###
" Some people still try to swim when they're drowning - the trick is to simply stop struggling and breathe. "
Chris McGeown
###
Laylah's gaze snapped to the side when she felt her father's hand slip from her own, another taking it's place. It was calloused and rough, but warm and soft at the same time. It raised her hand to a set of lips, which pressed a kiss to her knuckles before there was a ruffle of fabric; a soft breath hitting the side of her face. Lips placed a kiss to her hairline, allowing the very familiar cologne to hit her nose; causing tears to well in her eyes.
'Derek,' She whispered.
'Hey, Laylah girl,' His deep voice replied.
'Derek.'
He shushed her, 'I know, I know.'
A sob blubbered through her lips as she rolled her head to face him as he sat back down, his fingers tilting her head gently so she was facing him properly. His hand ran over her hair as the soft shushing sound soothed her, his thumb swiping back and forth over her knuckles. She'd been in the hospital for about a week now, though she wasn't entirely sure; time seemed to move differently. But, there had been no changes in her lack of sight.
'Where's- Where's my nephew?' She stammered.
'He's right here with Savannah,' Derek brushed her hair out of her face.
'Hey, Laylah,' Savannah greeted softly.
'Hi,' She whimpered.
'Would you like to hold him?'
'Please.'
There was the gentle rustle of fabric before a weight was laid on the crook of her upper arm, her body shifting to hold the sleeping child in the crook of her elbow; her nose brushing over the top of Hank's curly hair. More tears fell down her cheeks as the little boy snuggled into her side, her eyes staring straight ahead as her fingers fell to his soft locks.
'Hey, Lay, do you want something to eat?' Savannah placed a hand on her lower arm.
'Uh, yes, please,' She nodded.
'Jello?' Derek asked.
She chuckled, 'Yeh.'
'Jello, it is,' Savannah grinned, squeezing Derek's shoulder.
Hank remained at Laylah's side as footsteps clicked out of the room, leaving her in silence; besides the steady beep of the ECG. Laylah's brows furrowed when she heard a soft sniffle, her head turning to the side as far as she could; eyes moving to look in Derek's direction.
'Don't give me that look,' He chuckled as he wiped his nose.
'I can't really give you a look,' She smiled softly; 'Are you crying?'
'No.'
'Derek.'
'Ok, maybe. But, can you blame me? Look at you laid up in here.'
She sighed, 'Yeh... You don't have to cry over me.'
'Laylah... When I got that phone call, Savannah said it looked like I'd seen a ghost.'
She sniffled, looking away as she felt tears burnt her eyes.
'Laylah girl, hey,' Derek squeezed her hand as he spoke softly; 'It's ok to be scared.'
'They've had to sedate me twice now because I keep freaking out... So, no, it's not ok because I can't comprehend this. I can't stand the thought of never being able to see again. Not seeing any of you again.'
'You're going to get through this.'
'And if I don't? God, what the hell do I tell Spence?'
'What do you mean? How doesn't he know?'
She winced, letting out a soft string of curses as she clenched her eyes shut.
'Laylah,' He pressed.
'Spence... Spencer's in jail,' She whispered; 'He got arrested down in Mexico, we think Scratch is behind it.'
'Damn... Why didn't anyone tell me?'
'He didn't want you to know... He's embarrassed, De. He's a federal prison with guys he put in there... And somehow he thinks he deserves it.'
'Shit.'
'Derek, it's not your fault. If anything, it's mine. I should've been there with him, it might've warned him off.'
'Or maybe this is happened because you weren't there.'
'But, this isn't his M.O.? Like at all.'
'That's true.'
'Hey, don't worry over it. We've got it under wraps and we're working it when we can between cases.'
'You mean everyone else is. I know you, Lay.'
'Yeh, ok. Maybe I'm doing a little more work then the others.'
'Lay.'
'I was... Doing a lot more work then the others. But, he shouldn't be in there, Derek. And now with this bullshit, I might never solve it.'
'That's what I'm here for.'
'De, we both know you can't do that. Especially if Scratch finds out.'
'So we keep it under wraps.'
'De.'
'Don't give me that look.'
'De.'
He sighed, running his hand down his face before he looked to her again. His eyes flicked over the bruises adorning her cheeks and the bandage covering her forehead, before they fell to her eyes again; easily able to read the concern in them.
'I just want to help,' He muttered.
'And you can by staying out of it,' She sighed; 'I don't want you to end up like this, or worse.'
'Then what can I do to help you?'
'You can... If you really want, you can help me learn braille.'
'Braille? You mean like the dots for blind people?'
'Yes.'
'But, Laylah, you're not-'
'I need something to take my mind off of all of this before I shut down completely like I have been... Please, De. Let me try to come to terms with this before I loose my mind.'
'Ok. Yeh, I can do that.'
'Thank you.'
'You're going to get through this, kid.'
'Yeh... I really hope so.'
She turned her head a little, kissing the top of Hank's head.
###
'Well, Laylah, your head wound is healing quite nicely,' Dr Fitz commented; 'Let's see if there's been any changes with your sight.'
'There hasn't,' She stated.
The man moved a flashlight across her open eyes, indeed finding no response. He nodded to himself, writing a note on her file before he sighed.
'You've got a long road ahead of you, Laylah, but I think you'll be able to get there,' He sent a tight smile to her father; 'I'll be around if you need anything.'
'Thankyou,' Leon said.
Laylah's fingers began to move against the back of his hand, eyes set ahead as he breathing picked up again.
'Sweetheart, talk to me,' The man squeezed her hand gently.
A sob burst through her lips, 'I want Spencer.'
'Oh, darling.'
Her body shook with sobs as she cried, her mind concluding to the simple fact. Spencer would know what to do, he would know how to help. And she wanted nothing more then to hear his voice, or to feel his warmth.
'D-Dad,' She cried.
'I know, Laylah, I know,' He whispered.
'I can't- I can't get him out. Not like this. I need to get him out. I need him here, Dad. I need him.'
Leon sat silent for a second, 'You really have found your soulmate, haven't you?'
'Yes. That's why I need him.'
She sobbed, squeezing her father's hand desperately; tears dripping down her cheeks.
'I want to go back to work,' She croaked; 'I just want to get him out.'
'And you will,' Leon kissed her knuckles; 'You will. It may just take time.'
There was a knock at the door, Laylah attempting to suppress her sobs as she closed her eyes for a second.
'Hey, hey,' Penelope's cheerful voice sounded; 'I have something for you.'
'What is it?' She croaked.
The blonde came to sit beside her on the bed, shifting slightly before a recording began to play.
'She's gone home to see her Dad,' Penelope's voice sounded distant.
'Why? What happened?' Spencer's smooth voice sounded next.
Laylah gasped softly, her bottom lip trembling as she let out a whimper.
'Her Dad had a fall,' Penelope answered the man's question.
'Oh... Is he- Is he ok?' Spencer asked.
'Yeh... Just a bit banged up.'
'Are you lying to me?'
'No. I'm just... Worried about her, you know?'
'I am too.'
'Do you want me to pass on a message to her?'
'Uh, yeh. Yes, please... Can you- Can you tell her that that I'm ok, and that she needs to get some rest... And... And that I love her.'
'I can do that.'
Laylah sniffled, 'How did you manage that?'
'Don't worry your pretty little head,' Penelope smiled; 'But, I figured you would want to hear his voice.'
'I did... Thankyou, Penn.'
'For you, anything.'
###
Laylah's fingers ran along the bumps on the page in front of her, eyes flicking about aimlessly as Derek sat beside her waiting.
'E?' She asked.
'O,' He replied; 'You missed that little dot at the bottom.'
She groaned, tilting her head back as she grew agitated with herself.
'How aren't I getting this?' She huffed.
'Laylah girl, you've been at this almost all day,' Derek smiled; 'I think you need a break.'
'I need to know how to read.'
'You have people who are willing to read to you.'
'De, I have an IQ of one seventy. I should have this down pact by now.'
'You also just suffered a major head trauma and you're not sleeping.'
'I am, too.'
'Laylah, no, you're not. I've sat with you everyday since it happened, and I've only seen you sleep when they had to sedate you... Now, tell me what's going on in that head of yours?'
'Everything.'
'Talk to me, Lay.'
She fell still. Eyes staring across the room aimlessly, her lips parted as she tried to find the words as tears began to drip down her cheeks. He watched her, cupping her cheek to wipe the tears away.
'I feel like... I've let him down,' She whispered.
'Who?' Derek asked softly.
'Spencer... He would stop at nothing for me, and here I am, laid up in a fricking hospital bed blind and incapable of reading braille. For god's sake, I know sign language, but I can't decipher between an E and an O because of one dot. I should know this.'
'You're not letting him down. He would understand, Laylah.'
'I know he would and that's the part that sucks. He would let himself stay in that horrid place for me. And he shouldn't have to do that because I should have solved his case by now.'
'Is everything ok in here?' A somewhat familiar voice asked.
'Yeh, man,' Derek stood; 'We're all good.'
'Kelly?' She queried.
'Hey, Laylah. You're looking better,' Kelly's voice moved closer.
'So, they keep telling me. Derek, this is Kelly. He pulled me from my car. Kelly, this is Derek, my best friend.'
'Nice to meet you.'
'You, too,' Derek shook his head.
'What're you doing here?' She asked.
'Uh, I got some things from your car that looked important,' Kelly placed something on the table beside her; 'Your phone, some photos, your purse, a bag of files-'
'Oh my, God. The files. Were they still in the bag, or were they everywhere?'
'Still in the bag, nothing looked out of place.'
She let out a sigh of relief, 'Thank you so much.'
'You're welcome. Have a good day.'
'Uh, Kelly?'
'Yeh.'
'Could I get your number? To update you on how I'm going?'
'Uh, yeh. Sure.'
'Thank you.'
She heard the rustling of a bag before it fell silent again, Derek's hand slipping protectively into her own.
'There you go,' Kelly suddenly stated, making her jump; 'I'll see you around.'
'Yeh. Thanks, Kelly,' She nodded.
'Yeh.'
Footsteps retreated from the room, leaving the pair to sit in silence before she sighed.
'What?' She cocked a brow.
'Aren't you and Reid back together?' He asked.
'What?'
'You and Spencer?'
'I don't get it.'
'You asked for his number.'
'To update him.'
Derek laughed, making her whine as she leant her head back against the pillow.
'What?' She huffed.
'You really don't see it, do you?' He chuckled.
'No, what? Tell me.'
'You don't ask for a guys number unless you're into him.'
'Oh my God... Does he think that? Did you see?'
'I don't know.'
'Derek.'
She tried to stop herself from laughing as she groaned, Derek cackling beside her as he continued to hold her hand.
'You better not let boy wonder find out,' He chuckled.
'Is it that bad?' She gasped.
'No, not really.'
'Are you being serious?'
He laughed even harder, making her whine as she blindly hit his hand.
'Ow,' He yelped.
'Did I get your hand?' She gushed.
'No, you got my head.'
'Close enough.'
She laughed when he tickled her side for a second, watching the smile that had seemed to disappear after the accident.
'There she is,' He smiled.
'Who?' She looked around.
'You... I think that's the first time I've seen you smile since you got in here.'
'Had no reason to smile.'
'Laylah girl, you could smile in the darkness. But, seeing you not smile now shows that this has really beaten you down.'
'Yeh.'
She sighed, leaning into the kiss he placed to her forehead as she stared blankly across the room.
'You really miss him, don't you?' He murmured into her hair.
'Everyday,' She whispered.
###
Laylah's fingers tapped at her side as she listened to JJ talk beside her, going through her research that Kelly had found. She could feel a headache beginning to knock at her skull, along with the frustration of the situation. It was nothing against JJ, it was the lack of ability to be able to show JJ her work.
'There should be a file on Scratch specifically, with the differentiation between his the last case with Tara's brother and Spencer's,' She instructed the blonde beside her; 'Scratch would normally linger somewhere close by to watch his disillusion at work. He was always around.'
'But, there's no definite evidence,' JJ stated distractedly; 'How long have you been sitting on this theory?'
'Two weeks.'
'Why didn't you tell anyone?'
'Like you said, there's no definitive evidence.'
'You said here that a potential copy cat, but you have no one listed.'
'I don't know everyone from Spencer's past. I was hoping you could help.'
'They'd be more then a dozen people he helped put away, but I can't think of anyone who is capable of doing this who is out of jail.'
'Would Penn be able to find out?'
'Probably, yeh.'
She nodded stiffly, a sigh leaving her mouth as she clenched her eyes shut for a second.
'Hey, you ok?' JJ asked.
'Yeh,' She breathed.
'Laylah, you've gone white.'
'It's just... Just a headache. I'm ok.'
'I'm getting a nurse.'
'JJ, please, don't. I'm fine really.'
'Say that when your skin isn't pale and I'll believe you.'
Laylah let out an annoyed huff like a little kid, pouting as she listened to footsteps draw further away from her before more came back.
'Alright, what's going on?' Dr Fitz asked.
'Just a headache, I'm ok, really,' She sighed.
'Laylah, I think you're smart enough to know a headache isn't just fine. What have you been doing?'
'Working a case.'
The man paused, looking to JJ before he looked to her again.
'What did I say about work?' He queried.
'I'm not a kid,' She replied.
'I said no work. Not even this kind. You need to rest and heal, Laylah. Not over work your brain while it's trying to heal.'
She sighed, nodding her head; 'I know. But-'
'No buts. This is over. If you want to go home at the end of the week, Laylah, you need to keep on track.'
'Yeh.'
She sighed, listening to the rustling of paper as something ran down her arm.
'Did you just up my morphine?' She asked.
'Just for a little bit, yes,' Dr Fitz nodded.
'Ok.'
'I'll check in on you later.'
Laylah slouched a little against her pillows, licking her lips as her finger tapped against her thigh; listening to the footsteps retreating from the room.
'Laylah, hey,' JJ gripped her hand.
'I need some rest, JJ,' She stated.
'I didn't know-'
'I did. That's why I asked you to stop.'
'Lay, I'm sorry.'
'You might not see it, JJ, but I need Spencer out of there. I need him home... I have worked my arse off to get all this, night after night of work just for it to all come crashing down... I work through the pain, I work until I crash because I don't give up. I am always working on this case, even when we're on others.'
'So, you were just going to take this case on yourself?'
'No. When I had answers, I was going to show you all... But, this happened to me and now I can't help him. That's why I was showing you, so you could help me work, but now I can't because you acted like my Mum instead of my friend.'
'Laylah, I'm sorry, but I'm worried about you.'
'I'm fine, JJ. I'm stuck in this bloody hospital so it's not like I'm any help anyway.'
'Hey,' Leon's voice sounded; 'Afternoon, JJ.'
'Afternoon, Mr Davis,' JJ replied quietly.
'What's all this?'
'Nothing. JJ was just leaving,' Laylah sighed.
'Laylah Jane.'
'No, it's ok, Mr Davis. I better go. It was good seeing you.'
The click of heels faded away, leaving Laylah to lay in complete silence as her father's gaze sat heavy on her.
'I didn't mean to snap,' She whispered.
'She doesn't know that,' He replied.
'It's just my head.'
'I know. But, she doesn't... I know it's tough sometimes, sweetheart, but you need to talk to them about how you're feeling. They can't all read you like Spencer and I can.'
'I-I-I- I really hurt her, didn't I? Oh my God, Dad. I just hurt one of my best friends, one of my only friends.'
'Laylah, hey. You need to take a deep breath for me, ok?'
'I hurt her. I hurt JJ. I didn't mean to do that. Why did I do that? I don't understand. I just- I need to help Spencer and she- She got the doctor and now I can't work... I need to work. I need to go home.'
'Honey, look at me. Look at me, Laylah.'
She shook her head as a sob blubbered between her lips, tears welling in her eyes. The sudden mood changes were all apart of the head injury, and it would subside eventually. But, it scared her. Not being able to recognise what she's feeling when multiple emotions attacked her at once and it lead her to lashing out, or breaking down. Her father gripped her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles as he shushed her softly.
'I know there's a lot going on in your head right now,' He spoke softly; 'But, we're all here for you. And we all want to help. You just have to let us help you.'
She nodded, leaning into his shoulder as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.