Retribution, A Spencer Reid/Criminal Minds Fanfic

Chapter 70. Mother-Child Reunion

Reid was endlessly grateful that no police guard had been deemed necessary in Ana's case.

He'd been keeping his wife apprised of his and Melinda's progress as they neared the hospital. Anxious to get his daughter to her mother and a much-needed meal, he didn't want to be sidelined by inquisitive officers.

He'd also been keeping the images that had burned into his mind of what he'd experienced during Melinda's rescue in check. All he would show Ana was the baby's wide-eyed face and happy gurgling noises...tiny fists punching her daddy's chest and the wordless, joyful exclamations she would make when he let her wrestle his nose.

It was Mellie's favorite sport.

Reid did his best to hide the squalor of the place where their child had been kept like a beast in a cage, nor did he send Ana anything about the frantic chase through the streets, or the vacuous look on Bescardi's face when they'd found her.

He also kept hidden the tremendous power he suspected their daughter had employed. It frightened him. Melinda was so young; if she was capable of destroying a mind at her tender age, what would she be like when she matured? Reid told himself to gather data before jumping to conclusions.

First, his little family needed to see and touch and realize they were safe. But then, he wanted the doctor to examine Bescardi and tell him what had happened to her. And then it would be Melinda's turn. The man who'd delivered her into this world was the one most able to tell her parents exactly what they had on their hands.

Reid didn't want to admit it, but he could see a time when he would be scared of his own daughter. And that's a terrible thing. How can I love her so much and be afraid of her...of her power?

All this he tried to keep from his wife as the cab pulled up to the hospital's main entrance.

xxxxxxx

Ana felt as though she hadn't been able to take a proper breath since the moment she realized she was alone. The baby-shaped hole in her heart just kept getting wider and wider, every beat was falling into an empty, echoing void. Alone. When Spencer's triumphant thoughts shouted across town to her...when she knew Melinda was safe and in her father's arms...Ana could breathe again. At last.

Her husband had sent her cautionary bits and pieces, warning her against telling the nurses anything. Apparently, some unorthodox means had been employed in their child's search and rescue. At least, that's what she assumed. All she knew for sure was that something untoward had happened that needed to be kept secret. Ana was used to keeping things close. And she trusted Spencer without reservation. But her elated anticipation was hard to keep under wraps. She was glad when the nursing staff changed shifts. There was less chance anyone who hadn't been there when she was admitted would wonder about the man and child, if they were noticed, slipping into her room.

The drugs were dissipating. Aside from a pounding headache, she felt fine. But the family-sized vacancy in her center needed a little more filling. When Reid's head with its tangle of brown hair poked around the corner, grinning widely, the emptiness more than filled.

Ana's heart overflowed. So did her eyes. She couldn't help it. Reid didn't want her to try. He was flowing a little freely himself.

The first thing he did was deposit Melinda in her mother's arms. The second was to close the door to Ana's room. The third was to take the same position he had when they'd first become parents; sitting at the head of the bed so Ana could use him as a backrest. It allowed him to wrap his long arms around his entire family. It was where he could hold them against his very soul. It was the place where he knew they were safest. It was home.