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The whole team is gathered around at the hospital waiting to hear what’s going on with Reid. The case was local, so they’re thankfully close to home, but Reid’s been in surgery for hours now after a gunshot wound, and nobody quite knows what to expect.
“Family of Spencer Reid?”
They file in close to the doctor to hear what he has to say, letting out a collective sigh of relief at the knowledge that, though his recovery is going to be long and difficult, he’s ultimately going to recover fully. Even better, he only needs to spend one night in the hospital.
“Thank you, Doctor,” Hotch says sincerely. “May we see Dr. Reid?”
“You can go in two at a time for now,” the doctor tells them. “And one of you can stay overnight, if you’d like.”
“Dibs,” call Morgan and Garcia at the same time, but Hotch shakes his head.
“I’ll be staying with Reid,” he says. “The rest of you can make sure his apartment is clean and welcoming and ready for him when he gets home."
When Emily and Rossi take the first shift to visit Reid, they find that he’s only semi-conscious, mumbling about this and that, not really able to carry a full conversation. They can tell it’s very frustrating for him, so they lead the conversation instead, talking about things that don’t require a response from Reid, trying to make him feel comfortable.
Garcia and Morgan take the next shift, already warned about Reid’s state by a quick text from Emily. Garcia brings a plethora of stuffed animals, which she sets up around the room, introducing each one to Reid by name.
“You’re gonna have to find room for all this shit at your house once you go home,” Morgan points out, but Reid just smiles.
JJ and Hotch take the last shift, JJ mothering Reid like she always does, Hotch providing a strong, safe presence, and when visiting hours are over, Hotch stays behind and lets the nurse set up the couch for him to sleep on.
“I’m staying with you tonight,” he reminds Reid. “So if you need anything, you just let me know.”
“Don’t… have to do that,” Reid mutters, shaking his head. Then he looks up sheepishly. “Appreciate it, though,” he adds quietly.
“It’s no problem,” Hotch promises. “Jack is with Jess.”
“Safe with you,” Reid whispers.
“You’re safe with me,” Hotch confirms. “Now, get a little sleep. You should be out of here tomorrow. The team is going to make sure your apartment is in top shape before you get home so that you’re comfortable and ready to go.”
Reid snorts. “Never been to my ‘partment before,” he mumbles. “In for a surprise.”
“I probably should have warned them, but I didn’t think of it,” Hotch admits. “I forgot none of them have been to your place before.”
“Just you,” Reid confirms. “‘Night, Hotch.”
“Goodnight, Spencer.”
In the morning, the team (minus Hotch, who’s gone home to sleep) meets at Reid’s apartment.
“Have any of you guys ever been here before?” Morgan asks when they get to the door.
A chorus of “no” erupts from the others.
“Well, let’s see what we’re working with.” Morgan opens the door and lets everyone inside, where they’re greeted with forest-green walls and endless bookshelves.
“About what I expected,” Emily says. “What’s this?” Her hand brushes a wooden box full of small toys - a stress ball shaped like a cactus, a shiny plastic tangle, a set of interconnected metal loops, a plastic slug, a spiky ball.
“Fidgets!” Garcia squeals excitedly. “I had no idea boy wonder had all these cool fidget toys at home! He’s always playing with mine, and I always offer for him to take them home, but now I see why he doesn’t need to do that!”
“Fidgets?” Rossi repeats, looking confused. “Fidget toys?”
“You know,” Garcia explains. “Toys that you play with to keep your hands busy. Helps some of us to focus better when we have something to play with.”
“Whatever you say.” Rossi waves a hand. “What’s that?”
Everyone looks to the corner of the living room, where there’s a cloth swing hanging from the ceiling.
“That looks so… un-Reid-like,” JJ frowns. “Why would Spence have a swing in his house? Or a beanbag, for that matter?” she adds, pointing at the beanbag chair in the other corner. She reaches for the blanket draped over it. “Oh!” she exclaims. “And this is a weighted blanket.”
“Look at all the calendars in the kitchen,” Emily points out. “I see at least three different ones, apparently all for different things. And what about the collection of timers on top of the fridge?”
“Hey guys, check this out!” calls Morgan, who has wandered into Reid’s bedroom.
They crowd into the small space to find stuffed animals all over his bed, Christmas lights strung around the ceiling, and a projector light at the foot of the bed.
“Is he projecting movies on the ceiling?” JJ asks
“One way to find out,” Rossi replies, reaching down and turning on the projector.
He quickly turns his face away from the light source as the ceiling erupts with swirls of blue and green, flickering and moving like swirls of smoke, or like—
“The aurora borealis!” Emily exclaims. “Oh, my god, it’s beautiful.”
“Turn on the Christmas lights, they really add to the effect,” comes a voice from the doorway, and they look up to see Hotch standing there.
“You’ve been here before?” Rossi asks.
“A few times,” Hotch tells them. “Some nights I give Reid a ride home after work and he’ll invite me in for a cup of coffee and a game of chess.”
“So you’ve seen how weird everything is here,” JJ comments. “I mean, not bad weird, just… weird. Did you see the huge medication organizer on his nightstand?”
“I’ve noticed how Reid’s apartment is catered towards Reid, if that’s what you mean,” says Hotch. “Everything in his space is a tool to help him in one way or another.”
“Oh, hey, we haven’t checked out the bathroom yet,” Garcia remarks, heading out the door to the hallway. “Oh, wow!” she exclaims a minute later.
Emily and Morgan follow her, finding another light projector mounted in the bathroom to point at the shower, as well as a shower chair and safety bars installed inside the shower itself. There’s a waterproof bag mounted on the wall that is clearly there for Reid to put his phone in while he’s taking a shower, and a few boxes of scented shower tablets on the counter.
“I didn’t realize he put so much effort into his showers,” Garcia says. “I bet they’re awesome.”
“He told me once that he hates showers,” JJ replies. “Maybe this is his way of making them more interesting?”
“You can ask Reid any questions you want when he gets home,” Hotch tells them. “I’ll be bringing him here this afternoon.”
“Jeez, we came here to clean but I don’t think there’s any cleaning to be done,” Emily points out. “Reid keeps his place sort of spotless.”
“We can throw in some laundry and change his sheets,” Rossi suggests. “And wash the coffee cups in his sink. But I think that’s about all that needs to be done around here.”
They spend the next couple of hours taking care of the chores to make sure Reid comes home to a nice, clean space, and by the time they finish, it’s time for Hotch to pick Reid up from the hospital and bring him home.
Spencer is sore. That’s about all he can think about as they’re getting ready to bring him home from the hospital. He’s sore, and he’s tired, and he wants nothing more than to be back in his own apartment.
Hotch helps him pack up all the stuffed toys Garcia left for him, and then they load him into a wheelchair and wheel him to Hotch’s car. Thankfully, he can walk on his own. His recovery is going to involve a lot of physical therapy, but it will be manageable. Things could have been much, much worse.
“You ready to go home?” Hotch asks when he loads him into the car.
Reid nods. “I hate hospitals,” he laments.
“I know,” Hotch tells him. “Everyone does. But you’re out now. Let’s get you home.”
The team is waiting for them at Spencer’s apartment, and it’s strange to see them all in there, when they’ve never been over before. Honestly, Spencer’s always been too nervous to let them see his place, because of the way he has it set up to work with his autism and ADHD and other chronic illnesses. He’s always been wary of showing his coworkers all the different accommodations he needs to be able to function as a person. He’s thankfully been able to be pretty discreet at work, but at home he doesn’t have to hide what he’s doing, so he tends to go all out.
And now all his coworkers know.
He braces himself for a barrage of awkward questions, but his friends seem to be holding themselves back. They all just look at him expectantly as Hotch helps him inside.
“Hey, guys,” he says weakly. “So, uh, this is where I live…”
“I love it,” Garcia squeals when she absolutely cannot take it anymore. “What a fun apartment, boy genius! You must be so comfortable here!”
“Uh, yeah, I am,” Spencer says with a small laugh. “Thanks for noticing.”
“Would you like to sit down?” JJ asks. “We can help you. Wherever you want to sit.”
“I’d love to sit on the beanbag,” Spencer admits, “although someone will probably have to help me out of it later.”
Rossi helps him into the beanbag, and only seconds later, his eyes are overflowing with tears.
“Pretty boy? What’s going on?” Morgan asks softly.
“I just—” Spencer flaps his hands a few times. “I was always so nervous about you guys seeing all this.” He sniffs a few times. “And I think I’m just a little overwhelmed.”
“Reid, can I hug you?” Emily asks gently, and Spencer nods. She sinks down next to the beanbag chair and wraps her arms around him, squeezing gently but tightly, the way she knows he likes. “We’re so glad you let us see your space,” she whispers. “It makes us feel like we know you better.”
“R-really?” Spencer gulps. “You’re not just weirded out?”
“Not at all,” Emily promises as she lets Spencer go. “Hey, do you feel like explaining some of this stuff to us so we understand you better? You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“Sure,” Spencer says, wiping a sleeve across his face. “Um, where should I start?”
The team take turns pointing out things in the apartment, and Spencer takes the opportunity to talk about them.
He talks about how the beanbag is closer to the ground and therefore more comfortable for him than sitting on the couch, and how the swing provides vestibular input, which is helpful for his autism.
He agrees with Garcia’s explanation of the fidget toys, to increase focus.
He explains how all the calendars have different functions and help him remember to get things done, whether as a routine or just things that spring up in his schedule.
He tells them about the different timers and how they function to help him accomplish tasks.
He explains how his bedroom is a sensory safe space with the projection light and the Christmas lights, and how he gets comfort from the stuffed animals, and talks about how the light in the bathroom makes showering a more pleasant experience for him. He points out that he keeps a Bluetooth speaker and scented candles in there as well.
He adds that the scented shower tablets and ability to watch videos in the shower help him to actually get that task done.
And that the shower chair and bars are because he sometimes experiences fatigue or weakness and it’s safer for him to be sitting in the shower.
“And the meds?” JJ asks hesitantly.
Spencer frowns. “What about them?”
“It just seems like there are a lot of them…”
“And?”
“I don’t know,” JJ sighs. “I guess I just want to know you’re okay.”
“I’m fine,” Spencer promises. “Although I might need a bigger organizer after all the meds the hospital sent me home with.”
“You’re looking a little exhausted, there, sugar bean,” Garcia says. “You want us to help you into bed?”
“That might be nice,” Spencer admits.
Hotch carries him to bed while Emily adjusts the projector light and Rossi fiddles with the Christmas lights, making sure everything is perfect. Garcia puts some soft music on the Bluetooth speaker on the dresser and lights a scented candle.
“Good sensory space?” she asks quietly.
“The best,” Spencer replies. “Thank you, all of you. For all of this.”
He drifts off to sleep with the team—his family— surrounding him.