Through the Gate

Chapter 7

September 3rd, 2012

Morgan clicked through yet another article he didn't really understand, resting his chin in his hand as his dark eyes scanned the screen. It wasn't that he was unintelligent—quite the opposite, which he showed on a regular basis—but his specialty wasn't science. Especially not theoretical, otherworldly, not-even-official-just-speculated-about science. But he couldn't just leave Reid and Ed to do all the research alone, and he figured he understood enough to pick out articles or theories that mentioned the kinds of things they were looking for. Multiverse, alternate dimension, travel through space, paranormal experiences, and so on.

"Morgan."

Morgan glanced up to find Hotch standing by his desk with an eyebrow raised as he smirked at the younger man.

"Aren't you on your lunch break?"

"Yeah?" Morgan frowned.

"Then why is your chicken sandwich sitting there uneaten?"

Morgan turned his head to look at the sandwich he had taken one bite of before getting sucked into the incomprehensible words on his screen. "Uh... I'm on a diet?"

Hotch chuckled but made no comment. "I just spoke with JJ, and she thinks we might have another case we need to be on location for. She and I are going to take a closer look and figure out our next steps, but I want everyone to be ready."

Nodding, Morgan grabbed his sandwich and prepared to take a bite. "I'll see if I can finish the consult on that Tuscaloosa case." He waited until Hotch gave an affirmative nod and walked off to actually start eating his lunch, not wanting to be rude. I wonder if we'll take Ed with us this time. I mean, he's been here almost seven weeks. He knows how to call 911 if he needs, and he can pay for stuff in cash.

Still, Morgan didn't like the thought of Ed being several states away in a world that was completely foreign to him, even if he was starting to understand it. He might have had the basic knowledge necessary to survive, but he didn't have the kind of experience and confidence that would keep him from having anxiety about different situations he was in. Granted, he could call Garcia if it became necessary, but Morgan didn't like the thought of letting the little world-hopper out of his sight.

Yeah, we'll probably take him with us. Morgan grabbed his phone and checked the time, finding he only had four minutes left of his lunch break, and he took another bite. Especially if he gets that pain in his limbs again.

Morgan had been keeping track—even though he knew Hotch already told Ed to do that himself—and it seemed to come every 1-2 weeks. Ed had been in pain when he showed up, July 18th, and then again on August 3rd. Then he had another one with less of a gap on August 10th, and on August 17th, he had lost his gallbladder, meaning the pain medication he was on might have muted or disguised the pain that could have been there. It was now September 3rd, meaning the pain could crop up any day. It probably wasn't a good idea for Ed to be alone and dealing with whatever pain his body was going to put him through.

Honestly, the pain in and of itself was another concern entirely. What was causing it? That first night and the days that followed could be attributed to the trauma of crossing over from another dimension. But why did it keep coming back? Was it some kind of response to being in the wrong world? As if something about the chemical makeup of their dimension was different from Ed's, and the more vulnerable parts of his body were reacting to it? Was it still the trauma, but with a lingering effect that came and went, like a phantom pain one would experience after losing a limb? It didn't seem like actual phantom pain, because Ed didn't say it was in the extremities that were no longer there, but in the parts of his body that remained.