Playing Games by JuliaBC
A/N: Admission...I kind of blocked out the two first Reid-less episodes. Not saying anything against, but not saying anything for/about them either. I can't see a way to bring Reid into that because the writers wrote him out so damn efficiently and it just kind of hurt to try.
So I guess this is a collective tag to season 11, episodes 8: Awake, 9: Internal Affairs and 10: Future Perfect. I'll include bits of Reid's trip and parts with Kate. Hopefully this will be longer than most.
The whole trip went by in a blur. Spencer rented a car, after some careful thinking, and extensively researched the best way to travel with pets. Planes were a definite no on all fronts, and though traveling by car meant three days of traveling, Spencer decided that it was worth it as he looked at Poe.
There was also the more obvious question of why he didn't leave Poe with Kate. An obvious answer was he didn't want to extensively burden her. He didn't know how long he'd be gone, but it looked like a three week trip...at the very least. Tack on traveling time to that...
He could have boarded Poe with the animal shelter he'd adopted from, since they definitely offered it, and then he knew that Poe would be in very good hands. An obvious answer to that was the expense. And he'd still be burdening someone else with Poe.
But those questions fell by the wayside in the face of an obvious truth. Spencer wanted Poe with him. He wanted company, a warm body, a smiling face to greet him at the end of a day when his mother didn't recognize him.
And more practically, dogs were said to be good therapy for patients with schizophrenia. Maybe Diana would benefit from Poe also visiting.
These were the thoughts that Spencer reflected on as he packed for his trip, knowing that he'd have 37 hours of driving to do and not really caring.
"I've had a lot of experience driving alone," Kate told him over the phone. "You probably have too, so if you want me to shut up, just say the word."
"Not 37 hours worth of it," Spencer said. "Give me whatever advice you can."
"Audiobooks are a must," Kate said. "It's not too late for me to drop off some old CD sets, or for you to upload some onto an mp3 player." She paused. "Do you own an iPod or anything like that?"
"I decidedly don't," Spencer answered. "The CD sets sound good. What do you have?"
"Um..." Her voice trailed off and he could hear her walking into another room. "Okay. I have the entire Harry Potter book series, because I loved Jim Dale's interpretation. I have some Stephen King, not sure where I got him...Oh, Charles Dickens, oddly enough. I'm really not sure where that came from. It's A Tale of Two Cities."
"That sounds good," Spencer said.
"Wait...wait..." Kate began. "You can read books in your mind, can't you?"
"Only ones I've already read," Spencer answered, glad that she'd thought of that anyway. It was always good to be remembered.
"So new ones..." Kate said. "You'd be able to get through about three and half books of the Harry Potter series. Want to try that?"
Spencer hesitated, his hands lingering over a copy of The Narrative of John Smith. After a long moment, he placed it back on the shelf.
"Spencer?" Kate asked. "Still there?"
"Bring them over," Spencer answered. "I'll start something new. That's a good idea."
"I'd suggest games, those are an obvious pick from me," Kate said. "But since you're the one driving, it's going to be little things to play at night to make sleeping easier. Like the old Clue set you first saw me with. I've also got this Peg game, where you try to clear a board with jumps. It's hard to explain but really easy if you can see it. Then I have some other solo games, usually geared towards kids, but who cares about age groups? Sometimes the 'kid games' are still very hard."
"Are they?" Spencer questioned.
He didn't really call the rest of his colleagues, except for JJ. Hotch's permission had been so simple and immediate that he didn't feel need to update his boss on every step he made, and Garcia and Morgan were dealing with their own drama. He sent the two a group text as he made his way out to the car early in the morning. His luggage was already completely loaded and Poe whined a little as Reid settled his crate into the back seat. He'd rented a car specific to his needs: the seats folded down and there was ample floor space for Poe's crate.
He picked up his phone as he headed back into the house and dialed a number.
"Hi, it's me."
"Spence, are you leaving so early?"
"Yes, I want to get to Las Vegas ASAP, and this trip is already too long."
"That's true. I wish you could fly."
"Flying is bad for dogs."
"I know."
Silence for a moment. "Kiss Michael for me," he requested. "And tell Henry Uncle Spence says hello and will be bringing home souvenirs."
"Of course," JJ said. "God bless, Spence."
He hung up with an odd feeling. JJ didn't go to church often; she'd sometimes professed agnostic beliefs and only had her sons baptized at Will's request.
So it seemed to mean more that she was asking God's blessings for him now. It meant she knew.
Poe both hated and loved the driving parts of the trip. Reid let the windows open every once in awhile and Poe, even in his crate, loved the breeze and the sound of the wind.
Reid stopped frequently to walk Poe at the rest stops set up along the sections of the highway. He began to suspect that Poe was loving this routine when, after about another hour of driving, Poe started to stir in his crate from the anticipation of a long walk and fresh air.
Reid popped in the first Harry Potter audiobook around midmorning, and soon became thoroughly engrossed in the story of the abandoned baby. He wondered about the rules of this new magical world, swearing to look up more information on the world of Harry Potter as soon as he could.
He stopped late at a hotel and checked in; his room was reserved but there had been trouble with the maids that day so he walked back out to his car to wait.
He let Poe out on his new leash and sat on the ground, holding Poe next to him and looked up at the stars.
"That's the Big Dipper," he said softly, pointing it out to Poe.
Poe whined and rolled over.
The second day went by in a blur of reststops, diner food and another late night check in at a motel that was friendly to dogs.
Reid had had trouble sleeping for months before now and he'd been more than afraid that a long car trip would bring that back to him.
Oddly, maybe because of all of the extra exercise he was putting in for Poe's sake, he slept better than he had in months.
The third day found him at Bennington Sanatorium.
Pets weren't allowed on the property without permission, but since Reid had already taken care of that, he headed straight in.
"Dr. Reid!" Everly, a receptionist he saw every time, bounded up to him. "You got a dog. I heard about your request and I couldn't wait to meet him." She smiled wide as she leaned down to pet the puppy. "It was such a good idea, animals are such good companions."
"Where's my mother?" He asked. "I know I'm after visiting hours but I was wondering if I could just take a peek."
"I don't think so," Everly answered, a frown crossing her face. "She had a tough night."
"She was getting better, wasn't she?" Reid asked quietly. "She wrote me about a trip to the Grand Canyon."
"That was a bad idea for her," Everly confessed. "But you'll have to speak to her doctors about it. Here, let me get your pet pass for Poe so you're all set for tomorrow."
When she hurried off behind the desk, Reid looked around at his surroundings. This building hadn't changed.
It made him feel claustrophobic. This place always made him feel claustrophobic, like he'd be lucky to make it out.
Everly hurried back, and a frown was on her face. "Is Poe a service dog, Dr. Reid?" She asked, holding out a plastic pass to him.
"No, he isn't," Reid said.
He could see her holding back a curse word. "Yeah, um, I thought he was," she said. "When the request came in, I just assumed."
"Okay," he said, wondering where she was going with this.
"We don't actually allow pets that aren't service pets past the reception area," she said. "I'm sorry, I thought..." She trailed off, her cheeks flushed and the older woman looked distinctly uncomfortable with the position she had to take.
"He's well trained," Reid began thoughtfully but his own respect for rules quickly put that idea to rest. "I understand. I'll find someone to watch him."
"Well, I mean, Diana could still be allowed to see him but only in the reception area," Everly rushed to say. "All it means is that your visiting hours with her will be shorter because it'll revolve around when she should be in reception and when she has other things scheduled."
Reid nodded, reaching to take the pass from her, but she yanked it back. "Sorry, so sorry," she said. "Because he isn't a service dog...you don't get a pass."
It was hard for him to emotionally process what had just happened as he left the sanatorium to drive to his pet friendly hotel. The rules weren't ridiculous by any means but he was astounded that Everly, in the past always a dependable person, just hadn't checked on the necessary regulations for pets. Why hadn't be been told this before now? He would have left Poe home.
Or would he?
He looked next to him at Poe, who was riding in the front seat for the first time in his young life, and possibly the last. He just hadn't had the heart to replace him in the crate after all that had happened.
"You'd have been happier with Travis or Kate," he said softly, petting Poe's soft head.
Poe whimpered a little and tried to climb into Reid's lap.
A lump came to the genius's throat to realize that, no, Poe wouldn't have been happier to stay at home. He wanted to be with his master.
But that still wasn't enough to settle him. What on earth did Everly think he needed a service dog for?
He drove to the sanatorium bright and early the next day, with Poe in the car alongside him. He clipped the leash on and headed inside, deciding to wait in the reception area until Diana was allowed to see him.
A different receptionist, Brenda, was behind the desk today. He knew Brenda fairly well; he'd seen her on his past two visits to the sanatorium so while she wasn't a new face, she was still, by comparison, an unfamiliar one.
"Hello, Dr. Reid," she said, and pressed a button on her intercom. He saw the motion and wondered if Diana was going to be summoned, but instead, through the doors came a tall woman.
"I'm Dr. Carrie Asher," she said, sticking out her hand. "I've taken over care of your mother in recent months."
"Really?" He asked, taking her hand to be polite. She kept the gesture quick, thankfully, perhaps sensing his discomfort. "Because I've still been receiving updates on her condition from Dr. Lauren."
"Of course," Dr. Asher said. "He's the in charge of her medications and things like that, but I've been doing more of the day to day things. I've gotten to know your mother quite well. She talks a lot about you, Dr. I hear you're a recent graduate of MIT."
Reid raised an eyebrow. His mother really had gone back in time memory wise. "It was actually five years ago," he said.
"Oh," Dr. Asher said, frowning. "She seemed so lucid."
She looked down at Poe. "Oh, this is your dog?" She asked. "That's a problem that needs to be corrected."
Reid felt his heart fall. Surely Poe wasn't going to be completely ejected.
"Everly talked to me this morning and I arranged for Poe to be let into all areas," Dr. Asher said. "You can go see Diana now. Don't worry about a pass for Poe."
Reid opened his mouth to thank her but she was hurrying on to another topic. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like a daily update on how lucid Diana is during your visit," she said. "You can find me in my office at five every day. Any of the nurses can steer you there."
With that, she hurried off.
Reid entered his mother's room with a bit of trepidation, wondering how she'd take meeting Poe.
"A dog?" She asked immediately. "And Spencer?" She looked up at him in amazement. "You got a dog? How can you afford it? You're a recent college graduate. You don't even have a job."
"Yes, mom, I do," he reminded. "At the FBI. A colleague there talked me into getting a dog last year."
"What colleague?" She asked, still staring at Poe in utter amazement.
"Kate," he said.
"I don't remember a Kate," she said. "What about Elle? I liked her."
"So did I, mom," he said, sitting down by her. "She left a few years ago."
"Did Kate replace her?" Diana asked, cautiously petting Poe.
"In a manner of speaking," Reid said, not complicating matters more than they had to be.
"What's his...her...name?" Diana asked.
"His," Reid told her. "It's Poe."
"Edgar Allan?" Diana asked delightedly.
"The one and only," Reid promised.
She sighed. "Can he get up?"
"What do you mean?" He asked. "Is Poe on your foot?"
"No, I mean, can he sit on my lap?" Diana asked.
It only took a pat and Poe was scrambling up into the armchair with Diana.
The next morning Reid walked into Diana's room with Poe at his side and she stood up in horror.
"When did you get a dog?" She cried, moving onto her bed. "Dogs hate you. Don't you remember that horrible thing that bit you when you were seven? Get him out."
"No, no, Poe isn't like Stinky," Reid hurried to correct her. "He's only a puppy and he's truly a gentle dog."
Diana still flinched away from the dog. "Spencer, I know that your visit is only until tomorrow, but I don't want a dog in here," she complained.
He bit back many things, about how his visit was going to be much longer than that, but he acquiesced, leaning down to pick Poe up. "I'll be back soon," he promised.
Diana was wary around him for the whole of the day, even with Poe gone.
In the days after that, Diana vacillated between being okay with Poe, being enamored with him, and demanding that he leave the room.
Dr. Asher, in one of the days leading up to Reid's departure, smiled wearily. "That rather describes how Diana is taking to her new meds and her advancing age with everything," she said. "Some days she can do it. Some days she can't."
"Why are you muttering with the doctors? Are you arranging for me to be taken away to somewhere new?" Diana asked when he reentered the room.
"Don't you like it here?" He asked.
"I don't like it anywhere," she said.
He went into the common area for coffee, and while there spotted something that gave him pause.
"Mom," he said, coming back into the room.
She startled awake. "Spencer?" She greeted. "You finally came to visit me!"
He dropped the game box on the table, taking the hug she offered.
"How long are you going to be here?" She wondered. "Ooh, backgammon? I love that game."
She moved in her armchair, getting up to sit at the table. "Let's play," she urged. "I can still beat you, Spencer. Even if you are employed by the FBI now, I am still your mother."
"I know," he said softly.
She set up her side of the board swiftly. "How do you like your new job? Are the people nice?" She worried.
"They're wonderful," he said.
They had been playing for a long time, through several games, when Diana suddenly started feeling by her side. "Wait, Spencer, where's Poe? Didn't you bring him today?"
"Dr. Asher, what happened at the Grand Canyon?" He asked the woman as she closed the door to her office.
"With Diana?" Dr. Asher asked. "I wasn't working here then. I don't know. You could ask Rafe, though."
Rafe was Dr. Lauren. Reid nodded. "Do you see any improvement happening?" He asked her baldly. "With my mom?"
"I do know that the hope was once that she'd someday be able to live on her own," Dr. Asher said. "Or at least at home with a caregiver. But I don't think that's a good option for her."
There was a knock at the door and Dr. Lauren entered.
"Forgive me for barging in like this," he said. "Dr. Reid, I'm going to be honest with you. I've been supervising your mother for almost seven years now. I know we've spoken in the past about her living in an at home situation someday but the reason I called you out here was to tell you that it's simply not possible. And i wanted you to have this time with your mother before things escalate."
"To what?" Reid asked.
"To whatever the next step is," Dr. Lauren said. "I don't know if I feel comfortable switching medications on her again."
Reid read the hidden meaning behind those words. "Do you think she's likely to die soon?" He asked and Dr. Lauren shook his head.
"No, but as with everything, medications lose their potency as the body gets used to them," he said.
"I know—"
"She's slowly going to lose more and more," Dr. Lauren interrupted. "The Grand Canyon was proof of that. She acted out on the trip but no matter how lucid she is, she doesn't remember a thing."
She took his leaving well. "I'm glad you came to visit me," she said. "It meant a lot that you took time out of your new schedule. I can't believe you're in college already!"
She hadn't even been in Bennington when he was in college!
"I love you, mom," he said. "I'm going back to work now."
She nodded up at him. "Work hard, Spencer," she whispered. "I love you too."
He was about to leave her room, his heart heavy but his car already packed, when she called out to him.
"Spencer?"
"Yeah, mom?" He asked, heading back into the room.
"Could I...say goodbye to Poe?" She asked.
The drive home was different. Reid had an entirely different outlook on things. The schedule stayed the same, though, and Poe continued to enjoy his walks at almost every rest stop that came along.
"I'm about an hour away from DC," Reid spoke into the phone. "Is there something the matter?"
"I'm not sure," Kate said. "But I haven't been able to get in touch with any of the team."
He almost wasn't surprised. "Kate, it isn't like you're a member anymore," he said gently. "If they're busy..."
Kate took a long time to respond to that. "I know," she breathed. "I just wanted to know what was going on with Pen and the hit men and no one is picking up their phone but you. I...I'm glad you're going back to the BAU. They need you there."
"I agree with that sentiment," Reid said.
"It's not a sentiment, it's a truth," she said. "Go back home, Reid."
He smiled into the phone. "Are you asking me to drop Poe off with you?"
"I'm telling," she returned. "You've got a job to do."
A/N: Please forgive any mistakes regarding how sanatoriums work.
I thought I'd get this out before Entropy airs.
Recommended viewing on YouTube:
Fall Previews - CBS Press Tour Red Carpet: A. J. Cook, Thomas Gibson, Joe Mantegna and Matthew Gray Gubler.
I know they're old and you've probably already seen them, but it's just so sweet to see how excited they all were for Jennifer Love Hewitt to join the cast, especially AJ Cook.