A/n here's the next chapter everyone. Thanks for all your kind reviews. I appreciate all feedback.
"Don't worry JJ there's cat treats in my bag and Leia will calm down once we get where we're going. She hates that carrier and the car." Reid informed JJ who didn't look very confident at this answer.
"Ok… but you're taking her out of that thing when we get there. I'm not sticking my hand in that kennel with her spitting and hissing like that. She might take my hand off!"
Reid was pulling out of the garage. He stopped the truck to look before exiting and glanced over at his girlfriend and saw that she was completely serious. "Come on JJ, she's not going to take your hand off."
He entered the flow of traffic. "That's easy for you to say. That cat adores you!"
"I know, what's not to adore." He shot back.
JJ wouldn't look at him for the rest of the trip, but he suspected that was because she was trying not to laugh. They pulled up to the parking lot at Sleeping Pines and got out of the car. Reid got into the back and grabbed the cat carrier. He picked up his messenger bag and slung it over a shoulder. Leia was still hissing and he began to burble to her like a parent with a baby. JJ began to giggle and he glared at her.
"What's so funny?"
"You are… Do you two want to be alone?" She teased, still highly amused.
Reid made to smack her on the shoulder and dropped his messenger bag. JJ laughed again when Reid went red and cursed.
"Such language Dr. Reid… You shouldn't talk that way in front of our baby." She began cooing at Leia who'd settled down a bit. The cat yowled at her and JJ narrowed her eyes at the feline.
"Don't worry… once she gets some treats, she'll love you again." Reid laughed.
They headed into the three story brick building. The lobby was white walled and the carpet was a light rose color. There were woven baskets chairs lined up on one side of the lobby and more comfortable upholstered easy chairs in matching cream and Rose colors next to the office to the right. The door said: No admittance, authorized personnel only. To the left there was another office with the name Jane Taylor, Administrator.
Just ahead of the two offices was a long counter manned by two nurses in dark blue scrubs. One of the nurses looked up as Reid and JJ entered the lobby. One of them was a plump black woman with the kindest black eyes Reid had ever seen. She smiled and her teeth were blindingly white. Her hair was braided in long corn rows and lightened to a reddish blond color. The second nurse was male. He was white with black hair and dark brown eyes. He looked a little annoyed as the two agents entered the lobby.
"Can I help you…?" He asked distractedly.
"Yes… My name is Jennifer Jareau. This is my husband, Dr. Spencer Reid. We wanted to speak with someone regarding the type of care you offer here at Sleeping Pines. You see Spencer's mother is very ill and we are trying to find a place to transfer her to from where she is now in Las Vegas." JJ gave the male nurse a winning smile and he smiled back, giving her a once over that made Reid's blood begin to boil.
"Do you have an appointment?" He asked ignoring the look the other nurse was giving him.
"No… I didn't realize that we'd need one." JJ pouted.
"Well… I'm sure we can work something out." The man assured her.
He left the desk and went to the door marked Administrator and knocked. "Way to go JJ…" Reid said through the corner of his mouth.
"Sorry about that," The female nurse apologized to JJ. "My name is Sondra and that was Wendell. He doesn't know when to turn of his flirting gene."
"It's okay…" JJ smiled and Reid tried not to laugh at the conciliatory tone she'd adopted. "In my line of work, I get that all the time."
Sondra's eyes danced, "Oh… what do you do for a living if you don't mind my asking?"
"I'm in Public Relations… I'm supposed to know how to be diplomatic." JJ made quotation marks with her fingers.
"Yeah… how's that working for you." The nurse wondered. JJ only laughed.
Leia was still growling from her carrier and Sondra looked at Reid. "Someone's irritated I hear," She gestured to the carrier. Reid went pink in the cheeks.
"Ah - that's Leia, my - I mean our cat. Ah - we just got married you see and -"
"What he means…" JJ interrupted Reid before he dug himself in deeper. "We saw your website and request for animal visitors so we brought Leia with us."
"Oh… well I'm sure we can find a couple of residents that would appreciate a visit from her."
Reid set the carrier on the counter and opened the door. He opened his bag and gave Leia a couple of treats. After much coaxing and baby talk from Reid, she came out of the carrier into his arms. JJ and Sondra were giggling. Reid was crimson in the face.
A voice came from behind Reid. "Oh she's such a beautiful little cat." He whirled around and saw a very small Hispanic woman leaning over a walker. She wore a dark blue dress with white polka dots and beige orthopedic shoes. Her hair was dark brown and heavily streaked with grey. Her face was remarkable in that it was unlined. Her dark brown eyes sparkled.
"Maria… what are you doing down here." Sondra clucked disapprovingly.
"I'm taking a walk. I need my exercise." The woman retorted in slightly accented English.
She turned to Reid and said "May I hold the cat?"
She looked so excited that Reid was handing over the cat when the door to the Administrators office opened and the male nurse left the office. He was followed by a very tall and distinguished looking man in a white lab coat. He wore a dark blue tailored suit pants with a red tie. There were narrow silver stripes running diagonally down the tie. His shoes were polished to a mirror shine. His pants were sharply creased and the white shirt he wore was blindingly white. His hair was black with some grey at the temples. He wore glasses and had eyes that were the color of emeralds. His face had laugh lines and he was smiling.
"Wendell tells me you're interested in moving your mother into our facility." He said to JJ, ignoring everyone else. "I'm afraid my administrator, Margaret is out sick for the day, so I'm doing double duty." He said, stretching out a hand to JJ and continuing to ignore Reid and the others. "My name is Dr. Lev Stevens."
"It's nice to meet you. It's my husband's mother we've come about." JJ explained.
"How terribly sorry I am, my dear." He took her arm. "Why don't we speak in my office?" JJ gave Reid a look that said back off when he would have followed her. He didn't like that she was going into the man's office alone; there was definitely something he didn't like about that man.
"Why don't you go with Maria," JJ told him then disappeared into the office.
"I'm sorry about Dr. Stevens. He tends to get tunnel vision whenever there are beautiful women around." She saw the look on Reid's face and added. "Don't worry; I'm sure your wife can take care of herself with the good doctor.
This wasn't reassuring to Reid, but he had to remind himself that JJ was an agent and capable of dealing with the doctor. She would be upset if he interfered with her questioning of the man.
He followed Sondra and Maria to a little room off the hallway. It was empty except for a man that looked to be Reid's age sitting in the corner, rocking back and forth in his chair and staring at the wall in front of him.
Sondra gave Maria the cat when they had sat down and she began stroking the cat's head. Leia sat still for a minute and strangely didn't purr as she normally would. She loved to have her ears scratched. Reid was about to ask Maria where she was from when Leia sat up, struggled out of Maria's hands and ran over to the young man sitting at the other end of the room.
Leia sat staring at the young man and Reid excused himself from Maria who was trying to get Leia to come back to her. Reid walked slowly over to the cat and sat down next to the man who rocked a little faster.
"Hello… My name is Spencer Reid. This is my cat Leia."
The man was humming to himself and it sounded familiar to Reid. He listened as the man rocked and stared at the wall.
"Leia likes people. You can pet her if you want."
"Dr. Reid that'sTommy he's…"
"I know Sondra. Don't worry… I won't upset him." Reid looked up at Sondra who had approached them. She looked at the young agent for a moment then nodded her head and left the room. Maria was still trying to coax Leia back to her and the cat ignored her.
Reid was ignoring Maria and listening to the music Tommy was humming under his breath as he rocked. It was so familiar. Damn… his stupid eidetic memory that didn't work as well with stuff he only heard. Leia was still staring atTommy with unblinking eyes.Tommy suddenly began to sing in a beautiful tenor voice.
"Of course…" Reid said to him. "I should have known!"