Feel Me
You be careful. People in masks cannot be trusted. – The Princess Bride.
Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.
He walked slowly with the aid of a crutch on one arm. Just to provide his leg with that extra bit of support it would probably always need now. It hurt but he needed to walk.
Nobody paid him too much attention as he wandered over to the nurse's station. He leaned his crutch against the counter so that he had both hands free and leaned forward on his elbows.
"Dr Reid – you are up and about. How are you feeling today?" Sweet young nurse.
He managed to avoid looking into her eyes. He was sure she would see the lies and the deceit bubbling around in view. He chewed on his bottom lip for a second then gave her a tight smile. "I w was w wondering if if – if you have," A sigh "If y y you." A frown. Spencer had noticed how his stutter was getting worse, and the more he thought about it the worse it got. He gave up trying to talk and did a sign for 'writing'. The nurse smiled at him trying to ignore the obvious distress not being able to get his words out was causing him. As she turned to see if there was a pencil and paper she could let him have his hand swooped, so fast and with such accuracy even if you had been looking it might have been missed. When she turned back again you wouldn't have known he had moved.
"You will have to stay here and write though Dr, I am afraid I can't let you walk off with a pencil." It was amazing what some people would do with a simple HB.
He smiled a tight smile again. "D, dont – don't – It's." He just stood looking at her then picked up his crutch again and walked back the way he came.
"Poor guy." She said to the nurse she was working with. "Isn't he the one who cries himself to sleep every night?" The other nurse nodded and the sighed together. "Such a shame." And they got back to work.
………………….
Hotch spoke to Strauss. They were yet another man down. They could still work like this but it was be advantageous if she could get her butt into gear and find someone else to join the team. In the meantime he was taking some time off to repair his own mind and recover from the recent events. The rest of the team apart from JJ and Garcia were therefore given time off. Something rare and something they intended taking full advantage of.
Morgan was going to visit family and Emily was just going to let her hair down for a while and relax. She hadn't been back to Babylon since the Reid incident. Maybe it was time to have a little bit of fun again.
Aaron got the car and drove out to St Martens.
They took him down the stairs to the corridor with the doors on either side again and unlocked the cage they kept their monster in.
Aaron stood and looked.
"You going in, cos we have to keep this locked." Aaron turned and looked at the man with the key code.
"What the hell happened to him?"
"What do you mean?" The guard looked past Aaron at the form huddled on the floor.
"This is abuse. You can't treat a person like this." Indicating the room.
"In or out, you decide please. I don't like having this door unlocked."
Aaron stepped into the room and waited until the door was locked before he approached Floyd. He could see he was alive only by the slow movement of his shoulders as he breathed and his toes curled and uncurled. He had seen Spencer doing the same thing with his toes and it just confirmed to Hotch that what he was going to ask Floyd was not complete madness.
Again he crouched down and un-strapped the contraption from around his head and threw it to one side. Floyd's hands were attached to a ring on the floor. His feet shackled. He turned and looked at Hotchner.
"I don't want to talk to you."
He reached out a hand and tucked Floyd's hair behind his ear so he could see the face clearer. "What on earth happened?" He could see burn marks on his face and neck and across his bare back. They had removed his top, but he still had on his hospital pyjamas. Filthy and bloodied. You need to co-operate with them. Stop winding them up."
"What are you doing here Agent Aaron Hotchner? Do I fascinate you? Or confuse you?"
"I need your help." He could smell the stench coming from Flanders, who though was never clean, didn't usually stink.
He moved and tried to get up. Hotch could see the swollen bruised fingers and the way the finger nails were torn back and bloodied. "My help? How the hell can I help you?"
"He won't talk to me. I need you to open communications with him again. However it is you do it. I need you to talk to him."
"What's in it for me?"
"We can talk about getting you a good lawyer. We can get the DA involved. I can get this recent incident sorted for you. I know you put your life at risk to help Reid. This is in your favour Flanders, but you must help now. You must go into therapy and you must stop attacking people."
"You can get me moved?"
Aaron stood and started to pace. "I don't know. I will see what I can do."
"Aaron, get me moved – tell me you will get me moved. I will talk to Spence."
Hotch nodded. "I will get you moved if I can. I promise I will do my best."
"Good. Now before you go, put that thing back on me."
Hotch looked up at the guards looking through the window at them. "What have they been doing?"
"Nothing worse than I will do to them."
Hotch picked up the muzzle and looked at Floyd who was laying with his eyes shut frowning.
A sharp intake of breath "NO!" And Floyd was pulling at the ring holding him to the floor. "Stop him – Hotchner stop him!"
……………………….
He sat in his room with the door almost shut. If he closed it right up they would come in and see if he was alright. He needed time now. Needed to be left alone.
This was his time.
Spencer pulled the covers back on his bed and climbed in pulling them back up around his shoulders. He curled up on his side facing the wall and pulled his legs in tightly to him. In his right hand he held the tiny pair of scissors he had taken from the nurse's station. He could feel the cold sharp edge against his skin. He needed this to look good. He wanted them to know he meant this. He didn't want hesitation marks. Just good clean cuts.
"I'm sorry." He whispered to no one as the small blade slid through his skin on his inner elbow. "I'm sorry Aaron." And he pulled the blade down to his wrist.
He had to do this quickly or he would just pass out and it wouldn't work. He had to do this properly. His hands shaking with the shock and pain and the little stars dancing in his vision the blade now embedded its self into his upper thigh.
Spencer closed his eyes happy now. They wouldn't find him until it was too late. Oh and minimal mess.
His breathing slowed and the greyness came and took the light as he lay in his bed bleeding out. The gentle 'splat splat splat' as his life dripped onto the floor.
Spence?
What the hell have you done?
…………….
