Hello again Dear Readers. I am so sorry for the long delay. I had surgery and was out of commission for a while. I'll make it up to you with a nice long chapter. As always, don't own and no profits made.
Chapter 27
Morning came softly after a remarkably quiet night. Hotch woke to find Anne already tending to Spencer, changing his bandages as she spoke quietly with him in a gentle tone. "Of course she still loves you honey. Even if your Mom doesn't always remember you, that's because of the Schizophrenia, not because she doesn't love you. The nurse I spoke with at her hospital told me she was ecstatically happy when they told her you had been rescued and were safe."
"But Miss Anne, maybe it would be better not to go and see her" replied the boy in a wavering voice. "I am scared that she will know just by looking at me that I am not her good little boy anymore, and tell me to get away from her. Maybe it would be better for her to just remember me the way I was."
"Spencer, your Mother isn't going to blame you for what happened to you, or send you away because of it" chimed in Aaron as he quietly joined the conversation. "In fact, from what I have heard about her from the officers that told her you were rescued, she was already threatening to track down everyone who hurt her precious baby and scratch their eyes out. Officer Grant said she believed your Mom would do it too."
"I agree with your Daddy" added Anne, as she gently combed out the tangles in the child's silky honey locks. "If you want my opinion I think you will really regret it later if you don't see her now before moving all the way to Virginia. Why don't you think about it for a while and decide after breakfast?"
"I think that's a great idea Miss Anne. So what do you want for breakfast buddy? How about pancakes, or do you want to try something new?" suggested Aaron. And as the duo seriously discussed the merits of Belgian waffles versus eggs and bacon, Anne took her leave and went to tend the agents in the next room.
Thankfully both JJ and Emily were healing well and had no signs of infection. After changing bandages and passing out ibuprofen (with a pudding snack to protect from stomach upset), the pleased nurse gave the women their discharge teaching and extracted promises from both to follow up with their physicians as soon as they got home.
By this time Morgan and Rossi were up, and heating the leftover Italian food in the microwave for the group's breakfast. Anne accepted a piece of pizza and settled down to her charting while JJ and Prentiss enthusiastically joined the boys. Hotch spelled the elevator guard so he could eat until Spencer's waffles (was there really any doubt?) were delivered from the kitchen, then made himself a plate and joined his son for breakfast.
The group then made short work of packing up all the case materials spread about the suite and posted on the boards, as well as all their belongings into their go bags. After some discussion, Rossi and Morgan wrangled Spencer's box of books and giant teddy bear into a wheelchair and took them to the airstrip to load onto the jet, along with the case materials and go bags. By the time the men returned, the doctor assigned to JJ and Emily had come to check them over and written discharge orders, and Dr. Martin had likewise discharged Spencer. Anne gave Hotch thorough discharge teaching on her young patient's care, then gave the tearful child a hug goodbye. Hotch and Anne exchanged phone numbers and addresses so they could keep in touch, and Rossi cheekily told her that if her husband ever didn't treat her right, give him a call because he had fallen in love. "Smooth Talker!" she replied with a smile and a hug.
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Hotch insisted that the injured agents report immediately to the plane and rest, along with Morgan to guard them. After all, there were still 2 pedophiles unaccounted for and there was no way to be certain that all members of the trafficker's staff were dead or in custody. For that same reason Rossi accompanied the unit chief and his new son to Bennington Sanitarium to visit Diana Reid.
After signing in as visitors, the small group was shown to a pleasant sunny dayroom and met by a friendly faced older man who introduced himself as Dr. Norman. He met Spencer's eyes and gave him a reassuring smile. "Hello young man. You must be Spencer. Your Mom has told me a lot about you. She seems to be having a good day today, so let's go say hi to her, OK?" Dr. Norman gently took the child into his arms, and then addressed the agents. "Follow behind us, but a few paces back, until we see how she reacts to Spencer. If she stays calm you can approach slowly." The pair nodded agreement and followed along about 6 feet back as they approached a woman with short blond hair who was reading a book in front of one of the tall windows.
"Diana, you have a visitor" the kindly doctor addressed the woman, who looked up and dropped her book, reaching out for the boy with a look of indescribable joy on her face.
"Spencer! Baby! You're really alright! Come here my angel!" Diana exclaimed and reached over to enfold the child into her arms, tears streaming down both their faces as Spencer called out "Mommy!" and flung his arms around her neck.
Dr. Norman stepped back a few paces to join the agents, smiling as they observed the tearful reunion. Dr. Norman then turned to address Hotch, motioning him to follow him a few feet away from the excitedly talking mother and son. "Agent Hotchner, I was told you are in the process of adopting Spencer?" At Hotch's nod, he continued. "I feel it is important that you know a few things. Firstly, Schizophrenia is a genetically passed illness. That does not mean that is has been passed to Spencer, but there is a statistically significant risk that it has. Starting in the early 20's you are going to want to keep an eye out for unusual behaviors, as this is when Schizophrenia tends to manifest. Also, you should know that according to Diana, Spencer showed Autistic tendencies as a toddler, although he was very high functioning. When he is a little older you may want to have him tested for Asperger's Syndrome. He may also have a very high IQ-Diana told me she taught him to read when he was 2 ½ years old, even though his verbal skills lagged behind, and he understood basic math by 3 years of age."
"Oh, I am certain he is highly intelligent. He found a stack of high school books where he was imprisoned and did all the work in the books-accurately. His verbal skills have gone from baby talk to sounding like a little adult in the space of days." Offered Hotch in a proud tone. "The pediatrician treating him also suspected Asperger's, and counseled me to have him tested since he may need special considerations in his schooling. I knew his Mother was Schizophrenic, and suspected it was a risk, but I am not afraid of the potential. Yes, there will plenty of challenges raising a child who has undergone such trauma and degradation as he has, but I will not turn my back on this precious boy. I already love him like a son, and I will do my best to give him the good life he deserves."
Dr. Norman nodded in satisfaction and smiled at the earnest expression on Hotch's face. "Excellent! I am pleased you already had an awareness of the issues before you proceeded. I'm sure you understand my concerns…the last thing Spencer needs right now is to be given love and then rejected when issues arise."
"Yes, I understand, and thank-you for looking out for his welfare. " Hotch responded, near tears.
"Yes, thank-you Dr. Norman," came Diana's voice, light with good humor. "You also saved me some of the interrogation I had planned for Agent Hotchner."