Outputting images stored in directories outside public root

[eluser]MishaBear[/eluser]
Hello people -

I am rather new to CI, so I apologize if I missed this in the forums. I searched, but could not find it.

In my application, I am uploading images to a directory not available to the public. I need to write a script that reads the image content and outputs it (or, if the image was saved into the DB - an option available in the application - output it from the DB) without revealing the original image's path.

Is there some function in codeigniter to read an image and output it with the correct headers or I just create another controller for this?

Thanks!