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garcia: derek :(
morgan: what
what is it
garcia: i miss boy wonder :((
and bossman too
morgan: ya me too
it’s quiet around here w/o reid
nvr thought id miss his rambling lol
i keep waiting for him to pipe up n start lecturing us on some random shit
garcia: how long is the recovery for his knee surgery again
like when can he come back to work??
morgan: one min
morgan: how long is the recovery for ur surgery
reid: six to eight weeks.
do you think i can go back sooner i am horrendously bored.
morgan: ur body needs time to heal properly man
plus it’s better to be a lil bored than risk messing up ur knee even more
take the time to rest up n get better
reid: stop making sense.
i don’t like it.
morgan: the me making sense thing or the boredom thing?
reid: both.
morgan: he says six to eight weeks
but i’m like 90% sure he’s gonna try n come back sooner
garcia: oh no!!
if he tries will you stop him
like physically stop him
morgan: ya i’ll drag him out the door if i have to lol
but seriously he needs to take the time to rest
he’ll be outta commission a lot longer if he rushes it
garcia: and what about bossman
how long until he’s back
i feel like if i google “how long does it take to recover from being stabbed nine times in the torso” i’m going to end up on a watchlist
morgan: there’s a watchlist you aren’t already on? you need to step up your game babygirl
garcia: ha ha ha
no but seriously
when
morgan: pushy
uhhhh longer than reid probably
getting stabbed is bad.
garcia: mind blown
morgan: but like
knee surgery has a way more concrete-ish recovery time
so we know reid’s back in six to eight weeks
n all we know abt hotch is “probably after reid”
garcia: inch resting
thank u for the intel
now i know vaguely when all my “welcome back” gifts need to arrive by lol
morgan: oh god
please don’t cover the whole bullpen in streamers again
garcia: oh, honey…
you think i’m gonna stop at streamers?
morgan: you scare me sometimes
garcia: sometimes?
morgan: hang on reid’s texting me
reid: okay so here’s the thing.
it could be longer than eight weeks.
like a lot longer.
if i do this thing.
but i don’t even know if it’s worth it.
morgan: you're being real vague pretty boy
what "thing"?
reid: i have two options here.
please wait for me to finish explaining both options before you tell me your opinion.
morgan: ok
what are the two options?
reid: my first option is.
okay.
this one involves. five surgeries.
assuming i take six weeks in between each surgery, that’s thirty weeks.
or 6.9 months.
there’s a really big reason for doing that and it’s a good reason but again i don’t know if it’s worth it.
my knee isn't as minor of an injury as i've been pretending it is.
i mean, it wasn’t life-threatening.
but it wasn’t minor.
if i don’t do the five surgeries it is highly unlikely that i’ll ever be able to walk unassisted again. not on a regular basis, anyway.
short distances, yes, with a limp. i’d have some good days where i wouldn’t need a cane. but most of the time i’d need a cane to get around.
and i guess saying it like that makes it sound like the obvious choice. why wouldn’t i get the five surgeries, if all it takes is an extra 6.9 months of recovery and i get my mobility back?
but that’s not necessarily the case.
see, these surgeries. there’s no guarantee they’ll work. there’s a non-zero chance they’ll just make things worse, and a pretty high chance, relatively speaking, that they won’t make much of a difference at all. i’d be taking 6.9 months off a job i love doing, spending money i don’t have, all for a very slim chance that my knee won’t be as screwed up as it is right now.
and the second option i’ve already shared with you. i take six to eight weeks off and then i use mobility aids for most of the rest of my life.
if the five surgeries go really badly, i might have to find a new job.
but i’ve already gotten approval to return to limited fieldwork with a cane.
both options involve some degree of chronic pain.
morgan: do u know the exact percentages yet
ur normally so precise with that kinda thing
like ur even being yourself abt the 6.9 months instead of just saying 7
and it’s making me think u do know and there’s a reason ur not telling me
oh and don't lie about the severity of your injuries. bad reid.
reid: sorry. it will happen again
and don’t profile me.
but.
when i say “high chance of making little difference” i mean 58.6%.
when i say “non-zero chance they’ll just make things worse” i mean 28.3%.
when i say “slim chance they’ll fix it” i mean 13.1%.
at least those are the odds i’ve gotten from my research.
i might’ve miscalculated.
morgan: reid.
reid: morgan.
morgan: it’s not worth it.
you could be out nearly 7 months
spend a bunch of money you don’t have
all for a 13.1% chance
when u could just take the 6 to 8 weeks and a cane and keep doing ur job
most of your job, anyway. but from what i know about you, all the parts you'll be able to keep doing are the parts you stick around for
reid: i know.
i was kind of already leaning towards that, which is why i told you that timeframe first, but then i started panicking and…
i don’t know.
i didn’t want to make the wrong decision.
morgan: i get it
but u made the right decision
you’ve already been cleared for fieldwork
and nobody is gonna judge you for using a cane. nobody who matters, anyway
you got shot in the knee diving in front of a bullet for a victim
u think anyone is gonna fixate on the cane?
reid: no.
morgan: exactly
we love u reid
and we’re all here for you
u don’t need to prove anything to anyone
reid: ok. can you
morgan: ?
reid: can you tell the others for me?
i don’t know if i can face them right now.
i feel embarrassed and i know that’s just because of how society views disability, but.
ugh.
internalized ableism.
and i know it’s not rational, but i can’t help but worry that they’ll judge my choice.
morgan: of course i can
n nobody is gonna judge u.
even if someone thinks they would’ve made a different choice
a: they’ll still respect ur choice
b: they’ll keep their mouth shut
also
i have an idea but i want ur approval first
reid: what is it?
morgan: garcia was talking abt missing u and bossman
what if we set up a groupchat w/ the team
so we can talk to you two no matter where u are
and i can tell everyone there abt ur decision
reid: ok.
yes.
but don’t add me to it until after you’ve told them, please. and don’t tell them i’m going to join. i don’t want them to school their reactions to avoid upsetting me.
morgan: got it
but jsyk
nobody is gonna have to school their reactions bc everyone’s reactions will be love n support
reid: yeah.
ok.
thanks.
morgan: love u
reid: love you too.
most of the time.
morgan: hey
DEREK MORGAN created a groupchat
DEREK MORGAN added AARON HOTCHNER to UNTITLED GROUPCHAT
DEREK MORGAN added DAVID ROSSI to UNTITLED GROUPCHAT
DEREK MORGAN added EMILY PRENTISS to UNTITLED GROUPCHAT
DEREK MORGAN added JENNIFER JAREAU to UNTITLED GROUPCHAT
DEREK MORGAN added PENELOPE GARCIA to UNTITLED GROUPCHAT
DAVID ROSSI left UNTITLED GROUPCHAT
DEREK MORGAN added DAVID ROSSI to UNTITLED GROUPCHAT
DAVID ROSSI left UNTITLED GROUPCHAT
DEREK MORGAN added DAVID ROSSI to UNTITLED GROUPCHAT
DEREK MORGAN: are we gonna have a problem here
DAVID ROSSI: I am extremely too old for this.
DEREK MORGAN: man u can leave later if u want but stick around for like ten minutes so u know what’s happening
DAVID ROSSI: Is this “Garcia cut her hair” important or actually important?
DEREK MORGAN: man dont be a dick abt this im serious
stay for ten minutes.
it’s not gonna kill you.
DAVID ROSSI: It might.
PENELOPE GARCIA: OOHOOHOOHOO THIS IS AMAZING
PENELOPE GARCIA has been made ADMIN of UNTITLED GROUPCHAT
EMILY PRENTISS: oh my god why would you make garcia admin
she’s gonna kill us
DEREK MORGAN: i. i didn’t.
PENELOPE GARCIA: BY THE POWERS BESTOWED UPON ME BY ME
PENELOPE GARCIA has changed the name of the groupchat from UNTITLED GROUPCHAT to GARCIA’S FURRY FRIENDS
PENELOPE GARCIA: where is boy wonder
DEREK MORGAN: getting to that
PENELOPE GARCIA changed DEREK MORGAN’s nickname to <3
PENELOPE GARCIA changed AARON HOTCHNER’s nickname to BOSSMAN
PENELOPE GARCIA changed EMILY PRENTISS’s nickname to EM
PENELOPE GARCIA changed DAVID ROSSI’s nickname to GRUMPY CAT
PENELOPE GARCIA changed PENELOPE GARCIA’s nickname to SUPREME TECH OVERLORD
BOSSMAN changed BOSSMAN’s nickname to HOTCH
PENELOPE GARCIA: i’ll let that one slide sir <3
HOTCH: Appreciated.
<3: so
reid is going to be back in six to eight weeks
and when he’s back, he’s going to be using a cane.
well. maybe not immediately? but at some point he’ll be using a cane.
EM: for how long?
<3: see that’s. the thing.
he’s not coming off it
EM: oh
<3: there was an option that COULD have resulted in him not needing the cane but the surgeries he would have needed were more likely to make things worse than better
HOTCH: Surgeries? Multiple?
<3: yeah
five.
it would’ve taken him seven months to recover from.
and to be specific the odds were a 13.1% chance the surgeries would let him walk unaided again and a 28.3% chance they’d just make things worse
and for those of us who flunked math or who can’t be bothered, a 58.6% chance they wouldn’t change things
and being out for all that time and then coming back exactly the same as if he’d taken the six weeks would just. suck. for a lot of reasons.
and he’s already been cleared to return to limited fieldwork with the cane anyway
and frankly reid mostly does limited fieldwork already
he deliberated for a long time and then talked to me and he’s going with the 6-8 and coming back on…some kind of mobility aid? i forgot to ask if he’s coming back with the cane immediately
GRUMPY CAT: Well.
That’s a no-brainer.
SUPREME TECH OVERLORD: hey, internalized ableism is a heck of a drug!
I had this friend in college. we weren’t super duper close but i remember he had some degenerative condition. muscular dystrophy, i think it was?
anyway he eventually decided to start using a wheelchair and it improved his quality of life so much
and i remember him being so mad at himself for not doing it sooner. because before he was like “oh well i can walk it just really really hurts” or “i’m not disabled enough to use it” or “people will judge me if i use a wheelchair at 21”
and, i mean, it wasn’t perfect. especially the last part because people did do that a lot. and he learned really quickly that just because a building says it’s accessible doesn’t mean it is.
but mostly he was happier after. and angry at his past self.
GRUMPY CAT: I wasn’t trying to judge him.
SUPREME TECH OVERLORD: oh i know!!
i’m just saying.
it’s really tough to make that kind of call.
and i think we should be really proud of boy wonder for making the best choice for himself <33 especially because you know how he gets.
HOTCH: …
EM: ?
HOTCH: @JJ, how severe was Reid’s injury, exactly?
EM: ??
HOTCH: Sorry, that came out wrong.
I’m not asking to be judgmental. I’m asking because there’s clearly been some miscommunication and I want to clarify.
@JJ
JJ: I feel like I know what this is about and I’m sorry
HOTCH: When I was in the hospital, I asked why Reid hadn’t visited, and you said it was because he “mildly injured his leg on our last case.”
EM: ???
HOTCH: Except now I’m hearing that he won’t be back at work for up to eight weeks and will likely be using a cane for most of the rest of his life.
Of course, I understand and support his decision and agree it was the correct one.
I’m just now curious as to what the mild leg injury was. I’d assumed he had sprained his ankle or something similar, but that seems unlikely now.
JJ: Shot.
In the knee.
HOTCH: That’s not mild.
JJ: I honestly didn’t know the full extent of it. I mean, I saw him at the scene, but I didn’t think it was that bad. I mean, he was in pain, but he was awake and talking and then we found out about you, and…
I didn’t think it was worth it to tell you that Spence had been non-fatally shot when your whole life had just been turned upside down
I thought he’d make a full recovery and be back at work before you were
If I’d known this I would have been honest
HOTCH: I appreciate what you were trying to do.
But in the future, please don’t withhold things from me.
JJ: Understood.
Sorry.
HOTCH: Forgiven.
And, in hindsight, I maybe should have spoken to you privately. I’m sorry.
JJ: Also forgiven.
Imagine I said that in a really good Hotch impression.
EM: I’m imagining it. It’s wonderful.
GRUMPY CAT: Well, now that you two are done with that:
There are some things I need to say.
On ONE condition.
SUPREME TECH OVERLORD: (⊙_⊙)？
GRUMPY CAT: @SUPREME TECH OVERLORD What is that thing.
SUPREME TECH OVERLORD: don’t worry about it (*^_^*) continue grandpa
GRUMPY CAT: I’ll let that one slide.
The condition being that it doesn’t leave this room, so to speak.
<3: condition granted
GRUMPY CAT: When I first came out of retirement, I was thrown off by the new structure of the team. Really, by the idea of having a team at all. I was used to working alone, just me and Jason and eventually Aaron, and I’m sure he’ll attest to how long it took for me to warm up to him.
HOTCH: Yes, quite a while.
GRUMPY CAT: A team of seven, all contributing pretty much equally despite the presence of a leader, was…new and uncomfortable. I was especially put off by Reid. Not exactly the person you imagine when you hear the words “FBI Agent”. And the team seemed unreasonably attached to him personally and professionally, which I now know was in part because of some recent events.
So, I zeroed in on him.
Which was unfair, but I can’t regret it, because it led to me changing my mind. Which I don’t do often.
He represented the new system I hated so much. I felt like there were too many cooks in the kitchen, I thought to myself ‘so they’re just letting anyone do this job now?’ and looking at Reid, I saw my point proven in this young, twiggy man who I figured had no business being near the FBI and especially no business being in the field.
I was wrong about the second part—Reid absolutely belongs here, then and now.
I was right about the second.
He is representative of this new system and of this team. He’s incredibly intelligent, passionate, and dedicated. He has a seeming bottomless well of compassion to draw from and would rather die than abandon his team.
Our job is so different from its ilk because it requires something that a lot of people find repulsive—empathizing and identifying with the very worst of humanity.
And Dr Spencer Reid could probably empathize with a brick wall.
Any of you could, but it took watching Reid as closely as I did, waiting for something to criticise (and coming up empty), for me to realise that.
It took me a long time to see it, but Reid is an incredible agent and an even better man and I am incredibly grateful I get to call him my colleague, my friend, and, if I can take it a step further, my family.
EM: wow.
GRUMPY CAT: You promise this never leaves this groupchat?
<3: Of course.
<3 added SPENCER REID to GARCIA’S FURRY FRIENDS
GRUMPY CAT: FUCK