Derek slid out from under Spencer's feet and walked down the hall to open the door. "Hey, Hotch. I didn't expect to see you."

"I just got back from seeing Jack and thought that I would stop by to see how today went."

"Come on in then." He headed back to the living room while the other man closed the door and followed him. He lifted Reid's long legs and sat back down, tucking the blanket around both of them.

Hotch took a seat in the recliner, "What's with the seating arrangement?"

"I was already comfortable and he was getting tired, but didn't want to go to bed yet. It was a long day with the appointment and then having dinner with everyone. He's been dozing off and on for the last two hours."

Hotch looked over at the TV where a game was playing. "Of course it could have something to do with the entertainment as well."

"Funny." Morgan replied.

"So how did it go today? I see that he isn't using the oxygen."

"It wasn't bad. We have to stop in next week and just see the nurse practitioner to let her check his oxygen levels and listen to his lungs. The doctor feels that the medication is really helping him and holds out hope for a good response. It's still going to take him a while to get back on his feet, but he should be able to get back to mostly normal. Only time will tell if he can ever give up the inhalers totally."

"H-Hotch?" Reid mumbled half awake.

"Yeah, it's me. Just checking up on you." The older man smiled at the sleepy agent.

"Okay," he moved in his sleep, trying to get more comfortable.

"Ow, watch the feet."

"Sorry," Spencer pulled his feet back but tucked them up against Derek's side instead.

Hotch chuckled from his chair. "I'll let you two get back to what you were doing." Derek made a move to get up.

"No, don't get up. I'll let myself out."

***

Three days later

"Speak to me my dark chocolate." Garcia answered from her headset. "Hold on a sec. I'm putting you on speaker."

"We need you to look up bank records on Sanford Wills. See if he has received any large deposits recently."

"No problem."

"How's Reid?"

"She gave me a new nickname, Morgan." Reid answered.

"What is it now?"

Reid frowned at the blond tech analyst. "Kitten. Can you believe that?"

"Kitten, how'd she come up with that?"

Garcia interrupted "Because he was scowling at me and trying to look mad, but the more he scowled the cuter it was. It was just like a little kitten."

"Help me Morgan."

"Sorry, you are on your own."

Garcia reached over and patted Spencer's brown curls, "Be good, Kitten."

He just glared at her.

"See, so adorable! Now go back to your geographical profile and let me work."

Spencer turned his chair back around and slid over to the computer screen with a map showing and a program that allowed him to place markers just like he did with a real map. "I hate to say it, but this program is really cool." He could feel her smiling at the back of his head and just knew that she was thinking, "I told you so."

***

Three hours later, Garcia looked over to see Reid with his head lying on his arms on the table in front of him. She got up, went over to him, and shook his shoulders lightly. "Come on, Kitten. You need to lie down."

He sat up and rubbed his eyes under his glasses. "I'm fine."

"No you're not, silly. Now come on; after a nap you can go back to contemplating your map." She kept a hold on him when he stood up and then walked him over to the couch and held up the blanket while he adjusted his pillow and laid down. The blanket tucked up under his chin and she kissed his forehead lightly. "Sleep well."

The young man was already gliding into a deep sleep by the time she returned to her chair.

"Speak to me," She said after touching her headset.

"We've got a lead on a vehicle. Are you ready?" Hotch asked.

"Go."

"Red SUV--possibly a Tahoe. Check that against the list of associates for Sanford Wills. Also, check any connections he may have had to a Tony Mathes."

"Will do."

"Where's Reid?"

"I just got him to take a nap. He's out solid."

"How's he holding up?" Morgan asked in the background.

"Not bad. This is really good for him. He's been content and alert until about ten minutes ago. I think it caught up to him that he had been productive." She continued typing and flipping through information.

"Send us a text if we need to drop him out of the loop for a while. It's good to have him helping but I don't want him to over do it." Hotch stated.

"Okay, I have two names for a similar vehicle, but one is currently housed in the Dallas main jail. The other one is a Tony Amendola. Could that be a pseudonym for your guy?" She asked.

"We'll check it out. Talk to you later."

***

"Reid, wake up." She watched him try to gain his bearings. "You need to go take a bath so you can go to bed."

"Did they find him?"

"They're taking a break for the night. His residence was empty, but they're going through it to try and find a clue to where he is hiding."

"Are you sure they won't need me?"

She handed him his glasses, "I'm sure, Sweet Pea. You did good and gave them what they needed. Now you need to get ready for bed." Garcia watched him stand up and then cough several times, trying to clear his lungs.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just need to make sure I sleep on an extra pillow."

"Okay, well I've already got your pajamas and socks in the bathroom for you, turned your bed down, and your medicine is on your nightstand with a bottle of water. I'm going to go ahead and lay down, but it will take me a little while to settle so you let me know if you need anything. Okay?"

"Okay."

Penelope reached over, gave him a hug, and then turned him towards the bathroom.

***

"Hey, Baby Girl. We've got him. Reid's profile helped us nail down evidence at the cabin, and they found him and the victim just outside of town at a small motel."

"That's great. When are you guys coming back?"

"We hope to come back tonight if everything can be wrapped up. If not, we'll definitely be on the jet by early morning. Where's Reid?"

"He's laying down." Her tone and expression were subdued, and she knew he would see right through her.

"What's wrong?"

She moved her chair and pointed the webcam towards the couch.

"Damn it; he looks awful. What happened?" Morgan demanded.

"He's been getting congested, but it got really bad last night. He can't get his lungs clear. I've already called his doctor and the best they could do was tomorrow morning at nine. If he gets worse, I'm to take him straight to the hospital." Garcia moved her chair back but then got up when Reid started coughing.

She walked over and helped him sit up, "Take it easy, Kitten."

Spencer grabbed a tissue from the coffee table and held it to his mouth. He managed to cough up a little but couldn't get it all. "I can't breathe."

"Here, use your inhaler. See if that helps."

Reid could barely get the two puffs down between coughs. When he tried to clear his lungs again, he was left gasping and tears were pouring from his eyes.

"That's it; I'm taking you to the hospital." Garcia said.

"I'll make sure we are on the plane tonight. Take care of him." Morgan said.

"Will do."

Spencer looked up at her questioningly. "That was Morgan. He said they got the guy, and they'll be on the plane back tonight." She helped him put on his sweater. "Let me get your shoes." Garcia took the headset off and headed for the bedroom.

***

"Reid, Spencer Reid." The nurse called from the side door.

"Coming," Garcia called back. "Come on, Kitten, that's us." She helped an extremely pale Spencer stand up. He coughed all the way back and was on the verge of passing out by the time they got to a temporary bed where he could sit down.

"The doctor will be with you momentarily."

"Can't you give him some oxygen before then?"

"No."

Garcia sat down on the bed next to Reid--where he was sitting with the head of the bed up and gasping repeatedly. "Shh, take slow breaths; it'll help you get air without coughing." It actually made him feel better when she continued to pet his hair and whisper soothing words. His mother was hardly ever well enough to take care of him, but when she had, this was exactly what she did. Spencer didn't want to tell the others, but he liked it best, besides Morgan of course, when she took care of him.

Twenty minutes later, they were still sitting there, but Reid was now constantly coughing. It felt like his lungs were on fire and he could never take in enough air in between coughing. He literally felt like he was drowning. The harder he coughed the less oxygen he received, and he wasn't able to bring anything up now. Spencer felt like he was dying and clung to Garcia while tears poured from his eyes.

"Shh, try not to cry, Kitten." She held him tightly and massaged firm circles over his back.

A nurse walked past their cubicle. "Hey?" Garcia called after her.

"May I help you?"

"Yes, you may." She snapped. "He needs a doctor now."

Reid saw the nurse give him a measuring look. He hoped that his gasps would hurry her progress. Spencer covered his mouth with the tissue, leaned his head on Garcia's shoulder, and just prayed that a doctor would end his misery.

***

Finally, a doctor showed up. "I'm Dr. Ragland. What seems to be the problem?" He said while looking down at a chart.

"Well, obviously he's having trouble breathing." Garcia retorted.

"I'm sorry ma'am but you'll have to wait outside."

"I don't think so. I am staying right here and making sure that he gets the best possible care."

"That's not possible. I need to examine the patient—"

She interrupted him. "Yes, it most certainly is possible. Reid, do you want me to leave?"

Spencer reached for her hand while continuing to cough uncontrollably. She saw him close his eyes and sat down on the bed again quickly. "Slow breaths, take it easy." Garcia brushed hair back behind his ear with the hand he didn't have a death grip on, and then rubbed up and down his arm trying to help him focus.

"Fine then." Dr. Ragland snapped. "When did this start?"

"A couple of days ago." Garcia answered.

"Please let the patient answer."

"If he could stop coughing he would and the 'patient's' name is Dr. Spencer Reid." She was ready to snap this guy in half, but Reid needed help now.

"Please move aside so that I can listen to his lungs."

Penelope grudgingly got off the bed, but did not relinquish her hold on Spencer's hand.

"I'm ordering some chest x-rays. Does he have a history of pneumonia?"

"No, but he was exposed to Anthrax. His respiratory doctor is Dr. Rahaj." She watched the doctor walk out and then speak with a nurse.

Ten minutes later a nurse came in with a wheelchair and whisked him away for x-rays. When they brought him back, he looked even worse than before. This time, however, she did put him on oxygen.

Garcia sat back down on the edge of the bed. "How are you holding up, Kitten?"

He shook his head and reached for her hand. She took it and kissed the back of his knuckles before placing her other hand on top.

After what seemed like an eternity, Garcia turned as the doctor came back in. "The x-rays confirm pneumonia. I am going to prescribe an antibiotic and we'll give a large dose by injection to get him started. I'm also going to put him on a step down dose of Prednisone to get the inflammation out of his lungs. The nurse should be by shortly to give him the injection. He'll need to stay for twenty minutes after that so we can see if he is going to have a reaction. Then he will be released and he should follow up with Dr. Rahaj." He ripped off the two prescriptions and handed them to Garcia.

"Thank you." She replied politely.

"Reid, will you be okay while I go get these filled?" Garcia pushed his hair back out of his face again for him. He nodded slightly but kept his eyes closed. "Okay, hopefully, they will get your shot and paperwork done while I do this; that way you won't have to wait any longer than necessary. I'll be right back, Kitten."

***

Garcia kept her arm around Spencer's waist while she unlocked the door. He had his head resting on her shoulder and wasn't inclined to move when the door swung open. "Come on, no sleeping while standing." He let her pull him into the apartment.

"Why don't you go ahead and take a bath so you can go to bed when you're done."

"Okay," Reid let her walk him to the bathroom.

"Sit."

He sank down onto the closed toilet seat and rested his head on his arms on the vanity. Spencer listened to her adjust the water and then leave it running to go get his pajamas. When she returned, he felt her lift his foot and take off his shoes and socks.

"Raise your arms, Kitten." She pulled his t-shirt over his head. "Can you get your pants off by yourself?" He carefully nodded so his head wouldn't fall off. "Be careful getting in. Here's a hand towel you can cover yourself with and I'll come back and help you wash up." Garcia patted his head before stepping out and pulling the door up.

***

"Kitten, are you still awake?"

He opened his eyes and watched her place a folded towel on the floor before kneeling down. She had changed into an old faded pair of jeans and a Guns-n-Roses t-shirt. "Now I don't do this for just anyone. You have to be rather special." Spencer offered her a weak smile and closed his eyes so she could wash his face. The warm water felt so good and despite himself, he was really enjoying letting her do this. He would usual freak at just the idea. Morgan was the only person he had let give him a bath, and that was only because it was a necessity in the hospital and he could not even lift his head.

Spencer's breathing was already feeling better and he was letting himself turn into a pile of goo when she pulled him forward and let him rest his head on her shoulder while she washed his back. She spent a little longer than necessary just simply massaging his aching body. He regretfully lay back so she could wash each of his arms. Then Garcia tenderly picked up his feet and gave them the same treatment. Reid just wanted to stay in this tub forever. His hand was picked up and the washcloth was placed in it. "Don't go to sleep. You need to finish washing while I get your bed turned back. Can you get out by yourself or do I need to help you?"

He opened his eyes and looked at her thinking for a minute. "Okay, if that big ol' brain of yours can't come up with the answer then I better help you." Spencer watched her leave the room and then quickly soaped up the washcloth and washed his private areas. When he was finished, he pulled the hand towel back into place and closed his eyes again to wait.

Garcia returned and pulled out an extra towel after pulling the drain. "All right, kiddo, let's dry your arms off and then wrap them around my neck so I can keep you covered with the towel." He was amazed that she was able to help and get him dried off and dressed without making him feel self-conscious about his body.

***

"That was Morgan. They'll be back within the hour. I told him to go on home tonight and spend some time with Clooney. He's going to be here in time to take us to your appointment." She fixed his pillows so that he would be comfortable laying on two of them and then placed a warm towel so that his back would be resting on it. Then she raised his t-shirt, placed a warmed hand towel across his abdominals, and pulled his shirt back down. Then, she tucked the covers over and around him. "That should help the muscles that are sore from your coughing."

"Is this what it feels like to have a mother?" His eyes were half closed already.

"Oh, Sweetie." She petted his curls, helping to lull him closer to sleep. "I raised my two brothers so I've had a lot of practice. You just make it so easy to want to take care of you."

"Thanks, Garcia." She watched him drift into sleep and hoped he would feel better in the morning.

***

A/N: I think there might only be one more chapter. Currently, it is a bit on the rushed side so I am willing to take any recommendations for what you would like to see before the end. I'm not promising to use them (any or all) but I will look at all of them and see if I can incorporate them into where the story is headed, at the moment. Send me a review or PM with your wish list.