A/N: Thank you all dearly for the response to the first chapter, whether you reviewed, favorited or followed :) I enjoyed reading your thoughts and predictions (as soon as this site fixed the review bug).

To answer a question that was posed during a review, this fanfiction takes place some time during season eleven, before episode fifteen at least.

I hope you enjoy this second chapter!

x o x

Reid is sitting upright in the bed with his eyes closed when Aaron walks in. The older agent can't help but wince when he sees him, with bruises and cuts over his arms and face, most of them not entirely cleaned of blood. There's a purple cast over his broken wrist, and his breathing is uncomfortably shallow.

"I hope you didn't fall asleep," Aaron says, pulling up a chair beside the younger man.

Reid blinks open his eyes and gives a faint smile at his boss. "Just tired," he says. Aaron's surprised to hear there's not so much as a slur or mumble in his tone. "Wouldn't you be?"

"I suppose," Aaron grimaces. "How do you feel?"

"Not great." Reid yawns. "I wish I could sleep. For a long time."

"A genius like you should know better than that right now."

"No sleeping right now with the concussion, I know."

"How are your ribs?" Aaron asks, changing the subject. Just by looking at Reid's chest he can see that his agent is in a great deal of pain just by breathing.

"Painful. I don't think I'd be getting any sleep anyway." He shifts awkwardly, placing his broken arm under the bedsheets. "You know, you didn't have to come in the middle of the night. I don't want to inconvenience Jack."

"You didn't," Aaron says. The words fall out of him in a rush; he certainly doesn't want Reid to think of himself as a burden. "You didn't do that at all."

"Really?" Reid pauses, then smirks faintly. "So, how did he react to being woken up at four in the morning?"

"...Not well," Aaron admits. Reid's mouth opens to reply, but Aaron cuts him off before he can. "But I told him the situation and he understood. Reid, you got hit by a car."

The corner of Reid's mouth turns up again. "I guess I forgot. How thoughtless of me."

The two fall silent for a few more seconds, both keenly aware of the awkward question Aaron is going to have to ask sooner or later. He decides to dive right in and just get it over with. "How did you even get hit?"

"I...I was crossing the road and didn't look properly?" Reid asks, frowning. "I don't understand the question-"

"No, Reid," Aaron replies with as much patience as he can muster. They both know Reid understood the question perfectly well. "Why were you out so late to begin with?"

"Can a man not go to a pharmacy to get medicine for his migraines without it being considered weird anymore, Hotch?"

It isn't the answer Aaron's been expecting - not that he has a clear idea of what he was expecting. "I thought they went away."

Reid looks away uncomfortably. "It...it never really went away. I just stopped talking about it. I figured…" He trails away, leaving Aaron to fill in the blanks himself.

Except Aaron doesn't want to. "You figured what, Reid?"

"I...I just figured you wouldn't want to be hearing about it all the time. You would have tired of having to deal with it every week."

"We wouldn't have."

"You would have." The uncomfortable look disappears from Reid's face as he changes the subject. "So, the doctor says I could probably leave the day after the next. They want to monitor my concussion, I got hit at a weird kind of angle."

"How's your knee?" Aaron considers the possibility of Reid's story about the pharmacy. It sounds innocent enough, and it certainly sounds like the type of thing Reid would conceal from him and the rest of the team, but there's still something small that doesn't quite sit right with him, though he can't figure out what it is.

Reid shrugs. "It's fine. It hurts, but so does my good knee." He shifts again, wincing as his ribs move. "Hotch, could you do me a favour?"

"Of course," Aaron replies, leaning forward.

"Since I'm going to be in here another day, I figure I could use some entertainment…" Reid starts. "I have some books I haven't gotten to reading yet in a big stack on my desk at my apartment."

"You want me to get them for you?" Aaron asks.

Reid nods in reply. "Only if it's not too inconvenient. And don't get them now, because it's so late, but maybe sometime in the afternoon today."

"My lunch break at twelve?" Aaron suggests. "I can easily drop by your apartment and back here, you don't live too far out."

"Fortunately," Reid agrees. "Unless there's a case, of course."

"I can always get Garcia to bring them."

"Oh, there's another thing." Reid grimaces. "Please, don't let the team visit. They can get...loud, and overbearing at times, and I'm not sure that's what I want right now, with the concussion, and the ribs, and stuff."

Aaron pauses. "I...don't know if I'll be able to stop Garcia."

Reid smiles tiredly. "I suppose just doing your best will be good enough."

"I'll try bringing the books around noon," Aaron says, bracing his hands on his knees and standing up. "Please try and get some rest. And don't call Garcia about getting you some files."

"I won't," Reid says, yawning again. "I'm not sure I'd be able to anyway. I'm beginning to find it hard to think coherently."

Aaron gives a rare smile, standing back up and moving to head out the door. "Just make sure you're still a genius when I get back-"

"Wait!" Reid interrupts him, looking panicked for a second before he schools his face back into one of restless fatigue. Aaron manages to hide a frown.

"What is it?"

"I have one more request."

"Anything."

Reid swallows, almost imperceptibly. "Did you receive a voicemail from me at sometime prior to my accident this morning?"

Aaron suddenly remembers the voicemail he'd seen just after waking up, and mentally kicks himself for not remembering it earlier. "Yes, I did, though I haven't listened to it yet, sorry. Was it about something important?"

Reid shakes his head, now wearing a pleasant smile. "No, actually. It was just a dumb mistake I made. Regardless, I'd like to ask you to delete that voicemail."

Aaron pauses. "Why?"

"Like I said, I regret sending it." Reid's voice hardens, as does his smile. "Please delete it."

"I…" Aaron considers his options. He respects Reid, and his privacy. If Reid doesn't want him to listen to that voicemail, no matter what may be inside it, he wants to respect that. Even so, he can't shake the feeling that something is terribly, terribly wrong.

"Please," Reid says, and there's a tiny begging tone to his voice that pushes Aaron towards his decision.

"Alright," Aaron says, shoulders slumping slightly in defeat. "If that's what you want."

Reid smiles at him; not one of his usual half-smiles, where it's barely visible, but a big, genuine one. "Thank you," he says, the grin not once leaving his face.

Aaron doesn't buy it at all.

x o x

"Excuse me, Mister... Agent?"

Aaron is just about to walk out of the hospital when he hears the voice from behind him. He turns on his heels, maintaining a neutral expression. "Yes?"

To his surprise, the teenage girl from the waiting room is standing behind him, one arm outstretched precariously. It drops to her side as she bites her lip. "Are you the boss of the man who got brought in from the car accident? Spencer Reid?"

"Yes," he says cautiously, turning back around to face her fully this time. "And you are?"

"I'm…" She stumbles on her words and crosses her arms. "I'm the driver of the car that hit him. I'm so, so sorry..."

He's surprised - he had been expecting someone who was middle-aged, glasses, maybe even an elderly person. Though perhaps a teenager makes more sense than he first realised; perhaps she was coming home from a party when she'd hit Reid. "How did you know I'm an agent?" he asks, suspicious.

"Same way I know the other guy's name," she explains, looking embarrassed. "After I called 911, I looked for identification...I was panicking."

"But you did that after you called the emergency line?"

"Yes. Sir," she adds hastily.

"Then I suppose it's fine," Aaron says, watching the girl sag visibly with relief.

"Thank you," she says, quieter than before. "I was just gonna ask if your agent was...okay. Aside from the obvious."

"He's about as okay as he could be after being hit by a car," he replies tersely. He doesn't mean it to come out as cruel, but the girl did just almost kill one of his best agents.

"I'm sorry," she says, unable to quite meet his gaze. "I was driving home from a party - I didn't drink, I would never do that - and I guess...he came out of nowhere. I keep replaying those few minutes over and over in my head, wondering if I could have changed it…" She looks back up at him tearily, and it strikes Aaron as brave to show her tears to a stranger.

"From what Reid told me, it was half his fault too," he adds. "He said he didn't look both ways properly. Pedestrians have responsibilities too." There's an awkward silence while she nods and dabs her eyes with her tissue. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Abigail," she sniffs. "And you are, sir?"

"Just call me Hotchner," he replies, unsure of how formal to be. Hotchner seems like a good mix between friendliness and formality. "You don't have to call me sir either. May I ask how old you are?"

"Seventeen," she answers, laughing softly despite the tears that threaten to fall from her eyes. "I just got my full license too. I'm definitely going to be grounded now."

And Reid is definitely going to have to take significant time off work, Aaron thinks, but reminds himself it would be cruel to say that out loud to her. A part of him can't help but blame Abigail for Reid's accident, but mostly he feels sympathy for her. "I'm sorry for that," he offers lamely. He hasn't needed to ground Jack in a while, he realises. Would he ground him if he was involved in a car accident? Most likely not, in Abigail's scenario.

"It's alright," Abigail says, "it's only fair, I guess. That's probably what your agent would say…"

"No," Aaron says. "Reid is a good man. He won't blame you. Not at all."

"Thank you," she replies after a pause. "I...I actually stopped you to ask you a question."

"Yes?"

"Would it be too much to ask if I could get Reid's number?" she asks hopefully. "I get it's a weird thing to ask, but...I just really want to know if he's alright, but if I'm grounded, I probably won't be able to check on him."

"Reid only has a work phone as far as I know,"Aaron muses, "but I can cut you a better deal and give you my personal number. I have a job where I'm out of town pretty frequently, but I see Reid five out of seven days a week, and quite often more than that. You'll get ahold of me quicker than Reid."

"Really?" Abigail beams. "Thank you, uh, Hotchner." She gets her phone out of her pocket - somewhat awkwardly with her splinted fingers - and inputs the digits as he recites them to her. "Don't worry about calling me," she says once they're finished. "I'll be fine. Just...thank you for this."

"It's no problem," Aaron assures her. "Reid will be fine. His coworkers and I will make sure of that. Thank you for calling 911. Many girls your age would panic and just drive away."

"Thank you...but I was panicking." She shifts awkwardly. "I'll let you go home now. Sorry for all this. Again."

He shakes his head. "Panic is a normal response for someone so young as you," he replies, getting ready to head out the door and try to figure out a way to tell his team of what had happened without alarming them too much. "Call whenever you're comfortable."

She gives him a nod and turns away to sit back down in her seat. Aaron heads back to his car, mulling the events of the night over. It was only the slightest feeling, but he was sure that Reid was hiding something about what had happened, even if his account about migraines and the pharmacy was believable. Abigail hadn't seemed suspicious at all, but there's still the chance that she knows what Reid's hiding.

x o x

Fortunately, the team doesn't have a case when Hotch shows up to work. He gets there a little later than usual, having taken a nap at Jessica's house and driven back to his own house to get a different suit. He hopes the team doesn't notice before he tells them what had happened, however unlikely that may be.

Garcia's spread the word that he wants to see the entire team in the round table room, and he's thankful that the entire team has already gathered there, minus Reid. They look at him in concern as he walks in, the lack of files in his arms a dead giveaway that this is not a standard meeting.

"Is this about Reid?" JJ immediately asks.

Hotch isn't surprised they'd already picked up on why he'd called them all here. "That was faster than I expected," he says as he slides into his chair.

"He's not here and there's no case," Morgan explains. "We figured it was the most likely-"

"Is he okay?" Garcia interrupts. To Hotch's horror, he can see tears welling up in her eyes.

"He's completely fine," he starts, looking Garcia in the eyes, "but he won't be coming to work for a while."

"And that is because…?" Rossi frowns, after a short pause.

Hotch takes a moment to prepare for the oncoming onslaught of questions before continuing. "Late last night," he begins, squaring his shoulders, "or I suppose early this morning, Reid was hit by a car. He's-"

"What?" JJ, Morgan and Garcia all shriek in unison. Lewis' eyes widen in horror, while Rossi simply lifts both eyebrows.

"He's fine, as I was saying," Hotch replies tersely, giving the three loudest members of the team stern glances each. "He was taken to the hospital with two broken ribs, a broken wrist and a mild concussion. I've already talked to him and his doctor, and I have no doubt he'll be completely fine in a few weeks."

"What hospital?" Garcia demands, pulling out her phone.

"I'm not saying," Hotch replies, and holds up a hand to shush Garcia's gasp of horror. "I understand you'd all like to see him, but he had a headache when I last saw him, and I doubt he really wants to be disturbed."

"I wouldn't want to be," Rossi muses. "If I had to deal with this team suddenly barging into my hospital room when I had a concussion, I think I'd rather get hit by a car again."

"Jesus, Rossi," Morgan mutters in slight disgust.

"What? This team is loud," Rossi explains indignantly.

"I guess," JJ sighed. "I'd like to see he's okay for my own benefit. Selfish reasons."

Hotch notices Garcia edging towards her office. "Garcia, I will not be impressed if you find Reid's hospital yourself," he says, fixing her with a stern glare.

She sags, returning to her seat. "Sorry, sir," she replies, cheeks flushing red with embarrassment.

"Will you go and see him again?" Lewis asks. "I think we'd be able to work more efficiently when we know he's alright."

Hotch suppresses a smile at the way she stresses the word efficiently. "I'm going there during our lunch break today," he replies, "so if anyone has anything in particular they'd like to say to him, they can say it to me before then."

Morgan nods. "Just a simple get well soon from me."

"And me," JJ adds, "and I think from everyone, really."

Hotch nods. "I'll tell him he's in your thoughts. That's all I have to say. Everyone, back to your consults."

The team disperses, Morgan and JJ muttering amongst each other while Lewis and Garcia walk off in the direction of Garcia's office. Hotch turns to Rossi, who hasn't moved from his seat.

"Getting too old to stand up properly?" Hotch quips, raising one eyebrow.

Rossi just gives him a pointed stare. "Reid told you to stop us from visiting, didn't he?"

Hotch pauses, before nodding in defeat. "Was it that obvious?"

"It was to me, at least." Rossi shrugs. "But then again, I'm not as protective of him as the rest of the team. Did he say why he was out so late in the first place?"

"I'm working on that."

x o x

A/N: We have a reason for why Reid was out, even if he does appear to be hiding something...What do you think? Do you buy it? And if you don't, what do you think really happened?

Once again, thank you for all the feedback to the first chapter - it was much more than I was expecting. I hope this second chapter lives up to your expectations. Remember that feedback and reviews feed my young, kind of.

Thank you for reading!