A/N: Reid plays nice here... woohoo... I like when he's nice. But I like when he's an ass... isn't that sad?

Chapter 04 – Baffled

A few hours had passed, Reid had tried to get back to sleep but he couldn't. He hated the feelings that were rushing through him. He was nervous, he had never been nervous in his life. He felt guilty for being so damned rude to the girl next to him, and he had never felt that way before, about anything. He was upset and angry, both things he had felt before, but not for the same reasons.

"Isobel," His voice was rough and shaky as he said her name.

He waited a beat, she didn't respond, he couldn't say that he blamed her either.

"Isobel, I'm-I'm sorry about earlier…." He apologized, another thing that he didn't do on a normal basis, if at all.

Isobel looked over at the curtain and took a deep breath; he didn't seem like a boy that apologized often. She cleared her throat and pulled the curtain back, but decided to be a bit cold towards him.

"I don't want your sympathies…" She barked at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm not offering them," Reid snapped. She glared over at him and his hard look softened, "I was just apologizing for being an ass…" He cleared his throat. "It's sort of in my nature,"

"I figured that out," She remarked dryly.

"So, why are you here?" He asked, he looked at her wrists and already knew that it was a stupid question.

"Unlike you, I did try to off myself…" She stated using his terminology. "However, I didn't call a suicide hotline first…"

"Yeah, about that…" He sucked in a deep breath.

"It's fine… really…" She held up a hand. "I've been called much worse than a suicide hotline chick and a freak show…"

Reid was quite, simply nodding his head. He didn't know what else to say to her. What do you say to a suicidal chick that didn't succeed in killing herself? He sat back in his chair and turned on his TV. He had made his peace with her, he didn't really have to talk to her now did he?

Seventy-two hours.

That was a long time he realized after the next hour ticked by. Another nurse had come in to change both of their bandages and Reid growled when the pain killers started to wear off. The nurse gave him some more and he happily took them with the water provided to him.

"Still giving you the good stuff," Isobel piped up after the nurse left.

Reid looked over at her, "What?"

"They won't give it to me anymore," She sighed resting back in to her hard hospital bed.

"Why not?"

Isobel glanced over at him and smirked, "Wouldn't you like to know,"

Reid glanced over at her; his naturally ice blue eyes were darker than normal as he glared over at her. He was trying to be nice and here she was stonewalling him from answers. He shook his head and rolled his eyes sitting back.

"Actually, no… I don't want to know…" He remarked dully as he flipped through the channels.

Time seemed to pass by slowly, it had only been twenty minutes since his rude response and she was already getting fidgety again.

"How come I haven't seen your parents in here yet?" Isobel asked out of the blue.

"How come I haven't seen yours?" Reid responded not taking his eyes off of the TV.

Isobel was quiet and turned her attention back to her television. This was going to be the longest three days of her life.

Minutes ticked away slowly, and Isobel grew tired but she felt restless and she turned on her side to see Reid staring up at the ceiling.

"I tried to overdose on the painkillers…" She told him staring over at his limp figure.

Reid's eyes moved from the spot on the ceiling to the brown eyed girl lying in on the bed beside his. His brow knitted with interest wondering what was so terrible in her life that she wanted to die.

"How long have you been here?" He asked her.

"This is my second week," She shrugged her shoulders.

"What happened to seventy-two hours?"

"I was in the hospital before I tried to kill myself,"

"Why?" Reid asked sitting up in his bed, he swung his pale legs over the side.

"Like you really want to know," She rolled her eyes and laid back down on her back. "I know you're kind Reid." She smirked.

Reid glared at her shortly, how could she think she knew his kind? How could she possible grasp who he was as a person, or not? He worried his lip as her eyes cut back up to meet his.

"You're rich," She smirked. "Old money," She specified. "Mommy and Daddy sent you to a pretentious private school…" She nailed it on the head so far, he thought, "You're neglected, probably live on campus," She mused running her fingers over the metal guardrail on her hospital bed. "You've been in some kind of shell your entire life and for some reason unbeknownst to you, you can't even open up to your best friends…" She sighed. "Even though you've known them you're entire life…"

"Are you a part-time psychic?" He asked with a low chuckle.

"I can read people," She shrugged her shoulders. "I also see that either one of, or both of, your parents is an alcoholic… maybe even dabbles in drugs…" She sat up on her elbows.

Reid sat their quietly, not wanting to give away the answers, his eyes were dark. She sat up and swung her legs over the side. For the first time he got a glimpse of her legs. He licked his lips as the tanned legs flexed as she reached for the ground, her tiptoes hitting the cold ceramic floor.

He noticed that on the nicely tanned skin, the toned muscles were scared. Cuts were up and down her legs and she glanced down seeing what he saw. She smirked and closed her knees together tightly, her hands gripping the edge of the bed.

"I used to be a cutter too," She smirked at him.

Reid was silent; there was something in him that wanted to know everything about this girl. She was so intriguing to him. He wanted to know why she was here in the hospital, why had she tried to kill herself, why had she mutilated those fabulous legs.

"Isobel," Her name fell off of his tongue, the slight hint of his New England accent picking up as he looked up at her.

He had never felt like this about a girl. He never wanted to know their ins and outs, but this time. This time it seemed like so much more than just that. He didn't want to get in her pants, he didn't want to fuck her and then leave her.

Was his dark past crumbling before him? Just by this mousy little girl that was in the bed next to him. With her lightly tanned skin, her scared legs and bandaged wrists?

"Yes?" She asked her light brown eyes catching his gaze.

"Why did you try and kill yourself? What could possibly be that bad?" He asked trying not to sound to harsh.

"It's complicated," She stated softly shaking her head. "I really don't want to talk about it,"

"Is it that bad?" He asked standing up, it was the first time he had tried to stand since being in the hospital and his head started to spin; he reached back and held on to the rail of the bed.

"It could be worse," She mustered up her eyes wide as he nearly fell down.

She jumped down and grabbed his arms, holding him up, though he weight more than her. Her touch, he noticed, was soft, gently and caring. Her eyes, they had flecks of gold and bits of green dancing around the irises.

"Are you ok?" She whispered her voice low, her breath on his neck.

Reid found his bearings and nodded his head, standing up on his own two feet, tough he didn't ask her to let go of his arms. He liked the feel of skin-on-skin, it was soothing to him. For once, it wasn't sexual.

"Sorry," He muttered. "I guess all my motor skills are seriously lacking now," He gave her a forced grin.

"You scared me," She admitted letting her fingers trail down his biceps, moving slowly down to his elbow, to his forearms, and finally gently touching his wrists before letting go.

Reid stared down at her; he was about a foot taller than her small frame, but the way she looked up at him. The look on her face showed that she was concerned, showed that even though they had only just met, she cared for him.

"My father's dead," He whispered lowly.

Isobel's gaze had rested on the ground until he said that statement, her eyes snapped back up to look at him, "Reid's I'm sorry to hear that…" She stated feeling instinctively bad for questioning why he was here. "I shouldn't have analyzed you like I did… I nearly implied that you were a lonely rich boy crying out for help…"

Reid shook his head, he put a finger to her lips, "You were partially right," He stated shaking his head. "He did when I was young,"

"That's terrible," She murmured stepping back from him.

Reid grabbed her hand in his and stopped her from moving away, "He pretty much killed himself,"

He was being evasive, she could see that, but she wasn't going to pressure him in to saying anything else if he didn't want to. They were getting some where, they were learning about each other. She could tell by the way he acted with his friends that he didn't do that often.

He didn't let people in; he didn't let people see who he really was.

"What about your mother?" She whispered the question, lacing her fingers with his.

Reid glanced down at her small fingers that were now holding on to him tightly, just one hand. They were free of his overly presence fingerless gloves, and for once, he didn't mind. He let a small smile spread across his face at the touch of her skin to his.

The small intimate gesture, that she might not have thought much of, but it started to warm a small place inside of him.

"She's a pill-popping alcoholic… as you described her…" Reid's eyebrows lifted, she frowned, she hated being right about things. "When I was old enough to live in the dorms she made sure it happened; though I didn't put up much of a fight…"

"God, I'm sorry… I should have kept my big mouth shut," She worried her bottom lip.

Reid smiled taking a seat back on his bed, never dropping her hand that was in his, "It's ok…"

"We should probably get some sleep..." Isobel whispered her eyes searching his for the approval.

Reid nodded his head, she went to release his hand when he pulled her back, "Tomorrow, you tell me about yours…" He stated in a stern tone.

Isobel flashed him a toothy grin and simply nodded before returning back to her bed.

The blonde boy laid down in his bed and looked over at her, she carefully placed herself in her bed and covered her body with the blankets. It wasn't too cold in the room, which surprised him, usually he was freezing in hospitals.

His mind raced, what had caused him to open up to her?

He never bared anything to anyone, not even Tyler… and he was his best friend.

She knew what it as like, Reid decided. She knew what it was like to be misunderstood, and here she was lying next to him. The one person that he might be able to tell everything to, and she couldn't blab it around Spenser, she didn't know his friends, and by the looks of her lonesome log she didn't have many visitors.

That last thought made Reid feel bad, how such a pretty girl like herself could not have any visitors. No boyfriend, no friends… no one. It baffled him, and he'd be sure to ask her about it tomorrow, after he rested.

If you liked it, let me know, if you hate it... let me know... but in a nice way... :)