Peekabooo: Well hello there! Yes, I have updated again. And I have to say that this is possibly my favorite chapter. I was laughing while I was writing it. This also answers some questions that some of you may have had in the last chapter. We are getting into happier lighter chapters now. Which is good. But beware There will still be a fair amount of drama.
And I have to give credit to my younger sister. The 'button' part was all her. She was also the one who suggested I add Kat to the story. So kudos if you know where I got her from. And if you realize what fast-food place Garcia brings them food from, I salute you. :)
I made this chapter a bit longer than usual to make up for the last one. Next chap. will be Wednesday/Thursday if I'm a good girl.
I really hope you like it. The usual thanks to everyone who reviewed/favorited/alerted. Thanks to my beta and finally, thanks for your support!
"Pretty-boy!" Morgan strode into Reid's room, his black shoes slightly squeaking against the snow-white tile.
Reid looked up, and when he saw Morgan, his eyes livened up and he smiled happily at him. Reid was laying in the hospital bed-Morgan had noticed that whenever anyone was lying in a hospital bed they looked half their usual size.
"Hey Morgan."
"How have you been doing?" Morgan asked. He sat down in a comfortable beige chair, genuinely worried about his friend.
"Pretty good," Reid nodded. His hair was a bit longer now, Morgan noted as he replied, and it almost flopped over his eyes, "I need a haircut though."
Morgan laughed. "I have some scissors in the car?" He offered.
Reid chuckled and shook his head.
"But you are really doing well?" Morgan questioned.
"Yes, I am," Reid answered brightly.
"Are you good enough to come back to work?" Morgan asked, hopeful. He was really, really starting to miss Reid at the office.
"Maybe," Reid pursed his lips and looked uncomfortable.
"Emily's back," Morgan told him after an awkward silence.
"Back-you mean back at work?" Shock shot through Reid's body and his eyebrows flew up in question. Why hadn't Rossi told him?
"Yep." Morgan sighed, remembering how hard it was to deal with. It was so socially uncomfortable that Morgan could hardly even deal with it. Emily just came back into their lives and had started acting like nothing ever happened.
"Is it weird?" Reid finally asked, knowing how much Morgan disliked and distrusted Emily as of then.
"You have no idea," Morgan muttered, thinking of the other day when he had practically knocked Emily down and had to spend 15 minutes assisting her in picking up the papers she had dropped
"She has come to see me a few times, but I didn't want to see her." Reid had thought in advance about how awkward it would be and how much he wanted to ignore it.
"Have you talked to..." Morgan started.
"Nope." Reid cut him off, already knowing the name he would say-Hotch.
"Well, you're going to have to talk to him eventually to make arrangements for when you're going to return to work." Morgan pointed out.
Reid's face contorted into something else and Morgan felt a tug of something the deep pit of his stomach that was kind of like when you're going on a roller coaster and you know a big drop is coming.
"Morgan?" Reid uncertainly questioned.
"What?" Morgan asked, looking directly into Reid's eyes, hoping to see past the hollowness that overtook them.
"I'm not sure that I'm returning to the BAU," Reid revealed.
And then Morgan's stomach dropped, like it did right as the roller coaster flew down the big hill. Confusion, anger, and awe crashed over him. Reid not at the BAU? Reid not working as a profiler? Preposterous!
"What the hell Reid? What do you mean you might not come back?" Morgan fumed.
"I mean I don't know if I want to go back, especially after what happened with Emily," Reid said truthfully. He felt guilty about not going back, but he felt like he would never ever trust his friends again. He felt betrayed and sick when he thought of the whole situation.
"I can't believe this," Morgan muttered in a breathy voice. He still could not believe that Reid would even think about this.
"I'm sorry," Reid said. He looked down at his hands that rested on his lap, trying to avoid Morgan's gaze.
"Reid, you are coming back to the BAU whether you like it or not! Don't be stupid!" Morgan practically yelled at him, his face turning bright red in anger.
"Morgan! I said I'm sor-" Reid took in a sharp intake of breath.
Morgan's anger disappeared in an instant. Reid's face crinkled up, his eyes closing together tightly and the skin on his nose smushing together to form wrinkles.
"Reid? Are you okay? Reid?" Morgan panicked.
"I'm fine, I'm fi-" Reid winced again, his eyes still shut tight.
"Reid I'm calling the nurse!" Morgan was about to press the 'Call Nurse' button that was bolted to the wall at Reid's bedside.
"No I'm fine!" Reid exclaimed, trying to stop Morgan. But he winced again. Reid then relaxed slowly. He saw Morgan about to press the electronically source to his doom.
"Morgan, don't touch that button!" Reid shouted. Then he watched in plain horror as Morgan pressed the button, and resentment washed over him.
"You're dead to me," Reid said bitterly as he looked straight in front of him.
"What did I do?" Morgan queried innocently. Why was Reid so mad about getting a nurse?
A beautiful blonde nurse popped her head into Reid's room, cheerily.
"Oh Spencey-Poo! Is something wrong?" she said. She was wearing blue scrubs with her hair in a high ponytail. She was very good-looking.
"No Ashley. My friend here just pressed the button on accident," Reid replied roughly, looking away in discomfort.
Another nurse that had long cherry red hair entered the room. Her cheeks were flushed.
"Is something wrong with my poor Spencer?" She questioned, making a puppy-dog face.
"I'm okay Kat. My friend accidentally pushed the button," Reid explained again, annoyance beginning to show in his features.
"And who is this friend of yours?" Kat smiled, brightly, flipping her hair.
"Yeah, who is he?" Ashley grinned.
A brunette rushed into the room, "Oh, Dr. Spence, are you alright?" she exclaimed.
"He's fine, Marie. His friend just pushed the button." Ashley waved her off.
"Now we're wondering who his friend is," Kat nodded.
Marie turned her attention towards the devilishly handsome agent.
"I'm Supervisory Special Agent Derek Morgan," Morgan cocked his head and gave them his signature smile.
The girls eyes twinkled and they all smiled at each other.
"Well, Derek Morgan, why haven't you been here before?" Ashley questioned him.
"I have. You must have just missed me." Derek explained, grinning at Reid, whose arms were crossed in frustration and annoyance.
"I think we would have remembered someone like you," Marie informed him sweetly.
The other girls nodded in agreement.
"Well, maybe I'll come more often," Derek said, still smiling.
"Can I feel your muscles?" Kat suddenly asked in a bubbly voice.
"Uh, sure. Go ahead." Morgan laughed under his breath as he lifted his arm up to flex his muscles.
The redhead came up an squeezed his biceps.
"Impressive," she nodded.
So that was why Reid didn't want him to press the button: hot nurses were swooning over him.
"Well ladies," Morgan started, realizing that Reid was uncomfortable, "I will be back tomorrow if my unit at the FBI doesn't have a case to investigate."
"We have to get back to work anyways," Marie chewed on her fingernail.
"Work on what?" Kat asked.
"Oh come on Kat," Ashley said easing her out of the room.
"We have to say our goodbyes!" Kat exclaimed.
The girls said their goodbyes and then giggled about something, looking back at Morgan while walking out.
"Looks like Pretty Boy has some fans," Morgan bursted out chortling.
"Oh shut up," Reid whined.
"Personally I would go with the blonde." Morgan stated.
"Why?" Reid asked confused.
"Well that Marie girl was late, so she would probably be late for everything. And that redhead…"
"Kat isn't the brightest light bulb in the pack," Reid laughed.
"Plus you've always liked blondes. Remember Lila?" Morgan replied.
Reid blushed.
"And J-" Morgan began.
"Don't say it," Reid said, strictly and firmly as he blushed even deeper, remembering his little crush on JJ.
"Fine," Morgan sighed. Reid never really wanted to talk about Emily, Hotch, or JJ, only if it was something important-such as Emily coming back to work.
"Reid, why aren't you coming back?" Morgan asked, quietly.
"A long time ago, after Tobias, I questioned my ability to be on the team. And I'm doing the same thing now."
"No offense Reid, but aside from not talking to almost half of our team you are doing much better than you were after Tobias." Morgan's voice was low and quiet. When he talked of Tobias he felt like he was trespassing on private property. He felt like that just bribing it up may make Reid slip away like he did then.
"I know that. But.."
"But nothing, Reid." Morgan was becoming angrier and more frustrated with Reid as their conversation wore on.
"I just don't know," Reid exhaled morosely, "but you can't tell anyone."
"On one condition. You have to promise me you'll at least think about what you're doing," Morgan begged imploringly.
Reid pursed his lips in consideration.
"Okay?" Morgan asked.
"Okay." Reid agreed.
Morgan was attempting to conjure up the image of a BAU without Reid. Sure he had lived through it the past three weeks but that was when he thought he was coming back. Almost the whole team was exited about Reid coming back. Garcia had made a chain like one you use at Christmas time. She called it: "The countdown to Reid". The chain was created out of glittery purple scrapbook paper and glossy orange wrapping paper. When asked why she used those colors she Retaliated defensively with: "I made them Halloween colors because that is his favorite holiday." Rossi had a book for Reid, too. He claimed that he 'found' it lying around and decided that Reid might like to 'borrow' it, and Morgan had put the date on his phone's calendar. Also, despite the fact that Reid had declined to see or talk to JJ, she had marked the date he was set to return on the calendar in the break room. Emily had asked about it casually once or twice. She wanted to see him even if he didn't want to see her. Hotch hadn't really said anything about it, though. But that was probably because he was taking Reid not speaking to him personally. Really, the whole team was missing Reid. And if he didn't come back, Morgan wasn't completely sure the team could function.
Garcia suddenly entered the room, her hands full of fast food bags and a cup of coffee. "I come bearing the all-delicious food that is America," she greeted. "For you, sir." She handed the coffee cup to Reid.
"Thank you, Garcia," he said with delight as the scent off coffee mixed with sugar floated up and enveloped his senses.
She also handed Reid a crispy chicken sandwich and Morgan a Jr. Bacon cheeseburger.
"I don't know what I would do if you guys didn't bring me food." Reid smiled cheerily as he hungrily devoured his sandwich
"I figured the hospital food must suck eggs," Garcia smirked, shortly after wiping her face.
"Rossi brought me Italian last week. When I get out of the hospital we should all go eat there."
"That would be great. I am wild about Italian," Garcia nodded.
"We can celebrate you getting out that way." Morgan agreed.
"Excellent," Reid grinned goofily.
The three played cards until it was time for Morgan and Garcia to go home.
"Damn it, Reid! I will beat you next time, count on it," Morgan warned, baffled about how Reid had one every time.
"He beats you every game. Give it up!" Garcia snickered.
"I don't know how he does it," Morgan answered, looking at the cards.
"Bye Reid. Get better so you can come home!" Garcia waved.
Morgan glanced at Reid when Garcia said that, hoping to make him guilty. However Reid didn't notice. He just waved goodbye to the both of them.
Morgan and Garcia walked down the sterile hallways and down to the lobby. That's where Garcia saw three girls talking about-and bluntly staring at-Morgan. Morgan obviously noticed and put his arm around Garcia as they walked out.
Garcia smiled in amusement as she saw the disbelief on all of the pretty little nurses faces. The two agents walked outside into the sunlight. The only sounds that could be heard outside in the pure warm air was their footsteps on the ground.
"I think he's getting better." Garcia looked pleased with herself.
"Me too," Morgan lied.
"I think he's excited about coming back," Garcia said, giddily.
"Yeah, I think he is too," Morgan lied again, feeling the displeasing taste that filled his mouth whenever he was dishonest.
"Maybe he'll start talking to Emily and JJ again. And Hotch." She beamed, pride and hope obvious in her every word.
"Yeah," Morgan smiled back halfheartedly.
"This just makes me so happy!" Garcia gushed.
"Me too, Baby-girl," Morgan uttered, "me too."
~* Peekaboo *~
The next day Hotch strode into the bland, clean hospital. Seeing the front desk he approached it and decided to talk to a nurse.
"I'm here to see Dr. Spencer Reid," Hotch stated, speaking slowly to the angelic, blonde woman.
"I'll go see if he wants to talk to you." She politely excused herself while Hotch waited in the same spot.
Reid had declined to see him ever since that first day. Hotch couldn't blame him, but he really wished that Reid would at least talk and let Hotch tell him his side of the story. But Reid didn't even want to see him. Hotch didn't feel too bad though, as he had declined seeing Emily and JJ also. The nurse quietly made her way back down the hall.
"I'm sorry, he's not feeling up to it right now. His leg is really bugging him and they are going to do an X-Ray today. Maybe you can check back tomorrow or the next day." The nurses white teeth were showing as the corner of her lips pulled up into a bright smile.
"Thanks anyways," he sighed.
She nodded and went on with her business.
Hotch felt a twinge of worry. Reid's leg was bugging him? More X-Rays?
Hotch walked out of the hospital disappointed and worried. Reid couldn't deny seeing him forever could he? He had to arrange for Reid to come back eventually, right?
Peekabooo: Right?
Wrong.
Just kidding.