He read the notation Eve made on the first day he'd been moved to this room: Dr. Reid keeps asking for his wife.

"Whoa! Wife? News to me," he mused under his breath. "What the hell?"

He continued reading silently. Checked with Dr. Sharma. Intake papers indicate his marital status as single. Reid's eyebrows rose, and he referred to the notes for his third day where again he read Eve's notation: Dr. Reid asked for his wife again. Visited by Penelope Garcia today. Dr. Reid appears to believe they're married.

"Oh my God," he breathed quietly, astounded at the revelation. Stealing a glance over his shoulder he saw that Garcia was still sleeping. For a moment he stared at her, shaking his head in disbelief at the lengths she was apparently willing to go to in order to help him. Several feelings washed over him: admiration, appreciation and pure love for this selfless friend. He blinked away the tear that formed in his eye, deeply moved by her magnanimity.

Collecting himself, he hurried over to the night table and picked up one of the amnesia medical texts. Quickly, he perused it looking for a specific section. Finding what he was searching for, he read the entire chapter and then set the book down and headed out the door in his bare feet, clad in just his hospital gown.

Just before reaching the nurses' station, he ran into Eve who was carrying a patient breakfast tray.

"Dr. Reid!" she exclaimed, as he followed her back down the hallway. She stopped in front of the room several doors down from Reid's and said, "I'll just be a minute." Indicating he should wait for her there, she entered the room and set the breakfast tray down on the table then hurriedly rejoined Reid in the hallway.

"Okay, what are you doing out of bed?"

"I know everything," he told her without a hint of acrimony in his voice.

Smiling, Eve replied, "Yes, both Agent Prentiss and your wife have mentioned you're a genius," she started and as she spoke she noticed the change in his demeanour when she said the word 'wife'.

"That's not what I meant. And, well, you can end the pretense now. I know I'm not married. I remembered this morning."

She made a move to speak and he forestalled her, holding up one hand.

"I remember a couple of different things from yesterday. And the day before. I remember reading Rossi's book yesterday. And I remember that I've read it before. I remember going for a walk in the park behind the hospital yesterday morning. I remember what I had for dinner last night-the Chicken Florentine. And I remember that I hate spinach." The corners of his mouth betrayed a smile as he mentioned the spinach and Eve acknowledged him happily,

"The short term memory, Spencer!"

He nodded, "Yeah, it's coming back." He smiled brightly.

They walked as he spoke, and Eve steered him back towards his own room.

"Anyway. I know I'm not married. I read all about amnesia and I figure my mind manufactured the idea of being married based on the fact that the last thing I do remember from before the accident was that I was with Garcia at a mall. We were there to get a birthday present for Michael. I don't quite remember everything. But I do remember impact. Falling. And being injured. And Garcia was there with me, trying to comfort me before everything went dark."

He stood in front of the door, one hand on the handle and continued, "When I came to, most everything was blank. You and Dr. Sharma called me Spencer and somehow that did seem familiar. I didn't recognise either of you, obviously. But you kept telling me 'Spencer, you're gonna be okay'. When Garcia came to see me, the only memory I had was you guys telling me I'm gonna be okay. And when I saw her face looking down at me telling me I was gonna be okay, it jogged the memory of her saying exactly that in the mall garage."

Eve made a sound of sympathy and he took a breath before continuing. "The textbook says it's not unusual for an amnesia patient to manufacture false memories. A defense mechanism, maybe a coping mechanism or perhaps a comfort measure. Generally, when the patient recovers their actual memory, they don't remember the manufactured one. But in my case, I do. So once again I'm weird."

"I believe the word you're looking for is exceptional, Spencer."

Their eyes locked and a small laugh escaped his lips.

"I'll be back in a little bit with your breakfast," Eve told him, then nodded at the door.

He acknowledged her with a nod of his own and then his attention turned to his room. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door just as Garcia lifted her head up from the bed.

She immediately stood up and moved to gather him in her arms. After hugging him, she ran her hands through his hair and kissed his cheek.

"Good morning!" she began and whatever else she planned to say died on her lips as she saw the expression on his face. "Spencer?"

"I remember," he said, pausing for emphasis. "Everything."

"Oh!" she said, her eyes growing wide. She was holding his hands in hers and felt his grip tighten.

"Everything, Penelope. I remember going for a walk yesterday morning. Sitting in the swing, and calling up a childhood memory of swinging. I remember reading—and rereading—Rossi's book. I remember all my BAU family. And that I hate spinach, even though that's what I got for dinner last night."

She grew excited, "Your short term memory!" she bubbled. "This is fabulous. Wondrous! Fantastic! Your short-term memory! Oh Spence—"

He nodded and released her hands from his hold. A look of confusion crossed her face briefly before he slid his arms around her and kissed the top of her head, then held her away from him to make eye contact.

"And I remembered something else."

"Which is?" she prompted when he stalled.

"I'm not married. We're not married."

She bit her lip, unable to discern whether he was angry with her about that for a second before he shook his head slightly and opened and closed his mouth wordlessly.

"I—um—I—we" she stuttered.

"I know, Penelope. I thought you were my wife, I'd been asking for my wife. And you," he paused to take a breath and stroked her hair, "You did the most incredible thing. You played along. To help me. To make my recovery more comfortable." There was a catch in his voice and he struggled against tears.

He held her close and sensed she'd started to cry.

"I don't even know where to start," he confessed. "That was an extraordinary thing to do."

She sniffled, "You're not mad at me?"

"Mad?!" he was astounded. "How could I be mad about that? I know the intent was not to fool me, Pen. You did it because I needed someone. I needed you."

Relieved, she was nodding as she ran her hands up his arms, "I did it because you're my friend. I would do anything for you, anything for a friend. You're my family. And I love you."

"And you're a caring and selfless, generous spirit. And I love you too," he told her. They stood together in a tight embrace for a moment and then she heard a small chuckle escape his lips as a thought occurred to him.

"What would you have done if I never remembered? When were you gonna tell me?"

"You were always gonna remember, Spencer. I had faith in that. Everything you've ever been through? Amnesia didn't stand a chance," she proclaimed.

"And you are always such an optimist," he responded, stroking her hair again. "But what if I didn't?"

"Didn't remember?" she confirmed as he nodded. "Emily asked the same thing. I'll tell you the same thing I told her. I'd do anything for you, Spencer. And if you never remembered, well, like I told Emily I'd be picking out furniture and paint colours for our place together."

She pulled him back into the tightest of hugs and whispered, "Because I would. I'd do anything for a friend."

-fin-

"Your truest friends are the ones who will stand by you in your darkest moments-because they're willing to brave the shadows with you-and in your greatest moments-because they're not afraid to let you shine."― Nicole Yatsonsky

"There are friends, there is family and then there are friends that become family." -Akash Brahmbhatt

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Author's Note: Just wanna thank everyone for their comments and likes. A few have asked me to do a Reid/Garcia story. Well, you got your wish, coming soon "Never Again, Always & Forever"