Chapter Five

An overwhelming need to use the bathroom woke Spencer from his drug induced sleep. The first of his senses to return was that of touch. He could feel that he was lying down in a comfortable bed and the surrounding room held a lukewarm temperature which was pleasing as in the back of his mind he remembered that they were in the middle of a heat wave. His body ached and he could sense moderate pain radiating from his right hip and just below his ribcage on the opposite side. Part of his brain kicked in to overdrive then as he focused on the pain and felt that it was dulled somewhat and his head felt foggy, despite the pounding headache. His brow creased with concern as he concentrated on other details. He could feel uncomfortable plastic digging slightly into his cheeks, nose and chin and as his hearing came back he could hear the slight hiss of air swirling around his face. In the distance he could just about focus on voices but not their words. Struggling, he concentrated all of his efforts on opening his eyes. It took a little while as he fought against the thick fog but he eventually managed to do it. They fluttered for a moment before they opened and then squinted against the bright early morning light.

He looked around in confusion. What am I doing here? Technically, his brain fully comprehended where he was it just could not fathom the reason for being there. He took in the hospital room within milliseconds and then focused on the finer details. The annoying pressure on his face was an oxygen mask, which he proceeded to pull off immediately, not liking how claustrophobic it made him feel. He looked to his right arm where he saw a cannula inserted into the crook, just below the elbow, and followed the tube connected to it up to a half empty bag of saline. There was nobody else in the room with him but he could tell that somebody had been there recently and had been for a long time. An uncomfortable looking chair, the kind that looked like its entire being was made from plastic, had been pulled close to the bed and Spencer could still see the impression of someone's form imprinted in the cushioned seat. With a cursory glance, at the nightstand, to his left told him that David Rossi had spent quite some time in this room with him. The book the Italian had only just started to read on the journey to Pasadena was laid face down on the old wood.

Mother Nature intensified her call and against his better judgement Reid decided that it was time that he answered it. Pushing himself up, from the half sitting position he was in, using his arm he sat up. He hissed as his abdomen flared in pain and he mentally cursed himself. The laws of survival instinct dictate that you asses for injury first and foremost, you know this Spencer! He agreed with his mental castigation as he had gone through the correct motions when he had been taken by Tobias. He knew the situation was completely different here but he still should have checked. He took a moment to lift the front of the gown he was wearing away from himself and look down. He noted that he wore absolutely nothing underneath the gown which made his cheeks burn crimson but his eyes soon found the cause of his pain. On the left side of his body just under his ribcage lay three medium sized dressings. Laparoscopic surgery? His entire chest and abdomen was dotted with minor bruises and scrapes but his eyes widened as his eyes passed his right hip. Quite a large patch of his skin had bloomed a hideous looking dark blue colour.

His bladder screamed at him to move so he reasoned that it was best not to delay. He pushed the sheets off of himself and then swung his legs round. The pain grew worse slightly but it was something that he would just have to deal with. There was no way he was going to compromise his constant recovery just because he was in a little bit of pain. Remembering to put the majority of his weight onto his left leg he stood and gripped onto the metal stand that held the bag of saline. Slowly he moved forward, gritting his teeth with every right step, and entered through the door to the right of his bed which led to a private bathroom. On his way out he caught his reflection in the mirror and saw that his left eye was black and he had a neatly sutured cut just a fraction below his hair line. That explains the headache. He mused to himself. Upon shutting the door behind him a wave of dizziness overtook him. His vision blurred violently and he began to sway.

"Whoa, Reid?!" Came a voice to his right and he felt strong hands grip around his waist. "You okay man?"

His vision cleared enough for him to see Morgan's concerned expression looking at him but the pounding in his head increased enough to make him feel sick. "I'm fine." He mumbled and began to move back to the comfort that was the bed. He knew he wouldn't be able to stand for much longer.

As Reid turned to sit back down Morgan began to chuckle. Reid looked to him to explain. "I see London. I see France. I see Spencer has no underpants." And with that he almost doubled over laughing.

Reid just glared at him as he turned bright red once more. "Very mature Morgan." He sighed as he closed his and laid back against the pillows. Almost at once the pain subsided to a bearable amount.

"Sorry kid but that was just too easy." Morgan smiled as he wiped his eyes. He walked around the bed, picked up the coffee he had discarded as soon as he had saw his friend and sat down in the chair by the bed. He became serious once more as he took in his friends bruised face. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. I've had worse." He paused as another wave of sickness passed. "I'd feel a lot better if I knew what had happened though?" He said and quickly realised that he had said it aloud.

Morgan's brow creased deeply at the last comment. "You don't remember?" Spencer turned to look at him with a blank expression. Morgan's eyebrows raised slightly and he leant back in the chair. "Shoot kid, you must have hit your head harder than we thought. You seriously don't remember anything?"

"No." He said a little more bluntly than he had intended. He closed his eyes again as he tried to recall his last memory. "That last thing I remember is going to the library but I can't even remember what for. After that it's just a blur and darkness."

"Hmm. I've heard of this before, not very often but I have heard of it and Doctor Smith said you would have concussion." Morgan began.

"Retrograde amnesia?" Reid cut across him, a hint of panic in his voice.

"Yeah, that's the one."

"Fantastic." He grumbled sarcastically. In the depths of his mind the fear of not having complete control of his mind was awoken. Of course, he knew that there was a high probability of his memories returning but there could never be a time frame attached to circumstances like this.

As if Morgan could sense his worry he reassured him. "It'll come back to you eventually Spencer. There's only so much that I can tell you but do you want me to fill you in?" Reid gave a slight nod of the head so Morgan continued. "I suppose I should start with last night. Hotch called it a day and I called your cell. You were just leaving the library to head back to the station when you picked up. Anyway, long story short, your words were cut short and in the background I heard a car speeding off. You were involved in a hit and run Reid. You were brought to The Kindred Hospital. They had to remove a part of your spleen as you were bleeding internally from the impact. Apart from the other stuff you can see that's about it." He rubbed his forehead trying to forget the emotions that had ran through the whole team the previous night. "You do this to me far too often kid."

Reid just laid there stunned. He didn't know what to say. A hit and run? How could I have been that stupid? The layout of the roads and the library car park are simple. All I had to do was look left and right and I could have seen any oncoming traffic regardless of its speed. How did I miss that? Similar thoughts ran through his mind on repeat in mere seconds. What Morgan had told him about his injuries had been corroborated with what he did see. The three dressings on his abdomen and Morgan's words had confirmed what he had previously thought. The rest was fairly plain to see. He felt great frustration at the fact that his memory's eluded him. He knew they were right there on the cusp of his mind but he could simply not call them forward. "What did they give me?" The question appeared to come out of nowhere but Reid had to know what was causing the fog in his head and the dulling of his pain.

"Hotch spoke with Doctor Smith last night whilst we were waiting for you to be moved to a private room. He thought it best that after your surgery you were kept sedated until this morning to give your body time to rest." Reid frowned at this point not liking the course of action taken. "As for pain medication you're on NSAID's and apparently he isn't very happy about that fact."

Reid was about to speak but movement in the doorway caught both men's attention. "You're right about that Agent Morgan. I'm not happy at all." Reid looked over at the new arrival and knew a lot about him in mere seconds. He had dark, short cropped hair and was easily taller than himself. His well-built form held a great amount of confidence, which showed as he strode forward toward the end of the bed to pick up Reid's chart. However, as he made his way over Reid noted that he walked with a slight limp much like his own. An old injury or birth defect? He thought to himself quickly. The man's nails were neatly manicured, which suggested he didn't suffer from a tick, and that coupled with his obviously moisturised face told Reid that he liked to take care of his appearance. Right at this moment in time that wrinkle free face wore a look of slight annoyance. The doctor put the chart back down in its holder and looked up to regard the two men. "I was wondering if I might have a few moments in private with Dr Reid Agent Morgan."

Morgan took his cue to leave. He picked up his coffee and smiled. "Sure. I have to make a call to my Unit Chief anyway." He gave Reid one last look. "I'll be back soon kid."

Okay so I took way too much time to update this for you guys and I am sorry about that, I really am. Now I know this is sort of a filler chapter but I thought it was important to explain everything thoroughly. However, the plot thickens, eh?

Hopefully I will have the next chapter up within the next week.

Thank you everyone for reading. Reviews are welcome =D x