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Derek Morgan's day had spiraled into a living nightmare. One moment, he was casually chatting with his coworker and friend, Spencer Reid, as they headed out for a quick lunch break. The next, he found himself waking up in the hospital, his head throbbing from a blow - was it a pipe? A baseball bat? The details were hazy.
As Derek's eyes adjusted to the too-bright ceiling, his heart lurched at the sight of Spencer lying beside him, his skin an angry red from an intense sunburn - the worst Derek had ever seen.
“We need more healing salve!” a nurse demanded, her urgent words piercing the air and gripping Derek's heart with icy fear. Was Spencer's burn that severe? If Spencer was burned, did that mean he was too? Was his own injury that bad too? Would they be okay? The swirling questions left him anxious.
Before Derek could voice his panicked questions to the nurse tending his IV, his eyes grew heavy and the world faded to black once more.
When Derek opened his eyes again, he found Hotch and JJ at the foot of his bed, their expressions a mixture of relief and concern. “W-what h-happened...?” he asked, his voice cracking with fear, each syllable weighed down by the gravity of uncertainty.
“Shh, it's alright,” JJ said, her expression soft and soothing as if she were trying to wrap him in a warm blanket of comfort. Derek forced himself to stay calm—panicking wouldn't help. He focused on her words, trying to anchor himself. “What's the last thing you remember?” she asked, her tone laced with concern that made Derek’s heart ache.
“I-I was with Spencer...I got hit in the head and then I woke up here,” Derek replied, his voice trembling as the memories flickered in and out like a faulty light bulb. What was going on?!
Hotch's eyes were soft with concern as he leaned in slightly, his voice steady yet filled with unspoken weight. “Enzo Moses attacked and abducted both you and Spencer last night. You remember him, right?”
Derek took a moment to reply, his brow furrowed in thought. “Yes, you assigned Spencer and I the case, so we were tracking him in Arizona. But Spencer and I decided to take a lunch break before heading back to the local precinct. That's when…” He paused, a pained expression crossing his face as fragmented memories of the attack began to resurface, each one more disturbing than the last.
Hotch nodded solemnly, understanding the turmoil that churned within Derek. “Based on your injuries and what the nurses reported, it’s safe to assume that Enzo hit you with a tire iron, knocking you out cold,” he explained, his voice tight with suppressed emotions. “Before Spencer could react, Enzo put a chloroform rag over his mouth, rendering him unconscious as well. Then, Enzo drove you both out into the desert and left you there, for dead.”
Derek's eyes widened with alarm, his mind racing as he processed the horrifying truth. “And that’s then you found us?” he asked, a glimmer of hope evident in his strained voice, as if the mere idea of being rescued could lift the weight of despair pressing down on him.
“No,” Hotch replied softly, his tone somber and heavy. “A local named Nick Rush discovered you both about three hours later while on a drive. He brought you to the nearest hospital—this one.”
“Enzo Moses had thankfully accidentally left your wallets with you, allowing the hospital staff to identify you as FBI agents,” JJ added, her voice carrying a note of relief that quickly faded as she continued. “Once the hospital realized who you were, they immediately called the team. We rushed here from Virginia, and when we arrived, the nurses reported that you both had severe sunburns, but Spencer's was the more severe of the two.”
Derek felt his heart sink with dread as the reality of Spencer's condition washed over him. “Is Spencer okay?” he asked, his voice tight with fear and worry, each word laced with desperation.
“He's been given a cold blanket and ice packs, so he's stable for now,” JJ responded with a sympathetic look. “But his sunburn is severe - the nurses think it could lead to third-degree burns or scarring. Somehow, you only suffered a minor, first-degree sunburn.”
Derek felt a surge of guilt wash over him. It wasn't fair that Spencer had suffered third-degree burns when all he had was a minor sunburn. He should have been the one to bear the brunt of the sun's punishment, not Spencer.
Hotch and JJ departed thirty minutes later, just as visiting hours were nearing their end. Once they and the nurses had left, Derek gently shifted onto his side, trying to get a better view of Spencer from his bed, disregarding the protests from his own ailing body. He gazed upon Spencer's reddened, ice-packed form and whispered solemnly, “I'm so sorry, Spencer. I swear I'll never let anything harm you like this again. Never again.”
Derek was determined to ensure Spencer's safety, no matter what. Thoughts of revenge against Enzo Moses flickered in the back of his mind, but they were swiftly drowned out by the overwhelming need to protect and care for his friend. He planned to do everything in his power to help Spencer heal, both physically and emotionally, because he knew that the scars of this attack would last long after the burns had faded. He would be there, every step of the way, fighting for Spencer as fiercely as he had for any victim of their cases.
Their bond would not be broken; it would only grow stronger as they faced the aftermath of this horror together.