Disclaimer: Criminal Minds and all its characters belong to CBS. I own nothing. I do not own anything you recognize.
Previously on Criminal Minds- "Hotch, it's Prentiss" Emily called into the phone. "Morgan and I are headed to the ER with Spencer."
CM
Morgan and Prentiss dashed across the parking lot over the county's only hospital. They hurried through the double set of sliding glass doors and into the ER. Their foreheads crinkled in confusion as they glanced around their surroundings. A long, narrow hallway spread out in front of them. What they assumed was the door to the exam rooms as well as an unstaffed desk was on their left while a row of faded green plastic chairs sat along the right wall. Seeing an elderly man and his wife seated in the chairs closest to the sliding doors, they sighed. It looked like the cramped space was the hospital's idea of a waiting room.
"Go have a seat, Morgan. I'll get us signed in." Emily instructed, adding under her breath, "If I can find anybody that is."
"Okay" Derek softly replied, rubbing the whimpering toddler's back in comfort. He slowly shuffled over to the so called waiting area and dropped onto the uncomfortable piece of plastic. He settled Spencer in his lap and snuggled the little boy into his side. "Hang in there, kiddo" he whispered, "The doc's gonna make you feel all better soon."
Prentiss walked over to the vacant desk and looked around. Spotting a round, copper colored buzzer on the wall beside the wooden door with a sign under it that read "Ring for assistance", the profiler shook her head. She'd never seen a hospital set up like this. She strode over to the door and slammed her hand on the button, holding it down until the gray door opened and an irritated nurse stepped out.
"Can I help you?" the scowling young nurse snapped.
Emily bit back the impulse to growl back at the woman. Making the already mad nurse angrier would do nothing but make their wait time longer and that's something Reid didn't need. So the raven haired profiler pasted on the best terrified mommy expression she could manage. "My son's really sick!" she worriedly exclaimed. "His fever shot up to one hundred and two point seven and he's crying with his ear hurting and I, I…"
The nurse's expression softened. "Ma'am, ma'am it's okay. The doctors will take care of your little boy." she soothed. Reaching over, she picked up a clipboard off the oak desk beside her. "Here, start filling this out and I'll go get the doctor for you. Alright?"
"Thank you! Thank you!" Emily cried, taking the clipboard with shaking hands. She watched the nurse quickly walk back through the door before smirking. "I've still got it." she muttered, heading over to her friends.
The nurse reappeared before Prentiss could finish filling out the first sheet. "Ma'am, the doctor will see you now." Nurse Helen called from the doorway. "If you'll just follow me."
The profilers didn't need to be told twice. Scrambling to their feet, the two rushed over to the door. Slowing their pace, they followed the young blond down a short hall and into a curtained off room.
Helen walked over to the counter and started gathering supplies. "If you'll put your son on the exam table, I'll get a few readings and then get the doctor." she instructed as she filled her hands.
Nodding, Morgan went over to the metal table. He placed his hands under Spencer's arms and gently attempted to lay the ill little boy down. His effort was thwarted by tiny hands tightening the grip on his shirt. "Pretty Boy, I've gotta lay you down so the nurse and doctor can exam you, okay?" he whispered, frowning as the boy slightly shook his head. "It's okay, kiddo. We're not leaving you. I just need to lay you down. I'll be right here beside you the whole time. Promise." Feeling the toddler's head shake once more, Derek kissed the top of Spencer's head. "Okay, kid you win." The muscular profiler climbed onto the exam table and settled the sick child in his lap.
Nurse Helen went over to the table and set down her supplies with a sigh. Deciding to let the doctor handle the stubborn father, she busied herself with taking the toddler's temperature and other vitals. She scribbled the information on the child's chart and then walked to the curtain. "The doctor will be with you shortly." She said before leaving.
CM
"Shhh, it's okay. You're gonna be alright." Morgan soothed as he slowly rocked back and forth. "Just hang in there a little bit longer, Pretty Boy."
Prentiss finished filling out the stack of paperwork and set it on the chair beside her. Hearing the swish of the curtain, she looked over to see a young man with shoulder length dirty blond hair swagger in the room. She studied the physician skeptically. He looked more like some moonshining hillbilly than he did a doctor. But then again she knew more than most how looks could be deceiving. She'd give the man the benefit of the doubt for now.
"Evening folks" Doctor Sawyer greeted as he walked over to the exam table. Noticing the sick toddler's wide eyes staring at him, he smiled. "Hey there Sport. I hear you're not feeling too good."
Morgan inwardly cursed as Reid flinched away from the male doctor. In all the excitement, they'd forgotten about the little boy's harrowing ordeal with the pedophile. Wrapping his arms around the trembling toddler, he shook his head in warning at the doctor. "Nothing against you doc, but we're going to have to ask for another doctor." he said. "My boy here was attacked a few weeks ago and he's not too keen on strange male figures right now."
Stopping several feet short of the exam table, Doctor Sawyer rubbed the stubble on his chin thoughtfully. "I understand and I wish I could help you folks. I really do. But I'm afraid I can't honor that request. You see, you have the unfortunate luck of being in a middle of nowhere hospital. They don't have money for a bunch of on staff doctors, let alone have a ton of them on call. There are only two of us here tonight and we're both guys. So either way he's stuck with a male doc." He regretfully explained. "If you'd like, I can go get Doc Reynolds for you. The decision is up to you, man."
Derek glanced at Emily before asking, "Can you give us a minute?"
"Sure dude, just holler when you're ready" Sawyer replied. Putting down the clipboard, he hurried out the curtain.
Prentiss went over to her friends and leaned down. Carding a hand through Reid's long, chestnut locks, she said, "Reid, sweetie, I know having a strange man examine you is scary but we don't have a choice. You're going to have to be brave and let Doctor Sawyer check you out. Can you do that for me?"
"No" Reid rasped, shaking his head, slightly. "I don't want to. Peas?"
"Sorry kiddo, you have to." Morgan answered. "But it'll be okay. Emily and I will be right here the whole time. Nothing bad is going to happen to you as long as I'm here. Promise."
"Derek's right, Sweetie" Emily chimed in. "We won't let anything happen to you. Now come on, what do you say? Will you let the doctor take a look at you?"
Spencer turned tear filled eyes on his lady friend. "O-otay" he reluctantly agreed.
"Good boy" Prentiss praised, ruffling the youngster's hair before standing. "I'll go get him."
"It's okay kiddo, it's okay" Morgan soothed as he slowly rocked back and forth. Feeling the toddler in his lap stiffen, the older man looked up. Seeing the long haired doctor slowly walking towards them, he nodded. "Evening doc" he called, attempting to break the tension in the room.
"Evening" Doctor Sawyer replied. He grabbed a couple of things off the counter and then sat down on a metal stool and scooted over to the table. Smiling at the frightened toddler, the doctor held up a silver, cylindrical instrument with a rubber cone top on one end. "Momma tells me one of your ears is hurting you pretty bad, Sport." The doc stated. "Can you show me which ear hurts?"
Reid tiredly nodded. Pulling his thumb out of his mouth, he pointed to the ear leaning against Morgan's chest.
"Your right ear huh? Mind if I take a look in it?" Sawyer asked. Seeing the toddler's eyes widen, he added. "It won't hurt, honest, cross my heart and all that jazz." Getting a brief grin and a nod, the doctor slowly reached over and placed the end of the otoscope in the little boy's ear. Whistling, he put the instrument back in his pocket. "That's some infection you've got going in there, Sport. No wonder you're hurting."
"So he does have an ear infection?" Emily asked.
"Yep, and a rip roaring one at that" Doctor Sawyer answered before turning back to his patient. Hearing the boy cough, he pulled the stethoscope off his neck. "I need to listen to your heart now, kiddo. Is that okay?" Getting a whispered, "yes", the doctor proceeded to check Reid's heart and lungs. Afterwards, he continued his exam, making sure to explain each step to his tiny patient beforehand. When he was finished, he stood to talk with the parents. "Okay, here's the scoop. Little Bit has a nasty middle ear infection as well as one heck of a cold. He's also a little dehydrated. The high fever and dehydration need to be dealt with first. I'd like to start an IV to replenish the fluids. It'll have a fever reducer in it as well. That should take care of both problems. Once the IV is finished, I'll give him a shot of antibiotics and then send him home with a seven day supply." He explained, already gathering the supplies he would need.
"Couldn't you give him the antibiotics with the IV?" Morgan inquired. He hated the idea of having to hold Reid down for a shot.
"No can do, man" Doctor Sawyer replied. "I don't like it any better than you do, especially after what you told me happened to the little guy."
"You mean, it has to go in his…"
"Afraid so" Sawyer answered. Dumping his handful of supplies on the table at Reid's feet, the physician went over to one end of the room and got a tall, metal pole. He placed it on the left side of the exam table, hung up the bag of fluids and another smaller bag, and then went back to his supplies. Ripping open a blue bag, he pulled out the needle and turned to Morgan and Prentiss. "Mom, I'm gonna need you to hold his arm still for me. Dad, you're gonna have to hold the rest of him down. I'd rather not get kicked in the eye while I'm inserting the line."
"Wait, you mean you're starting the IV?" Emily asked.
"Hello, small town" Doctor Sawyer sarcastically stated, rolling his eyes. "The nurses here have more than their share of work to do so if I can take a little of that off their shoulders, I will. Besides, I'm better at it than the nurses that are on duty tonight. But if you want me to go get one…"
"No, that won't be necessary." Emily swiftly broke in.
"Thanks for the confidence ma'am" Sawyer said with a grin. Walking up beside his patient, he took a deep breath. He hated this part of the job. "Alright mom and dad, let's get this over with."
Prentiss stepped up to the table and took a firm hold of the toddler's hand and arm while Morgan laid his arms over the boy's chest, other arm, and legs.
Spencer gazed up at his friends in alarm. "Wh-wh-why?" he stammered. His eyes widened as he caught sight of the doctor approaching with a needle in his hand. "No! No needle!" he shouted, trying to buck his friends off.
"It's okay Sweetie" Emily comforted. "It'll be over before you know it."
Fighting to hold onto the tiny squirming body, Morgan leaned down beside the toddler's head. "Hey! Hey, kid relax. It's okay. Calm down. Come on kiddo, you're going to hurt yourself."
Doctor Sawyer waited until the parents had a good grip on the toddler before walking up beside the boy's mom. Ripping open an alcohol wipe pack, he swiftly cleaned a spot on the back of Spencer's tiny hand. Picking up the needle, he put a hand over the youngster's fingers to help keep his hand still. "Alright kiddo, little stick" he warned before sliding the needle into the child's hand. He winced as the sick toddler screamed and burst into tears.
CM
Hotch, JJ, and Rossi raced through the sliding doors and into the ER. Finding the buzzer, the BAU leader pressed it repeatedly until a nurse stomped out.
"Sir, please take your hand off the buzzer. You're disturbing the patients." A gruff older nurse commanded.
"I'm sorry" Hotch apologized. "My ex-wife called and told me she was bringing our son to the ER and I…" he broke off as a muffled scream reached his ears. "Spencer! Ma'am, that's my son! I've got to get back there!"
"Sir, I can't…"
Hotch pulled out his ID and flashed it at her. "Take us back there, now!" he demanded.
One look at the man's deadly expression and the nurse caved. "Right this way, sir" she meekly said, opening the door.
The FBI agents hurried after the matronly woman. Stepping through a curtain halfway down the hall, they froze. There on the exam table was their littlest agent, hooked up to an IV and crying miserably.
Morgan glanced up at the sound of footsteps. Spotting the rest of the team, he smiled. "Hey kid, look here's here" Derek softly said, nodding to the doorway.
"Daddy!" Spencer rasped, reaching frantically for his surrogate father.
That spurred Aaron into action. He quickly crossed the room and gently picked up the upset toddler, being careful of the IV line in the boy's hand. "Shhh, it's okay, buddy. You're alright. Daddy's here." he soothed as he slowly started rocking back and forth. He murmured reassurances until Spencer's crying began to taper off. "Did they give him anything for the fever?" he questioned without looking up from his charge.
"Yeah, that's what that little bag is." Morgan replied, pointing to the IV pole.
"Good" Aaron stated with a nod. Turning his full attention back to his surrogate son, he climbed up on the exam table and settled in for a long wait.
CM
About an hour later Doctor Sawyer trudged back to room four to check on his little patient. Pulling the curtain back, he walked through it and stopped dead in his tracks. Looking around at the room full of people, he grinned. "Family reunion?" he queried.
"Something like that" Prentiss responded.
"I'm Aaron Hotchner, Spencer's father." Aaron said. "That's my wife, Jennifer."
"And this is my father, Dave" Emily introduced, wrapping an arm around the older profiler's shoulder.
"Nice to meet y'all" Doctor Sawyer greeted. Going over to the exam table, he looked at the toddler in his dad's arms. "How're you doing, Sport? You look like you're feeling a little better."
"Uh huh" Spencer answered, snuggling into Hotch's side.
Picking a temporal lobe thermometer up off the counter, the physician approached the table once more. "Can I check your temperature real quick, Little Bit?" he asked, holding the device up for the boy to see. Getting a shy nod in response, Sawyer moved closer and placed the instrument on the toddler's forehead. After it beeped, he pulled it back and checked the reading. "One hundred point two, that's much better Champ."
"Tan I go home now?" Reid hopefully asked.
"In a minute Short Stuff" Doctor Sawyer replied. He walked over to the counter and put the thermometer away. Pulling a key out of his coat pocket, he unlocked the glass cabinet above the sink and pulled out a small, clear vial. He grabbed a long package out of a drawer and then went back to the table. "Dad, I mean dads" Sawyer corrected as he tore into the package. "I'm going to need your help here."
Wincing at the thought of holding his best friend down for the second time that day, Morgan swiftly opted out. "Grandpa" he called, grinning at the profiler's new nickname. "I think it's your turn."
"My turn to what?" Dave questioned. Spying the syringe in the doctor's hand, he frowned. "Oh" Taking a deep breath, he shuffled over to the exam table. "What do you want me to do?"
"I'm gonna need you two to hold him still for me. I'd rather the needle didn't break off in his backside 'cause he jerked." Doctor Sawyer informed the profilers. "Oh, and word to the wise: this kid is one Hell of a fighter."
"What about the IV?" Aaron asked as he gently laid the toddler on his side on the thin sheet.
"I'll take that out after." The physician explained. "It'll be easier that way."
Nodding their agreement, Aaron and Dave took up positions on either side of Spencer. Ignoring the toddler's protests, the older profiler waited for the doctor to come up beside him and then swiftly lowered the boy's pants and underwear. He securely held the tiny profiler's legs while Aaron practically lay on top of the youngster to keep him still.
Dr. Sawyer wasted no time swabbing an area on the toddler's hip and administering the dreaded shot.
The whole room grimaced as the toddler let out a pained scream before dissolving into sobs.
Aaron quickly righted the toddler's clothes and scooped him up. Cradling Spencer to his chest, he lovingly kissed the boy's forehead. "Shhh, all over buddy" he whispered. "You're okay." Feeling Reid go limp in his arms, he looked up at the doctor.
"He's okay, sir. The shot just knocked him out." Dr. Sawyer filled in. "He'll probably sleep till morning. Now what do you say, we get this IV outta him so y'all can take him home and put him to bed?"
"Sounds wonderful" Emily said with a sigh.
Chuckling, the doctor unhooked the IV, covering the spot with a band aid. Pulling a couple of prescription papers out of his coat pocket, he handed them to Emily. "The first one is for the antibiotic and the other one is for ear drops. Between the two, they should knock out that middle ear infection of his. Give him Tylenol for the fever and pain and if he isn't a lot better in a couple of days, bring him back."
"Alright" Prentiss agreed. "Thanks for being so gentle with Spencer."
"My pleasure ma'am" Sawyer replied with a dimpled grin. "Take care of the little guy for me. I don't wanna see him back here anytime soon."
"I'm with you on that, doc" Morgan said, shaking the physician's hand.
Dr. Sawyer shook hands with the rest of the profilers before walking over and holding up the curtain. "Go on, get outta here. Short Stuff needs a bed."
Nodding, the profilers walked out of the room with Spencer wrapped securely in Aaron's arms. The group of agents wearily tromped out of the ER and across the parking lot to their vehicles. After a short discussion, they split into groups and climbed in their respective SUV's. Starting the engine, Dave and Derek drove out of the lot, pulled onto the highway, and headed back to the hotel.
CM
Aaron trudged into his hotel room and shut the door. Going over to the nearest bed, he turned down the covers before gently placing Spencer on the bed. He unzipped the mini agent's go-bag and pulled out a pair of clean pajamas. The father then went in the bathroom, coming out with a pull-up and a wet washcloth. Taking a seat on the side of the bed, Aaron washed the little boy's tear stained face. After finishing his task, he tossed the wet cloth in the direction of the bathroom. He quickly undressed the toddler, stopping at each whimper to sooth Spencer. Dropping the dirty clothes on the floor, the profiler swiftly redressed the boy and pulled the blanket up around him. He checked Spencer's fever with the back of his hand before palming the sick toddler's cheek. "Sweet dreams, Spencer" he whispered. Standing, he picked the clothes up off the floor and walked into the bathroom. Throwing them in the dirty clothes pile, he ran a weary hand down his face. This was the second time a member of their team had had to rush Reid to the ER since he had been shrunk. 'More like three if you count the trip to the first aid center at Disney' his mind corrected. At this rate, Spencer wouldn't make it to New Year's Day. Turning on the faucet, Aaron splashed his cold water on his face. They needed to be more careful and more attentive of their youngest member. He would not allow Spencer's second childhood to be marred by frequent doctor visits.
Resolving to make the rest of Reid's childhood doctor free, Aaron toweled off his face and walked out of the bathroom. Seeing the toddler tossing and turning, he hurried over. "Shhh Spencer, it's okay" he whispered as he climbed into bed with the whimpering boy. Scooping the youngster up, the worried father slid down the bed, settled Spencer on his chest, and started humming a lullaby. Aaron smiled as the toddler immediately calmed down. Wrapping his arms around the now peacefully sleeping little boy, he readied himself for a long, sleepless night.