Reid's Knee Injury

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While everyone was being briefed on the most recent case they'd be working, Reid was seated on a side table near the main centered one. He needed to sit on a higher raised surface so he wouldn't have to bend his knee as much.
Every member of the BAU listened attentively to the detail being given about the victims and circumstances of the case, even Reid, though he was rubbing his knee absentmindedly.

He knew he'd have reacquiring joint pain for a while, and even after he had healed, but it was much more constant then he anticipated. There wasn't a second of the day where he didn't feel an ache or a sharp pain in his knee cap. The crutches helped significantly, keeping any weight off of the leg, but they were immobilizing in some situations. He couldn't go to certain crime scenes, or move around in tight spaces or crowds. He was only recently cleared by his doctor to travel, but he still wouldn't get the brace off for another six weeks.

Besides all of the pain, discomfort, and limited movement, the injury was just plain annoying. Reid didn't let it affect his work though.

After the briefing was completed, they were all ordered to meet on the jet in the next thirty minutes. Reid did not own a car because compared to their cost, maintenance, and reliability, the subway was much better. Now he was rethinking his decision. He had no idea how unwelcoming the public commute was towards his injury. He couldn't even get down the stairs to his platform, and the subway itself was always crowed.
He would've complained about it to someone, but he didn't want to sound like he was trying to bum rides off of his friends, or like he couldn't handle himself, so he never said anything and just called taxi cabs everywhere.
This time though, he figured asking to carpool with someone was acceptable because they were all heading to the same place.

As everyone cleared out of the room to gather their things, Reid called out to stop someone, hastily grabbing his crutches and hobbling over while they was stopped at attention.

"Can I ride along with you to the jet?" He asked, a little awkward and embarrassed, though he had no reason to be.

"Sure." Morgan shrugged, finding absolutely no inconvenience in it.

Reid followed behind him as they both exited the conference room.
When they came up to the small flight of stairs that led from the upper deck of offices to the bullpen, Morgan offered some sort of aid to Reid, not actually sure of what he could've done but just asking out of reflex.
Reid declined though, just switching his crutches to be both held in one hand and then passing them off as a pair to Morgan.
He hopped down the steps, holding the railing for needed support.
When he reached the even ground Morgan handed the crutches back without Reid having to ask.

"Get your stuff." Morgan urged as they parted into the different directions of their desks.

Reid nodded.
He tottered towards his own work surface that was feebly decorated, only having stacks of paper, pencils and pens, and a singular Newtons Cradle over the area of the top. He bent down slowly to pick up his go-bag, and once that was accomplished, he reached over to his desk chair for his book bag that was sat in it.
Once he acquired his things, he limped over to Morgan's desk.

"Ready?" He asked.

Reid nodded in confirmation and followed Morgan towards the elevator. They were the only two people in the lift at the time, so it made it a little awkward. Reid had nothing to say and was already embarrassed to be asking Morgan for a ride in the first place. Morgan was staring mindlessly at his phone, also having nothing to say.

When they made it to the parking lot, Morgan walked extra slow to let Reid keep up with him. He opened the passenger side door for the man and waited for him to sit and get all of his things comfortable before he walked around and did the same.
Reid's go-bag was placed in the backseat from over the center console, but the strap of his book bag was still crossed over his chest. His crutches were paired together at his right, against the passenger side window.
Reid rubbed and massaged his knee vigorously as the acute pain from earlier was growing into much more.

Morgan started the engine, having noticed Reid's actions but not saying anything. To him it wasn't a big surprise that Reid's injury would cause afterwards pain. He did get shot.

The car ride was similar to the elevator; not much was said.

Loading onto the jet was probably the most embarrassing thing Reid has ever had to do. Morgan had to carry his things up the stairs because he couldn't hold them himself, and he ended up stepping with his hurt knee when he almost fell.
It shot a piercing pain that racked through his knee—the skin around his knee, the knee cap, the knee socket, the bullet wound—it all hurt.
Reid played it off decently well, assuring Morgan that he was fine, though the wince on his face said otherwise.

Once Reid was on the jet and had conquered the stairs, he sat on the couch and clutched his knee. He didn't won't to worry anyone or get babied by them, so he kept his wincing and knee messaging to a minimum.

Morgan sat down next to Reid on the couch, being seated to the right of him against the armrest while he was in the center of the sofa.

After the plane departed, they were on their way to California. They had a five hour flight ahead of them, so they'd have plenty of time to get comfortable.

They all began to debrief the case again, adding comments to certain facts and pieces of evidence. Reid couldn't concentrate regardless that he had many things to add. His leg just ached, and the sharp pain from his earlier step was still racking through his body.
He tried to massage his knee as discreetly as possible, timing his hands to move only when no eyes were in his direction.

Morgan became annoyed that Reid wasn't just telling everyone that his knee hurt and that he needed some rest. Part of him wanted to just blow up at him and force some dependency onto him, but he knew he'd only embarrass Reid, so he opted for a solo mission of sorts.

When everyones eyes weren't directed at either of them, Morgan grabbed Reid injured leg and gently but swiftly pulled it up to lay across his lap. Reid was surprised and confused but didn't say anything as to not draw attention to them.
Morgan began to rub one of his hands over Reid's knee cap softly. He just let out a broken sigh that he quickly concealed when he noticed how loud it was.
The pain in his leg didn't go away, but it subsided substantially.

When the other members on the jet turned their attention back to Morgan and Reid for their input on something they said, Reid was scared that Morgan would stop. He didn't want to be babied, but this just felt so good.
To his surprise, Morgan didn't even slow his hands, and the rest of the team didn't even bat an eye; they didn't care at all.

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