"The mind is not a book to be opened at will and examined at leisure…The mind is a complex and many-layered thing." –Harry Potter
Hotch checked his watch and waited. It was getting close to seven-thirty and he knew that Reid knew that as well.
Reid always knew.
The aged FBI agent placed his book down on the coffee table just as he heard the soft footsteps coming into the living room.
"Bath time," Reid said without actually entering into the room.
"Yes, I know." Hotch paused. "Do you want any help?"
Reid hesitated before answering, "Yes." It was quiet and could barely be heard across the room, but Hotch heard it anyways. He knew it was coming anyways, Reid always needed help.
But that didn't mean it didn't hurt to ask.
Bath time always came at seven-thirty. Dinner was always at six o' clock and bed time was always at nine. In between was Reid's time and that usually meant the young man would sit on the floor somewhere and try to get his hands to work properly so he could grip the various amounts of toys he had accumulated over the past few months.
Occasionally he would ask Hotch to play with him and the older man would always force his aged body to the ground and "play" as he would with his own biological son.
Reid waited patiently as Hotch got the bath ready. After months of practice, the agent knew what water temperature was just right for the younger man in his charge.
Reid hated it too hot or too cold. And Hotch hated to see the man unhappy.
Hotch stood up and looked at Reid who was biting one of his fingernails. "Stop that," Hotch said gently and pried the man's finger from his mouth. "Are you going to get undressed by yourself today? Or do you want some help?"
"Me."
Hotch nodded and took a step back and watched with a sad smile as Reid attempted to remove his clothes. His fingers worked extra hard to pry the clothes off his much too thin body.
When Reid was left in his boxers, Hotch nodded and helped the man get down into the bath.
"Bubbles," Reid demanded and splashed his arms in the bubble-less bath water.
"I was waiting for you to get in to put the bubbles in," Hotch explained and grabbed the bottle that produced the bubbles Reid adored so much.
It had been a gift from Garcia and every few weeks she would show up with a handful of new bottles and other assortments of gifts.
"Faster!" Reid demanded when Hotch was apparently moving too slowly for the young man's liking.
Hotch smiled at the man sitting in the bath and made a show of speeding up his movements. Soon enough, Reid was sitting in a tub full of scented bubbles.
Hotch grabbed the shampoo and set to washing Reid's long curls.
He needs a haircut. He looks too much like a girl, Hotch thought to himself, but knew against saying anything. Every time a haircut was mentioned, Reid would simply grab his curls protectively and fiercely shake his head.
Hotch frowned when his fingers moved over the familiar scars on Reid's head. His eyes looked over his young charge and frowned even more when he saw the other all too familiar scars.
Then Hotch saw Reid trying desperately to work his fingers around a rubber ducky.
The aged man had to keep himself from crying.
It had been a few months earlier. They had just come back in from a case over in the Midwest. Typical Unsub doing terrible things to other people that no one should ever have done to them. They had been there for about three days and were back just in time for the weekend.
Morgan insisted on the whole team on going out for drinks. Reid had come along rather reluctantly, but soon enough he was enjoying himself, spitting out statistics about dancing and bars and alcohol.
Just at the stroke of midnight, the BAU team said their respective "Goodbye's" and "Don't call me with another case," before heading out to their own households…except for Morgan who had found himself with a lovely lady friend who was interested in a weekend with a big, tough FBI man.
That Monday, there had been no sign of Reid.
Hotch had decided to wait until ten o' clock before he would get worried. Well, ten came and went with no sign of Reid and the whole BAU team was concerned for their own little genius boy wonder.
Morgan had dropped by Reid's apartment and returned a half hour later with a shaking head.
Garcia tracked Reid's cellphone back to his house and every call they made went straight to voicemail.
They had no one else to call, nowhere else Reid would go. As far as they knew, Reid went to work then home, waiting by the phone in case his giant brain was needed for a case.
It was a sad life, but it was one that Reid lived with a large, goofy smile on his face.
The day was almost ending when Hotch got a call from a hospital. All they had to say was, "Is this Aaron Hotchner, Spencer Reid's emergency contact?" and Hotch was out the door with the rest of the team on his heels.
Being in a hospital was not good news for anyone, but at least it meant that their youngest team member was still alive.
The BAU team stormed into the hospital, shouting for answers to their many questions. A nurse led them away to a secluded waiting room and it was almost forty-five minutes before Reid's primary doctor came to speak with them.
He didn't have any good news.
Reid had been found at almost one in the morning by a couple of prostitutes. They had called for an ambulance and then fled the scene, in fear that they might get blamed for the accident. When the paramedics had arrived, they didn't even think that there was anyone to be saved.
But Reid had been a fighter and despite the outstanding number of injuries, he was still struggling for every breath.
It had taken them a long time to identify him without Reid's wallet or credentials, but eventually one of the nurses was able to recognize him as "the FBI agent that lived in her apartment building."
Then, the doctor gave them Reid's injuries.
Reid had been attacked. Those words alone were enough to give Hotch shivers. Who could possibly want to harm a man in his mid-twenties who was still afraid of the dark? Who wore mismatched socks? Who, yes, was in the FBI, but worked harder than anyone else to make sure that there was justice brought to everyone.
Just the thought of someone that heartless made Hotch sicker than the crime scene photos he saw multiple times.
Spencer Reid had had his fingers broken multiple times. From the looks of it, someone must have stomped on them multiple times. The doctor told the BAU team with a somber look that Reid would most likely never get full use of his fingers again.
His back was fairly scratched up, most likely from the alleyway ground where his almost lifeless body had been found. There were some knife wound, but they were shallow and posed little threat.
Reid's left ankle was broken and he had two ribs broken not to mention his whole body being bruised from what to be looks like a terrible beating for no reason.
The doctor had paused for a long time, looking at every one of the BAU's faces before he continued. With every word the medical professional spoke, Hotch felt his insides grow tighter and tighter and he finally decided right then that the person who did this was the worst of all humanity.
Spencer Reid, the man with an IQ of 187, the man who could read faster than anyone really needed to, the man who could tell the nutrient facts of a box of cereal he ate when he was five…was to never be the same.
His genius brain was lost and despite the neurologist's best efforts…Reid was not going to be the same if he woke up…if ever he woke up.
The doctor had told them all Reid would have the brain of a five year old, a normal five year old. Not the genius five year old that Reid had been.
No, he would be like everyone else with a brain that forgot things and could barely read Dr. Seuss books.
All thanks to a man's rage and one traumatic brain injury.
Reid had been in a coma for three days and it had taken that long for the BAU team to be able to sit in the same room as the young man without breaking down at the thought of all that had been lost to them…to him.
When Reid finally had woken, he was confused and it had taken a few days for him to be able to get used to the people surrounding him.
The next several weeks were spent with Reid in a rehab clinic learning to use his fingers to the best of his ability. He relearned how to speak, not as the same fast pace when he used to go on his rants about statistics.
But he could speak in broken sentences enough to convey what his damaged mind wanted.
Morgan had offered to take Reid in after his release from the clinic, but Hotch was the one who ended up taking the young man in his care.
The aged agent had always felt Reid as his surrogate son and ever since learning of Reid's injury couldn't imagine ever letting the young man out of his sight again.
And taking care of Reid was a big responsibility. He knew Morgan lived a carefree lifestyle and couldn't let the young man grow older and feel bitterness towards Reid for ending that part of his life.
Hotch hired a nurse who came in whenever he went away on cases or just to work, and of course there was always Garcia who helped out. Reid's face always broke out into a huge smile whenever he saw the flamboyant blonde coming his way.
Every now and then, Hotch would bring Reid in to the Bureau with him. The whole team adored these visits. They would sit and watch as Reid would hand out the drawings he made for the team or as Morgan would tickle the younger man to the point that Reid was rolling on the floor, tears of laughter pouring down his face.
They never mentioned it, but every member of the BAU team worked in their spare time to find the man who was responsible for hurting their youngest member.
It was almost four months after Reid coming home with Hotch that Garcia had busted into his office shouting, "I found him!"
His name was Ryan Castrong. He had been arrested after running through the streets covered with blood on the night that Reid had been assaulted. He had been convicted for the murder of Michelle Garner and that had been that.
Until Ryan had demanded to see the BAU team from prison, saying he had news about Spencer Reid.
Hotch had stormed to the prison and into the room where Ryan was handcuffed to the chair. Hotch had managed to control himself as Ryan told his tale of how he had been done with Michelle's gruesome murder when Reid had shown up.
Of course Ryan couldn't just leave a witness and the murderer had jumped on Reid.
Ryan had smiled as he told how Reid had cried out for help from the members of his team as Ryan had broken each of his fingers. By the time Ryan had slammed Reid's head straight into the ground several times, Reid couldn't call out for anyone.
Hotch had lost it at this point and had managed to get a few punches in before the security guards had pulled the agent off of the prisoner.
Ryan had only smiled as blood came out of his nose, saying, "I hope you have fun with your retard."
Rossi had gone back to finish the interrogation, but Hotch didn't care why Ryan had decided to confess or any of the other information Rossi had.
Spencer was his only concern now. Spencer and his damaged brain and big heart.
Sometimes the man Reid was before the accident would come through.
Hotch remembered the first time it had happened.
He had been making eggs for breakfast before he left for work. The nurse was supposed to come over in a half hour which left plenty of time for breakfast with his favorite genius.
Despite all that happened, Hotch knew Reid was still a genius; it was just underneath scars and fingers that didn't work so well anymore.
Reid had walked up and peered over Hotch's shoulder to see what was cooking in the pan. It was then that he said in his own, childish small voice, "Did you know that almost 50% of Americans have high cholesterol?"
Hotch gaped and turned to face the man, hoping for a miracle, hoping that the man he knew before would come back to him. He loved Reid no matter what happened, but there were times when Reid would have his tantrums or scream at Hotch for some idiotic reason that he wished for the genius he used to know.
The non-brain damaged one, for that would make things so much easier. But then Hotch would mentally slap himself and go right back to caring for the young man who so easily wormed his way into everyone's hearts.
When Hotch saw Reid's face, he knew that there was no miraculous healing going on today. Reid just smiled after a while and walked over to the table. "Eggs!" he said with a smile. Reid occasionally talked in sentences, but was happier with short words.
Hotch just simply smiled and they eat their breakfast in peace. Hotch had to feed Reid his food due to his fingers, but he didn't mind.
Before going to work, Hotch went to his room and grabbed the only picture he had of the team together. He looked at Reid's face, so happy…it had been before this accident, before the whole deal with his father, before Hankel, before Gideon leaving.
Hotch allowed a few tears to fall, and then was sobbing, clutching the picture to his chest.
He didn't hear Reid come in, didn't see the man come and sit down on the bed with him. All he felt were Reid's arms wrapping themselves awkwardly around Hotch's shaking body.
Hotch controlled himself quickly enough and looked up at Reid who simply gave a large grin back.
Hotch hugged the young man with a death grip around his lanky body, feeling every rib bone and vertebrae. "You're too skinny."
Reid splashing in the tub brought Hotch out of his memories and back to the present where Reid was waiting expectantly for Hotch to turn off the bath.
"Done!"
"You sure?"
Reid nodded.
"Not dirty anywhere?"
"No!"
Hotch smiled and helped the young man get out of the tub. Hotch drained the bathwater and helped to dry off his young charge and get the young man dressed in pajamas.
"You want some ice cream tonight?" Hotch asked with a smile.
Reid nodded.
"Alright."
The two walked to the kitchen. Reid attempted to grab the bowls, but his fingers simply couldn't grasp the smooth edges of the bowls.
"I got it," Hotch said, but Reid shoved him away.
"No, me."
Reid eventually managed to get the bowls down, resorting to simply knocking them down using his elbows. "Done."
"Good job," Hotch said with a smile and got out the Rocky Road ice cream, Reid's favorite. Hotch didn't really care for it, but his young charge couldn't get enough of it so he tolerated it every time he felt Reid needed an extra little treat in his life.
Which was most nights.
After scooping a nice amount into each of their bowls, Hotch made his way to the couch with Reid following closely behind. Hotch carried both of their bowls, not trusting the young man's fingers with carrying anything that could make a big mess if dropped.
"I pick," Reid demanded.
"What channel?"
"43!"
Hotch smiled as he flipped to the History Channel and the two settled down, Reid leaning against Hotch as he stretched his legs out on the couch.
One hour long program later and Reid was out for the count. Hotch smiled as he pulled an afghan down over Reid's lanky frame.
A little bit of drool came out of Reid's mouth and landed on Hotch's thigh where his head rested.
Hotch didn't mind. He simply felt honored to have such a remarkable young genius to know and to love.
"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." Albert Einstein
Author's Note: Surprised that no one wrote anything like this before. Thank you for reading. I apologize for my lack of knowledge concerning brain damage. And I have never had Rocky Road ice cream.