Ok, so here's the next chap everyone has been waiting for! Sorry for the cliffhanger. I love cliffhangers. I might make more in the future. XD
OOO
Reid realized he wasn't breathing and inhaled deeply, and loudly enough to catch Morgan's attention. He inhaled deeply again, even though he didn't need it, and he was getting way too much oxygen. Morgan stood up from his chair and rushed over to Reid's.
"Reid?" Morgan asked, putting his hand on Reid's shoulder.
Reid continued breathing irregularly: taking some very big, deep breaths; and some short shallow and rapid ones. He began stuttering and tried to lessen his difficulty to breathe by covering his mouth and nose with his hands.
Despite Reid's indistinct babbling, Morgan understood without problems what he was trying to say: "I can't breathe". Morgan was able to figure this out, not by the so-called words coming out of the kid's mouth but by the obvious fact that he could indeed not breathe. Some distance away, Garcia was watching the whole thing and was practically screaming through her screen.
"I know you can't. You're hyperventilating, Reid, you need to calm down." Morgan said supportively, but unable to hide the fear and curiosity in his voice.
"Sit down" he told the kid, leading him to the nearest chair. All of a sudden, Reid shifted his hands from his face to his chest.
"Reid, are you alright?" Morgan showed his concern more clearly this time. Reid was sweating and shaking, as he held both his hands on his chest and squeezed. Reid bent over to ease his breathing difficulties and chest pain. Morgan's worries increased even more.
"Reid!" he yelled as he put his hand on the kid's shoulder and tried to look him in the eyes, but failing because Reid had closed his eyes. Reid reallocated one of the hands he was holding on his chest and used it to lean against the wall. Morgan took the hint to meaning he could no longer carry his own weight, so he decided to help Reid, supporting him by grabbing the kid by his arm. The second Morgan took hold of Reid's arm; he fell to the ground entirely. Morgan only managed to stop his fall enough to prevent the genius from hitting his head against the floor.
"Reid!" Morgan screamed again, but this time a lot harder.
"Hotch!" he yelled through the door as he put the kid down on the ground "Hotch, get in here!"
Hotch arrived seconds later, since he had heard Morgan scream Reid's name right before he screamed his, and was already headed there. When Hotch entered the room, the first thing he saw was Reid, on the floor; and Morgan, kneeling next to him. A worried look appeared on Hotch's face.
"What happened?" he said trying to keep his calm, as he rushed over to Morgan's side.
"He had a panic attack." Morgan stated as he turned around to face Garcia on the computer screen and shouted: "Call 911"
"Why?" Hotch asked as soon as Morgan turned back around "Why did he have a panic attack?" Hotch sounded genuinely curious, as well as worried and puzzled.
"I don't know…" Morgan replied, realizing he did, in fact, have no idea why the kid had suddenly began hyperventilating and then fainted. "I don't know" he repeated, more to himself. Hotch sighed and changed the subject.
"How long till' the paramedics arrive?" he said as he stood up, grabbed the cup of water standing on the table and splashed it all over Reid's face in one quick motion. The kid woke up roughly, coughed and he rolled to one side as if he had just almost drowned. Morgan and Hotch both sighed in relief, even though they knew the real problem wasn't whether Reid would have woken up or not, but why he passed out in the first place. They also heard a sigh coming from the computer screen.
"Oh, god. Reid, are you alright?" Morgan asked as Reid continued coughing.
"Hmm… *cough* what happened?" Reid asked while he shifted to a more comfortable position.
"You had a panic attack and passed out." Morgan affirmed "We called 911."
"What? Why? I'm fine." The young agent started as he Morgan helped him stand up "I don't need a hospital."
"Yes, you do, Reid. You are going to a hospital." Hotch's authoritarian tone was hard to ignore or talk back to, so Reid simply nodded and then sighed. The paramedics came rushing through the door in no time and Reid voluntarily went with them and got in the ambulance.
OOOXOOOXOOO
"JJ here."
"Hey, JJ, we're in the hospital-" Morgan began but was interrupted by the blonde media liaison.
"What? What happened? Are you okay?" concern was the best word to describe her tone of voice.
"Yeah, we're fine, don't worry. Reid had a panic attack; we're just here for check-ups" Morgan reassured.
"Oh, okay, you had me worr- wait, what… uh … what happened to Reid?"
"We don't know." Morgan sighed "Tell Prentiss and Rossi about this, will ya?"
"Okay…"
OOXOOOXOOO
Hotch stood next to Reid while the doctors checked to see if he was alright, and Reid seemed pretty bothered by having to have come to the hospital. In more than one occasion Reid pushed the doctor's hand away and he had a constant frown on his face. But Hotch could see there was something more to that frown. It was not just the trouble of coming to the hospital. Deep down, there was also a hint of confusion, anxiety and distress.
"Okay, Dr. Reid," the doctor began after about half an hour of check-ups "you seem to be alright. I'll bring the discharge papers and you'll be out of here in no time." The doctor smiled at them, then left. Hotch turned around to see a very distracted-looking Reid.
"Reid?" Hotch said with utter serenity. The kid didn't respond and was still looking at the wall in front of him "Reid?" Hotch repeated, a little louder to definitely get his attention this time. It took him a couple of seconds, but Reid snapped out of his trance, inhaled deeply and looked up at Hotch.
"Yeah?" he said quickly, hoping Hotch wouldn't bring up what he feared he would, and he did.
"Are you okay?" Hotch asked, crossing his arms and tilting his head a little bit to one side.
"Fine." Reid answered in a not very convincing manner.
"Reid, you just had a panic attack, you're not fine. What happened?"
Reid laughed sarcastically as he exhaled strongly and said: "Nothing."
"Reid! Don't lie to me!" Hotch shouted making Reid look uncomfortable.
"I…" he muttered and cleared his throat, then looked Hotch in the eyes for a second before looking away "I need to talk to Garcia."
Hotch stared at Reid a little alarmed and confused, making the kid repeat himself as he saw the older man wasn't patching him through with the technical analyst he had demanded to speak with, or giving him a little space and time alone to do so himself.
"I need to talk to Garcia. Could you leave me alone so I can talk to her? Please." His request couldn't have been pronounced more politely, and Hotch had little choice but to give the kid a minute on his own.
As soon as Hotch left, Reid took out his cell phone and dialed Garcia's number with trembling hands.
"You have reached the office of supreme genius, speak and be recognized!" Garcia practically sang, sounding as gleeful and happy as she always did.
"Garcia, it's me-"
"G-boy! What do need?" she interrupted.
"I need you to check something for me." Garcia's grin instantly disappeared when she heard the serious tone in her genius's voice.
"You okay?" she asked straightforwardly "You sound… tense."
"Yeah, I'm… uh… I- I need you to check something." Reid avoided Garcia's question "Please." He added, to not sound too demanding.
"Umm… okay, what should I check?"
"Check… uhm… ask… c-call…" Reid started to stutter and Garcia knew that whatever it was Reid wanted her to check, it was serious.
"Honey?" she asked sweetly.
"Yeah?" Reid actually sounded a little relieved that he was no longer under the pressure of asking what he was planning to ask.
"Are you sure you're okay? You know you can tell me anything."
"I know, Garcia. Thank you." He inhaled deeply, then let all the air out in one profound exhale, and rapidly divulged: "I need you to check for any murders fitting this case's MO in the area of Nevada."
Garcia frowned. "Nevada?"
"Yes, Nevada." Reid repeated a little annoyed at what he thought was a pretty damn inutile question.
"I don't understand, why-"
"Just do it." Reid snapped as his breathing had increased in frequency.
"Reid?" Garcia asked sounding hurt, not having any real question in mind, just expecting Reid to justify his sudden anger and inappropriate lashing out at her.
"I-I'm sorry, Garcia. But, could you… please?" he almost whispered the last word, calming down again.
"Okay, honey."
Reid hung up and sighed. He was mentally praying Garcia didn't find anything. She wouldn't. She couldn't.
OOOXOOOXOOO
Hotch left Reid alone and encountered Morgan in the hallway of the hospital. Morgan was headed toward where Hotch had just left Reid on the kid's request and thus stopped Morgan from proceeding down that road by grabbing the chocolate man's arm. Morgan looked at him surprised.
"What's going on?"
"Reid asked for some time alone. He said 'needed to talk to Garcia'." Hotch quoted.
"What for?" Morgan questioned as he curiously looked at Hotch, whom looked away.
"He didn't say, but I'm guessing it has something to do with why he had that panic attack in the first place." Hotch said with a sarcastic voice, as he knew that was why he needed to talk to Garcia, and it was obvious.
Morgan sighed loudly and gazed at the floor with a shake of his head.
"I have a bad feeling about this."