Endurance

Chapter 11 - Reuniting

I wanted to run up to them so bad but I didn't have the strength. Everything was turning sideways and my head was throbbing, but it didn't matter. My friends were here.

Rossi and Hotch stood back as Emily, Morgan, JJ, and Garcia ran up to me.

The guards let go of me and walked away so I could hug everyone, but they were the only things keeping me stable. Just like that, I fell over.

Luckily Emily caught me which made as all laugh. I hugged each one of them. I hugged JJ for a long time and Morgan an even longer time.

I rested my head on his shoulder as I held back the tears trying to break free from my exhausted eyes.

As we pulled apart, I started to fall over again because no one was supporting me. Luckily Emily who was behind me, caught me again.

We all laughed again. "Thanks." I smiled.

After the reunion, we stepped outside to chat. I took in a deep breath of the fresh air. Boy I had been dying to smell it again; freedom.

I used Morgan as my 'personal crutches'. I had my arm over his shoulder and he had his arm around my hip, supporting all of my weight.

"You want to tell us what happened to your face?" JJ said.

"Oh this?" I asked and touched all around my face as if I didn't know what she was talking about. "Uh, it's no big deal...some of my inmates clearly weren't having a good day." I looked down; smile disappearing from my face.

Everyone looked down with me. "What about why you can't walk?" Rossi asked.

"I um- got punched in the gut a lot." I said, looking back and forth from my friends and the ground.

Morgan pulled up my shirt a little, exposing the brutal bruises the sadists had created.

Everyone gasped. They were all staring at my stomach which made me uncomfortable. "Okay that's enough." I said and tugged back down my shirt.

"Reid, you didn't tell me about how you got these." Morgan looked at me.

It was awkward looking at Morgan right in the eye from this angle because of how close our faces were.

"Same story." I said and looked away from him, avoiding the awkwardness.

"That surely can't be the whole reason for why you can't walk or move." Emily said.

"I only got three hours of sleep the whole time I was down there." I admitted.

"Spencer, that's over three days." Garcia said as her sensitive-self let a tear drip down her cheek.

"I know." I looked down and continued. "I also haven't eaten since I've been down there."

It went silent really fast. Everyone's jaws dropped at the same time.

"Still??" Morgan asked.

There was a pause before Garcia said: "Well what are we doing standing here?? Let's go get some food!" She led all of us to the SUV's.

Morgan helped me in and out of the car when we decided to stop at the nearest restaurant.

It was super casual and looked like a normal diner.

"Table for seven please." Hotch said.

The waitress gave me a strange look. I was leaning against Morgan and my eyes felt like they were spinning out of my head. I must've looked like a zombie; no wonder she was staring at me for so long it was getting awkward.