Disclaimer: See chapter 1

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"Reid," he said into his cell phone.

"Hi baby cakes, can you come to my office for a moment?"

"Yeah, I'll be right there Garcia." Reid closed his cell and headed in search of the computer tech. He entered her office after knocking twice. "What did you want to see me about Garcia?"

"Okay, I don't know why you were tracing Shirley Payne's cell but when I left last night I must have left the computer on search. Anyway I just thought I'd let you know that Shirley's not in Kansas anymore. She's clicked her heels and she's now back in DC."

"They're back," Reid looked dejected. "O…okay, thanks Garcia," he turned and left the room. He pulled his cell from his pocket and hit speed dial; again the voice mail. "Aargh!" he groaned as he closed his phone. Oh well, he couldn't worry about the implications of that now, JJ had left him a desk full of files to work on.

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"I talked to your parents. I told them everything looked good so far. I told them I'd let them know if I thought they needed to come, considering your father's difficulty getting around," General Mattingly told Linda as he checked her over. "Day two and no signs of anything yet, that's good."

"Yeah, you try being stuck in here for three weeks and see how you like it," she retorted snidely.

"It appears I've hit a nerve." He laughed softly. "That's my girl, is there anything I can get for you?" he asked.

Linda was silent for a while. The one thing she wanted she couldn't have, she wouldn't allow herself to have. She wanted his arms around her. She wanted him to tell her everything would be okay but she couldn't risk it. She clicked the remote on the TV, "No, I'm fine."

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Reid got off the elevator and headed for Linda's office. They'd have this out once and for all. If she didn't want to see him anymore, she could tell him to his face. He could handle rejection. He'd suffered through enough of it in his life. He was glad there was a meeting tonight. If Linda gave him the heave ho, he'd have somewhere to go. He was about to knock on the door when a voice said, "She's not there."

He turned to see Madeline, Linda's secretary, standing there. "I know she's back," he said.

"She's not in her office. She hasn't been all day."

This was getting old fast. "I don't suppose you know where I might find her?" he asked.

"I'm sorry. I'm not…"

"At liberty to say," Reid finished along with Madeline who suddenly found the boring tile floor of interest.

"You and Shirley have that line down pat," he remarked sarcastically. He turned and strode away missing the sympathetic look on Madeline's face.

He was standing at the elevator when he saw Shirley come bustling to the nurses' station. "It's only day two. Dr. Kimura's going to go crazy in there for three weeks," she informed Sandy and Beth.

"Let's all just pray she's still here in three weeks, stir crazy or not," Sandy replied.

Reid couldn't believe what his ears were hearing. Something was wrong with Linda. He quickly approached the desk. "What's wrong with her," he asked Shirley, moving around the desk so he faced the woman, "and do not give me the 'you're not at liberty to say' response. What's wrong with Linda?"

"I'm not…I can't tell you anything. You're not next of kin," Shirley said.

"Next of kin," Reid squeaked. "How bad off is she if you're worried about next of kin?"

"Look Dr. Reid, we'd tell you if we could but we can't. That's just the way it is," Sandy tried to calm the irate man.

"Alright," he put up his hands. "I know you have rules, I'm sorry. Could I see her at least?"

"N…no," Shirley responded.

"She's not allowed visitors?" He saw the nurses look back and forth between one another. "What?" he said.

"It's not that she's not allowed visitors," Sandy began. "It's just that…"

"She doesn't want to see you," Shirley finished and, like Madeline, looked at the floor.

"Oh," he was quiet for a long while, his face turning red and he found it was his turn to examine the floor. "Uh…I see." He tried unsuccessfully to laugh. "You would think I'd have gotten the message when she didn't answer my messages. For a genius I'm not too bright, huh? I'm sorry for bothering you." He turned to go.

The nurses exchanged furtive glances once again and finally Sandy called out, running after him, "Dr. Reid, it's not what you think."

Reid turned, "What is it then?" he asked, the exasperation evident on his face.

"She said she doesn't want to see you," Shirley stepped forward. "But it's not that she doesn't want to, it's that she's trying to protect you from what she might have been exposed to. She says you've been through enough. I think she wants to see you more than anything but she won't allow herself because she cares so much."

"It's my life. Why does she get to decide?"

"She gets to decide because she's the one in the hospital room and it's her choice of who she sees," Sandy explained.

"So who has she decided to see? Is her family with her?"

"No, her father has MS and it takes all her mother's time to care for him. If her condition deteriorates they'll make the trip," Beth spoke for the first time.

Reid seemed lost in thought for a moment. "So she's going through this all alone," he clarified in disbelief.

She has us and General Mattingly," Sandy stressed.

Reid nodded. "It's not the same, believe me. My team is like my family but when it's Christmas and Thanksgiving, they're with their real families. You go home at night to your families and she's alone. I know what that's like."

Shirley raised her head in determination. "Come with me," she said as she headed down the hallway. "I can't take you in to see her," she added as she entered the ante room. She donned her isolation gear and went into Linda's room. Reid stood in the small room staring at the glass wall covered with dull hospital curtains that separated him from Linda. After a few minutes the curtains were drawn back so he could see into the room. Linda, who appeared even smaller somehow, was dressed in a hospital gown, a hospital robe over that. Her feet were covered with a pair of slippers. She stared through the glass at him while Shirley retreated into the background.

Reid tried to smile reassuringly at her as he raised his hand in a little wave. She looked into brown eyes that told everything and saw the sadness and fear in them. It killed her that she was the one making him feel that way. He could see her bottom lip tremble as her eyes filled with tears. She took two steps forward and put her hand on the glass. Reid raised his hand next to hers, only the thick pane of glass separating two hands and two hearts.