Psychosis

Chapter 42- Reid's Letter

Isabel looked down at the man that was lying on the ground, empty bottles in a pile near his hand, a needle sticking out of his arm. Isabel shook her head. They had been too late. The rest of the team was with her, and they had different reactions. Two of the girls were crying, one looked angry, and the males were all confused. How could the man do something like this? He had hidden his pain well enough that they didn't know that it was there. She kneeled down next to him, checking his pulse, shaking her head when she found nothing.

He was dead.

**************

Ciara sighed, trying to calm her frazzled nerves. Today was the first day she'd be back in action after her gunshot wound, and she wasn't ready to face Reid. How could she after what she had done to him? She had tried to save Tayler, but she had failed. Braeden hadn't believed her when she was, in fact, telling him the truth. That was the worst part. She hadn't even been lying. She was Tayler's only hope, but she had failed her. And what's worse, she had failed Reid. Reid was counting on them, on her, to save Tayler, and she had died. And when he needed her the most, she had been in the hospital, unable to help him.

But why did he need her so much? That she couldn't understand.

"You okay?" Akilah asked. "Do you need any more painkillers?" Akilah had shown over the past two months that she really did have a soft side. She had become like Ciara's temporary mother, always hovering over her when she was there, making sure Ciara had everything she needed, from blankets to painkillers to snacks. Akilah had forced Ciara to eat so many snacks, she might have actually gained a pound. That and the bedrest might have also caused her to gain a pound or two. Hah. Gaining two pounds. That wasn't possible.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I have my emergency pain pills with me if I need them. I can't believe they actually cleared me to travel. Can ye believe that?"

"Yeah, not really. Don't worry, I won't let you do anything too much. You know I won't let you," Akilah responded.

"Yes, Mam," Ciara joked, but Ciara almost felt as if the name was deserved. She really was a temporary mother while Ciara was recovering. Finally, they arrived at their destination, and Ciara took a deep breath, grabbed her go bag, which she was sure she'd need, before walking in with Akilah. As soon as they were inside the bullpen, everyone else turned to see her, and they excitedly ran over to her, giving her loving pats on the shoulder and asking questions. They forgot one of her ground rules, which was one at a time. But at that moment, she didn't really care. She was just glad to see her team again. But there was one face that she didn't see. "Where's Reid? Is he still taking time off?"

"No, we were actually hoping you knew where he was," Hotch answered, and Ciara shook her head. She hadn't talked to Reid since the night on the rooftop. That had been one thing she had missed during her two months off. She had missed their conversations, but he hadn't texted her at all during those two months, and Ciara was too much of a psychosis-riddled ball of anxiety to text first, and Reid knew that.

"So where is he?" Rossi asked, and everyone had to admit they didn't know. Ciara automatically went over to his desk and started peeking around, seeing if there was anything there that might be able to tell where Reid was. At first, it looked like there was nothing until Ciara noticed a piece of paper that was just out of place. Reid would never leave a paper out of place. That was one of the many things they had in common. She picked up the paper, knowing it would be important, but not knowing just how important.

To my wonderful team:

"I have something!" Ciara cried, and immediately, the entire team was behind her, looking over her shoulder. It honestly made her a little nervous, but she knew they would want to see what she was looking at. As the fastest reader after Reid, Ciara made short work of the note.