Back at Bennington, Diana was safe at home. Even she couldn't deny how relieved she was to be in a familiar place once again. Reid explained to Dr. Norman to keep him informed on her nightmares. He had confidence that now, in time, they would go away.
After speaking with her doctor, he headed to the sitting room to say goodbye to his mother. It surprised him, when he arrived to find that his father had remained with her. Indeed, Will sat with Diana having a very friendly conversation with her… and to Reid's surprise, was holding her hand.
He remembered what his father had said yesterday, that he still loved his mother, but Reid had taken that as an exaggeration. That what his father actually meant was he still cared for her. How could he possibly still love her when he had no contact with her?
Reid watched them for a long time until finally Will stood. Diana gave him a smile as he said goodbye and kissed her on the cheek. Without a second thought, she returned to writing in her journal and Will headed out of to the hall, meeting Reid at the door.
"Spencer…" he said, interested as to why he was just standing there. "there you are, we were waiting for you. Was there anything wrong with your mother's doctor?"
"No, everything's fine." Reid explained. "I was just… a little surprised you were still here."
It came out very critical, and Reid hadn't intended to speak so rudely, but now that it was out, he didn't care if he offended him.
"Well, I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye to either of you." Will told him. "It will probably be a long time before I see your mother again."
That really offended him. "Right, Dad. It must be hard to travel across town once or twice a month to see her. I thought I had it bad, coming all the way from DC."
He met his son's eyes, the exact color and shape of his own. "I know it's hard to understand…" he said, "but it's just too painful to see her… like this."
Reid would not let himself get upset. "That's not an excuse. If you don't want to see her, that's fine, but don't lie to me and pretend you love her."
"But Spencer, I do love her." He corrected. "Your mother was the first woman I ever loved, the kind of love you only get once… and I lost her."
"You left!" Reid's hiss rang in the room as if he yelled. "You left us, you didn't even try to fight for her, or me. And I accept that you had to, that you lost confidence, and that's fine. But don't pretend that you're the victim here."
His father's hand reached for his shoulder, but he stopped, pulling it away. "I didn't mean it like that." He indicated the unoccupied bench halfway down the hall. "Please sit, and let me try to explain."
Side by side, they both sat in silence for awhile. Neither one seemed brave enough to speak again. At last, Will uttered, "Did your mother ever tell you how we met?"
Taken aback, Reid looked beside him in spite of himself and shook his head.
"It was my first day of classes, first semester in college. I was leaving the library, trying to find the building for my next class… and I was so lost. I was staring at my map, trying to find the Sheppard Building… when I tumbled down the stones steps of the library."
"That must have been humiliating." Reid said.
"I was mortified, especially when I discovered… my fall had taken down a very pretty girl." He snickered as he remembered.
Reid was shocked, beginning to see a familiarity in the tale. "Was she angry?"
"I was afraid that she would be… but she just… smiled and started laughing… I didn't even realize I had started, too. I was just… in awe of this girl with wild blonde hair and the bluest blue eyes I'd ever seen." He cleared his throat. "She helped me gather my things and helped me find my class… I was so stupid, I didn't even think to ask her name until she was gone."
Completely immersed in his father's story, he asked, "What happened?"
"I was determined to find this girl. I know there couldn't have been more than a year's difference between us, so I searched through the entire freshman and sophomore classes… trying to find someone who fit her description. But every time I came across someone who matched it, it wasn't her. I thought I was never going to find her, and I was ready to give up… until my lit professor required all students to attend a lecture on The Canterbury Tales one evening."
"She was at the lecture?" Reid predicted.
"She was giving the lecture." Corrected Will. "I was shocked; for a woman getting her Ph.D., she looked so young… and I had never been so interested in Chaucer before… after the lecture, I had to properly introduce myself to Diana O'Malley."
"I assume Mom knew who you were?" voiced Reid.
"I didn't think she would… but I didn't know she had an eidetic memory. She smiled and thanked me for not knocking her over this time."
This was getting eerie. It was like listening to an altered version of how he and Riley met. Reid allowed his father to finish, enjoying this story more with every word.
"I asked her how old she was, because she didn't look a day over seventeen. She told me, she was seventeen… actually, she was 164 days over seventeen. I asked if she were a genius or something… she reluctantly told me she was. She expected me to be intimidated and bothered by that… but I wasn't… I knew right then, I was in love with her and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her."
That just made Reid angry, knowing this love story did not have a happy ending. Still, though, he kept quiet as his father continued.
"She was both the woman I loved and my best friend. I trusted her like I was never able to trust another before. I told her things I had never told anyone. We would have long nights doing nothing but talking. We would start a conversation over dinner… and the next thing we knew, the sun would be coming up."
"Well…" Reid muttered, having done that exact same thing, "that sounds… a little similar."
Will gave him a kind smile, "I thought that, too. After Riley interviewed your mother… and I watched you say goodbye… they way you looked at each other… you were just like me and your mother at that time." But the happiness faded, "You're probably too intelligent to believe in Fate, and maybe it is just foolish fantasy. But I told this to your mother many times, and I'm still certain to this day… she's my soulmate. I love her… but I can't see her now."
"Why not?" Reid asked. "It seems that, if you do love her as you say, you would want to see her as much as possible."
"Because… she's sick. And there's no hope for her. When I see her, I can see the woman I love. I see her in her eyes, I hear her when she speaks… like she's trapped and she's crying for me to help her. And I can't get her out." He paused for a breath, "I don't blame her, Spencer, I don't. I know it's not her fault… if I had been stronger, we would have made it… but seeing her just reminds me that she's gone… And it kills. I'll never hold her, I'll never laugh with her… she'll never again tell me how much she loves me."
"Do you… regret it?" Reid asked. "I mean… if you knew what would happen, would you have walked away?"
"I couldn't, even if I knew… even if I wanted to. That's how much I loved her." He smiled again, "All I have left are memories, but she left me with beautiful memories… when we first kissed, the day we got married…" his eyes rose and met Reid's gaze, "…when I watched her hold our beautiful newborn son for the first time…"
There were so few times that Reid was speechless. Utterly, there was not a word forming in his head. His father really loved his mother… and him.
"Dad… I'm proposing to Riley. Tonight." He revealed.
Will's eyes were sad, but he nodded his head with approval. "I'm not surprised."
"I just hope she'll say yes." He shrugged.
"Spencer, I was in the waiting room when your boss told everyone you had died… trust me, she's going to say yes." He got back to his feet and Reid followed. "I can't express how happy I am that you found someone you love this much… and who loves you the same way. I know you'll make a great husband… and a much better father, if the time comes. And I wish you both a long and happy life."
"Thank you," Reid mumbled.
Without another word, Will turned and walked away. He turned the corner back to the lobby, out of sight.
Reid couldn't just let him go. He wondered if he would regret this next decision... but he was willing to take the chance. Quickly, he ran as fast as possible through the hospital, catching up to his father outside the front doors.
"Dad!" Reid cried as he trotted down the steps to catch up to him.
Will stopped, looking back at his son with question and worry. He said it before he lost his nerve.
"You know… we'd really love it if you could be there… when we get married."
"You mean it?" Will needed to be sure, watching him with cautious, hopeful eyes.
Swallowing nervously, he gave a nod. "Yeah… I want you at my wedding, Dad."
Looking as if he would start crying. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Reid smiled, awkward but grateful at the same time. The exact same one spread on his father face. For the first time, he truly felt connected to this man. The freedom from resentment spread through him as father and son both went into a long overdue embrace.
Riley had no idea where they were headed. It was dark, and she did not know the streets of Vegas at all. They weren't even in a tourist or popular spot. This seemed more a residential area.
Reid was quiet, driving the car without initiating conversation. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah…" He said, glancing at her. "Why do you ask?"
"You didn't eat much at dinner." She explained. "I thought maybe you might feel sick."
"No," He replied. And left it at that.
Riley had a suspicion what this was about, and Reid suspected she knew, but out of courtesy for the other, neither led on in order to preserve the surprise. "Where are we going?" She asked in a partial whine.
He held a secretive smirk on his face. "You'll see. We're almost there."
She did not like him being so cool and nonchalant. Spencer was usually spilling out loads of trivia and information, so fidgety and discomfited. Even when he was completely confident, he had an awkward behavior. It was cute. Now it felt like the tilt of the earth's axis was off, him acting so aloof.
At last, he pulled into the parking lot of a large brick building. It was closed, all the lights were off inside and there was not a car in sight. It baffled her to think what they possibly could be doing here.
Reid drove behind the structure into another lot. He pulled into a space and turned off the engine, climbing out before any questions were asked.
Hurriedly, Riley pulled herself in the chilly desert air, looking over the roof of the rented car. "What is this place?" Her voice chattered in the cold, and partially from worry.
Reid glanced back at the building. "This was my high school."
Of all the places, she had not been expecting that. Now she was getting very nervous. "Come on," he said, leading her further away from the building.
"Okay…" This was odd. She knew for a fact Reid hated high school and would not return here for nostalgic reasons. But she didn't argue, hurrying to catch up.
Reid took her freezing hand. "You didn't wear gloves." He pointed out.
"Oh, yeah… I must have forgotten them," She said innocently.
Reid wasn't fooled, but couldn't help but feel much more confident by it.
At last, they reached their destination; the school's football field. There were a few security lights around the place, but no other activity. This was getting weird. This was where teenage jocks would take their girlfriends, not geniuses with horrifying recollections of their adolescent years. But Riley didn't argue, allowing him to lead her into the open stadium.
The turf of the field was hard under their feet; they walked downward. Riley was becoming more perplexed by the minute, and Reid's constant silence was irritating.
At last, they reached the end zone. "This is it." He stated.
"This is what?" she asked, looking up at the goal post.
Reid cleared his throat, looking over the yellow figure. "This is the spot where I was stripped naked and tied up."
Her jaw dropped significantly, looking at the spot his eyes had focused on. "Oh, Spencer… why would you want to come here?"
To her surprise, he was smiling, like the history of this place had been pleasant and wonderful. "You know… I was in a dark and lonely world, too. I'm different, that's no secret. My whole life, people have looked at me strangely, like I was too different to be allowed. The world rejected me, just for being what I was born to be. Even with my friends, I didn't have anyone. But that was okay, because I thought that was best for me… to be brilliant and alone… and then you came along."
Riley smiled, her face turning warm in the cold night. "You've never made me feel like I was different. You came into my life and I had someone who not only listened to me, about anything, but really understood what I had to say. You didn't see me like the others, as a genius or a baby… you saw me. No one had ever done that before. You understand who I am, not just what I am. You appreciate how I think and feel. I don't need to hide behind my intelligence with you… you make me feel normal."
He moved closer to her shivering body, which he knew wasn't shaking from the cold. She let out a shuddered breath as he continued on, "I love you, Riley. I never thought I would fall in love… and I love you more than I thought any person could be capable of... Gideon mentioned how strong I was... but I know a part of me would not be this strong without you. I look at you... and all that pain goes away. That's why I chose to come here. I want the spot where I had the worst experience of my life to be the spot where I had the best… when I ask the woman I love to be my wife."
At long last, it was upon him. The moment he had dreamed of for over a year. Riley gasped again as Reid got down on one knee. He reached into his pocket while taking her icy left hand in his.
He smiled as she began to cry. He carefully extracted the red box, the one that had changed through so many hands in the last month. His fingers cracked it open; the silver and diamonds glittered from the soft white light around them.
"Riley Parker," he said slowly, wanting to draw this out as long as he could, "You are the love of my life, you are my best friend, you have changed my whole world… please, will you marry me?"
Her first response was a quiet sob, in disbelief this was actually happening. Long seconds dragged out as she caught her breath. Reid waited in anxious silence.
At last, Riley smiled, answering with a breathless "Yes."
Everyone had told him this would happen. She herself had begged him to promise they would be together forever. But he didn't want to admit it were possible she would actually say yes, that she would agree to spend the rest of her life with him. Even now, as the word sounded in his ears, he was in staggered doubt for several seconds.
Reality came back to him as he smiled and pulled the ring from its tiny nest, the box returning to his pocket. His long fingers handled her delicate hand as he slid the circle onto her. It fit like a glove.
Riley giggled with delight as Reid pulled himself to his feet. His arms brought her to him, bringing her into a slow, tender kiss. The cold night air couldn't affect them when they were so filled with warmth and love.
There were a lot of uncertainties in the world, and neither were aware of the horrors in store for them in the future. But right now, they had each other. Right now, they were very much in love. Right now… everything was perfect.