Reid had been discharged from the hospital a few days later with orders to take it easy. Hotch had ordered him to take a month off with strict orders not to do anything stupid. At first Reid was grateful for the opportunity to sleep but, as his pain medicine ran out, he started having nightmares. The gunshot wound had healed completely and all that was left was a small circular scar. Outwardly he looked completely fine and healthy however he couldn't fall asleep without dreaming about the shack. Garcia and JJ came by whenever they could and occasionally Emily would stop by to see how he was doing. Once the month was up Reid was glad to be able to finally return to work.

The night before Reid returned to work he was laying on his couch rereading Dante's Inferno when a knock at the door brought him out of his reading. 

"Hey pretty boy," Morgan called. "I know you're in there." Reid groaned and got up. He had been laying at a funny angle while reading and was regretting it now. Morgan knocked again as Reid unlocked the new lock on the door. His old one had been fine, but he felt safer with this one. 

"What do you want Morgan?" Reid pulled open the door. Morgan stood on the other side of the door holding out Reid's gun and badge. 

"Thought I'd return these before tomorrow," Morgan said. When Zoe was arrested everything in the shack turned into evidence, including Reid's gun and badge.

"Oh uh, thanks," Reid extended a hand to take them but Morgan simply brushed past him and walked into the apartment. "Come on in."

"What book is this?" Morgan asked. He picked up Reid's copy of Dante's Inferno, flipping it closed so he could read the cover.

"Don't do that!" Reid tugged the book out of Morgan's grasp. "You lost my spot."

"Oh like you don't remember what page you were on,"

"442," Reid replied. He placed the book down on the coffee table. Morgan put Reid's gun and badge on the table next to it. 

"What have you been doing on your time off?" Morgan asked. He headed to the fridge. 

"Reading."

"Please tell me that's not all you've been doing." Morgan pulled a beer out of the fridge. Reid hardly ever drank beer except when they were out at the bar. He always kept a case in the fridge in case Morgan or anyone else from the team stopped by. 

"I-"

"If you say you watched Star Trek I'm not giving you your gun back," Morgan replied. Reid closed his mouth. He had indeed watched Star Trek. 

"So they released the evidence," Reid asked. He had been eager to get his badge and gun back. It wasn't as though he really needed them, he just felt naked without them. 

"Hotch said they didn't need to keep the badge and they had ballistics and pictures of the gun. It isn't as if they don't know where to find you if the need to submit the gun for evidence," Morgan said casually. 

'Yeah," Reid said softly. He glanced at the gun. Tyler's face flashed in his mind. 

"It's not your fault," Morgan said, guessing Reid's thoughts. 

"What?" Reid asked.

"Tyler's death, isn't your fault."

"He was trying to help me Morgan and Zoe she shot him with my gun."

"You didn't pull the trigger kid," Morgan took another sip from the bottle, watching the younger agent. He had been relieved to find him relatively unharmed and in one piece. Tyler hadn't been innocent but he had tried to make up for it before the end. Sadly that had cost the young man his life. Morgan didn't know all of what had happened in the shack before the FBI had gotten there. He had read the report that Reid gave but he had a feeling that events had been omitted. 

"He never wanted to help them," Reid said. He looked at his hands. "And he's dead because he tried to help me."

 "He did help you Reid."

"I keep dreaming about it," he admitted quietly. "Usually it's the same but sometimes it's one of you guys who gets shot."

"How long have they been going on?" Morgan asked. 

"Since my medication ran out." 

"You sure you want to go back? Hotch said he can give you more time off if you need -"

"No, I want to go back. Sitting around here is driving me crazy. I need to be doing something," Reid said firmly. 

"Okay," there was silence. "When is the trial date set for?" Morgan asked.

"Next week on Tuesday," Reid replied. "The prosecutor said I don't have to be there. They can use my statement, besides, they have enough to convict without me." 

"I heard the defense might try for an insanity plea." 

"She's definitely crazy," Reid said nodding his head. 

"Well yeah, if she kissed you pretty boy," Morgan said with a smirk as he took another sip from the bottle.

"Shut-up," Reid said his face turning red as Morgan laughed at him. 

~

So this is the last chapter for Silence in the Scars. I want to thank all of you for sticking with this book through all the random chapter updates and story edits. You guys are what made this book possible. If it wasn't for all of you voting and commenting I would probably be back on chapter 3. 

There is possible going to be a sequel involving Zoe's trial or her breaking out and looking for revenge. I would write it all and then start posting it so that there isn't the "half a year between posts" sort of thing going on again.

Thank you all again so much!

Read, Review, Rate.

<3 A.M. Anderson