What Happens Next

XIII. Laminate Countertops

Reid returned his rental car to his local Enterprise and was finally reunited with his gray Prius. He  was not invited back home, but on Addie's first night home he slept on the couch with no questions. After many quick moments of pleading to stay, Reid's groveling totaled about an hours worth of effort, and Max told him he could spend the next night at home. She made him sleep on the couch, but she sat next to him when the kids watched their movie with him.

Max couldn't tell who was happier, Spencer or the kids. They excitedly fawned over their father, dragging him in all directions to soak up their time with him. It simultaneously brightened her day, and broke her heart. She forced the older children to go to school despite their pleas to stay with their father, but she allowed Addie the day to recover. She spent the day cuddled up with her daddy, using his hair to stim. 

"You know, self-stimulatory behavior is not exclusive to people with autism. People with other sensory issues, anxiety, or even ADHD may require some of the same sensory input as autistic people, but they tend to repress those urges instead of indulging them," Reid said to his wife, who was standing behind the couch, watching her husband and child.

"I know," she laughed through her nose and let out a smile. She always loved his random outbursts of facts. 

He turned around, to catch Max's smile fade slightly, causing the grin plastered across his face to fall too. He felt a tiny hand grab his cheek, directing his head back into the best position for Addie to play with his hair.

Max walked slowly to the kitchen table, grabbing her favorite blue coffee mug. It used to belong to Reid, but she took it early in their relationship. It reminded her of the beginning, when everything was easy. When it all felt right. She drifted over to the couch and sat on the opposite end to her husband. She sipped her coffee quietly.

Reid tapped Addie's arm, directing her attention to him. He signed to her that he loved her and she returned the favor, promptly returning her attention to his hair. He smiled to himself, basking in the beauty of being back at home. He didn't realize how much being away from his children hurt him until he realized how whole he felt with them back in his life.

"She really missed you," Max whispered, trying to pretend as if she hadn't said anything.

"I missed her too. All of them," he paused, "you too."

Max shook her head and refused to respond, but she stretched her arm over the couch cushion, connecting her hand with his. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, allowing herself to exist in the moment without her mind flooding with bad memories.

Despite her efforts, she couldn't shake the image of him lying lifeless on their bathroom floor, or the sound of their screaming daughter ringing in her ears. 

Reid laughed to himself, "remember when you were pregnant with Jason and I grabbed your hand like this except you weren't expecting it and you jumped so high you could've been electrocuted?"

"I was nine months pregnant and you made me pee my pants!" Max reminisced with a smile, "I have never peed more than when that football of a boy sat directly on my bladder every day."

Reid smiled and squeezed her hand gently. He turned his head again to face hers, seeing her smile hold steady as his head was forced back into it's forward facing position. 

"Well sorry!" he said sarcastically, signing the circle on his chest in a curt swoop. 

He heard Max laugh at that too, and hoped for the serenity to stick. It did not.

Day three at home, after spending the evening allowing his children to take advantage of his brain to help with homework, Reid found himself cleaning dishes in the kitchen alone with Max. The two laughed happily, joking and catching up as old friends. The room filled with a flirtatious air as cleaning came to a close, and Reid eagerly wrapped his arms around Max's waist. He stood behind her and she leaned into him, her head touching his cheek. She laid her arms over his and laughed, tilting her head to look into his eyes.