T H I R T Y T H R E E

SCOUT AWOKE TO the sound of an annoying beeping ringing in her ears every few seconds.

A permanent scowl tugged at her lips as she tried to ignore it and continue sleeping but it was growing impossible. Each minute that passed, she grew more frustrated that her eyes snapped open with a groan.

But her body froze when she realized that she was not in her messy bedroom, but instead in a clean white hospital space. Scout glanced around and noticed a sleeping Spencer, snoring softly and his head leaning against his propped up elbow. His hair looked like a rat's nest and his clothes were wrinkled and disheveled.

A small pang of concern hit her when she noticed the evident deep purple rings under his eyes.

Scout attempted to sit up but a sudden jolt of pain shot through her shoulder and went down to her finger tips. She glanced down and noticed that she was heavily bandaged, touching the white cloth with her free hand.

Her eyes widened as they landed on the needle jammed into the top of her hand and taped in place.

"No, no, no, no." Scout whispered and started to try and rip off the tape.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," The door opened to revel Hotch's stern face, but his eyebrows were raised in concern. "I would hate to call someone to clean up your blood. The parking lot is already stained enough as is."

Scout's eyes narrowed, "What happened?"

She glanced towards Spencer, worried that their talking would bother him.

"He won't wake up," Hotch closed door behind him. "JJ snuck some Melatonin in his coffee to get him to sleep."

"You drugged him?" Her eyes widened but he ignored her comment.

"72 hours ago the team was leaving the office when you were shot from a long range distance in your shoulder, the same way the sniper has been attacking the team these past few months. Analytics prove that the sniper set up on top of a roof towards the Northwest side of the building. They used a popular military sniper rifle, chambered for 7.62 mm caliber ammunition and made in-home modifications."

"The recent trend in specialized military sniper rifles is towards larger calibers that offer a relatively favorable hit probabilities at greater range with anti-personnel cartridges. This allows snipers to take fewer risks, and spend less time finding concealment when facing enemies that are not equipped with similar weapons."

"But I've been shot before. Remember the Reynolds' case back in Indiana? And I didn't bleed out enough to be comatose for 72 fucking hours. What's so different this time?"

"Wiley," Hotch cleared his voice and sat down in an empty chair, his posture slouching uncharacteristically, "The bullet was laced."

"What?"

"You were poisoned, the bullet was covered in aconitin."

Scout shook her head, "I - I don't know what that is. I've never even heard of it."

"It's not uncommon. In fact, it's an attractive concept for an assassin. If the bullet itself fails to kill, the backup system of the poison offers a twofold method of attack. The poisoned bullet containing about 4 mg of aconitin, a lethal dose that was manufactured in the former Soviet Union. On impact the steel wedge is driven backward, expanding the slotted jacket and lead core. The bullet fragments within the target releasing the poison."

"I-I'm dying?"

Hotch sighed and rested his elbows on his knees, "No, not anymore. The bullet went straight through and didn't break apart in your system. But there was enough of a coating that damaged you and left a residual toxicity in your blood."

He pointed towards the IV that was above, "It's antiarrhythmic drug called lidocaine and it has been reported to be an effective treatment of aconitine poisoning of a patient. So far, it's been working."

Scout eyed him, wondering why he was acting so strangely.

"I believe we got under the skin of the sniper." Hotch finally said after pausing in thought.

"We haven't done anything. Whoever the sniper is, they shot Reid and then they tried to shoot Henry. I - I became the next target, so what?"

"The other occurrences didn't have laced bullets."

Scout shrugged, "So I guess they really don't like me?"

"They don't like the attention being diverted towards anyone else but themself," He sat up. "They were trying to send a message to us."

"Message?" She fiddled with the IV tube, careful to not move the needle around in her vein.

Scout glanced back at him, "You thought it was me, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did."

Internally, Scout was screaming. She wanted to tell him that she was the sniper but the reality was, she couldn't. What would they say? What would they do? The BAU certainly wouldn't accept her with open arms. Especially not after she lied to them on multiple occasions.

Hotch would be furious, he'd have her handcuffed and sent to jail. And he would make sure that she rotted in there for as long as the justice system would allow it.

JJ, the mama bear. She would practically scratch her eyes out for even attempting to hurt her baby boy. It wouldn't matter that Scout didn't actually shoot him, but the fact that she remotely pointed a gun at him would be enough of a reason.

Morgan and Garcia, they'd ignore her. They'd pretend like she never existed. Sure, Garcia would be upset but the type of anger that Morgan would exude would be enough to make a volcano explode.Together, the pair would make the ultimate guilt inducing machine.

And not to mention Rossi, with his shaking heads and disappointing looks. It would be like getting scolded to the millionth degree. And Scout knew that whatever heart-wrenching comments he would say, she'd deserve it.

Scout glanced towards Reid. He wouldn't understand, he wouldn't even try to. She attacked his family and tricked him into opening up to him. Her feelings wouldn't matter, the way she felt for him wouldn't change the situation.

She knew at the end of the day, she would be dead to Spencer Reid.

"I don't blame you." Scout gave him sad smile, not bearing any teeth. "I'm sure I'd do the same thing if I was in your position."

"I mean, I'm still new to the team and I can't expect to have gained your trust so quickly. And then all of a sudden, some new assassin has guns pointed towards the team and I would be the obvious choice. Not to mention that time I was really good with a gun, I know what you were thinking when you gave me that paperwork for my gun credentials. So no, I don't blame you. In fact, it makes me kinda glad. Knowing that you're willing to protect this team to the furthest possible extent, I know that you'd do anything for us - I mean, the team."

Hotch sighed but didn't say anything. She knew that she was hitting all the right marks but she needed to make sure that Hotch never looked towards her again when the sniper was mentioned.

She was lying but at the same time, she meant every word.

Hotch glanced towards the sleeping Spencer, "He hasn't left the entire time. We tried to coerce him out, to maybe go home and take a shower. But he wouldn't have it."

"Stubborn and stinky." She bummed a small smile.

The leader stood up from the chair, watching his bedridden agent getting lost in thought, "Reid's always trusted you, I think it's about time that I follow his lead."

"Aaron-" Scout furrowed her eyebrows, sound of his name feeling uncomfortable but necessary.

"No, I was in the wrong. And I'm sorry, but I care too much about this team. You're right about that and ever since a few months ago, you are a part of this team."

"You don't have to apologize."

He shook his head, "I do. It was because I thought you were the sniper that they attacked you. I put the target on you. I don't know who, but someone in the FBI has connections to this person and I'm going to figure it out."

Hotch walked towards the door and opened it.

"Hey," Scout looked at her leader with pleading eyes, finding a whole new level of respect for him. "Thank you, Aaron. You know, for giving me the chance for being a part of this team."

"I shouldn't thank me."

She rolled her eyes, "I'd be stuck in a mailroom if it wasn't for you."

Hotch nodded, his face turned grim, "You'd be safe."

"But absolutely boring, and that's no way to live, is it?" Scout sent him a lopsided smile.

He chuckled under his breath, "No, it isn't."

And Hotch shut the door behind him, leaving her and the sleeping doctor to themselves. Scout sighed, feeling whatever weight on her shoulders from the previous day finally being lifted.

She leaned back into her pillow and stared at Spencer, noting that he hadn't moved the entire time she had been awake. The only movement that signaled he was alive was the soft snoring and the rise and fall of his chest from breathing. All she wanted was to move whatever messy curls had gotten stuck to his forehead with her fingertips. But the fact that she could barely move was a major problem.

The stinging from her shoulder was getting stronger, getting to the point where it was rather unbearable. Whatever drugs that they were hopping her up one were starting to subside. A part of her wanted to go back to a comatose state so she wouldn't have to feel it.

Not wanting to wake Spencer, Scout quietly reached for the remote that was next to her body and pressed the button to signal for a nurse to come.

"Holy crap," She mumbled, gripping her shoulder in pain.

A swift and loud knock on her hospital door caused her to flinch and cringe at the stirring Spencer Reid in his chair. The door opened and bumped against the wall with a booming bang, leaving him to jolt awake.

"Wha-" Spencer rubbed his eye as he looked around, barely conscience enough. He grabbed at his neck, feeling all the sore muscles and knots from not moving.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty." Scout giggled, calling his attention.

"Scout!"

She smiled with a smug look, "Spencer! Quick, what's another name that starts with S?"

A male nurse walked in with a medical mask covering his mouth and nose, along with a head piece to conceal his hair. He picked up the clipboard that hung at the edge of her bed and started to read it to himself.

"You're a goof." Spencer shook his head and leaned closer to her, a clear giddy smile framing his face.

"Takes one to know one, loser." She teased, finally able to move his hair away from his sweaty forehead.

"And goof? Can we just take a moment and talk about that? I thought you had stellar vocabulary."

"Stellar?"

"Hey, I never said I was genius." She put her hands up in innocence.

The nurse waked over to the monitor and began checking her vitals. Scout would've thought it was awkward and strange that he didn't say anything to the pair but decided to leave him be as it was his job.

Spencer raised his brow in curiosity, "Is everything alright?"

The nurse turned towards them, lowering his mask to revel the familiar and dread inducing face Scout had grow way too accustomed to. Her joints went rigid and she tried her hardest to make any noise.

Xander.

"Yes, everything looks to be normal." He said as he flipped to the next page of her charts, "Though it looks like your morphine level is a bit low now that you are conscious. Let's raise that for you so that you're more comfortable, Miss Wiley."

"Thanks." She said through her teeth.

Spencer bobbed his head, "Is that really so wise? The increase of people who use prescribed pain relievers, including morphine is statistically larger when done haphazardly by an unknowing medical professional. I mean, Morphine was ranked as third leading drug-related cause for emergency room admissions, right behind an alcohol/drug combination and cocaine abuse. Persons who were injecting opiates averaged 14 years of use before entering treatment for the first time."

Xander raised a brow at Spencer, mostly out of agitation towards the unwelcomed information given.

"Spence, it's - it's fine. He's a - nurse. I'm sure he knows what he's doing." Scout glanced towards the dressed nurse and glared, "Right?"

"Of course." He said with a toothy grin.

Xander unlocked a syringe from the cabinet next to them and injected it into her IV stream. She immediately felt the liquid rush into system, starting from her left arm and reaching the tip of her toes to the top of her head.

Scout, who let out an relaxing sigh, gave him a tight grin, "Thank you er- sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Alex, and don't worry about it, Girly. We're all taking good care of you. And if you don't mind-" He turned towards Spencer, "But we're gonna need some privacy here, I need to stretch out her muscles after being bedridden for such a long time."

Spencer's mouth opened to protest but Scout immediately grabbed his hand and sent him a quick, comforting smile, "It's okay, I'll be fine. Go and get something to eat. I'm sure it won't take that long."

He nodded and sent one more look of concern before leaving.

"What are you doing here?" Scout's whole demeanor changed from her smile to a darkened sneer.

"What? I can't check on you? I am a nurse after all."

"The hell you are, what the hell was that all about?"

"Got no idea what your talking about, Girly."

"Fuck the bullshit, Xander. You fucking shot me. And you laced the bullet? What the hell was all that about? You could've killed me!"

Xander glanced towards the door before grabbing the nearby chair, "I didn't."

"Fuck that-"

"Scout," He starred, eyes never hesitating, "I didn't shoot you."

She paused, "Then who did?"

"My - boss, I told him that the FBI was closing in on you and he was the one who shot you. I tried to warn you but you're shit when it comes with your phone."

"My phone? Fuck, where is it?"

Xander pulled the device out of his pocket and handed it to her, "I wiped it clean. The FBI doesn't have any idea. The moment I got wind of the attack, I got rid of whatever messages would be suspicious enough to look further into ya. You're lucky I looked out for you."

"You saved my ass just so that you're wouldn't be on the chopping block."

"Yeah, and it's been working out for the both of us ever since the beginning, right?"

Scout looked away, "Whatever. So why did he lace the bullet? Cause you're forgetting about the whole killing-me part."

"That," Xander rubbed the back of his neck, "I didn't know that was gonna happen, I swear. And I don't know why he did it."

"Well, it hurt like hell. I've been shot by a bullet before but that was ten times worse than anything you've put me through, Xan."

"I know, your mom wasn't that happy when she heard about it."

"Where is she?"

"Home," His eyes narrowed, "Look, this is a good thing for us. The FBI is off your back, especially Hotchner."

"I could've died!"

"But you didn't, and that's all that matters. That means that we can continue your mission."

Scout rolled her eyes, "Mom said that she got rid of those."

"But Rossi is still a target, the only target. And the only one I want you to worry about. Whatever that little thing I saw with the team's geek is done. I want you to focus on Rossi."

"Yeah," She looked away and felt her stomach drop, "I hear you."

"Good. The less you know, the better." Xander stood up and walked towards the door.

"And Scout?"

"Hm?"

"You don't tell your mom about the poisoned bullet. You don't tell her that I didn't shot you. You don't say anything about this whole conversation. You got it?"

Scout shook her head, "And why not?"

"Because if you do, the next bullet will be directed at your mom's head and then yours. Got it?"

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:
oooo someone else shot Scout?!?
I'm thinking we all know who did that but why poison the bullet and try to kill her? I've also made a playlist for NUMB if you wanna check it out, it'll be linked in my profile and message board!

Also, so glad to see new readers and I hope you are enjoying the story so far. Sorry for not updating last week, I had finals and I still have one more tomorrow and a 15 page essay. So naturally, I chose to write than study!

Another thing, I'll be posting a lot of teasers and trivia on my page, along with updates of the book if you want to follow me for that.

AND:
If you haven't checked it out, I'm writing another Spencer Reid story! It's called THE LIVING MYTH OF ZELDA SMITH. It's much more quirky and fun than this series so check that out if you're interested!

a special thanks to readers who comment:
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