Title: The Coppery Scent Of Blood
By: Missa
Pairing: gen
Rating: PG-13
Warning: character death
A/N: So... if you've read "A-Fan-What-Now?"this'll sound familiar. I kinda took the idea from the last chapter of it, and actually turned it into a fic of it's own. Kinda elaborated on the idea of what I had been writing in there. However, this is just a one-shot, just something I had to get written. Changed the title, tweaked some stuffs, but yeah. Enough babble, just read.
Summary: If you've read "A-Fan-What-Now?", this'll be familliar. Reid gets stabbed. Derek Morgans POV.

***

I remember was hearing the whooshing sound of the knife, being able to see the man coming, and the coppery scent of blood... it was everywhere. I froze. I felt as if my muscles had turned into stone and were disabling me from moving– even the slightest bit. I watched in horror as Hotch and Gideon pulled out their guns and started to fire at the attacker, the UNSUB we'd be hunting. If anyone had ever said this job was easy, I'd have to call them a liar.

I remember feeling dizzy – really dizzy – and maybe even a little sick to my stomach. There was blood everywhere, and it chilled me to the bone knowing where that blood came from. Knowing that it was the blood of my friend that was splattered across the pavement, like a bucket of spilled paint.

I felt my legs turn to jelly, and I could no longer support my own weight. I heard the gun shots cease, so I assumed that the attacker had been taken down. I fell onto the ground and stared at the sky for a moment or two until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. This was a dream... it had to be a dream.

Maybe I was unconscious, no, I don't think I was. I just didn't want to open my eyes to the world. Not after what had just happened, so I laid there and listened. I heard the sound of footsteps rushing in the direction of where I assumed Reid was laying, it must have been Gideon, because I could hear the sound of Hotch's voice above me.

"Morgan!"

"I'm f-f-fine," I managed to say. I wanted to ask if Reid was okay, but I couldn't bring myself to. I feared that Hotch was going to tell me that he was already dead.

I heard the sound of the ambulance arriving, and I finally found the strength inside of me to sit up. I remember shaking... I was shaking badly...

The only thing that was running through my mind was the fact that I should have done something. I should have gone over to help him, I should have pulled out my gun sooner, I should have shot the bastard before he had the chance to pull the knife on Reid.

One of the paramedics came over to me a few moments later, asking me if I was all right. I wanted to tell them to take care of Reid... I was fine. He was the one that needed to be looked after. He was the one that had just gotten stabbed. However, I couldn't force my brain to allow the words to come out. My lips moved, but made no sound.

"This one is in shock. We'd better take him back to the hospital too."

I kept shaking my head. I was fine and I didn't want to go to the hospital. However, it didn't really matter, they seemed to think that I needed to go. Apparently I was in shock, but who in their right might wouldn't be? I'd just seen my co-worker, my friend, get stabbed. I watched as the blood poured from his young, innocent body.

This isn't real, this isn't real. I kept telling myself. It couldn't be. I kept telling myself that any minute I would awake inside the comfort of my own bed, I'd go into work the next day and find out that Reid was perfectly fine. Hell, I'd probably hug him. And he'd reply with a "Morgan, what the... what are you doing? Have you lost your mind? Let go of me!"

The ambulance sped on, and I realized that I hadn't even opened my eyes. Starting with the left one, I slowly allowed my eyelid to lift up. I was sitting on a seat in the back of the ambulance, a blanket was thrown over me. Gideon was seated on my left, and Hotch on my right. In front of me, on the stretcher, was Reid. The paramedics were scrambling to save him - to stop the bleeding.

You never realize how much blood a human body contains, until you see it spattered across the pavement, and the fact never hits you until you know the person the blood came from.

As we arrived at the hospital, the paramedics quickly opened the back doors and took Reid out. I wanted to run after them, I wanted to stay with him. I wanted to apologize for all of the times I had picked on him, teased him. Tell him that if I could go back and change it, that I would take back every word I said.

After Reid was taken inside, another paramedic came back for me. I decided being reluctant wasn't getting me anywhere, and the only words my lips could form were 'Don't let Reid die... Don't let Spencer die on us...'

Gideon had agreed to stay with me. I can remember him telling me that everything was going to be okay, and that Reid was going to be okay. That soon, we would be able to go up and see him, and he would be complaining about the hospital room he was in - spurting random facts about something they never really fully understood anyway.

The both of us knew that wasn't going to be the case, and when Hotch returned, it confirmed it. First, he called Gideon out of the room - but I knew. I knew exactly what they were talking about.

How are we going to tell Morgan?

A few moments which felt like an eternity later, the both of them returned.

Hotch had a somber look upon his face when he approached me. I knew exactly what he was going to say.

"Derek..."

I knew it was bad news, I just wanted to close my eyes again and pretend it wasn't happening. Reid wasn't gone. He just wasn't, he couldn't be.

Hotch explained that the paramedics did everything they could to try and save Reid's life... but there had just been too much damage, it would have taken a miracle to reverse it, and they just didn't have enough time. They'd lost him...