21.) An Absolute Dream

*~Melanie~*

My eyes fluttered open and I immediately noticed that I was in a room with painted, pink walls, and butterflies decorated all around the room. I slowly sat up, realizing that I was in my old bedroom, and for some odd reason...I was beyond happy to be here.

"Melanie? Sweetie, it's time to wake up! Breakfast is almost ready!" I heard, which made my heart race.

"Mama...?" I whispered, throwing the blankets off of me and running out of the room, down the hallway, and into the kitchen.

"What have I told you about running? You're going to hurt yourself!" I couldn't believe it. It was her...my mother.

"Mom!" I ran into her arms, hugging her tightly, as she laughed and embraced me.

"Well what has gotten into you?" She asked.

"I've missed you so much!" I cried.

"Sweetie, I haven't gone anywhere. Did you have a nightmare or something?" I didn't respond. I just kept hugging her, smelling the scent of her perfume, and hearing the faint beating of her heart.

"Something like that."

"Well it was just a bad dream, okay? Everything is fine now." She smiled, placing a soft kiss on my forehead. "Now sit down and eat. We have a big day ahead of us." I sat down at the table, looking around the familiar kitchen, instantly frowning.

"Where's grandma?" I asked.

"Oh, she's not here. I thought we could have a mother/daughter day. How does that sound?"

"Like an absolute dream." I'm not sure if I was dead or dreaming, but I didn't question it. I was going to enjoy this moment for as long as I could.

*

*

*~Omniscient~*

Reid paced back and forth in the waiting room, impatiently waiting on a doctor to come out and tell them about Melanie's condition. She was immediately rushed into surgery once they got to the hospital, leaving Spencer waiting alone in the waiting room. Eventually, the rest of the team joined him, as they all sat quietly in the waiting room.

"Any news yet?" Rossi questioned, gaining everyone's attention. He waited until Marci was asleep, before sneaking away to check on the team, and find out Melanie's condition.

"Nothing yet." Morgan answered, looking over at Spencer, who was still pacing back and forth. He hadn't said a word to anyone and all he wanted was to know if Melanie was okay.

"How's Marci doing?" Hotch asked.

"She suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder, but the doctors said she's going to be fine." Everyone was relieved to hear that.

"What's taking so long?" Spencer questioned.

"These things take time, Spence. Come sit down." JJ said. She had never seen Spencer so worked up and it scared her a little.

"I'm good."

"I don't think he's had time to process everything." Prentiss whispered. "You know how close he and Melanie are." JJ had the urge to roll her eyes, but restrained herself from doing so. She had a gut feeling that something was going on between the two friends, but she didn't have any proof. Little did she know...her gut feeling wasn't wrong.

"Family of Melanie Pratt?" A doctor called out, as everyone stood up from their seats.

"How is she?" Hotch asked, approaching the doctor.

"Ms. Pratt is stable, but the injuries she was brought in with are very severe. We're going to need to keep her here for a week or two, to ensure she doesn't have any permanent brain damage, due to the lack of oxygen that happened during the strangulation."

"What about the stab wound?" Morgan questioned.

"Luckily the stab wound wasn't deep enough to cause any internal injuries, but she did lose an alarming amount of blood from the stab. Not to mention every bone in her hand is broken, which means she's going to need multiple surgeries and physical therapy in order to regain mobility back in her hand." He said.

"Can we see her?" Reid asked.

"She's in recovery, but once we get her settled into her room then she can have visitors." Hotch thanked the doctor, before turning to face the team.

"You should all head back to the hotel and get some rest. We can come back in the morning, before we head home." He told everyone.

"I'm not leaving."

"Spence..." JJ began, but he cut her off.

"I'm not leaving!" He said again.

"I'll stay and keep an eye on him. You all go get some rest." Morgan chimed in.

"Okay, let us know when she's allowed visitors." Hotch said, as he and the rest of the team headed out. Reid sat down and sighed heavily, relieved that Melanie had made it through, but they weren't out of the woods just yet.

"I need to get back to Marci and tell her the good news. Call me as soon as the doctors take you to her room." Rossi said, as he walked out of the waiting room.

"You sure you're alright, kid?" Morgan asked, breaking the silence between them.

"I want to say yes, but...I don't think I can." He said. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that she's alive, but...she was dead Morgan. If it weren't for you...she wouldn't be here right now, so...thank you."

"No need to thank me man. I'd have done it for any one of you."

"Yeah, I know, but I...I just sat there. I didn't help her, I didn't..." The tears resumed as he dropped his face in his hands.

"Come on now Reid, don't do that. You did everything you could, man. We all did and Melanie is going to appreciate that, no matter what." He assured him. They sat in the waiting room for another hour, until one of the nurses came to escort them to Melanie's room.

"Her surgery went great, but she's still coming off the anesthesia so she probably won't be up for awhile." She told them. "I'm sure the doctor told you how severe her injuries are, so she shouldn't do a lot of moving for awhile. She also might have some trouble talking, seeing as how her voice box was slightly damaged." She opened the door and allowed them to walk in first, before stepping in behind them. Reid froze in his place, seeing an unconscious Melanie in the bed, which brought him a brief flashback of when they found her dead in the barn.

"I can't see her like this...I...I need a minute." Reid said, as he turned and rushed out of the room.

"Reid!" Morgan called out, sighing heavily, as he sent a quick text to Rossi. Normally, he would've chased after Reid, but he figured he'd just give him some much needed space. Instead, he walked up to Melanie's bedside, and gently grabbed her hand. "You and I are gonna have some words when you wake up." He pulled up a chair next to her bed, preparing himself for a long night of uncomfortable sleep.

Reid sat alone in an empty waiting room, trying to calm himself down, but it was easier said than done. Rossi found him sitting alone, approaching him, as he sat down.

"I've always hated hospitals." He said. "Too many bad memories."

"You'd think after all the bad things we've seen, that a hospital would be less scary." Reid said, laughing a little.

"Talk to me, kid. What's going through your mind right now?" Reid sat there for a minute, before taking a deep breath.

"How do you know when you're in love with somebody?"

"You've never been in love?" Rossi questioned, as Reid shook his head. "Oh, and you thought to ask the guy with four failed marriages, for love advice?"

"No, that's not what I-" Reid stuttered, making Rossi laugh.

"I'm just teasing you, kid. Being in love is a powerful feeling, that makes your heart race, but also gives you those butterfly feelings in your stomach. No matter what, you have the deep urge to protect the person you love and to vow never to let anyone or anything hurt them, even though you can't actually promise that. Now, that's just a textbook version of what I think someone feels when they're in love, but to be completely honest with you...love to me is a woman that can make me laugh. Shares some of the same interests as me and isn't afraid to try new things. I'm Italian, so love is like a second language to me, and I never question it." Reid nodded his head, hanging on to Rossi's every word. "Now let me ask you this...do you love Melanie?"

"I...I'm not sure. She always makes me laugh, we both love to read, and she's always willing to try new things with me. Whenever I see her, my day becomes better because I know she's gonna be apart of that, but when she's upset with me...I feel a deep feeling of dread."

"Well then...sounds like love to me." Rossi said.

"But what if it's too soon?" He asked him. "It's only been a few months, so how do we know if it's really love?"

"There's not such a thing as too soon when it comes to love. Love is timeless, and can strike at any time, whether it's between two people that have known each other for a few months or a few minutes. You know...I remember the very first time I met Melanie and her grandmother. It wasn't under the best circumstances, but...I knew from the moment I met Marci, that she was something special. Unfortunately, we weren't able to act on our feelings, simply because I was married and she had to look after Melanie. I never thought we'd have a chance, but now I know that we do, and I'm not going to take that chance for granted. Are you?" Reid looked at Rossi, as he stood up and patted his shoulder, before leaving him alone with his thoughts. Deep down, he knew Rossi was right. He didn't want to take this second chance for granted, and he wasn't going to. Instead, he was going to embrace these feelings and let whatever happens happen.