Chapter Ten:
It was, Brady decided, one of the most eerie places he'd ever been in his life.
The sanitarium was nice enough, clean and professional while giving its patients as comfortable a setting as possible, and yet it sent shivers down his spine every time he stepped within its walls.
Maybe it was because of the nightmares, the dreams he'd been having ever since Marlena was first admitted all those years ago. He knew he wasn't the only one, Belle had confided her own nightmares to him in tears and more than once he'd heard the cries coming from Rex's room, and even though he had no proof, he was certain that those same dreams had plagued Sami, as well, because some mornings there was just a haunted look in her eyes, even if she tried to hide it.
If dreams really were the manifestation of the innermost desires and fears a human being possessed, then he supposed that it made sense, really. Because ever since Marlena's commitment to the mental institution, Brady had wondered, in the darkest corner of his mind, if maybe he wouldn't one day suffer the same fate. True, he wasn't her biological son, but in every way that counted Marlena Brady was his mother, and if it could happen to her, then it could happen to anyone.
Even him.
"Brave faces, you guys," Sami instructed, giving them all a sympathetic and understanding smile. "We don't want to make Mom cry, right?"
"Right," Rex agreed in a thick voice, and Brady knew that he, too, had been lost in heavy thoughts.
"Belle, sweetie?" Sami asked, kneeling down in front of their little sister, who had her face in her hands, and touching a hand to her golden hair. "Are you okay?"
"I can't do this, Sami," Belle whimpered, lifting tear-filled eyes.
"Yes, you can," Sami replied gently, but with a firm tone. "And you won't be alone, honey, we're all going to be right there with you. I know it's hard, I know it's scary, but we've got to be brave, for Mom's sake. Because she's just as scared as you are. This is all new and frightening for her, and she doesn't really understand this life anymore, which is why we've got to do this together, okay? We've got to show her that we still love her and that we're going to be there for her, every step of the way."
"Sami's right, Tink," Brady spoke up, earning himself a grateful look from their older sister. "It's not going to be easy, but we'll get through this together."
"We always do," Rex added, ruffling Belle's hair affectionately and then grinning at the scowl he caused to cross her face. "We're the Brady Bunch, remember?"
Belle smiled weakly at the ancient joke, which they'd all heard too many times to count. "Does that make you Bobby?"
"Of course," Rex replied wryly. "You're Cindy, Brady here is Peter, Eric is Greg, Sami's Marcia and Cassie is Jan."
"What about Carrie?" Sami asked in amusement.
"She can be Alice," Rex retorted with a smirk, and Belle giggled, probably imaging their oldest sister wearing the blue and white maid's outfit. "After all, she was the one always telling us to pick up our toys, wasn't she?"
"Don't let her hear you say that," Brady advised lightly.
They were sitting in a small waiting room decorated in gentle hues of yellow and green, with oil paintings of fields and flowers adorning the wall across from the plush, oversized floral armchairs that Brady found were much more comfortable than they looked.
Of course, not even the most comfortable chairs in the world could make him any less anxious about why they were there.
Glancing towards the door their father had disappeared behind ten minutes ago, Brady shifted in his chair, not even noticing that he was tapping his fingers on the armrest until all three of his siblings turned to give him an irritated look.
"Sorry," he murmured sheepishly.
Belle smiled weakly and Rex chuckled, shaking his head, before turning back to whatever conversation he'd been having with their little sister. Sami looked at him for a long moment, clearly trying to assess how he was doing, so he gave her what he hoped was a convincing smile, and even though she let Belle draw her into their conversation, he had a feeling she hadn't really fallen for it.
Regardless, she wasn't going to call attention to anything, for which he was grateful. He really just needed a few minutes to gather his thoughts before they went in to see Marlena. It had been three months since his last visit, during which Marlena had barely even noticed his presence, muttering to herself in the corner about a circus and a tiger.
Even knowing that his stepmother was lucid and coherent now, Brady was still uneasy about seeing her again. It was hard to forget her episodes, and he wasn't sure what to expect from this meeting.
The sound of the door opening caught his attention, and they all looked up to see their father standing in the doorway. "She's ready," he announced, giving them an encouraging smile.
Belle bit her lip and Brady exchanged an anxious look with Rex, but they all rose to their feet at Sami's prodding, letting her steer them towards the small suite that Marlena was occupying. As he passed his father, John squeezed his shoulder wordlessly, and, swallowing hard, Brady followed his older sister into the room.
It was decorated much like the waiting room, meant to convey a relaxing setting, both for the patient and the visitors, and as he scanned the room curiously, Brady noted that it wasn't a bad setup. There was a television in the sitting area, as well as one in the adjoining bedroom, and a the open door to the bathroom revealed that she not only had her own shower, but John had brought some of her makeup and toiletries from home.
"Doc?" John said, drawing Brady's attention to the couch, where his stepmother was sitting. "The kids are here."
Marlena Brady was sitting a little too straight, her hands folded neatly in her lap, looking to a casual observer every bit the professional psychiatrist that she had once been, even down to the casual business suit that she was wearing, a cream colored ensemble that must have come from her closet at the house.
Brady was not a casual observer, though, and saw how white his stepmother's knuckles were, how thin her lips were as she tried not to show just how nervous she was, and it made him want to rush into her arms and let her hold him like she hadn't done since he was a little boy.
For a long moment, they all just stared at each other, and even though he couldn't see Rex and Belle's faces, he knew that they were feeling the same tortured emotions he was. Marlena licked her lips, parting them as if to speak, but no words would come out, and so they were left in silence until Sami took charge of the situation.
"Hi, Mom," she said, putting on a bright smile as she strode purposefully across the room to lean down and give Marlena a long hug. "You look wonderful this morning."
"There are some advantages to having a private shower," Marlena replied with a soft chuckle that sounded a bit like a sigh of relief. "How's Will?"
"He's good," Sami answered, taking a seat on the couch beside her. "I actually have something for you here that's from him." With that she reached into the bag she'd brought with her and pulled out a fuzzy blue teddy bear that Brady had seen plenty of over the years. "Do you recognize it?"
A strange, far-off expression crossed Marlena's face as she took the bear. "It looks so familiar," she murmured.
"You gave it to Will when he was four, so that he could hold onto it while he got his shot," Sami explained. "He'd clutch it to his little chest whenever he was scared, so he wants you to hold onto it for a while, so that Mr. Bear can help you be brave, too."
Brady smiled, never ceasing to be amazed by his nephew.
Marlena's eyes were watery and she stroked the bear's head fondly, clearly trying not to cry. "He's such a sweet boy," she told Sami appreciatively. "Tell him I'll take good care of Mr. Bear for him."
"I will," Sami promised.
After a few moments of admiring the teddy bear, Marlena sat it down on the couch next to her, and looked up at her children, her blue eyes glistening as she looked them over. "Look at you three," she said at last, her voice choked with emotion. "My babies are all grown up."
"I'm the youngest and I'm twenty, Mom," Belle pointed out softly. "We're not much of babies anymore."
"You'll always be my babies, sweetheart," Marlena insisted tearfully, standing up shakily, with Sami keeping a hand on her back supportively. "And you've gotten so beautiful, Isabella."
"Sami's beautiful," Belle corrected with a blush.
"And so are you, baby-girl," Marlena assured her, reaching out a hand to touch her golden hair tenderly. "You're so very beautiful, and I'm so lucky to have you as a daughter."
That seemed to be too much for Belle's composure, for she suddenly fell into their mother's arms, sobbing, and Marlena wrapped her arms around her youngest child, murmuring reassuringly into her hair as she rocked Belle gently until her cries began to subside.
When Belle pulled back, sniffling, her cheeks were red and tearstained, but she was smiling. "I missed you so much, Mommy," she told her hoarsely.
"I missed you, too, baby-girl," Marlena whispered, her own tears sliding down her cheeks now as she dried Belle's tears with her thumbs. "More than you'll ever know."
With a small laugh, Belle stepped out of the way, moving to sit down on the couch with Sami, who promptly put her arms around their little sister, and Belle rested her head on Sami's shoulder.
Marlena's gaze fell on Brady then, and he swallowed past the lump in his throat. "Brady," she said softly, holding out her hands to him, and he took them in his own, squeezing warmly.
"Welcome home, Marlena," he replied thickly, his eyes stinging with moisture.
"Oh, sweetheart," Marlena sighed, tears spilling down her cheeks as she pulled him into a grateful embrace that he didn't ever want to leave.
They didn't speak any other words, there was no need, somehow he knew from that one hug that she understood just how fiercely he had missed her presence in his life over the past few years, and how much it meant to have her back again.
When they finally separated, Brady wiped his eyes on his sleeve ruefully, which made Marlena's smile grow even broader, and then he, too, moved to the couch, taking up the space on the other side of Belle and allowing her to take his hand in hers as they turned their attention to Rex, who until now had stood silently just inside the doorway.
Mother and son stared at one another in painfully emotional silence for a long moment, and even from across the room, Brady could see the tears that Rex was fighting to keep at bay. Marlena must have seen them, too, for she lifted a trembling hand to her mouth, a gasp that sounded suspiciously like a half-sob escaped her lips.
"Rex," she whispered. "Oh, baby, I'm so... I'm so sorry."
Rex's adam's apple bobbed slightly. "Don't worry about it," he rasped, forcing a weak smile.
"That's not possible, sweetie," Marlena replied, shaking her head sadly. "I can't even begin to imagine what this had been like for you. I can't believe that I could forget my own son..."
"Do you remember?" Rex asked hopefully. "Anything?"
"I remember," Marlena said slowly. "How much I love you, how proud I am of you. But other than a few flashes of half-shadowy memory, I haven't made much progress."
"Oh," Rex murmured, trying to hide his disappointment, and Brady's heart went out to his stepbrother, whose head hung miserably.
"Lexie says that it will take some time," Marlena apologized softly, biting her lip in the same manner that Sami did from time to time. "But my memories should start to come back on their own as I'm submersed back into my old life."
"And if they don't?" Belle asked quietly, voicing the secret fear they'd all been harboring.
"They will," Marlena assured them with a confident smile. "I'm sure of it."
"You can't know that," Rex muttered, downcast.
"Yes, I can," Marlena replied gently, reaching out for his hand and pulling it close to her chest. "I know, because I can feel it, right here." A hesitant, hopeful smile crossed her lips. "Just like I can feel how desperately we both need a hug right now."
It was such a motherly thing to say, such a Marlena thing to say, that Rex gave a soft chuckle and stepped forward to let her wrap her arms around him. For a heartbeat or so, he was able to keep his composure, but then it seemed to finally sink in, and he buried his face in Marlena's shoulder, presumably so that no one would see him crying.
Everyone pretended they didn't see his shoulders shaking with silent sobs.
Once Rex had gotten himself together, he joined the rest of them on the couch, squeezing in beside Sami, who laced her fingers with his and smiled.
"Well, now," Marlena said softly, blinking at her tears. "If Eric, Carrie and Cassie were here, this would be a perfect family reunion."
"They wanted to be here," John assured her, coming up and putting his arm around her shoulders. "And they send their love."
"Besides," Sami pointed out wryly. "Four out of seven isn't bad."
"Seven," Marlena murmured in disbelief. "John, we're like the Brady Bunch!"
Startled, Brady exchanged a look of surprise with his siblings, and Marlena, noticing, turned to John, who had a slight smile on his face. "It's a running joke in this town," he explained. "Has been since the kids were little."
"Carrie's Alice," Rex announced helpfully, unable to keep from flashing the lopsided smirk of his.
Marlena pressed her lips together, trying not to smile at that. "I see."
"Well, I for one think this may just be the best day I've had in years," John announced, drawing his wife closer. "For the first time in years, I've got you all in the same room."
They all smiled, knowing exactly what he meant.