The Lady and the Genius.

The freak out.

(That's what the top of the cane looks like. I just feel like they would have gotten her one with an interesting handle that also holds the secret to the cane.)

I was relaxing at my desk with my cane that I only used when Spencer was around.
'I'm glad no one has learnt about my secret about the cane.... how would one explain that?'
I was reading a case file when Emily, Derek, Penelope came to my side making me shrink slightly in my chair since I could tell they were still worried about me.
"Kitten. Are you ok?"
"Yeah I'm fine."
"Baby you don't have to lie to us like that. We are here for you."
"I know."
"Have you told your cousin Sniper about what happened?" Emily asked
"Yeah. Well about half of it."
"You didn't tell him you were shot?" Penelope asked making me shake my head no.
"You should tell him, baby."
"He will just worry more about me and I don't want that." I told as I tried to stop my breathing from becoming worse.
'Just breath and relax.'
I began to quickly tap my palm and tried to not have my team notice it as I moved my hand from out of their eye sight.
"He should still know. You got shot." Emily stated making my breathing become worse.
"So was he at like the start of the month."
"Yeah but you got shot when you were a hostage." Derek told
"I know. I know I was a hostage and I know I was shot. I have the wound to prove it." I told as I began to play with my sleeve to try and distract myself since taping my palm wasn't working.
I could already tell that playing with my sleeve wasn't working like I had hoped and it seemed my distress of that was noticed by my team.
"Kitten are you ok?"
"I just need some air." I quickly told as I grabbed my phone and came before I rushed to the most private bathrooms.
Once I found it, I hid in the stall furthest away from the door and called De and Uni boy only to get voicemails. I tried Motor next only to get the same result.
'Oh for heavens sake.'
I quickly found his number and called him. After three rings it picked up and I waited for him to speak.
"Hello?"
"Oh..... you are not who I thought would pick up."
"Who's this?"
"I'm the guy who owns this phone's cousin. I understand if you don't know who I am. We don't really talk about the other a lot."
"Are you the one he calls Brains?"
"Yeah. I call him Sniper."
"Because he was a ranger."
"Yeah. Do you know where he is? I just need to tell him something because some of my coworkers found out I didn't do something and said I should tell him."
"I will see if he is still in the building."
"Thank you."
I heard some muffled movement before I heard the quiet voices of someone they were speaking to. She told someone no about something and that I needed to talk to my cousin. I heard some more muffled noises before everything became clear.
"Have you seen my phone?"
"Your cousin called and needed to talk to you." I think something has gone wrong on her end since she sounded really upset." She told as I could tell she handed the phone to him.
There was a little bit of silence before I heard his voice.
"Hey, what's wrong? Is everything ok?" He asked.
"Yes.... no not really. My coworkers told me that I should have told you that I was also shot in the leg but I didn't since I figured you would become protective mode on me. But I can't get ahold of any other cousins but you and I'm freaking out. My coworkers kept asking me questions and saying I should have done this and should have done that, which only made my breathing become quicker and my mind is racing and I'm forcing myself not to go into the darkest corner that I can to cry since I'm at work and that's a conversation I don't want to have....
"Hey hey. Listen to me, ok. You just need to breath, your having a small panic attack. It's ok just talk to me." He told
"I know. I just can't distract myself long enough to make sure I've become calm."
"Just follow these breathing techniques with me like we did when you first started having them. Can you do that Brains?"
"I should be able to."
"Now breath in for 7." He told
I began to follow his instructions and after the 8th one I could tell I was beginning to calm down. We kept going for another 8 times when I was finally calmed down enough to speak.
"Thank you."
"I'm always here for you. Even though we aren't seeing eye to eye at the moment, I still care for you."
"I know. I'm sorry I had to call."
"It's fine. I'm just glad to know your ok."
"I haven't really had any bad panic attacks like that before."
"I thought all panic attacks were bad?"
"Depends on them. I get some where they are mild or small ones. The really bad ones are the ones where I need help calming down from them."
"Are you fine? Because I will come down."
"No I'll be fine. My team didn't mean to set it off, I'm positive they don't really know about them. I would ask but if they didn't and I asked then they would and I don't want that."
"I get that. So you were shot?"
"Yeah. It didn't hurt after the initial hit."
"You were shot Brains. It should still hurt."
"After we went onto not speaking I was doing something with the boys when we were at uni, and we discovered that I have CIP in my left leg."
"What's that for the not smart people?"
"Basically the nerves in that leg are dead. So I don't have any pain receptors."
"That would explain why you never realised when that leg was hurt when we were kids."
"Yeah. So now I'm walking with a cane till I can get onto planes again. Just a formality."
"You sure your ok? Because I can come down on the next flight."
"I know. But I'm serious, everything is fine."
"Are you better enough to go back to where your coworkers were?"
"Yeah I should be in a few minutes."
"That's good. So how's the shop running?"
"It's running good. This is my last day in the office till I'm running the shop with Jade for the season."
"I should tell you that your snow globe should arrive in a few days if not in the next few weeks."
"Same to you. I think I sent it to your office this time."
"You know I love you right?"
"I know. I love you as well. I gotta go since I'm calmed enough and my team will begin freaking out soon."
"I'm here if you need me Brains."
"Same to you Sniper." I told before hanging up.
I got up and grabbed my things before heading to wash my hands since you never know. Once I was done I dried my hands and left making sure I could quickly act like I had been using the cane to help walk. I made it back to my desk seeing as they went to do their own thing and grabbed the top deck chocolate I kept in my desk and began to snack on it.
"Hey are you ok?" Spencer asked as he came and sat next to me once he put the coffee he got for me down.
"Yeah why?" I asked before eating some more.
"Your eating the stash of chocolate you keep hidden in your desk. You only do that after having a panic attack." He quietly told so the team didn't hear.
"Don't be upset or mad...."
"Why do I feel like I'm still going to be?"
"Because your you." I told before leaning closer so no one else heard. "Emily, Derek and Penelope were asking me if I told Sniper that I was shot."
"Which you didn't because you explained to me and Jj you didn't want him to show up because he goes protective mode on you and you would hit him with your cane."
"I told them I haven't and they basically started saying I should do this and that, which set off an attack. I actually had to lock myself in one of the stalls and call Sniper since the other cousins couldn't pick up cause their them. I explained the whole thing to him very quickly and he helped me calm down. I've often found that if it's extremely bad only my cousins can help calm them down." I told before looking up at Spencer to see he was looking pissed. "I told you to not be upset or mad."
"They caused a panic attack River."
"They don't know I suffer panic attacks. Not even Jj knows and I lived with her while I was 15 at the academy. You only know because Josh called you while I was suffering one when you were at home."
"River they know your not on good terms with him. You've stated multiple times. They kept pushing and that caused you to have an attack."
"Spence, seriously it's fine. I'm fine. Sniper helped me through it. I'm positive he is now hating towards my co workers while also being protective of his own and also being mad at them cause that's how he gets after I've had an attack. They all get like that way actually."
"I'm still not pleased."
"I know. But please don't take it out of them, they don't know." I told
"I really like your cane." He told making me smile since it was his way of changing topics.
"Thanks. He did it cause we met in a lecture about bone forensic anthropology. And apart of getting my nickname Rio, which I will never tell you why. There's a bird I absolutely love and the boy band knew so that's why it's a bird skull."
"What's the bird?"
"I love Toucans, like the Toco Toucan and I also love Spix Macaw."
"You would have gotten along with Gideon." He told
"Cause he loves bird watching and what not."
"Yeah. He would have liked you."
"Probably."
'I enjoy this.'