Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds and no copyright infringement is intended
A/N: Rules and regulations for visitation at Leavenworth USP are correct, as I know them. It is my own interpretation as to how they are carried out.
As always, your reviews are greatly appreciated.
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"Dr. Reid," the warden offered his hand. "Warden Bingham."
"Warden," Reid shook the man's hand.
"I'm sure you can understand our dilemma. We don't want to do anything that poses a threat to our security. We certainly don't want a repeat of what hap…"
"I do understand that warden," Reid said cutting the man off. "My brother," Reid gestured toward Evan, "Really wants to see our Dad. He suggested going in by himself but he's only fourteen."
"Yes, that's what the discussion's been about. Believe me, if you had been alone, you'd have been gone in a heartbeat."
"We've checked our records, there's no one in the visiting room right now that you've dealt with on a professional basis or that we believe knows who you are. If someone you have been involved with gets a visitor, we will cut your visit short. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, sir," Reid replied.
"Larry," he turned to a stocky grey haired man of medium height with a bald spot on the top of his head. "Please escort these gentlemen to the visiting room," the warden ordered.
"Thank you warden," Reid said as they followed Larry down a long hallway where they turned down another short hallway that ended in a large room with thick doors, the top half which consisted of large glass windows.
"Hi Murray," Larry said, "Officer Stroud's the visiting room officer. He's in charge of the room and what he says goes. Ya got that." Reid and Evan both nodded.
Larry turned and left them. "How old's the kid," Murray asked.
"Fourteen," Spencer and Evan said together.
"Okay, then, you don't need a photo ID, so we might as well process you first. Look straight ahead here. We're taking your picture for our records." A flash went off and Evan blinked. "Stand here," the man directed Evan and he took a wand from a machine and started running it over Evan's body.
"What's that," Evan asked.
Murray didn't answer so Reid said, "It's an ion scan. It detects if you've been in contact with narcotics."
"Really," Evan raised his eyebrows.
When the scan was finished, Murray told Evan to raise his hands. "What for," Evan looked frightened.
Reid thought Murray could have explained things a little. Evan obviously had no idea what was going on and it was scaring him. "Evan, he has to search you," Reid explained. Murray patted Evan down and made him open his wallet and show him what was inside.
After finishing with Evan, he moved on to Reid, going through the same procedure although Reid was required to show a photo ID. With the procedure completed, Murray recited, in a monotone, a spiel he'd obviously said a thousand times.
"You have one hour from the time the prisoner arrives in the visiting room. An embrace and/or kissing is permitted only at the beginning and end of the visit. Any other physical contact will not be allowed, understood?"
Reid and Evan both nodded that they understood. Reid didn't think embracing and kissing was going to be much of an issue. They entered the room that consisted of tables with bench seats attached much like a picnic table. Some sat four and others only two. There were about six tables that already had people at them. They chose a table with four seats and waited for their father to be brought in.
About fifteen minutes passed before the door to the visiting room opened admitting William Reid. The man Spencer knew as his father was gone. There was no brown left in his hair. He was thinner, his face gaunt. The brightness was gone from his eyes and his whole body appeared to sag as if the life had drained out of it, dragging his physical body down with it. Evan, Reid could tell, did not recognize this man was their father. Spencer lightly touched Evan on the arm and the boy's eyes grew large with shock at their father's appearance.
Just as William reached the table, Evan jumped up and threw himself into his father's arms, almost knocking the older man over. Reid jumped up placing a hand behind his father to steady him. William Reid looked at his younger son. "You're growing. You're getting so big. You're going to be tall like your brother."
They sat down and Evan asked brightly, "So how are you doing Dad?"
William glanced briefly at Spencer who shook his head almost imperceptibly. William nodded back just as briefly so Evan was unaware of the silent conversation going on between his father and brother. "I've been good. I've been working in the textile factory. There's a furniture and print factory here also. It's interesting work and I read a lot, the library here is surprisingly good."
Murray would come into the room from time to time to tell different inmates their time was up. A Latino woman Reid thought to be in her sixties came into the room walking very slowly with an arthritic gait. She tripped and Evan jumped up to catch her before she fell. "Gracias, young man," she said patting Evan on the cheek and finding a table for two.
William asked how Evan was doing. "I'm doing great Dad. I'm doing really well in school. My best friend Manny Castillo and I do a lot of stuff together and I do all kinds of stuff with Spencer." He went on to tell William about the camping trip and Spencer teaching him chess. "Spencer used to play chess all the time with Gideon but then Gideon just left one day. He never even said good bye to anybody, he just left a letter for Spencer."
William looked at his older son and could see the pain in those brown eyes. Those eyes, since Spencer was a little child, those eyes had always told the story, William thought. He knew what it was like to have to make the decision to leave them. "Maybe he couldn't say what he had to say face to face," William said. "Maybe he couldn't look in your eyes knowing they would beg him to stay far more effectively than any words. It sounds like he left a lot of people but he only left a letter to the one that was important." He reached over to touch Spencer's arm, resting on the table. Spencer pulled his arm away quickly like he'd been burned. "I'm sorry," William said, "I..."
"No physical contact is allowed, we'll have Officer Stroud in here cautioning us," Reid said quietly.
A large, well built, young Latino man came into the visiting room and hurried over to the woman who had just entered. "Abuela," he bent and hugged her close, kissing her on the cheek. He crouched down and took her knobby arthritic hands in his and softly kissed them. As he turned to sit, he noticed William. "Professor, this is my abuela," he gestured to the woman. "Abuela, this is the professor I told you about."
Murray came into the room. "Mendez, in your seat now, no contact with the other inmates or their visitors," the visiting room officer said.
The man held his hands up, "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to cause any trouble," he said as he sat down across from his grandmother.
"What's his story," Reid inclined his head towards the young Latino.
"Chico Mendez," William began, "Grew up in Chicago. His mother left him when he was a baby. He never even knew who his father was. He was raised by his grandmother. He got involved with a gang because it was the only way to survive in his neighborhood. He was the lookout on a liquor store robbery, and not a very good one obviously. The clerk got killed and a customer got wounded. His friends got away but he got caught. He refused to give up his buddies so he took the fall alone. He adores his abuela. She comes from Chicago once a month on the bus, can you believe it, over eight hours each way. He's trying to get his GED and I've been tutoring him."
"He's your protection, isn't he?" Reid asked. William bowed his head and then he nodded. "Hey, Dad, it's okay. You do what you gotta do to survive in this place. This guy needs help with school work. You sell your skills for what you can get. That's the name of the game here. It looks like you two get along pretty well."
"He's not the smartest guy in the world but he's kind, loyal and he's got a good heart. He just needs some guidance. He doesn't belong here." Spencer could hardly believe what his eyes and ears were telling him. Here, in the middle of a federal penitentiary, with a delinquent gang member, William Reid was finally becoming a father!