Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or the boys.

Author's Notes: Okay so this is set after Reid gets shot in the season premire (S05E01) so is slight spoilers, obviously. So if you don't want to be spoiled or somehow haven't been spoiled already just by reading this author's note, don't read. So like I said, this is after Reid gets shot and Morgan takes him to hospital. Blah blah, I'm not going to spoil anything. So enjoy!!

Afterthoughts

As soon as they had arrived on scene at Doctor Barton's house, Morgan bolted from the car and raced over to the fallen Reid. He dropped to the ground next to him and immediately covered the young genius' hand with his own to help apply pressure to the bullet wound. Morgan's mind was awash with thoughts of hurting the bastard that had shot his Reid. Spencer must have sensed his dark thoughts because with his unoccupied hand he squeezed Derek's leg in comfort. It amazed the older BAU agent that even though he was lying there, bleeding, he was putting Derek's comfort above his own.

"We've got to get him to a hospital," JJ supplied from a slight distance behind Morgan, which caused him to jump since he had forgotten that she was there.

"Wait," Reid called out. "Someone has to call Emily."

"Emily? Isn't she here?" JJ asked confused.

Reid shook his head and Morgan could see how much the pain was affecting him but he still set that aside for the benefit of the team to get them the much needed information over his own discomfort. It was something that Morgan was going to have to work on with Reid.

"Something's happened to Hotch," Reid gasped out through pained breaths.

Both Morgan and JJ stared at Reid in shock and JJ was the first to come out of her shocked stupor. "What? What happened?"

Spencer was only able to shake his head as another bout of pain shot through his leg. "I... I'm not really sure. I was on the phone with Emily when I figured out that the unsub was really after Doctor Barton. I just know that he's in the hospital and it has something to do with the Reaper."

Morgan stopped JJ before she could ask Reid another question. "JJ, tell Rossi what's happened and call Emily. I'm going to take Reid to the hospital. We'll meet up with you guys there."

JJ hesitated before running over towards Rossi to fill him in on what Reid had told them. Morgan removed his hand from Reid's thigh to inspect the severity of the wound. Again he felt Spencer's free hand squeeze his leg. Derek looked away from the wound and met the young genius' eyes.

"I'm alright, Derek. Go help Rossi and JJ. I'll meet you guys at the hospital once the second ambulance arrives," Reid coaxed. A part of him didn't want Morgan there to worry about him as he was once more sent to the hospital.

Derek could clearly see Spencer's motive for pushing him away and it wasn't because he wanted him to go help the others. "They can handle it without me for awhile. I'm getting you to the hospital."

"I'll be fine. The ambulance is on its way. Just go and help –"

Morgan leant over Reid so that he was nice and close to the younger BAU agent. "I'm taking you to the hospital. Are we clear?" Reid could only nod as he took in the seriousness shining in Morgan's eyes. "Good."

Derek slung one of Spencer's arms under his shoulders and the other under the younger agent's lanky knees. Slowly and carefully he lifted him up into his arms. The movement, no matter how careful, jostled Reid's injured leg and the young man groaned in pain.

"Sorry, sorry," Morgan immediately apologized. Slowly and carefully they moved over to the remaining BAU vehicle and Morgan opened the passenger side door before gently manoeuvring Reid into the SUV.

"I'm going to bleed on the upholstery," Reid half-whined.

Derek smiled softly as he brushed back the younger man's sweat drenched hair. "That's okay, Spence. You can bleed over whatever you want."

Derek got a small smile from Reid as he buckled the kid in. Once he was sure that Reid was secure, Morgan grabbed his Ready Bag from the backseat and dug out one of his spare shirts. He then forcibly ripped the shirt in half before fastening one of the pieces tightly around Spencer's slowly bleeding wound.

Satisfied, he made his way to the driver's side, hopped in and gunned it, siren and all towards the hospital. They were less than half way to the hospital when Spencer's head slumped over to rest on Morgan's shoulder. The movement was so sudden and unexpected that Derek jumped and swerved the SUV a bit.

"Spencer?" Morgan asked but there was no response from the younger agent. "Spencer? C'mon Pretty Boy! Stay with me here," Derek coaxed as he concentrated on the road as best as he could. He used his right hand to check Spencer's pulse and as soon as his fingers had connected with the milky white skin and the steady thrum of Reid's heartbeat beneath his fingers, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God, you're still with me, kid."

"Don't plan on going anywhere, Der," Spencer murmured quietly. "Jus' trying to block out the pain."

Derek slid his hand down from Spencer's neck and grasped his left hand and gave it a firm squeeze. "Almost there, so just hang on to me." Even though he knew that Reid's wound wasn't life-threatening, it still terrified Derek that the younger man was once again injured and once again Derek hadn't been there to protect him.

It always brought forth feelings of failure and uselessness in Morgan when he couldn't do what he had sworn over and over to do, no matter what. What he had sworn to do was to protect Doctor Spencer Reid, his colleague, best friend and most importantly, his lover from harm and he seemed to always fail at that. Just another broken promise, over and over again and Derek hated to break his promises. Especially, ones to his Spencer.

A harsh squeeze to his hand brought Derek's mind back to the center of what was happening. Somehow without even realizing it, he had made it to the hospital.

"Derek?" Spencer questioned quietly. "You okay?"

There it was again, Reid putting everyone before himself once more. "Yeah, Pretty Boy, I'm good." Derek jumped out of the SUV and ran around to Reid's side. He gathered the young man into his arms as cautiously as he could and carried him into the ER. "We need some help here!"

Several nurses ran over to them, two with a gurney and one of them started firing questions rapidly at Morgan as he lowered Reid onto the hospital bed. They were the typical questions that every ER nurse asked when someone was brought in and Morgan answered them as quickly as he could.

"His name is Doctor Spencer Reid and I'm SSA Derek Morgan. We work for the FBI's BAU. He was shot while pushing a civilian out of the way of our unsub – suspect – who was the one who shot him."

The nurse nodded as she wrote down everything Derek told her. "Thank you, Agent Morgan. It looks like a clean through and through. We'll do some tests to check his vitals and blood levels. You'll be able to see him once he's all patched up. I'll make sure a nurse notifies you as soon as you can see him."

Derek nodded his thanks as he dropped into one of the waiting room chairs. He knew Spencer was going to be just fine but waiting for him was like torture for the older agent. Just knowing that his lover was just beyond those wide double doors, injured and he couldn't be there for him as the doctors patched him up hurt Derek. Once more the feelings of failure swamped Morgan's mind.

How could Spencer want to keep staying with him when he kept allowing him to get hurt? Derek didn't – couldn't – understand it. First the incident with the LDSK and Hotch beating him up, then the incident on the train, Hankel, Cyrus and now this. It seemed like every other case ended up with Reid injured or in the hospital.

Where am I when this is all happening to Spencer? I'm with the other half of the team or just a few moments too late or I can't persuade him not to do something stupid! Damn it, Derek cursed. It's like I'm some kind of curse against him or something. He deserves someone who can be there for him, protect him.

"Derek Morgan," a nurse's voice called out, penetrating Derek's thoughts.

"Yes, ma'am?" Derek moved over to the nurse and awaited her status report. She looked him over critically for a moment as if she was assessing him. "What?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing, sir. Just could have sworn I've heard that name earlier today. Oh well. Anyway, Mr. Spen – "

"Doctor," Morgan cut in instantly.

"Oh? Sorry, Doctor Reid is stabilized and in a private room. Also, he's asking for you," she finished with a kind smile.

"That's good. Thanks for letting me know," Derek said sincerely. 'It wasn't too bad was it? Not a lot of damage?"

"Not at all. He'll be fine and it'll heal nicely if follows the doctor's orders and uses crutches and doesn't force his recovery."

Morgan smile. "Oh, he'll hate being on crutches.'

The nurse smiled in response. "Yes, he does seem like the stubborn type. You'll just have to make sure he behaves."

"Uh... yeah. Could you tell him for me that I'll be back later with the rest of the team? I want him to get a chance to rest," Morgan said hurriedly. He figured that if all he did was jinx Spencer and wasn't able to keep him safe that he might as well cut ties with the genius now.

"Rest of the team... Needs rest..." the nurse mumbled to herself as she was looking over the clipboard in her hand. "Ah! Here it is!"

"What?" Derek asked curiously.

"Doctor Reid gave me a list of likely excuses – I mean reasons as to why you might put off seeing him right away and the appropriate response I was supposed to give to you on his behalf. So his response to your reason is, and I quote; 'Get your fine ass in here and see me!'" The nurse smiled sweetly at Derek's look of shock before handing him her clipboard of responses to his possible excuses. "See! Says so right here," she pointed out as she tapped the clipboard.

Derek snorted at the list of possible excuses he might have given to avoid seeing Spencer. It was quite a long list of excuses and only really one response to all of them. "Some of these don't even make sense," Morgan pointed out fondly.

"Might be the morphine we have him on. Better get a move on and go see your boy before he gets pissed."

Derek just smiled before handing the clipboard back. "Room?"

"1521."

"Thanks," he replied as he headed off in the direction of his lover's room. It didn't take him long to get there at all and when he walked in he wasn't all that surprised to see his Spencer fast asleep.

Derek settled into one of the chairs beside the bed and grasped on of Reid's lax hands and gripped it tight. Morgan was undeniably grateful that the bullet had only hit him in the leg and not in the chest or stomach. There would be no telling if Spencer would have survived a more lethal shot.

For a long while all Derek could do was grasp Spencer's hand close to himself as he revelled in the fact that once again, his young lover was alive. "You've really got to stop doing this to me, Pretty Boy. I don't know how many more times I can see you go through this."

"'s not my fault," Spencer's murmured. His once lax hand grasped Morgan's hand firmly in return. "'n it's not like you don't do stupid stuff or get injured either."

Derek smiled fondly at Spencer, who was now staring at the older man through half lidded eyes. "Not nearly as often as you seem to do though, kid."

"I try," Spencer yawned, "not to, you know." Jus' doesn't work that well."

"I know. The sickos are just drawn to you." And didn't that thought say it all and scare Derek to the core more than anything else ever had. "From now on, I'm going to make sure you don't leave my sight."

"Mm... Sounds nice..."

"Got to sleep, Spencer."

"C'mere first," the younger agent pulled softly on Morgan's arm until he conceded and climbed onto the bed with Reid. "Much better."

Derek tucked Spencer against him carefully so that the younger man's head rested on his chest and his arms were wrapped securely around the lithe frame of his young genius. "Sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

Spencer mumbled happily into Derek's chest before he let the morphine once again carry him away to the land of nod. Though, before he had fully slipped anyway, Derek could have sworn he heard Reid mumble, "You bet your fine ass you'll be here when I wake up." He was still full of insecurities about whether or not he'd be able to protect Spencer come morning and if possibly their next case might once again endanger the younger man but Derek figured that if Spencer wasn't bothered by it then he really couldn't let that one little thing ruin the best thing Derek had ever had in his life.

END