Reid stayed by her side all night, barely slept a wink. Riley did drift off into an uneasy slumber after a while, not getting much rest at all. He knew she was worried, but all Reid wanted was for her to relax. If her body was at ease, it would put less stress on her system... all this tension couldn't be good for the baby.
Just before five, he was half way between sleep and awake when he felt Riley shaking his arm. Reid awoke with a jolt, sitting up. "What's wrong?" He cried immediately, a little dazed, already fearing the worst.
"Spencer..." She stuttered out, breathing heavily. "I need your help… I'm going to be sick..."
Instantly, Reid was on his feet. With her fragile body, getting her to the bathroom would take too long. Instead, he grabbed the garbage can and hurried over to her. She clutched to the garbage can as she threw up, Reid held back her hair as usual.
It took a half hour of vomiting off and on before Riley was able to lie back and catch her breath. "Thank you," She sighed, trying to catch her breath, her throat sore and scratchy. She wiped the tears from her eyes, pouring out from the effort.
Reid got her some water to rinse her mouth, letting her spit it in the can before he took it away. "Keep it close," She advised as he handed her a tissue. "I have a feeling that's just the opening act for this morning."
He set the can within reach and moved to sit beside her on the bed. His arms natural went around her and Riley leaned her tired, aching body on his, her damp cheek resting on his chest. Feeling her so close after such a scare was comforting, even in spite of everything.
"I don't want to get our hopes up, but I think morning sickness might be a good sign. Like I said… morning sickness is a usually sign of a healthy pregnancy. You're less likely to miscarry."
Less likely. It didn't mean it wouldn't happen. Riley gave a half smile. She wanted to be just as positive as he, but it hadn't even been twelve hours. It was much too soon to tell. All she did was hold him closer, trying not to burst into tears again. She finally had a clear head. Not only did she want the baby… but she was actually feeling connected to it. She wanted so hard to keep it, yet felt like she'd already failed. She was already a terrible mother.
"I'm going to call Morgan," He informed, gently caressing her. "Tell him not to bother picking me up this morning."
"Why?" Riley asked, pulling away to see his face. Was he joking?
He hadn't thought he'd need to explain himself. "I want to be with you, Riley. You're injured, you need me. I'm not going to abandon you."
"So instead, you're going to abandon Peter?" Riley questioned, shocked he would give up now, when there was still a chance to save a boy's life. Reid never gave up, otherwise she wouldn't be alive today.
"The team can handle the case, they'll be fine. I can offer phone consults and work from here, but for the most part, they'll take over." He sounded confident, looking deeply into her brown eyes, still lacking their dazzle.
She was grateful he wanted to stick by her. With him here she felt stronger, but that wasn't fair to the others, especially the victim. She shook her head. "No, Spencer, you can't do that."
Hesitating a moment, "You don't want me here?"
"Of course I do," She argued, "If you weren't working on this case, I would hang onto you and never let you go... but you can't just give up this case, not when that little boy is still missing."
"The team is fully capable-"
"I know," Riley cried. "Believe me, I know. But it's the best place for you today. There's nothing you can do here. You sitting by my side, as much as I would love it, is not going to help the baby any more than if you work on a case. Better yet, it'll get your mind off everything and you still might be able to save that little boy."
She had a point. Wasting the next two days in this room was going to drive him crazy, just waiting for the inevitable to come. Besides, now that she had said it, Reid remembered poor Peter Hillman, lost somewhere... if he'd made it through last night, he might not make it through another.
He wanted to protest, but he knew she was right. Reid had made a promise to find Alexa's son. At a time like this, their history didn't matter. The grudge he held paled in comparison to his worry for his wife and undeveloped child.
Slowly, he conceded. "If you learn anything... you call me immediately."
"I will," Riley swore as he pulled her into a hug. "I promise."
"And call me anyway," He ordered as he kissed her temple. "A lot… I need to hear your voice today."
She agreed with a nod, snuggling closer. Reid held her so tight for a moment, almost forgetting how delicate her body was right now.
"Spencer," She moaned against his shoulder.
"Oh, God," He released her, "Did I hurt you?"
"No," She shook her head, trying to speak. "I'm going to be sick again."
He barely got the trash can under her in time. This had to be a good sign. He wouldn't let himself believe anything else.
As the others waited for their last three teammates that morning. JJ and Rossi were standing on the far side, watching the scene forming in the break room. It was hard to hear them at this distance, but by the way they were checking out the severe bruise on John Hillman's face, who was released from lock up early this morning, it wasn't hard to guess what the conversation was about. They could only assume Reid was not coming off well.
"I can only imagine what lies he's telling them in there." JJ mumbled bitterly, swallowing her sip of coffee. "They don't need to be here, can't we force them to leave?"
"I've told them they can go home, believe me." Rossi retorted. "They're acting stubborn and unless we have physical force, they won't leave on their own. I think the best we can do is make sure those three stay clear of Reid. If they get out of hand, we'll force them."
"Four." JJ argued. "There are four of them."
"Alexa's not a threat." He explained. "A worried mother with two daughters she's trying to look after. Without help… besides, I've seen the way she looks at Reid."
"What do you mean?" She wondered. Her bias for the woman wouldn't let her see things clearly. JJ had no idea what the old man was talking about.
Rossi tried to explain. It was hard to put a human's emotions into words, especially when you knew so little about her. "She feels guilty… a lot remorse… twenty years is a long time for that to fester. And I don't need to tell you, motherhood has an effect on most women. It changes the way you see people. Alexa wants to talk to him. To bury the hatchet between them… she's not like the others and she wants Reid to know that… but he hasn't let her yet. In fact," He couldn't help but chuckle, "if we need to keep her away from anyone…"
At that, he knew he was saying too much. JJ looked over curiously, wanting to know what he was about to say.
Saved, however, Rossi indicated the door. "They're here."
Indeed, Reid had entered the squad room with Morgan and Emily, still wearing her sling. JJ and Rossi rushed over to meet them, as did Hotch and Garcia, who had been conversing in private. None of them had heard much about the accident, other than the fact both girls were on the mend. They waited anxiously to know what was going on.
"Oh my God, Em," Garcia squeaked. After telling her off yesterday, she felt so shameful now that she was hurt.
"It's okay," She lifted her injured arm. "I dislocated my shoulder, this is just precaution to keep it from falling out of place again."
"Well, that's good." Rossi kindly said, giving her a smile and a pat on her good arm. "Glad to see you're alright. Are you in a lot of pain?"
"Nothing some aspirin won't cure." She explained.
"Geez, you dislocated your shoulder and they don't give you anything? They hand out pain pills like M's usually." JJ chortled.
"Considering Vegas is often looser with rules or morality than other US cities, they're actually pretty tight on prescribing drugs, especially to people out of town." Reid said at once. He was face was a blank slate, like he cared neither about his wife or his wounded companion.
Hotch was the only one who could voice what all of them were desperate to know. "How's Riley?"
It was not a question Reid was looking forward to. He took his time with a response, wanting to say the words just right without worrying his friends as much as he was. Better than he had for Morgan and Emily. He wanted to be strong.
"Things are a little tentative right now." He stated calmly. "Riley's okay, for the most part, but… the pregnancy makes her body a little weaker… it may make her miscarry to save her life. Or, if she needs surgery, they'll abort."
"Oh, God… I am so sorry, Spence." JJ uttered sadly. "How are you guys handling it?"
"Did you make up at least?" Garcia wondered.
"In fact, yes," He said with a crook of a smile. "And, amazingly, Riley's fears are overshadowed by her natural instincts. It's made her realize what she really wants… and she wants the baby."
Rossi smiled, "That's great, Reid."
JJ added, "I knew she would when she came around after a while, if she just had some time."
"Time we don't have." Reid announced, looking to the group. "The next two days are going to be really hard. I appreciate everything you guys are doing, and I am worried about Riley, but I can't think about that right now… we need to focus on Peter if we're going to find him alive."
"You're absolutely right, Reid." Hotch agreed. "So far we don't have much, mostly what we can do is just start at the beginning and start looking for different clues."
"I've already changed and broadened my searches." Garcia explained, exchanging a glance with the unit chief. "Most of them."
Hotch caught her eye and quickly looked away. The others were better off not knowing; this could be considered a waste of resources. They were only supposed to investigate cases they were officially working on.
"Since Emily and Riley never got there, Rossi and JJ are going to speak to the Gereedo's. We're missing something, knowing more about another victim may shed some light. Reid, your primary focus is to study the previous cases, make any notes you can. You're most likely to see a hidden pattern. Morgan, go over the profile a few times, try to find what our weak link is, we may need to alter it. Emily…" He hesitated.
"Yes, sir?" She asked expectantly.
He was suddenly empathetic. "You should take it easy today."
"No," Emily exclaimed, shaking her head. "This isn't anything, I'm fine to work."
"Just one day." Rossi said, taking Hotch's side. "Help Garcia here, you've been through a trauma, you should rest a little while."
It wasn't like there was much to do yet, anyway. Begrudgingly, Emily sighed and agreed. "Alright. Just one day."
"Good, it's settled." Hotch said. "If anyone learns anything important, make sure everyone's informed. We don't act on anything until we're certain, with a child's life at risk, it's too dangerous to do otherwise."
The others concurred with that, and without any more comments, parted ways to get to work. Most of them were too concerned with what was expected of them for the day… except one, who immediately followed Hotch out into the hall.
"Do I dare ask where you're going?" Rossi wondered once they were out of earshot of the others.
Hotch lowered his voice. "I'm just going to go over and see Riley. She's been through a lot, I just want to know how she's handling everything."
"What is it with you and married women, Aaron?" Rossi teased with a smile. "Why don't you tell Reid you're going to see her?"
"I might not be back right away, I don't want him to think there's something wrong." He explained, checking around nervously, as if expecting an eavesdropper. "It's a sensitive matter."
Rossi, all too knowing as usual, questioned, "And would this matter happen to have anything to do with the father of our current victim?"
Hotch hesitated. Anxiously, he swallowed. His tone became dangerously and incredibly stern. "If it does… it's simply for the fact I'm trying to bring a criminal to justice. Nothing more."
"I know that." Rossi answered. "Just remember, and I'm not accusing you of anything… it's fine to toe the line, just make sure no one sees you cross it."
"I would never cross the line, Dave." He said, rising above his treacherous whisper. "I would never do anything to frame a man or wrongly accuse him. Any facts I bring to light will be hard and true."
"I wasn't talking about a case." He smiled. "And I didn't say don't cross… I just said don't let anyone see." With that, he turned, still grinning knowingly at the younger man. "Now if you excuse me, JJ's waiting for me."
He watched him walk away, remaining alone in the hallway. Normally, Hotch wouldn't feel this conflicted. It did feel like he was sneaking around, trying to get this man caught. If he wasn't twisted with all these emotions – emotions he couldn't even explain – how could he be sure he wasn't doing this because of them?
The thought of all those women victimized by him, though. Garcia had found 20 herself, there were probably more who never reported their attacks. Not to mention Riley, one of the closest and dearest people in his life… that put him in the right frame of mind. In that knowledge, Hotch headed out, an assertive spring in his step.
"You should sue him." Harper demanded, examining the swollen lump on her brother's face. It was still growing ever purple.
"What a psycho." Jeremy shook his head. "He really just lunged at you? For no reason?"
John caught Jeremy's eye, who shrunk back a bit. Both knew exactly why Spencer had attacked him, who before last night was the last person they ever believed could punch someone, let alone practically knock him out and threaten his life. And it wouldn't have happened had his lookout been there.
"Yeah, no reason." John grumbled. "Somebody get me some ice, this thing fricken kills."
Harper obeyed his request, hurrying to the refrigerator. Alexa wasn't about to help him, remaining in her seat at the table with the "two annoying little brats" as John was so lovingly calling them in his bitter mood this morning.
Speak of the devil, she glanced into the squad room and saw none other than Spencer Reid walking towards them. This was a dangerous place for him, even in a building of police officers. He might have been able to handle John, but outnumbered by three wasn't likely. Getting to the coffee pot would be about as easy as climbing the Berlin Wall. She wanted to yell for him to stay away, if he valued his safety at all… she sighed with relief as he turned without any indication he'd seen them, heading towards… the conference area. No one else was heading in there… and that gave her an idea.
"Meredith," She whispered, "Take your sister to the lounge, keep her entertained in there for a while."
The elder daughter obeyed, standing up and tugging on her sister's sleeve. "Come on, Squirt, let's get out of here."
"I'm not a Squirt!" Penny whined, much too loudly.
Catching her father's angry eye, Meredith pulled her forcefully, "Just come on, kid." Penny was too young to understand how important it was to lie low around their father. He'd never hit them, but there was always a first time. She didn't enjoy being yelled out and chastised by him, either, though. Within a moment, she practically dragged the little girl away, hurrying out of the danger zone.
They were safe now, at least. All Alexa had to worry about was herself. Standing up, she watched as Harper held a bundle of ice against her brother's bruise. "You know," She voiced, much more bravely than she felt. "That really doesn't sound like Spencer."
All three of them looked at her in surprise. She wanted to shrink back down and shut up. Maybe they'd forget about it, but Alexa held her ground. "From what I've seen about him, he holds onto his temper. You all saw that fight last night, he was furious… and after spending some time with him, I've seen he doesn't just let that go easily. Why would he just punch you for no reason?"
"I don't know. I guess that little scrawny piss ant finally figured out how to fight back." Jeremy said with a shrug.
"Yes, because it's so easy for a twelve year old little boy to fight off two or even more burly high school jocks." Alexa cried. "If he did punch you, not only does he have my full respect, but you must have… done… something…"
Before she could finish, her voice fell, remembering Agent Hotchner's confession. We caught him assaulting a young woman. From what she could tell, Spencer was a man who would save anyone who needed help… but not quite so forcefully… unless it affected him personally.
"Oh, God," She moaned, disgusted. "You would stoop so low as to attack his wife?"
John's emotions went from a range of confusion, shock, and rage in a matter of seconds. "Where did the hell did you come up with that idea?"
"One of the agents told me." Alexa stated.
"One of the agents, really?" He asked. "Is that damn one you've been staring at since we got here. Yeah… I didn't think I saw that did you, you little slut."
There was a clutch in Alexa's stomach. She'd been trying to shove away and forget these twisted feelings growing in her stomach every time she looked at Agent Hotchner… or just thought about them. But she wasn't about to give John the satisfaction of knowing how confused she was. He wasn't worth that.
"It's sick enough you would do that to women, but to Spencer's wife? I can't believe you were actually dumb enough to think you could get away with that? What could he have possibly done – ever – to justify that? Besides trying to save your son."
"That can't be true!" Harper exclaimed, turning to her. "John doesn't have to do that, if you can't keep him happy in the bedroom, maybe he does have to get his rocks off with someone else, but he'd never force another woman into anything."
She smirked knowingly, folding her arms. There, she waited for a response, some cry of agreement that she was right. It never came.
"John," Harper cried, turning around. "Tell her she's wrong."
"Shut the hell up, Harper." John hissed, glancing around. It wasn't the cops or agents he was worried about… just one man in particular. He'd never admit his fear even to himself, but something in Spencer's eyes told him the promise he made with the coldest eyes he'd ever looked into was not a bluff.
"He was giving her what she wanted." Jeremy argued. "Spencer's wife wanted to go to bed with a real man. She hates her husband so much, she can't stand the thought of having his baby!"
"Oh really, Jeremy, is that the mark of a woman who loves her man? Maybe you should ask your wife's opinion on that!" She said, catching the raven girl's eye.
"Shut up!" Harper cried, suddenly terrified. "Lexi, you promised!"
Ignoring her, Alexa released a rage inside her she'd been swallowing for a long, long time. "You guys don't get it! It's been twenty years and you haven't changed. You won't let yourselves see that Spencer has. A lot. Don't you realize, what we did to him was wrong! We shouldn't have treated him like that!"
"Everyone treated him like that!" John argued.
"That doesn't make it right!" She screamed. Tears were forming in her eyes as she spewed out this speech like she'd rehearsed it over and over. "He was a little boy who needed help! We should have looked out for him, protected him, walked him home from school… and we just tortured him… we just followed along, blindly. I can't live with myself knowing I did that, how can any of you!"
All three of them were dead silent. They wouldn't look at her, but more triumphantly, none of them could look at each other. It seemed the unbreakable bond they shared for so long was finally severed… and now they could be broken.
"I'm done with the both of you." She informed to Jeremy and Harper. "We're not friends anymore… and we haven't been for a very long time. You don't care about my son, so you need to leave this place."
She was in the home stretch, about to say the words she longed to scream at him for years. Alexa at last turned to her husband. "And you… you have a right to be here, I know, so I'm not even making a request. Though I can't say I believe it when you say you care about Peter. Regardless what happens, when this over and this case is put to rest… we're done. I want a divorce… get out of my house."
"You can't kick me out of my house, Bitch." John grumbled, moving towards her.
"Fine," She answered, not backing down. "Then I'll take the children and leave. Let someone else be your punching bag for now on."
He raised his hand to hit her, but held back. "And I should have dumped you after graduation, like I was going to."
"Except for my babies, I really wish you had." She replied, and without another word, turned and walked with great confidence away from the group. Alexa Lisbon had never felt so free in her entire life.
"What was she talking about?" Jeremy asked, looking to his wife. Terrified, Harper turned to him… not exactly sure what to say.
Emily felt anxious. Her mind kept telling her she should be doing something… but what? Reid worked better alone in times like this. Morgan had gone out to grab everyone some coffee and breakfast before he got to work… perhaps she should go over the profile, but that wasn't her job. Her job was to 'take it easy'.
What did that entail? Should she just go back to the hotel and get some rest? Maybe sit with Riley in the hospital. She seemed so lost and scared when Emily saw her that morning… maybe she could use some company.
"Hey," A familiar yelp came from behind her. Turning in her swivel chair, Emily saw Garcia standing behind her, her hands twisting nervously in front of her.
"Hey," Emily answered with a small smile. "Nice to hear you're talking to me. Or is your fury put on hold while I'm injured?"
"Yeah, about that…" She mumbled, stepping closer. "I'm sorry…"
"Pen-" Emily began.
"No!" Garcia shook her head. "I shouldn't have gotten so upset… I mean, I was angry and really hurt, but… I should have understood. I mean what are girlfriends for?"
Her smile becoming more sincere, Emily pulled out the chair beside her. An invitation to sit. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you… believe me, it was not because I didn't trust you… it wasn't even because I didn't want to… there's nothing I wanted."
"Really?" Garcia asked as she excitedly sat down, her curiosity finally able to come forth.
"Oh, yeah!" She moaned happily. "This is the greatest thing that ever happened to me, Pen… and I couldn't even tell anyone about it. For years! It got a little better when Riley found out, but… when all of us girls would hang out, and you three would brag about your hubby's and give me that… look…" She shook her head with sadness.
"What look?" She wondered.
A look no one knew they gave, but one everyone could recognize. "That "don't worry, you'll find someone, too, someday" look. I wanted to shout from the roof tops about my wonderful guy… but I just had to grin and pretend I was alone… and loving it, too, so you wouldn't set me up with some loser."
"I'm sorry… I had no idea we made you feel so left out." Garcia assured.
"Well… I could have brought it up, especially after Riley found out." Emily said, taking the blame. "I was just trying to think about the team… and protecting what was already a delicate situation, I didn't want to ruin what Derek were building… I do trust you guys.
"You better." She joked, giving her a poke on the arm, forgetting about her bruises for a moment. Emily hid her wince of pain. "I forgive you, but I'm still going to rip my boy's tight ass a new one when we get home. He swore to me for over three years he didn't have feelings for you… I always knew he gave you special attention."
"You know, I don't think he was lying before." Debated Emily. "I mean… I liked him and I'm sure he had some kind of feelings for me, but… it never felt like anything more than a little crush. We never really felt something real until…" she closed her eyes and uttered with a deep sigh, "that first kiss. We were so distraught about Reid that night, we didn't let any inhabitations get in the way… imagine if we had."
Garcia was grinning excitedly, never seeing her friend so blissful as she slipped into some happy place. It must have been exhausting to keep up this pretense for so long.
"Sounds like you two have a real connection." She said. "For the record, Em, it is a big risk to the team… but in all honesty, if you guys are happy, I'm happy for you. I think it's worth the risk. And I'm sure JJ does, too."
Emily knew she still had to talk to her. That would be her next course of action, when she got the time. "Thanks, Garcia."
"So," she leaned on the desk. With an arch of her eyebrows and a suggestive smirk, she questioned, "How serious are you guys?"
Emily didn't exactly have an answer to that. "Semi-serious."
"You hesitated, why did you hesitate?" She questioned, sensing something.
She wasn't so sure how to put this. How sick and pathetic would is sound if Emily were to tell the truth? That she was too twisted to admit she was in love with the man that loved her. "I'm just nervous… I've never gotten this serious with a man before. And Morgan's the same way with me… neither of us really know how to navigate through it, and saying it hasn't been easy is an understatement."
"The good news it, Heaven willing, you only have to do it once. If he's the right one." She said cheerfully. "Do you think he's the right one, Sweetie Pie?"
No answer, Emily looked away, searching – more like begging – for something to appear as a decent change of subject. Gaping at her, Garcia cried out.
"Oh my God, Em… do you love him?" She asked, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
She'd barely been able to admit this to herself. "What is love?" She answered vaguely, looking away.
Garcia smiled excitedly. "You love him!"
Emily didn't say anything, closing her eyes as she felt the warmth spread into her cheeks. Garcia squealed and giggled with joy, practically jumping up and down.
"Oh, I can't believe this!" She exclaimed. Emily opened her eyes to find Garcia beaming at her. "My girl is in love! And with a super sexy hunk, no less!"
"Pen, this is not the best place to discuss this!" Emily hissed, wanting to scream at her to calm down. She could see it as plain as day, why couldn't Emily just say it to him?
"Emily Baby, why do you look like you're about to be sick? I don't see the problem here!" Garcia cried. "What's the matter, have you told Morgan how you feel and he denied you?"
"More like the opposite." She confessed, and then, before she became too frightened, "I'm just too afraid to say it… I can't bear the thought of losing him."
"Sweetie, if this is how you feel, you have to tell him." She explained seriously. "All the shoulda coulda wouldas in life can be very depressing, you don't want to have the regret that you wasted time. Like you said, this is new to him, too. Considering what I can detect between you two sparrows, I'm suspecting you may find he's just as scared as you about all these new and wonderful feelings. I know my boy, and he might be a wild mustang on the outside… but inside, he's very vulnerable and very scared… I'm sure he's terrified of losing you, too. Maybe even more, taking the way I catch him looking at you into evidence."
With that in mind, Emily gave another sigh. "I think you're right. Either we can handle the intensity of this relationship or not… and if we can't, maybe that's for the best to find out now. I can't waste the rest of my life with someone who doesn't want to give me everything… or someone I don't want to give everything to."
"I don't think you'll be disappointed." She grinned. "Speaking of which, I have to ask. It's a little personal, but… indulge me. We've got plenty of time to spare right now, so let's not waste it. I want to hear every little detail."
"Fire away!" Emily allowed.
"First thing's first, let's get the most important questions out on the table. What is it like getting tangled up in the sheets with that thunder god?"
Emily was thoroughly embarrassed, but couldn't stop the smile on her face. "Oh… Garcia…" She sighed, her face turning warm. When was the last time she blushed over her man? It made her feel like a teenager. "You don't know what you're missing… it is incredible. I literally pity every woman on the planet because they don't get to make love to that amazing and talented man."
"So it's good?" Garcia wondered with hungry interest."
Emily sighed and answered with a whispered, "Earth shattering."
At once, Garcia launched into a series of giggles and questions, desperate to know every element. Emily was all too happy to oblige, finally getting to feed the desires to brag about her wonderful, loving Derek Morgan. It was the perfect way to pass the morning.