Here you go boys and girls, hope you like this one as well. Bit of Tony in this one. My thanks to Karma84 for her Input.
Tony whistled as he walked into the rehab center, He liked this place it was full of some very interesting people. Short term and long term patients learning how to deal with what ever happened to them.
He on the other hand, just needed a new brace as he had broken his, an ill timed step avoiding Molly and he had crashed to the floor, luckily he was fine but the brace he was holding in his hand at the time didn't fare nearly as well. It was time to get reevaluated anyway.
They would put him through his paces, change his workout routine if needed, then refit him with a new brace. Something he was learning he couldn't live without. Not now anyway.
He was tired and sweaty after the evaluation he wanted a whirlpool tub and a steam to help his sore muscles. Then a shower to finish it all off, he was going to be a prune when he was done, but well worth it. He spotted Sam being pushed to one the side of the room the usually meant he was done for the day. Most of the people were waiting for someone to pick them up or for their turn in the sauna that is if someone is free to take them. Sometime there isn't anyone and the patients go home without a sauna and a shower.
"Hey Sam!" Tony calls out to him as he walks closer. "You done for the day or are you waiting for the reward of a sauna and whirlpool tub?"
"Tony, yes done. Would love a sauna, and tub, but."
"But nothing come on I'll help you, I'm sure we can find an aide to help us too."
"Sounds good, I need a good friend right now."
"I'll always be your friend Sam, I won't pick sides."
He pushed Sam into the sauna room and with the help of a aide they managed to get Sam into the sauna where the heat and steam did there magic.
"So how have you been, Sammy?"
He can't help but laugh at the nickname, one that he hasn't heard since his childhood. "I'm living day by day. Getting stronger or so the doctors and therapists tell me. You?'
"I'm good teaching at NCIS head quarters and at the FBI academy. Staying out of trouble too. And for me that is a good thing. I'm dating too. Savannah introduced me to a very nice lady who just happened to be a phlebotomist. She is great and I really like her a lot it's the needles that she works with that I can't stand." He shares with a laugh. They kept the conversation light not really talking about anything of importance. Until they were in the locker room . Tony had waved off the aid, after he had dried himself and put on a clean pair of boxers. He handed Sam the towel so he could dry his front while he dried his back.. He wasn't in any rush and from the way Sam way acting he wasn't either.
"Tony," Sam looks around before he continues. With his voice barely a whisper. "How is she?" Tony knows who his is asking about.
"Fine, working lots of hours and she keep busy with the theater group too. You know her when she is upset she buries herself with work over extending herself so she doesn't have to think and feel.
"I miss her. I'm sorry I every let my mother brow beat me into the divorce. I still love her Tony very much."
"You hurt her Sam, she is getting better slowly. She spends time with her Henry, and with agent Hotchner's son Jack, sometimes with Hank and Morgan. Like I said she keeps busy. If it helps I know she still loves you too."
Sam opened his mouth to say something when he sees his mother standing at the open door to the locker room he quickly changed his mind.
"Would you mind closing the door, this is the men's locker room." Tony tells Margret sternly.
"I want to help my son. He needs me."
"Too bad this is a men's locker room and the aide will help Sam if and only if he needs help. Now leave or I'll call security." Tony tells her leaving no room for doubt that he will carry out his threat.
"Thank you." Sam tell him after the door closes.
"Sam, far be it for me to tell you what to do, but…"
"I know she has always been that way, she bullied my dad into an early grave, my two brothers and sister moved as far away from her as they could. I'm the only one that, never mind."
"I get it I really do. So, think you can walk or do you want the chair."
"Chair is good, at least to the car."
"You got it ."
Tony didn't let Margret bully him, or take over the pushing of the wheel chair.
"Sam, I heard your therapist say that you can go swimming now that your stronger. It's one of the few exercise that I can do without to much strain on my knees and lungs. So give me a call and we can swim laps go out for pasta afterwards."
"Next Thursday is good for me, around three?"
"You got a date Sam, swimming and pasta, gotta love those carbs."
He watches Margret huff then get into the car and drive away with out a word to him at all.
Pushing the wheel chair back he runs into Peter, one of the therapist. "Sam your friend?"
"Yes, good guy we are going swimming next week then out to eat. Hopefully. I know you really can't tell me much but, how is he doing really?"
The man looks at Tony tilts his head to one side. "He lost his will to make progress, he is stuck not going forward. I'm worried Tony. It's like he is taken one step forward two step back."
"His mother isn't helping, is she?" Looking into Peter's eyes, he can see the answer. "Never mind Peter, forget I asked."
"Seven months ago he was sitting on top of the world he had a beautiful wife, a great job and a future to look forward to. Now he has nothing, except his job and his mother ruling the roost.
If she could spit nails she would, just as she was walking into work she was stopped and handed a summons to court. She couldn't believe what she was reading Sam and his mother were suing for custody, and support of the child she was carrying, the only problem was she wasn't even pregnant.
Walking into the unit she looks at all of the agents, bypassing everyone she goes straight to her office, she doesn't even acknowledge the girls when they call out to her.
"So who pissed Garcia off this morning?" Anderson asks when he comes back into the bullpen, as he looks over his shoulder. "I've never seen her this angry before."
The team knows she has been having a hard time since her divorce but she has been doing so much better the last few weeks.
"I'll go." Emily tells JJ and Tara.
Exchanging a look with Rossi, Hotch goes to see if he can help resolve any problem that she might be having. He needs her to be at her best, two teams are out and they will be needing her.
Both agents stop at the open door and watch as she breaks and tosses pen after pen into the trash can. All the while swearing a blue streak in French.
"What is she saying? My French is a bit rusty." he asks looking at Emily.
"Something that is anatomically impossible and then some. I never knew she was so creative with her swears."
"Garcia! Stop." Hotch orders. Making her stop in her track. He looks at her and she is red in the face there is fire, if you can call it that, in her eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Sam and that, that salope. . ." She answers going off on an other string of swears.
"Garcia."
She shoves the papers she grabs off of the desk at him. It takes him a moment to read.
"I don't understand you're not pregnant. Why do they, or should I say Margret, think that you are pregnant?"
"I don't know. So how did they get an emergency hearing so fast this is says I have to go to court this afternoon."
Hotch put on his best game face as he stood with Penelope at his side. He made sure that the other lawyer and Margret could not see Penelope. Only for their protection, as Penelope was still very angry at having to be dragged into court for something this ridiculous. She pulled her overly large sweater around herself snuggly, grateful that the judge liked to keep his courtroom cool. They wait for a few minutes while the Judge reads over the case notes in front of him.
"Your Honor, we have photographic evidence that shows Miss Garcia heavily pregnant buying wine late at night on more that once occasion. Also we have a picture of her out with a group of friends drinking in a bar. As you can see she is heavily pregnant in all of the pictures."
Penelope started to chuckle then laugh out loud she lowered her head trying to get control of her mirth but have a hard time as she kept giggling."
"Agent Hotchner, please control your client."
"Penelope stop or the Judge is going to hold you in contempt of court, and fine you."
She stands. "Excuse me your Honor." She waits until he nods his head. "I think I can explain. She takes off her sweater so he can see that she is not in the least bit pregnant.
I'm in a play, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, by Tennessee Williams. I play Mae Flynn "Sister Woman", a very pregnant woman. As for the club, we went out after dress rehearsals. I was just too lazy to get out of the costume."
The judge looks at Penelope and sees she is indeed, not pregnant and sighs heavily. Before anyone else can speak Hotch takes the opportunity to do so, "Your honor, I would really like to know why Miss Garcia is under such surveillance. although not a crime, this worries me because my client is a federal agent working in my unit of the FBI."
The judge looks at the lawyer at the other table and clients that he is representing. "You shall stop this unauthorized surveillance of Penelope Garcia at once. Case dismissed."
Once again she waits until the judge has left the courtroom before she says anything.
"You should have just asked Sam, Margret instead of dragging me into court.. We decided no children at least not for the first year. Now you're not getting any at all. I mean your other children have cut you out of their lives. So you don't see those grandchildren at all, too bad they are really cute kids too. One more thing stay away from me, if you want to talk send the message to my lawyer." She looks at Sam then smiles her face conveying love and tenderness to him. "Glad you're doing better Sam." She turns and walks away before he says anything.
"Can we stop for coffee before we get back to work? Looks like I'm going to be pulling a all nighter from the text I just got."
"Good idea, I'm going to running late too with my own paperwork."
"Sorry about that. I can get a new lawyer if she pulls another stunt like this."
" It's not if, but when Garcia. And I like seeing her squirm." He tells her as he pulls out of the parking lot.
A/N: I'm not a PT person so if I screwed up the sauna and tub, oh well. It fits this way for my story.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Williams, Tennessee
Published by New Directions, Norfolk, Conn.(1955)
