Chapter Text
26% of employees present to work when sick.
Reid had only just walked in the door the following morning when he was stopped by a concerned-looking JJ.
‘How are you?’ she enquired.
‘Very-well-thank-you-how-are-you.’
She tried again, ‘Are you still sick?’
Spencer tried to lie, assuring her that he was perfectly fine, and failed abysmally. JJ smiled slightly and slowly extended a hand to touch his forehead. He winced slightly but accepted it.
‘You’ve got a fever, Spence.’
‘Don’t worry.’
‘Hotch told you yesterday – you shouldn’t be at work.’
Reid blushed and cast his eyes to the ground. ‘I’m better today,’ he mumbled.
‘Really?’ A large but gentle hand fell onto his shoulder from behind. Reid jumped violently, hoping desperately that the voice he had just heard, which sounded very much like Hotch’s, did not belong to Aaron Hotchner.
JJ beamed, thankful for the intervention. ‘Hello, Hotch.’
‘Morning, he replied, and she retreated to her desk. Reid slowly turned towards the Unit Chief, eyes to the floor, apprehensive of what he might find in Hotch’s face.
‘Are you really better?’
Reid nodded, avoiding Hotch’s gaze. He could see all his teammates watching the spectacle; Prentiss was frozen in action, the large folder in her hands quite forgotten, and Morgan was sitting back in his chair with an amused grin stretched across his face. Despite being well aware that it was an indication of lying, Spencer could not resist crossing his arms in front of him.
Rossi stood and pushed his chair back to his desk. Reid shouldn’t have come to work, that he knew, but Hotch would have to force him to go home one way or another. Dr Spencer Reid already was – and keenly felt – the youngest in the team, and he did not need to be reprimanded, however gently, in front of his older and more experienced colleagues. He cast around for a distraction of some description.
‘Come on, everyone – conference room,’ he ordered. He looked at Hotch, who cast him a brief grateful glance which went straight over the youngest agent’s head – literally and figuratively. The other agents rose and followed him somewhat reluctantly. He felt like the pied piper, but leading a train of FBI agents instead of rats. There was nothing much to do when they got there, but nobody called him out on his motive for summoning them there, even though he was pretty sure they all knew why.
Hotch entered the room several minutes later and collapsed into a chair. ‘I sent him home to rest.’
‘You sent him home?’ cried Garcia, appalled, ‘All by himself?’
Rossi sighed, ‘He’s not a little child. I’m sure he’ll cope.’
Prentiss stood, then looked quickly at Rossi.
‘Can we go back to our paperwork? Is the urgent meeting finished?’
‘Yes,’ added JJ, also standing, ‘So glad we got that pressing business finalised.’ She smiled to ensure that her sarcasm wasn’t too harsh, then re-joined Emily. They shared a grin and left together.