Author's note: Well folks, this is the end of this little side trip. I hope you've all enjoyed this fic , and thanks to all who have stayed with me.

Reid glared at Morgan as he tried to balance on one crutch and pull his pant leg over his bandage-wrapped foot. He was getting much better with practice, but some things were still tricky to do on crutches. Getting dressed was apparently one of those things. Yet here his 'friend' sat laughing at him while he struggled. He paused in his efforts, debating whether or not to hop over and sit on his bed to finish. It was certainly easier that way but it made his ribs hurt more putting that much pressure on them. He was so involved in his internal discussion that he didn't notice Morgan walk over and kneel in front of him.

A gentle touch on his bad foot snapped him out of his thoughts and into what was going on around him. Morgan had Reid's heel resting on the palm of his hand while he carefully maneuvered the stiff corduroy over the ACE bandage supporting the fractured bones. Reid let out a sigh of relief as his foot finally cooperated and he was able to pull his pants into their proper place. He murmured a thanks to Morgan as he secured the zipper and buttons. As he fastened the buckle on his belt, he noticed that Morgan had yet to rise from the floor.

"What are you doing?" His tone held a note of suspicion, but he felt it was justified. Morgan had wasted little time in coming up with crutch-related 'practical' jokes, so naturally Reid was wary of his motives.

"Nothing bad man, I promise. I just wanted to help with your shoe while I was down here."

Reid raised an eyebrow skeptically but he allowed Morgan to assist nonetheless. At last he was able to sink down onto his bed; it amazed him how something so minimal could tire him so quickly. He wondered if he'd be able to fully enjoy his time in New York if he continued to feel that way. He shook his head to chase away the negative thoughts. No matter what, he was determined to have fun. Besides that, there was no possible way Elle would allow him to sit around and mope when they had so many activities planned. That knowledge made him even more glad he agreed to Elle's plan.

A knock on the door followed by several chipper female voices made him smile wider as he yelled for them to come in. Dr. Allen entered the room followed by JJ, Emily, Elle, and Garcia. All five wore happy expressions so he assumed this was the visit he'd been waiting for.

"All right Spencer," Dr. Allen said cheerily, "it looks like you're all set to get out of here. Ms. Greenaway has your discharge instructions and copies of your records to take back to your regular doctor."

"I've already arranged for your flight to New York-first class," Garcia chimed in. "You guys have e-tickets so all you have to do is show up and show your ID."

"I've filled your prescriptions so we don't have to worry about stopping for them later. Also, Jonathan is meeting us at the airport so we don't have to wait for a cab," Elle added.

"I retrieved your things from Atlanta PD when we finished at the station." Emily held up a plastic bag containing Reid's watch, gun, badge, and cell phone. "Everything has been processed and cleaned so you're good to go. They couldn't save your clothes but I didn't think you'd want them back anyway."

Reid shook his head emphatically. "No, definitely not."

JJ quickly changed the subject. "I filed the paperwork for your sick leave. You have two weeks off plus a mandatory psych eval and physical before you can return. It's all approved and waiting for Hotch to sign, then you'll be free."

"Consider yourself free then." A deep voice spoke from behind the women. Hotch and Gideon stood in the doorway holding coffee for the group. Reid frowned at the taunt of something he couldn't have until he counted the cups and realized there was one for him as well. It took all of his willpower to keep from hurling himself across the room and tackling Hotch with his crutches. Instead, he fidgeted impatiently until finally a steaming cup was placed in his hand. He looked around for condiments but Gideon just smiled at him.

"We already fixed it for you so you wouldn't have to wait."

Without hesitation he lifted the drink and took a long gulp. A voice urging him to slow down forced him to take a breath and savor the glorious flavors remaining on his tongue. It was so wonderful that he barely cared that everyone was laughing at his reaction.

"Take it easy, man. It's not going anywhere," Morgan assured him.

"Besides, the doctor says you only get half a cup for now so you better enjoy it," Hotch added with a small smirk.

Reid ripped off the lid and was dismayed to find that only one or two sips were left in the cup. "You could have told me that sooner," he grumbled as he drained the final drops. The room filled with laughter again as the others drank their coffee at a normal rate. Dr. Allen finished his own drink and then approached Reid.

"Let me give you one last look-over for the road." Reid obliged, sitting still as Dr. Allen listened to his heart, checked his blood pressure and pulse rate, and carefully palpated his ribs. He then took a small pair of scissors from his coat pocket and snipped the red plastic bracelet on Reid's wrist. "You are officially discharged. Everything looks good."

A quiet cheer erupted from his team members and Reid couldn't help but smile. He looked up to make eye contact with his physician. "Thank you, Dr. Allen, for all that you did for me. I really appreciate everything."

"It was no problem Spencer. I'm always glad to help out an officer of the law." He handed Reid a clip board with several sheets of paper on it. Reid hurriedly signed his name to the release papers and pushed himself off the bed and onto the waiting crutches Morgan held for him. Dr. Allen led him out of the room while the rest of the team huddled around him.

During his slow hobble to the elevator, JJ made her way over to him. "I should warn you, Spence, that there could be a reporter or two lurking around downstairs. Agent Johnson has done a good job of fighting them off so far but that doesn't guarantee that they will all stay away."

"Has it really been that bad?" He knew, of course, that the media had his story but he hadn't anticipated becoming big news.

"It's been crazy," Hotch replied grimly. "That is why the Bureau sent us help; we never could have handled this ourselves."

"Well, if they are there then I'll just deal with it." He was too eager to get home to let a few news-hungry reporters get in his way.

"I'll chase them off," Dr. Allen assured. "They aren't allowed on hospital property without express permission from the Board."

"We left the cars parked close so we won't have too far to go anyway," Gideon added.

"That's good," Reid stated as he slowly made his way out of the elevator and down the hallway toward the main entrance. "I'm still working on getting used to these things."

He could see their black SUVs through the glass doors as he approached. Apparently the vehicles looked as official as he thought they did because three men were "inconspicuously" loitering around nearby. Reid snorted an amused laugh at their efforts to avoid looking like reporters; he was fairly certain the hospital had its own maintenance staff and didn't hire plumbers from private companies to stand around and smoke outside their doorways. Sure enough, as soon as the men saw Reid they clamored over trying to get pictures and statements. Morgan and Gideon pushed between him and the men as they continued making their way to the car. Emily moved ahead to open the door for him while Hotch joined JJ and Dr. Allen in distracting the reporters. Reid's "bodyguards" sat on either side of him while Emily took the driver's seat and Elle rode shotgun. Finally the reporters left, and JJ, Hotch and Garcia climbed into the other SUV. They all waved goodbye to Dr. Allen as they pulled out of the parking lot and drove toward the airport.

The ride to the private airstrip was less than 20 minutes, and in another 10 the group was spread out inside the jet. Reid sat propped up on the couch with his foot elevated. Garcia sat in the chair next to him holding his hand while Morgan, JJ, Emily, and Elle played cards at the nearby table. Hotch and Gideon occupied recliners across the aisle.

The mood on the plane was jovial, and even the older agents participated in the teasing and joking that ensued. The card game quickly declined into a vicious card house building competition during which Reid's engineering knowledge was heavily relied upon. The relaxed atmosphere did wonders for Reid's frame of mind, which had teetered toward the negative side for most of his hospital stay. His brain kept trying to drift back into the dark shadows of bad possibilities for his future:

What if I can't get well enough to go back to work? What if I do and can't handle the stress and have a heart attack like Dr. Allen said?

What happens if I develop PTSD or keep having nightmares and flashbacks?

What if I can't shake the drug cravings? Even after treatment nearly 48% of drug users relapse within the first year...

The laughter coming from his friends and team members served as a lifeline to keep him from slipping to far into the depressing thoughts. He took in their happy smiles and playfulness and allowed the feeling to wash over him too. Reid knew he still had many issues to face, and that it would be some time before he would be "fine" or "okay" again. For now, though, he was alive and well and surrounded by people who cared about him. That was good enough.