Dr.Spencer Reid - Forgotten

Starting Over

*Garcia POV*

*2 Days Later*

The whole team was gathered together again, and everyone was buzzing with excitement. Reid got to go home today! He had been exceptionally silent the past two days, with only the occasional comment or request. He kept himself busy with paper and pencil, drawing things that caught his eye. He always had enjoyed drawing in his free time, maybe this was a small part of him coming back. We each sat with him for a few hours at a time while the other five team members went back to get some work done. The doctor had pulled us into the hallway while Reid got dressed in the bathroom, apparently we needed to be informed of something without him hearing us.

"There is one aspect of his psychosis that we still haven't discussed." The neurosurgeon began. "As you are all well aware, he lost a large portion of his memory due to the head trauma he sustained. This is what we call retrograde amnesia. Currently he has the mind of a six year old, or rather, how he would act as a six year old. He is still himself, just twenty four years younger." We all looked at each other, stunned and a little confused. Reid had been so quiet that we hadn't realized his childlike state, no wonder he enjoyed drawing so much.

"He will need to be monitored at all times to make sure he stays safe. He should stay with someone for a week at a time and then go to someone else. It will introduce him to new surroundings as well as get him re-acquainted with all of you. Does this make sense?" We all nodded and thanked him as he walked down the hall. When asked who would take care of him first I immediately volunteered. I mean, I love kids and that's basically what he was right? Besides, I had plenty of fun things he could play with in my office while I was at work. This was gonna be fun!

We walked back into the room just as Reid came out of the bathroom. We had taken the extra clothes from his go-bag and given them to him to change into. He did fine with the pants and shoes, but the buttons and tie seemed to have tricked him. The tie was knotted like a simple double knot, and a few of the buttons were off, making the vest crooked. JJ walked over and fixed his tie while I redid the buttons. He looked at the ground with a slight blush, obviously embarrassed about not getting his clothes right. "You, young sir, are coming home with me tonight! You'll be staying with me for a week before going with one of these lovely agents after that. Sound good?" He gave a hesitant nod and then stopped and looked up from the ground. "Are you sure this is okay? My mom always says that I'm not allowed to go with strangers, but I'm not completely sure you'd be classified as strangers anymore considering you have been taking care of me the past few days. A person is a stranger when you are talking to someone you aren't familiar with, but you told me all about yourself so I guess you aren't strangers." Looking at us with nothing other than childlike innocence it was impossible not to smile. That was definitely Reid. "Where is my mom?"

Now that was a subject no one really wanted to explain to him right now. "She's back home, she isn't well enough to travel. But don't worry, someone's there to take care of her." Hotch explained it in one of the softest tones I've ever heard him use. Spencer perked up after knowing that his mom was okay and seemed a lot more willing to come. Over the past few days he had warmed up to us a little, and now he started asking more questions. Mostly the questions were rhetorical, followed by facts about said question. So he wasn't really giving us the chance to answer, but he was talking and that was a start.

When we reached the cars the rest of the team bid us farewell and headed off to Quantico. I was taking the day off so I could show Reid around the house and make him feel comfortable. I opened the door to my convertible and told him to hop into the passenger seat. "I can sit in the front?!" He was ecstatic, thinking this was the first time he ever sat shotgun. He was practically bouncing in his seat he was so excited. But, about halfway through the twenty minute ride to my apartment his faced drained of all color and he shrank back into his seat. "Reid what's wrong?" I asked in a concerned tone. "More children die in car crashes when they're in the front seat rather than if they're in the back."

I sighed internally, already dreading the conversation ahead. He was constantly forgetting that he was an adult, not a six year old kid. "Spencer, you aren't a kid, you're thirty years old. I know that this is confusing but eventually you'll get it." I handed him my phone after opening up the camera app. He preferred to see himself after hearing the news, and the doctor said it was good to reinforce the new memories. He was a little crestfallen for a minute, but I reached into the center console and pulled out a bag of twizzlers. I handed them to him and he chomped down happily, forgetting his problems.

When we reached my building I practically pulled him up the stairs in my excitement. I had a chance to show him everything I enjoyed all over again, and I wasn't going to waste it! I unlocked the door to my apartment and brought him inside. His eyes went wide as he stared at all the colorful statues and knickknacks the were all over the shelves of my apartment. I brought him past the living room and through the beaded doorway that lead into my bedroom. I placed his bag of clothes and toiletries on the ground next to the bed

"You can sleep in this bed while you're here. I'll be on the couch at night time if you need anything. But, we have the whole day ahead of us, so what would you like to do?" He thought about it for a moment before asking, "Do you have any books around? My mom always reads me ones she teaches in her classes." I was baffled, this wasn't anything I had expected from someone acting like a six year old. Then again this was Reid, so I shouldn't have expected anything else. I drove to his house, him with me of course, and brought him up to his apartment. "This place is yours, and as soon as you get better you can stay here again." He looked around the room in awe, he was even more stunned than when he walked into my house. He made a beeline for the bookshelf and ran his fingers across the spines of the books, elated at having so many to choose from. While he picked out a couple books to bring back to my place I went into his closet to grab a few more outfits. When we were both ready to go I drove back home and started making lunch for him.

I decided to make spaghetti, seeing how it was one of the easiest meals to make. Once the water was boiling I slipped in the pasta, then started heating up the sauce. Hotch wanted me to keep him updated on what we were doing throughout the day, so I needed to get away for a minute. "Hey Reid, come here, I wanna show you how to do this!" He peeled his eyes away from the novel and put it down reluctantly. He had already finished one and was onto the next. He only brought five with him, so if I didn't stop him he'd run out of books really soon. He walked into the small kitchen, and I instructed him to use the wooden spoon to stir the sauce.

I walked into my bedroom and called Hotch, telling him all about what we had done and how Spencer was starting to warm up to me. Hotch was pleased, and normally I would have been happy at hearing his praise, but something distracted me. A smell, one that means this could get dangerous very quickly. That smell - It was smoke.