Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.
A/N: Shout out to tannerose5, OhSnapItsMadison, Chermayne, and southernbeauty13 for reviewing chapter 11.
One of my favorite movies is referenced in this chapter, and let's just say that the movie that's reference is the movie portrayal of one of Olivia's favorite books.
Previously in chapter 11
Morgan pulled Spencer into a hug as he thought about how much Spencer has gone through in his life while still coming out stronger than ever.
"I just, uh..." said Morgan as he patted Spencer on the back.
"Yeah." said Spencer.
"You know?" asked Morgan.
"I know. I know." said Spencer as he returned the embrace while sniffling a bit.
"Good. Because I mean it." said Morgan before releasing Spencer, "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Livy mentioned about her and the kids coming to the BAU tomorrow since we have an announcement to make." said Spencer.
"Is it about DJ's godparents?" asked Morgan.
"Nope." said Spencer.
"You're leaving due to your mom?" asked Morgan.
"I'm not leaving at all, but it's some good news that you will find out since my dad, Olivia, and the kids are planning on coming into work with me tomorrow since the kids really want to see you guys while you get to feel Daniel kick for the first time in two months." said Spencer before walking away towards the park that he stopped at over three days ago and sat down on the swing.
After spending an hour on the swing he didn't realize that Hotch sat down next to him, and when he felt a hand on his arm he turned to see Hotch.
"Spencer." said Hotch as he took in the sight of the tear stains on Spencer's face.
Spencer turned to his right only to see boss who was looking worriedly at him.
"How did you find me?" asked Spencer as he thought back a past conversation with Gideon, wishing that Gideon was still alive.
"Olivia called me when you didn't come home and didn't answer her phone calls or responding to her text messages, and after finding out that you didn't stay at Morgan's to continue witnessing a very drunken Garcia, I profiled the places you would most likely be and this park was the first on my list." said Hotch.
Spencer grabbed the handkerchief from the front pocket of his suit jacket and wiped his tears before looking at Hotch.
"I was going to tell you guys about my mom's diagnosis after this case, but I wanted to wait until Garcia was free." said Spencer before taking a deep breath, "One thing that I'm glad about is that both dad and Olivia wouldn't take no for an answer when they told me that they're coming with so I don't have to deal with everything alone."
"I'm glad too, and I bet that the rest of the team is glad that your dad, Olivia, and the kids went with you." said Hotch.
"When I told the kids about their grandma's diagnosis, Piper started crying about her grandma eventually forgetting her and her siblings causing me to tell the kids that their grandma will always love them because even though there were times that my mom's violent episodes scared me when I was a child I knew that my mom would always love me." said Spencer.
"Last April I ended up telling Jack the same thing when Jessica and I had to tell him about his grandpa Roy being diagnosed with Alzheimer's so I understand what you're going through." said Hotch.
Spencer looked at Hotch in shock.
"Roy was the reason why I took a couple of hours off last April." said Hotch.
"So what did Jessica do with her dad since most Alzheimer's patients are put into care homes if family members can't take care of them?" asked Spencer.
"He's currently living with her, and a nurse comes by daily to assist him while Jessica's at work." said Hotch before looking at Spencer, "With your mom being on new medication is she staying where she is or did she finally agree to move out here so she can see you and her grandchildren more often?"
"Let's just say that feeling her unborn grandson kick for the first time made her decide to transfer to a hospital in DC, and after talking to Dr. Jesson it was decided that she will be an inpatient at Georgetown University Hospital's psychiatric clinic since she wants to make as many memories with my dad, Olivia, the kids, and I as possible without us having to travel across the country to visit her." said Spencer.
Hotch quickly connected the dots, realizing that Ethel and Gordon were in town since they were most likely in charge of transporting Diana.
"So with your aunt and uncle being in town, I assume that they helped transport your mom?" asked Hotch.
Spencer nodded.
"They insisted on driving my mom since dad and I had to focus on driving Olivia and the kids." said Spencer before looking at his watch and noticed that it was 10 PM, "Only two more hours until Livy's birthday is over, and I promised her a massage due to the lower back pain that she's dealing with."
"Let me give you a ride home since I told Olivia that I would bring you home." said Hotch as he got off the swing before making his way to Spencer and held out his hand that Spencer took before he helped his youngest agent stand up.
"I hope that Olivia's not upset that I didn't go home right away like I promised." said Spencer as both men walked to Hotch's car.
"She told me to tell you that she isn't because she knew that you needed some time to yourself." said Hotch
Spencer checked his phone and chuckled at the text message he recently received from Olivia.
CAN YOU PLEASE GO PICK UP SOME BIRTHDAY CAKE FLAVORED ICE CREAM? ~ OR
"What is it?" asked Hotch.
"Livy's craving birthday cake flavored ice cream." said Spencer.
"Then let's go pick some up for Olivia, and it will be my treat." said Hotch as he unlocked his car.
"You don't have to Hotch." said Spencer as he got into the front passenger seat.
"I want to, and I want to get Jack's favorite ice cream." said Hotch.
Spencer quietly entered the house and lightly shook his head when he saw Olivia wrapped up in one of his sweaters watching "The Book Thief" while eating Elephant Tracks ice cream straight from the carton as tears streamed down her face while she watched Liesel cry over Rudy's death before kissing her dead best friend and lover.
"I got the ice cream that you asked for." said Spencer as he held up a grocery bag that contained a carton of ice cream and chocolate syrup.
Olivia turned her head.
"Aaron gave you a ride home?" asked Olivia.
"He did, and he didn't mind stopping at the store so I could pick up some ice cream." said Spencer as he made his way over to his wife and sat down next to her on the couch.
"Penelope called me when she was on her way to Derek's house, and let's just say that I need to award you for some of your actions because Penelope said that you were very sexy." said Olivia as she smirked wickedly at her husband.
Spencer groaned as he felt his body reacting.
"With having uncle Gordon and aunt Ethel staying here, I think that a bubble bath would be a better idea." said Spencer as he helped his wife up.
"Go give our sleeping kids goodnight kisses while I get everything started in the bathroom." said Olivia.
After putting the ice cream in the freezer and locking up the house, Spencer quietly went into the girls bedroom and kissed his sleeping daughters goodnight before quietly creeping into Albert's bedroom and gave his son a kiss before heading into the master bathroom where Olivia was already getting the bathtub filled up causing him to start stripping down before helping his wife out of her clothes and helped her into the tub before getting in himself.
The next day at 1 PM, Spencer entered the conference room with his dad, Olivia, and the kids, and Piper ran to her godfather right away while Albert and Ava ran to their godparents.
"I missed you uncle Aaron." said Piper as she gave her godfather a kiss on the cheek.
"I missed you too Piper, and you have definitely grown while you were out west with your mommy, daddy, and grandpa." said Hotch as he tightly hugged his goddaughter and gave her a kiss on the cheek before passing her to JJ who hugged her instantly.
After Garcia had her reunion with Piper, Albert, and Ava she made her way over to Olivia.
"Look at you Olivia." said Garcia as she rested her hands on Olivia's belly and she smiled when she felt a kick, "I missed this." said Garcia as she stepped away so the others could feel the baby kick, causing smiles.
"How far are you now?" asked Tara as she removed her hand from Olivia's belly.
"This Saturday I will be 31 weeks pregnant." said Olivia.
Garcia looked at Olivia.
"Sorry that your birthday celebration ended up getting postponed because of me." said Garcia.
Olivia pulled Garcia into a hug the best she could and whispered into her ear.
"It's OK that we waited until tonight because I wanted you to be free." said Olivia before breaking out of the hug.
JJ looked at Spencer.
"Henry and Michael can't wait to see you tonight." said JJ.
"I'm excited to see Jack, Henry, and Michael since phone calls and Skype chats didn't do justice, but I know that I was where I needed to be for the past two months." said Spencer.
"All the pictures you sent me of Michael is getting me excited about DJ's arrival." said Olivia as she rested her hands on her belly.
JJ looked at Olivia.
"When it came to having to deal with a colicky Michael nearly two months ago I was thinking about how brave you are to have four kids in four years." said JJ.
"It isn't easy, but I love all my babies." said Olivia.
Piper who was now on Morgan's hip looked at her mommy.
"I no baby because I'm a big girl." said Piper.
Spencer took his oldest daughter from Morgan and swooped her onto his shoulders.
"No matter how big you get, you and your little sister will always be daddy's little girls." said Spencer.
Piper pouted causing some laughter, and as soon as the laughter stopped Spencer looked at his father as he swooped Piper off his shoulders.
"Would you mind taking the kids to the break area where there should be some juice and snacks?" asked Spencer.
"Sure Spencer." said William as he gave his son a brief hug before he looked at his three grandchildren, "Let's go eat some snacks." said William as he decided to scoop up Albert and took one of Piper's hands while Piper took Ava's hand with her free hand, "Let's go." said William before he left the room with his grandchildren.
A few seconds later Olivia squeezed her husband's hand as Spencer looked at his teammates who were all looking worried.
"What I said about my mom's diagnosis is true, but it's not early onset since she's 65." said Spencer before taking a deep breath, "My dad and uncle Gordon decided to get tested, and their test results were negative."
"That's great, and do either your maternal or paternal side of your family have any family history of Alzheimer's and dementia?" asked Tara.
"No family history at all, and I decided not to get tested since I have the same chance as everyone else." said Spencer.
Tara looked at Olivia.
"Do you know if there was any family history?" asked Tara.
"As far as I know there's no family history at all since none of my grandparents had either illness, and I will never know if my parents would have ended up with Alzheimer's or dementia since they died when I was 20." said Olivia.
JJ looked at Spencer.
"So are you keeping your mom where she is or have you decided to move her closer to DC so you can visit her more often?" asked JJ.
"She's now an inpatient at Georgetown University Hospital's psychiatric clinic since feeling DJ kick for the first time made her decide to move closer to us since having her in DC will make things easier for us since we're going to be transitioning to four kids soon." said Spencer.
"Why not a hospital like John Hopkins in Baltimore?" asked Tara.
"My mom actually loved staying at Georgetown University Hospital's psychiatric clinic when she spent two weeks in DC after Piper's birth, and with having her in a hospital in DC rather than Baltimore I can visit her as often as I want on her good days rather than having to travel back and forth to Baltimore to visit her." said Spencer just as a knock sounded on the open door and everyone noticed Chief Cruz standing in the doorway.
Cruz glanced at every agent before noticing Olivia who was holding her husband's hand.
"I didn't know that you were here, Mrs. Reid." said Cruz.
Spencer looked at his section chief.
"Piper, Albert, and Ava needed to see my team in person for the first time in two months, and Olivia wanted to support me when I told everyone about what's going on with my mom." said Spencer.
"Got everything settled for your mom?" asked Cruz.
"She's settling in OK at her new room at Georgetown University Hospital's inpatient psychiatric clinic." said Spencer.
"My sister works as a night nurse there, so what was wrong with your mom's medication?" asked Cruz as he thought about the paperwork he read about Spencer needing off since his mom's medication wasn't helping.
Spencer quickly realized that Cruz hadn't listened to the audio feed from his standoff with Cat.
"My mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and dementia." said Spencer.
"I'm sorry Dr. Reid. I lost a grandparent to Alzheimer's." said Cruz.
"It's OK since I accepted my mom's diagnosis, and it helps that when my mom felt DJ kick for the first time she finally accepted my offer of moving out here to be closer to her grandchildren and I." said Spencer.
Olivia groaned when she felt Daniel kick, causing Cruz to look at Olivia.
"The baby kicked?" asked Cruz as he gazed at Olivia's belly.
Olivia nodded as she took ahold of Cruz's hand and placed it on her belly, and Cruz smiled when he felt a kick.
"You definitely got a strong kicker." said Cruz.
"Except my bladder doesn't appreciate it." said Olivia as she glared at her husband, causing a few snickers as Spencer slowly backed away from his wife with his hands up in surrender mode.
"How much longer?" asked Cruz.
"Nine and a half more weeks, and I won't be surprised if Daniel is born early like Piper, Albert, and Ava were." said Olivia.
"Got everything ready?" asked Cruz.
"Nursery got finished before we left for Vegas because I started on it as soon as we found out that we were having another boy." said Spencer.
JJ looked at Olivia.
"Let's just say that your baby shower is being combined with your birthday dinner tonight." said JJ.
Spencer and Olivia groaned in unison, causing more laughter before Olivia looked at her husband.
"Well I am going to go collect your dad and the kids since I take it that debriefing needs to happen." said Olivia as she pecked her husband on the lips.
"Need help with getting the kids into the SUV?" asked Spencer as he rested a hand on Olivia's belly and smiled when he felt his son kick.
"Your dad and I should have everything covered." said Olivia.
"I just want to give the kids a kiss goodbye before you guys leave." said Spencer as he took ahold of his wife's hand before looking at his teammates, "I will be back soon." said Spencer before leaving the room with Olivia.
A few minutes later Spencer was watching the elevator door close on his dad, Olivia, and the kids before heading up to the conference room for debriefing.
Later that evening Spencer was walking out of Rossi's bathroom when Jessica stepped into the hall.
"Mind if I talk to you Spencer?" asked Jessica.
A few minutes later Spencer and Jessica were in a room that Rossi told Jessica that they could talk in, and Jessica immediately pulled Spencer into a hug.
"Aaron told me about your mom's diagnosis, and I always hoped that none of Aaron's teammates would have to go through what I'm currently dealing with." said Jessica.
"Hotch told me about Roy yesterday, and I take it that he told you that my mom decided to transfer to a hospital out here?" asked Spencer.
"He did." said Jessica before both Spencer and Jessica decided to talk about Diana's and Roy's treatment.
Meanwhile in the living room, JJ looked at Olivia who was sitting down holding Michael.
"Where's Spence?" asked JJ.
Hotch who had Piper on his lap looked at JJ.
"The reason why Jessica decided to join us for tonight's dinner is because she understands what Reid is going through when it comes to having a parent being diagnosed with Alzheimer's since her dad was diagnosed last April so she wanted to talk to him." said Hotch.
Piper looked up at Hotch.
"Jack's grandpa has Alzheimer's too?" asked Piper.
"Yes." said Hotch as he looked at his goddaughter.
Piper jumped off her godfather's lap so she could go play with Jack, Henry, and her siblings allowing a shocked JJ to look at Olivia.
"She knows how to pronounce Alzheimer's correctly?" asked JJ.
"She was finally able to master the word a month ago because Spencer found some children's books on Alzheimer's and dementia to read to the kids so they can understand better, and Spencer and Piper have been reading the books out loud together." said Olivia as she passed Michael to JJ so she could grab her phone and showed Hotch and JJ a video of Spencer and Piper reading one of the child friendly books about Alzheimer's together and they smiled at the parts of Spencer giving Piper a high five for getting a word correct, and when the video was over Olivia groaned when she felt DJ kick causing her to look at Hotch and JJ as she set down her phone, "Excuse me." said Olivia as she eased herself off the couch and rushed towards the bathroom.
"I don't miss those days." said JJ.
The next day Spencer was eating his lunch at his desk when his personal cellphone vibrated and he saw a text message from John.
ARE YOU COMING TO TONIGHT'S MEETING? A BUNCH OF MEMBERS HAVE BEEN WORRIED ABOUT YOU SINCE YOU HAVEN'T SHOWN UP FOR TWO MONTHS, AND I ENDED UP TELLING THEM THAT YOU HAD TO GO OUT OF TOWN TO DEAL WITH A FAMILY MEDICAL EMERGENCY. ~ JOHN
Spencer typed a reply.
I'M PLANNING ON COMING TONIGHT SINCE I PROMISED MY WIFE THAT I WOULD. ~ SR
Spencer quickly deleted the conversation before he focused on finishing his lunch.
Later that evening Spencer was standing in front of agents and police officers at Beltway Clean Cops, and after he saw his sponsor nod at him he took a deep breath before speaking.
"My name is Spencer." said Spencer.
"Hello Spencer." said officers and agents who haven't met Spencer yet.
"I used to have a problem with Dilaudid, and I have been sober for over eight years." said Spencer before taking a deep breath, "The reason why I haven't shown up for over two months was because I had to go to my hometown with my dad, wife, and kids since my mom who has been institutionalized since I was 18 ended up getting diagnosed with Alzheimer's and dementia. When it came to finding out that my mom will eventually forget me, my wife insisted that I find a meeting that specialized in law enforcement to attend in my hometown so I was able to keep the cravings at bay by attending meetings for law enforcement while attending a support group for family members that are affected by Alzheimer's and dementia."
Spencer smiled a bit before continuing.
"I'm glad that my three year old daughter and two year old fraternal twins were with me because their smiles and laughter helped me remember that I have way too much to lose if I wanted to relapse." said Spencer.
A few parents in the group smiled and nodded since their kids were reasons why they stayed clean.
"Despite my mom's recent diagnosis, she finally agreed to be transferred to a hospital out here since my wife is currently nine weeks away from giving birth to my second son." said Spencer as he spoke for another minute before sitting down next to John.
20 minutes later Spencer was fixing himself some coffee when John came over to Spencer and whispered.
"How are you doing since having to go undercover two nights ago?" asked John.
"I'm doing OK, and I decided on not going to the execution since I have more important things to focus on." said Spencer.
"With what's going on in your life right now, I agree that you shouldn't go." said John.
Spencer looked at his watch.
"I have to get going soon because Livy and I are heading to Williamsburg tomorrow since this overnight trip is my birthday present to Olivia." said Spencer.
"Sounds like fun." said John.
"It's our last overnight trip since Livy has only nine more weeks until DJ is born, and my aunt and uncle are going to help my dad with the kids since they're in town until after Mass on Sunday." said Spencer.
"Everything all set for DJ?" asked John.
"I finished the nursery before leaving for Vegas, and my dad, Livy, and I are in the process of washing all the clothes that we were given during Livy's birthday dinner last night." said Spencer just as a few members came over to him to tell him that they understood what it's like to deal with a parent getting diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
An hour later Spencer was joining Olivia in bed, and Olivia woke up and looked at her husband.
"You came home a little bit later than planned." said Olivia.
"I know, but a few members came over to me to tell me that they understand what I'm going through when it comes to having a parent diagnosed with Alzheimer's and dementia so I ended up talking to them about treatment plans for Alzheimer's and dementia and support groups that are in the area." said Spencer as he set his glasses on the nightstand before turning the lamp off.
Olivia eased herself so she could rest her head on her favorite spot.
"Then I'm glad that you stayed a bit later since it isn't a bad idea to connect with people who understand what you're going through." said Olivia.
"Let's get some sleep since we're leaving for Williamsburg tomorrow morning." said Spencer as he closed his eyes, causing Olivia to follow suit.
The next evening Spencer was giving Olivia a massage in their room at the historic bed and breakfast that they were staying in.