A/N: Anyone else just love the way Reid talks? There's something about his voice... currently basking in the Criminal Minds marathon on A&E. Love it.

Allie woke in the hospital to find the familiar characters surrounding her. The first people she saw were Morgan and JJ standing in the corner of the room sharing a laugh. This made a small smile instantly creep onto her face. "Al?" she heard Reid's voice inquire from her side. She looked to her left and saw Spencer, sitting upright in a chair, and he had his concerned face on.

"Hey, you," she managed to croak out. With those words the entire room was alerted to her consciousness. Hotch was standing on her other side, and JJ, Derek, and Emily all appeared at her feet.

"Hey doll, how you feeling?" Morgan asked, giving her toes a squeeze.

Allie laughed in response, accompanied with a small cough. "I knew you'd all manage to find me. I'm just sorry I wasn't awake to see it. Did you…?"

"We found and arrested all four of them," Hotch responded. "But more importantly, how are you feeling?"

"Well," Allie replied, "I've got a bitch of a headache, and I think someone ran over my side with a pizza cutter, but other than that I'm just fine. And what about you?" she asked, referring to the large bloody bandage on Agent Hotchner's head.

"Just needed some stitches," Hotch replied.

Allie nodded and looked over at Reid, who still had his concerned face on. She gave him a smile to reassure him, and he gave a slight smile back. He resisted the urge to once again take her hand, unsure of how the team might respond to that.

Then the doctor entered into the room. "Well, Agent Greenwald, it's good to see you awake. I'm Doctor Harris."

"It's a pleasure. What's the prognosis?" Allie asked.

"We'll talk about it just a moment. I'd just like to ask the rest of you all to leave us for a few moments, to respect the patient's privacy" Dr. Harris said to the rest of the team. They all easily left except for Reid. He stood and lurked by her side.

Noticing this, Allie reached out and gave him a squeeze of the hand, along with a smile. He took that as encouragement enough to leave the room.

Behind closed doors, Dr. Harris informed Allie that she had suffered a severe concussion, along with an extensive laceration on her right side and back. It was not deep enough to require stitches, but would need bandaging and attention while it healed. Overall, the injuries were minimal, and she would be able to be released the next morning.

"Would you like me to bring your friends back in?" Dr. Harris asked once they were finished discussing.

"Sure," Allie replied. "Actually," she added, "for now just my boss. Agent Hotcher. The one with the bloody head… thanks doc."

Dr. Harris nodded and left, and Hotch reappeared at her door only a few moments later and walked her to her side. "Well?" he asked.

"Just a concussion," she said. "And a nasty gash on my back. They'll let me out of here tomorrow. So, I suppose you guys could head back tonight and I could just fly back on my own tomorrow…"

"Don't be ridiculous," Hotch replied. "The team will stay until you are released tomorrow. We could all use a night of rest."

Allie nodded; not daring to disagree with Hotchner's commanding tone. "Okay. Well… I just would like to thank you, then," she said. "For finding me so quickly. And I hope you're okay. Don't play off that head wound like it's nothing. You and I were both injured today."

"Don't, apologize," Hotch said, his voice still very authoritative. "It was my poor judgment that led you to this situation. We should have called for backup before we even forced entry into that apartment. I put you in unnecessary danger, and for that I will never forgive myself."

"It's okay, Hotch –" Allie started.

"– It's not," he replied simply. There was a long pause, and neither made eye contact. Finally Hotch added uncomfortably, "Reid was very worried about you."

Allie nodded silently. "Well," she said. "I suppose you could call the rest of the team back, if they want. But you should all just go back to the hotel and sleep, I'll be just fine."

Hotch nodded and left, and a little while later Morgan and Reid entered her room. "Ok doll," Morgan said, "everyone's headed back to the hotel, except Reid here, who's is insisting on staying with you."

Allie shook her head and looked at Reid. "You really don't have to," she said.

Reid shrugged. "I want to," he said. And with that Morgan and the rest of the team headed out and Spencer stayed with Allie through the night at the hospital. They didn't talk much. For as worried as he had been, Reid found himself unable to find words. He wanted to tell Allie how glad he was that she was okay, how scared he had been, but he never seemed to get the right opportunity. She fell fast asleep thanks to some medication, and once Reid could tell she was deep into her sleep, he pulled the blanket up around her shoulders and kissed her on the forehead before falling asleep in the chair beside her.