Hello gentle readers:

Your patience and encouragement have been greatly appreciated while I have struggled with real life. I am happy to report that I have left my wonderful job (yes, I worked for the devil. Doesn't mean it wasn't a great job. Lol), and am ½ finished with my internship. Time is now beginning to free itself for my enjoyment again.

Thank you to all who have kindly reviewed and privately messaged. It is you who have inspired me to continue writing amidst the squall.

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

XOXOXOXO

Hotch placed the bowl of warm broth and glass of orange juice on the wooden tray before serving up the chicken dinner to the rest of his guests. "Morgan, will you take this up to Reid, please?"

Morgan hesitated, "You think the kid should eat alone in his room, Hotch?"

The older man considered this for a moment before answering, "He's not strong enough to be out of bed yet, Morgan. What do you suggest?"

XOXOXOXO

Morgan carried the tray into his little brother's room. The kid was tucked snuggly back into bed after his bath, and was already sound asleep. The older agent laid the dinner down on the dresser before returning to the hall for the folding table. Garcia followed closely with four place settings. As she quietly arranged these, Morgan placed the tray in the middle of the table. Hotch carried three folding chairs with one hand and a bottle of wine with the other. He placed the wine on the table and handed the chairs to Morgan who went about setting them up.

Hotch leaned over the sleeping young man and placed his hand gently on the boy's cheek. He was relieved to detect only a slight fever.

Reid's eyes fluttered open at the light touch. When he was able to focus, he glanced around the room. Weakly, he asked, "What's going on?"

"Dinner time, kid," Morgan answered, "Can you sit up?"

He wasn't eager to eat, but after all the effort they'd put into setting up the table in his room, Reid wasn't about to turn them down. Besides, he knew they wouldn't let him if he tried. With Hotch's help, he sat up and leaned back against the pillows. He was grateful when Garcia presented him with a bowl of broth. Eating solid food seemed like a near impossibility right now.

They chatted lightly about nothing in particular as they ate. Reid felt tired and heavy, but the company made him feel somewhat better. The older members of the party surreptitiously kept an eye on the young man making sure he was eating but not becoming too tired. It took Reid as long to finish the small bowl of soup as it took the rest to finish their meals.

Seeing Reid finish, Garcia offered, "Can I get you some more, baby doll?"

Setting the bowl on the table and wiping his mouth with the napkin, he silently declined with a shake of his head.

Everyone could tell the young agent was exhausted and needed to sleep. Hotch got the room moving with, "Let's let Reid rest. We can have dessert in the living room."

Reid looked up at his boss with appreciative eyes. He really didn't think he could stay awake much longer.

Hotch watched him snuggle back down under the covers, but caught the young man with a gentle warning, "Don't fall asleep yet. You have another dose of medication to take tonight."

Reid pulled a face, but without much effort behind it. The relaxed dinner, and perhaps the wine, must have affected Hotch because he lightly chuckled at the half-hearted display of attitude.

With military-like precision, the three healthy members of the team cleared the table and removed the folding furniture from the room. In the kitchen Morgan handed Garcia the next dose of medication, "Make sure he takes this, Garcia?"

Uncertainly, she worried, "Oh, uhh, are you sure it should be me? I mean, I think he's still mad at me for the whole mustard plaster thing."

An understanding smile crossed his face, "Go on, beautiful. And if he gives you any trouble, you let me know, got it?"

With a nervous smile, she nodded and resolutely headed back into the bedroom.

Morgan and Hotch listened to the baby monitor as they cleaned the kitchen.

XOXOXOXO

Garcia bubbled into the bedroom with the medication. "Okay Sweet Potato, down the hatch," she ordered in her own unique way. Placing it on the bedside table she freed her hands to help the young man sit up.

Reid felt weak and dizzy but he managed to sit. Garcia handed him the pill and water and watched carefully as he swallowed both. Reid handed the glass back to his friend and gave her a shy smile, "Thanks Garcia."

She responded with, "Any time Angel Face." Affectionately, she brushed a stray hair out of his eyes as she helped him lay back down.

As she turned to leave, the analyst heard a quiet, "I'm sorry, Garcia." Confused and not quite sure she heard correctly, she returned to the bed. Seeing her puzzled expression, Reid clarified, "I-I'm sorry I acted so badly when you were trying to help me."

With a relieved smile, she replied, "Oh baby bear, no need to be sorry. You just concentrate on feeling better." She leaned over and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead, and then wiped off the bright lipstick smudge.

Garcia headed home happy that night. Morgan couldn't be convinced to leave, so he slept restlessly on the couch.

XOXOXOXO

Morgan awoke to the wafting scent of toast. Groggily, he made his way into the kitchen to find a fully-suited Hotch quietly making himself breakfast. Clearing his throat, Morgan asked, "What ya doin?"

Hotch looked up from spreading jam on his toast, "I need to go into the office this morning. The paperwork is piling up. Do you mind staying with Reid today? I'll try to leave early."

Morgan chuckled lightly wondering what 'early' meant for his over-worked boss, "Sure Hotch. I'll take care of the kid. Call me if a case comes up though. I'm sure Garcia wouldn't mind babysitting if she needed to."

Hotch grimaced at the use of 'babysitting', and admonished, "Don't let Reid hear you say that." He grinned as he took a bite of his toast.

Morgan returned the grin and looked at the clock, "It's about time for his next dose." He opened the bottle of antibiotics and poured a glass of juice. As he headed toward Reid's room he said, "Later Hotch. Call if you need anything."

"Thanks Morgan," The older man was feeling vaguely guilty about leaving his sick charge to go to work, "you do the same." He gathered his coat, briefcase and mug of coffee, and headed out the door.

XOXOXOXO

Hotch's day was filled with piles of paperwork and a plethora of meetings. He barely had time to breathe let alone check in on Reid. So, when he arrived home, true to his word, early – well, 5:30 was early for him – he was surprised to find both of his coworkers sitting on the couch enjoying a movie. Reid was curled up under a soft blanket with his head resting on a pile of pillows, but his color was back to normal and his cough sounded far better. Something smelled good too. Taking a deep whiff, Hotch asked, "What's for dinner?"

Morgan answered, "Chicken Gumbo," and gave Reid a sideways glance.

Without lifting his head off the pillows, Reid matter-of-factly filled in, "He's trying to kill me." Offering no further details, the young man returned his attention to the television.

Making eye contact with Morgan, Hotch raised a questioning eyebrow.

Morgan scoffed as he walked into the kitchen to stir the large pot of bubbling stew, "He thinks I made it too spicy. And before you get all protective, trust me on this Hotch, it's fine. It'll help clear out what little is left of that infection after Garcia's treatment last night."

Hotch shook his head in disbelief, "Reid really is looking a lot better tonight. The doctor thought it would take several days for him to get to this point. What's his temperature?"

"99.5, a couple of hours ago. It's been going down steadily all day."

Grudgingly impressed by the healing powers of natural remedies at the loving hands of their tech analyst, Hotch still believed the antibiotics probably had more to do with Reid's speedy recovery than anything else. He silently warned himself not to bring the topic up with Garcia - ever. Turning his attention back to Morgan, he informed, "Good, because we have a case. I want Reid to sit this one out, but I think he'll be okay alone for a couple of days."

Shaking a few more drops of Tabasco into the pot, Morgan chuckled, "I'll let you break the news to him. He's not going to like being left behind."

Hotch clapped his coworker on the shoulder and answered, "I'm not giving him a choice." He slipped out of the kitchen and into his bedroom to change into more comfortable clothing before the inevitable dissent started.

XOXOXOXO

"I'm fine, Hotch! The medications are working! By tomorrow I'll be as good as new!"

Hotch laid a comforting hand on the young man's back as he succumbed to another coughing fit. As it subsided, the older man definitively stated, "You are sitting this one out." Seeing the determined look in Reid's eye, Hotch raised a warning finger, "That's it. End of discussion."

The internal war between wanting to obey and wanting to fight was clear on Reid's face. Hotch breathed a sigh of relief when the younger man chose the former. "Good. There are plenty of books in my office. You may even find one or two that you haven't read yet. You're welcome to watch movies or just sleep. I'll make sure the kitchen is stocked up, and you are not allowed to drink coffee all day long . . . " As Hotch talked he watched the dark cloud descend over Reid's face. He looked truly unhappy. Gently, the older man asked, "What is it, Spencer?"

"You're leaving me here alone?" There was apprehension in the question.

Hotch was taken aback by the evident emotion. Pausing to really look at the kid, he saw something deeper was gnawing at him, "What's going on in that head of yours right now?"

Blushing at how obvious he had been in his worry, Reid dropped his eyes to the living room floor. "I – uh – what if I, you know . . . what if the cravings come back?"

Hotch's piercing gaze immediately bore into the young man. There was something more he wasn't saying. He waited.

Reid could feel his mentor scrutinizing him and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He didn't dare look into the older man's face, but he felt compelled to anyway. What he saw there made him freeze. Hotch would know if he held anything back, and he would be disappointed in Reid if he did. Swallowing hard, the younger man somehow garnered the courage to continue, "I – I wanted to use today, Hotch." He had whispered the confession.

Hotch stayed silent, indicating with a slight nod that the boy should continue.

Once he started his confession, the rest seemed to effortlessly pour from him, "I know, I should have told Morgan, but I wasn't sure what I was feeling at first. It was just a slight pull. I didn't really even know what I was being pulled toward. When he left me alone in the living room to start dinner, I noticed my concentration starting to drift, and I was thinking about the places I could go to get a fix, and – and then you came home – and I didn't really think about it again until just now." He was staring at the floor again. Ashamed. "I'm sorry, Hotch."

"Look at me, Spencer," Hotch gently ordered as he laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. The young man's eyes glistened with unshed tears as Hotch continued, "I'm proud of you for admitting this. I don't expect you to know the second a craving starts. It will take time for you to start recognizing the very early signs. You told me as soon as you knew what it was. Perhaps next time you'll be able to identify it even earlier. You are raising your awareness of it right now by holding yourself accountable to me. I am satisfied for now that you are willing to trust me with this." He tendered a small, forgiving smile to the young man.

That forgiveness was all Reid needed to make him dissolve into quiet tears of relief and gratitude. He fell into Hotch's arms and accepted the embrace he was offered.

XOXOXOXO

Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed, please review. If you would suggest improvements or ideas, I welcome your missive.