Bundle of Branches

Chapter 12

When Reid opens his eyes, Hayes is right there next to him, holding his hand.

"Hey, Reid," Hayes says, softly.

"Where-" Reid tries to sit up, but Hayes gently holds him down. Reid grimaces, pain shooting through his abdomen. "Son of a b-bitch," he stammers out, taking an unsteady breath.

"You got hurt, badly, and you lost a lot of blood." Hayes rests a hand on Reid's abdomen. "Paula said the spear hit your gastric artery. Not to mention the stab wound in your thigh... Reid, it's miraculous that you survived."

Reid grits his teeth, trying to withstand the waves of pain that just keep coming. "I'm a m-miraculous guy," he manages, a stuttered laugh escaping him. "Nothing- can k-keep me- down."

Hayes smiles. "Hold the tough guy attitude. You've gotta recover." Pain sparks in his arm, but he tries to ignore it.

"Wait, w-what's wrong?" Reid frowns, straining to see over the side of the cot. "Hayes, why- why is y-your arm... it's hurt." Concern fills his face.

Hayes shakes his head, slightly. "No, I'm fine." He moves his arm behind his back. "How are you feeling?"

Reid reaches out, weakly, and takes Hayes's hurt arm from out behind his back. His eyes roam over the bandages. "W-what happened?"

"I gave blood to save you." Hayes fidgets with the hem of his shirt. "I'm okay. It's no big deal."

"Hayes," breathes Reid, his eyes filling with tears. "Thank you. It... well. It means a lot to have friends like you." Then a shock of pain explodes in his abdomen, and he presses his head back into the pillows, breathing shallowly.

Hayes waits for the pain to pass, and when it does, he speaks. "What if... I wanted to be more than that?" He rushes the words, saying them quickly before he can change his mind. "I mean, uh, more than friends. More than... this." Hayes spreads his hands slightly, his face open and vulnerable.

Reid swallows. He doesn't respond immediately - he can't. He takes a few minutes to find the words, selecting them in his mind until he is certain that they express his feelings. "More than f-friends? H-Hayes, that's... I'm not sure w-what..." He blushes. "Are you asking m-me out?"

"Well, I mean, I- I'm sorry," Hayes stammers. "It's- I just- I've been feeling for a while that... that I want to be something with you. Something other than- than what we already have." He's talking too much, his words building up into an awkward space between them, and it makes his heart beat fast.

Reid tries his best to keep his expression calm, but tears prick at his eyes, and he blinks rapidly. Inside his chest, there's a storm, unknown emotions snowballing down a hill until they press against his lungs. He doesn't want to go on a date... right? All of the feelings that he has towards Hayes come purely from a place of friendship. Or at least... he thinks. Because if he looks inside himself, pulling back the layers and finding the beating heart at the center, there's love - just pure, innocent love. "Hayes..." he starts, and then he's crying. Tears are running down his cheeks, and he can't stop them.

Hayes's eyes are wide. He takes a hitching breath, shaking his head slightly. A small flicker of hope flashes in his heart, but it's accompanied by dread. "I- I'm sorry," he says. Part of him wants to stand up, to leave, to run far away, but the other part knows that he needs to stay here with Reid. "I'm sorry." All he can do is sit there helplessly, curling his hands into fists and then uncurling them, over and over again.

"No, Hayes," manages Reid, through his tears. And all at once, the emotions that he's been burying for so long burst free. "I- when I think about... what t-this is between us... and imagine it b-blossoming into something more..." His voice breaks off, the sentence melting away into a sob.