Hotch entered Rossi's hospital room to find Strauss sat by his bedside and a female doctor taking his vitals. He knocked gently on the door to alert them to his presence.
They both looked up at his pained expression. Seeing Rossi in a hospital bed, having his breathing assisted by a machine was not a pleasant sight. Hotch had gotten so used to Rossi being the reassuring and steadying voice by his side, he almost seemed invulnerable. The one thing he needed right now were some words of wisdom from his old friend. He could almost hear them.
" Aaron, we will find them. They are bound to slip up at some point. Don't blame yourself. This isn't your fault."
But no such words were coming. And Hotch hated the fact that he felt a little lost without them.
He moved into the room and Strauss gave him a small tight smile.
"How is he doing?" He asked the doctor.
"He is stable. The blood tests show that he has received a large dose of Ketamine. It caused respiratory depression. He is able to breathe unassisted, but his oxygen levels are too low at the moment. He's on IV fluids but I'm afraid it's just a matter of waiting for his body to process the drug. We will keep him intubated until his body metabolises more of the sedative. Then, when we can be confident that he can breathe safely on his own, we can remove the intubation."
Hotch nodded. "How long do you think he will be unconscious?" He asked, very aware that the only two people who could provide any details about the incident were both incapable of telling them anything.
"It's hard to say. It all depends on how quickly his body metabolises the drug. It could be anywhere from an hour to four or five hours. But he might be confused when he wakes up. Ketamine is a sedative so can cause amnesia, hallucinations, anxiety-"
"Yes, I understand... Thank you." He said cutting her off. He knew the effects of Ketamine well. He turned to Strauss. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Aaron." She said simply, maintaining her usual stoic demeanour. "How is Dr. Reid?"
"I don't know." Hotch answered. "The doctors are with him at the moment doing their forensic examination." He turned to the doctor again. "Has an examination been done here? I signed off for it as his medical proxy." It was a sad state of affairs that he had the permission to do this for three members of his team due to a lack of family members present in their lives.
"Yes, a forensic examination has been completed."
"Were there any signs of sexual assault?" His jaw clenched as he asked the question.
"None." The doctor said simply. Hotch breathed a sigh of relief. "The details will be available shortly. All we found was evidence of the injection site on his neck. This has been photographed along with the tattoo on his hand, as per Ms. Strauss' request. We have taken the usual swabs and samples."
"Thank you." She nodded, looking down to Rossi's freshly tattooed hand with a grimace.
"Not a problem." The doctor turned to Hotch again. "I'm Dr. Richards. Mr. Rossi is my patient so if you have any questions, please feel free to come and find me."
"Agent Hotchner." He shook her hand gratefully. "Thanks again."
The doctor left the room and Hotch made his way to Rossi's bedside.
"Aaron, this cannot continue. The BAU is being torn to pieces." Strauss said seriously.
"I know." Hotch said, staring down at his old friend and colleague. "Wilks is still with McCabe. I have Garcia working to see if she can recover the footage from Dave's security cameras."
"That's not enough, Aaron, and you know it."
"What would you have me do?" He asked seriously. "We have no forensic evidence except for what they wanted us to find. Anyone who could tell us anything about the operation is either dead or not talking. We have looked into all of the people who currently come into contact with Maloney and have found nothing. They are all clean."
"What about his lawyer?" Strauss asked with a frown.
"We have surveillance on his lawyer."
"You do?" Strauss looked surprised.
"Yes. He's not involved as far as we can tell. Every avenue is drawing a blank."
"Well, someone has to be doing Maloney's dirty work."
"Of course, but however he is communicating with them, he's hiding it well."
"What about the other three?" Strauss asked, shaking her head in frustration.
"Ellis, Bill and Alan?"
"Yes."
"Wilks has tried them multiple times. Aside from signing the confessions, they haven't spoken a word since they were detained."
"Perhaps they need to be offered a deal."
"A deal? Erin, with all due respect, they raped Reid. I'm sure you read the statement. These are not the type of men we want to be making deals with."
"Well one way or another Maloney needs to be stopped, Aaron. There are more victims out there who are suffering. They deserve justice." She said firmly.
"And we make Reid the sacrificial lamb? He deserves justice too, Erin. He deserves to see those men punished for what they have done to him. He's just as much a victim as anyone else." She closed her eyes in frustration. Hotch knew he had won this one. But he hated to admit, a deal with Reid's rapists wasn't completely off the table in his mind. It was a last resort. In the end, it wasn't a decision that any of them could make, but he could push for it if necessary. But he wasn't going to let her think it was something he would agree to at this stage.
"Then WITSEC for Maloney is looking more and more likely." She said flatly. "If he can tell us where the victims are, the FBI can't be seen to be ignoring that in favour of getting justice for one of our own."
"His messages have given us until the arraignment to give him WITSEC."
"And what happens if we don't?"
Hotch shook his head. "Then Reid is in a lot of danger." He said quietly, slightly unwilling to accept it.
"He needs to be in protective custody, Aaron. The US Marshall needs to take control of this and get him to a place of safety." Hotch's face paled and his back tensed, he shook his head unconsciously. Strauss raised an eyebrow as him. "You don't want him in protective custody?"
"It's not that, Erin. But can we guarantee that he will be safe? We won't know where he is, who he's with and if something happens there's no one there to protect him."
"The US Marshalls will protect him, Aaron." She said firmly. "That's the point."
"But what if his location is compromised?" Hotch took a breath. "We have seen this before." His eyes went slightly distant as bad memories flooded in.
Strauss' mouth tightened into a thin line. She was not often a compassionate person. But in this moment, she couldn't help but feel for him. They all remembered the situation with Haley. No one could ever forget it. She had been 'safe'. She had been 'protected'. And Foyet had managed to penetrate every defence mechanism that was in place. It had been devastating. It wasn't exactly irrational for Hotch to think that the same might happen again.
"This isn't Foyet, Aaron." She said gently. "And Agent Reid isn't Haley. He knows how the system works and he..." She chose her words carefully. "He would know not to surrender his location like that."
Hotch's gaze dropped. One of the hardest things to accept about Haley's death was the fact that she had walked herself into it. The guilt he had felt from not preparing her better with what to trust was crippling. He blamed himself and probably always would. He knew Reid was not the same person and he wouldn't fall for the same ruse Haley did. But he trusted no one outside of his team right now.
Hotch lowered his voice. "Erin, we don't know if this organisation has people within the US Marshalls. They have already proven they have access to information they shouldn't. If Reid goes into protective custody and something happens to him..." He trailed off.
"Something has already happened to him. He is being terrorised, Aaron. He cannot possibly feel safe continuing on this way."
"I will speak to him about it. Given his state of mind I'm not sure how he would cope in an isolated environment with people he doesn't know."
"Well, being around people he does know hasn't exactly kept him safe, has it?"
"I know that, Erin." Hotch found himself snapping slightly. "But it's not just about his safety. It's about his mental health as well. Right now, Reid can be just as much a risk to himself as Maloney is."
"That's not exactly reassuring when I am holding his position open for him" Strauss said dryly.
Hotch's teeth clenched. "He has some mental health issues right now, which I think is more than understandable. But he will get through them, we just need to get him through this. And be patient with him."
"We will see. There is only so long I can keep his position open. He has already been out of the field for the best part of five months. It might be best for all concerned if he decided to relinquish his position."
Hotch looked at her in shocked anger. It wasn't like he hadn't considered the possibility that Reid may not want to return after all of this. But never did he imagine it would be a decision that was taken out of his hands completely. And especially not right now when they were sat at Rossi's bedside.
"You cannot do that to him, Erin."
"I may have no choice, Aaron. If his mental health makes him a liability then he is a danger in the field. And the BAU needs strong dependable agents-"
"You're making this sound like it's his doing." Hotch cut in, scowling at her.
"I know you all have a soft spot for him. But don't let your favouritism get in the way of what is best for the unit. If he were to relinquish his position, we could find a replacement and once Agent Morgan returns you would have a fully functioning team."
Hotch's gaze hardened and he stared at Strauss. " If Dr. Reid decides not to return to the BAU, that will be his decision and no one else's. Do I make myself clear?"
Strauss met his gaze challengingly. She stared back at him for a few moments. "For now." She said coldly. "We will discuss this again at a later date."
Hotch just glared at her for a few moments longer, then left the room before saying anything that could be considered 'career limiting'. Strauss somehow always managed to shock him with her callousness. Her timing was always poor. It was her way of protecting herself from actual emotion. Hotch knew better than anyone that there was a reason she had made it to the position of Section Chief, and it wasn't due to her skill in the field. She was a sad stereotype of a woman in power who felt she couldn't show any humanity for fear of coming across as weak. And unfortunately, the Bureau seemed to fill their ranks with them.
Hotch unclenched his fists as he entered the waiting room.
"How is Rossi?" JJ asked instantly, her face racked with concern.
"He's okay. Still intubated but it's just a case of waiting for the drug to wear off now. As it does his oxygen levels should stabilise and the tube can be removed."
Both women breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank god." Prentiss' shoulders relaxed.
"Any news on Reid?" Hotch asked.
"No, he's been in there for ages." JJ said worriedly.
Prentiss suddenly looked to Hotch in panic. "What about Morgan? He won't know anything about this! He should be here."
"I called Fickler ten minutes ago to release him. He sounded reluctant but he agreed. We have no reason to hold him."
His phone started to ring and he looked at the caller ID. He held it up to his two colleagues. "Morgan." The relief swept over them. Hotch answered the call and put it on speaker. "Derek."
"Hotch, what the hell is going on? Fickler said something had happened to Rossi and Reid."
"Someone gained access to Rossi's home and drugged them. We are all at the hospital now."
" You've gotta be fucking kidding me?!" Morgan sounded understandably furious. "Are they okay?"
"Rossi had a bad reaction and had to be intubated, but he's stable. Reid is okay, still unconscious, he's been in a forensic exam for a while now."
"Oh god, no. Don't say that."
"It's just a precaution, Morgan. Dave had one too. All was... okay." He wasn't going to mention the tattoos over the phone.
"Okay. Well, I'm on my way."
"Are you sure you want to come? If you need some time to get your head straight then take it."
"What I need is to help catch the bastards who are doing all of this! And I need to see that they are okay. I've been sat in there worrying about them for the last two hours!"
"What do you mean, two hours?"
"Fickler came in and told me that something had happened to them and just left me in the damn room. I dunno if it was some sort of technique to extract a confession, but it was fucking torture!"
JJ and Prentiss looked to Hotch with their mouths open. They couldn't believe he would do that.
"That's disgusting!" JJ exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, Morgan. I will have a word with him, that should never have happened."
"Whatever, it's done now. There are more important things going on. I'll be there in 20."
"Okay, see you soon. Drive safe." Hotch smiled a tight smile and ended the call. He looked to the two women.
"Why on earth would he do that to him? That's awful. He must have been beside himself." Prentiss said with a disgusted look on her face.
"He obviously felt that Morgan must have been hiding something." Hotch said, shaking his head.
"It was obvious he wasn't once they spoke to McCabe." She snapped.
"Yeah, well Fickler is an ex-profiler with a reputation for digging deep. It doesn't surprise me that he wouldn't take Morgan at face value." Prentiss just rolled her eyes. "He's out now, so let's just focus on getting the team back together." Hotch said seriously.
They both nodded, JJ bit her lip. Their attention was then drawn to the door as a female doctor entered. "Spencer Reid?"
"Yes, that's us."
"Please, take a seat." This was never a good start. The doctor moved to sit opposite the group. JJ grabbed Prentiss' hand nervously for support. She squeezed back.
"We have completed Spencer's examination. I'm afraid we found evidence of potential sexual assault."
"What? The paramedics said it appeared unlikely."
"What do you mean, 'potential' sexual assault?" Prentiss asked, her brows furrowing in confusion.
The doctor took a deep, composing breath before she explained.
"I will apologise in advance for my candidness but I feel in situations like this it's best to be clear and direct." They all nodded in understanding and agreement. "He doesn't have any injuries usually consistent with rape but I'm afraid we did find evidence of lubrication in his anal passage which would suggest penetration of some form. There are no tears or injuries we would expect from forced penile penetration and no semen was found, but we can't rule it out. My professional opinion would be that, if this wasn't consensual then it's likely something else was used, such as an object or possibly digital penetration. We have collected swabs in case we find any DNA. We've also taken swabs from his mouth and penis."
"Do you think he was unconscious when it happened?" JJ asked in vain hope.
"It's impossible to say for sure until he wakes up and can tell us. He has injuries to his face consistent with a fight, but his... private areas show no sign of injury, which could suggest he was unable to put up any resistance. So, I'm afraid until he wakes up, we won't know."
Hotch swallowed. "How long will it take for the results to come back?"
"It's usually a couple of hours. Given the circumstances I can get them to prioritise it? Hopefully we would have them back within the hour."
"Yes, if you could do that. And for David Rossi also. We need any DNA evidence as soon as possible if we are to find who did this."
"I will do that for you now." The doctor moved to stand up but was stopped in her tracks.
"How is he?" JJ asked in a small voice.
"He's still unconscious at the moment. He was given a large dose of Ketamine which is a sedative-"
"How long before he wakes up?" Hotch interrupted.
"Well, he's on IV fluids to assist his body with metabolising the drug. I'm hopeful we should start to see some change to his condition in the next half an hour."
"What about his injuries?"
"He has some bruising to his face and a black eye. We've stitched a cut in his eyebrow and one on his forehead. There was an imprint in his skin from what looked like a ring. We think that's what caused the cuts, we have taken some photos and a mold of it for evidence. They will be ready with the swab results."
Hotch exchanged glances with JJ and Prentiss. Any evidence right now was like gold dust.
"Thank you. When can we see him?"
"He is just being moved onto a ward for observation. Once he is admitted I will let you know and you can go and see him." The doctor stood now. "I will go and speak to the lab."
They watched her leave the room in complete shock. JJ's shaking voice then spoke breaking them out of their thoughts.
"Is it really bad that I hope he was unconscious when they did it?"
"No." Prentiss said instantly. Clearly having exactly the same thought.
"I know it doesn't make it any better, but at least it's not another memory, you know?"
They all sat in silence for a while unable to think of anything to say to make any of this better.
"Oh god." Prentiss said suddenly, putting her hand to her mouth. "Oh god, no." JJ and Hotch looked at her in shock.
"What?! What is it?" JJ asked impatiently. Hotch was looking at Prentiss with an expectant scowl.
"They said they found Rossi with..." She gritted her teeth before saying it. "His hand in Reid's pants..." She trailed off.
"Yeah?" JJ said not understanding where she was going.
Hotch closed his eyes. He knew exactly where she was going.
"What if..." She couldn't bring herself to say it. She shook her head as she sucked a breath in through her teeth.
"What if... what?!" JJ asked in frustration.
"They made them..." She genuinely couldn't say it, no matter how she tried. She just gestured uncomfortably with her hands to mimic intercourse.
JJ looked at her for a few moments, then it clicked. Her mouth dropped open. "No, you don't mean... Rossi and Reid?"
"It's possible." Hotch said grimly. He couldn't believe he was saying that. He put a hand to his forehead.
"No... no way. There's no way they would do that. They'd have injuries or something! Rossi wasn't injured at all. They'd have fought it."
"Not if he was unconscious." Hotch said darkly.
"If he was unconscious, he wouldn't be able to, well... you know." JJ was in complete denial.
"No. But there are... other ways." Hotch's face had paled now. He felt physically sick. "Let's just wait until we get the results back. Or Reid wakes up. Whichever comes first." He said dismissively. He couldn't give this too much thought knowing it was only a theory at this moment. It was too horrific to just guess at.
The room descended into silence again as they sat with their nightmarish thoughts. Around 15 minutes later a familiar face entered the waiting room.
"Derek!" JJ instantly stood and rushed over to him, grabbing him into a tight hug.
Hotch and Prentiss stood too. Prentiss grabbed him into a hug once JJ let go. "It's so good to see you. Are you okay?"
Morgan smiled a little. "I've had better days." Hotch extended his hand out to him with an apologetic frown and Morgan shook it.
"I'm sorry." He said solemnly.
"It's not your fault, Hotch. You did what you had to do. Wilks on the other hand..." Morgan gritted his teeth and raised his eyebrows. Hotch just gave a tight-lipped smile.
"I'm so glad you're back." JJ said in relief.
Morgan put an arm around her and squeezed. "So, what's going on?" All of their faces dropped and Morgan's stomach knotted. "What?... Oh god, what now?" He let go of JJ and turned to face them.
"The forensic exam on Reid..." Hotch trailed off.
Morgan opened his eyes wide. "No, Hotch. Don't say it. Just don't say it." Morgan turned himself away in denial then looked back to his boss through wary eyes.
"It showed signs of um, lubrication." Hotch said uncomfortably.
Morgan closed his eyes and breathed out to calm himself. "Lubrication." He repeated in disgust. "And what is that supposed to mean?" Morgan's anger was rising.
"Right now, Morgan, we really don't know." Hotch said honestly. "He didn't have any injuries that would suggest... but a lubricant was used. We are waiting on the forensic results."
"I'll kill them, Hotch. I will fucking kill them." Morgan was now pacing the room.
"Derek, there's something else." JJ spoke, her face filled with dread. He froze and looked at her dangerously. "They were, uh... tattooed."
Morgan stared at her for a few moments as though the words weren't registering. He squinted at her, furrowing his brow. "They were... what?"
"They tattooed them, Derek."
Morgan's brain seemed to be catching up a little. "They tattooed them? What the fuck do you mean they tattooed them? Both of them? Wha-"
"Yes. Both of them." JJ forced out. "Rossi on his hand and Reid on his neck."
"Tattooed them with what?!"
"'Daddy' and uhh..." JJ trailed off not wanting to say it again.
"Fuck toy." Prentiss said, her compartmentalisation kicking in.
Morgan looked at them like they were insane. He pushed his chin forward as if expecting to hear something else. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. " What?"
"They tattooed Dave on the hand with the word 'Daddy' and Reid on the neck with 'Fuck toy'." Hotch clarified.
Morgan was now frozen in a state of angry contemplation. His jaw was completely tense and his eyes were like fire.
"Morgan?" Prentiss asked unsurely.
"This never should have happened." He said in quiet fury, shaking his head.
"Derek-" JJ tried.
"This never should have happened." His eyes flashed angrily. "He should have been at home with me." He looked to Hotch. "He'd have been safe with me. But you brought me in!" He rounded on Hotch. " You put me in that interrogation room and allowed him to go to Rossi's where he wasn't safe!"
"Derek!" JJ moved to his side in distress as she tried to reason with him.
"This is all your fault, dammit!" Hotch levelly met his angry gaze. "If you hadn't... if..." Morgan ran out of steam as anxiety hit him hard in the chest and took his breath away. His hand went straight to his heart and his stomach contracted as he felt like he had been punched in the gut. His eyes went wide as he slouched over, his shoulders tensing up.
"Morgan?" JJ grabbed him by the arm. "Derek, are you okay?"
Hotch frowned deeply and took Morgan by the shoulders and guided him back to a chair. He didn't fight him.
"Oh – god -" Morgan choked out between loud, painful breaths.
"JJ, take his hand." Hotch ordered. JJ automatically grabbed it. Prentiss sat down next to him massaging circles into his back. "Morgan, JJ has your hand. Focus on that. You need to take some deep breaths."
"They – tattooed – them." He was hyperventilating now. Unshed tears gathered in the corner of his eyes.
"Don't focus on that, JJ's hand is right here. Reid is safe. He's alive." Hotch reassured.
"Derek, everything is okay. Focus on JJ's hand." Prentiss added calmingly, thinking back to helping Reid in the hospital.
"Spence needs you, Derek." JJ said firmly. "He needs you so much."
Morgan shook his head.
"He does, Derek. Please, just breathe."
Prentiss was rubbing his back gently. She hated seeing Morgan like this. She was so used to him being a positive, cocky personality who gave them all confidence. To see him broken down to this point was incomprehensible. Maloney really had destroyed so much.
Prentiss watched as Hotch guided Morgan through some breathing exercises and JJ squeezed his hand reassuringly.
After a few tense minutes, Morgan's breathing was starting to calm under the firm instructions of Hotch. Prentiss kept rubbing circles into his back.
"That's it. Take some deep breaths." JJ said comfortingly. Morgan rested his head back against the wall and Prentiss quickly moved her hand. Sweat was running down his face and his t-shirt had wet patches scattered across it. He closed his eyes and took some calming breaths.
"I'm sorry." He breathed out. Hotch looked up at him from his crouched position with furrowed brows. "It's not your fault."
"Morgan. You don't need to-"
"No, I do." He tipped his head forward to look at him. "You were trying to protect Reid."
Hotch dropped his gaze and nodded. "I was."
"They are playing with us, Hotch. Showing that they can move us around like damn puppets."
"I know." Hotch said listlessly. He knew it. He knew it well. But right now, without Rossi, with the news about Reid, with Morgan in the state of mind he was in, with Strauss being... Strauss, he didn't even know where to start with it. He needed to see his team. He needed his family back together. Then he could look at what comes next.
"Do you want to see Rossi?" JJ asked. "Reid is being admitted to a ward right now, but you can see Rossi. He's not conscious, but he's stable." She said with a small smile and a stroke to his arm.
Morgan closed his eyes and nodded. After at least two hours of pacing a locked room, experiencing two panic attacks, conjuring up two horrific deaths and funerals and imagining a life without two of his team mates, seeing either one of them alive was more than he could ever have imagined hoping for.
"Okay, come on. I'll take you to him." JJ said gently, taking his arm and helping him to stand up. Hotch and Prentiss watched as they left the room. As soon as they left, Hotch sat down and put his head in his hands.
Prentiss eyed him carefully. "This isn't your fault, you know."
Hotch laughed scornfully. "Do you know how many times I have heard that since Jason first took Reid?"
"Well maybe it's because it's true." Prentiss said firmly. She sat down next to him. She went to put a hand to his back and then stopped herself. Hotch wasn't the type of person to appreciate any form of physical comfort. She held it behind him for a few moments, then taking a deep breath, she finally placed it on his back.
Hotch tensed a little at the contact and Prentiss pursed her lips slightly wondering if she had done the right thing. Hotch certainly had his boundaries and this was an unspoken but widely recognised one she had just crossed. The only person she had seen touch him with any kind of affection was Rossi. And she knew Reid had done so in bad moments. To her surprise, she felt Hotch's back lean into the touch slightly, his hands tightened in his hair and he broke down. Her eyes widened but her hand rubbed gently up and down her superior's back as he uncharacteristically wept.
She didn't say anything and nor did he, like there was some unwritten understanding that this would go no further. She just sat with him until he finally composed himself. He sat up and wiped the tears away from his eyes.
"Sorry." He said simply.
She just shook her head and squeezed his shoulder, looking at him with concern. When he sat back in his chair, she pulled her grip away and tightened her lips.
"You done now?" She said with feigned amusement. Hotch closed his eyes and gave a tight smile.
"I think so."
She patted him on the knee. He turned to look at her and she gave him an understanding, sad smile. He returned the gesture. It was an unspoken conversation of compassion; one that needed no words or gestures. Just two people who struggled to display their emotions sharing with each other how shit all of this was and how much it had really affected them. Their souls were laid bare to each other at that moment.
After a few moments Hotch nodded his silent thanks. Prentiss nodded in return. She sat back in her chair, mirroring her boss and they sat in silence until the doctor returned.
The doctor had arrived with news that whilst Reid was being transferred to the ward, he had started to wake up. But he was in no condition for a conversation. The Ketamine was causing intense hallucinations, and with Reid's mind in the state it was in, there was only one thing he was hallucinating about.
When Hotch and Prentiss entered the room, they found a delirious and panicked Reid lying flat on the bed. His body not responding to the apparent distress he was in. His eyes were wide and darting around the room. His face was once again covered in injuries. Prentiss ran a gentle hand down his cheek.
"God, he's a mess." She shook her head.
"The drug has put him in a dissociative state. He's experiencing hallucinations but his motor control is compromised so he's unable to move at the moment. He will regain motor function as the drug wears off more." The doctor advised.
"He's stuck in a K-Hole." Hotch said knowingly. His mind unwillingly floating back to Frank Breitkopf and his use of the drug to paralyse his victims.
"Some patients can find it quite distressing; others aren't as affected and find the experience to be a pleasant one. I'm afraid Spencer appears to be quite distressed."
"Is there nothing you can do to help him?" Prentiss asked taking hold of Reid's hand gently.
"I'm afraid not. It's just a case of waiting it out until the drug breaks down more in his system. Hopefully that won't take too long. This is actually a step in the right direction, even if it looks like it's not." The doctor said with a small smile. Prentiss nodded in understanding. "Just sit with him and keep talking to him, eventually he will come out of it." She said gently.
They both patiently sat at Reid's bedside while they watched him breathe heavily in and out through his nose whilst his eyes flew around the room in terror. Pathetic whimpers hummed in his throat leaving Hotch and Prentiss feeling completely helpless.
Hotch stood over him and reassured him that it is was only a hallucination but unlike the flashbacks, Reid was far too detached from reality for that to work. Leaning over the bedrail, Hotch finally caught sight of the tattoo. It wasn't large but it also wasn't small enough to be illegible. It was on the side of his neck level with his jaw and about half way down. If Reid was wearing a shirt Hotch was sure it would still be visible. Which is clearly what they wanted. They wanted him to wear it like a brand. Hotch's face scrunched up in disgust. Seeing what he was looking at, Prentiss came around to that side of the bed.
"Is it bad?" She moved towards the pair and Hotch took a step back to let her view it. "Oh." She looked both horrified and furious when she saw it.
"He won't be able to hide it."
"Well, that's what he wants isn't it? To tell the world who he belongs to." Prentiss said in revulsion. "This is going to devastate him, you know. After what he did to the marks on his arm."
"At least a tattoo can be removed." Hotch said, trying to find a positive in the situation.
"Yeah, that is one small mercy." Reid seemed to be calming down now after 30 minutes of near constant whimpering. Prentiss looked at him sadly. "I wish I could just take that brain and wash it clean of all the bad memories."
Hotch looked at her and nodded, putting a hand to Reid's hair and stroking. That was something the whole team could agree on. They would give anything to go back six months and get their 'boy wonder' back.
A knock at the door drew their attention.
"The results from the forensic examinations have been processed. They have found some DNA samples from both exams. They have been sent to your analyst as requested." The doctor said matter of factly.
Prentiss looked at Hotch hopefully. "Thank you." He said with a small smile. He instantly pulled out his phone and called Garcia.
" Sir." She answered with none of her usual wit or warmth. She had been made aware of the situation some time ago and had decided to remain at work, knowing that she would be most useful analysing the evidence. And deep down, she really didn't think she could take any more hours of helplessly sitting in a hospital waiting room.
"Garcia, you should have the results from the forensic examinations now."
"One moment, Sir. Let me check." He could hear her typing away. "Yes, Sir. I have them." Her voice picked up with a little excitement at the prospect of potentially finding the people who did this. "They found some DNA! Hotch, they have two different sets of DNA!"
"Garcia, I need you to run them through CODIS."
"On it! As soon as I have anything I will call you back!"
"Thanks." Hotch ended the call.
"Hotch." Prentiss drew his attention back towards the bed. "I think he's coming round." She said as Reid's body shifted in the bed and he groaned.
Hotch moved to Reid's side and took his hand. "Reid?" He said gently.
Reid responded with a moan and shifted his body again, his hand squeezed Hotch's as he did. His eyes flickered gently open. Prentiss left the room to go and get the doctor.
Reid's confused eyes landed on Hotch. "Hotch?" He whispered.
"Yeah, Reid, it's me." Hotch spoke gently, squeezing his hand comfortingly.
"W-what happened?" Reid sounded incredibly confused. His brows furrowed as his eyes made their way around the room. "Hospital?" He asked, squinting his eyes trying to remember why he was there.
"Yeah, you're in hospital, Reid. Do you remember anything?"
Reid anxiously licked his lips and frustratedly blinked as his mind worked overtime trying to piece together what had happened. He shook his head, biting his lip.
"Okay. It's alright. It will come back to you." Hotch said reassuringly.
Prentiss and another doctor entered the room. The doctor approached the bed, opposite Hotch. He checked the IV and then looked down to his patient. "Spencer? I'm Dr. Mathers and I'll be taking care of you today. I just need to do some checks, okay?"
Reid nodded with unsure eyes. It was clear he had absolutely no idea how he ended up here.
The doctor shined a light in his eyes and ran through the usual cognitive questions with him.
"His pupils are very dilated." Hotch said with concern. He could barely see the brownish hazel that was usually so obvious.
"That's to be expected." Dr. Mathers reassured. "They will gradually return to normal as the drug works its way out of his system."
"Drug?" Reid's eyes widened. "I've been drugged?" His panic was clear. He tried to sit up but his motor function had not yet fully returned. "What with? God, not..."
"No, Reid. Not that." Hotch said putting a hand to his shoulder. He watched as the relief swept over his young colleague's face.
"Ketamine." The doctor said gently.
Reid closed his eyes and he took a breath out. "So not an opiate." He said with a slight smile.
Prentiss frowned. How cruel does life have to be for someone who has been forcibly drugged to find pleasure and relief in the fact that the drug wasn't an opiate? It spoke way too much about the traumas he had gone through in his life.
Reid's eyes opened wide again as if he suddenly remembered something. "Rossi! Where is he?!" Hotch felt Reid's grip tighten on his hand.
"He was drugged too. He's okay. He's just down the hall."
Reid nodded now and blinked a few times. "I remember... he..." Reid's eyes squeezed shut as a memory washed over him. "He wanted my phone. His wasn't working." He furrowed his brows. "There were... police."
"Yeah, Reid, the police found you both. Do you remember that?" Hotch asked softly.
Reid shook his head. "No... no. There was a prowler."
"A prowler?" Prentiss asked, looking to Hotch.
"What do you mean, Reid?"
Reid still had his eyes squeezed shut, working his memory the best he could.
"The police, there was a prowler." Reid shook his head as if it wasn't making any sense to him.
"The police were there because of a prowler?" Hotch asked, trying to piece together Reid's words. Reid nodded.
"Did they mention any reports?" Prentiss asked Hotch. He frowned and shook his head.
Reid's grip tightened on Hotch's hand. "He- he was dragging him."
"Who, Reid?"
"Rossi. He was unconscious." His eyes opened wide and landed on Hotch. "They drugged him."
Hotch's phone began to ring, he took it from his pocket and checked the caller ID. It was Garcia. "I'm sorry, Reid. I have to take this." He passed Reid's hand over to Prentiss and she took it. He nodded to her suggesting that she keep him talking. He moved outside the room.
"Garcia." He answered.
"Sir." Her voice sounded shaky. "I- I don't know what I'm looking at here."
"What do you mean, Garcia?"
"I don't know... I... I've had matches on the DNA. They belong to Rossi and Reid."
Hotch closed his eyes. "No other matches?"
"No, Sir. There were only two."
"Tell me what the report says, Garcia." Hotch ordered.
"Um, a mixture of Reid's DNA and um, lubricant... was found under four of Rossi's fingernails. Umm... his DNA in the form of saliva was also found on Rossi's, uh... penis." She said under her breath.
Hotch's jaw tightened; his heart was thumping. "And Rossi's DNA?"
"Oh god, I'm sorry, Sir. I just need..." Garcia clearly moved away from the phone for a few moments. He could hear her breathing heavily. He knew she was crying. Hotch felt a lump developing in his throat as he patiently waited for Garcia to return to the phone. "Okay. Okay... I'm uh, here... Sir." She cleared her throat obviously trying to regain her composure. "Rossi's DNA was found in Reid's... anal passage and his... his mouth." She took a shaking breath in. "Does this mean what I think it means?" She asked desperately, hoping beyond hope that Hotch was going to come up with some miraculous explanation for why this would be completely normal.
"I- I think so." Hotch said sombrely. "Was any semen found?"
"No... Can I come to the hospital now, Sir? I need to see them." Her voice sounded broken. Hotch again, didn't answer. "...Hotch?"
He shook his thoughts into the present. "Yes, Garcia. Whatever you want. Just bring your laptop. We might need it."
"Okay. I will be there soon."
Prentiss emerged from the room. "He wants to do a cognitive, but I think it might be too soon?" She looked at Hotch awaiting an answer.
"Do it." He said firmly. "We need to know exactly what he remembers."
"Okay..." Prentiss trailed off seeing how pale Hotch appeared. "Is everything okay, Hotch?... Was that Garcia?"
Hotch just opened up his emails on his phone and passed it to her. He couldn't bring himself to say the words. As she read through the reports her mouth dropped open and she looked to her boss.
"No." She almost plead. Hotch just nodded with a look of dread on his face.
"We need to know if he remembers any of it." Hotch said.
"Okay... Okay, I'll see what I can find out." She was suddenly dreading this.
"I'm going to see Dave."
Rossi's room was just up the hall on the same ward, so he didn't have far to go. He knocked on the door to hear a familiar and unexpected "Come in."
He furrowed his brows and entered the room. There he found Rossi, sitting up in bed without tubes and awake.
"Dave!" Hotch exclaimed in surprise. A large smile graced his face. "I wasn't expecting to see you awake for some time."
"I've the constitution of an ox." He said with a wry smile. "Probably helped that I, uh... let's say 'dabbled' with recreational drugs back in my youth."
Hotch kept smiling, his eyes sparkling with amusement. He was so relieved to have his old friend back in that moment everything negative seemed to wash away. "How are you feeling?"
"Physically, I'm alright. I think there's gonna be one hell of a comedown though."
Hotch's face dropped a little. "And mentally?"
JJ and Morgan were both at his bedside and looked down at the sheets when this question came up.
He pulled his hand out from under the sheets and looked at it. "Well, I'm starting to wish I'd had kids, put it that way." He said dryly. "A man of my age really can't carry this off without them, you know." Despite his attempts at levity there was a real sadness and embarrassment in his eyes. He was fortunate enough that people around him would likely assume it was a tattoo he got for his child. But every time he looked at it, he would know.
"I'm so sorry, Dave."
He shook his head. "It could be worse. It could be 'fuck toy'." He said angrily. "How has the kid taken it?"
"He doesn't know about it yet." Hotch's eyes filled with dread. "His constitution isn't quite as strong as yours and he's spent the last half hour hallucinating."
"Of course. Things were never going to be easy for him, were they?" Rossi said frustratedly.
"He's back with us now though. Emily is doing a cognitive with him."
"Good." Rossi nodded and looked back to his hand again.
"Talking of which..." Hotch trailed off.
"I've already told JJ and Morgan everything I know." They both nodded in agreement.
"Which is?" Hotch pressed.
"Two police officers showed up at the house saying my neighbour, Sandra had reported seeing a prowler looking in through the windows. Our cell phones had no service and the landline was dead. They checked around the house and one of them checked upstairs. When he came back down, I made them a coffee in the kitchen and that is the last thing I remember."
Hotch nodded thoughtfully. "So, you were in the kitchen and you don't remember anything past that point?"
"No, it's like the lights went out. Which I assume is when they drugged me."
"And where was Reid when you were in the kitchen?"
"He was in the living room with the officers."
"Had they done anything to him?" Hotch frowned.
"Not that I was aware of. One was sat on the couch with him and the other must have come into the kitchen to drug me."
"And you don't remember a thing between then and waking up in the hospital?" Hotch asked, desperate to clarify.
"No, Aaron. What I'm telling you is exactly what I remember." Rossi was starting to look confused now.
"And Reid was okay when you went to make the coffees?"
"Yes. He was fine. Aaron, what's going on?" Hotch's expression tensed up and his lips tightened in reluctance. Rossi's eye twitched with anger. "What did they do to him?"
Hotch stared at him for a few moments. How was he supposed to tell him this? It would devastate him. He viewed Reid as a son. To know that he had been defiled by his own hand could break him. And worst of all, he had no idea he'd even done it.
"You both had forensic examinations done."
"So I understand." Rossi said with a hint of embarrassment. "Mine was fine but Reid's was not, right?"
"Not exactly." Hotch furrowed his brows and sat down on the edge of the bed, trying to find the most compassionate way of doing this.
Upon seeing this manoeuvre, Rossi's whole body was covered in goose bumps. "Aaron, what is it?"
He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "As part of the forensic examination they took swabs from both of you. The usual, mouth, penis, anal passage, fingernails."
"Yes... and?" Rossi said impatiently. He knew how a forensic exam worked; he really didn't need to be reminded of exactly where the poor doctor had been.
"There was DNA found under your fingernails and on your penis.."
"What the fuck?!" Morgan shouted furiously.
Rossi looked at him in shock. "On my... my penis?"
Hotch nodded grimly. "Saliva."
"They assaulted me?" He looked horrified. This was beyond unexpected.
"Yes... and no." Hotch ran a hand down his face. JJ and Morgan were now looking at him in frustration.
"What the hell do you mean, yes and no?" Morgan jumped in.
"There was also DNA found in Reid's mouth and anal passage..." Hotch took a deep breath. Things would never be the same after these words. "Your DNA was on Reid and his DNA was on you."
JJ's head dropped into her hands. Their worst nightmare had come true.
Rossi sat for a few moments in silence then he shook his head. "Well, it would be, we spent the afternoon together and I'd been hugging him. Of course, his DNA would be on me."
"No, Dave. The samples they took, they were Reid's DNA." He knew Rossi knew what it meant deep down but his mind was not allowing him to process it as it was too horrific to contemplate.
"This can't be right, Hotch." Morgan's head was clearly in the same place as Rossi's as he looked at his boss in complete denial. "He was unconscious. There's no way they could..." He stared at Hotch, almost desperate for him to agree.
Rossi was looking uncharacteristically pale. He appeared to have aged ten years in ten seconds. His face looked gaunt as his mouth had dropped open in pained dissent.
"Hotch, tell me this isn't true." Rossi looked at his younger friend in complete devastation. Hotch just looked at him stoically and shook his head.
He pulled his phone out and handed it to Rossi. The report was still open. He didn't feel that spoken words were going to bring any comfort right now. If anything, they would only serve to make it all more real.
Rossi's eyes started tearing up. Hotch saw him look at and clench his hand as he recognised that it had likely been the culprit. And for the first time, Hotch realised that it was probably no coincidence that the tattoo had been placed there.
Rossi tipped his head back against his pillow and closed his eyes. "Was he awake?" Morgan took the phone from him and read it. Nausea rolled in his stomach.
"We don't know yet." Hotch said quietly.
"Cazzo." Rossi said under his breath.
"So, let me get this straight..." Morgan's angry voice cut through the tension. "Not only have they tried to convince Reid that I have been involved in this the whole time and want to keep him as some sort of sex slave, they've now knocked Rossi unconscious and used him as a device to abuse him? This is completely insane. I've never heard of anything like it!"
"He wants him completely isolated." Rossi said. "And if he keeps going this way, it's going to happen. Reid will never look at me the same way again after this." Rossi rubbed his beard.
"Dave, you've been assaulted too. Regardless of how or what happened, neither of you consented. That is sexual assault."
"I need to know what he remembers. Because if they drugged me and I did this under the influence..." He trailed off, shaking his head in disgust.
"Even if you did, Dave. That isn't consent."
"You can forgive me, Aaron for not giving a shit about that right now. Get the story from the kid. That's all I need to know right now. And tell him I'm sorry. God, I'm so damn sorry." Rossi broke down. JJ put her hand to his back to comfort him but he tensed up. "Don't."
"Sorry." She said sheepishly, withdrawing her hand.
"Just... give me some space."
Morgan looked at him through distressed eyes. "Do you want us to leave?"
"I just need to... get my head round this." Rossi said closing his eyes. They all exchanged concerned glances and followed Hotch's gesture for them to leave.
They all headed towards the door. "I'll be back in a while." Hotch said gently. Rossi's features tightened and he nodded.
They met outside the room, closing the door.
"Just when you think things can't get any worse." Morgan said, putting a hand to his forehead.
"This is horrendous." JJ said. "I can't imagine how he must be feeling right now."
"He is driving a wedge between Reid and everyone he cares about." Morgan said angrily. "First me, now Rossi."
"He wants Reid not to trust anyone. If he isolates him, he's easier to manipulate. He wants to show us that he is the one in control."
"And right now, he's doing a great job." JJ said dryly.
Prentiss was now moving towards the group.
"Is he okay?!" Morgan asked quickly, directing his attention towards her.
"Yeah, he's alright."
"How much does he remember?" Hotch asked in trepidation.
"Everything up until he was drugged. It was another 'message' from Maloney. He said they beat him because he punched one of them in the face and spat at him."
Morgan smirked a little. "Good for him."
"They were called Langley and Peters. Said they were police coming to investigate a report of a prowler. He said they had cross tattoos behind their ears. He recognised the same tattoo on Ellis from when he was attacked." The team all exchanged glances and made a mental note to discuss this with him further. "He said that's when he realised they were in trouble. He stood up and called to Rossi but Peters stopped him and pulled him back onto the couch. The next minute Rossi was being dragged in unconscious. They handcuffed him and moved him upstairs." She pulled out her notepad. "They said they were delivering a message from 'a higher power'... 'a sign of things to come', and the FBI 'should have listened'. The last thing he remembers is them opening the door to the bedroom and seeing restraints set up on the corners of the bed and Langley ripping his t-shirt open. They said he and Rossi were going to 'have some fun' and they whispered 'periculum in mora'. Then all goes blank."
"He must have been terrified." JJ said sadly.
"What did you tell him?" Hotch asked frowning.
"Nothing, he wouldn't let me. He said if they have done something to him then he doesn't want to know about it. He doesn't care. He just wants to know that they didn't do anything to Dave."
"And what did you tell him about Dave?" JJ put her hand to her mouth.
"Nothing! I mean what could I say? 'Oh they made you sexually assault each other whilst you were unconscious?" She snapped.
"God, Emily!" JJ said in shocked disgust.
"What? Are we pretending this is something else?" Prentiss said with a sardonic laugh. "Because if any of you have a better way of describing it, I'm all ears!"
Morgan shook his head. "She's right. There's no 'nice' way of putting this."
"We can't not tell him. Dave knows, and Reid will find out one way or another. It's better that it comes from us than some report or statement." Hotch said simply.
"Dave knows?" Prentiss appeared nervous.
"Yeah, he's awake now. Hotch told him." JJ said.
"How did he take it?" They exchanged glances.
"As expected," Hotch said simply. Prentiss nodded. She understood that meant 'leave him alone right now'. The man wore his heart on his sleeve, but it took a long time to get to that point. Something like this was bound to send it retreating back behind the safety of his defensive walls.
"Okay, so how do we do this?" JJ asked wringing her hands anxiously.
"I haven't even seen him yet." Morgan said ominously. "I don't think me walking in and delivering this news is the best idea. Does he even know I've been released?" Morgan looked at them all and could tell by their expressions that it obviously hadn't crossed their minds to tell him. "Right." He said dryly. "Maybe I'd better show my face first. See if we can resolve one issue before we create another." Morgan started moving towards the door then stopped and turned back to the group. "Before I do... did he believe I'd done it?" He asked with apprehension.
JJ sighed. "Honestly? I don't think he knew what to believe." Morgan closed his eyes and nodded. That wasn't what he wanted to hear. "But one thing I do know is that he doesn't want to lose you. When you were taken away, he said he wished they'd killed him." Morgan looked at her in shock. "Yeah, he was a mess." She said miserably.
"Okay." Morgan nodded and approached the door. He pushed it open to find Reid sat in a hospital bed staring down at his hands. His gaze came up and Morgan winced at the state of his face. His best friend's features were marred and distorted with painful cuts and bruises. He frowned, once again he had failed to protect him.
Reid's eyes were wide and nervous as they stared at Morgan. It was clear he didn't know what to say or how to react. Morgan moved into the room and closed the door behind him. The anxious look on Reid's face made his palms sweat. The blind trust he used to see was no longer there. It had been replaced with a skittishness that he hated.
"Hey." Morgan said, unable to keep the slight edge out of his voice. Seeing Reid again took his mind back to the way he had backed away from him, completely terrified. He had clearly believed that Morgan was a danger to him and, sickeningly, had been fantasising about assaulting him. Try as he might, he couldn't hide the fact that it stung.
"You've been released." Reid said, the nerves making his voice shake.
"Yeah." Morgan weighed him up and down for a moment. "Disappointed?" He quirked his eyebrow at him, trying to figure out where Reid's head was at.
Reid dropped his gaze and wrapped his arms around himself insecurely. "No." He said quietly.
"Do you really think I would do that to you, Reid?" Morgan moved towards the bed. His posture was more imposing than was helpful. "That I have been manipulating you the whole time?" Morgan was stood next to the bed now and Reid still wasn't looking at him. "Reid?"
Reid then looked up at him, his face filled with guilt. He threw himself out of the bed and grabbed hold of Morgan, hugging him tightly.
"I'm so glad you're back." He gasped.
Morgan tensed for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief. "God, kid, you had me thinking that you hated me for a minute there."
"I'm so sorry. I never should have believed it. I'm so, so sorry."
Morgan wrapped his arms around Reid's back. "I'm not gonna lie, Reid. It did hurt to think that you might believe that of me... but I understand it. After everything, of course I understand it." He stood back a little and looked at his friend. "So, they told you what happened with McCabe?"
Reid just shook his head in confusion. "Who's McCabe?"
Morgan stared at him hard for a few moments and then smiled, pulling Reid back into the hug. Reid's apology was coming from pure faith in Morgan's character. Not from being told the truth. That meant the world to him.
"He's the guy that set me u- That doesn't matter right now, kid. We can talk about that later. All you need to know is that you're my best friend and I would never do anything to hurt you. Unless you prank me again. Then I'm coming for you." He grinned. Reid laughed hugging Morgan tighter.
Morgan then moved his hands to Reid's shoulders and pushed him back, looking him deep in the eye.
"There is something we need to talk about though."
"I know what you're going to say."
"You do?" Morgan raised his eyebrows.
"Yeah." Reid sighed. "I was assaulted when I was drugged."
Morgan's lips tightened and his eyes softened. "How did you know? Do you remember?" He asked faintly with a hint of dread.
Reid's gaze darted away. "I just..." Then he looked at Morgan seriously, his eyes accepting. "I can feel it. I know what it feels like." His head dropped. "But I don't remember any of it."
"Are you absolutely sure you don't remember anything?" Morgan asked firmly.
"Yeah. I'm certain." Reid stared hard at Morgan for a few moments. "What's happened, Morgan? They did something to Rossi, didn't they? And no one wants to tell me." Morgan's jaw tensed and he took an avoidant step back. Reid shook his head. "You're all forgetting I am still a profiler; I can read you all like books. Emily's already made a pathetic attempt to avoid telling me what's going on. I've not seen Hotch since he answered his phone with a look of dread on his face. I'm not stupid. Please don't treat me as though I am." Reid wobbled a little on his feet, forgetting about the fact that he still had a large dose of Ketamine coursing through his veins.
"Okay, Reid. Sit down." Morgan guided Reid back to the bed and made him sit. He then pulled up a chair and sat directly in front of him, sitting forward with his elbows on his knees. He watched as Reid's hand went to his neck, he hissed as he did, frowning a little. He had no idea he was scratching a fresh tattoo. Morgan reached out and pulled his hand away from it and held it in between his palms. "Okay." He took a deep breath. "Well, there's two things... The first... the assault. Rossi was assaulted also." Reid looked at him in horror.
"No." He gasped.
"DNA was found on him like it was with you."
"Did they... did they rape him?"
Morgan shifted uncomfortably. "No. No, they didn't. They uh, used him to, uh, assault you."
Reid appeared as though someone had unplugged him for a few moments. He shut down briefly. Then his eyebrow quirked. "Huh?" Was all his mouth could seemingly manage.
"Your DNA was found on his fingers and his penis." Morgan said. "And his DNA was found in your mouth and your... back passage." He said uncomfortably. His whole body was covered in goose bumps. Reid's mouth dropped open and he just stared at Morgan. He squeezed his hand in concern. "Reid?"
"Yeah?" He answered, his eyes going distant.
"Talk to me." Morgan said, putting a hand to Reid's cheek. He wrenched his head away and stood up, moving as far as his IV would allow.
"This can't be true. We were both drugged. It's not physically possible to do that when unconscious." Reid said quickly, desperately looking for a way out of this.
"Reid, I don't think it was... intercourse. It was.. other stuff. Lubrication was found on Rossi's fingers and your saliva was on him."
Reid shook his head in complete denial. "Why are you telling me this?" Reid put his hands up to his ears and rested his head up against the wall. "I don't want to know this." He squeezed his eyes shut.
"Reid, I'm so sorry. Rossi knows and we didn't want you finding out from some report."
"No, this isn't true. There has been some mistake." Reid said in a childlike denial.
Morgan closed his eyes. "There's more."
"I don't want to know." Reid said, banging his forehead off the wall. It wasn't hard. It was clearly a comfort thing. Morgan let him, for now.
"You need to know this, Reid, I'm sorry..." Just like a band aid, then it's done. "They tattooed you both." Morgan winced as he said it.
Reid froze.
"What?" He said in a low and dangerous tone. It was a voice he'd never heard come out of Reid before.
"Rossi on the hand and you uh, on the neck. Where you've been scratching."
Reid's hand went straight to his neck. He could feel the raised skin under his fingers. He traced the pattern in his flesh.
"It's not a cross."
"No, it's not."
"What does it say?" He'd already deciphered the fact that it was letters rather than a drawing.
Morgan squeezed his eyes shut, his face grimacing. "Fuck toy." He said, with another wince.
Reid's hand froze over the tattoo. The next second he ripped the IV from his arm and headed straight for the bathroom. "Reid! What are you doing?' He asked, looking at the IV in panic. A trail of blood followed Reid across the floor. Morgan ran in after him to find him stood looking in the mirror, staring at the tattoo on his neck. His eyes were wide and disgusted. He rubbed his fingers at it as he was vainly hoping that it might just smudge and wipe away. He increased his pressure on it, rubbing more harshly. "Reid?" Morgan moved towards him but Reid screamed in fury and punched at the mirror, smashing it with his fist.
Morgan stood in shock as he watched the glass smash down around the sink and onto the floor. Reid didn't even seem to flinch. He grabbed the bin and furiously threw it across the room.
A moment later Morgan was being shoved out of the way by Hotch rushing into the room. He had obviously heard the commotion from the hallway. He grabbed Reid into a bear hug from behind, securing his arms to his chest.
"Reid! Stop!" Reid fought wildly against him, kicking out at the bin that was now on the floor, denting it as he did. "Calm down!" Hotch said forcefully, restricting his movements as much as he could. Morgan still seemed as though he couldn't move. He'd never seen Reid like this before. This was the sort of thing he would do; not his gentle and passive friend. He was unrecognisable. Reid stopped fighting against Hotch and he stood breathing harshly for a few moments. Hotch still kept his arms wrapped around him but loosened his grip a little. "Okay?"
Reid's furious face nodded. Hotch released his grip and Reid shrugged him off, moving himself away. He quickly grabbed a shard of broken mirror and shoved past Morgan back into his room. Morgan was too slow to react, he cursed under his breath as he realised Reid had armed himself.
Reid was now pacing the room back and forth. His hand was bleeding from the punch to the mirror.
They both quickly followed him into the room. "Reid?" Hotch tried cautiously, his face set in a deep scowl as he watched Reid pacing with the shard grasped tightly in his hand. His whole body was tense. "Reid!" Hotch raised his voice a little. He didn't dare touch him. "Please give me that."
Reid just continued his pacing. He looked like a caged animal. Morgan watched him with a guarded expression.
"He knows?" Hotch asked quietly.
"Yeah." Morgan said, not taking his eyes off his friend. "Reid. Will you please give me the glass?" He took a step towards him and Reid jumped backwards holding the glass up to his own neck threateningly.
"No! Reid!... Reid! Look at me." Hotch tried to pull his attention.
"Just leave me alone!" He shouted.
"Reid, I can't do that while you're like this. You know that."
Morgan tried moving a little closer. "Reid, please. Don't do this. Please." Morgan's eyes pleaded with him. Reid stared at him for a few moments and the intensity in his gaze faltered slightly. A moment later, it was back but redirected. He pulled the shard away from his neck and smashed it into the wall with his hand, slicing his palm in multiple places. He screamed in anger again as he grabbed the IV stand and launched it across the room. He then furiously threw the blood pressure monitor onto its side, knocked over the cabinet next to the bed and rammed the bedside table into the wall. When it landed on the floor, he screamed in desperation as he kicked it over and over again.
Dr. Mathers had now rushed into the room upon hearing the destruction. Her mouth hung open in shock. Morgan automatically put a hand to her shoulder to keep her back. JJ and Prentiss had followed her in and were in much the same state.
"Oh my god." JJ gasped.
As Reid kept kicking the table on the floor his fury was starting to subside. Hotch cautiously moved towards him. Seeing his movements start to slow and his shoulders slump, he placed a firm hand on each shoulder. The second he made contact, Reid crumpled to the floor, breaking down into a shaking, sobbing mess. His bloodied hands trembled uncontrollably. Hotch followed him down to the floor and took his head onto his shoulder and soothingly rubbed his back.
He looked towards the doctor who was taking in the state of the damaged room and the mess her patient was in on the floor. He closed his eyes and sighed. He knew this time tomorrow, Reid would be back in St Elizabeth's. And the thought was actually a comfort.
