Annoyance (Spencer Reid x Reader)

... or Fight

Despite the fact that he was angry, Spencer still held his hand on the small of your back as the two of you walked inside the hospital. You wished you could say something, perhaps how appreciative you were of his care and affection, or maybe a joke to lighten the mood. But there was nothing. It was best that you keep silent anyways.

You thought about his flat-out refusal to end things. He knew what you were going to say, had apparently already figured it out, and rather than letting you go he was holding on more tightly. Maybe he wasn't mad; maybe he was scared. But that's what you needed. As much as you hated the idea, you needed to damage him so that he would leave, and then and only then would he be able to grow and lead a better life without you. You were hindering him, but he had never opened his eyes enough to see that.

God, and what were you going to say to Emily? Sorry? That wasn't enough. She deserved better than this. What was she going to look like? How badly had they hurt her since you were gone? You resisted the urge to move your hand to the burn scar on your shoulder, feel the new shiny skin that was there. Would Emily's skin look like that too?

You felt bad for the male nurse that got in the elevator with you and Spencer. There was obvious tension, and the poor man just had to stand there and take it. He had smiled at you as if he knew who you were, and you smiled back half-heartedly. It seemed he was going to Emily's floor, which was also the floor you had been on three weeks ago. He must have taken care of you, which is why he seemed so familiar. You felt Spencer tense when the man smiled at you, but he made no other moves. And then the elevator ride was over, and the three of you parted ways.

Back through the familiar hallways, the even more familiar lobby. And then you were outside Emily's room. You peeked in and saw her and JJ talking. Emily looked... okay. Minor cuts and bruises, no broken bones by the looks of it. But she looked pale, and probably the thinnest you had ever seen her, almost gaunt.

"I'll wait out here," Spencer said softly. You knocked on the door and opened it slowly. Emily's face lit up when she saw you. JJ looked pleasantly surprised, but you could see the concern and what looked to be skepticism behind her eyes.

"Hey, Em," you said.

"Hey there! Come on over."

You made your way to her, and JJ stood.

"I'll give you guys a second," she said, and then exited abruptly. Oh no. You had thought she would stay. You weren't sure if you could be with Emily alone. You leaned down to hug her anyways, and almost cringed at how weakly she held you close.

"How are you feeling?" you asked. Emily shrugged.

"I've been better. What about you? Everyone's been telling me you've been sick."

"Yeah," you said disappointedly, looking down at your hands. "My immune system isn't quite back up yet and I was afraid that you'd catch whatever it was."

Your stomach hurt just thinking about lying to her like this.

"Hey," she said gravely. You looked up at her. "Are you okay?"

"I-"

You took a moment to pull yourself together. Now was not the place or time to get upset or cry.

"I will be. Will you?"

She sighed and nodded.

"Yes. I'll be okay."

You wanted to ask what else they had done to her, but you were too afraid and you didn't want to bring up things that she wouldn't want to remember. You sure as hell wished you could forget everything. Either way, Emily was stronger than you. You knew she could do this and handle it much more gracefully than you ever would.