Lost In The Shadows

Hatochiisai

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, nor do I make any profit off of writing this.

SLASH WARNING : Hotch/Reid pairing

Chapter 1

SSA Derek Morgan moved silently down the dark, dusty corridor towards the door at the end… A dozen SWAT Agents followed.

"Clear." He heard from the bud in his ear. The voice belonged to his boss, Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner.

"Clear." Responded the bold voice of his team mate, Emily Prentiss.

"Clear." Repeated the gruff voice of veteran profiler David Rossi.

"I have the hostages secure. We're heading out." Came the more gentle female voice of Jennifer Jareau.

"How are they, JJ?" Prentiss asked.

"Shaken, but not hurt." JJ said. Morgan glanced over his shoulder at the several SWAT Agents behind him. He nodded and they broke through the door and flooded the room. Morgan and the SWAT Agents checked the disintegrating loft apartment thoroughly.

"Clear." Morgan called into his radio.

"Reid?" He heard Hotch call, requesting an update from their youngest profiler who was down in the parking garage with his own group of SWAT Agents.

"… I've got an old brown van in disrepair down here…" Reid informed the team. "But it's empty. All rusty, tires are flat… I think it's been here for years, Hotch. But so far no one has come in or out."

"… He's not here?" Prentiss exclaimed.

"The hostages say that the UnSub was here just a few minutes ago. He ran when we called for him to surrender." JJ relayed.

"No one got through the perimeter?" Morgan asked.

"No sir!" Came the call from the Police Chief in charge of said perimeter outside.

"… The son of a bitch is still here…" Rossi growled.

Morgan sighed to himself as he left the loft and stalked down the hall, wiping sweat from his brow. He was PISSED. No way this bastard was getting away…

"Hey guys?" JJ's voice suddenly came over the radio. "We need to clear that building right away!"

"What's up, JJ?" Hotch asked.

"One of the hostages just said that he saw the UnSub messing around with pipes, wires and some powders…"

"… He was making bombs?" Prentiss blurted.

"He could have rigged this place to blow…" Rossi groaned.

"Everyone out!" Hotch ordered, tone sharp. "NOW!"

Morgan sighed and headed for the stairs, but then he stopped.

"Hey." He called into his radio. "Are any of you using the elevator?"

"… I would hope that everyone here knows better than to do that on a raid…" Hotch growled.

".. Well… It's being used now." Morgan said. "Just passed the second floor, heading down."

"Reid!" Hotch shouted. "He's heading your way!" And on every floor, the profilers and their team of SWAT Agents broke into a run, dashing down the stairs.

"We're ready for him!" Reid said, trying to hold a tone of confidence. To the SWAT Agents it worked… But his team could hear his tense excitement mixed with nerves.

Down in the parking garage, Reid and the dozen SWAT Agents all faced the elevator, guns raised. Reid and three of the Agents were by the van, peering out from behind it. The others were scattered around, hiding behind the large concrete columns that supported the whole building over their heads.

There was a ding, and a little light appeared in the dark garage, announcing the arrival of the elevator. A moment later, the doors opened with a scraping noise. And then came a deafening roar as lights blazed on and glared out of the elevator. The UnSub roared out on a motorcycle.

The sound of automatic gunfire was accompanied by fiery flashes as the UnSub opened fire, clearing himself a path and sending all the SWAT Agents diving for cover. The UnSub roared through the garage, the sounds of the motorcycle bouncing off of the walls making it sound like a whole biker gang was riding through.

The SWAT Agents opened fire and Reid raised his gun and fired off a couple of rounds, but the target was moving fast, weaving between the concrete columns.

The door by the elevator slammed open and the rest of Reid's team tumbled out, followed by a legion of SWAT Agents. The UnSub reached the entrance of the garage and stopped. He turned and stared at them through the shiny black visor of his helmet. Then he held out his hand. In his gloved palm sat what looked like a garage door opener. They could only assume that it was the detonator for a bomb…

"DROP IT! NOW!" Hotch shouted. SWAT held back while the BAU slowly moved in closer. The man on the motorcycle didn't move. He just sat there. He turned his head slightly.

"Put it down and get off the bike…" Morgan ordered. "We don't wanna shoot you, man…"

A muffled "HA!" was all they got in reply. And then, the man jabbed his thumb down on the button. At first nothing happened. But then Reid turned as he heard a click, and a beep. He stared past the two SWAT Agents behind him at the van. The beeping continued, getting faster and faster. His eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat…

"RUN!" He screamed, but before he could even begin to follow his own advice, a deafening explosion ripped the van apart. The flash was bright white, almost blinding. The team winced away from the disturbingly TOO bright flash… no one saw it punch a hole in the roof, or put a crater into the ground. They were too busy watching in horror as Reid and half a dozen SWAT Agents were brutally hurled through the air by the blast. And then a fraction of a second later, the others were all thrown to the ground by the shockwave that emanated from the blast. The motorcycle roared and disappeared… and a few moments later, a storm of gunfire was heard outside.

Morgan groaned and lifted his head.

"… Reid!" He heard Prentiss cry. His eyes widened. Across the parking garage, SWAT Agents were slowly looking around and stumbling to their feet, responding to those who were unable to get up and were calling out to their comrades for help. But the seven bodies closest to the explosion neither moved, nor called out… And Reid was one of them.

Morgan stumbled to his feet and ran across the asphalt, dodging a disoriented SWAT Agent, and another kneeling by one of the motionless bodies, pulling off his glove and feeling for a pulse.

"We need an ambulance here!" The man called.

Finally, Morgan reached Reid. The boy was lying face down on the concrete, eyes closed. Morgan reached out and lay his fingers on the side of his team mate's throat. After a moment, he closed his eyes and let out the breath he had been holding.

"Morgan!" He turned and watched as Hotch ran over, his eyes wide and frantic. The man dropped to his knees.

"He's alive." Morgan said. "Pulse is strong. Looks like he hit his head. I don't see any sign of broken bones or bleeding anywhere else… I'll get him a bus." And the man leapt to his feet and ran off.

Hotch leaned over as Emily reached them, kneeling by his side.

"Spencer?" Hotch called, brushing loosely tangled hair out of Reid's face.

"Don't move him, Hotch…" Emily said, gently. "Just hold on… The ambulance is on its way…"

And sure enough, only two minutes later several ambulances poured into the underground parking garage. The paramedics first checked on the seven men who had not moved. Hotch moved aside when they reached Reid. Before they knew it, Reid was being transported to an ambulance.

"I'll ride in with him." Hotch called to his team, following Reid to the ambulance. "Rossi, Morgan, you're in charge!" The team watched Hotch climb into the ambulance. The doors closed and the vehicle left the scene.

Hotch sighed, staring blankly into his cold cup of coffee. He blinked and raised his eyes at a commotion. His team all but tumbled through the door and into the waiting room. He smiled slightly.

"How is he?" Morgan blurted.

"Calm down and sit." Hotch said, leaning back and setting his coffee aside. "The EMT's didn't find anything life threatening. The doctor's don't seem too worried. They're just running some x-rays to check for any fractures or internal damage but Reid seems stable. Looks like it's probably just some cuts and bruises and a concussion. If so, he'll be able to leave in the morning. They just want to keep him under observation overnight due to the concussion."

"Oh, thank God…" Emily breathed, and she was the first to collapse into a chair.

"I think I'll go get some coffee." JJ said, smiling. "Anyone else want anything?"

"Some hard liquor?" Rossi asked. "For Aaron?"

"Shut up, Dave…" Hotch chuckled. And so the team slowly relaxed. Within the hour, though, two doctors walked in. The first inwardly winced at the bright looks on their faces. He focused on Hotch.

"Agent Hotchner, I'm Dr. Morales, and this is Dr. Jakthong. May we speak with you?"

"Is something wrong?" Hotch asked, frowning.

"Well… it's hard to say…" Dr. Morales said, slowly.

"What is it?" JJ asked, her voice now tense and worried. The doctor glanced at her.

"It's okay, I'll just tell them what you tell me anyway." Hotch said. "What is it?"

"Well…" Dr. Morales said, slowly. He looked over the file before him. "We couldn't find any internal injuries or broken bones on Agent Reid. He got a couple of stitches here and there for a few minor lacerations. He has some pretty impressive bruising in several places. And a pretty decent concussion. But overall these will resolve themselves relatively quickly."

"I'm sensing a 'but' here…" Emily drawled.

"BUT…" The doctor admitted, "There has been some… damage. To his eyes."

"His eyes." Hotch echoed, his frown deepening. He tried to hide how tense he suddenly was.

"It seems that he was looking directly into the explosion." Dr. Jakthong spoke up with a very thick accent. "The flash was… exceedingly bright, was it not?"

"… Now that you mention it… yes. It was." Emily said, eyes widening slightly. "Explosions like that are usually… red and orange and yellow… this one was… almost white."

"… You're right. It was." Morgan agreed, nodding.

Dr. Jakthong nodded. "It was bright enough to damage his optical receptors."

"… Define 'damaged'. How bad?" Rossi demanded.

"Agent Reid is completely blind." Dr. Jakthong said, bluntly. The team just stood there, staring at the man and absorbing this news.

"Is it permanent?" Morgan asked after a few seconds.

"Only time will tell. But we'll know soon." Dr. Jakthong replied. "As in, we should know within a week or so. If he begins to get his sight back, he will likely make a full recovery. If not… well…" He shrugged. "The good news is that the odds are in his favor. I would say that he has an 85% chance of full recovery for his sight. IF he is careful and sticks to the discharge instructions I am leaving for him."

"And those are?" Hotch asked.

"I want him to keep his eyes bandaged at all times. Exposing them to light right now could damage them further. Especially bright or harsh lights. If there must be light present, it must be gentle… like a candle or a night light. But he cannot look directly at the source. I'm also going to send home some eye drops with him. I want him to change his bandages twice daily, and apply the drops when he does this. He's going to need help while he recovers, so he needs to stay with someone, or have someone stay with him."

"We'll handle that." Hotch said, nodding.

"Good. I want him to come to my office for a follow up in three days, and every three days after." Dr. Jakthong said, handing Hotch one of his cards. Hotch glanced at it. The man was a specialist in Opthamology.

"You were called in to consult?" Hotch asked

"Yes," Dr. Jakthong said, "I've not seen many cases like these, but I have seen a few. Most of them turn out relatively well." He smiled. "Again, if Agent Reid follows my instructions he should regain his eyesight just fine. Right now the most difficult thing to do will be keeping him calm. Most people panic when they find out that they suddenly cannot see."

"The most important thing," Dr. Morales chimed in, "Is that even if YOU are upset and worried, you don't let HIM know that."

"That's gonna be hard." Morgan snorted with a smile. "We're profilers. We're trained to read people… to see, hear and feel things that other people wouldn't."

"He'll know in a heartbeat." Hotch agreed.

"Well then…" Dr. Jakthong said, smirking. "You're going to have to have faith and just NOT be upset or worried." Rossi snorted, also smirking. He liked this guy.

Dr. Morales smiled at the team. "Agent Reid is being settled into his room right now. You can go see him. This way, please."

"I will see you in a few days." Dr. Jakthong said, smiling and walking away. The team watched him go, then followed Dr. Morales. They were guided to a small room that was quiet and dimly lit. The only sound was Reid's easy breathing. The team crept in as quietly as they could, not wanting to disturb him.

"Does he know?" Hotch asked.

"No." Dr. Morales said. "We gave him a mild sedative when he came in so that he wouldn't wake while we were cleaning and suturing the lacerations. So he never actually woke up. But he will soon."

"… I'll tell him." Hotch said. "I think it would be best coming from me."

"As you wish." Dr. Morales said with a smile and nod. "just please let me know when he wakes. I'll need to go over some things with him." And he stepped out of the room and closed the door. The team was silent, settling down and watching their youngest team mate sleep. It was nearly half an hour later that he began to stir.

"… Nnnnh… Owww…" Reid groaned, softly. Hotch sat up and leaned closer.

"… Spencer?"

"… Hotch?" Reid mumbled, turning his head. He immediately winced.

"You have a concussion. Be careful."

"Owww…" Reid whined.

"Suck it up, kid." Morgan chuckled, and Reid turned his head slightly towards the man.

"… Bite me." Reid snorted, then groaned again. "God… What happened?"

"Do you remember the parking garage?" Rossi said.

"The van?" Emily prompted.

"… The explosion." Reid sighed. "I… yeah… I remember. Oh! Oh God! The SWAT Agents!" And he sat straight up. "Ahg! Ow!" And he promptly flopped back down again, grimacing in pain. "Owwww…"

"Take it easy, kid." Rossi sighed.

"… What happened to the SWAT Agents?" Reid asked.

"… Two of them are dead…" JJ sad, softly. She didn't mention that they were the two men between Reid and the van. "Four more are in the hospital for minor injuries, and a fifth will be here overnight for observation. He has a concussion like you. Another three will be here for a while for gun shot wounds."

"Did we get the guy?" Reid pressed.

"… He's dead." Morgan said, flatly.

"… Damn." Reid sighed. "When can I go home?"

"Tomorrow." Hotch said.

"Good." Reid sighed. "… How bad am I? And… why are we sitting in the dark?"

Silence.

Reid frowned. "Guys?"

"Spencer…" Hotch sighed, and took Reid's hand. "… We're not sitting in the dark." Reid paused.

"… What?" He asked after a moment.

"Your eyes are bandaged, Spence." JJ said, carefully. Reid frowned slightly and raised his free hand, running his fingers over the gauze wrapped around his head, covering his eyes.

"… Why?" He breathed, his voice dry. The team was silent.

"Spencer…" Hotch began, hesitantly.

"What's wrong with me?" Reid demanded suddenly, his voice high pitched and frightened. When no one answered, he whimpered and began tearing at the bandages.

"Reid!" Prentiss gasped and the team converged on the bed, reaching out to try and stop him.

"Don't!" Reid cried, slapping away their hands whenever he felt them. A moment later the bandages fell onto the thin blanket covering his body. The team stood in a tense silence as they stared at Reid… and at his blank, unseeing eyes…

They were glossy and unfocused, filled with shock and fear. The golden brown color was gone... instead, his eyes were a pale filmy blue. They darted around, desperately searching for something… ANY thing… But when nothing came from the effort, the pale eyes began to fill with frightened tears. Rossi lept for the lightswitch and flicked it off.

Reid gave a thick swallow and whimpered, lifting shaking fingers to his face. Hotch winced and reached out, taking Reid's hand in his.

"Close your eyes, Spencer…" The man said gently.

"… I can't see…" Reid whispered, his lower lip trembling.

"We know, kid." Rossi said. "It's not permanent."

"It's not?" Reid asked desperately, all but pouncing on this sliver of hope.

"The doctor believes that your chances of a full recovery are very good if you strictly adhere to his instructions. Which includes keeping your eyes bandaged as much as possible." Emily said firmly, picking up the bandages and beginning to wrap them around the boy's head. Reid gave a long sigh, forcing himself to obey Emily when she repeated Hotch's demand that Reid close his eyes.

He held tightly to his superior's hand, grateful for the loving support.

"… How long?" He asked after a bit, and Rossi turned the lights back on when Reid's eyes were fully bandaged again.

"The doctor said he wanted to see you every two to three days until further notice." Morgan said, settling down on the foot of Reid's bed. "You have to change the bandages and apply eye drops every twelve hours. Hopefully, you'll have your sight back within a week or two."

"… R-Really?" Reid asked in a tiny voice. JJ smiled at that and leaned over, placing a hand on Reid's cheek and kissing his forehead.

"Really, Spence. And we're all gonna take good care of you until it does come back. Okay?" Reid nodded and sniffled.

"Okay…" The boy whimpered.

"Relax." Hotch said. "Rest."

"… I wanna go home." Reid pouted. "Now."

"Reid, they want to keep you overnight."

"I want to go."

"Reid, no." Hotch said, firmly.

"… How long until dawn?"

"Reid! Chill, man!" Morgan laughed. "The sun just set!"

"… I want to go HOME!" Reid cried, frustrated.

"Agent Reid, you will relax or I will sedate you." Dr. Morales announced, walking in. Reid turned his head slightly. "How do you feel?"

"Like I was thrown across a parking garage."

"How does your head feel?"

"Like I have a concussion."

"… How about your arm?"

"Like there's an IV Catheter in it." Reid snorted. Dr. Morales lowered his file and leveled an annoyed look on his patient.

"Reid, knock it off." Hotch ordered, ignoring Morgan and Emily snickering.

"He threatened to drug me!"

"And I'm starting to think that you need it." Hotch said, sharply. Reid sat back with a huff.

"… What the hell am I supposed to do for he next week?" Reid asked. "I… I can't…" He tensed. "I can't see…"

"Well… what do you usually do in your spare time?" Rossi asked.

"I READ!" The boy cried.

"How about listen to music, Spence?" JJ offered.

"Spencer..." Hotch said, gently taking Reid's hands. "We'll try to keep you entertained."

"… I want to go to work." Reid said, suddenly.

"… What?" Rossi asked.

"I'll stay out of the field!" Reid cried. "But I can still do my job! Maybe not as well as normal, but…"

"Reid, no." Hotch said, frowning. Dr. Morales tapped Hotch on the shoulder and jerked his head towards the door. Hotch blinked and followed the man out.

"It may actually be better if you let him work." Dr. Morales told Hotch once the door was closed.

"You're kidding." Hotch said, looking surprised.

"If he just stays in the office, I don't see any harm in it."

"We travel!"

"… the blind travel all the time. Again, as long as you are there to help him and you keep him IN the office and OUT of the field, I don't see any harm in it. And it will make him feel useful. As long as he strictly follows Dr. Jakthong's instructions. I will approve him to return to work. Dr. Jakthong will approve him for the field when he feels that your Agent is ready."

"I HEARD THAT!" They heard Reid bellow from inside the room. "I HAVE DOCTOR'S APPROVAL TO WORK!" Dr. Morales blinked, startled, and Hotch rolled his eyes.

"Great…"

Next time, Reid dazzles the team with his genius as he shows that you don't have to have the use of your eyes to be a good profiler.

And check out the next chapter of 'Unexpectedly Expecting'.

And in regards to this H/R series, I'm trying to make some decisions about where to take them later down the road... And I want to know what you think! Check out the Poll I have up on my profile!

And of course, review!