S1 E6

He had figured out Hotch's plans the minute he suggested moving the hostages out of his line of fire. Suddenly the dramatic shift in his superior's personality made sense. He didn't think Hotch had that much resentment towards him, but he began to question that once more when his boss began kicking the shit out of his ribs.

Reid logically knew that it was all part of the plan. Hotch had to be convincing and he had to give Reid enough time to successfully grab the gun from his ankle holster. That didn't mean his ribs felt great though. When the paramedics had checked him out, he only notified them of his head injury. They'd diagnosed him with a slight concussion, but nothing too serious.

His head continued throbbing though.

Hotch and Morgan had both approached him and he was certain he'd been fairly convincing in the lie that he'd spun. He was completely fine. Unaffected. Doing great. And he only needed to hold up the façade for a few more hours. Only then, when he was unaccompanied in his apartment, would he fall to his knees, clenching his head and ribs in pain. Or at least, that was the plan.

Reid kept his face impassive on the car ride, making little conversation. He took a seat in the back corner of the plane, hoping no one would sit beside him.

He'd had a brief conversation with Gideon, a reassuring one. It brought a bit of warmth to his heart. He knew he shouldn't be so childish as to need the approval of Gideon, but he couldn't help himself. Sometimes he needed reassurance. However, once the man had gotten up and left to get some rest, Reid let the façade drop.

Things began to take a turn for the worst when the jet began to experience turbulence.

They were already on their descent; he'd done so well. There wasn't more than thirty more minutes till they were on the ground and then he only had to hold on another twenty or so. But the turbulence threw a wrench in his plan.

The minute the plane wavered a stabbing pain went through both Reid's head and his abdomen. He couldn't help but shut his eyes and clench his jaw, hissing slightly in pain. Luckily for him, everyone on the plane was asleep. Or, at least, so he had thought.

Hotch was at his side in a second.
"Reid, are you okay? Is it your head?" The man clearly felt bad about what had happened. He was overcompensating. Then again, Reid supposed, he did kinda cause the injuries… that didn't mean he wanted him to know about them though. Reid opened his eyes, wincing. "I'm fine." He said through a clenched jaw.

Hotch rolled his eyes. "Right, because getting a concussion from being hit with the butt of a gun isn't concerning at all." Reid smirked at Hotch's sarcasm, but the smile only lasted a second as another bout of turbulence caused the jet to lurch.

Reid couldn't stop the whimper that escaped his mouth as his arms unconsciously wrapped themselves around his torso.

"Reid-" Hotch ended up falling into the chair across from him with a thud as the plane began bouncing around once more. Reid's brow furrowed and he tucked his chin tightly against his sternum. His arms gripped himself tightly, attempting to keep his bruised ribs from tumbling around. His jaw clenched shut in an attempt to stop any sounds from escaping his mouth, but a small whine still forced its way out.

A jolt in the plane caused Reid's body to lurch forward and back quickly, sending all the air out of his body. He began to cough as he attempted to catch his breath, but the pain in his ribs seemed to be hindering the ability to do just that.

He was aware that Hotch was trying to help him, and was probably trying to say something to him, but he was so concentrated on breathing that he couldn't process his surroundings. The plane stopped jolting after a minute or so, but Reid was still coughing.

He felt someone's hands unwrapping his arms from around his torso gently.

"-reath with me —t's right co—on you got –" His hearing was going in and out and he was having trouble focusing. Reid's body was suddenly being dragged to the floor, hands under his armpits. He was somewhat dizzy, and the world began to tilt to the side, but he found himself being propped up against something warm and sturdy instead of falling to the ground.

His mind swam from the lack of oxygen and pain in his body. His head was pounding, and he was still struggling to get any breath. He felt comforting hands on his back, rubbing gentle circles. Still, he continued to cough against the warm pillar, limply propped up against it. Something metallic filled his mouth, but he couldn't be sure what.

When he finally began to catch his breath, the ringing in his ears subsided. Reid realized that someone had been talking to him the whole time. In fact, he seemed to be leaning against someone, not something.

He breathed shallow and quick, not wanting to lose the small amount of control he'd regained against his lungs. However, the attack had left him exhausted. Reid attempted to refocus on the world around him, but he couldn't even manage to open his eyes. There was a darkness that seemed to be surrounding him and he couldn't help but lean towards it. There were far away voices, were they calling his name? It felt as though someone was tapping his cheek, maybe laying him on his back on the ground. But he couldn't be certain.

He seemed to be drifting between consciousness and unconsciousness, but he didn't seem to care. A breeze flowed over his torso and he shivered slightly, but he made no attempt to go back into the light. Instead, he allowed himself to succumb to the darkness, finally getting some well-deserved rest.

When he awoke, the first thing Reid was aware of was a beeping noise. An insistent, annoying, beeping noise. He took a breath and smelled strong antiseptic.

Shit. Was he in a hospital?

He dragged his heavy eyelids open and glanced with blurry eyes around the darkened hospital room he was currently sitting in. he was laying under a thin hospital gown, under a thin sheet, with an oxygen canal sitting under his nose. Judging from the darkness outside, he must have been out for at least a few hours. He suddenly became aware of a second presence in the room.

Lying in a very uncomfortable looking chair was a very disheveled and worried, yet very much asleep Agent Hotchner.

Reid couldn't help but to smile at the image which was in front of him. He found himself attempting to push himself into a sitting position, but his body was too weak to comply. As he fell back against the mattress, he let out a small hiss of pain, closing his eyes. However, he suddenly became aware that his ribs had been wrapped as it didn't hurt as much to breathe and there was a tightness around his torso.

A hand placed itself on Reid's arm and he opened his eyes once more. Hotch was hovering beside him now, a worried smile on his face.

"How are you feeling?"

Reid shrugged slightly. "Okay" he whispered. Hotch's smile disappeared as quickly as it had came, replaced with the normal scowl usually worn.

"You should have said something Spencer. You passed out on the plane because of your injured ribs. You shouldn't have lied about the injuries I caused to spare me some amount of guilt."

Reid found himself shrugging again, looking away from Hotch. He spoke in a soft voice once more.

"I didn't think it was a big deal."

"Spencer," Hotch spoke, pausing to guide Reid's chin back to facing him so he could look the younger agent in the eye, "you passed out on the jet due to lack of oxygen. You were barely breathing. We had to call an ambulance. You've been out almost a full day. You punctured a lung and after surgery they almost had to intubate you. You have multiple broken and cracked ribs. You coughed up blood onto my jacket. I'd say that's a pretty big deal."

Guilt filled Reid's eyes and he found himself blushing profusely. He didn't realize how serious his injuries had been. If he'd gone back to his apartment alone he might have bled out by himself.

Hotch continued, "I lifted your shirt while we were on the plane, your abdomen was essentially one large bruise. Your ribs were very clearly broken since you're pretty much skin and bones. By the way, you need to eat more, but that's besides the point. If anyone had checked you, they would not have cleared you. It was obvious that you needed the hospital. Why didn't you say anything?"

Shame began to fill his body and he hung his head. "I'm sorry Hotch."

Hotch once again searched for eye contact before speaking.

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to yourself for putting yourself at risk."

Reid nodded. Hotch reached in to hug the young man. Reid immediately reciprocated, burying his face into the man's shoulder. They stayed like that for a few minutes before pulling apart.

"I'm glad you're okay. I'll try not to break your ribs next time" He said with a smirk. Reid found himself chuckling slightly at that comment.

"Hopefully there won't be a next time for that one." Hotch nodded in agreement.

"Get some more rest Spencer. You need it. You look like shit."

"So do you." Reid said, eyes already closing once more. Hotch smiled and kept his hand over Spencer's, reassuring himself that the younger agent was going to be okay.

Reid fell asleep with a slight smile on his face.