Thank you all for the reviews so far, and the suggestions.
Idea/suggestion by AlexCurtis.
Recommended to read if you are sick!
He gulped down another sip of cold water to try and give his aching throat some relief. It only lasted a couple seconds. He sniffled, trying to keep the nasal mucus from dripping out of his nose as he grabbed another tissue and soiled it before tossing it in the nearby trash pail. He groaned as he took another swig of water to help with his fever. He coughed twice, getting a nasty taste of chest congestion.
The common cold is no fun. At all.
Jack frowned as he leaned against the stair railing. Seeing Spencer so miserable was hard. He wished there was something he could do, but he also made sure to stay away long enough to avoid any 'germs'.
Hotch was in the process of making some chicken soup. He recalled the younger agent telling his some fact about common colds and that particular type of soup that he only remembered half of. Today, he really wished Reid would have just accepted his offer for a ride to his apartment. Although he had been told already "people catch colds from viruses, not from the weather."
Reid laid a hand on his sizzling forehead. He tried to rally up facts and statistics that would give himself some reassurance.
Common colds last from 7 to 14 days, slow recovery can make it last 21.
Cold water can help ease a fever.
Symptoms appear one to three days after exposure.
He inhaled and sneezed, spreading particles of mucus. He closed his eyes briefly, tempted to take a nap, but Aaron told him he needed to eat. He turned away from the TV, his fever made his eyes more sensitive to light, he couldn't breath through his nose whatsoever, and his throat made itself known once more as he took a hard swallow.
He shivered, pulling his blanket up closer. Hotch appeared eventually with a bowl of steaming broth and chicken and vegetables. Spencer turned around and sat upright, holding the blanket around his shaking frame.
"Would you like any crackers?" The BAU leader asked.
Reid nodded. "Could you also turn off the TV?" He asked hoarsely. Aaron frowned at the request but silently obeyed. He went to the kitchen to fetch the ailing young man some saltines. He retrieved a package out of a box and sat them on the coffee table.
Spencer winced a little when he realized he had mild body aches. They were bearable, but startling. He hoped Hotch hadn't noticed. Jack saw that his cup of water was almost empty and he now had a chance to do something for his friend. He bounded down the stairs and towards Reid.
"Do you want a water refill?" He asked. Spencer smiled a little and sniffled.
"Yes, please, Jack." He said softly. The boy happily grabbed his cup and brought it to the kitchen. Hotch chuckled lightly. Jack went to the fridge and grabbed out a pitcher and filled Spencer's cup, he returned and handed it back to the young profiler, and received a quiet "Thank you".
The child gazed at the couch for a moment. "Do you want anymore blankets?" He asked.
"I'm fine, Jack. Thank you." Reid mumbled. More nasal mucus dripped out of his nostrils and onto the edge of his nose, tickling it and causing him to sneeze. Jack was quick to hand him a tissue. Spencer accepted it and groaned as he blew his nose and disposed of it.
Hotch went upstairs briefly and came back with some paperwork. He sat down on a nearby chair and sorted through the stack in his arms. Jack grabbed a large plastic bag filled with dinosaur figures the BAU team had gotten him some time ago. He pulled out two of the toys and played with the stegosaurus' flexible tail, hitting it into the T-Rex figure.
Both The Unit Chief and his agent felt the sides of their lips turn upward as they watched the young boy play. Spencer worked on his soup until the bowl was empty, he was asked if he wanted anymore, he declined. Aaron took care of the dirty dish and spoon, then put the rest of the soup in a container in the fridge. He returned to his paperwork for some time, then eventually saw that it was getting late, both Spencer and Jack looked beyond tired.
"Would you like anything to help you sleep?" The Unit Chief asked, he wasn't too surprised by the response he got.
"No, thank you."
Hotch was skeptical, but he silently nodded while he gathered a sleepy Jack in his arms and carried him upstairs to his room. His eyes met his son's as he gently sat him in bed.
"When will Spencer get better?" Jack asked.
"He'll be better in a few days." Aaron smiled a little. The boy nodded and yawned.
"I hope so." That was the last thing Jack said before his eyes closed and remained shut.
"I hope so too." Hotch said quietly. He tiptoed out of the bedroom and carefully close the door. He went downstairs as Reid sipped more water, holding a hand on his forehead. He laid down on the couch and Aaron pulled his blankets up closer, tucking him in.
"Let me know if you do want something." He said, his tone a little stern, but caring nonetheless.
"Okay." Spencer whispered nasally. Hotch honestly wasn't expecting him to, but he figured he should at least let him know it's okay, just in case. He went and emptied the overflowing garbage pail and came back, then went to the kitchen to refill the young man's water cup. After returning from that, he sat the cup down and pushed the box of tissues closer just in time for Reid to reach over and grab one as snot threatened to drip out of his nose. He soiled the tissue and dropped it in the pail, Hotch stroked his hair a couple times, feeling his hot forehead once.
"Feel better, son." The BAU leader said inaudibly. The young doctor groaned and closed his eyes, hoping to get some sleep. Hotch turned off the lights and grabbed his paperwork before making his way up the stairs to his office, then to his room. He slipped out of his dress shirt, tie and other day clothes and into his pajamas. After turning off the light, he got into bed.
Waking up in the middle of the night with the need to use the bathroom was rather unfamiliar to Hotch, because he almost never woke up for that reason. After finishing his business and washing his hands, he felt the urge to check on Spencer. He quietly went downstairs and saw that the young agent was sleeping. Having reassured himself, Aaron returned to his bedroom and went back to sleep. Before shutting his eyes, he glanced at the clock and saw it was only 12:08 AM.
A little more than an hour later, he was awoken again, this time, by a soft voice calling his name.
"Do you need something, Spencer?"
The young man at his bedroom doorway emitted a nervous whimper, then sniffled as he played with the tissue in his fingers.
"Well, I woke up, but I can't fall back asleep." He said shamefully, bowing his head slightly. He blew his nose into tissue he had. Aaron got out of bed, moving past Reid and towards the bathroom.
"I'll give you something that will help." He said as he opened the medicine cabinet. He didn't notice that the younger man's eyes widened with fear.
"Um, t-that's ok-okay, I'll, um, just go-o back t-t..." Spencer stuttered, then trailed off, blushing.
"Reid." Hotch started while he pulled out a bottle of NyQuil. "It's not, you know, narcotics. You'll be fine, and it will help you sleep."
Spencer turned even more red as he nodded. Hotch filled the plastic cup with the proper dosage and handed it to the young genius, who swallowed down the liquid and handed the cup back. The Unit Chief rinsed out the cup and put it back on the bottle, then sat it back in the cabinet.
"Thanks, Aaron." Reid mumbled before blowing his nose once more in the already dirty tissue and tossed it in the bathroom's garbage can. Aaron walked with his 'other son' downstairs and tucked him in again.
Once his agent was settled, Hotch couldn't help but stare at his pure youthful innocence. It made him happy that he's been able to tend and care for him when he's alone. Although, he knew Morgan or Garcia wouldn't hesitate to watch over their young friend if the chance came around.
Just as he sat one foot on the steps, he heard Reid whimpering softly, even though he was clearly asleep, thanks to the NyQuil. He continued up, he could still hear Spencer all the way in his bedroom. He grabbed his favorite thick blue comforter and headed back down. Right when he stepped back into the living room, Spencer's whimpering had vanished completely. Hotch was unable to hold back a smile that began to form on his face as he sat on the nearby recliner and pulled his blanket over himself. He put the footrest up and laid back, sleep eventually came.
The next day went by with a similar routine. By the morning of day three of Spencer's cold, his throat went from sore to scratchy, indicating that said symptom was coming to an end, meaning that his ailment was progressing. His fever was gone, though his runny, stuffy nose and coughing was still present, but he should only have about four or five more days of this misery.
As bad as it is, it hasn't been too miserable, thanks to the love and support he gets from a man and his son who aren't his family, or blood related even. Well, they basically are family, as is the whole BAU.
Spencer looked at his watch, 7:59 AM. He was surprised to see that Hotch was still asleep. The older man was somewhat sprawled in the chair, it was a sight that made him grateful for his eidetic memory. Seeing that Aaron wasn't awake, he might as well lay back down and at least relax some more. He grabbed another tissue and dirtied it before throwing it away and snuggling into his blanket.
He wasn't aware of a small boy sneaking down the stairs and into the kitchen. Jack wasn't too moved by the fact that he ended up sleeping alone upstairs, he was glad that his father slept in the living room with Spencer so he could take care of him better.
The child stealthily walked across the tile floor and went to a low cabinet and pulled out a loaf of bread. He grabbed three slices and prepared to put them in the toaster before getting the container of butter from the fridge and retrieving a butter knife from the drawer.
Spencer opened his eyes as Hotch woke up in time to hear something in the toaster pop up.
The End... Of this chapter, of course. :P
I may have finally thought up a couple ideas, but I'm still accepting any you wish to share! :P