Maddy's P.O.V.
I wake to the sound of someone talking, Spencer. I open my eyes so I can see him. When I open my eyes, I don't just see him, I see I'm the starch room of a hospital.
"Maddy, you're awake!" Spencer exclaims, yet in a whisper.
"What all happened? Well, I remember for the most part, but what are my injuries?" I ask, curious.
"Good, I'm glad you can remember some. Well, you got shot in your right arm, two broken ribs, a concussion, along with a gash on your head. But with that, you just have a lot of bruises and scratches." Spencer explains.
"What time is it?" I ask, also not knowing that.
"It's 8:00pm, Christmas Day. We are still in Michigan." Spencer informs me. "I'm just glad you're okay." He strokes my hair, not wiping away blood this time. He's being carful to stay away from the cut.
"You caught him, right?"
"Yes we did. We also got him to confess."
"Good, I'm glad."
"I'm sorry this is a horrible way to spend Christmas." Spencer apologizes for no reason.
"You have no reason to be sorry" I tell him.
"I feel bad though. I could have gone instead of you."
"Spencer, stop."
"Alright, get some rest now. I'll stay by you as long as I can." He tells me, now holding onto my hand.
"Love you" I tell him.
"I love you to." He says with a slight smile on his face. I barely even noticed the rest of the team in the room.
......
Maddy's P.O.V.
It's been a week since I've gotten out of the hospital and came back to Virgina. I was in the hospital for only two nights. Spencer stayed with me for the first couple of nights to help me out. Today will be my first day back at work. I won't be going anywhere or doing much, but I can still help out in other ways.
I arrive at the BAU headquarters and carefully walk inside the building. I'm glad I'm not using the crutches anymore though. It's quite difficult because I have the bullet wound on my right arm. Luckily, I'm left handed.
"Hello Maddy. How are you today?" Asks Spencer, walking toward me.
"Getting better everyday." I say, trying to be positive. Spencer plants a kiss on my partially split lip, not wanting to hug me to hurt me even more.
"Round table." Announces Hotch as he walks past us. Reid assists me to the table, sitting me down between him and Penelope. We are the last ones there.
"Alright, so, Maddy is back at work, and we are all very glad." Hotch starts out. "But we now have another case. 3 people have been killed, all the same way. First kidnapped then brutally stabbed. All kidnapped from their workplaces. And, they all worked in healthcare. We have to head to Arkansas. We leave in 20 minutes. Maddy, are you permitted to come by a doctor?" Asks Hotch.
"Well, I'm a doctor, and I give myself permission to go. But my other doctor does not agree." I tell him honestly.
"I have company." Says Garcia gleefully. Spencer looks quite disappointed when he learns he has to leave.
"Take care of your self Maddy." Spencer tells me.
"I will. I'll be with Garcia." I reassure him.
"Alright. Goodbye. I love you."
"Goodbye. Stay safe. I love you too." I tell him back, then we gingerly hug eachother. Extremely painful yet comforting. After biding my goodbyes to everyone, we go to Garcia's office.
"Here, you can sit on this chair. I also brought a sofa incase you needed to lay down or anything." Garcia tells me, always thinking of others.
"Thanks Garcia. I'll be fine, really." I insist.
"Okay. Just making sure." Then, she asks "So, how are things going with Reid?"
"Great. He stayed with me the first few nights I got back. We also spent Christmas Eve with each other before we got called in. We just can tell each other anything. We also can just relate with a lot of things."
"Well, you two have been through a lot. I'm really glad that both of you are so happy now. Reid would always drown the pain with intelligence. He read several books while waiting for you to wake up. That was between his pacing and fretting about you." Penelope informs me. "He's just been waiting for that girl. One to stay with him."
"Yes, I know about Mauve. I'm glad that when I wasn't part of his life, he had someone to make him happy. I believe that you can have more than one love in your life, especially in a scenario like this."
"You two really tell each other everything. Even the most depressing subjects. You guys really love each other, don't you?" Garcia asks, but yet more like a statement if that makes sense.
"Yeah, we do." I admit.
"It's really refreshing to have you and Reid around eachother. It lightens things up quite a deal."
"Well, kind of like your office. I really like how bright and colorful it is. Well, as much as a office can be."
"I like to surround myself with happy, colorful things to help me out with all of the horrible things I see on these screens."
"I really like that concept." I tell her. Then her phone rings. It's Morgan. It's been 2 hours. They're probably already there and working on the case. It takes about 1 hour to fly there. Garcia puts it on speaker.
"Hey baby" greets Morgan.
"Hey sugar. What's up?"
"First, I know I should know this and it's a really stupid question but does Maddy know what AIDS stands for?"
"Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome" I tell him.
"Okay. Unrelated question, but how do you learn half of this stuff?" Morgan asks.
"Well, I learned this in the dictionary. It's was used as an example of an acronym. You've got to remember I'm also a doctor, I have to know this." I explain.
"Right, well, search people with AIDS in Little Rock, Arkansas. Then narrow it down to males between 18 and 40."
"Well, there's quite a few. I'll send it to you." Garcia tells Morgan.
"Alright. Thanks baby girl. Talk to you later." The conversation ends.
"I'm assuming Reid wasn't with him." Says Garcia.
"No"
"I'm going to grab some coffee. Want some?" Garcia asks me.
"Please. Thanks."
"Alright. You can pick up the phone or use the computers if necessary. I also need to grab a few papers and copy some things. I'll be back soon, I know you know how to do a lot of this stuff." She says then is out the door, probably not wanting to leave me to long.
A few minutes later, Morgan is calling again.
"Hey, this is Maddy. Garcia has to do a few things quick. But I can probably help you out." I say before he can greet me first.
"Alright. I have the whole team on here now and it's on speaker. Narrow it down to bartenders at a female strip club."
"Well, that's pretty rare in Arkansas. There's two. Ricardo Benavides and Braxton Meyers."
"Okay. Now, can you hack into one of their emails?" Morgan asks.
"Of course. Wasn't to hard. Braxton's password was WhiteBoy."
"Well, that's certainly creative. Please explain these emails."
"So, he's telling Ricardo how he acquired AIDS, but doesn't know from who. He also is saying how all of the doctors can't help him out. Then he is saying how he wants to get revenge by killing them and how Ricardo can help him because he should want revenge because of his son who died at the same hospital just a few weeks ago. I'm sending you the addresses of the homes and the hospital."
"Thanks a bunch." Morgan ends the call. Soon after, Garcia comes in with some case files and two cups of coffee.
"Thanks."
"Your welcome. So, I see by these new files I did miss a bit."
"Yes. Hopefully we get him soon."
"Let's hope."
When we get more into the day, I see how work is really taking a toll on me. I'm getting really tired and dizzy, and I've been taking all my pills.
"You aren't looking to good. Why don't you lay down?" Says Garcia, and I happily compley. I soon fall asleep.
I wake up around 5:00pm, in a lot of pain. Well, I was supposed to take my pills at 3:00pm and I fell asleep around 11:00am. This is usually how I feel when I wake up in the morning. Wow, I slept more than I did last night.
"You were out for quite a while." Garcia tells me the information I already figured out.
"I know. Can you hand me my pills?" I ask. She does, and I take them. "So, how's the case going?" I question.
"Well, neither of the unsubs were at their homes. They sent out a search team for both of them. They're looking for some evidence to see if they can find a location. And, another employee of the hospital was kidnapped and killed." She informs me.
"So not to great."
"Nope. If you'd like, you can head home. If we need anything from you, we'll be in contact."
"Thanks again, Garcia. Goodbye." I walk out of her office and start the drive home. I get home and change into black leggings and a baggy cardigan. I don't plan on doing to much. I have a salad and begin and finish The Giver in 20 minutes. It's a very simple children's book, but still great. I come across the picture of Spencer and I on Christmas Eve at work. It's framed on my bedside table. I don't know what I would do if something happened to him. I think it's worse watching the person you love suffer than actually going through it yourself. Over the past few months, he's helped me tremendously.
Interrupting me from thinking of Spencer is a call from Spencer himself. "Hi Spencer" I greet.
"Hi Maddy. How are you doing?" Spencer asks, always concerned about me.
"I'm fine. How is it going with the case?"
"Well, we still can't track down our unsubs. We probably won't be home until later tomorrow at the very earliest."
"Oh, that's unfortunate. Can I help with anything?"
"There's not much."
"Alright."
"I promise that when I get back the two of us can doing something special. We haven't in a while." Promises Spencer.
"Okay, that'd be really nice. We can do something this weekend if we have the time."
"Okay. So are you feeling alright?"
"I'm felling fine Spencer. You don't need to worry. I'm taking my pills and resting. I feel asleep for six hours at the office."
"Well, that's some much needed sleep. Garcia told Hotch, and he told me to tell you that you have tomorrow off."
"No Spencer. I'll be fine. I'll be all rested up for tomorrow."
"But you don't need to go in tomorrow, even without your injuries. If we need you, we'll call."
"Okay. I'm sorry I've been of lately. I can't take my anxiety pills or anti depressants because of the pain meds."
"Don't worry about it. You're fine. Just relax and think of all of the great things. I'll be home before you know it. When I get back, I'll come and stay with you."
"Spencer, thank you."
"Of course. Now I have to get going. Take care of your self. I love you."
"Stay safe. I love you too Spencer." I honestly don't know what I did to deserve him. He puts up with me through all of this. I'm always sad and anxious and tired. And he's Spencer Reid. I decide to just lay down and try to sleep, take my mind off of things. But that just makes it worse. I ponder thoughts. Heavy, sad thoughts. I can't fall asleep. I think about my dad. About my deceased family. About what happened to me that day back when I was 12. About everything that Spencer had to go through. I just can't take it anymore. I begin hyperventilating and sweating but yet still having the chills. I start sobbing. I need Spencer.
I call him with shaking fingers "Spencer, I need you. I can't do it." I sob into the phone.
"Just calm down Maddy, calm down. What can't you do? Talk to me. You're going to be okay." Spencer says trying to calm me.
"My dad. And what he did to my family and I. And what all happened to you." I say, trying to steady my breathing unsuccessfully.
"Maddy, I'm here for you. Alright, you know that. Don't worry about me. I will go straight to your place when we get back."
"Spencer, I'm a mess. Why do you love someone like me?"
"Maddy, you are the most amazing, kind, witty, and beautiful girl I've ever meet. You my not be perfect, we all have our flaws. But you're perfect for me. We are perfect for eachother."
"Okay, I need to pull it together. Thank you Spencer, I'm sorry for calling you again."
"No Maddy, I love talking to you. Now please try to get some sleep. It's almost 5:00am."
"Alright. Love you."
"Goodnight. Love you too." Eventually, I pull myself together. And, I even drift of to sleep.