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No pain. That was the first thing Reid became aware of. The second was the soft voices of two people near him. Hotch and Morgan.
Reid realized that he was lying in a hospital bed. He felt really tired and wanted to go back to sleep but decided to try opening his eyes anyway.
"Reid?" As he did open his eyes, he saw Morgan sitting in a chair next to his bed and Hotch standing at the foot of the bed.
"Hey, kid, nice of you to finally join us. We thought you were going to sleep until next week," Morgan said with a smile.
"That sounds like a good idea," Reid said a little sleepily. "How long have I been here?"
"A couple days," Hotch answered.
"You scared the hell out of us, kid."
"Sorry," Reid mumbled.
"It's not your fault, Reid."
"What happened after you guys came?" Reid asked. He saw Hotch's hesitancy before he gave him an answer.
"When we got to your apartment, your father was standing over you with a gun his hand. He was threatening to shoot you, and he would have if we hadn't shot him. I'm sorry, Reid."
"That's not a site I will soon forget," Morgan commented quietly.
"Try seeing it from my angle," Reid mumbled coldly.
"Morgan, could you give us a minute alone?" Hotch asked.
"Sure. I'll go let the doc know that he's awake."
Reid watched as Morgan left the room and Hotch took his place in the chair. Hotch was quiet for a moment before he spoke.
"Reid, I know you don't want to, but you need to talk to someone about this. If you want to talk, I am willing to listen. Any of us are."
Reid stared down at his bed, not able to meet Hotch's gaze. "My own father shot and stabbed me, Hotch, with my own gun and knife right after I let him walk into my apartment."
"It's not your fault, Reid."
Reid knew Hotch was probably right, but he still couldn't control the anger and resentment that was evident in his voice. "Then he decided it would be fun to watch me slowly bleed to death."
Hotch didn't say anything, but Reid could still feel him watching him. "I don't understand," Reid finally said, a little more calmly.
"What?"
Reid slowly looked up at his boss. "Why he didn't kill me and leave. He had to have known you guys would come soon."
"He could have started to regret doing it," Hotch suggested.
"No. You didn't see the look in his eyes, Hotch. He didn't regret anything."
"Reid," Hotch said slowly. "Maybe you should concentrate on the fact that you're alive, instead of wondering why you aren't dead."
They were silent again and were interrupted by the doctor entering the room. After he finished checking all of Reid's vitals, he left the room again, telling Reid to get some rest.
"I'll leave you alone, Reid. You need listen to the doctor and rest," Hotch told him and turned around to leave.
Reid hadn't noticed how tired he actually was until now. He realized both Hotch and his doctor were right. He needed to rest.
"Hotch?" he asked sleepily just as Hotch had reached the door.
"Yeah?" Hotch said, turning around.
"Thanks." Reid's eyelids started to close out of their own accord, but before they did, Reid saw a light smile form on Hotch's face.