A/N: I hope everyone is still enjoying the story. Thanks, as always, for your continuous support!
Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds, CBS does! I do own Cameron Mansfield.
Reid and Cameron arrived at the rehab facility about an hour later, with Justin in tow. He was standing in between the two of them, as though they were his guards, his protectors. They were standing with him, with his parents should be. This wasn't lost on any of them.
The procedure was just like Cameron said it would be. While Justin was being examined by the doctor and having his things searched, Reid and Cameron sat in the lobby. Justin had said they didn't need to hang around but they insisted that they were happy to stay and Cameron gently reminded him that he needed the support.
Reid glanced at his watch and looked at the door into the facility, "Cameron, what time did you say our flight left?"
"Well I booked one in two hours, but they said I'd be able to cancel if Justin needed us to stay longer."
Reid nodded, "Do you think he's going to be okay?"
Cameron took a deep breath, "I hope so."
Reid frowned, "The statistics on drug addiction show that on average, only 1 in 8 people in rehab avoid relapse." He contemplated for a second, "Outside of treatment, it's even less."
Cameron sighed, "I know, it never looks good. But people do it, you did it."
"I had help… I had you."
Cameron smiled and shook her head, "It takes more then that. All the help you can give doesn't necessarily mean a win. We're fighting biology here."
Reid said it quickly, almost not wanting to think it, "What if he relapses?"
Cameron looked towards the door yet again, "He'll come back and try again. Everyone gets a second chance."
Reid frowned, "That's not always true. It's not always possible for everyone."
"I know, but as long as I can do something to help, he'll get to try again."
Reid considered for a moment, "A lot of the books on recovery say that a loss or recognizing the inevitability of one can motivate recovery. Nobody wants to die or lose everything. Do you think he came close enough?"
Cameron nodded as Dr. Thagard lef the clinical area and headed towards them, "I definately think so."
She stood up and shook his hand, "It's nice to see you Victor, it's been a while."
Reid noticed as Victor puffed out his chest confidently, "Circumstances aside, I'd be lying said this wasn't an immense pleasure."
Cameron smiled politely and tucked her hair behind her ears, "I'm really grateful that you're doing this for him."
Dr. Thagard gave a sly smile, his body language was clearly flirtatious, "Come on now Cameron, who in their right mind could deny you?"
Reid try to cover his discomfort with an awkward laugh, he wasn't jealous so much as uncomfortable. He couldn't believe that someone would so blatantly hit on a woman who was pretty clearly engaged. Oh well, there are always guy like that, I shouldn't worry about it.
Cameron slipped her hands into her pockets and returned focus to Justin, "That kid you just met, really needs help. I wish I could do more…" She tried to shake feelings of guilt from her mind. "I would like to go say goodbye to him, and just let him know how to get a hold of me." Cameron shook the doctor's hand again and turned to Reid, "Spence?"
He followed her gesture and headed back towards Justin's room. Cameron smiled and shook her head, "That was a little unprofessional huh?"
Reid shrugged and nodded simultaneously as Cameron poked her head into the open door, "Hey Justin, mind if we come in?"
Justin nodded from his place on the edge of the bed, he was looking and feeling very anxious. He wasn't sure he wanted to be there anymore, he was afraid of being left there by himself.
Cameron crouched down in front of him, "Okay, right now, how are you feeling?"
"Not very good. Would you be annoyed if I said I wish you were staying here?"
Cameron shook her head, "No, I'm not annoyed and if I was really in the position to help you myself, I would. But the effort needed is bigger then me. You need a whole specialized team. Besides, this has so much more to do with you then any of us. You are way more help to you then I could ever be. And you can handle anything that this program will ask of you."
Justin slumped over in exhaustion, "I know."
Reid sat down beside him, he had formulated an idea of Justin's history in his head, as he suspected Cameron had also. He had probably been abused as a child, though not overtly. His parent's probably were probably neglectful, and at least one of them was probably an alcoholic. It was obvious that he was clinging to Cameron as a maternal figure.
Reid sighed and anxiously put a hand on his shoulder, "Whatever you're missing, whatever it is that you're looking for, you can find it. Just don't give up on it. If you can do this, then you'll be able to make things right on your own. It's possible for you to have make a family of your own."
Justin looked up at Reid, wide-eyed and shocked that he could possibly know something like that, something that he hadn't even really discussed with his doctor yet. He just shook his head, chuckled and said, "That's just creepy."
Cameron and Reid both smiled and Cameron got up and sat on the other side of Justin. "I want you to know, that you can call me anytime, okay? I'm going to call everyday, it's okay if you don't want to talk to me, I'll just ask someone who works here for an update."
Justin felt bad, like he seemed ungrateful, "I'll talk to you." He said definitely. The three of them stood up and Cameron cautiously moved to give Justin a hug, not sure how he'd react.
He let her hug him and managed to squeeze back, finding it surprisingly comforting.
"I hope that maybe I can come visit you if I get better."
Cameron gave him a stern look, "Show I little confidence, you need believe that you will do this." Her voice softened, "I think you can do it."
He turned to Reid, "I bet you guys enjoy being together more now that you're sober… Hopefully I'll become a better person too."
The admiration made Reid slightly uncomfortable and he gave Justin a firm pat on the shoulder, "You're going to be just fine man."
When all was said and done, and goodbyes were passed around, hope floated lightly in the air. Soon Reid and Cameron were flying back to Virginia, and along with the relief and happiness, another emotion was mixed in. There was something they needed to talk about, something that Reid needed to understand. Because... always wanted to understand things, and he really needed to understand this.