Eames got the call from Carmel Ridge Friday afternoon. Although they told her she didn't have to come out, she knew that Bobby always did. She left both children with her father after he assured her they would be fine and Maggie promised she would take care of Grandpa and her baby, and she drove out to Carmel Ridge.

Sylvia saw her coming down the hall and she smiled wearily at her. "Hi, Alex."

"Long day?"

"Very. How are the kids?"

"They're fine."

"And Bobby?"

"I wish I knew. We haven't heard from him."

"That's unusual, isn't it?"

"Very. How is Frances?"

Sylvia shook her head. "No better than when I talked to you earlier. They're hoping not to have to restrain and sedate her, but this is shaping up to be a bad episode. They're ready if they have to."

"And they think they will?"

Sylvia nodded. "When she's like this and Bobby comes out, sometimes seeing him will calm her down for a little while, but often he doesn't make any difference, except that he will draw her aggression away from the staff. He knows how to handle her and he's very good at it. He can restrain her and still be very gentle about it. I wish some of our orderlies were as adept at that. They try, but it's not always possible and people can get hurt."

"Bobby's been dealing with her for a very long time. He's a big man and a cop, but he has a gentle heart and a gentle manner."

Sylvia nodded. "That describes him well."

Alex smiled sadly and headed down the hall before the tears she felt building up could reach her eyes.

She stopped at the nurses' station, where they were pleased to see her. Mary, the nurse who was caring for Frances, took her arm and led her to a small room just off the nurses' station. "You didn't have to come out, Alex."

"Bobby would have."

"Yes, but she's his mother."

"Well, I am taking care of his responsibilities while he's out of town. My mother passed away a few years ago so his mom is the only mother I have left."

Mary smiled kindly. Bobby had done well in choosing Alex for his wife. "Since you've never dealt with her this way before, let me warn you. She can be unpredictable. Much of what she says doesn't make sense, even to him. She'll often think she's in a different time, that Bobby is still a child. That's why she doesn't recognize him as a man. She attacked an orderly once because she thought he was her ex-husband and he was going to beat Bobby. She can be hard to take. Right now, she's in the grips of the paranoia that comes with her disease. Bobby told you about 'them'?"

"Yes."

"Then you'll understand that. She's convinced Bobby is missing and 'they' have him because he hasn't been to visit." She sighed. "And now 'they' are after you and Maggie, too. Just don't be surprised if she turns against you. In her delusions, anyone can become 'them'."

Alex nodded. "Bobby warned me about that, too."

"Good. Well, we're ready if we need to be. Are you sure you still want to see her?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Just remember: she's not going to look or act like herself."

"Okay. Let's go."

Frances stopped pacing at the knock on her door, frantically searching for a weapon but 'they' had taken everything, so she would be an easier target. She did not expect the petite woman who came through the door. "Alex!" There was a wild, paranoid look in her eyes that Alex had never seen before. "Did you find him?"

"Find who?"

"Bobby. 'They' took him."

Alex's voice was gentle, like Bobby's always was when he was trying to talk people down. "Please calm down. Bobby's okay. He had to go out of town on a case."

"He hasn't called his Maggie, and she's sad. He would never make her sad. 'They' have him and you've got to find him."

Silently, Alex agreed with her and she would find him, if she had any idea where to look. "I'm trying. I'll find him."

Frances studied her and slowly, the suspicion on her face turned to a look of pure horror. "No...no...you're one of 'them'."

"I'm not..."

"You! What did you do to him? How could you! He loved you so much! And my babies! What did you do to my Maggie and Tommy? Where is my son?"

Her last sentence ended in a blood-curdling screech. Eames had no idea how to react as Frances came toward her. Fortunately, the staff knew her well, and as soon as she had started screaming, they began to respond. They came through the door and two orderlies grabbed Frances before she reached her daughter-in-law. She screamed and struggled against them. This was the woman responsible for so many of the horrors that still haunted her son's nights. This was the woman who locked her little boy in closets to protect him from imagined dangers and often tried to beat the demons out of him. This was a frightening person and she could only imagine how she must have seemed to a little boy who couldn't understand what he had done to make his loving mother hate him. Mary came hurrying into the room with a syringe. She gave Frances the injection and the orderlies laid her on the bed, slipping the restraints onto her wrists and ankles. This was what he had wanted to protect her from all these years by keeping her insulated from this part of his life. This was the image Bobby never wanted Maggie to have. This was the image in his mind when he'd gotten so mad at her for accusing him of not wanting them to get to know his mother. Now, finally, she understood completely. Now, she knew. She understood his withdrawal in the past...the phone calls...the looks that would cloud his eyes and the dreams that would haunt his nights...and she understood his protectiveness. Stepping away from the bed as Frances calmed and went to sleep, Mary gently took Alex's arm and led her out of the room. Softly, she said, "He would never have let you see that, but in a way, I'm glad you did. Now you have an idea of what he's been dealing with all these years. Now you can understand his pain."

They entered a small break room. "I've always understood his pain, but now I can understand his reactions, why he's pushed me away for so long."

"Schizophrenia can be frightening. But I'm glad he finally decided to bring someone into this part of his life so that he no longer has to deal with it alone. And I'm very glad it was you. Not many people would have come out here when we called."

Alex was trying not to tremble as the adrenaline left her system. "When I fell in love with Bobby, I willingly accepted him and every part of his life. He was the one keeping me at arm's length from his mother for so long."

Mary was busy at the far end of the room. "For good reason, you see now. This could scare someone away, and I'd wager he never wanted to risk driving you away."

She handed Alex a glass of orange juice. She had no idea how true that was...Bobby had always feared that Alex would leave. She hoped those fears were finally gone for good now. She was never going to leave him...just like she knew he would never leave her. Mary sat down in a chair near her. "Sometimes, he can delay the inevitable for a few hours before she attacks him. But they always end the same. She's been really stable lately, and we have been pleased about that." She smiled. "We enjoy seeing Maggie almost as much as Frances does."

Alex forced a smile. "Maggie has that effect on people."

"I'm glad you didn't bring her today."

"Bobby was adamant about me following your recommendations. And I could tell all week that something just wasn't right."

"This has been coming for weeks. We've been trying to adjust her medicine to head it off, but it didn't work this time. She always leaves us like this when he misses visits. Where is he?"

"Out of town on a case."

"I hope he comes home soon."

"So do I. We miss him."

"How is the baby?"

"Fine, thanks. Getting big." She sighed. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Unfortunately, no. We'll continue to adjust her medicine and eventually she'll come out of it. Please don't be afraid to continue calling. She should be able to talk to you in a few days, maybe a week. Are you all right now?"

"Yes, thank you. Since there's nothing I can do, I should head home. I'll call tomorrow. Please call me if anything changes."

She gently squeezed Alex's arm. "We will."

"Thank you, Mary."

She headed down the hall, waving to Sylvia as she passed her desk and soon she was in the car. She slid the key into the ignition but she didn't start the engine. Suddenly overwhelmed, she could no longer hold back the tears. She cried for Frances and everything her disease had deprived her of. She cried for Bobby and the horrors he had been dealing with since he was small. And she cried for herself, because she missed him and because she needed him. She wanted to feel his strong arms around her, his gentle kiss on her temple and his warm voice, telling her it was going to be all right. And she really needed to apologize to him, for all her preconceived notions and misconceptions about his mother's illness...and she needed his reassurance. But more than anything else, she wanted--she needed--to hear him say "I love you."