The Funny Thing About Friends

Chapter 11

I Own Nothing :(

A/N: THIS IS IT! Ahh, the end is near! I have an epilogue planned (read the note at the bottom of the chapter) if anyone is interested! Thanks for reading! Reviews make my day!(:

Chapter 11

The ambulance pulled up next to the emergency room double door entrance at Carson Memorial Hospital. One of the doctors pulled open the ambulance doors while the others lowered the stretcher that held Bailey onto the ground. Spencer continued to hold Bailey's hand as the doctors wheeled her stretcher down the hospital hallway.

Everything seemed to be a blur as they raced down the hallway, and Spencer kept his eyes fixed on Bailey's face to keep himself from getting sick. When they reached the operating room doors, one of the doctors held out her hand to gently stop Spencer from walking.

"Sir, you have to stay here. You can't go in the operating room with us." She said softly.

"But –" Spencer trailed off as he watched Bailey disappear into the operating room.

The doctor looked up at him, her eyes filled with pity and compassion. "Just stay in the waiting room down the hall. I promise I'll come out every once in a while and fill you in on how Bailey's doing. Okay?"

Spencer nodded and he managed to say, "Thank you."

The doctor gave his arm a small squeeze before entering the operating room behind her.

After she was gone, Spencer felt the overwhelming desire to crawl up into a ball and disappear. He sunk down against the wall until he was sitting on the floor. He felt as though he was going to pass out as reality began to sink into his mind. He finally allowed himself to give into the desire to cry. He closed his eyes as tears began to well up and trail down his cheeks.

"Spencer." As his name was spoken, Spencer opened his eyes. Hotch was crouched down next to him on the floor. Hotch had his hand gently laid on Spencer's arm, and his face showed worry.

Spencer suddenly realized how pathetic he must have looked to Hotch; he was covered in Bailey's blood, which was now getting all over the floor and the wall that he was leaning against. He was also sitting without his shirt or tie, but only in an old undershirt and his pants. Spencer felt his cheeks slightly turn a darker shade of pink in embarrassment.

If Hotch noticed how pathetic Spencer looked, however, he did not show it. Instead, he held out his hand to Spencer to help him stand up. Spencer took his hand and stood up from the ground.

"C'mon. Let's go to the bathroom and get you cleaned up." Hotch said gently.

Spencer nodded, but then stopped suddenly. "Wait. A doctor told me to wait in the waiting room. I have to wait there. She's going to tell me how Bailey's doing. I-I can't leave. I have to be there."

Spencer went to walk past his superior, but Hotch held onto his arm. "Spencer, there isn't going to be an update for a while. Even if there is, the rest of the team is in the waiting room. They'll fill us in if something happens. Right now, you just need to take care of yourself." Hotch said softly.

Spencer nodded once again, and finally agreed. "Okay."

Hotch walked with Spencer down the hall into the men's bathroom. Spencer reached a sink and stared at his reflection in the mirror. There was a streak of blood across his cheek from when he had tried to wipe away tears that were falling down his face. Seeing Bailey's blood on his face made his eyes water once again.

Don't cry in front of Hotch, stupid. Spencer thought to himself, taking a deep breath. However, Spencer knew that Hotch was the one person who was able to understand why he was crying; Hotch was the one person who knew what Spencer was feeling.

Spencer turned on the faucet and gathered the water that poured out to wash his bloodstained hands. He then cupped his hands and splashed water on his face, using it to erase the blood and tearstains. He used a paper towel to dry the water droplets upon his face, and, looking in the mirror, he sighed.

"Take off your beater." Hotch spoke up. Spencer looked over at him.

"What?"

"Your undershirt. It's covered in blood. Take it off." Hotch explained.

Spencer looked down at himself. There was quite a bit of blood drenching the shirt, and he gladly peeled it off of his body. He stood in front of Hotch, wearing no shirt of any kind, and he couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed. Hotch opened his briefcase and pulled out an old gray t-shirt. It read Dewey Beach across the front, and there was a picture of a crab underneath the writing.

Hotch held out his hand and handed the shirt to Spencer. "I always keep an extra shirt, just in case." He explained. "If Jack and I ever go somewhere after work, I don't have to stop at home to change. It's more convenient just to keep a change of clothes with me."

Spencer tilted his head slightly. It was weird – yet comforting – to hear Hotch talk to him about his son and his personal life. Spencer realized that it had been happening quite frequently lately.

Spencer pulled the t-shirt over his head and briefly looked in the mirror. Hotch was taller and much more muscular that he was, and the shirt was large on his thin frame. Spencer did not mind, however; there was a strange feeling of ease that came with wearing Hotch's shirt, and he felt slightly relieved now that he was no longer covered in Bailey's blood.

"I'm starving." Spencer suddenly spoke up.

Hotch raised an eyebrow, and he gave a slight hint of a smile. "Then let's go to the cafeteria."

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Spencer hadn't been lying when he said he was starving. He sat at a cafeteria table with Hotch, and he had quite a bit of food before him. He had eaten three slices of pizza, a bowl of mac-and-cheese, a plate of chicken fingers, a fruit bowl, and two brownies. Hotch was watching him in comic amusement; he would have never guessed that someone as skinny as Spencer could eat that much food in one sitting. Not to mention that Spencer had basically dumped an entire container of sugar into his coffee cup.

"Bailey and I used to go to this one hospital when we were kids and pretend we were visiting one of the patients so that we could eat lunch at the hospital cafeteria." Spencer said softly, managing to talk about his best friend without thinking about her on the operating table. "We thought that hospital food was like the best food in all of Las Vegas."

Hotch smiled. "What didn't you two do when you were kids?"

Spencer gave a smile back. "We were almost always together growing up. She was popular, and, obviously I wasn't, considering I graduated high school at twelve years old. But she always ditched her friends so that she could hang out with me. We were like partners-in-crime." He took another bite of his pizza. He sighed. "I don't know what I would do without her." He looked down at the ground sadly.

"She's going to be fine, Spencer." Hotch said. Spencer noticed that Hotch hadn't called him 'Reid' since they had gotten to the hospital. "She's a strong girl."

Spencer nodded in agreement. His phone went off at that moment, and he took it out from his pocket. He read the text message on the screen quickly. "Jake's here." He told Hotch. "We should go up to the waiting room with everyone else."

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Spencer and Hotch entered the waiting room where Morgan, JJ, Emily, Rossi, Garcia, and Jake, holding Anni, were seated. Jake was tapping his foot nervously on the ground as the baby girl in his arms slept, unaware that her mother was only a few rooms away.

Everyone looked up as they noticed Spencer and Hotch, and Jake stood up as he saw them. He gathered Spencer into a hug, tears gathering in his eyes.

"You found her. You saved her." He managed to say to Spencer. As Jake pulled away from the hug, Spencer gave him a small smile.

"She's going to be all right." He said softly. However, Spencer wasn't even sure if he believed his own words, and his heart was still heavy inside of his chest with fear.

"How are you holding in there, Spence?" JJ called from across the room.

Spencer gave a small shrug and a quick glance toward Hotch. "Better now."

"Come sit down, love." Garcia chimed into the conversation. She patted the chair next to her, and Spencer seated himself upon it. Hotch took the chair next to Spencer.

JJ was seated next to Jake, who sat back down in his chair. He appeared very tired, and he leaned back and closed his eyes. At the same time, Anni opened her eyes and gave a yawn.

"Do you mind if I hold her?" JJ asked Jake with a small smile. Jake gave a smile back and handed Anni to JJ.

"Hello there sweetheart! Aren't you just the cutest little thing?" JJ cooed softly to the baby girl in her arms. Anni gave a small giggle, followed by another yawn.

Spencer felt hot tears burning in his eyes as he watched JJ from across the room. Hold in there, Bailey. He thought to himself. Hold in there. Anni needs you. Spencer bit his lip in an attempt to hold back tears. I need you.

(Spencer's Flashback)

Spencer was only nine years old when his father walked out. It was a young age, and most kids wouldn't have realized what was going on. Spencer, however, was not like most kids.

His father patted him on the head and simply walked out of their home, suitcases in hand. He was too much of a coward to look Diana in the eyes as he turned his back on her and their son and left them behind. Spencer was positive that Diana was not quite aware of what was occurring around her; she simply asked Spencer to crawl up next to her so she could read him a story. He told himself that since his mother was not worried over his father leaving that he shouldn't fret either; however, his mind was racing with the very likely possibility that he would never see his father again.

By the time Diana had read her son the book cover to cover, he had tears in his eyes. He had not been paying attention to much of the book, but rather had his thoughts centered around his father. Was he really gone…forever?

Diana did not seem to notice that her son was crying. She put the book aside and closed her eyes, and, within moments, she was sound asleep. Spencer quietly leaped off the bed, careful not to wake his mother, and padded out of the bedroom. He found his shoes and baseball hat by the front screen door, and he headed outside.

He walked down the sidewalk, his head pointed toward the ground. He did not get far, though, before he heard Bailey calling his name from the house next door to his own.

"There you are!" She cried out to him, bounding down her porch steps to him. "What's up?"

Spencer looked up at her, and Bailey could automatically tell there was something wrong with her best friend. She frowned and cocked her head to the side.

"What's wrong?" She asked softly.

Spencer bit his lip before speaking. "My dad's gone."

He did not need to explain anything more than that sentence to Bailey for her to understand what was going on. Bailey was basically an expert on scumbag fathers (even at only nine years old), and she knew exactly what Spencer meant without having him go into detail.

Bailey clenched her fists down at her side until her knuckles turned white in color, and set her jaw as she looked past Spencer at his house. She took in the absence of his father's car, even though he should have been home from work hours before.

Bailey refocused her gaze onto Spencer, who she pulled into a hug. Spencer allowed one tear to etch itself down his face, landing on Bailey's shoulder.

"Dads suck." Bailey spoke up, pulling away from the hug. "We don't need them. We just need each other."

(End Flashback)

Hotch placed his hand just above Spencer's knee, catching his attention. "Are you alright? You look like you're going to pass out." He said softly.

Spencer nodded and managed to choke out the words, "I'm fine."

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Two-and-a-half hours passed by, and there was still not much word on how Bailey was doing. Even though the one doctor Spencer had spoken to – whose name was Betty – gave them updates whenever she could, they were very vague. It was still unknown if Bailey would survive surgery.

The BAU members had all told Spencer that they were going to be with him every step of the way, and, when Spencer had told them that it was all right if they wanted to leave, Hotch told him it was 'out of the question'. The others agreed, and they remained with Jake and Spencer in the waiting room.

Betty entered the waiting room, her face clearly showing that she was tired. She looked into the room, her gaze landing on Spencer.

"Mr. Reid?" She called softly. Spencer's attention turned to the doctor, eager for any news about Bailey's condition. Jake sat up straighter and did the same.

"She's stable and out of surgery." Betty gave a smile. "She's a fighter. She's going to be fine."

Smiles broke out within the room. Jake hugged the first person he saw – who happened to be JJ – and mumbled into her shoulder, "She's going to be okay."

JJ smiled at Jake. "Your wife's a strong woman."

He smiled back and wiped new tears from his eyes. "I know."

Morgan slapped his arm around Spencer's shoulders. "You hear that, kid? She's gunna be just fine."

Spencer smiled widely. "I don't even know what to say now. I was sitting here, preparing myself for the worst, and now…" He trailed off. "I don't know what to say."

Betty spoke up. "Who here is family of Mrs. Connor?"

Jake raised his hand. "I'm her husband. And Anni is our daughter." He pointed to the baby who was in his arms.

"Alright. Could you follow me? We can't take more than one or two visitors at a time, because she's only been out of surgery for about an hour now, but I think she's up to having visitors. She's been asking about you since the moment she woke up from surgery." Betty told Jake with a small smile. "I should warn you though; she's still a bit loopy from the surgery and the pain medication." She led Jake out of the room to where Bailey was located down the hall.

Once Jake left, Hotch addressed the rest of his team. "I'll stay and interview Bailey, once Reid gets time to visit with her. Could the rest of you get statements from the other women? They're all still here, getting checked out by the doctors and contacting their families. After that, feel free to head back to the hotel. It's been a long day. We'll leave for Quantico tomorrow, after all the paperwork is filed."

The rest of the team nodded, and, as they left the waiting room, hugged Spencer and mumbled some kind of encouraging words to him. Once they had all gone, Spencer and Hotch remained the only people in the room.

They sat, mostly in silence, for nearly an hour-and-a-half before Betty and Jake returned. Jake's smile seemed blinding.

"Bailey's asking about you Spencer." Jake said.

Spencer jumped up from his seat. Jake patted him on the back. "I'm going to the airport to pick up Caroline, and I'm going to leave Anni with her husband. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Spencer nodded. "Drive safely. Tell Caroline I say hello."

Spencer and Hotch reached Bailey's hospital room, and Hotch paused at the door. "You go ahead and have a private moment with her. I'm sure you have a lot to talk about. Anyway, we can just save the interview until tomorrow, when she's not so 'out of it'."

Spencer nodded. As Hotch turned to leave, Spencer called after him. "Aaron!"

Hotch turned around, quite surprised. It was much unlike Spencer – or really anyone on the team – to call him by his first name. "Yeah, Reid?"

"Thank you. For everything."

Hotch smiled his rare smile at Spencer for a long moment. "Anytime." And with that, he turned and walked down the hallway toward the hospital exit.

Spencer entered Bailey's hospital room, and took a sharp intake of breath. Bailey was laying down in the bed in a hospital gown, and, despite looking very tired, she appeared to be much like her normal self. A few monitors and IVs were hooked up to her, and they beeped around her. Bailey smiled widely when she saw Spencer enter the room, and she exclaimed, "Spencer!" as loud as she could without causing her wound to hurt her.

Spencer rushed to her side and kissed her left temple. "Damn, Bailey. You're alright." He mumbled into her ear.

"Thanks to you." She muttered softly.

"You don't have to worry about Jason anymore, Bailey. He's dead. We killed him. You're safe now." Spencer sat down in the chair next to Bailey's bed.

Bailey gave a soft murmur, and she sounded content. Her whole body seemed to relax slightly.

"Remember that night?" She asked Spencer, suddenly. Spencer was confused, but he remembered Betty saying that Bailey was a bit loopy from the surgery, so he went along with her train of thought.

"What night?" He asked.

"When I hurt Chris."

Spencer was a bit surprised by the topic; it was rather random. Chris was a dirt bag Bailey had dated years before, and one night he had the nerve to hit her. Bailey, haunted by the memory of her abusive father, 'beat the snot' out of Chris, and ended up breaking his nose. If it hadn't been for Spencer holding her back, she probably would have done worse. If you asked Spencer, Chris deserved what he got.

"Yes, Bailey, I remember." He responded.

"So do I." She muttered.

"Mm-Hmm." Spencer murmured.

Bailey looked up at him. "Were you scared?"

Spencer thought over the question. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Because you almost got into a lot of trouble."

"I know. I'm sorry."

Spencer pushed a strand of Bailey's blond hair out of her eyes. "Don't be."

Bailey cocked her head. "Don't be what?"

"Don't be sorry." Spencer replied.

"Sorry about what?"

Spencer smiled softly at Bailey. "Chris."

"Chris?" Bailey inquired. "He hit me. Do you remember that night? I do. I was scared. But you saved me. You're my hero."

"I love you, Bailey." Spencer whispered.

Bailey smiled. "I love you more."

"Oh really?" Spencer raised an eyebrow.

"Mm-Hmm. I really do. Promise."

"Okay. I promise I love you, too."

Bailey paused. "Did I ever love my dad?"

"I don't know Bailey. Did you?"

Bailey rolled her eyes at Spencer. "You already know, you're just pretending you don't. You know everything."

Spencer laughed. "Pretty much."

"You always know what I'm thinking."

"That's because you always think of the same thing." Spencer replied.

Bailey rolled her eyes again. "What do I always think of, then, Mr. Smarty Pants?"

"How amazing I am." Spencer smiled at Bailey. She smiled back.

"Very true. That's all I ever think about." Bailey lowered her voice. "I even dream about it."

Spencer raised both of his eyebrows. "So you dream about me?"

Bailey shrugged. "Sure. Sometimes. But you don't dream about me. You always dream about Star Wars."

"That's not true."

"I'm not a liar." Bailey responded.

Spencer pushed back the strand of hair that had once again fallen into Bailey's blue eyes. "I never said that you were."

"Daddy used to call me a lying bitch."

"I know Bailey."

"Am I a lying bitch?"

"No, Bailey."

"Then why did he say it?" Bailey asked yet another question.

Spencer sighed. "Because he's a lying bitch."

"My dad used to call me that."

"I know, Bailey."

Bailey paused, then started to speak again. "Remember when we won $50,000 in the casino? And then we were underage and got kicked out?"

"Those were on two different occasions." Spencer corrected her.

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Oh." Bailey paused. "But do you remember?"

"Yes, I remember. I kissed you after we won the money."

"You said I was pretty." Bailey said softly.

"I meant it. It was true, that's why I said it." Spencer replied. Even after Bailey had been captive for nearly a month and had gotten shot, she was still beautiful.

"I don't think daddy ever thought I was pretty."

Spencer shook his head. "Forget about him. He's nothing."

"Don't fall asleep." Bailey whispered.

Spencer furrowed his brow, confused. "Excuse me?"

"Don't fall asleep." Bailey repeated. "Caroline used to tell me that. Don't fall asleep until daddy does. He always has to fall asleep first, or else he might do bad things while we're asleep. Shh, don't wake him up."

Spencer could have sworn he felt his heart break. He hated hearing storied about Bailey's father. "I love you, Bailey."

"I love you, too."

"You're beautiful."

Bailey smiled softly. "Remember when you proposed to me?"

Spencer smiled back at her. "You proposed to me, Bailey, remember?"

"I just said that!"

"I know you did." Spencer smiled to himself.

"We should've gotten married." Bailey struggled to keep her eyes open.

"What about Jake?" Spencer asked Bailey, jokingly.

"I love him."

"I know."

"I love Anni."

"I know."

Bailey's eyelids fluttered closed. Just before she fell asleep, she mumbled to Spencer. "I love you."

Spencer kissed Bailey on her forehead. "I love you, too."

THE END!

A/N: Okay, I have an epilogue/sequel thing planned if anyone is interested…but if not, the story can end here! In the epilogue, Bailey's father shows up, and things between Spencer/Hotch get a bit intense. Bailey has another baby! Also, Bailey tells Hotch what Spencer has said about him in the past. Ooh, juicy gossip! Hahaha(: It'll be called Friends Forever if you think it's a good idea! So tell me what you think! Review, review, review! (: I hope you all enjoyed this. Thanks to all readers!