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With a groan, Reid’s arm snaked out from under his blankets to grab his phone. “Reid,” he mumbled.
“It’s Hotch. Are you awake?”
“Uhm, almost.” Reid sat up and flipped on the light. It was just after two in the morning. He rubbed at his eyes waiting for them to adjust to the intrusive light. “I’m awake now. Is it about the case?”
“No, I’m sorry I woke you up. It’s personal, Reid. I need a favor,” Hotch said.
Reid frowned and fumbled around his nightstand for his glasses. “Yeah, sure. Whatever you need.”
Reid’s frown deepened when Hotch sighed. Hotch never sighed. “Jessica’s boyfriend hit her. She says it’s not too bad but I’d like her to be checked and a complaint filed. She’s agreed, but obviously, I can’t take her to the hospital myself. I can’t have her parents take her because they’ve got Jack for the weekend. I guess I could call Garcia. Jess might appreciate having a woman with her, but you have the badge to flash to get the hospital to move faster.”
“Hotch, I’ll do it. Where’s she at?” He wormed his way to the edge of the bed and grabbed his crutches. He did not think he had ever heard this amount of worry and almost panic in Hotch’s voice before.
“At my place. I know you can’t drive because of your knee. I’ll pay you back for a cab.”
“Yeah, no worries. I’ll take care of her.” He used one of his crutches to pull his discarded slacks from the evening before towards him.
Hotch blew out a breath. “Thank you, Reid. Call me as soon as you’re finished at the hospital to let me know what’s going on. No matter what time it is.”
“Will do Hotch,” Reid said and hung up. He called for a cab before dressing and checking that he had his bag, credentials, and gun. He reached the foyer of his building as the cab pulled up. Two phone calls and 15 minutes later, he was giving the driver instructions to wait before hobbling up the walk to Hotch’s front door. “Ow.” He winced in sympathy when Jessica slipped out of the house. The entire left side of her face was already turning a violent shade of purple. The eye was swollen nearly halfway shut, and her lip was cracked and oozing blood.
“Yeah, tell me about it. It hurts like a son of a bitch. Could you hold these?” She passed him an ice pack and damp towel to have both hands free to set the alarm and lock the front door. She took them back and silently followed him to the cab. “I’m sorry I dragged you out of bed, Spencer.” After she helped him situate his crutches, she pressed the ice pack to her cheek with one hand and used the towel to dab at her lip with the other.
He waved it off. “I’m glad I could help. You know Hotch would be on his way to kill the guy by now if he saw your face, right?”
She nodded with a weak chuckle. “It’s probably a good thing he’s halfway across the country in Wyoming then, isn’t it? Or he’d be trying to boss your team from behind bars.”
“That could be interesting to see.” Reid snickered. They caught up on the events of each other’s lives until they got to the emergency room. He led Jessica to the check-in desk. “I’m Doctor Spencer Reid with the FBI. I called a bit ago about bringing in a domestic assault victim?”
“Yes, of course, Doctor Reid, Miss Brooks. Right this way. The police detective is already here.” The nurse smiled gently.
“I called Will. I thought you might feel more comfortable with a cop you knew. If that’s not okay, we can call someone else in. I know Hotch would feel better knowing exactly who is handling it.” Reid looked at Jessica nervously. He really hoped he had not overstepped his bounds by calling in a favor from JJ’s husband.
Jessica nodded. “It’s embarrassing that I let this happen. But it’s okay. Hotch would feel better know who’s handling it.” She followed the nurse through the door to the treatment rooms. She gave Will a weak smile in greeting before boosting herself onto the exam table. “Hi, Will. Where’s Henry?”
“Our neighbor is sitting with him. I really wish this hadn’t happened.” He pulled out a camera. “I need to get some pictures before they look at you, okay?” Will asked gently.
“Go ahead,” she said softly. Reid crutched over to stand on her other side while the nurse hovered by the door. She followed Will’s soft instructions, angling her head this way, tilting that way, so that he could get the pictures he needed to file charges.
Will patted her shoulder sympathetically. “Done. Do you want me to step out until you’re completely done? We can talk afterward if you want.”
She shook her head tearfully. “No, it’s okay. The sooner it’s all done, the sooner we can all go home.”
Reid hesitated for a moment before reaching out to gently touch her bicep, hoping to comfort and reassure her. She smiled shakily at him before turning her attention to the nurse in front of her. He pulled his hand away and shuffled backward to allow the medical team to check her while Will softly questioned her, taking her through the evening’s events. “The doctor wants some x-rays to make sure that nothing’s broken. We should be back soon,” one of the nurses said finally. She looked at Will and Reid. “You two will need to stay here.” They nodded and stayed out of the way when a second nurse brought in a wheelchair for Jessica.
Almost two hours later, Will was parking his car in Hotch’s driveway. Jessica turned in her seat and looked at Reid in the backseat. “Can you stay with me? I’d feel better if I wasn’t alone,” she asked softly.
“Yeah, of course. Thanks for everything, Will. Keep me updated?” Reid started wiggling out of the car.
Will nodded. “Yep. I’ll call you to let you know what happens.”
“You can have the guest room,” Jessica stated once she’d let them into the house, reset the alarm, and locked the door again.
Reid shook his head and dropped onto the couch. “No, I’ve slept worse places than on Hotch’s crappy couch. Go on. I’ll be okay.” He assured her. He watched her make her way up the stairs before calling Hotch. “It’s Reid. We just got back from the hospital,” he informed his Unit Chief when he answered the phone with a grunt.
“How’s Jess? Is she still going to file charges?” Hotch sounded awake immediately.
“Shaken up. Embarrassed. She’s asked me to stay with her so I’m crashing on your couch. Nothing’s broken. The side her her face is bruised, her eye’s swollen shut, and she has a split lip. No other injuries.” Reid took his shoes off and leaned back against the couch arm.
“Take my bed. Are the police doing anything?”
Reid rolled his neck. “I called Will instead of just calling the police station. He’s taking care of it. He’s expecting to arrest the boyfriend later this morning.”
“Good. So what exactly happened?”
Reid could hear Hotch moving around his hotel room and felt bad for interrupting the little bit of sleep that the older man was able to get during a case. “They were arguing about you and Jack. Michael, that’s the boyfriend, doesn’t like the amount of time and energy that she devotes to the two of you. She said that things have been tense for a couple weeks and that he just snapped.” He shifted on the couch and smirked when it let out a loud farting noise.
Hotch chuckled. “Seriously, Reid, sleep in my bed. That couch is fucking horrendous to sleep on. Stay as long as Jessica needs you please.”
“It’s hideous too. You should burn it.” Reid yawned and rubbed at his forehead.
“I’m saving it to make a bonfire sometime. Go to bed Reid. Don’t worry about reporting to Quantico until tomorrow afternoon, and only if Jessica doesn’t want you to hang out with her. I’ll smooth things over with Strauss if I have to.”
“Will do. Try to get some sleep too, Hotch.”
“Yeah. Goodnight Reid.”
“Night Hotch,” Reid said and hung up. He slipped the phone into his pocket before complying with his boss’s orders to sleep in the master bedroom.
At Jessica’s request, Reid slept in Hotch’s bed two more nights before the other man returned from Wyoming with the rest of the team. He crutched as quietly as he could around the bedroom collecting his belongings while Hotch and Jessica reunited in the kitchen, soothing each other’s frazzled nerves. He shoved the last item of clothing into his bag as Hotch stepped into the room. “Thank you for doing this. I’m glad that you were here for her when I couldn’t be.” The older man smiled.
“Always. I wish the circumstances had been different, but I enjoyed the time with her. I think we’re friends now.” Reid slung his messenger bag over his shoulder and wrestled his crutches under his arms.
“You are friends now,” Hotch reassured. He stood back so that the younger man could make his way out of the bedroom towards the stairs. “When do you get rid of those?”
“Not soon enough. The doctor thinks he’ll clear me for light duty and travel this week, but I probably won’t be rid of these for a few more weeks.” Reid gestured for him to go down the stairs first.
Hotch gave him one of his rare, genuine smiles. “It will be good to have you back in the field, Reid. We’ve missed you.”