Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters. I just wish I did. This story is solely for my and others' enjoyment.
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-Chapter 15:
"Yes?" Hotch demanded, racing towards the doctor, Morgan not far behind him. "Are you Dr. Reid's family?" the man asked nervously, visibly shrinking away from Morgan's glare. "No," Morgan hissed, "we're his co-workers and his friends. We're the closest thing he has to a family and we're all approved to hear whatever it is you're about to say." "V-ve-very well." the man stammered. "Nice work Morgan, you made him wet himself." Prentiss whispered. Hotch silently groaned, We need this man to tell us what's going on, Morgan. Don't antagonize him. "Please, tell us what you know." he said, addressing the ER doctor.
The man glared at Morgan before resuming the task he'd been sent to accomplish. "Through our examination, we have been able to determine almost all of the ailments Dr. Reid is currently suffering from. Before I begin, I must ask, were any of you aware that your colleague has been suffering from a series of intense migraines for the past four months?" Hotch glanced around, based on the looks of shock on each of his team members' features, it was evident that they were as surprised as he was by this revelation. "No," he answered, "we were not aware."
The doctor nodded, "well, based on the PET scan Dr. Reid just underwent, we were able to determine that he suffers from cluster headache syndrome. Cluster headache syndrome is a hereditary disease that normally starts affecting patients around their early thirties. There is no exact cause, but it has been noted that males would be more susceptible to females. But that doesn't make them any less potent. The episodes can last for hours, days, or even months on end; causing the patient to have an extreme sensitivity to both light and sound. Each time Dr. Reid had one, he would have only thirty minutes before being the victim of one of the most severe migraines possible. The pain would be excruciating. Luckily, there are ways to treat it. Acute attacks should be resolved by an increase of oxygen, while a nasal spray can be used to prevent future occurrences."
"Thank you for telling us about this." Hotch said. There is going to be some serious hell to pay when I get my hands on Reid. How could he not tell any of us about something like this? What if something had happened while we were in the field? "What can you tell us about the injuries is sustained while in captivity?" "Yes," the doctor answered, glancing at his clipboard. "We found that Dr. Reid was suffering from an extreme case of dehydration causing: the dizziness, fatigue, low blood pressure, and erratic heart beat. Luckily it wasn't to a point that we couldn't treat it, if he hadn't escaped when he had, he might have gone into a coma. We have him on an IV to replace the fluids and electrolytes he lost while in captivity. His heart beat is back to its normal resting rate and rhythm, and his blood pressure is within normal boundaries. A CT scan determined that he has a slight concussion, but that should be taken care of while he is under our care. Full-body X-rays and MRIs determined no soft tissue damage, except for bruising, and cracks along the third, fifth, sixth, and eighth ribs on the left side of his rib cage. Despite everything he's been through, he will make a full recovery. He's lucky."
"I wouldn't call him lucky." Morgan muttered. "Can we see him?" Hotch asked, sending Morgan a dirty look. "Yes, he's sleeping right now, but you can be in the room. Please, follow me." The team trailed silently up four flights of stairs, coming to a stop at a hallway titled 'ER In-patients'. "Please be as quiet as possible," their guide urged, "some of the patients are sleeping. He gently pushed the door open and lead them down the hallway; stopping at door number seven. Hotch peered in and could not suppress a sigh of relief; Reid was fast asleep, he was safe.
"Come on everyone. It will be good to be here when he wakes up." Morgan burst into the room, followed closely by Garcia and JJ, then Rossi and Seaver, but Emily hung back. "He won't want to see me," she said hoarsely, "not after what I put him through." "There's only one way to find out." Hotch said, ushering her through the door. Morgan and JJ had commandeered the chairs on either side of Reid, leaving the rest of the team to stand. An EKG above Reid's bed monitored his heart rate with a steady beep, and the team could hear their genius snore softly. "He looks so peaceful asleep." Garcia murmured. "Might have something to do with the fact he speaks a mile a minute," Morgan quipped, "I've only seen the kid in fast-forward and play, never pause."
JJ opened her mouth to scold Morgan when they all registered the sudden increase in Reid's heart rate. The steady beep..beep..beep from before had been replaced by beep,beep,beep,beep,beep. "What's going on?" Morgan demanded. "I don't know." Hotch answered, pressing the room's distress button. "The EKG!" Seaver said, pointing to the screen, "it's triggering a flashback. He must still think he's with Doyle." No sooner had she made that statement, that the team noticed Reid pulling at the electrodes taped over his heart. "Get them off!" JJ snapped, hating that she was helpless against the cause of Reid's discomfort. "We can't!" Rossi snapped back, "the doctors wanted to continue monitoring his heart to make sure it remained stable." "Hotch, do something." Prentiss pleaded. Hotch's thumb repeatedly depressed the call button until a doctor came running into the room. "What is going on?" she demanded. "The beeping of the EKG is causing our friend's emotional distress. He just escaped captivity, and they had him hooked up to a heart monitor. Do something!" Hotch's professional demeanor broke as he watched his subordinate struggle against demons only he could see. "Stand back." the doctor ordered, inserting a sedative-filled syringe into Reid's IV. "Mmm," Reid groaned before drifting into a heavy sleep, the team watching him anxiously.