Chapter 5: A Helping Hand

Reid returned to the bedroom to find Hypatia curled up against T's chest. He smiled at the sight, before looking past the surface of the scene and to the wounds on T's body. Reid could only see the ones on his shoulders and arms, but the sight was frightening. The burns were older, but the lashes were a mixture of old and new, some of them probably having been received that day.

T groaned, cracking one eye open to look at Reid, "Are you just going to stand there staring at me all day? I know I'm hot, but gimme a break, I'm not exactly fully functional at the moment."

"Sorry," Reid said automatically, "you just look in rough shape. What happened to you?"

"Where do I start?" Tamesis asked.

"How about from when you called Gideon?"

"That far back? Okay, let's see…" He cleared his throat with a wince.

"Take your time," Reid said, crouching down next to the bed. "Don't push yourself, you can always finish later."

"I'll be fine. Really, they're mostly on the surface. I've had worse."

"I find that hard to believe, and no, some of these are pretty deep."

Tamesis sighed, "I thought you wanted my story."

Reid waved for him to continue and shut his mouth.

"I called him, and I waited around the side of your building, I watched until I saw them bring you out to the ambulance. Then I called the Boss and told him what had happened. He wasn't happy. For a second, I thought about following you to the hospital, but I knew that would only get me in more trouble. So I went to see the Boss." He shrugged, and winced again. "From there, he said he was going to use me as one of his testers. Until he realised that dying wouldn't teach me anything. I can't remember if I told you, but I was always his favourite. He was like, the dad I never had, you know?" He continued without letting S answer. "Anyway, so he took me to my new room. It looked like a prison cell, or a dungeon. Chains, a tiny uncomfortable bed, and weapons… tools to use." His voice cracked as he continued, the only sign he was feeling any emotion. "He chained me to the wall, and told me that my addiction would be my punishment. And then I got beaten, and burned, and whipped, and fucked…"

Reid cut him off, "Raped?"

"Hardly," T replied. "Can't really rape the willing now can you. It's not rape if you liked it."

Reid reflected back to what he had told Morgan earlier. He wanted to argue that in this case it was rape, but he knew that would only dig him into a hole. "You can't control how your body reacts. That's not your fault." A pause, "What happened next?"

"He tried to break me, but I guess it didn't work. I'm still here."

Reid swallowed, "You went through nine months of that?"

"Was it that long? After a while the days blended together, I guess I didn't notice."

"I'm so sorry, I should have tried to get to you sooner, I just thought you would be fine, that you'd still be doing what you always did." Reid looked down at the floor.

Tamesis attempted to reach out a hand to him, but the stretch it caused across his back caused him to bite down on his tongue to keep from screaming. "Fuck, that hurt!"

Reid looked up and then started digging into the supplies he'd grabbed, "Can you lay on your stomach for me?" he asked.

Slowly and with great care, Tamesis rolled from his side onto his front. And Reid slid the sheet down to his hips, keeping him decent. From there he got onto the opposite side of the bed, and kneeled next to T, taking a bottle of disinfectant and a clean gauze pad, soaking the pad in the liquid and rubbing it over T's back. Every movement eliciting a wince out of T. "Sorry, sorry." Reid continued the word like a whispered chant until he was done.

"I'm going to help you roll over now." He carefully placed a hand on T's far shoulder, slowly applying pressure to turn him onto his back. As he did so he noticed T's face laced with pain and agony. "God, T, I'm so sorry."

"Mmmph, I told you… I'll… be fine…" He gasped out.

Reid frowned as he continued applying disinfectant to the wounds on his front, then, getting him to sit up while he wrapped his upper body and his arms in gauze. He continued the process on each of T's legs and then covered him up again. "We'll leave that for now, I'll let you rest some more. If you need anything just yell." Reid said slipping off the bed and retreating back into the hall, Hypatia on his heels ready for food.

Later that evening Reid tiptoed back into the bedroom, trying not to wake T. He went to the side of the bed and grabbed a pillow off of it. T moaned and rolled over, opening an eye, and blinking at Reid.

"Sorry," Reid whispered. "I didn't mean to disturb you; I was just getting a pillow. Go back to sleep."

"Getting a pillow? You're not sleeping here?"

Reid swallowed, "Um, no. I…" thinking fast, "I don't want to accidently hurt you if I sleep here. It's okay. I'll be fine on the couch."

"What if I wanted you to sleep next to me?" T asked.

Reid shook his head, "I still wouldn't. Your health and healing is more important. And…" realising he has to draw a line somewhere, "I really don't want to make a habit of sleeping with people I'm not dating."

A frown, "That didn't seem to stop you before."

"It was a deal we made, to keep me alive, and keep you satisfied. But right now you're in no condition to get any – anything – from anyone, myself included. And I'm better. I don't need you to keep me from ODing anymore." He finished his reasoning, hoping it didn't sound harsh.

"Maybe for now… but I owe you, for saving me. You'll need to let me pay you back somehow."

"We'll talk about that when the time comes, but for now, you can repay me by getting better. I just want to see you healthy, and free of Connors. Now please, just sleep."

Tamesis made a noise of annoyance, disagreeing with the way the conversation played out. In reply he rolled over, turning his back on Reid. Reid took the pillow in his hand and retreated from the bedroom, back to the couch, where he pulled a throw blanket off the back of the couch and settled down for the night.

The morning came with Reid being awoken by Hypatia licking his face. Reid smiled, scratching her behind the ears. "What do you think you are? A dog?" She mewed at him, and leaped off his chest, padding to the kitchen, a sign that it was breakfast time. Reid stretched and stood up, following her until he noticed a lump on the floor just outside the bedroom door. He paused, focusing on T's bandaged naked form lying on the floor.

T raised his head with a smile, "Hi."

"My god, Tamesis!" Reid rushed to him. "What happened?"

"I had to pee." T answered simply.

"I told you to yell if you needed anything!" Reid scolded.

Tamesis sighed, "And I told you I was fine."

"Which you clearly aren't! How long have you been here?"

"Not long. About an hour."

"An hour? Jesus, T. Are you always this stubborn?"

Tamesis forced a grin through the pain. "Yes."

Slowly Reid helped T to his feet. "I hate to ask, but you didn't urinate on my floor did you?"

"No, not yet anyway." They took a few steps to the bathroom, Reid supporting Tamesis until they got to the door. "I'll be fine here. I don't need your help to pee."

Reid frowned but nodded, "Okay, I'll be right here if you need anything." Reid let go of T's arm, and watched as he entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Hypatia circled his feet as he waited, still meowing for food. "In a minute, sweetie. Let me get T back to bed okay."

After several minutes T emerged from the bathroom and was led back to bed, complaining as he went. "You know, when I'm told I have to spend all day in bed, this is nothow I picture it."

Reid shook his head as he pulled the covers over T's body. "I'll be in the living room if you need me."

Tamesis looked up at Reid, meeting his eyes. "Stay with me. Please."

Sighing, Reid answered, "We sort of talked about this. We're not together, you and I. And you're in no condition…"

"You know, for once," T cut him off, "I wasn't talking about sex. I'd just like the company. But seeing as you mentioned it, who says we can't be together?"

"I do. It just wouldn't be good for me right now."

"But you said you care about me. That you might even love me, didn't you?"

"I did, but that doesn't mean I have to act on it." Reid sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"So you're going to deny yourself pleasure when it's readily available?"

Nodding, "Yes. This isn't a good time for either of us. Besides that, do you think you could even be in a relationship with one person?"

T thought about it for a moment, before shaking his head. "No, probably not. So we could just be casual, no big deal."

"But that's not what I want, T. When, and if, I do find someone to be with, male or female, I want to be with just them, forever. And I'd like the same in return."

"But that's so limiting. How would you ever learn new tricks to share with new partners, if you only have one?"

Reid shook his head, "That's not what it's about. I guess you just can't understand."

Silence took over the conversation as minutes ticked by. "So…" T finally broke it, "when did you get a cat?"

"After I got out of rehab." Reid replied, looking at Hypatia who was sitting in the doorway, tail wrapped around her feet, giving him an annoyed look.

"Right. Rehab. Good for you. I guess."

Reid nodded, "It was good. It was just what I needed. I wish I could have known that earlier. Before I got in so deep."

"Before you met me?"

"That's not what I meant." Reid sighed.

T shrugged and winced, something that was starting to become a habit.

Reid noticed it out of the corner of his eye, "How are you feeling? Do you want any… umm… pain killers?" He swallowed as he said the word.

T nodded slowly, "Please."

Reid stood, finding the bag of supplies on the floor, and digging out a bottle of meds. Opening it he set two on the bedside table. "I'll bring you some water to drink those down with right after I feed Hypatia. She's giving me thatlook." He got a nod in reply, and made his way out of the room to go about his tasks.

A/N: Thanks for staying with me through my hiatus. Now that I'm done my Criminal Psych. course (and passed with approx. 93% - final grades aren't posted yet) I should be writing more regularly again.
Stay tuned for more!