Time
"Okay, now…" Reid knelt down and fiddled with her honey brown ringlets, trying to get them to lay a certain way. "What are we going to focus on today, Eleanor?"
The little girl rolled her eyes at her father. "Paying attention in class."
Reid smirked just a bit. "Right, and what else?"
The little girl sighed. "Not spit balling the teacher."
"You got in trouble didn't you? Grounded, huh? No sci-fi books from the library for a whole week."
She growled. "But Dad! She gave me extra homework and she didn't do that with anyone else."
"Calm down, miss thing…" Once he let that nickname slip out, he felt pain in his chest. He swallowed hard and had to force himself to look his daughter in the eye knowing what was going through her mind. "Look, you're lucky she's not holding it against you. She understands you're bored so she's taken it upon herself to challenge you. Take it as an opportunity to impress her. Show her what you can do."
"When I get home tonight, can we look through our pictures of you and daddy and me? I miss him."
Reid teared up and clenched his jaw, but then he smiled as he rubbed her back. "Yes, I would love to do that."
"And you can tell me again about the time he got all those people to call your phone and you got mad and swore. I love that story." She giggled like every happy little girl should.
Reid couldn't help but laugh with her. "I was so angry!" he told her with a surprised expression. He reached for her lunch bag and handed it to her. "Hold onto this. Do you have everything else?"
The little girl nodded as she clutched onto her school bag and walked to the door, waiting for her father.
As Reid followed her, he lifted his satchel to his shoulder and jingled the set of keys in his hand.
It had been 1 year, 6 months, 12 days, 8 hours, 19 minutes and 32 seconds since Morgan's death and Reid couldn't even begin to say this day was going to be any easier than yesterday or any day before it. In many ways, it was much more difficult.
I know, I know! :( I will write more as I have time. I thought just maybe little snippets here and there as they come to me.