Chapter 14

warnings: none

December 23

Morgan knocked on the open office door. "Hotch, I just wanted to let you know that I'm heading out now. Spencer's appointment is at three."

"Okay, how is he doing?"

"He's still tired most days. I tried to get the neurologist to move his appointment, but they wouldn't do it."

"Well, have fun in Chicago. Are you going to Vegas, too?"

He looked at his watch before replying to the senior profiler. "Yeah, we have a flight scheduled two days after Christmas. My mom can't wait to spoil Spencer again. She feels that he is too skinny and has had too hard of a life."

"She is right, you know." Hotch looked down at his file, but Derek could see the smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

"Gotta run." He walked quickly to Garcia's office.

"Let's go, Spencer."

x-x

December 25

"Merry Christmas, boys." Derek's mom kissed each of them on the cheek. "Spencer, when did you get up? You could have stayed in your pajamas like the rest of us."

"I tried to tell him, mom. But this is typical Spencer-wear; you'll just have to get used to it." Morgan said with a lopsided grin to make sure Spencer didn't think he was serious.

Spencer kept his eyes on the floor and wrapped his arms around his middle. Mrs. Morgan wrapped an arm around him and pulled the slender boy over to the couch. "Don't you listen to him, Sweetie. You're just fine the way you are." She patted his hair and pushed it back out of his face. "Sarah, why don't you hand out the presents?"

Derek watched Spencer loosen up when the family all opened their presents at the same time this year so that the young man would not be the center of attention. It was so nice to see the boy smiling at the gifts he received. He gave his mother a grateful smile when Spencer opened her gift and found a subscription card to an online database and a framed picture of him and Diana from when he was a little boy.

"H-h-how did you get this?" Reid ran a loving finger over the image.

"Us mothers have to look out for our boys. She told me not to let you get into too much trouble." Mrs. Morgan was almost knocked over when she suddenly found her arms full of one skinny white boy.

"All right now, everyone in the kitchen to help with breakfast."

Derek watched Spencer carefully place the frame on the coffee table and get up to join everyone. They walked down the narrow hallway rubbing arms when Spencer suddenly grabbed him. Morgan just barely turned in time to catch the young man before he hit the ground.

"What happened?" Sarah asked when Derek pushed her out of the way to lay Spencer's head down.

"I don't know, I think he passed out." He began tapping the pale cheeks. "Spencer, come on, pretty boy."

"Should we call an ambulance?" Mrs. Morgan asked.

"Let's give him a minute. He's on a new medication, and it listed dizziness and fainting as possible side effects."

He watched his mother rub her face with her hands, "God, Derek. Isn't that poor boy ever going to get a break?"

"Hey, there you are?" Morgan said with a smile on his face. Spencer tried to sit up, but Derek pushed the bony shoulders back down. "No, don't get up yet."

"What happened?"

"You passed out on us."

Spencer looked up at the faces staring down on him. "Oh. Can I get up now?"

"Okay, but take it easy."

Spencer clung to Derek's arms for a moment after he was standing. "I'm okay. I'm okay."

"You don't look okay, Kid. You look white as a sheet."

"Maybe . . . maybe I should sit down." Spencer closed his eyes.

"Bring him into the kitchen, I'll start the pancakes."

Morgan kept one arm around Spencer, and then scooted him into the corner of the bench seat at the back of the table to make sure he didn't fall off one of the chairs. He watched the boy shrink in on himself and start wringing his hands. "I'm, I'm sorry I ruined Christmas." He mumbled.

"Spencer Reid," Fran Morgan commanded. "You listen to me, boy. You did not ruin Christmas. This is not your fault, and the only thing that has happened is that breakfast is delayed by maybe ten minutes if you keep this up."

"I'm sorry." He mumbled again.

Fran sighed and put the bowl of batter down on the counter. She took Spencer's face in her hands and made him look up at her. "Sweetie, you have done nothing to ruin anything. We still love you. But if you don't smile . . . I'm going to take the spatula to you." She kissed his forehead and went back to the stove.

"What did she mean about the spatula?" He whispered to Morgan.

Derek and Sarah busted out laughing. Spencer remained confused.

Fran Morgan turned around and pointed the spatula at them. "You better stop it right now."

"Oh." Spencer said when he realized what she meant. Then Desiree couldn't hold in her snort and almost sprayed everyone with the sip of milk she had just taken. Fran whacked her on the back of the head with her spatula and then reached into the drawer for a clean one to use on the food.

x-x

They spent the next two days with the Morgans and Spencer learned to loosen up around them. He was finally relaxed and enjoyed the flight to Vegas. The added warmth of the desert helped his mood tremendously. Diana wasn't fairing as well as they had hoped but did manage two very lucid days before they had to return to Virginia in time to spend the New Year's Eve with the BAU family.

x-x

Derek and Spencer walked up behind Garcia before the front door opened. "Hey, Baby Girl."

"Dark and White Chocolate! You made it back." She quickly hugged Derek and then took a firm hold of Spencer. "How did your visit go?"

Spencer just shrugged his shoulders. "Not as well as Thanksgiving." Derek said.

"Well, don't just stand out there. Come in." Hotch said from his position by the open door.

Penelope picked her brightly colored bags back up and carried them in. Derek handed Hotch the bottle of Champagne and Spencer gave him the bottle of Sparkling Grape Juice. When Hotch looked at it quizzically, Reid quietly replied, "Meds."

"Hey, Spence, Derek. How did your vacation go?" JJ asked from the couch beside Will.

"I had him house trained and then Mama goes and spoils him the whole trip." Morgan said with an air of exasperation.

"Not true." Reid spoke up.

"That's my boy genius; you stick up for yourself." Garcia said and then held her hand up to her mouth and whispered, "My training is still intact."

"I heard that." Morgan shouted and walked towards the kitchen.

Hotch was putting the bottles in the refrigerator to cool. "So, what kind of snacks do we have tonight?" Morgan asked.

"I think we have a little bit of everything. Garcia looked up Spencer's meds and made sure that we would have plenty of things that wouldn't upset his stomach since he just started that new one for seizures. How is it working?"

Morgan leaned his backside against the counter and ran his hands over his face. "It's great for the seizures. No major ones, and I haven't noticed any absence seizures either. But one of its side effects is dizziness and fainting. He passed out twice in Chicago and once in the Vegas airport."

"What did his doctor say?" Hotch munched on a handful of Chex from the bowl he poured.

"It took them three days to get back to me, then they said to ride it out." He made air quotes, "until his body adjusts."

"How is Spencer taking it?"

Morgan picked up the bowl of chips. "He's embarrassed as usual and feels like he is ruining things for other people when it happens."

"Garcia will take care of that." Hotch said before they both carried bowls of snacks and drinks into the living room.

x-x

An hour later Prentiss stood, "Anyone want another drink?" Six hands were raised. "Great, now who's going to help me?"

"I will." Spencer stood up and followed her into the kitchen.

"You do know it's no fun playing Trivial Pursuit with you when you answer all of the questions right?"

"I'm sorry." Spencer mumbled.

"No, it's okay; I'm just trying to give you a heads up." She smiled at him, but as she turned to face him, her smile dropped. His hands were shaking and he had lost all color from his face.

"Emily-" he managed to call before his eyes rolled up.

"Spencer!" Prentiss just barely kept his head from hitting the floor after his body took out the chair he had been holding onto.

Morgan ran into the small kitchen and shouted, "What happened?"

"He passed out on me." She was still holding his head when Morgan began untangling the chair.

"Why are you taking this so well?" Prentiss asked.

"It's a side effect of his new medicine. He'll be okay in an hour." Morgan pulled the boy into his arms. "Hotch, where can I lay him down?"

"Let's put him in my room. There is a TV in there, and he can watch the ball drop if he is awake."

"Thanks." Morgan laid the young man on top of the covers and pulled his shoes off after straightening the long limbs.

"You're sure he is going to be okay?"

"Yes, Prentiss, I promise." Morgan slung an arm around her shoulders and walked back to the kitchen where he helped her carry the drinks.

x-x

Garcia fixed one glass of champagne and one glass of sparkling grape juice. She carried them into Hotch's bedroom and placed them on the nightstand. After pushing the pillow up against the headboard, she climbed onto the bed opposite of Spencer. Penelope brushed the hair back out of his face and looked into the hazel eyes staring back at her. "How are you feeling, Sweet Pea?"

"Better." He scooted over and laid his head down on her lap where she pointed.

"That's good. Everyone out there misses you, but I miss you the most so I out voted them to be the one that gets to ring in the New Year with you." She combed his hair with the fingers on one hand and rubbed circles on his back with the other.

"Thanks." He whispered.

x-x

It was after 1:00 am when Derek walked back into the bedroom. "Hey, Baby Girl, are you sleeping with Reid?"

"Don't embarrass the boy, Morgan."

He watched Spencer sleeping with his head in Garcia's lap. "Come on, Pretty Boy, time to go home." Morgan shook the leg that was partially hanging off the side of the bed.

"Go 'way. Sleeping." Spencer mumbled.

"I can see that, but I'm not carrying you to the car."

Spencer sat up and wiped some drool off the side of his mouth. Then he looked down to where there was a small wet spot on Penelope's pants. "Oh, god! I'm so sorry."

She grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. "Don't worry about it, Sweet Pea. You are definitely the cutest man that has ever drooled on my lap."

Morgan watched the red spread from Reid's cheeks to his neck and then his ears. "Come on lover boy, time for you to go home." He wrapped an arm around the young man and dragged him out of the room.

x-x

January 5

Dr. Brendan stepped into the exam room. "I hear that you are not handling the new medication, Spencer."

"No." Reid answered.

"He passed out in the shower yesterday and bust his lip." Morgan interrupted.

"I see."

"He can't continue like this. We're lucky he's been with someone that was able to catch him before he could get hurt." Morgan was really starting to get pissed at the neurologist.

"We can try another version of this formula. I'm pleased with how it is working on his seizures, but I do see your concern for him getting hurt. Let's give this new one a try for two weeks." The doctor scribbled out a prescription and handed it to Morgan. "Do you have any questions?"

"What are the side effects with this one?" Morgan asked.

"He'll probably be nauseous for the first three days, maybe a little longer, but most people get over that. Make sure to take it with food. Another common side effect is chills. Those tend to go away over time but do lessen after a few months." He turned to Spencer. "Take care, Spencer, and let me know if you have any problems."

Morgan silently rolled his eyes.