By the time Derek had completed the agonizingly long process of checking himself out, his heart was beating double time in his chest at the thought of how long he'd been away from Spencer's side. His hip jarred painfully – a fact he had left out when the doctor gave him a final once over – and his head ached as he practically ran back to the younger agent's room. He had sent Garcia on ahead of him, and when he rounded the corner he saw her standing with the rest of the team in a semi-circle around Spencer's doctor.

As Derek joined the group, Garcia captured his hand in her own, interlocking their fingers. "What did I miss?" Derek gasped out, practically out of breath from his near-sprint down the hall.

"Nothing," Garcia assured him. "Dr. Benson here was just about to give us the latest."

The doctor nodded as the attention was turned back to him. "Dr. Reid as has given me permission to share his medical status with you all," he said. "We don't typically give out this information to non-family members."

We are Spencer's family, Derek thought, and he knew the others thought the same, but they kept quiet.

"I know the primary concern right now is Dr. Reid's eyesight," Dr. Benson continued. "My initial examination leads me to believe that the condition is likely temporary, a side effect from slight brain swelling. However, I am going to conduct an MRI shortly to confirm that there is no further damage to the optic nerve or internal bleeding."

"And how, exactly, did you miss this the first time around?" Derek snapped before he could stop himself. He was so on edge – had been for so long now – that he couldn't remember what it was like to think rationally.

"Swelling this minor can often be overlooked when more severe injuries take precedence. It is also very likely that this is a recent development, since Dr. Reid's series of surgeries. Whatever the case, I feel certain that this situation is minor and reversible."

"And if it isn't?"

Garcia squeezed his hand tightly.

"Then we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Derek's insides roared. How could this man simply shrug his shoulders at Spencer's condition? Didn't he understand how much the kid needed his eyesight? Didn't he know how brilliant Spencer was? How many books he read in a week? That he was terrified of the dark?

Garcia squeezed his hand again and Derek's vision cleared. He swallowed hard and licked his lips. "I'd like to sit with him."

The doctor nodded. "Of course. There will be a couple of nurses by in about an hour to bring him down for the MRI. You can stay with him until then." He turned on his heel and walked away, and Derek felt himself believing every stereotype he had heard about the callousness of doctors.

"Derek…" Garcia warned, sensing his mood.

"He may not be warm and fuzzy, but he's the best of the best," Rossi assured.

"At what? Being a dick?"

JJ crossed to him and took his other hand in between hers. "Think positive, Derek. Spencer needs you."

Derek took a deep breath and shut his eyes, centering himself. "I know…I know he does. I just wish I could…punch something. Shoot something. Arrest someone."

"Believe me, I know the feeling," Hotch's voice was even more bitter than usual.

"Go sit with Spencer," Garcia nudged. She lifted her hand to reveal a small stuffed dragon, fuzzy and purple. "And give this to him from me. "

Derek took the proffered toy. "When did you have time to go by the gift shop?"

"When the front desk was harassing you about checking out early. Now get in there."

Derek nodded, pulled in another deep breath and let it puff out through his lips, then left the circle of his friends and slipped inside Spencer's room, shutting the door behind him. He wondered how long the rest of the team would stand out in the hall. He had a feeling they wouldn't be leaving any time soon.

He walked to Spencer's bedside and pulled up the chair he had pushed away earlier, settling by the kid's head. Spencer had turned his body at an awkward angle, trying to lay on his side facing away from the door, but couldn't quite manage it with his numerous injuries. His head faced away from Derek, eyes closed, and it was impossible to tell whether or not he was sleeping.

Derek assumed not since the kid had been so worked up about his eyesight He reached out and ran a hand over the length of Spencer's soft, coppery curls. "Hey kiddo," he murmured. "You with me over there?"

Spencer sniffled and reached a hand up to his face, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles. He said nothing.

"Spencer," Derek said softly. His voice died in his throat. He didn't have any idea what he was trying to say. He reached over Spencer's body and set the stuffed dragon between the kid's arm and chest. "Garcia bought you a present. It's dragon. It's…um…it's purple."

Spencer clutched the toy to his chest, fingers picking at the fuzziness. After a moment he rolled fully onto his back, his unseeing eyes half open between tear spiked lashes. He held the stuffed dragon tight.

Derek tucked a lock of hair behind Spencer's ear. "The doctor says he thinks the blindness is temporary. He thinks it's due to minor swelling that's going to go down."

Spencer frowned. "He's a liar."

"What? Spencer, listen, I know he's not exactly the puppies and sunshine type, but he's very good at what he does. He said your loss of eyesight is temporary and I believe him." Or he would believe him as long as he could convince Spencer to do the same.

Spencer's cheeks colored, his jaw clenching. "50 percent chance," he spat out. "He doesn't need to pretend with me. I know the truth. There is a 50 percent chance that I'll ever see again."

Derek's mouth went dry and he swallowed hard. "How do you know that?"

"How do I know anything I know? I've read about it. I've learned about it. I just know, okay? And that doctor is a lying sonofabitch."

Derek practically lurched backwards in surprise. He had never heard Spencer swear so viciously before. "Well," he finally said. "I choose to believe him. I'm thinking positive here. I believe you will see again, Spencer. This is just a glitch and you're going to be fine."

There was a moment of silence. Suddenly, Spencer sat up with a guttural scream of rage, and the stuffed dragon was launched across the room with enough force to bounce off the TV that hung on the opposite wall. The kid collapsed once more, groaning from the pain he had caused his ribs.

"Spencer!" Derek jumped up from the chair and settled on the side of the bed, leaning over the younger agent.

"Believe whatever you want," Spencer growled through an onslaught of tears that ran down his cheeks. "I don't care. I don't care what that damn doctor says. I know the truth."

"Spencer," Derek put his hands on the boy's cheeks, his thumbs smoothing away tear tracks. "It's going to be okay. Don't listen to the doctor. That's fine. But you need to listen to me. I believe that you will see again, and you need to believe it too."

Spencer squeezed his eyes shut tight, shaking his head back and forth on the pillow. "I can't believe that, Derek," he cried. "I can't. What if I start relying on that as fact, and I spend the rest of my life waiting to see again? What if every single day that I wake up from now on is nothing but a disappointment? It's better to believe the worst than get my hopes up."

"Like when we were in the cave?" Derek asked. "Because if I remember correctly I told you over and over again we were going to be rescued, and here we are."

Spencer laughed bitterly through his tears. "That was sheer, dumb luck, Derek. Not odds. Not statistics. It's a miracle they found us."

"So why can't your sight returning be a miracle too?"

Spencer sobbed. "It's too much, Derek. It's too much. What if I start to believe it and I can never see again? Never read again? Never help the team again? Never write a letter to my mom again?"

"Shhh…" Derek leaned down, capturing Spencer in an awkward embrace, sliding his hands behind the young man's shoulders and lifting slightly. Spencer buried his face in Derek's shirt, sobbing in earnest. "We'll figure it out, okay? Whatever happens, we'll figure it out."

"We?" Spencer sniffed.

"Of course. I didn't leave you alone in that cave, and I'm not going anywhere now. Whatever you need, I'll be here for you."

Spencer tried to push his way out of Derek's grasp but the older man held fast. "You can't promise something like that."

"Yes I can. I'm not a percentage, or a statistic, or a miracle. I'm just a man, and if I choose to stay by your side it's because I care about you."

Spencer began to cry harder once more. "It isn't fair to you. Even now…shouldn't you be in bed, Derek? Aren't you hurt?"

"I'm fine, I promise. Just a couple bumps and bruises. The doc let me go without a second thought." Not exactly the truth but no sense in working Spencer up about it.

"I can't ask you to be there for me every time I need you. It isn't fair."

"It is fair because it's what I want."

Spencer pulled back slightly and opened his eyes. Derek studied his face, tear streaked and blotchy, eyelids swollen from crying. "Derek, I wish…" he swallowed hard. "I just wish I could see you."

Derek shut his eyes tight. When he opened them again Spencer was still staring up at him blankly. "You can feel me, can't you kiddo?" he squeezed his arms around the young man's shoulders. "You know I'm holding you, right?"

Spencer nodded, shutting his eyes to release a new onslaught of tears. "Derek, I'm…" He took a shuddering breath. "I'm scared. I'm really, really scared." His voice broke in agony.

"I know," Derek whispered, pulling Spencer against him once more. "I am too, baby boy. But I promise you that no matter what, I'm not going to give up hope, and I'm not going to leave your side. I'm not going to let you face this alone."

Spencer finally returned his embrace, long arms wrapping tight around Derek's back. "You promise?" he whispered.

"I swear."

They sat like that for a while, just holding each other, Spencer's tears eventually tapering off into ragged breathing. He buried his face against Derek's chest as though he wished he could disappear inside him. Derek reached up and stroked the young man's hair, murmuring nonsense words of comfort into his ear.

The door creaked open and Derek turned, Spencer still tight against him. Two nurses stood in the doorway, smiles on their faces that shouldn't have been there under the circumstances.

"Spencer Reid?" one of the nurses said. "We need to take you down to your MRI. It's time."

"Derek?" Spencer murmured against the older agent's chest.

"Shhh…it's okay, kiddo. I promise you, whatever happens, I'm not going to let you face this alone."

End Part One