LAUGHTER LINES, spencer reid.

chapter twenty three

LAUGHTER LINES
chapter twenty three

Spencer walked down the quiet hallway of the Bennington Sanitarium gripping his shoulder bag tightly by its strap. He was staying in a simple motel down the street because his mother's doctor wouldn't let him sleep on the couch for more than one night. It was far from the chaos of the Strip, so it was quiet, comfortable, and close to the only family he really knew.

After spending five days in the Thompson house, Spencer had learned that embracing the chaos of a large family was sometimes the best way to appreciate family in all its forms. Now, he was in Vegas with only one thing on his mind. He was going to enjoy the short amount of time he had in Nevada with his mother.

The night before, Spencer sat on his mother's couch, listening to Diana read some of Chaucer's poems to him. They stayed up to greet the first couple seconds of the new year with chocolate, good literature, and fine conversation. Reid only returned to his room at the motel when his mother fell asleep in the middle of a reading of "The Wife of Bath's Tale" from Canterbury Tales.

Today, he was meeting his mother for breakfast in her room, and they were going to work on another one of Diana's famous lectures on fifteenth century literature. Even if Reid had heard it a thousand times, he would still listen again. The lectures brought a certain light to Diana Reid's eyes. It was similar to the way they looked as she read Dante's Inferno, or the way she told Spencer about the meaning of Bob Dylan's songs. It was connected to a long line of happy memories that Reid often forgot. Most of the time, he remembered the 'episodes' his mother would have.

Spencer stopped just outside of his mother's door when his phone let out a shrill tweet. He quickly dug into the pocket of his tan slacks and pulled out his phone. His screen lit up with a text message from Greg. The robots are ready to test when you get back. Aunt Gwen says that we can use the parking lot behind the condo.

Reid quickly typed out a message back and turned to knock on the door. "Mom?" he asked curiously. He found it odd that her door was closed. Most of the time, it was left open for nurses and doctors to get in.

"You can come in, Spencer," Diana called back from behind the door.

Reid opened the door and stepped in, looking at his shoes, wondering how a large spot of caked dirt ended up at the tip of his shoe. He looked up as he pulled his bag off his shoulder. He froze on the spot, his bag swaying back and forth in his hands. "Dad?" Spencer asked. His forehead creased in confusion.

William Reid was sitting on the couch next to Diana. In his lap was an old book that sat open. William smiled genially. "Hello, Spencer," he greeted. He closed the book gently and set it down on the side table.

"What are you doing here?" Reid asked his tone more curious than bitter. Despite knowing the truth about why his father left, there was still that feeling of abandonment that never seemed to leave the doctor. It was a feeling that generally didn't sit well with anyone, and Spencer was no exception to this. He felt himself stand a little taller in an attempt to make his father think that he was unfazed.

"Well... I wanted to see you mother," William said. He looked at the book on the side table and turned so that he was angled toward Diana. "We were just talking about books."

Spencer glanced at his mother. She was rubbing her neck as she looked at a notebook full of old lecture notes. She looked up at her son and he could see that it was one of her clear days. "Happy New Year, Spencer."