A/N Sorry for keeping you waiting. Sometimes real life needs a lot of attention.
But now have fun. My special thanks go out to DebbieOz. Yes Baxter is a strange person, but he has his reasons...
oOo
"Hello?" Calvin asked uncertainly, as there was no answer. Hotch's hand was trembling, when he picked up the cell again. "Sorry, but that was unexpected. Nora is actually awake?" Hotch couldn´t believe what Calvin was saying.
"Yupp, Agent Hotchner. But she has been completely hysterical. No wonder, if you ask me, she was yelling and she was slashing around herself, like a maniac. I was trying, to calm her down, but Doc Baxter had other plans. He sent her back to sleep, right away."
"When did that happen, Calvin?" Hotch asked, trying to keep his excitement in check.
"About an hour ago, I thought you should know. But it doesn´t make any sense, to show up now. The dose Baxter gave her, makes her sleep until noon."
"I understand. Thanks for calling. Keep an eye on Nora, will you?"
"You're welcome, Agent. Of course I will. Nora is dear to all of us. Give my regards to Cassie."
Cass sat up cautiously. "Is she really awake?" She asked, barely comprehensible. Hotch nodded and helped Cass back on her feet again.
"I have to go there immediately," she said firmly, but Hotch stopped her. "Calvin says she is not responding, not before tomorrow noon. Not to mention, that Baxter wouldn´t allow us to see her."
"But Hotch! Nora needs me, I have to be with her!"
"No, you don´t, Cass." Hotch grabbed her by her upper arms. "I want you to breathe, deeply. There is nothing we can do, at the moment. Nora needs us rested and fit. And Cass ..." Hotch stroked her cheek, "don´t you expect too much. Nora was in a coma for 17 years. She is no longer that Nora, you know. You have to be aware of that."
Cass nodded and Hotch put his arms around her. It was a comforting place to be, Cass thought. So comforting.
oOo
"Next stop, Merritown", Morgan informed his colleague. He had been right, as usual. After exactly 2 hours and 55 minutes they reached the sleepy town in Vermont.
"Did you know that Vermont, along with Alaska, is the crime-poorest state in the US?"
"Now I do. Gimme me the hospice adress, Reid."
"428, Castorp Lane, Morgan." He opened the map, which they had acquired at the last gas station. "You have to follow Main Road until the railroad crossing, then turn left. It´s just a couple of miles."
"How many exactly?"
It took Reid a minute until he realized that Derek was making fun of him. "Dumbass."
Derek laughed, "thank you very much. Very friendly. Now that one left?"
"Yes, please. And I'd be grateful if you won´t cut the corners, like usual."
"Pfff... what do you think will meet us here? At best, a cow, Reid. In this place, even scarecrows get bored, pretty boy."
Reid rolled his eyes, Morgan had no sense for the beautiful, peaceful countryside. "The head of the hospice is named Kyle Bennett. He is Baxters replacement. Maybe he will tell us something relevant."
"If we're lucky, there is honor among thieves. And, according to Garcia, there was nothing in the files. If there is something to cover up, Bennett will do everything to protect the reputation of his hospice. But you´re right, I have a strange feeling, too. "
"And Hotch does as well. And he´s rarely mistaken."
"Actually never," Morgan confirmed.
"Over there, this has to be it."
oOo
Hotch woke up this morning, because Jim-Bob was licking his left ear. Every now and then he also heard a delicate "mau". A brief smile crossed his face, Cass had been right, Jim-Bob had found a way into his bed, Hotch could not recall having admitted the cat himself.
The striped one had to have a short cut. "Well, tiger?" Hotch cuddled the ears of the cat, and a loud purr was the response. Hotch chuckled, if Jack could see him now. His strict father, who was enjoying to have a cheeky furry friend in his bed. Jim-Bob mewed and settled down on Hotch's chest. He liked the guest of his human can opener, he was a pretty good cuddler. That's why Jim-Bob made it his job, to follow the human at every step. And it was indeed a good idea, he did this. Jim-Bob loved the ham and the melted cheese, that 'accidentally' fell on the floor, from the pizza, yesterday.
Hotch's thoughts were wandering to Cass. He was sure she hadn´t slept a wink tonight.
He himself had fallen asleep very late. The fact, that Alienore Brewster had woken up, was ... a miracle? Hotch was not sure what that meant for Nora. Was it rather a blessing or a curse? In Hotch's point of view more like a curse, no one could know what state she was in, now. Cass was confident she was getting her friend back, but this was a bridge, Hotch didn´t dare to cross. He was scratching Jim-Bob again and then shooed the cat out of his bed. Hotch jumped into the shower and made himself presentable. After looking at his reflection he skipped shaving. In-official meant in-official.
oOo
If Morgan and Reid had known the Holy Spirit, they would probably have turned on their heels.
Where the Holy Spirit prevailed plants and cheerful images, the dominant color in here was grey... and shades of it.
"If I ever end up in such a place, then you may safely shoot me," Morgan growled and knocked on the counter. "Hello? Somebody here?"
It took a while until a tired-looking nurse came out of the adjoining room.
"Visit or admission?"
Reid frowned, "neither. Reid and Morgan, we´re with the FBI."
"FBI?" The nurse, her name was Holland, repeated perplexed.
"Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miss," snapped Reid and put his ID on the counter. "We would like to have a word with Dr. Kyle Bennett." Spencer was just as shocked by the sight, as Morgan was. He had to think of Bennington, in comparison, the Bennington was like the Riz-Carlton.
The smell alone made him nauseous.
"Dr. Bennett is a busy man, you have an appointment?" Nurse Holland wanted to know. "And what's it all about?"
"We´d like to discuss that in private", Morgan said clearly. "So just give him a call, please."
"Um ... yes, sir." Holland obviously wanted no trouble. She grabbed the phone and dialed Bennetts cell.
oOo
Hotch and Jim-Bob entered the kitchen of the little boardung house, sniffing. There was this smell of freshly baked cake, everywhere. Hotch almost fainted, when he saw the muffin chaos.
There were muffins on the table, on the counter...dozens of them...
Cass had a slightly guilty face. "I ... um ... I couldn´t sleep a minute, Hotch. So I did some baking."
"Some baking? Cass, you can feed entire Bangor."
"Oh come on! I had to do something, I was about getting into my car, to pay Nora a visit. She is awake, Hotch! After 17 years, I can hardly believe it. What shall I say to her? Aaron, I ..."
Hotch grabbed Cass hands. "Cass, please. What I was trying to say yesterday is, Nora may not be the Nora you know. She probably doesn´t recognize you Cass, okay? You do look completely different and her brain was nearly 20 years in a deep sleep. I want you to be prepared." He looked into Cass green-flecked eyes that now turned almost into the color of the stormy Irish Sea. "I don´t want you to be disappointed and hurt, Cass.", he said quietly.
Cass sobbed and nearly collapsed. Hotch put her quickly on a chair and gave her a glass of water.
"You're right," she whispered. "But I've waited so long, I just want everything to be fine and I want Nora to tell us, who did this to her and the other girls." Cass ran her fingers through her hair, of course, she knew, it wasn´t that easy. But some hope wouldn´t hurt.
She squared her shoulders. "I try to calm down, I promise. But now I have to eliminate this chaos and make some breakfast for the guests."
Hotch nodded. "I´ll do the cleaning and you take care of the breakfast. Then we grab those mountains of muffins and bring it over to a kindergarten or something. And then we´ll go to the Hospice. Can you live with that?"
"I'll have to," stated Cass and kissed Hotch´s cheek. "Thank you, for being here."
oOo
Kyle Bennett wasn´t impressed by the three letters 'FBI', not at all. He kept Morgan and Reid waiting.
"Does it always look that bleak here?" Morgan asked nurse Holland. She shrugged her shoulders. "I work just here, Agent. Dr. Bennett is in charge and if it´s okay for him, what am I supposed to do?"
"Make sure something changes?" Morgan shook his head. An old man in pajamas was pulling himself along the wall railings, painfully and he almost stumbled.
"I'm on it," Reid was already on the go. "Just a second, Sir. I'll help you."
"Breakfast does not come," the man said. "Not that it would be something special, but you can´t let us starve, just because we are old." He looked at Spencer with tired eyes.
"Of course not. I'll take you back to your room and take care of it, okay?" Spencer linked arms with the old man. "You´re probably often hungry?" He asked, the poor man was just skin and bones.
"We all are... at least those who can still talk. There are others, who can´t talk anymore. They suffer in silence, I guess."
"How long have you been here?" Spencer asked in shock and put the man on his bed. "Oh, by the way, I´m Spencer Reid. I'm with the FBI, Mr?"
"With the FBI? Then you must help us. Please, son. My name is Lester. Lester Underwood. I´ve been here for ages..."
"Do you remember Dr. Baxter, maybe?", Reid gave it a try.
"Oh, Dr. Baxter was a good one, Mr. Reid. No comparison to Bennett ... he isn´t a nice man."
"Any idea, why Dr. Baxter left?" Reid looked around to see if he could find something to drink for Lester. On a small table, he discovered some cold tea. Spencer frowned, the first call, after this vistit would be the authorities. The conditions here were untenable.
He handed Lester the cup. "But he is no longer warm, I'm sorry, Mr. Underwood."
"That's not your fault, kid. Dr. Baxter ... it's a long time since he ... he has always been friendly to us and suddenly he was gone. There were rumors, but I never believed them."
"Rumors? What kind of?"
"Only rumors, Dr. Baxter was a nice man. They said, he did something to Cora Dickins, but that cannot be right. I often saw him with our gardener, Toby Axlrodt."
"So Dr. Baxter is gay?" Spencer pointed out and Lester nodded. "You may call it that way, Mr. Reid. Dr. Baxter didn´t touch poor Cora. No way."
"Thank you, Lester. And I promise you, this is going to change, I take care of it."
"I trust you, Mr. Reid. We don´t have much joy here. Bennetts people are not nice."
"It will change," Reid said firmly.
oOo
And a happy new year for all of you