely motionless in his embrace. Propping her up with one arm, Reid leaned down to force air into her lungs, trying to compress on her chest. "Come on, Sweetheart, breathe. Breathe..."
He met her lips again, trying to give her failing body the kiss of life. He pressed on her chest again. "Riley, come on! Breathe for me... wake up! Come on..." Another force of air into her chest, continuing to plead with her as he tried to get her heart beating. He was losing hope as she remained limp and still.
"Please," he begged, trying not to get upset. He felt like sobbing, believing hope was slipping away. "Please... Riley, you've got to breathe, please, breathe for me!"
It was without a doubt a real miracle. Finally, the body jerked on its own. Riley sputtered the bubbles and bathwater out of her lungs, spewing it onto his shirt. As she did, she gasped, allowing oxygen to replenish her body.
Reid breathed a sigh of relief, tears in his eyes as he cradled her in his arms. "There you go..." He whispered, pressing kiss at the top of her soaked curls. "That's my girl... that's my girl..."
She didn't wake completely, but nestled against his chest in a half comatose state, unaware she had been seconds from death and he had rescued her.
"It's alright," His hand went to her head to help the bleeding clot. His other searched around for his cell, but it was all the way in the living room in his bag. He couldn't leave her, not until he knew she was safe. But luckily, as was in most fancy hotels, a phone was attached right by the tub.
Still able to keep her in his protective arms, Reid struggled to inch across the floor. He stretched and reached as far as he could, his fingertips at last able to grab the cordless from the wall. He hit a quick number, "Hello, is this the front desk?... I need someone to call 999, my wife's had an accident... I think she's been drugged."
He listened to the other end, feeling his wife's shallow breathing in his arms. Reid could only guess what that narcotic cocktail was doing to her body right now. "Thank you... I need you to call Scotland Yard and ask for Inspector Bradbury... please, ma'am, it's imperative..." He let out a relieved breath as he heard her comply to his request. "Thank you, please tell him who we are and what happened... yes, we'll be here, the door's unlocked."
He didn't even bother to hang up the phone as he set it aside. Reid adjusted the body in his arms, the better to hold her. Just a few inches away, he found the bathrobe now soaking wet from the water spilled on the floor. He draped it over her, trying to keep a bit of his wife's dignity by covering her up.
Riley continued sleeping in his arms, her breathing weak, but steady. Reid held her close to him. He kept his eyes on the door, waiting for the medics to arrive... and to be sure no one but the medics joined them in that room.
The team was still working tirelessly on their profile, searching for their missing link. It would be easier to ge?
"Even in the process of devolving, the unsub is still covering his tracks pretty well." Rossi explained. "Maybe we can't figure out the profile now."
"I hate to say it, but we know the killer or the accomplice works for the Grislow, maybe we should jump right in to disgruntled employees, maybe one who recently went through a divorce or broken relationship." Emily suggested.
"In this day and age, everyone's breaking up." Morgan announced, looking to Emily. "It's like no one's satisfied with what they have."
Emily looked to him with surprise, believing they'd gotten over this hurdle. But it seemed Morgan was still stinging from this. And as much as she tried to deny it, she was, too. "Guys..." Garcia announced, thinking, "I know I'm not some hotshot profiler like the rest of you, but... what if the unsub's love didn't leave him... in a literal sense."
"What do you mean?" JJ wondered.
"I mean... what if she died?" She voiced. "It would explain why he kills each woman and Lemon's assistant in the first place. Maybe she did in fact leave him for an alpha male, but... she ended up dying soon after because of it."
It was amazed what a moment of clarity could do. "That's... not a bad idea, Garcia. Why didn't we think of that?" Morgan grumbled.
Before an answer could be found, the room rang with the chimes of all their phones. Everyone opened it to find a text message had arrived. Quickly reading, every person in the room instantly became shocked.
It was incredible how quickly life came into perspective. Without a word, they climbed to their feet, all in a rush to get to the hospital. Their unfinished profile the last thing on their minds.
Reid was still shaking, trying to keep calm as he sat and waited for news. He had ridden with Riley in the ambulance, clutching to her hand the entire time. She didn't wake for a moment, though, and that worried him. He knew the drugs wouldn't kill her, but he had no idea how long she'd been in that water. What if she had brain damage or the lost too much blood from the wound on her head; the hot water had made the flow much more severe. Once they arrived, she was taken away from him and Reid was asked to wait right here until a doctor came with news.
His clothes were still damp and now frozen from the cold night air, but Reid didn't care. His face was in his hands, begging in silence not to have his wife taken away from him. It wasn't supposed to end like this. This was not the way their love story was supposed to go, after years of pain and suffering... only to have it end like this.
He heard the sound of people walking towards him and quickly looked up. But was disappointed to find it was only the team, minus Hotch.
"Reid," JJ exclaimed, taking the empty seat beside him. "What happened?"
"How did you guys find out?" He asked, his face hidden in the darkness of his palms.
"Hotch sent us a text message." Rossi explained. "He told us Riley had been attacked and you both were at the hospital. Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," He said as he sat up. "Whoever did this wasn't there. I must have ruined his plan by coming home early."
"What the hell is that smell?" Morgan asked, looking around. A perfume had wafted around them, sickeningly strong.
"It's me." Reid groaned. "Bath oils and bubble bath are soaked into my clothes... when I got to the suite, Riley was..." He couldn't bring himself to voice it.
"What, Reid?" Emily pressed.
"She was drowning in the bathtub... she hit her head and had slipped under the water... I almost didn't even see her because of the bubbles." His frustrated hands went through his hair. "I mean, I guess it makes sense. 45% of all accidents are in the home and 61% of those accidents are in the bathroom."
"Yeah, but most people don't have a heavy dose of sedatives and pain killers in their body." Morgan corrected. "Is she going to be okay?"
There was nothing more irritating than hearing a question that you're desperate to answer. "I don't know, Morgan!" Reid yelled, and with that, his face fell into his hands once again.
He felt comforted as JJ caressed a comforting hand on his back. "It's going to be okay, Spence. Garcia and I will run down to the Gift Shop, we'll try to get you some clothes to change into. At the very least, we'll find something for Riley."
Rossi added next, "I'll call our hotel, we'll get you a room on our floor."
"Morgan and I will stay with you." Emily said kindly.
"You don't have to, I know you're tired." He mumbled, staring at the floor, trying not to think of the horrible outcome that could happen.
"Reid, are you kidding? We're not going anywhere." Morgan exclaimed.
He wouldn't admit it right now, but Reid coudn't describe how grateful he was for his friends. They always stuck by his side, no matter what he did. He glanced up for a moment, meeting Morgan's gaze and then Emily's.
"Can we get you anything?" Emily wondered.
He thought for a moment. "I'm kind of thirsty, but I don't... want to walk away..."
"We'll get you some coffee," She assured. "We'll be back in a minute."
The group began to walk off, each heading to their specific task. Reid remained behind in his mental torment, desperate for some kind of news.
Not long after, Morgan and Emily returned with coffee for three. Heading back down the hall, they were quickly intercepted by Hotch, who had at last arrived.
"Good, you guys are here." He said. It was obvious he was almost as worried about Riley as Reid was. "Have you heard anything?"
"We were getting coffee; last we knew, Reid was still waiting." Emily explained.
His nerves were in no way calmed by that. He looked down the hall, spotting the distraught husband just fifty feet away. "You guys do realize if you hadn't let Reid go when you did... they both would be dead right now."
"The thought did cross our minds." Morgan muttered. "Where's Bradbury?"
"He's meeting the other inspectors at the Grislow to speak with the staff. They're going to save the suite for us to investigate in the morning. I thought you and Reid could go, Morgan."
"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Emily wondered. "Having Reid investigate his own attack?"
"We've done it before." Hotch pointed out. "Not to mention, if anyone is going to know what's out of place in that crime scene, it'll be him."
Another glance told Hotch just how nervous the young man was. "Where's everyone else?"
"Rossi's calling our hotel, JJ and Garcia went to get them some new clothes for them. They should all be back soon." Emily explained.
"Why don't you try to find the girls, I want to talk to Reid alone for a few minutes." He explained.
The two complied. Morgan handed one of his cups to him for Reid. As they left, Hotch made his solitary way down the corridor, taking the seat JJ had been sitting in not fifteen minutes before.
"Anything?" Hotch wondered, offering him the coffee.
He didn't take it, obviously not as thirsty as he claimed earlier. "Nothing... yet."
Reid rubbed his eyes, as if he were seeing clearly for the first time in days. "I should have listened to you. I was stubborn and stupid, I can't believe I let this happen."
"Reid, blaming yourself is not going to help." He tried to explain.
"But it is my fault!" He exclaimed, turning to him. "If this hadn't been our honeymoon, I wouldn't have thought twice about getting her out of there. I don't know, maybe marriage has messed with my instincts."
"Oh, I'm sure it has." Hotch agreed.
He hadn't anticipated his boss agreeing so fully on that. "Thank you for the support."
"Reid, you don't think the same thing happened to me when I first got married?" He asked. "Granted, you're problems are much more intense than mine... but at first it seemed nearly impossible I could balance a wife and law school at the same time without neglecting one or the other. It took months before I figured out the right budget of time and energy, which resulted in a lot of failed tests and martial disputes. And you've only been married a week."
"At 4:47 pm, it'll be a week." Reid corrected. "And I'm sure you got through the honeymoon before your problems started."
"True," Hotch agreed. "But this can bee seen as a good thing. Once we figure out how Riley was drugged, it will lead us closer to the unsub. Someone knew you were there, we just need to figure out who you had contact with that the others did as well."
"Riley and I didn't make any complaints." Reid pointed out. "We barely spoke to anyone besides the manager."
He shook his head, speaking softly. "Don't think about it right now. I know you're worried about her, you shouldn't need to focus on anything else at the moment."
Reid was curious about something. He had noticed a change in Hotch in the last few months. They had always been on good terms, but it was like he were trying to get closer to him. "Hotch, why have you been so easy on me lately?"
"I'm not being easy on you." He corrected. "I give you the same amount of work and assignments as I always have."
"I don't mean work, I mean... you're usually so serious, even when the team is just hanging out and relaxing. But lately it's been like... I don't know, you can lighten up with me. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice change... but I can't find the reason for it."
"I would think someone as smart as you would understand." He informed. "I've known Riley a long time, and you know how much I care about her. When I met her, she seemed so different from typical seventeen year old girl..." He smiled, remembering, "She had such an amazing spirit and talent... and just talking to her, I knew this girl was capable of great things, things most people can only wish they had the ability to accomplish. But she was sad and damaged; she had no one to look after her. I think that's why I got so close to her, because I knew she needed someone to look after her. But you?" A hint of a smile crossed his face. "You've always had an effect on her, but over the last year, I've really seen it. Since you got engaged, she's trusted you enough to let her guard down a lot, and I think it's only going to get better now that you're married... you make her happy. You look out for her, you protect her, you give her a reason to smile when she gets up in the morning... it's what she's always needed and I couldn't be more grateful that you've given it to her."
Reid rested his elbows on his knees, leaning on his hands. "You shouldn't be grateful... I'm with her because I have to be, I'm miserable without her... it's selfish when you think about it."
His smile was much more evident as he gave a fatherly squeeze to his shoulder. "Well, I'm glad you're so selfish. And I know she is, too."
"Excuse me, are you one of you Mr. Reid?" A handsome doctor with long black hair announced as he stepped in.
"Yes," Reid cried as both he and Hotch got to their feet.
"Your wife's going to be fine." He announced at once. Reid relaxed, sighing with a relief. It felt like he'd been holding his breath for an hour. "The most severe of her injuries was the head wound. The rest of her body was completely clean and unharmed. We stitched the wound up, it was fairly deep. I've never seen one like that where the patient didn't lose consciousness. But considering, the amount of pain killers in her system, I'm not surprised."
"Is she awake?" Hotch asked.
"Well, yes, she's awake, but she's not exactly lucid." He explained.
"How do you mean? Is she alright?" Reid begged, beginning to feel panicked.
"She's fine and she's going to be fine. We counteracted the sedative with a dose of adrenaline but the pain killers were too far into her bloodstream to adjust." He stated. "She's a bit intoxicated right now, but it'll pass in about twelve hours."
"Is she going to have to stay here?" Wondered Hotch.
"No, no it's not necessary. Just take her home, let her sleep it off and she'll be better by morning." The doctor assured. "She may have a bit of hangover tomorrow, but other than that, she'll be just fine. In a few days, bring her back and we'll remove the stitches. You can see her now, and I'll be in in about ten minutes with her discharge papers."
Reid was trying to get his heart beat to slow down at the news that Riley was alright. Hotch took the intuitive once again. "Thank you, Doctor. What room is she in?"
"Down the hall, third exam room on your left." He said kindly. With a reaffirming smile, he retreated down the corridor to get back to work. Reid's shaking hands went through his hair, letting the words sink in.
"She's okay, Reid." Hotch assured, "You saved her again."
His happiness was short lived, he looked up, meeting Hotch's gaze. "For now. But that killer is still out there and he wants us as his victims."
"And we're going to stop him. You may not think so, but this is a good thing. Riley can give us a lot of information and you know how to investigate your suite. He's not going to get away." He enlightened.
"But I don't understand why this keeps happening to us." He groaned, his hands clenching into frustrated fists. "Why are we the ones in danger, why are we the ones being hunted?"
He hesitated, not sure how to answer that. "I don't know... but you're not alone. And right now, there is a beautiful woman who needs her husband to take care of her. I suggest that be your main concern tonight."
He had a point. At his request, Reid let himself relax, complying with a silent nod. Taking separate ways, Reid headed down the hall to the exam room while Hotch went in search of the others.