~~~~~CM~~~~~
When the mother and son were sleeping deeply, Emily put the book away and joined the group in the hall.
Dr. Norman directed them to a nearby conference room, asking the orderly to stay behind and keep an eye on the sleeping pair.
"I'm Hillary Gomez, Spencer's caseworker." The tiny woman introduced herself, taking charge of the room, "This is Maddie Nelson, Mrs. Reid's caseworker. Can you introduce yourselves?"
Maddie, a tall heavy set woman, nodded at them and smiled at Dr. Norman.
"Aaron Hotchner, Supervisory Special Agent in Charge, Behavioural Analysis Unit of the FBI. This is my wife, Emily Prentiss, Supervisory Special Agent, Human Trafficking Task Force of the FBI." He reached out and shook hands with both the caseworkers.
Emily followed suit, adding, "Nice to meet you."
"Those titles are longer than ours." Hillary smiled tightly at them as they all took their seats, "Let's get down to business, I am getting a lot of pressure from the higher ups about placing Spencer Reid quickly because of the incoming media storm. I understand this is an unusual situation, however, I fully intend to do my job and be an advocate for this young man. He will not be placed because of pressure from a U.S. Ambassador."
Nearly jumping out of her seat, Emily was calmed by Aaron's warm hand on her arm.
"Spencer's well being is our highest priority. Despite the familial relationship between the Ambassador and my wife, we would like to formally apply to adopt Spencer Reid. This decision was made prior to the Ambassador's interest, and with the consent of Diana Reid."
After pausing for a moment to meet the eyes of both caseworkers, Aaron continued, "Please understand that this is not a decision we came to lightly. We had just started the foster to adopt application with the Fairfax County Department of Health and Human Services in Virginia where we live. We were also looking at private adoption services."
The fiery woman relaxed into her chair, "This isn't a whim for publicity or politics?"
A small chuckle escaped from Aaron, and Emily gave him a dirty look before addressing Hillary, "As Aaron knows, I hate politics. We have no intention of allowing the media to have access to Spencer or the other children. In fact, our FBI media liaison is working with the State Department to ensure information regarding Spencer and Diana Reid are withheld. They will report on the recovery of four children as well as the deaths of two unidentified children and William Reid. We have also personally spoken with the other parents of the recovered children, cautioning them not to release details of the case. However, their children were reported missing in their home countries so the press already has their names and photographs."
"Good, good." Hillary now smiled openly, "Now, I understand you have spoken with Mrs. Reid regarding your interest in caring for Spencer."
"We both have when she was lucid," said Aaron.
Turning to Maddie and Dr. Norman, Hillary addressed them, "Diana Reid cannot legally give contest."
"While legally she cannot give custody of Spencer, I believe we should take her wishes into consideration. Her utmost concern has been her son's well being." Maddie told the group.
Agreeing with the caseworker, Dr. Norman explained how Diana's schizophrenia had progressed to the point where she needed to be committed. He continued by giving them a glimpse into Mrs. Reid's situation, "Right now, Diana is unstable but prior to Spencer's kidnapping, she was adjusting well to the medication and treatments. She was able to make sound decisions regarding her care, as well as her son's well being. William Reid followed her guidance to ensure Spencer was well cared for and stimulated intellectually. For example, she convinced him not to force the boy to join a t-ball league as he was disinterested in team sports. He enrolled Spencer in swim lessons instead."
The doctor took a breath, "Spencer is good for her as she is for him. I have never seen a young child handle their parent's episodes like this. Actually, I've seen very few adults handle these situations calmly. I believe separating mother and child would be detrimental to both of them." Dr. Norman continued, "Diana has requested that I look into sanitariums on the East Coast. It is her intention to remain close to Spencer for regular visitations."
Maddie spoke again, "Diana called me a few days ago, filling me in on the situation. William Reid had Power of Attorney over her. With his death, she becomes the responsibility of the state of Nevada. She was aware of her rights and asked that I help her look into Emily and Aaron's background. If we deemed them fit, she asked to be transferred to a facility in Virginia. These are actions of a lucid person, despite her illness and what we saw today, I believe we should honor her requests. I recommend starting with a background check on Emily Prentiss and Aaron Hotchner."
Breathless, Emily clutched Aaron's hand like it was a lifeline; he squeezed back tightly.
"Emily and I are happy to go through a background check and provide any information you deem necessary. Also, our son, Jack, and my sister in law will be arriving tomorrow if you would like to interview them in person. Jessica will be caregiving for any children we bring into our family if Emily or I are away on a case."
Hillary looked up from her scribbling in her notepad, and smiled, "Yes, that would be wonderful. I have everything I need to get this process started. We will be pursuing an emergency foster parent status with the department. Despite its name, this is not a quick process; I believe at least two weeks to get everything sorted; can you stay in town that long?"
Emily nodded, "I will stay for as long as it takes. Aaron and Jack can only stay for a few more days."
"Good, good. After all of this is squared away, we will work within the court system. Spencer will be assigned a guardian ad litem; someone who will represent Spencer's best interests."
With Hillary's last comment, the tension dissolved for Emily and Aaron, their grips on each other's hand loosened.
Glancing at Maddie and Dr. Norman, Aaron noted they both still seemed concerned as they exchanged worried looks.
"I am going to get in touch with my supervisor as well as my counterparts in Virginia and see what the process is to transfer a patient without a power of attorney." Maddie stated, "This is highly unusual so I do not want to make any promises."
The group exchanged business cards and the FBI agents accepted a large stack of forms from Hillary as the meeting came to a close.
~~~~~CM~~~~~
It was late afternoon by the time they had gathered up Spencer and returned to the house. Aaron and Emily were emotionally exhausted. They collapsed on the couches as Spencer ran around the house looking for the other FBI agents.
He found Derek in the study and dragged him out to play in the backyard since "Mr. Aaron and Ms. Emily are too sleepy to play."
The hyper little boy returned every 300 seconds to check on his Mr. Aaron who was dozing with his mouth hanging open. Emily suppressed a giggle as Derek took a snapshot and sent it the team.
Despite feeling physically worn out, Emily was elated. She headed into the study to call JJ and Penelope to update them on the situation. After the excited chattering slowed, they filled her in on the case.
Emily would have to work with Boring Thing I and II to relay the sad news; the remains of the children were positively confirmed after Spencer had identified their names.
"This is the worst part of the job," Emily complained to Andi Swan over the phone, "I don't want to tell the parents their children didn't survive this madman."
Andi sympathized and they addressed Emily request to work from Las Vegas for a limited number of hours. "Emily, with your unique position, you can work from anywhere really. Plus working with your international counterparts, you are going to be working odd hours. Get your hours in each week and if something comes up, used your Paid Time Off. Even after your week long honeymoon, you have nine weeks banked."
"Thanks, Andi. I appreciate it."
Despite the heaviness of the situation, Emily felt better about being able to stay in Las Vegas with Spencer without affecting her new position.
~~~~~CM~~~~~
A/N: To my guest reviewers who provided a ton of information on social workers and processes - I can't thank you enough. Let me know if I need to make any changes and I will go back and update this chapter.
To the folks reviewing, following, and favoriting - thank you, thank you, thank you!
