So, the writer's block that had me in a headlock was finally wrestled to the ground, but not by me. Sometimes all I really need is a little shove in the right direction. I have an amazing person to thank for the inspiration for this chapter, but I don't know if she would be embarrassed being singled out like that. But you know who you are. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I do not own Criminal Minds or any of its characters. I think it's pretty clear that they own me.

XOXOXOXO

Reid crept as quietly as possible though the dense vegetation. He knew they were out there, hunting him. They would find him eventually. Frantically, he looked around for something he could use as a weapon. He couldn't remember where he had even left his gun last. In his search he saw something moving in the distance off to his left. He crouched down even further behind an enormous log. Timidly, he peered into the dark mist. Was that a light? Someone was there! He seemed vaguely familiar. Squinting now, he moved in a little closer, still staying as hidden as he could. A loud snap of a branch off to the right told him those who hunted him were close. He was frightened, but the man in the light was becoming clearer now. Maybe he could help. Reid had to find out who he was. The young man called out, desperately trying to get the man's attention. His back was to Reid, and he didn't turn around or react in any way to Reid's call for help. Off to his right the foliage began to shake violently. Suddenly, from a large copse of trees three giant grizzlies erupted. They were charging Reid at top speed. The young man turned to cry out to the man for help just as the man turned in profile. Reid froze as he realized the unresponsive man before him was his father. Seconds later the bears' claws were tearing into his chest. He watched helplessly as his father walked slowly away. Reid cried out in pain as each bear took a piece of him.

Suddenly, the light, the sounds and even the smells of the forest changed. With wild, searching eyes he scanned the room trying to remember where he was. He could hear Hotch telling him he was okay. He latched on to the sound of the older man's voice and focused his eyes on him once he could see again. Reid was breathing heavily in his panic, and Hotch was directing him to take deep, slow breaths. He did his best to comply until his chest exploded in a wracking cough. His lungs were burning and the room was spinning. He was going to be sick.

Hotch recognized the warning signs and quickly grabbed the trash can. He held the receptacle as the young man wretched out the contents of his stomach. Once his stomach was empty, he continued to dry heave for several more minutes. A mixture of embarrassment, frustration and exhaustion overwhelmed him, and to his dismay Reid began to cry.

Hotch gently pushed the young man's hair away from his eyes. He was burning up. "It's okay, Spencer. You were having a nightmare. Lie back down and close your eyes for a minute. Relax and the heaving will stop." The older man continued brushing gentle fingers over Reid's forehead, soothing him and slowing his tears.

Still sniffling, Reid choked out, "I'm sorry, Hotch. I don't know what's wrong with me."

Softly, Hotch answered, "You're sick again, Spencer. Just relax now. I'll be right back."

As he began to rise, he felt a weak grasp on his arm. He looked down into frantic, frightened eyes. "Please, Hotch. Please don't leave." Reid felt the hot tears start to fall again. The thought of being left alone, even for a short time, was terrifying.

This was a bad sign. It would take a lot for this kid to beg like that. Hotch was fairly certain they would be making a trip to the emergency room tonight, but first he wanted to get the young man's temperature. He gently removed Reid hand from his arm, "I'll be back in less than a minute. Take a couple of deep breaths for me." He waited for Reid to do as he was told, "There you go. Now just relax, and I'll be right back."

Reid felt strangely unsure of letting Hotch go, but he nodded his head and closed his eyes to wait.

Hotch found the thermometer in the medicine cabinet, disinfected it, and returned as fast as he could. Popping the device in Reid's mouth, he worried about the frequency of the young man's illnesses and wondered when his last full examination had been. It had to be in his file somewhere. He made a mental note to look it up in the morning.

The thermometer beeped and Hotch retrieved it from the boy's mouth. 104.2 degrees. Alarmed, Hotch said, "Okay, Spencer, I know you're not feeling well, but I need to get you up. We're going to the hospital now."

The wide, frightened eyes returned, "What? Hotch, no! It's just a little cold or something. I'm sure I'll be fine." Though his words were strong, the effort behind them was far too weak. "Please? I just want to sleep." His eyes drifted shut and he snuggled further under the blankets. That was when Hotch realized Reid was shivering.

"Sorry Spencer. You need a doctor. Tell you what, I'm going to go get changed. You rest while I do that, then I'll come in to help you." There was no response from the apparently sleeping young man, so Hotch hurriedly went to change. It took him less than two minutes to throw on a pair of jeans, a sweater, socks and shoes. He pocketed his cell phone, wallet and car keys, and then rushed back to Reid's side. He took a moment to decide on a plan. He was already wearing pajamas, so Hotch slipped a pair of socks on his feet, then his keds and tied the laces. He never woke up. This worried Hotch more than anything. Placing a hand on Reid's cheek, he re-awoke the young man. "Come on, Spencer. I'm going to help you, but you need to sit up." Reid softly groaned in response. He slipped his arm under the young man's shoulders and lifted. Steadying the him in a seated position, he slipped one arm through the sleeves of his coat, and then the other arm. He then slipped a warm hat on the kid's head for good measure. Next, he sat on the bed, wrapped his arm around Reid's back and said, "Okay, you need to stand up now. I'm going to help you. Ready?" Reid's eyes were closed, but he nodded in response. "Okay then. One. Two. Three." Hotch did most of the work, but he got them both standing. "I'll hold you up. Do you think you can walk?" Again, he received a weak nod in response.

Hotch managed to get Reid down the hall, out the door and into the car without too much difficulty. He was never so grateful for the kid's slight build before.

XOXOXOXO

The emergency room, for once, was not busy, but Hotch had his badge ready to flash if it had been needed. The intake nurse had insisted on Hotch staying in the waiting room, but he would have none of it. He insisted on pushing the wheelchair Reid was using. Once they were in the examine area, the busy staff didn't bother them any further. One of the nurses even found a comfortable chair for Hotch to use while they waited.

The nurses and technicians flitted in and out of the room taking blood, checking Reid's pulse and temperature, and finally hooking up a bag of saline to ward off dehydration. Reid slept through it all. Though it was only 4:30am, Hotch called Morgan knowing his most protective agent would never forgive him if he waited until a more decent hour. Morgan was ready to drive to the hospital at that moment, but Hotch made him promise to wait until they had more news. Besides, Reid was sleeping soundly now and neither of the men wanted to disturb him any more than the hospital staff already was.

Two hours after checking in, a doctor finally entered the room. After listening to the young man's chest, she quietly asked Hotch if Reid had been sick recently. Hotch acknowledged he had. She then told Hotch she suspected pneumonia, but wanted to get a chest x-ray to be certain. Hotch was hesitant to let the x-ray tech. take Reid off alone, but the doctor stepped in to prevent his participation this time. Instead, he went to the waiting room to update Morgan. "Sounds like it could be pneumonia. He'll need a lot of care for a while."

"I'll be at the hospital in twenty minutes, Hotch." He could hear his boss begin to protest and stopped him, "I'm already on my way."

Hotch looked at the time on his cell phone before putting it away. 6:30am. It was going to be a long day. He was already feeling the lack of sleep. He took a seat on one of the hard chairs and waited for Morgan to show up.

Moments later, Hotch felt a firm hand grip his shoulder. "Hotch? Hey, wake up." Hotch quickly focused on Morgan's face, "You were about to fall out of the chair." He was grinning.

Still trying to focus, Hotch responded, "You got here fast." He glanced at the clock on the wall. It read 7:10. "Is that right?"

Morgan turned to look at the clock, "Yeah. You must've really been out of it." Watching Hotch run a hand over his fatigued eyes, Morgan said, "pneumonia, huh?"

Recovering some, Hotch couldn't help but feel responsible, "I should have made him wear a warmer coat last night. He wasn't completely over his cold yet."

"Hotch, you said yourself the kid needs to live with the consequences of his decisions. You couldn't know this decision would lead to pneumonia." Seeing his pep talk wasn't having the effect he wanted, he tried, "Look, he's going to be fine. The docs will set him up with whatever medications he needs, then we'll take him home and make sure he gets healthy."

Hotch was attempting to take this to heart as the doctor entered the waiting room. "Agent Hotchner?"

Hotch and Morgan closed the gap between them and the doctor, "Yes? What's the diagnosis, Doctor?"

She gave a hesitant look at Morgan. Whereas Agent Reid had given permission to consult with Agent Hotchner regarding medical issues, no such permission had been given outside of this. Patient confidentiality was something she took very seriously.

Hotch immediately caught on to the problem and said, "Morgan? Would you mind . . . ?" He asked gently enough that the younger man was not offended. Besides, Hotch would just turn around and fill him in anyway. He walked a few steps away.

The doctor answered, "He's awake now, and his fever is down slightly, most likely due to the saline. Pneumonia is confirmed, Agent. Because he recently suffered a head cold, it can be reasonably deduced that this is a bacterial infection. A course of Clairithromyasin should get him back on his feet in a few days. I'd like to give him an injection in order to speed the medication to his system, and then send him home with another week's worth of oral medication."

Hotch listened carefully, then nodded and said, "That sounds fine. Thank you."

"There is a slight problem, Agent Hotchner."

"What would that be, Doctor?"

Only Hotch noticed that Morgan had moved in close enough to hear the conversation.

"Agent Reid won't let us administer the injection, but he doesn't give us a reason. He simply refuses. Is he afraid of needles?"

Hotch was embarrassed to admit he wasn't sure. Reid certainly had every reason to be afraid of them, but at the same time, when he was using he must have injected the drugs. He shot a sideways glance at Morgan hoping he might know. Morgan simply shrugged his shoulders. There was so much the kid kept secret from his family. "I'm sorry, Doctor. I don't know. Why don't I go have a chat with him and see if I can't get to the bottom of this?"

"Hotch!" Morgan wasn't going to be left alone in the waiting room if he had anything to say about it.

The older agent gave him a calming look and turned back to the doctor, "This is Agent Morgan, Doctor. I believe if anyone can persuade Agent Reid to accept the injection, it would be him."

There were no rules against visitors during visiting hours, so the doctor graciously shook the younger Agent's hand and led both he and Hotch back to the exam room where Reid was waiting.

The kid was wide awake now, sitting up in bed, arms crossed tightly across his midsection, and occasionally coughing hard into a tissue. He looked miserable. When the older agents entered the room, he looked up at them with pathetic, nearly pouting, eyes. Without preamble, he firmly stated, "I'm not getting a shot."

Hotch shot him a warning look, and he had the common sense to drop his eyes and look ashamed.

Entering behind Hotch, Morgan said, "Hey, kid. You gave us quite a scare tonight." He ruffled Reid's hair and chuckled as the younger man huffily pushed his hair back into place. Wheeling a chair in close, Morgan sat, leaning his arms on the bed and said, "According to the doc, you're not out of the woods yet. She tells us you need to get the meds into your system as fast as possible." He gave Reid a meaningful glance.

Reid couldn't hold Morgan's eye at all and looked at Hotch instead.

Standing on the other side of the bed, Hotch said, "She tells us you're hesitant to be injected."

Reid was feeling ganged up on. He doubted they heard the whole story about the shot though. Blushing and staring at the blanket now, he sulkily mumbled, "She wants to put it in my butt."

Hotch held his expression steady and gave his youngest agent an understanding nod. Morgan, however, wasn't as successful. He sat up and grinned. To his credit, he did manage to stop the laugh that threatened.

Reid couldn't stop the whine from entering his voice, "Why can't she just put it in my arm?"

The doctor stepped forward and they all looked to her expectantly for the answer. "Doctor Reid, I've explained to you already that you are far too thin to take this shot in the arm. I'm sure you understand the problems this can cause."

The young man did not want to accept this as a valid answer, but he also couldn't argue with it. Instead, he sighed in frustration, rolled his eyes, and laid his head back on the raised pillow. He proceeded to stare at the ceiling wishing they would all just go away and let him be sick.

Hotch knew it was the illness making Reid act this way, just as his behavior last night was very likely a result of this, but he was still not willing to let it go. Firmly, he said, "Look at me, Spencer." He waited for the eye contact he expected, "I want you to stop this pouting right now. It's a simple shot. Just roll over and let the doctor do her job."

Reid knitted his brow. He couldn't believe Hotch was going to make him do this. Actually, he could believe it, but he wanted to think he could talk his way out of it. The possibility was looking grim.

Then Morgan started, "Yeah, come on kid. This shot's going to make you get better a lot faster. What's the problem? Afraid of letting the good doctor see your butt?" He grinned and gave the doctor a wink. She maintained her professional demeanor.

"Morgan!" Reid whined as he blushed. His embarrassment was cut short by another deep chested cough.

Dropping the teasing, Morgan became serious, "Come on kid. You're getting this shot. Now roll over and let's get it over with."

The only weapon Reid had left in his arsenal now was his puppy dog eyes. He used them full-force on both of his big brothers. "Please," he begged, "I don't want it. I'll take whatever medications you want. Just, please, no shot."

It was Hotch's turn. In full FBI supervisor mode, he ordered, "roll over this minute, young man. I'm not playing this game anymore."

Reid stared in shock at his boss. Hotch was really going to make his do this. Then, looking like he was about to cry, Reid complied. He kept his eyes on Hotch as he slowly moved into position. Once he was lying on his stomach, he gave Hotch a full pout, with his lip stuck out and everything.

Hotch easily forgave the slight knowing the kid would feel better a lot sooner with this injection. He placed his hand on the upset young agent's back and began rubbing soothing circles. For Reid's ears only, he said, "Thank you, Spencer."

He then gave the go-ahead to the doctor. Morgan moved out of the way as the doctor took his place. As her hands were full with the antiseptic and the syringe, Hotch gently slipped Reid's pajama bottoms down just low enough to expose a good injection site.

Reid flinched twice. Once when the cold antiseptic touched his skin, and once when the needle was plunged into his flesh. Hotch continued to comfort the kid, even as hot, angry tears slid down Reid's cheeks.

As soon as it was over, Hotch pulled his pajamas back up, and said, "It's all over, Spencer. You did well."

Reid rolled over onto his undamaged side, wiped his eyes and noisily blew his nose. He had nothing to say to any of the bullies surrounding him at the moment.

The doctor gave Hotch and Morgan instructions for further care while Reid pretended to rest on the bed. Once they finished checking him out, they bundled him up the best they could, and drove him back to Hotch's apartment.

XOXOXOXO

Hope you enjoyed!

Now I have to hope my lack of medical knowledge isn't too obvious with this one. What can I say? My parents were hippies who didn't believe in modern medicine. Ask me about herbs, vitamins, horoscopes and crystals, and I can give you a relatively educated answer. But this stuff? Not so much.

Please be kind in your reviews, but please do review – whatever you have to say.

Thanks for reading!