Psychopathy

Chapter 53- Into The Forest, Part Two

Before she could even register the pain, she was on the floor, unable to move, unable to do anything.

"NO!"

For a second, Reid could only stare as Ciara lay on the ground, bleeding from the gunshot wound on her back. But after that second, everything seemed to speed up. He ran over to Ciara, praying she was still alive. He took off his vest while on the move, throwing it to the side as he fell to his knees beside her. It was then he saw her twitch, and he released the breath he'd been holding. She was alive. For how much longer, he wasn't sure.

"WE NEED A MEDIC!" he screamed, before looking back down at Ciara. He needed to stop the bleeding. But with what? He looked around and saw nothing he could use. He pulled on his sleeve, trying to think. That was when he realized. He'd taken off his bulletproof vest, but he hadn't pulled off his knitted vest. He could use that. He pulled it off quickly, pressing it against her back. "Hold on, Ciara. Help is on the way."

"Reid..."

"I know it hurts, but you have to stay with me, okay?" he pleaded, wincing when he heard her whimper in pain. He looked up to see Hotch and Morgan at the top of the stairs, taking off to find Ty Byrne. He had to be the one who'd shot Ciara. There was no other possibility. James Bunder had been taken down by JJ and Blake. In his shock following Ciara trying to stab him, he hadn't had time to use his gun before the two women were on him. At the moment, he was being handed off to two Thedford police officers. They'd take him to their precinct, and from there, he would face justice.

"Reid, please. I don't want to go like this. I don't want to die face-down on the floor," she said, and he took in a shaky breath, trying to swallow down the lump in his throat. Akilah and Rossi watched from a distance, unsure of how to help.

"You're not going to die." She tried to lift her head up, gasping in pain when she did so. He tried to comfort her, but she just shook her head.

"Please. I need to see ye," she said, and Reid opened his mouth to speak. No words came out. He had to keep his vest on her wound to stop the bleeding. Was there a way to do that while giving her what she needed? Suddenly, a thought came to his head. He held the vest on her back as well as he could and flipped her over as gently as possible. She looked up at him, eyes wide and breathing shallow. But then she gave him a small smile. "Hey."

"Hey, Ciara," he breathed, a small smile on his own face. Keeping pressure on the wound, he picked her up gently and pulled her into him. He laid her on his knees and adjusted his arms so one was keeping pressure on her back, the other holding her close to him. She laid her head on his chest, but something was making her uncomfortable. She squirmed and started to bring her hand up.

"No... other side... please," she rasped.

"What?"

"I... I need to hear..." She gently put her hand over his heart, taking a deep breath. "When I would see ye, I could always tell ye weren't real because I couldn't hear yer heartbeat." Reid understood what she needed. She needed to know that this was real. Gently, as not to cause her any more pain, he readjusted her and his arms so she was facing the other way. She laid her head on his chest, just over his heart, and she sighed, a blissful smile on her face. "Ye're real."

"Yeah, I'm real."

"Ye did it. Ye figured it out."

"Well, it was mostly Teresa," he told her, and she sniffled, her bottom lip quivering.

"Is she here?"

"Yeah, she's outside. Do you want to see her?" Reid asked, and Ciara shook her head softly.