"Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic." ~ Oscar Wilde
The Lover
The Monday after the engagement/house-warming/baby-announcement party was interesting.
We were all back at the BAU; Melanie in her office being swarmed with memos from the entire team, ordering her to stay in her office and stay out of the field no matter what. Not only that but they were warning me too; demanding me to wait on Melanie hand and foot.
I accepted it all with a smile, blush and a laugh; knowing they were right and reassuring them all that I already was.
There'd been an awkward conversation between Penelope, Mel and I, whereby Penelope had been questioning us about the due date for our baby; wondering that because he was due in October that then meant Melanie had fallen pregnant in January but how could that be for we weren't together in January.
I think it's fair to say that every tomato was jealous of my colouring as I blurted an excuse and hurried off to leave Melanie to deal with that one.
Not that it wasn't obvious Mel and I had been back together for a long time now; what with the new engagement, the house and now the baby.
But it was a little awkward to admit to the team and anyone else that yes, we were seeing each other behind everyone's backs while I was still sort-of seeing Dylan.
I only prayed and hoped Penelope wouldn't bring that up in conversation...
It was special having my mom at the party, and the happiness on her face was unforgettable when we'd made the announcement and she'd congratulated us both; admitting that this time she really didn't have a clue.
There was a moment when she forgot about the loss of our previous child and told us both - aside - how happy he'd be to be having a little brother or sister.
But we'd taken it wonderfully considering the emotion in the statement, and it only made us even happier and luckier to be carrying another child.
I think it's fair to say we really knew how fortunate and lucky we were to be having a second chance.
Not only with another child but with each other; in the BAU; in DC; in life.
We'd both come too close to the edge on too many occasions since we'd last been so happy. And to know that now we were being blessed with another chance was... well, it's clichéd to say 'magical'. But there was certainly some truth in that word, regardless.
"Hey have you thought of baby names yet?" Emily asked, walking from one end of the conference room to the other with her cup of coffee; a sparkle in her eye as she sat down opposite me.
"Oh, oh, oh, let me guess! Aaron if it's a boy, and.... Diana if it's a girl!" Penelope grinned before laughing from next to Morgan.
"No," I laughed, shaking my head as everyone chuckled at Penelope's excitement.
"We're trying not to think of any names or the sex or anything, we don't want to tempt fate this time." I explained and everyone nodded.
"I think that's a good idea, son." Dave said, patting my shoulder as he sat down next to me.
"So does that me you haven't decided on god-parents yet?" JJ prodded, waggling her eyebrows and smiling mischievously.
"No!" I laughed, everyone joining in too as Melanie appeared in the doorway.
"Spencer," She gushed; a serious expression plastered across her face.
"What's wrong?" I panicked, leaping to my feet with my heart thudding in my chest.
"You have to come with me." She said, reaching for my hand and pulling me out the bullpen door of the conference room, marching along the perimeter of the room as I gushed,
"Mel, what is it? What's happened? Is it the baby? Are you okay?" I asked, panicking as I slyly moved my hand from hers so I could feel her pulse in her wrist.
"We're fine, it's nothing to do with me or the baby," She explained gently, hurrying down the short steps and crossing to my desk.
We were both aware of everyone standing at the windows of the conference room; watching with bated breath.
"I've just had a phone call," She said as she set her tablet down onto my desk and pulled my suit jacket from the back of my desk chair.
"From the sanitarium," She added, helping me into my jacket. My heart plummeted at the mention of my mother's place of residence.
"Your mother's doctor needs your presence immediately." She explained and I turned to her worriedly.
"What's happened?" I asked.
"They suspect she's contracted pneumonia," She said gravely, my throat constricting.
"She's been severely ill over the weekend since our party but has gotten extremely worse through the night. They need your support to change her medication."
"Her medication?" I echoed, sliding my arms through the coat Melanie held out for me. "Pneumonia?" I repeated, ducking my head so she could wrap my scarf around my neck.
"But she was fine on Saturday." I said with a pout and Melanie sighed, nodding her head as she flattened my lapels.
"I know hun but," She chewed on her bottom lip and looked up at me worriedly. "These things just happen, don't they? You know what it's like." I nodded my head, knowing what she meant.
You know what it's like for people as they get older, is what she'd wanted to say.
"I'll be back as soon as I can." I told her, leaning forward to kiss her forehead.
"No," She said firmly, holding me back with a hand pressed against my chest. "Take all the time you need..." She said with a nod of her head, flattening my scarf to avoid my eyes.
"I'll take your place on the new case today and join you whenever I can. I'll be with my dad, I'll bring Penelope out into the field with us too for extra support. We can manage without you for however long it takes."
"Melanie no," I said adamantly. "You are not going out into the field. Not after what happened last time." I said severely, my volume increasing slightly.
"You have to be with your mum Spencer!" She said emphatically. "I am saying this as your boss, not as your fiancé. We will handle things without you. Right now, you're needed at your mother's bedside, so that is where you're going to be."
There was a brief pause as the pair of us stared each other out; daring each other to disagree.
After a moment under her intense stare, I sighed and looked skyward; catching her smug smile out of the corner of my eye.
"Be safe, Melly, please." I said, leaning down to sweep a kiss across her lips hurriedly.
"You too, Spence. Send your mum my love," She said, walking with me to the doors of the bullpen.
"Take my car," She added, passing me her car keys as if only remembering that's what she'd meant to say before.
"Give her a massive hug from me please, and don't let those doctors tell you they know better than you." She smiled, squeezing my hand.
"Of course not." I grinned, kissing her hand before leaving.
The Daughter
I watched him get inside the elevator and blew him a kiss as he waved and the doors closed in front of him.
I tilted my head back slightly and closed my eyes; gathering strength before turning and heading back into the conference room.
"What's going on?" Penelope demanded before I'd even re-entered the room.
"Is everything okay with the baby?" My dad asked, already on his feet to give me his seat.
"I'm okay," I smiled reassuringly, holding a hand out to tell him to sit back down. "Really, we're both fine," I laughed, sweeping a hand over my tummy; making everyone smile and sigh in relief.
"Spencer's mum's taken ill so I'll be in the field in his place."
"Melanie-" My dad began in disapproval.
"Dad," I interrupted. "Diana is extremely ill, I'm not having this team out on a limb, and I'm not having Spencer in the field so distracted," I said emotionally, looking out at my friends and family.
"And before any of you disagree with me," I said in a louder voice as they all began interrupting me. I held a hand out to silence them; my authoritarian voice doing just that; everyone cowering back down into their seats.
"You need someone to be there in Spencer's place - I can do that - and Penelope you will be coming with us; I'll need the extra support if I'm isolated to the police stations and that way I can lead here from wherever we are."
"Are you sure you can afford to take time out of the office?" Morgan asked doubtfully.
"I will still be doing everything from the stations," I explained firmly. "Just because I'm in the field doesn't mean my Chief duties will be put on hold," I reasoned.
"But this is my call to make and I'm making it, regardless as to what any of you have to say." I said seriously; my eyes falling to my dad at the table in front of me.
He looked up at me sceptically and I arched an eyebrow at him.
"You're the boss." He shrugged and Dave sniggered from his side.
"I never thought I'd see the day when you'd say that, Aaron." He smirked and I smiled at his words.
I thought of how 'odd' it was for the team to see my dad like this; bowing under the authority of his daughter. They were used to Aaron Hotchner being the one to have the last word in every sense.
The Lover
There was that feeling in the air; the cold atmosphere when somebody dies. That's how it felt at the sanitarium.
For the entire day, I'd conferenced and discussed and argued with my mother's doctors until by the evening we'd agreed on a concoction of drugs suitable enough to potentially help her condition.
She was bedridden; unable to get up for the toilet or chew her food or sip her water.
Everything was put through a tube, and I couldn't remember a time when I'd seen her look so ill.
Melanie was right to send me here; but now that I was here, I wanted nothing else than to be at work, or out on the field; doing something other than just sitting around a brightly-lit, poorly-heated, thickly-tense room with doctors and nurses constantly filling the room my mother was in.
"Doctor Reid?" One of the nurses appeared in the doorway with an inquisitively soft expression. "There's an Ainsley Hart in reception for you."
I frowned in confusion; what the Hell was Hart doing here?!
I got to my feet, setting my now cold cup of forgotten coffee back on the table, glancing at my mom before leaving the room and following the nurse back down to the reception.
There was Hart; stood by the reception desk in the centre of the lobby, holding a massive bouquet of white and apricot coloured roses in her hands; tied together with a baby pink ribbon.
"Reid," She grinned upon seeing me. "I'm so sorry to be here under these circumstances," She said as I approached her with a curious expression.
She nodded instead of shaking my hand; remembering everything Melanie had originally told her.
"I had gone by the office to speak with Hotchy, and then Andersen had explained the situation. I'm so sorry to hear that your mom is ill, I thought I'd bring some flowers."
I looked at her in suspicious confusion, my blood cooling slightly.
"Uh...Thank you, Hart." I said quietly, forcing myself to accept the flowers.
She laughed bashfully, her cheeks brightening.
"If it wasn't for Hotchy, I wouldn't be in my dream team," She explained as I looked at the flowers in my hands.
"She's like family and I hate to think of how stressful this situation must be for you all."
"That was really kind of you," I said with an awkward smile and a nod. "I'll tell Melanie you stopped by." I took a step back, signalling the end of the conversation.
She laughed once more before turning to leave.
Breathing a sigh of relief I hurried back to my mom, wondering why on Earth Hart of all people had decided to physically deliver flowers.