Resident Genius 2.0 (Spencer Reid)

25. Triggered

SPENCER
The moment the briefing ended, I didn't stay. I swiftly moved across the bullpen and raced toward the elevator, ignoring any questions from the team. Considering I had just returned to work for the first time in ages, leaving the BAU and not getting on the jet was probably a bad idea, but did I care? No.

I couldn't get on a flight with the team and head to LA. Not when my mom's doctor told me that my mother had died. If I had told Hotch, maybe he would've let me sit out and take some time off, but I didn't have the energy to talk to Hotch about my mother. So, as I made my way to the closest airport, I called Hotch and lied, but, unexpectedly, he didn't answer his phone.

"You've reached Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner. Please leave a detailed message. Thank you." I listened to the beep that sounded after Hotch's message.

"Hey Hotch. It's Spencer. My mother is really sick and I need to take a few days off to go and comfort her. Worst case scenario, I'm gone for a week." I hung up, hoping that message would suffice for now.

I bought a ticket and boarded a plane to Vegas, my heart racing every time I thought about not being able to talk to her again.

———

Landing in Las Vegas, I made my way to the hospital. Every moment that I went without seeing her - dead or alive - I could feel the tears form in my eyes. Eventually stepping onto the path that connected to the hospital, I walked calmly inside, meeting up with the doctor who had been taking care of my mother since she was admitted.

"Spencer. It's good to see you. Mind you, I would've liked to catch up under different circumstances, but what can we do, really?" The doctor smiled, shaking my hand.

"Can I see her?" I asked, my hands fidgeting. I was getting more and more anxious by the second, not being able to see her.

"Yes. Right this way." The doctor led me to the morgue, opening the big teal doors that had two panes of glass within them.

"I knew you'd want to see her, so I pulled her out of refrigeration 10 minutes ago." The doctor nodded, letting me walk up to the body with the white sheet over it.

Lifting the sheet, I instantly felt a wave of emotions, mostly anger and sadness, with a hint of relief. I was angry and sad, because she was my mother, the only real family I had left, and she was dead. But I was relieved to know that she'd no longer have to suffer with paranoid schizophrenia. She had been dealing with it for as long as I could remember, so seeing her this calm, - albeit dead - I was happy for her.

"What was her cause of death?" I asked as my right hand moved the strands of short blonde hair from her pale face.

"She, uh- She died, peacefully in her sleep." The doctor smiled, seeing the relief on my face.

I watched as the doctor left he room, allowing me time to grieve that death of my mother.

While looking at her face, my hand drifted to hers, lifting it up. I held it for a while, before my eyes glanced at a small spot on her arm, something that almost looked like an injection wound. Grabbing the nearby file, I searched the toxicology report and found that something wasn't right. The injection wound seemed like it had been inflicted recently, yet there were no positive results on the report.

Leaving the room, I walked to the medical section of the hospital. I made my way to the toxicology lab and walked in, flashing my badge.

"Dr. Spencer Reid. Long time no see."
I smiled at the man who I hadn't seen for a good 6 years.

"Nice to see you too." I smiled, crossing my arms.

"Do you have my mother's toxicology report?" I asked, hoping that he did.

"I do. Why? Is everything okay?" He asked, confused.

"Something about the file doesn't match up to the report attached. I was wondering if I could have a look at it?" I questioned, watching as he shook his head.

"I can assure you, Dr. Reid, that the toxicology report attached to the file on your mother and her death is 100 percent accurate. I do my job, and I do it properly." He almost seemed defensive, like he was hiding something.

"I didn't say that you don't do you job. I just wanted to have a look at it myself." I smiled, trying to calm him down.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Reid. But that is privileged information and I'm not allowed to disclose that with anyone apart from the doctor in charge of your mother's care." He shook his head before leaving the lab.

Once I knew he was gone, I searched everything to find my mother's original toxicology report. When I did find it, I took a picture and left, not wanting to raise any alarms.

I sat in the park that rested right across from the facility. My phone was turned on and the image was on my screen. The toxicology report showed that there was no alcohol in her system, but there was Diphenhydramine. When I saw the amount of the drug in her system, my heart dropped. Doctors, even normal people who use the drug with a prescription, they only give a dosage that can help them sleep, nothing more. But, the amount that my mother was given, it was enough to kill her. No doctor in their right mind would give a patient this much.

The doctor that I had entrusted to take care of my mother purposefully killed her. The bastard had taken it upon himself to become my mother's "angel of death". I almost threw my phone against the floor. My mother was murdered and people were willing to cover it up.

I watched in anger as the toxicology lab technician walked out of the facility, a look of stress on his face as he nervously pulled his phone out of his pocket and called somebody. Right then and there, I knew that I had to get revenge. Many people who know me wouldn't consider me someone who gets revenge, but when you mess with my family, you certainly don't get away with it.