SPENCER - spencer reid

T W E N T Y

CHAPTER 20: WAKING UP

Dr. Spencer Reid's POV

[February 1st, 2010]

It is the sound of a constant beeping that I notice first. Then, the feeling of the rough bedsheets underneath the palm of my right hand. Then, the feeling of somebody's cold fingers enclosed around my left.

I lie motionlessly for a moment longer, knowing that I am finally safe. I open my eyes, softly smiling when I see that it is Rosemary who has my hand clasped in her own. She is asleep, slumped over in the uncomfortable hospital chair with her cheek resting on the edge of the bed near my covered thigh. Her orange hair falls messily across her face, and I can tell from the darkness under her eyes that this is the first time she has slept in a while. Maybe even since I disappeared.

I run the pad of my thumb over the back of her hand, her soft skin cool to the touch. I allow my eyes to slip back shut for a moment, but I gasp when I see a flash-like image of the UNSUB flicker behind my eyelids. My hitched breathing wakes Rosemary as my eyes fly open again, the monitor beside me indicating my quickened heartbeat.

"Spencer?" Rose's weak, sleep-filled voice calms me instantaneously. "Oh, Spencer, I was so, so worried." her voice cracks and I see tears well up in her beautiful eyes; eyes that I thought I would never have the pleasure of seeing again.

"Shh," I hush her, raising my hand as far as the i.v. would allow to brush the hair from her face. "It's okay. Everything's okay now."

She nods and I pull her closer to me, just wanting to hold her in my arms. She doesn't lie down in fear of hurting me, but she sits on the bed beside my hips with her feet tucked underneath her. She holds my hand in both of hers, gently tracing over my veins with her pale fingertips.

We sit in a comfortable quiet for a moment: relishing in the company of the other, neither of us wanting to break the tranquil silence with soon-forgotten words. Rosemary allows her eyelids to slide closed, taking a deep breath and releasing it in a silent sigh. When her eyes reopen, I am taken aback by the amount of emotion filling them.

I spy sadness and relief. A tint of worry here. A modicum of joy. But - most overwhelming of them all - I see my own love for her reflected in her expression.

"I love you, too." I whisper, making her smile.

"I didn't even say anything." She breathes with a smile, edging closer.

"You didn't have to." I hum, shutting my eyes just before I feel her lips press ever-so-gently against my own.

She smirks against my lips as the monitor shows a leap in my pulse, my heart slamming in my chest from even the most chaste and innocent of her kisses. She says nothing, simply pressing one last lingering kiss to my cheek before running her fingers through my hair with a look on her face that I'm sure my own mirrors.