Chapter 21
Capitol Plaza Apartments
Apt. #23
Washington DC
June 2012
Breakfast happened once Shan stopped crying. Maple syrup was a hit. Scrambled eggs were duly enjoyed. Tea was savored. And then Shan took Mia off to get dressed for the day. "I'm borrowing your clothes." She said. "I remembered to pack for her, totally forgot to pack for myself."
"I think that's indicative of the greater reality here." Spencer replied.
"I can look after Mia and make decisions for her but I have become utterly incapable of looking after myself? Likely do to having Bernard utterly shred my self-esteem?" Shan considered this. "You might be right. Help?"
She would need to be able to make decisions and handle her own affairs, but he could see that she was floundering at the edges. Likely for at least a few weeks she'd need someone to help her keep going. "Only until you're back on your feet."
"Fair enough. Thank you. Okay, let me get her dressed and me dressed and then you can tell us what we're doing today. Do you have to work?"
"I took a couple of weeks off. I have lots of vacation time built up."
"Oh. All right." She tugged Mia back into the bedroom with her.
Spencer set to loading the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher. But just as he got started someone knocked. He peeked and had just enough time to get out of the way. "Oh my god, is it really true?" Garcia asked as she came in with Morgan right behind. "Is she really here?"
"Yes, and her mother is too. They're getting dressed. Um, did you two come to help?"
"Of course we did! We help each other; that's how it works!" Garcia followed him to the kitchen. "Is she amazing?"
"She is. She's extremely articulate, very intelligent, academically advanced for her age, highly empathetic and so far emotionally well balanced. I attribute all of that to Shan; she's really focused on working with her as much as possible to ameliorate the effects of virtual captivity."
"So there isn't anything wrong?" Morgan asked.
"I didn't say that. She's physically very slight, which may be a normal variation or it may speak to some kind of medical problem, and I think social deprivation might be an issue. She's missed out on a number of experiences her peers have already become used to; we'll need to help her catch up. And Shan mentioned separation anxiety, which we might have to look at."
"Okay we can work with that. A good child psychologist might help too, you know." Garcia said. "How about Shannon?"
Spencer sighed. "Shan needs therapy. She's showing some symptoms of PTSD, she might have more but I haven't had the observation time, and symptoms of social/sensory deprivation. And she should have a full physical as well."
"Okay, you know you can't fix all of this, right?" Garcia asked.
"I know. But I can help them find the people who can help. After that it's more about getting out of the way."
"Okay, good."
"Speaking of getting them to people my phone has already been lighting up this morning." Morgan said. "Bad news to start, Maupin knows we're on to him. He's already in the wind."
"Lovely." Meaning Maupin was on the run. They would find him eventually. Spencer was going to enjoy going to that trial.
"The good news is that they pulled the other women in. Emily's people are on it; they flew them and the kids to London and have them in protective custody. And all the fathers have met their kids."
"Good." That meant no one else would be dying on them. That was a good thing.
"It also means word is getting around the Templar community. Benson has already called to say that they're covering anything any of you need. I think he was actually groveling."
"He does that. We are going to need a few things; I have no problem putting them on his tab. We need another cot or small bed for the bedroom, I think, and Shan needs clothes. I want to get her in to see an ophthalmologist today; Benson should be able to manage that. And I want to get Mia into that summer program Jack is in."
"The one about engineering projects with Lego?" Garcia asked. "Doesn't that sound like fun?"
"It does, and it will give Mia both stimulation and peer-relevant socialization while giving Shan some time during the day to tend to her own needs. If Hotch put Jack into that program it has to have good security. What are you doing?" Spencer asked, since Garcia had pulled her tablet out.
"Making a list. We divide and conquer."
Just then the bedroom door opened and Mia came out, deliberately sliding a bit on her stocking feet. "Mom said she won't be long. Oh." She realized there were other people there and kind of sidled behind Spencer. "Ummm, Daaaaddy?"
"It's all right." Spencer said, ignoring Garcia's gasp. He was a father, they were going to have to get used to it. "These are very good friends of mine. Guys, this is Artemis, but she likes to be called Mia. This is, um, Aunt Penelope and Uncle Derek. He's my Nouoroa."
"Oh!" With that reference made she relaxed, walked over to Morgan and craned her head back to look at him. "You're going to be much better than Father Pieto, I can tell. Lei parla inglese?"
Morgan chuckled. "Yes, we all do. Do you speak Italian?"
"Sì, ma non mi piace. Ho sempre e solo parlato per balia." She wrinkled her nose.
"Uh huh. Know any other languages?"
"Wǒ yīzhí zài xuéxí zhōngguó de xuéxiào. Zhè shì yīgè hěn hǎowán xiě de, dàn méiyǒu rén jiǎng tā lèi zhī wài. Let's stick to English, it's much more fun."
"My god, it really is a little mini Reid." Garcia gasped. "What language was that?"
"Um, Mandarin Chinese," Spencer said. "I think." He turned to Mia. "What do you think about summer camp?"
"Do I have to go allll day?"
"No, just in the afternoon. There's this really interesting one in town where you build engineering projects with Lego. Including some Jedi ones."
"What is Lego?"
Garcia gasped. "Oh! Deprived child! Do you know what a Jedi is?"
"Oh yeah, Mom told me all kinds of stories about them."
"Thank god. I was going to worry."
"Going to summer camp will give you time to play with kids your own age." Spencer said. "And it will give your mother and I time to clean out her closet. And the son of our boss goes there, so you'll know one kid to start with."
Mia considered this and nodded. "Okay then."
"Clean out her closet?" Morgan asked.
"Unpacking boxes of old emotions," Spencer said, "Metaphor for PTSD."
"Oh." Morgan went down on one knee. "Hey sweetheart, can I take a look at your hands?" Mia nodded and held her hands out. He took them gently and turned them over. There, right in the center of her left palm was a circular scar. "Do you know where that came from?"
She looked at it and shook her head. "Nope. It's a birthmark or something."
"Okay."
"I went to her first well-baby appointment." They looked up and saw Shan in the bedroom doorway. "At two months, you know; when they get their first shots. Took the morning off to go." Her demeanor was easy, her voice mild, likely so as not to upset her daughter. But Spencer could see the tears in her eyes. "Never made that mistake again." Mia must have known something wasn't right, she moved to her mother's side and seemed to stick there.
"All the kids have that." Morgan said quietly.
Spencer sighed. Of course Bernard knew where to crack the training they had received. He trained all the adult victims, he studied their life histories, he had profiled as well as anyone. He knew to aim for their children. He went over and put his arm around Shan, reassuring her that it was all right now, they were safe, and guided her over to make introductions. "These are two of my best friends and co-workers, Derek Morgan and Penelope Garcia. This is Dr. Shannon Gilchrest, my ummmm...Mia's mom." Now why did Shannon just wince a little? "I thought you said Mia doesn't speak Italian?"
Confusion crossed Shannon's face. "She does?"
"And it sounds like she's been learning Chinese."
Shannon looked down at her daughter. "You didn't tell me you learned Italian and Chinese."
Mia shrugged. "You weren't at the house that much. When you were I wanted to speak English with you, so I could pretend we were at home in America."
"You didn't learn Italian?" Morgan asked.
"No. I spent all my time reading or home with Mia. I never had the chance to speak with anyone long enough to pick up more than a few words."
"But all those books..."
"Are in the ancient languages, not Modern Italian." Shan's face filled with regret. "How could I not know that my daughter spoke Italian?"
"It doesn't matter. What matters is that you'll have all the time in the world with her now." Garcia stepped forward to pull Shannon into a hug. " Nice to meet you Mia's mom.""Welcome to the family."
.
Translations:
"Do you speak English?"
"Yes, but I don't like it. I only ever spoke it with Nanny."
"I have been learning Chinese in school. It is a lot of fun to write, but no one speaks it outside of class."