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A/n hey all, thank you so much for your continued support. There's one more chapter after this.

He couldn't figure out what to do with his hands. They wouldn't stay still in his lap as he rode with Rossi to the hospital. He should've driven his car, at least he'd have something to do instead of sitting there looking out the window and trying to keep his hands still.

"Calm down Reid. You're going to give yourself a heart attack."

"Did you know that it's possible to slow your heart rate to the point where it's undetectable?"

Rossi stopped at a red light and glanced over at his passenger. "I'd say you don't have to worry about that. I'm guessing you blood pressure is through the roof right now."

"Actually, blood pressure and heart rate are two different things. Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by circulating blood upon the walls of blood vessels, and is one of the principal vital signs. When used without further specification, "blood pressure" usually refers to the arterial pressure of the systemic circulation. During each heartbeat, blood pressure varies between a maximum (systolic) and a minimum (diastolic) pressure. The blood pressure in the circulation is principally due to the pumping action of the heart.

Heart rate on the other hand, is the number of heartbeats per unit of time, typically expressed as beats per minute. Heart rate can vary as the body's need to absorb oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide changes, such as during exercise or sleep."

Rossi accelerated as Reid wound down from his nervous babble. "Thank you for everything you always wanted to know about heart rate and blood pressure, but were afraid to ask."

"Sorry, I guess I'm a little nervous."

"A little nervous, really, I had no idea."

"You're the one that insisted on driving me out to the hospital."

"That's because you had no intention of visiting on your own."

Rossi passed a slow moving truck and changed lanes. The truck's horn blatted irritably at him. He turned right and slowed as the speed limit dipped to thirty miles per hour.

"I was going to see her."

"Reid, you play poker don't you?"

"Of course I do. You've seen me on the jet a hundred times."

"Then you must know all about tells."

Reid shifted in his seat and looked out the window. "Yes."

"You have your own tells and one of them is that you babble when you're nervous or excited."

"Why are you telling me? You're not supposed to point out tells."

"No, you're not supposed to point out tells, but you're not my poker opponent, Agent Reid. You're my friend. I know all about your situation with Emily. I'm taking you there now so you can talk to her without Garcia and the rest of the team hovering around."

"It's seven in the morning on Saturday. I was sleeping."

"Don't take that tone with me. Life is too short. I don't want you to have the kind of regrets I live with every day."

He finally pulled into the parking lot at Georgetown University Hospital and drove around to visitor parking.

"If you'd bothered to ask me," Reid hissed through his teeth. "You would have discovered that I planned on visiting Emily today. I've already talked to my dad and he convinced me to let go of my doubts about Emily."

Rossi stopped in the act of getting out of his car. "You talked to you father about Emily Prentiss?"

"Yes… We spent Christmas together. I talked to both my parents and they both basically told me to stop letting life pass me by."

Rossi threw back his head and laughed. "Well, I think you finally managed to surprise me."

CMCMCMCMCM

Emily reached over to the little table on wheels next to her bed. Two days had passed since she'd woken to find everyone around her expect for Spencer .Even though they'd given her something to help her sleep, she'd woken at six that morning unable to go back to sleep.

Elaine had brought her some essentials from home, including her favorite robe, and her I pod. She only allowed herself a few minutes of music per day because there was nowhere to charge it. She turned it on to random play, and closed her eyes as one of her favorite classical pieces for violin began to play. It even helped quiet the turmoil in her head. Spencer was the only thing she thought of even when her parents had come to see her. They were supportive, but also quietly disapproving of her life.

She sighed. If only she hadn't agreed to go out with Stryker. She wouldn't be in this hospital bed. She'd be in her own bed. It was funny how life changed your perspective. Despite making the mistake to go out with that over-confident lout, she'd realized how important Reid was to her. Oh God, please don't let it be too late.

He hadn't been back to see her since she'd woken up. She'd had to endure having Garcia, JJ and Morgan around in shifts. Hotch had visited only once, but he had Jack to look after. She was never as glad for Jack as she was in the last two days. She could tell from looking at Hotch that he knew something. It was there in his eyes.

He said during his only visit, "Prentiss, I'm not going to tell you how to live your life. I just know that after losing Haley, that life is short. I'll never have the opportunity to make it up to her. You can have something exceptional with Reid. Don't let your fears, or even FBI policy get in the way of happiness."

To say she'd been surprised with his reaction was an understatement. He'd seemed to take it well when she didn't respond to his comments on her personal life.

She turned over to her right side and sighed. She supposed a nurse would be in soon for vitals or something. Another few days in this place and she was going to go nuts. At least the team had found the ones responsible for putting her there. Of course, Stryker had escaped without a scratch. Maybe she'd have Garcia do something to make him sorry he'd ever met Emily Prentiss.

She was smiling at that thought when someone touched her hand. Her eyes flew open in surprise to see Reid standing there. He looked much better than he had, but there was something in his eyes that sent her heart fluttering.

"How are you?"

They both spoke at the same time. Reid actually smiled and she smirked up at him. "I'm fine," they said in unison.

"Wait," Emily held up a hand. "Why don't we start over? Good morning."

"Good morning."

He sat in the chair next to her bed, and stretched out his bad leg with a loud groan.

"Sure you're okay," Emily said with disapproval. "Why won't you take something for the pain?"

"I didn't come here to talk about my leg."

She set aside her I pod, but played with the ear buds nervously as he stared at her. His eyes had changed and she could see the love, naked in them for her. No one had ever looked at her like that and it made her palms sweat.

"Why did you come?"

"I'm sorry I stayed away. I needed time to think."

She swallowed past the lump that came into her throat and made her eyes sting so that she had to blink them hard or risk tears.

"What did you think about?"

"I thought about us, and about what happened that night."

"Spencer I -"

"Please just let me say this without interruption."

She nodded as her hands twisted in the light blue sheet covering her up to her waist. The moment was now, and there was no going back even if she had no idea how it was going to work.

"I was ready after Christmas with my parents, to talk to you about how I've come to feel about you. Then, Rossi called me that you were shot and I thought I'd lost my chance forever. I was so angry at you for how you treated me."

"I'm so sorry, Spencer I -"

"I said I need to say this. I love you Emily. I have for a very long time. I was scared and angry, but what happened to you made me realize that life is short. I don't care if you don't love me the way I want. I'll get over it. I just want you to know that I care and -"

She reached over and grabbed his hand. She squeezed it so hard he tried to pull away, but she wouldn't let him. "Shut up and hear me, Spencer Reid. I do love you the way you want me too. I'm so sorry I hurt you. I was afraid."

"Why?"

His frank question and his lost puppy expression made her want to smack him. "Why? Because I've never loved anyone the way, I love you. I've never felt so much in tune with someone as I did that night we had. I didn't know what to do with those feelings."

He pushed back his hair behind one ear, a gesture that nearly broke her heart. "Don't you think I had those same feelings? I'm scared too."

"I truly am sorry I hurt you so badly. Hotch told me that life is short and I needed to grab hold of what I can. I'd like for that to be you, if that's okay."

"I want that too."

She raised his hand to her lips and kissed it. He grinned at her. "Does that mean that we're done fighting?"

"I hope so."

He sobered and pulled his hand out of her grasp. "Emily, I really want to work things out, but I don't know what to do from here. I don't have much experience."

"I think you're doing just fine."

He rubbed at his knee. "Why don't we just go out for dinner or something? When you get out of here," he added with a slow smile."

"I think that's a very good idea."

She expected him to smile again, but he just sat there and refused to meet her eyes. In fact, his face was slowly going rosy pink in the cheeks.

"What's wrong?"

"I was thinking - um, well I don't know how, oh boy, I can't believe -"

"Hey," she said firmly. "Look at me, Spencer."

His eyes finally met her gaze. "I ah, wanted to ask if it was okay with you if we didn't um… Oh man."

She bit the inside of her mouth so the laughter, threatening to pour out like champagne at New Years' Eve, didn't make him feel worse. "I think I get what you're trying to say. I promise we won't have sex again until your okay with it. "

His face was scarlet, but he nodded in relief. "Emily, I hope you know that -"

"It's okay, baby. I love you. Sex isn't everything."

He burst out laughing as though he'd been holding it in for years. "Yeah… I guess it isn't everything.

A/n2 the Reid ramble about blood pressure and heart rate is quoted directly from Wikipedia...