Chapter Text
Reid stands still in shock, blood dripping from his shoulder. A bullet had ripped through him and he thinks it punctured all the way through. The unsub lays motionless on the ground about a hundred feet in front of him. The pain and blood loss makes him feel woozy and he steps backwards and leans against the wall before sliding down into a sitting position on the floor. He watches the blood collect in his shirt, the bright red stain slowly spreading across his chest.
He was stupid to come out here without his vest but he had thought it was just a simple witness interview. Some time passes, and Reid is getting scared no one will come to help him before he passes out, but Hotch bursts around the corner with his gun drawn. After surveying the scene and realising Spencer had already taken out the unsub he holsters his weapon and runs over to where Reid is sitting slumped against the wall.
“Reid! Everyone else is on the way, you’re going to be fine. Just stay with me.”
He crouches down and his hands lightly roam his body trying to catalogue the damage and its severity. Upon inspecting the bullet wound, the lines of concern on his face grow deeper.
“You’re losing blood. I need you to stay with me Spencer. The medics will be here soon.”
Reid winces as Hotch uses one of his hands to compress the wound. He’s feeling dangerously close to slipping out of consciousness. Hotch’s worry grows more frantic as he tries to talk to Reid to keep him awake. His stoicism has been replaced with raw emotion as he watches one of his team members, the closest people in his life, bleed out before him.
“Come on Reid, I can’t lose you.”
His voice breaks and he drops to his knees from his crouching position, almost sitting in Spencer’s lap.
“It’s okay, Hotch. He’s dead and I’ll-” he coughs mid sentence and a scream is ripped from his throat. “I’ll be okay.”
Without thinking, Aaron grabs Spencer’s jaw and presses their mouths together in a desperate kiss. Reid feels suddenly revived as if Hotch had transferred some of his strength to him and is able to softly kiss back. Hotch pulls away just before the sirens and lights whip around the corner and backup arrives.
Hotch turns his head to roughly yell out, “Medic!” and he hears the wheels of the gurney approaching. The medics physically pull him away from Spencer as they carefully lift his body onto the bed and whisk him away. One medic stays behind to try to examine Hotch but he waves them away.
Morgan runs over and drops down to a crouch next to Hotch. “Are you okay? What happened?”
“I’m fine. I’m not sure. When I got here Reid and the unsub were both already down.”
Hotch looks down at his blood-stained hands and shirt. Spencer’s blood.
“JJ went with Reid. She's going to keep us updated.”
Hotch nods and rises to his feet. He makes his way back over to the team, stopping briefly to stare down at the unsub. Reid had managed to shoot him through the chest twice. He lies motionless with cloudy eyes gazing up at him, his blood pooling around him on the concrete. Shaking away the chills that had washed over his body he allows himself to be hustled along and floats through the current of activity. He gives his statement and excuses himself to go back to the hotel and get cleaned up.
Spencer stabilised quickly after surgery, lucky that the bullet was from a small calibre pistol and important nerves and organs were avoided. He’s definitely going to need physical therapy for the nerve damage that did happen and to work through the scar tissue once it hardens, but that’s a small price to pay for his life. The bullet hit him just below his left clavicle and moved straight through him. It shattered his collarbone but it sounds like that was pretty inevitable. They patched him up, slapped a sling on his arm, and wanted to keep him for a couple days to recover- but he is out of the woods.
The next afternoon Reid was awoken by the sound of the team all shuffling into the room. Penelope holds a bundle of balloons in one hand and a vase of flowers in the other. Morgan sets down a teddy bear with a stethoscope next to him and JJ sets a book on the tray next to the bed.
“Hey guys. You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yeah we did. We care about you, kid.” Morgan says as he sits at the foot of the bed.
He uses the remote to move the bed into more of an upright position and winces as his body shifts. He had denied all narcotic pain medications and was making do with ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and a nerve block. He’s scared that if he gets started on an opiate he won’t be able to stop. Even though it's been years since he stopped taking dilaudid and he’s doing well, he still sometimes gets an itch for the peace that used to wash over him.
Rossi promises Spencer a three-course meal when he’s feeling better and Prentiss leaves a bag of fancy coffee next to the book on his tray. Hotch expresses his relief that Reid is okay but hangs back from the group, leaning against the doorframe. They all fawn over him and keep him company until a nurse kicks them out. Hotch steps aside to let everyone pass but hangs back for a moment.
“Really, I’m glad you’re okay. I hope you’re feeling better soon.”
“Thank you for being there. You kept me going.”
Hotch softens, “Of course, Reid.”
He leaves and Spencer is once again alone until the nurses come back to poke and prod at him.