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A loud commotion drew the attention of the BAU team. They broke their conversation to look over at the ambulance where Vivian was supposed to be being loaded in. They could see the paramedics around her, working to hold her down as she thrashed and screamed in their grip. The more they tried to hold her, the louder she screamed.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Spencer said with a growl only seconds before he took off at a jog across the grass. He didn’t realize that his team was following behind him. All his attention was on the woman on the gurney.
Without hesitation, Spencer shouldered his way through the paramedics until he was right alongside Vivian. “Back up, back up!” he ordered the medics in a voice sterner than any of his team had heard him use before. Spencer didn’t even look to see if they were paying attention. He locked eyes with Vivian, trying to give her his best smile. “Hey there.” He said in his usual sweet voice. “Looks like you’re having a problem here. These men bothering you?”
Vivian’s eyes widened for a second. “Get them away from me.” She whimpered. Her hands jerked again, trying to grab at the straps that were holding her to the gurney. “Get me off of here. I won’t let them take me again! I won’t!”
“Of course not.” Spencer spoke as if this was the most normal thing. Something about that reassuring and understanding tone had Vivian looking at him again. “I wouldn’t dream of letting someone take you again.”
“Davey?” Shock spread over Vivian’s features, followed swiftly by love. “Oh, Davey! You came!”
Spencer gave her a crooked grin. He kept looking at her as he gestured the paramedics away. He smiled, taking hold of the hands that were now reaching out for him. “Of course I came. Where else do you think I’d be?”
“I didn’t think you’d want to see me. Not like this. Not after they…after what they did to me.” Tears leaked from the corners of Vivian’s eyes and down her flushed cheeks. Spencer let go with one hand to reach up and wipe away the tears. “Not want to see you? You’ve got to be kidding me. Why wouldn’t I want to see such a beautiful angel?”
“You always were a sweet talker.”
“Just calling it like I see it.” He flashed another crooked grin that had her smiling in return. Spencer squeezed her hand lightly, trying to figure out how to say what he needed to say. He counted on his understanding of the woman’s file to get the wording just right. “Now, my angel, I want you to stay calm for me, ok? I know you’re a little scared right now. I know all these people can be frightening.”
“They’re trying to tie me down again, Davey. I can’t be tied down. Then I can’t get away and he can hurt me.”
“Aw, now, angel, you wound me. Do you think I’d let them do anything to harm you?”
Vivian’s face eased just a little. “No.” She said softly. Then, firmer, “No, of course not. But… the straps.”
That part was easy enough. Spencer moved their joined hands, unlacing their fingers so he could lay her hands on the strap. “You feel that right there, angel? That’s the buckle to the straps. They’re not putting them on to keep you here, but to keep you safe. Riding in the back of the ambulance, well, they need to be able to hold you in place. Otherwise the ambulance could go around a curve and you might try to fly away from us like the angel you are.”
A blush filled Vivian’s cheeks. She swatted at his hands. “Stop it, you flatterer.” She sounded almost girlish.
Spencer winked and smiled. “You ready to let them take you inside now?”
“I am. Thank you, Davey.”
Lifting her hand, he pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “The pleasure is all mine, I assure you.”
A still smiling Vivian was loaded into the back of the ambulance. Before the last paramedic could jump in there, Spencer grabbed his arm. “Listen, she’s mentally unstable and I know that you’ll be putting her under proper care when she arrives at the hospital, but if you want to keep her from panicking and becoming increasingly difficult on the drive to the hospital, I suggest you act with a little more compassion and understanding. Explain things to her so she knows what you’re doing. If she becomes agitated, tell her that Davey said it’ll be ok and to trust you. Just don’t abuse that trust. Are we clear?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Good.” Spencer let go of the man and stepped back so that he could load inside. He gave one last wave to Vivian before the doors were shut and the ambulance was taking off.
Emily stepped up beside him, patting his shoulder. “That was pretty good, Reid. You were pretty quick there on getting her calm.”
“That was pretty cool, kiddo.” Dave chimed in. “You knew just what to say to her.”
Annoyed and embarrassed all at once, Spencer shrugged. “I just played into her delusions to ease the transition for her. You can’t reason with someone in mid delusion. You play into it and become part of their reality for a short period of time and it becomes much easier to subdue them.”
“Just like with our Unsubs.” Emily said.
A fire lit in Spencer’s eyes when he turned to glare at her. “It’s nothing like our Unsubs, Prentiss.” He snapped. “She was a wonderful woman with a mental disability. It doesn’t put her on the same level as delusional psychopaths. I didn’t learn that skill from profiling Unsubs. There’s a vast difference between mentally ill and serial killing.” That said, he spun and marched away, leaving behind a slightly hurt, gaping Emily.
Derek put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from following. “He wasn’t really upset with you.” He tried to reassure her. At her doubtful look, he explained “Mental health is a sensitive issue with Reid. Trust me, he’ll be upset with himself later for snapping at you. He just has a little too much experience with calming down someone in a mental break, that’s all.” Lifting his gaze to his superior, Derek added “I’ll find him and talk. When we’re done, I’ll bring him back to the hotel if you don’t mind leaving us some keys.”
Aaron didn’t hesitate to toss him a pair. “Just make sure he’s ok, Morgan.”