Reid stood in the doorway of JJ's upstairs bathroom. He didn't think this was a great idea, but JJ had insisted it was time for him to learn.
"I'm not sure this is a good idea," he said for the third time.
"I'll be right here with you," she promised. "You get him undressed and I'll get his bathtub ready.
Reid sighed and took Henry from JJ. He was 14 months old now and he resembled JJ so much it was positively eerie. "Alright, Henry let's get ready for your bath."
Henry twisted in Reid's arms when he saw his mother pull something out of one of the cupboards.
"What is that?" Reid wanted to know.
"Get him undressed and I'll show you."
He divested Henry of his clothing and removed his diaper. Luckily, this time, it wasn't a "Special delivery," as Garcia called it.
Henry giggled and cooed up at his godfather. Reid continued to be surprised at Henry's good nature. Although, JJ said it was just good luck that Reid had yet to deal with Henry in a tantrum. He thought it was good luck, too and something he hoped would never change.
"Time for your bath," Reid informed the baby.
JJ turned off the water and said. "Put him in the bathtub."
He realized that she had a plastic bathtub shaped like a kidney bean in the adult-sized tub. It was half filled with water and was white in color. "It's called a Right Height Tub. It grows with a baby. When he was a newborn there was a little sling for him to lay in. The tub can sit on this," she pointed to a light blue base that sat on the floor next to the tub, "so you can bathe him on the counter top, or if you want to bathe him in the tub you can sit on the base. Also, when Henry is older it can be used for him to stand on to reach the sink.
"Neat," Reid exclaimed.
"Yes it is," she nodded. "He loves it."
Indeed, Henry was twisting in his arms and grunting to get down. Reid set him in the tub and Henry immediately began to squeal with delight and splash around. "You can bathe him comfortably and you don't have to hold him."
Reid sat on the stool and was pleasantly surprised that it held is weight. It was sturdier than he had anticipated. "Hey, this is great. I can stretch out my bad leg."
"Good," JJ said. "That's why I thought this would be a good time.
She pulled something else out of the cupboard. "Here're some toys for him."
"Wait, I thought you were going to stay."
"You can handle it," she assured him. "That baby shampoo is there," she pointed to one end of the tub "His clothes are here on the counter with a new diaper."
"JJ!"
"I promise you'll do fine. I trust you, remember."
"I don't guess I have a choice."
"Nope, I'm off to load the dishwasher. Holler if you need me."
Reid observed his godson, who continued to splash around enthusiastically. "I guess it's just you and me, buddy," he squeaked, then cleared his throat. "We can do this."
Henry jabbered loudly as Reid dumped some of the toys in the little tub. "Hey, what's this?"
He picked up something that looked like a little shark. It had a switch on the side which he turned and it began to buzz, he let it go in the water and it began to circle the little tub. "Uh, oh, looks like there's a shark in the tub. You better grab it."
Henry squealed and kicked his legs. The shark buzzed around and Reid laughed. "Dun, Dun, Dun, captain, I think we're gonna need a bigger bathtub."
Henry didn't reply to this observation except to giggle and splash with abandon.
Reid noticed there were three turtles among the toys. They were yellow, green and blue. As he studied them, Henry grabbed the yellow one, which had a clear plastic dome on its back with colorful beads inside that made a noise like a rattle. The green turtle had a rolly ball on its back and the blue a mirror with which Henry could see his own face. They appeared to be engaging and helpful with Henry's motor skills.
He noticed there was a small, plastic book with a striped fish on the cover. The book appeared to be water proof. He picked it up and saw that it too, rattled like the turtle and had pictures of little creatures from the sea.
"This is neat!" He exclaimed and began to point out the aquatic creatures to Henry who mostly ignored him for the shark that still buzzed around the little tub.
"Right, books later, play now. I guess I better get you bathed before mommy comes back."
CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM
When JJ returned to the bathroom, it was very quiet, except for Spence's voice speaking quietly to Henry. She knocked on the door. "Can I come in?"
"Of course," Spencer called back.
She walked in to find that Spencer had nearly finished getting Henry into his pajamas. "Looks like you had fun."
"Yeah, it was great," Spencer beamed. "I love the shark. Where did you get that?"
"Online."
She picked up Henry and began to coo at him. "Did you have fun with Uncle Spence?" Henry's eyes were beginning to droop a little. "I think someone is sleepy."
"Night, Henry," Spencer said as JJ took him into the nursery.
JJ found him sitting on the sofa when she came down ten minutes later. "He's out like a light."
"We had fun."
"I'm glad, Spence. Thank you for coming over tonight. This is the first time Will's been away for more than one night since Henry was born. Henry's used to a male figure around at bath and bedtime. I thought it'd be less stressful if you were here tonight."
"I'm happy to be of service, kind lady." He bowed in her direction. "Are you sure you're okay here alone," he continued seriously.
"We have the security alarm and my gun's in the safe upstairs. We'll be fine."
"You're sure."
"I'm positive."
"Alright, I suppose I better go."
"Stay for a while. I put on a fresh pot of coffee."
Reid's eyes lit up and JJ laughed. "You're so easy, Spence."
"I am not," he protested. "I could use the caffeine boost for the drive home, that's all."
"Right! Come on, Uncle Spence. We'll have coffee and a gossip session."
"I'm not Garcia," he protested.
"Too bad."
She grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. "Let's go. You thank me when you see that beautiful, steaming cup of coffee."
"Not a fair bribe," Spencer complained.
JJ winked at him. "True, but it's working."
He sighed, in mock exasperation. "You know me too well. I'm not certain I'm okay with it."
JJ rolled her eyes. "I'm sure there are many things I don't know about Dr. Spencer Reid."
He grinned at her. "You may be right," he answered and followed her into the kitchen.
Gossip and coffee were okay by him. It was better than the lonely life he'd once lived, before the BAU, his friends, and his beautiful little godson. He wouldn't trade it for all the riches in the world.
