A/N: So I noticed one or two of my times are off at the beginning of my chapter. They're missing AM/PM and are off by a bit from when I moved some chapters around and deleted a few. It really has no impact on the story but in case you were wondering, that's what was going on :)

I think I deserve a pat on the back. I'm pretty sure this is the longest chapter I've written so far! WOOOO!

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Tough love is not really my thing

8:00AM-FRIDAY

She lay in the bedroom, attempting not to fall asleep; a battle she knows is futile. Over and over since she returned from the hospital she has tried to fight off sleep. Every time she allowed her body to fall into dreams, those dreams turned into nightmares without fail. They would wake her up in sweat-soaked clothes, a scream caught tightly in her throat. Each time Reid would bolt up from his chair in the corner of the room and run to her side. He'd sit at the edge of the bed and pull her into his body, whispering comforting words as he rubbed her back, unconsciously rocking back and forth.

But this time Reid was not there to comfort her. He had gotten up from his vigil to answer the phone. Sophia turned onto her side, pulling back her sticky hair from her face. Her fingers brushed past her cheeks and she could feel a slight heat radiating from it. She sighed and closed her eyes, focusing on Reid's voice.

"Sophia didn't really wake up last night Morgan so no, I have nothing to report."

She could hear him pacing back and forth, his bare feet slapping loudly against the wooden floor. He stopped moving and Sophia smiled, picturing him rocking back and forth on his heels like he always did when he was on the phone.

"No Morgan, I'm not going to keep her up; she obviously needs some rest...Yeah, I get it but-Okay...Well...Will you ever let me finish a thought?" He started pacing again and Sophia stifled a little laugh. She could picture him stomping his feet like a child at his friend and rolling his eyes in frustration as she often saw him do when talking on the phone with his best friend.

"Really Morgan, really?...Yeah...No, that's fine. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll call you later on tonight." She could hear Reid grumbling and stomping loudly around the kitchen, obviously annoyed by his conversation. She heard his steps stop in front of bedroom door and she sat up slightly, pushing her back against the headboard.

The door slowly swung open and Reid walked into the room, smiling broadly as his eyes landed on a conscious Sophia.

"Good morning."

"Hey." Sophia's voice was quiet and dry. She coughed in an attempt to clear the sleep from her voice.

"Oh! Let me get you something to drink!" Reid said, jumping into action before Sophia could protest. He came back a few seconds later with a large class of water and a box of crackers. "I know you didn't want to eat anything before and you really weren't hungry at the hospital but you need to try to eat something.

Sophia wrapped her hand around the glass of water, feeling the cool wetness soaking into her hand. A drop of condensation seeped between her fingers, sliding over her knuckle and back onto the cool glass. She took a sip and listened as the ice clinked loudly against the glass.

She looked up at Reid through her lashes. He was standing at the edge of the bed fiddling around with the box of crackers in his hand. She reached over and placed the glass on the nightstand. She cleared her throat and patted the empty side of the bed when Reid finally looked up.

He shuffled over to the side of the bed and sat down, his legs crossed underneath him. "You want to try to eat something?" Sophia shook her head, glancing down at her hands. "You haven't eaten in hours. You really need to eat Sophia" Reid pleaded, opening the bag of crackers and grabbing two.

He looked over to see tears starting to fall down Sophia's cheeks. "Hey. Everything will be okay." Reid cooed, placing a hand flat against her cheek. He wiped away a tear with his thumb and smiled softly at her. "Sophia..."

"I-I can't" she finally choked out, rubbing the back of her hand underneath her eye. "Every time I...I just..." She sobbed dropping her head into her hands. Reid quickly dropped the crackers onto the bed and moved closer to Sophia. He ran his hand over hair, whispering comforting words as he pulled her into his lap. "Shhh. Don't worry. You don't have to-"

"I can't get him out!" She screamed, cutting him off and looking up at his eyes. "Every time I-I think about food all I c-can taste is hi-." She tried to get the word out but she started gagging, her eyes squeezed tightly closed.

Reid gripped her tighter, unconsciously rocking back and forth. He rested his chin on the top of her head. He frowned when he felt a slight heat radiating from her face but he chalked it up to her falling into hysterics. As he listened to her sobs fall into a drawn out rhythm, his mind started working on what she was attempting to say.

The reality of what Sophia was attempting to tell him hit against him like a ton of bricks, knocking the wind out of him. Suddenly his mind was assaulted with images of Emmett shoving Sophia down onto her knees and pushing himself on her.

He squeezed his eyes closed and shook his head, pulling Sophia closer to him. He swallowed away the thickness that was building in his throat, desperately trying to stop himself from becoming physically ill. His stomach tightened and he could feel his heart pounding violently against his ribs.

"Sophia..." He wasn't sure what he should say but decided something had to be said. "He...forced himself...on you?" He cringed at how awful and impersonal the phrase sounded coming out of his mouth but he wasn't sure how else to pose the question. But really, he didn't want to know the answer. He was already confident in the answer and hearing it from Sophia would only make it more real and unavoidable. Once said, it can't be taken back. He can't hid behind his pretend ignorance once it's put out there.

He felt Sophia nod her head up and down and Reid tried not to let his body tense. "Sophia, maybe eating will make that go away?" He suggested though he knew that there would be no simple answer.

Sophia obviously agreed as she scuffed and buried her head in Reid's shoulder.

"You know, tough-love is not really my thing but you're going to get sick if you don't eat. You need to eat." Reid attempted to look serious but only ended up laughing as Sophia let out a little chuckle back at him.

He grabbed the crackers again, not moving Sophia from his lap. He pulled out a single cracker and held it out for Sophia to grab. After staring at it for what felt like an hour she finally reached forward and grabbed the cracker. She held it to her lips and looked up at Reid through her lashes. She opened her mouth and took a bite, letting the bland cracker sit on her tongue. She held her hand to her mouth, slowly working the cracker down her throat. Reid smiled, thankful that they had finally made some progress.

And there the two of them sat for an hour, Sophia slowly chewing her way through another four crackers and drinking another glass of water. Reid unconsciously rubbed smooth, small circles against her back as she focused on keeping the little food she had consumed in her stomach. They eventually moved the crackers away and lowered their bodies flat against the mattress. Sophia curled her body into Reid's, nestling her into the side of Reid.

She mumbled a quiet "thank you" before wrapping her arm around Reid's body and closing her eyes.

"I love you" Reid answered back, placing a soft kiss on her head. He closed his eyes, pulling Sophia closer and resting his hand on her hip. As he felt himself drifting to sleep he felt Sophia burrow closer to him and whisper, "I love you too."

Aaaaannnnddd DONE! The next chapter is being worked out. I'm not sure when it'll go up because I am going on vacation for New Years and will have zero internet, which is actually kinda nice.

It'll give me some time to catch up on some writing for future chapters AND get back into my reading! Anyone else a Clive Cussler fan? Cuz I am a die-hard Dirk Pitt lover :)

Hope you all are enjoying the holidays and my story! Please keep those reviews coming! They're the best type of gifts 3