It was time. It was time for Isabel to finally face the horrible truth- how much time had passed while she was in hell. She'd noticed and had struggled to come to terms with how much the world had moved on without her. But without knowing how much time had passed, it was impossible to grasp just how much the world had changed. But once she knew how far time had marched, it would be easier for her to start making this strange world more ordinary.
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"So, how is she doing?" Reid asked the night nurse in a hush. The nurse shrugged as she swirled her iced coffee, that familiar sound of clinking ice filling the air. She took a sip of her drink, and almost subconsciously, Reid took a long swig of his own coffee. They both needed it. Reid needed his for the day ahead- the nurse needed hers to push through the last couple hours of her shift. Reid still couldn't understand how overnight shifters worked through the entire night and slept during the day. While he wasn't good at sleeping at night, he could never do more than nap during the day.
"We're getting somewhere. I don't know where, but... somewhere. The prosthetist has been by to take measurements. It'll take anywhere from three to six weeks for it to be made, and then there's going to be all sorts of measurements and adjustments before it's ready for everyday use. She's making small strides in her physical therapy," the nurse said, and Reid nodded thoughtfully.
It had been a week since he could visit, seeing as the BAU had been shuttled around the country to solve the backlog of cases. They had just returned from Kansas City the night before, and Reid had traveled to the hospital in the wee hours of the morning before the sun had even risen. He had something planned for that morning, something he needed to do before the sun rose. But first, he wanted an update on Ciara's progress.
Once she had been eating somewhat regularly, the physical therapist started working with her. They had started with hydrotherapy, which made complete sense to Reid. The water in a hydrotherapy pool was about 91 degrees Fahrenheit compared to the average 78 degrees for a normal swimming pool. The warm water, he knew, helped ease the muscles and joints and would help prevent cramps. The buoyancy of the water would help support Ciara's weight so that she didn't have to. But, while the water would make her feel weightless, it would also provide resistance that would help train and strengthen her muscles.
When she was ready, they would take the physical therapy out of the water. How the physical therapist would determine if she was ready, Reid didn't know. He knew about hydrotherapy in concept, but not in practice. Maybe, if he had time, he could watch one of her sessions, just to see what went on. If she allowed him to, of course. He assumed that she had to wear some sort of swimsuit during the hydrotherapy, and if she didn't want him seeing her in a swimsuit, he would respect that.
"I will say, though, whoever thought of bringing her books is a genius. They're really helping," the nurse said, and Reid smiled.
"I'll tell Akilah," he responded, before thinking again. "How exactly are they helping?"
"She spends all day reading. She's already read through the books that she has. Twice. She'll need some new ones soon. She's even turned on the TV. She's only used it to listen to music, but it's something. And at the end of the day, she's far too tired to fuss about us telling her when she should sleep. She's starting to settle into a regular sleeping schedule," the nurse explained.
"That's great news. I'll have Akilah bring more books. If I text her in the next few minutes, she might even be able to get them to her today. How about eating? How is she doing with that?"
"Well, it's been hard. Without any of you here, it's hard to help her feel safe. We've had plenty of meltdowns. Some days we manage. Some days we don't. The same goes for showering. Now, as for the dark, we haven't figured something out to help with that. We try and turn the lights off after she falls asleep. If she wakes up in the middle of the night, she panics. She'll only calm down when the lights turn back on," the nurse said, and Reid nodded yet again.
YOU ARE READING
Psychopathy
Fanfiction(A Criminal Minds Fanfic {Dr. Spencer Reid}) Book 2 in the "Psychosis" series. As long as the members of the BAU have known her, Ciara Byrne has kept a wealth of secrets- secrets that seemed to destroy her even as she held tightly onto them. After...
