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Reid looked up at the watery tone in his mother's voice and saw that she was crying. "Mom?"
"It's okay… but I have something I want you to promise me Spencer."
"What mom?"
"Promise me you'll never come back here with Aaron. I don't want to see him again."
"But mom… W-what are y-you saying, what d-did I do?"
"Don't be obtuse Spencer. It's too dangerous here for Aaron. I don't want you to bring him back here until he's old enough to know the truth of this place."
"But mom -"
Dianna held up a hand. "Please don't make this harder then it already is baby." Tears filled her dark eyes. "It was a mistake to bring him here. We both forgot what this place really is underneath all the shine and sparkle. It's an insane asylum."
"Don't say that mom!"
"Spencer…" She pulled him into her arms. "I love you more then you can understand. I love Aaron too. I don't want him to be hurt, physically or emotionally by coming here. It would kill me if anything happened to him."
"Mom…"
She stroked his head as it laid again her shoulder, just as she had done when he was a small child and in pain.
"You know I'm right baby."
"Yes m-mom," He choked.
"Now promise me you'll come back to see me with Emily. Promise me that you'll keep Aaron away from here. There will always be more patients like Amy here."
"I promise… I love you."
"I know you do baby."
Reid looked up from her shoulder. His eyes were red, but his face was resigned. "I'll send you lots of pictures of Aaron and more photo albums."
She wiped away the tears that were tracking down his cheeks, while holding back the ones that wanted to cascade down her face.
"I know you will… I'll be looking forward to them. Now, put a smile on your face. Emily will be back with the baby soon."
"Dianna…" They turned to see Dr. Norman approaching them with Gina on his heels. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I don't need a sedative." She pinned a stare on Gina who stared back. Dr Norman looked at Reid who slowly nodded his head in agreement with his mother.
Emily came back into the room with Aaron. She sat down next to Dianna and handed her the baby.
"Emily… I'm very tired my dear. Do you mind if we cut this visit short." Dianna cuddled the baby and kissed his forehead.
"Of course… Are you alright?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing."
"I'm less scared then I should be and angrier than I thought I could be."
Dianna nodded. "You're a mother… It's natural that you'd fight for you child."
"I wanted to hurt her and I never react that way."
"It's okay. You did the right thing." Dianna said.
"It's my fault." Dr. Norman said. "I thought the day room was the safest place. I also thought that Amy Ledger's meds were stable. I'm going to go have a chat with her doctor."
Dr. Norman left the room, striding out the door as if he were after a jewel thief that just stole the Hope diamond.
"I wouldn't want to be Dr. Warren." Gina said.
"Would you walk back to my room with me Gina?" Dianna asked the nurse.
"Of course… Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'd just like a bit of company."
Dianna gave Aaron to Spencer. She looked at the little baby as if she were trying to memorize everything about him before they left. Tears collected in her eyes.
"Thank you for bringing him to see me Spencer."
"You're welcome."
"Emily…" Dianna held her hands out and Emily took them. "I'm so glad you meet you in person. You've made my baby so happy. Thank you."
"I should be the one thanking you. I can't imagine my life without Spencer and Aaron."
"I'll see you soon?" Dianna asked.
"Yes."
"Bye Mom…"
"Goodbye Spencer… Be careful!"
"I will mom."
---
Emily shut the hotel room door behind them. The chilly fall wind had cranked up, making it much colder then she thought it could be out in the desert in November.
She watched Reid put Aaron's carrier on the table in one corner of the room. It was a round wooden table that looked out over the balcony they had. The room that JJ had booked for them came as a favor from a contact she had in Vegas. It was a full suite done in dark chocolate brown colors and dark blues. They had a room with a connecting nursery that had a crib, changing table and rocking chair.
Spencer took the baby out of his carrier. She followed him into the small nursery and watched him take off the tiny sweater the baby wore. He put Aaron in the crib and kissed him.
"Honey… What's wrong?"
She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight.
"You mean besides our son and my mother getting attacked by a psycho woman." He was shaking under her touch. "What else could possibly be wrong?" He pulled out of her arms and went to the window.
She let him stand there in silence looking out over the cold fall day. He stood there as though the weight of the world had been transferred to his shoulders. Maybe it had. What should she say?
She didn't speak, just watched him watch the lead gray sky that threatened rain or snow. Her eyes began to sting and her mouth went dry as papyrus. The silence dragged out until it cut her heart to the quick. She turned and went back to the suite's living room.
The couch was chocolate brown leather to match the walls in the living room. It was very comfortable. She sat in the corner next to one of the arms of the sofa. It squeaked as she sat down. She traced a finger over the smooth material as if it were sand at the beach. The sting in her eyes gradually went away. Her heart, which had been pounding, slowed with the repetitive motion of her fingers on the arm of the sofa.
The couch squeaked and shifted as Spencer sat down next to her. His unique scent washed over her like a summer breeze.
He moved closer to her and suddenly she was engulfed in two arms that held her tight against him. He was shaking so hard that the sting came back to her eyes.
"Emily…"
She looked at his expressive eyes and the pain in them shattered her heart again. "What? "
"I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry?"
"I took our son into a dangerous situation and -"
"If you recall, it was my idea to visit your mom."
"But I've been there… I knew it was no place for a baby. I should have said no."
"Spencer… What's really bothering you?"
"My mom doesn't want us to bring Aaron back to see her until he's old enough to take the risk by his own decision."
"So that's what's been bothering you."
Reid sat up and looked at her. "That's all you have to say?"
"Will you be mad if I say I think Dianna is right?'
"No… I thought you'd be upset!"
"I am upset because I can see that this decision hurts you."
"Of course it hurts me! He's my son and she my mom."
The leather of the couch squeaked in harmony with his voice as his arms flew about his head to punctuate his words.
"I know she's right Emily… That's what hurts." He got up from the couch and began to pace the room. "I tried to convince myself that my mom was fine. I thought if I just pretended that mom was in some kind of fancy hospital instead of a sanitarium, it would be alright."
He stopped right in front of Emily. "How could I think that?"
"Because there's still a little boy inside the man who want's his mother back well and whole."
"Emily…"
She stood up and pulled him into another tight embrace. "It's okay baby… I'd be very worried if that little boy inside you was silent, or worse, resigned to his mother's fate. You love her. There's nothing wrong with that."
"I can't believe this is happening. I mean I should have expected it, but I didn't even consider that someone like Amy would try to hurt our little boy. How stupid does that make me?"
"Hey…" She pulled away and took his face in her hands. "You're not stupid. It wasn't your decision, it was our decision. I should have anticipated what might happen."
"It's not your fault -"
"Alright…" She smiled at him. "Can we agree to disagree on this?"
"Yeah…" He didn't smile. "I'm going to take a shower. I'm tired."
"Do you want something to eat? It's late for lunch, but I'm hungry."
"No! I'm going to lie down for a while. The jet leg is really getting to me."
---
Garcia mopped up the last of the homemade salad dressing she'd spilled and rinsed out the rag in the sink. The pasta salad she would make for Thanksgiving dinner in two days, was much better after the salad dressing had set in the refrigerator for a couple of days. She put the lid on the container making sure it was tightly sealed before putting it in the fridge.
She was halfway through loading the dishwasher with all the dishes from her baking when her cell phone buzzed.
"Garcia…"
"What no sassy greeting."
"Emily… I didn't look at the caller ID. I thought you and my sweet boy were in Las Vegas."
"We are…"
"What's wrong?" Garcia went to the couch and prepared for a long conversation.
She listened as Emily outlined the whole day for her right up to Spencer going to sleep in their room after hiding in the bathroom for half an hour.
"I don't know what to do. I just want to pack up and come home."
"I don't think you should do that."
"Why not Garcia? He's nearly as depressed as he was right after Georgia. I'm scared."
"Don't worry Emily… I have an idea. You two are going to stay put and have a great holiday."
"But -"
"You just told me that Dianna doesn't want you to come see her."
"What does that have to do with it?"
"Well… When Reid was out there dealing with the possibility that his father was a murderer and pedophile, Dianna left Bennington to see him."
"Yeah…"
"So, why don't you arrange for her to come to your hotel on Thanksgiving Day? You can have dinner in your room. It wouldn't overwhelm her and she can see Aaron again."
"Why didn't I think of that, it's a perfect idea?"
"Because you're too worried about Reid. Now go tell him all about it and make him happy. I want to see a smile on that boy's face when he gets home."
"Yes ma'am!"
