Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds
A/N: Shout out to fishtrek for being the 125th reviewer for this story and also a shout out to Fashionista7, Daisyangel, criminalmindsrocks for reviewing chapter 22.
I'm not a lawyer, but I can imagine the CEO of the grocery store company the semi-truck driver who injured Stephanie and killed Stephanie's mother works for would offer a settlement before Spencer can think about filing a lawsuit.
This chapter starts over 12 hours after the last chapter.
Spencer was sleeping in the recliner that Stephanie's nurse had brought in for him when he woke up to Stephanie crying out in her sleep.
"LOOK OUT MOM!" shouted Stephanie before she snapped out of her nightmare and remembered where she was in the hospital injured while her mother was dead causing her to start sobbing.
Spencer scrambled out of the chair and started to comfort his sister as he realized that his half-sister is already dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, "You're safe in the hospital, Stephanie."
"I wish that the accident was a dream, Spencer," cried Spencer.
Spencer handed Stephanie a tissue to wipe her tears, "I know the feeling, Stephanie."
"What do you mean?" asked Stephanie.
Before Spencer could bring up that he was abducted by an unsub, Stephanie's night came into the room and looked at Stephanie who was hugging her older brother, "Are you OK, Stephanie? I heard you shout," said Nurse Trina.
"I had a nightmare about the accident and when I woke up and saw Spencer I remembered that my mom died," sniffled Stephanie as tears fell down her face.
Nurse Trina grabbed a Kleenex and passed it to Stephanie, "Due to you having open abdominal surgery to fix your internal bleeding, I just need to check your incision," said Nurse Trina before looking at Spencer, "Would you please leave the room?" asked Nurse Trina.
Spencer nodded, "I'll go get myself a snack from the vending machine."
Five minutes later Spencer entered his sister's hospital room with two chocolate bars, "Since I didn't see any known allergies in your medical records, I got you a chocolate bar. Chocolate contains tryptophan which is an amino acid that contains serotonin to make us feel happy," said Spencer nervously.
Stephanie gave her brother a small smile as she accepted a bar chocolate bar, "Thank you."
Spencer gave his sister a firm look, "I hope you know that I'll be sending you to therapy for the post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms you're dealing with."
Stephanie looked at her brother's eyes and noticed that they looked a bit haunted while thinking that she saw her brother wince when she was given some pain medication through her IV causing her to remember that her brother stated that he knows the feeling, "Do you have nightmares or post-traumatic stress disorder?" asked Stephanie.
Spencer nodded, "I've been going to therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder ever since I got injured in the line of duty when Maeve was pregnant with Violet and Arthur in February."
"Were you shot?" asked Stephanie.
Spencer shook his head, "I wasn't."
"If you weren't shot, what happened to you?" asked Stephanie.
Spencer sighed as he decided that he should tell his sister the basic truth after the secrets and lies her mother had kept from her, "Since you're only 12, I'm only going to tell you that I was held captive and physically and mentally tortured for two days by a serial killer my teammates and I was trying to catch."
Stephanie's eyes went wide, "Are you OK, now?" asked Stephanie.
Spencer nodded, "Aside from spending a week in the hospital, I spent two weeks in a rehabilitation hospital that only takes in FBI agents, police officers, and agents from other agencies who were injured in the line of duty in Arizona for intense counseling. I ended up being on medical leave for six weeks so I could physically and mentally recover from my abduction."
"Was returning to work hard?" asked Stephanie.
Spencer nodded, "I dealt with severe post-traumatic stress disorder for the first few weeks, but after talking to a childhood friend I was able to finally regain my footing while knowing that I had Maeve, Zoey, my mom, my Aunt Erin who's also my Section Chief, and my teammates to help me."
"Who's Zoey?" asked Stephanie.
"Maeve's and my two-year-old charcoal Labrador retriever. We adopted her after I got out of rehab," said Spencer as he showed his sister picture of Zoey sitting proudly in front of him, Maeve, Violet, and Arthur on the couch as he recounted Zoey's adoption to Stephanie causing the 12-year-old girl to laugh while clutching a pillow to her abdomen at the image of a 60-pound dog tackling her brother to the ground and start licking him.
A few hours later after eating breakfast, Spencer was about to contact Maeve when a knock sounded on the door of Stephanie's hospital room causing the 25-year-old genius to recognize the CEO of the grocery store chain the truck driver must have worked for and a man who must be a lawyer, "Can I please help you two?" asked Spencer.
"Are you Miss Stephanie Reid's current guardian?" asked the CEO.
Spencer nodded, "I'm Stephanie's half-brother Dr. Spencer Reid."
The CEO looked at Spencer, "Can we please go to a separate room to talk?" asked the man.
"Sure," said Spencer before looking at his sister, "It seems like the CEO who owns the grocery store that the semi-truck driver who delivers groceries for wants to talk to me while he brought her lawyer to make sure that I don't file a lawsuit."
"How did you figure that out?" asked the CEO.
"I'm a profiler for the FBI who works under a unit chief who is a lawyer while our father is a lawyer too," said Spencer.
"I'll be OK. I'm just going to take a nap before a nurse comes in to take my vitals, Spencer," said Stephanie.
"Just let the nurse know if you need me," said Spencer before he left the room so he could talk to the semi-truck driver's boss and her lawyer.
A half-hour later Spencer entered his sister's hospital room to find Stephanie reading a book that a nurse brought her, "What are you reading?" asked Spencer.
"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" since I'm hoping to see the movie next month," said Stephanie.
Spencer nodded, "Even though my love for magic has got me to read the "Harry Potter" series, I'll be glad to take you to see the movie next month."
"What did those two men want to talk to you about?" asked Stephanie.
Spencer took a deep breath, "I learned that because of the semi-truck driver was high on heroin when he ran through that red light will be terminated from his job while he'll be most likely serving 15 to 25 years in prison. His boss offered to pay for your hospitalization, your mother's funeral, and presented a $500,000 check to go towards your education in hopes of preventing me from filing a lawsuit."
Stephanie's eyes went wide, "Did you accept her offer?" asked Stephanie.
"Even though I explained that Maeve and I aren't hurting on money," said Spencer right before Stephanie interrupted him before he could finish.
"How much money do you and Maeve have in the bank?" asked Stephanie.
Spencer took a deep breath as he wrote down how much money he and Maeve have in their joint savings account.
After Stephanie read how much her brother has, her eyes went wide when she saw that her brother was a millionaire, "How in the world do you have all that money in your name and still choose to work when you can easily be a stay at home father?" asked Stephanie.
Spencer took a breath, "Because of being a math genius who can count cards, I ended up being banned from casinos while I have a few patents under my name from my Cal-tech and M.I.T. days. Plus with being a genius, I just can't sit at home and do nothing since geniuses need to be challenged or they'll get bored. I love being a profiler for the F.B.I. since I'm saving lives every time I use my mind to catch an unsub."
Stephanie nodded, "Understandable," said Stephanie before thinking about what her brother told him about the meeting with the truck driver's boss and her lawyer, "Now what did you say about the offer to pay for my hospitalization, my mom's funeral, and my education?" asked Stephanie.
"I told them that I'll accept their offer as long as I see everything in writing and my unit chief Agent Hotchner who was a criminal prosecutor looks everything over," said Spencer.
"If I was in your footsteps, I would accept that offer," said Stephanie.
"Why?" asked Spencer.
"Even though you're not hurting on money, I don't want you using your hard-earned money paying for my education, my hospitalization, my mother's funeral, future new clothes, and everything for my new bedroom since you need to use your money towards Maeve, Violet, Arthur, and any other nieces and nephews you and Maeve give me since you and Maeve are kind enough to take me in even though you just found out about me yesterday," said Stephanie.
Spencer sighed, "If I was single and didn't have all of that money in the bank, I would have still taken you in since you're my sister," said Spencer before his lips twitched up a bit, "Besides, your eligible for survivor Social Security Benefits to help pay for your day to day expenses while you would inherit all of your mother's money when you become an adult."
"Either way, I want you to accept the offer from that CEO and his lawyer so we can put everything behind us and move forward with our lives," said Stephanie.
Spencer sighed, "I'll accept the offer if my boss tells me that it's a good deal," said Spencer before his phone vibrated causing him to see that Hotch had already read the contract that was written and told him that it's solid, "I'll accept the settlement that was offered."
"Thank you," said Stephanie.
"Speaking of your mother, I hope that it's OK that I already signed the paperwork to have her cremated," said Spencer.
"Why cremated instead of buried?" asked Stephanie.
"Your mother requested to be cremated when she died, and we'll be bringing the urn home with us so you can display it wherever you want," said Spencer.
Stephanie nodded, "What about a cremation pendant? After my cat died last year, my mom had Marshmallow's ashes put into a cremation pendant for me."
Spencer nodded as he thought about the cremation pendant that he found in the patient bag that held Stephanie's belongings, "We'll get you a cremation pendant so you can carry a piece of your mother with you everywhere you go."
"Thank you," said Stephanie.
A few hours later, Spencer and Stephanie had just finished eating lunch when a knock sounded on the door of Stephanie's hospital room.
"Come in," called out Stephanie.
Spencer's eyes went wide when he saw Maeve enter the room causing him to realize that traveling to Portland was the reason why Maeve hasn't answered his phone calls and only texted to him, "What are you doing here Maeve?" asked Spencer.
Maeve smiled, "I couldn't just stay home and not help you and Stephanie out up here, so I called the twins' pediatrician and my new gynecologist Dr. Marks who both gave Violet, Arthur, and me to drive up here."
"It would have been hard for you to drive Violet and Arthur up here on your own," pointed out Spencer.
"I know, but mom and dad drove Violet, Arthur, and me up here while I sat in the backseat with the twins. They took turns driving throughout the night while we only stopped to use the bathroom, eat breakfast, get snacks, fill up the SUV on gas, feed Violet and Arthur, and change diapers," said Maeve before walking up to her sister-in-law and realized that her husband was right that Stephanie had his brown eyes and brown hair, "I'm your sister-in-law, Dr. Maeve Donovan-Reid. I'm sorry for your loss."
Stephanie looked at her sister-in-law, "Thank you. Even though my brother showed me pictures of you, you're more beautiful in person."
"Even though I just gave birth to your niece and nephew a month ago?" asked Maeve.
Stephanie nodded, "Yes."
Maeve smiled, "With how beautiful you are for a 12-year-old preteen girl, knowing Spencer he'll try to keep you from dating until you turn 30 too."
Stephanie giggled, "I take it that Spencer is vowing not to let my niece date until she turns 30?" asked Stephanie.
Maeve nodded, "Yes."
"I always wanted a sister, so I'm going to like having you as a sister-in-law," said Stephanie.
Maeve smiled, "I always wanted a sister."
"Do you have siblings?" asked Stephanie.
Maeve gave her sister-in-law a sad smile, "My twin brother Johnathon died in the North World Trade Center during 9-11."
Stephanie gave her sister-in-law a sad smile as she thought about the terrorist attack that caused their country to go into war when she was six-years-old, "I'm sorry for your loss."
"It's OK. Losing my twin brother was hard on me, but I now think of happy memories that I had with Johnathon while knowing that Johnathon would be happy that I found a wonderful husband who he would have approved while I make sure that Violet and Arthur know who their uncle Johnathon was."
Stephanie decided to change the topic, "Spencer told me that you're a geneticist who works at Mendel University."
"Do you know what a geneticist does?" asked Maeve.
Stephanie nodded, "They study traits and illnesses that are passed down by parents. I inherited brown hair and brown eyes from Spencer's and my father since my mom has blonde hair and blue eyes."
Maeve nodded, "You're right, but I also study diseases too."
"Speaking of my niece and nephew, where are they right now?" asked Stephanie.
Spencer nodded at his wife, "Where are Violet, Arthur, and your parents right now?" asked Spencer.
"Mom and dad are currently feeding them for me while I made sure that Stephanie is up to meeting her niece and nephew," said Maeve.
Stephanie looked at her brother and pleaded, "Can I please meet Violet and Arthur now? Even though I have a broken arm, an IV in my non-splinted arm, and I had surgery for internal bleeding; I should be able to hold one twin at a time while I have a pillow on my lap."
Maeve burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?" asked a confused Stephanie.
"You have the same deadly puppy-dog eyes as your brother," said Maeve before pulling out her phone, "I'll call my mom and let her know that we're ready."
"Thank you," said Stephanie.
A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were smiling at each other while Stephanie insisted on holding her niece for a few minutes before she held her nephew while knowing that Stephanie would be an amazing aunt to Violet and Arthur.
A/N: You readers can use your imagination to decide which grocery store chain the semi-truck driver worked for since I couldn't decide which store.
I hope that everyone in the United States have a good Mother's Day even though everyone has to celebrate Mother's Day differently this year. Even though I can never have any biological children, I'm basically a mother to my dogs while I'm an aunt to my beautiful 19-month-old red-headed and big blue-eyed step-niece.