Second Childhood
Part 26
The next day, Karen came to Quantico to pick Spencer up from Hotch’s car and take him home with her. Spencer was officially on medical leave, and wasn’t even able to work, even though he desperately wanted to, but holding a pen and putting pressure on his arm while trying to write was just too painful. Karen had slipped an ice pack into his sling for his arm to rest on, and they were working on a puzzle when Spencer’s phone rang.
He’d pushed it into the left-hand pocket of his jeans, and now he pulled it awkwardly out with his non-dominant hand. “Hi, Hotch.”
“Hi, Spencer. We’ve got a case in Mississippi, so Karen will probably have to take you to the doctor on Thursday to see about your arm. Okay?”
“Okay,” Spencer said. He wasn’t surprised, he knew how often the team went out on cases, and he’d even taken his go-bag with him just in case, but he was still a little disappointed. Still, staying with Karen day and night could only be better than his experience in childcare. “Good luck.”
It was close to lunch when his phone rang again, and seeing the name on the display gave him a burst of hope. “This is Spencer Reid.”
“Hiya, Dr Reid, this is Dr Kapoor. We tried the machine out on a de-aged pig where we broke its leg – humanely, I might add – and it healed up nicely during the process. When you come to the base, just give the project name and password at the gate, and they’ll let you through. Come any time, I’m looking forward to the test already … and I’m sure you are, too.”
“Yes!” Spencer exclaimed, letting some excitement show through before toning it down again. “I don’t know when exactly I can come, though. Agent Hotchner’s just been called to a case in Mississippi and I need to talk to him about a few things first. Can I call you back later?”
“Oh,” Dr Kapoor said, audibly losing some of his enthusiasm. “Well. No, unfortunately for security reasons, you can’t call me back, but I can call you. Shall we say in three hours, or would you prefer to-morrow morning?”
“Call me back in three hours,” Spencer said. When he’d hung up, he grinned at Karen. “The re-aging machine is ready! I can be an adult again!”
“That’s wonderful!” she said. “You’ve certainly waited long enough.”
“Well, it seems I’ll have to wait just a little longer, but at least you won’t have to take me to the doctor for this,” Spencer explained, lifting his arm in the sling a little. “It will heal in the machine.”
“Really?” Karen asked. “Can they make it so they can age you like six weeks at a time, just flash-forward you through broken bones?”
Spencer’s mood darkened and he frowned at the memories that the idea brought. Sensing the change, Karen asked, “Did I say something wrong?”
“Yes, but – can I tell you later? I really need to talk to Hotch now,” Spencer said, glad to change the subject, then dialled the number. Hotch answered after three rings. “Spencer?”
“Hi, Hotch, are you in Mississippi yet?”
“We’ve just landed, we’re on our way to local law enforcement. Why?”
“Dr Kapoor just called back. My broken arm shouldn’t be a problem, they did a test on a pig with a broken leg and it healed during the re-aging process.”
“That’s very good to hear,” Hotch said. “I know you were disappointed about having to wait.”
“Yeah, I’m happy, but I’m also a little bit disappointed that you’re off on a case. But on the other hand, it will give us time before we go to decide what to tell Jack about why I have to leave and won’t be staying with you two anymore.”
“We? Spencer, I thought you were calling to tell me that you were going to get Karen to drive you to the SHIELD base,” Hotch said.
“What? No!” Spencer exclaimed. “No, I want you to be there, Hotch. And anybody else from the team who wants to be there, too.”
“I’d be more than happy to be there,” Hotch said. “And I’ll tell everybody else that they’re invited, too.”
“Thanks, Hotch. I’ll try to be patient until the case is finished.”
“Tell Karen to keep you busy, that’s the best way. Oh, we’re here, I’ve got to go,” said Hotch. “I’ll call you to-night.”
Spencer passed the news on to Dr Kapoor when he called later in the afternoon, and distinctly felt the man’s disappointment at having to wait more than a day to test the machine on the human it was meant for. Still, he thought he’d rather disappoint Dr Kapoor than not give Hotch or anybody else from his team a chance to be there and see him be transformed back into an adult.
Hotch didn’t phone until Spencer had taken his pain medication for the night, brushed his teeth, and was just about to get his pyjamas on. “Hi, Spencer, how’s it going?”
“Okay. I told Dr Kapoor we’d be coming when the case is finished.”
“Everybody here wants to come, too.”
“That’s great,” Spencer said happily. “They were all there when it happened, they should all be there when I get turned back.”
“I’ve been too busy to think about what we can tell Jack,” Hotch admitted. “I’ve actually got some more reviewing to do to-night, too.”
“I’ve been thinking about it all day,” Spencer said. “I hate lying to him, but in this case, I don’t see any way around it. I think we should say that my mother is out of the special hospital now and can take care of me again, so I’ll be going back to Las Vegas.”
“Okay,” said Hotch.
“I’m planning on going to see her again as soon as I can, so I can send Jack a postcard while I’m there. I want him to know I’m still alive and that I’m thinking of him, even if he can’t see me.”
“That’s a good idea,” Hotch said.
“The last thing I want is for Jack to get the idea that I am dead,” Spencer went on to explain.
Hotch hesitated for a moment, then said, “I agree, that would be the worst way to handle it.”
“Now we just have to come up with something to explain why he can’t come with us to the airport,” Spencer said.
“Well, we’ve still got a few days for that,” Hotch said. “I’m sure you’ll come up with something.”
“I can do that,” Spencer said. “Good night, Hotch.”
“Good night, Spencer.”
Spencer let Karen help him with his pyjamas, then settled happily down into bed. Only a few more days and he’d be an adult again, and he could go see his mom and she would recognise him. He’d also be able to work without a supervisor, and go to the bathroom by himself, and live in his own apartment again, and then he woke up screaming in terror and shock.
“What is it, what’s wrong?” Karen asked, coming in.
“The re-aging machine,” Spencer wailed. “It’s been destroyed! They dropped a bomb on it!”
“Oh, Spencer, sweetie, that was just a dream!” Karen said. “Come here, give me a hug.”
Spencer put his arms around her and squeezed, but that set off a small burst of pain in his broken arm. “Owww.”
“Oh, sorry, I guess we shouldn’t have done that. Here, let me hug you, is that better?” Karen hugged him, then started rubbing his back. Over her shoulder, Spencer saw Garibaldi come to the bedroom door wearing nothing but boxer shorts and still managing to radiate disapproval and annoyance with his entire body. Fortunately, he only glared and went away again.
“Feeling better?” Karen asked.
“It was so realistic,” Spencer panted. “I was right there. I saw it blow up. The whole machine. It was like something out of Star Wars.”
“It was just a dream, sweetie. It was your brain sorting everything out and trying to deal with some bad anxiety, I think,” Karen said.
“Yeah,” Spencer said. “Yeah.”
“Here’s Boney if you need him.” Karen pulled the folded pullover from the far corner of the bed, and Spencer reached out automatically with his right hand, then switched to his left to touch the glow-in-the-dark dinosaur.
“You think you can lay down again and go back to sleep?” she asked.
“Yeah. Thanks.” Spencer snuggled down into bed again.
“Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite.”
“Did you know that bedbugs are becoming more resistant to chemical pesticides –?” Spencer started to say, but Karen put a finger on his mouth. “It’s just a saying, Spencer, and we definitely don’t have bedbugs. Well, except for the big one …”
“What? Where?” Spencer squawked, sitting up in sudden alarm and glancing around.
“Except for this big one right here named Spencer,” she teased, giving him a gentle poke in the chest. Spencer relaxed sheepishly and laid down again. “Good night, Karen.”
The next night, Spencer dreamed of giant bedbugs destroying the re-aging machine. And the night after that, it was Tobias Hankel holding a gun to his head and telling him to choose a member of his team to blow up the re-aging machine. He chose Hotch, and awoke screaming the man’s name. On Thursday night, it was Ally, flying an airplane that had belonged to her brother Rafael and telling Spencer, “If we can’t use the machines, Sprout, you can’t, either!” Then she pressed the button that would send a nuclear bomb down, except that the machine had somehow moved to Las Vegas and the bomb would not only destroy it, but kill Spencer’s mother as well. Panicked and devastated, Spencer shrieked, “Mom, Mom, MOM!”
“For fuck’s sake, would you just SHUT UP!” a male voice bellowed at him, and Spencer stopped in mid-scream, gaping in shock. It was Garibaldi, standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips. “You wake me up one more time, and I’ll smack you into the middle of next week!”
Spencer stared at him, not sure if he were awake or still dreaming, but feeling terror building just the same. Would Garibaldi really hit him? He stayed very still and tried to control his breathing in case he gasped too loudly and caught the man’s attention again. All the time, however, his mind was screaming just one word. Hotch!
“Robert Arthur Garibaldi, did I just hear you threaten to assault another FBI agent?” Karen demanded from behind her husband, then gave him a push that made him drop his arms and take a step forward to keep his balance. Slipping through, Karen turned to face him.
“He’s woken me up every night this week, Karen, every night!” Rob grumbled, but he sounded suddenly much less terrifying. Spencer felt some of his fear ebb away now that Karen was there.
“Me, too, and do you hear me complaining and wanting to hit people? I’ll tell you one thing, though, you lay one finger, <i>one eyelash,</i> on Spencer and I’ll come after you with a wooden spoon. But worse, I’ll wait until you’re asleep!” Karen threatened. “You’ll be snoring happily away and then suddenly, whack!”
She clapped her hands together for emphasis and Spencer couldn’t help a quick giggle at the mental image.
“I don’t snore,” Garibaldi snarled, but Karen ignored his aggression and leaned up for a kiss instead.
“Now apologise to Dr Reid,” she told him, “then go back to bed, you grumpy grizzly, and save your aggression for the Unsubs.”
Garibaldi kissed her back, then sighed and said, “Sorry, Dr Reid, I shouldn’t have shouted and threatened you like that. I guess I forgot you’re really an adult.”
Without waiting for an answer, he stalked unhappily away. Karen came over and sat down on the side of the bed. “Were you dreaming about something happening to your mother?”
“Yeah,” Spencer admitted. “But I’m okay now. And I really am sorry about waking you both up every night.”
“I know you can’t help it, sweetie. And don’t worry about Rob. It’s been one of those months at the office for him, all condensed into this one week. Now. Can you settle down and go back to sleep? Have you got Boney?”
“I don’t need Boney to settle down, I’m fine now.” But Spencer shot a quick glance over to the side of the bed, just to make sure Boney was still there. As he lay down again, he wondered if he’d need Boney after he was an adult again, then rejected the thought as ridiculous. He hadn’t needed Boney before, he wouldn’t need him again. He wasn’t going to be a crybaby anymore, and he wouldn’t need anything to cuddle after a bad dream.
“Okay, then. Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the Garibaldis bite.”
Spencer giggled again, but clamped his mouth shut when he thought he heard a low rumble of protest from the other bedroom. Very quietly, he whispered, “Good night, Karen.”
The next day, Spencer had never felt more impatient in his entire life. He knew from Hotch’s nightly phone calls that the team knew the Unsub was a woman and that they were getting very close to her by now. Spencer hoped they’d finish the case in time for the weekend. Finally, after what had seemed like an interminably long day, his phone rang close to supper time.
“Hotch! Did you get the Unsub? Is it over?”
“Yes, we finally got her, the case is closed, and we’ll be landing in just under three hours,” Hotch said. “I have to pick up Jack from Jessica’s. Can I call Karen when I’m home and have her bring you over?”
Spencer relayed the question and then the answer. “Yes, Karen says that’ll be fine.”
“And then we’ll go to SHIELD to-morrow morning, after we’ve all had a chance to rest and recover a little,” Hotch went on.
Spencer revealed his impatience by making an unhappy sound, and Hotch added, “It’s just a few more hours, buddy, and I’m pretty sure you don’t want me to drop you into the machine while you’re asleep.”
“No, I’d rather jump in myself. Thanks, Hotch. I’ll see you to-night.”
It seemed to take forever until Hotch finally called Karen’s phone. Spencer had already been getting tired, but a sudden burst of adrenaline launched him into wakefulness. He jumped excitedly out to the car, Karen lumbering behind with his go-bag, and almost managed to buckle himself into the child seat with his left hand. To-morrow, he thought happily as Karen finished the job, to-morrow he wouldn’t need a a child seat anymore. He’d even be able to drive himself anywhere he wanted to go! But when they pulled up at Hotch’s apartment building, he felt a slight twinge of sadness. To-night would be the last night he’d arrive here as a resident. From to-morrow on, he’d only be a guest, and no longer part of the Hotchner family.
He also launched himself at Hotch as soon as the man opened the door and let them in, hugging him hard around the waist. He wasn’t sure how much hugging he could get in as an adult, and maybe he wouldn’t even want to anymore, so it was better to stock up a little while he still could. Eventually, however, Spencer remembered Karen, and turned to give her a hug, too. “Thank you so much for supervising me. I’m sure it wasn’t always easy for you.”
To his surprise, Karen blinked back tears. “In a way, Spencer, it was like having a wonderful grandson, not always easy, but definitely worth it. I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too,” he said.
“Good luck to-morrow.” She turned abruptly and walked away, and Spencer went into the apartment. Jack was there, sitting on the couch looking sadly at him.
“Hi, Jack,” he said.
“Dad says you’re going away to-morrow,” Jack said. “He says you’re not going to live here anymore.”
“That’s right,” Spencer said, sitting down in the easy chair across from him. “My, uh, my mom doesn’t need to be in the special hospital anymore, so I’m going back to Las Vegas so she can take care of me again.”
It reminded him of how he’d dreamed that his mother had been healed and that she’d married Hotch, and how everything had been perfect for that one moment. He managed a wistful smile.
“But I don’t want you to go,” Jack said. “I’ve got used to having you as my brother, even though you’re not here half the time.”
“I’ve got used to having you as my brother, too,” Spencer admitted. “And I’ll miss you so much. But … it’s my mom!”
“Maybe your mom could come here to take care of you?” Jack suggested hopefully. “Then we could at least see each other.”
“No …” Spencer hadn’t anticipated that particular angle and didn’t know what to say.
“I wanted us to go swimming this weekend now that Dad’s home.” Jack kicked at the floor with the toe of his sneaker.
“Well, I wouldn’t be able to swim anyway with this on my arm.” Spencer held up the splint.
“We could play soccer, or just go to the library, or something,” Jack whined. “Dad’s always gone, you’re always gone, I wanted us to do something together!”
“I’m sorry,” Spencer said, feeling even more guilty that they were going to leave Jack behind yet again the next morning.
“I’m sorry, too,” said Hotch. “But life isn’t always fair, is it, Jack?”
“No,” Jack murmured, but Spencer could tell he was only paying lip service to the idea, because he wanted so badly for life to be fair to everybody, all the time.
“Sometimes what seems unfair to us is actually beneficial to another person,” Spencer said, explaining something he’d figured out long before he’d started studying philosophy. Jack looked at him questioningly, and he found a metaphor that Jack would better comprehend. “Sometimes your team wins, and you’re happy, right? But the other team wanted to win, so they’re not happy. But when they win, they’re happy, and you’re not. You’re sad that I’m leaving, but I’m happy because I can be with my mom again. Does that help you understand?”
“I guess.” Jack shrugged.
“All right, I think it’s way past time to brush your teeth and get your pyjamas on,” Hotch said, and Jack dragged himself unwillingly to the bathroom with Spencer following.
This was the last time, Spencer thought as he lay in the lower bunk, the last time he would sleep here. He wondered what Hotch was going to do with the bunk bed now, if he’d get rid of it and get Jack’s old bed back, or just keep it. That reminded him of his clothes, and he made a note to offer his old clothes to JJ for Henry, even if some of the underwear was marked with a big S. The memory made him smile.
Part 27
Part 25
Return to Criminal Minds page
He’d pushed it into the left-hand pocket of his jeans, and now he pulled it awkwardly out with his non-dominant hand. “Hi, Hotch.”
“Hi, Spencer. We’ve got a case in Mississippi, so Karen will probably have to take you to the doctor on Thursday to see about your arm. Okay?”
“Okay,” Spencer said. He wasn’t surprised, he knew how often the team went out on cases, and he’d even taken his go-bag with him just in case, but he was still a little disappointed. Still, staying with Karen day and night could only be better than his experience in childcare. “Good luck.”
It was close to lunch when his phone rang again, and seeing the name on the display gave him a burst of hope. “This is Spencer Reid.”
“Hiya, Dr Reid, this is Dr Kapoor. We tried the machine out on a de-aged pig where we broke its leg – humanely, I might add – and it healed up nicely during the process. When you come to the base, just give the project name and password at the gate, and they’ll let you through. Come any time, I’m looking forward to the test already … and I’m sure you are, too.”
“Yes!” Spencer exclaimed, letting some excitement show through before toning it down again. “I don’t know when exactly I can come, though. Agent Hotchner’s just been called to a case in Mississippi and I need to talk to him about a few things first. Can I call you back later?”
“Oh,” Dr Kapoor said, audibly losing some of his enthusiasm. “Well. No, unfortunately for security reasons, you can’t call me back, but I can call you. Shall we say in three hours, or would you prefer to-morrow morning?”
“Call me back in three hours,” Spencer said. When he’d hung up, he grinned at Karen. “The re-aging machine is ready! I can be an adult again!”
“That’s wonderful!” she said. “You’ve certainly waited long enough.”
“Well, it seems I’ll have to wait just a little longer, but at least you won’t have to take me to the doctor for this,” Spencer explained, lifting his arm in the sling a little. “It will heal in the machine.”
“Really?” Karen asked. “Can they make it so they can age you like six weeks at a time, just flash-forward you through broken bones?”
Spencer’s mood darkened and he frowned at the memories that the idea brought. Sensing the change, Karen asked, “Did I say something wrong?”
“Yes, but – can I tell you later? I really need to talk to Hotch now,” Spencer said, glad to change the subject, then dialled the number. Hotch answered after three rings. “Spencer?”
“Hi, Hotch, are you in Mississippi yet?”
“We’ve just landed, we’re on our way to local law enforcement. Why?”
“Dr Kapoor just called back. My broken arm shouldn’t be a problem, they did a test on a pig with a broken leg and it healed during the re-aging process.”
“That’s very good to hear,” Hotch said. “I know you were disappointed about having to wait.”
“Yeah, I’m happy, but I’m also a little bit disappointed that you’re off on a case. But on the other hand, it will give us time before we go to decide what to tell Jack about why I have to leave and won’t be staying with you two anymore.”
“We? Spencer, I thought you were calling to tell me that you were going to get Karen to drive you to the SHIELD base,” Hotch said.
“What? No!” Spencer exclaimed. “No, I want you to be there, Hotch. And anybody else from the team who wants to be there, too.”
“I’d be more than happy to be there,” Hotch said. “And I’ll tell everybody else that they’re invited, too.”
“Thanks, Hotch. I’ll try to be patient until the case is finished.”
“Tell Karen to keep you busy, that’s the best way. Oh, we’re here, I’ve got to go,” said Hotch. “I’ll call you to-night.”
Spencer passed the news on to Dr Kapoor when he called later in the afternoon, and distinctly felt the man’s disappointment at having to wait more than a day to test the machine on the human it was meant for. Still, he thought he’d rather disappoint Dr Kapoor than not give Hotch or anybody else from his team a chance to be there and see him be transformed back into an adult.
Hotch didn’t phone until Spencer had taken his pain medication for the night, brushed his teeth, and was just about to get his pyjamas on. “Hi, Spencer, how’s it going?”
“Okay. I told Dr Kapoor we’d be coming when the case is finished.”
“Everybody here wants to come, too.”
“That’s great,” Spencer said happily. “They were all there when it happened, they should all be there when I get turned back.”
“I’ve been too busy to think about what we can tell Jack,” Hotch admitted. “I’ve actually got some more reviewing to do to-night, too.”
“I’ve been thinking about it all day,” Spencer said. “I hate lying to him, but in this case, I don’t see any way around it. I think we should say that my mother is out of the special hospital now and can take care of me again, so I’ll be going back to Las Vegas.”
“Okay,” said Hotch.
“I’m planning on going to see her again as soon as I can, so I can send Jack a postcard while I’m there. I want him to know I’m still alive and that I’m thinking of him, even if he can’t see me.”
“That’s a good idea,” Hotch said.
“The last thing I want is for Jack to get the idea that I am dead,” Spencer went on to explain.
Hotch hesitated for a moment, then said, “I agree, that would be the worst way to handle it.”
“Now we just have to come up with something to explain why he can’t come with us to the airport,” Spencer said.
“Well, we’ve still got a few days for that,” Hotch said. “I’m sure you’ll come up with something.”
“I can do that,” Spencer said. “Good night, Hotch.”
“Good night, Spencer.”
Spencer let Karen help him with his pyjamas, then settled happily down into bed. Only a few more days and he’d be an adult again, and he could go see his mom and she would recognise him. He’d also be able to work without a supervisor, and go to the bathroom by himself, and live in his own apartment again, and then he woke up screaming in terror and shock.
“What is it, what’s wrong?” Karen asked, coming in.
“The re-aging machine,” Spencer wailed. “It’s been destroyed! They dropped a bomb on it!”
“Oh, Spencer, sweetie, that was just a dream!” Karen said. “Come here, give me a hug.”
Spencer put his arms around her and squeezed, but that set off a small burst of pain in his broken arm. “Owww.”
“Oh, sorry, I guess we shouldn’t have done that. Here, let me hug you, is that better?” Karen hugged him, then started rubbing his back. Over her shoulder, Spencer saw Garibaldi come to the bedroom door wearing nothing but boxer shorts and still managing to radiate disapproval and annoyance with his entire body. Fortunately, he only glared and went away again.
“Feeling better?” Karen asked.
“It was so realistic,” Spencer panted. “I was right there. I saw it blow up. The whole machine. It was like something out of Star Wars.”
“It was just a dream, sweetie. It was your brain sorting everything out and trying to deal with some bad anxiety, I think,” Karen said.
“Yeah,” Spencer said. “Yeah.”
“Here’s Boney if you need him.” Karen pulled the folded pullover from the far corner of the bed, and Spencer reached out automatically with his right hand, then switched to his left to touch the glow-in-the-dark dinosaur.
“You think you can lay down again and go back to sleep?” she asked.
“Yeah. Thanks.” Spencer snuggled down into bed again.
“Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite.”
“Did you know that bedbugs are becoming more resistant to chemical pesticides –?” Spencer started to say, but Karen put a finger on his mouth. “It’s just a saying, Spencer, and we definitely don’t have bedbugs. Well, except for the big one …”
“What? Where?” Spencer squawked, sitting up in sudden alarm and glancing around.
“Except for this big one right here named Spencer,” she teased, giving him a gentle poke in the chest. Spencer relaxed sheepishly and laid down again. “Good night, Karen.”
The next night, Spencer dreamed of giant bedbugs destroying the re-aging machine. And the night after that, it was Tobias Hankel holding a gun to his head and telling him to choose a member of his team to blow up the re-aging machine. He chose Hotch, and awoke screaming the man’s name. On Thursday night, it was Ally, flying an airplane that had belonged to her brother Rafael and telling Spencer, “If we can’t use the machines, Sprout, you can’t, either!” Then she pressed the button that would send a nuclear bomb down, except that the machine had somehow moved to Las Vegas and the bomb would not only destroy it, but kill Spencer’s mother as well. Panicked and devastated, Spencer shrieked, “Mom, Mom, MOM!”
“For fuck’s sake, would you just SHUT UP!” a male voice bellowed at him, and Spencer stopped in mid-scream, gaping in shock. It was Garibaldi, standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips. “You wake me up one more time, and I’ll smack you into the middle of next week!”
Spencer stared at him, not sure if he were awake or still dreaming, but feeling terror building just the same. Would Garibaldi really hit him? He stayed very still and tried to control his breathing in case he gasped too loudly and caught the man’s attention again. All the time, however, his mind was screaming just one word. Hotch!
“Robert Arthur Garibaldi, did I just hear you threaten to assault another FBI agent?” Karen demanded from behind her husband, then gave him a push that made him drop his arms and take a step forward to keep his balance. Slipping through, Karen turned to face him.
“He’s woken me up every night this week, Karen, every night!” Rob grumbled, but he sounded suddenly much less terrifying. Spencer felt some of his fear ebb away now that Karen was there.
“Me, too, and do you hear me complaining and wanting to hit people? I’ll tell you one thing, though, you lay one finger, <i>one eyelash,</i> on Spencer and I’ll come after you with a wooden spoon. But worse, I’ll wait until you’re asleep!” Karen threatened. “You’ll be snoring happily away and then suddenly, whack!”
She clapped her hands together for emphasis and Spencer couldn’t help a quick giggle at the mental image.
“I don’t snore,” Garibaldi snarled, but Karen ignored his aggression and leaned up for a kiss instead.
“Now apologise to Dr Reid,” she told him, “then go back to bed, you grumpy grizzly, and save your aggression for the Unsubs.”
Garibaldi kissed her back, then sighed and said, “Sorry, Dr Reid, I shouldn’t have shouted and threatened you like that. I guess I forgot you’re really an adult.”
Without waiting for an answer, he stalked unhappily away. Karen came over and sat down on the side of the bed. “Were you dreaming about something happening to your mother?”
“Yeah,” Spencer admitted. “But I’m okay now. And I really am sorry about waking you both up every night.”
“I know you can’t help it, sweetie. And don’t worry about Rob. It’s been one of those months at the office for him, all condensed into this one week. Now. Can you settle down and go back to sleep? Have you got Boney?”
“I don’t need Boney to settle down, I’m fine now.” But Spencer shot a quick glance over to the side of the bed, just to make sure Boney was still there. As he lay down again, he wondered if he’d need Boney after he was an adult again, then rejected the thought as ridiculous. He hadn’t needed Boney before, he wouldn’t need him again. He wasn’t going to be a crybaby anymore, and he wouldn’t need anything to cuddle after a bad dream.
“Okay, then. Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the Garibaldis bite.”
Spencer giggled again, but clamped his mouth shut when he thought he heard a low rumble of protest from the other bedroom. Very quietly, he whispered, “Good night, Karen.”
The next day, Spencer had never felt more impatient in his entire life. He knew from Hotch’s nightly phone calls that the team knew the Unsub was a woman and that they were getting very close to her by now. Spencer hoped they’d finish the case in time for the weekend. Finally, after what had seemed like an interminably long day, his phone rang close to supper time.
“Hotch! Did you get the Unsub? Is it over?”
“Yes, we finally got her, the case is closed, and we’ll be landing in just under three hours,” Hotch said. “I have to pick up Jack from Jessica’s. Can I call Karen when I’m home and have her bring you over?”
Spencer relayed the question and then the answer. “Yes, Karen says that’ll be fine.”
“And then we’ll go to SHIELD to-morrow morning, after we’ve all had a chance to rest and recover a little,” Hotch went on.
Spencer revealed his impatience by making an unhappy sound, and Hotch added, “It’s just a few more hours, buddy, and I’m pretty sure you don’t want me to drop you into the machine while you’re asleep.”
“No, I’d rather jump in myself. Thanks, Hotch. I’ll see you to-night.”
It seemed to take forever until Hotch finally called Karen’s phone. Spencer had already been getting tired, but a sudden burst of adrenaline launched him into wakefulness. He jumped excitedly out to the car, Karen lumbering behind with his go-bag, and almost managed to buckle himself into the child seat with his left hand. To-morrow, he thought happily as Karen finished the job, to-morrow he wouldn’t need a a child seat anymore. He’d even be able to drive himself anywhere he wanted to go! But when they pulled up at Hotch’s apartment building, he felt a slight twinge of sadness. To-night would be the last night he’d arrive here as a resident. From to-morrow on, he’d only be a guest, and no longer part of the Hotchner family.
He also launched himself at Hotch as soon as the man opened the door and let them in, hugging him hard around the waist. He wasn’t sure how much hugging he could get in as an adult, and maybe he wouldn’t even want to anymore, so it was better to stock up a little while he still could. Eventually, however, Spencer remembered Karen, and turned to give her a hug, too. “Thank you so much for supervising me. I’m sure it wasn’t always easy for you.”
To his surprise, Karen blinked back tears. “In a way, Spencer, it was like having a wonderful grandson, not always easy, but definitely worth it. I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too,” he said.
“Good luck to-morrow.” She turned abruptly and walked away, and Spencer went into the apartment. Jack was there, sitting on the couch looking sadly at him.
“Hi, Jack,” he said.
“Dad says you’re going away to-morrow,” Jack said. “He says you’re not going to live here anymore.”
“That’s right,” Spencer said, sitting down in the easy chair across from him. “My, uh, my mom doesn’t need to be in the special hospital anymore, so I’m going back to Las Vegas so she can take care of me again.”
It reminded him of how he’d dreamed that his mother had been healed and that she’d married Hotch, and how everything had been perfect for that one moment. He managed a wistful smile.
“But I don’t want you to go,” Jack said. “I’ve got used to having you as my brother, even though you’re not here half the time.”
“I’ve got used to having you as my brother, too,” Spencer admitted. “And I’ll miss you so much. But … it’s my mom!”
“Maybe your mom could come here to take care of you?” Jack suggested hopefully. “Then we could at least see each other.”
“No …” Spencer hadn’t anticipated that particular angle and didn’t know what to say.
“I wanted us to go swimming this weekend now that Dad’s home.” Jack kicked at the floor with the toe of his sneaker.
“Well, I wouldn’t be able to swim anyway with this on my arm.” Spencer held up the splint.
“We could play soccer, or just go to the library, or something,” Jack whined. “Dad’s always gone, you’re always gone, I wanted us to do something together!”
“I’m sorry,” Spencer said, feeling even more guilty that they were going to leave Jack behind yet again the next morning.
“I’m sorry, too,” said Hotch. “But life isn’t always fair, is it, Jack?”
“No,” Jack murmured, but Spencer could tell he was only paying lip service to the idea, because he wanted so badly for life to be fair to everybody, all the time.
“Sometimes what seems unfair to us is actually beneficial to another person,” Spencer said, explaining something he’d figured out long before he’d started studying philosophy. Jack looked at him questioningly, and he found a metaphor that Jack would better comprehend. “Sometimes your team wins, and you’re happy, right? But the other team wanted to win, so they’re not happy. But when they win, they’re happy, and you’re not. You’re sad that I’m leaving, but I’m happy because I can be with my mom again. Does that help you understand?”
“I guess.” Jack shrugged.
“All right, I think it’s way past time to brush your teeth and get your pyjamas on,” Hotch said, and Jack dragged himself unwillingly to the bathroom with Spencer following.
This was the last time, Spencer thought as he lay in the lower bunk, the last time he would sleep here. He wondered what Hotch was going to do with the bunk bed now, if he’d get rid of it and get Jack’s old bed back, or just keep it. That reminded him of his clothes, and he made a note to offer his old clothes to JJ for Henry, even if some of the underwear was marked with a big S. The memory made him smile.
Part 27
Part 25
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