Peacable
A Criminal Minds Story
Everything is dark.
Someone was screaming.
Lots of people were screaming.
Or at least she was pretty sure.
She couldn't see anything.
Her head hurt terribly and she couldn't open her eyes.
Who knew eyelids could be so heavy?
She wished everyone would stop screaming.
It was much too loud.
She didn't know where she was, or why she was currently in this predicament. She willed her eyes to open.
Nothing.
She tried again.
It was of no use.
Maybe she could move her fingers, but
Where are her fingers?
She knew they were there.
But were they moving?
It was silent now and the screaming had stopped. She thought that maybe her fingers twitched and her eyes fluttered open.
Because for a second she could feel and for a second she could see.
It was all pain and shadowy figures and it didn't last long.
"Hey, can you open your eyes for me?" A familiar voice asked. It was soft and relieved, but it was mostly familiar. So she tried, for the familiar voice, but was blinded by something white. It was much too bright. So she told them, or at least tried to,
'It's too bright.'
She figured they didn't hear her. Actually she wasn't even sure if a sound escaped her throat. So she tried again,
'Hello.'
"We're right here. We're all right here," The same voice said. She laughed because she didn't know who was there; just that she knew the voice.
Yep, the voice she knew.
'So Voice, can you tell me what happened?'
And she wondered if maybe she was going crazy? The voice could just be her imagination for all she knows. Some alternate version of her she created. It could happen. With her job it was bound to happen.
"Just open your eyes for us okay?"
Hey, it was a new voice, but she knew that one too. She guessed she could rule out going insane. Maybe, she should try to open them heavy eyelids again.
They flickered and she could see. Shadowy figures were standing around her, masked by the bright white that shined behind them.
But then the pain rushed back, it was burning her entire body.
'I think I'll just keep my eyes closed, okay Voices?'
"You almost had it. Keep trying."
Another recognizable voice…
Maybe she was going crazy.
And she didn't want to try anymore.
"Please, one more time."
'No.'
She was stubborn. That much she knew.
'Now Voices instead of telling me to keep blinding myself why don't we start with where I am?'
There was no answer. She could hear them mumbling, but it sounded like a bunch of garble to her. A lot of jumbled up and extremely loud garble.
And then she wondered if the screaming she had heard earlier was even a scream at all.
She was so confused.
"Come on Jayje, you can do it!" The voice cheered for her.
Wait a minute… they used her name.
Jayje, that was her. Jennifer Jareau. She was Jennifer Jareau, and she worked for the FBI. She had a son and a husband.
'Alright, now Voices… Who are you?'
Receiving no answer, she sighed or she thought she sighed. At least she probably didn't sigh out loud. Either way she attempted to open her eyes once more.
But she didn't like the pain it brought.
Or the freaking white light,
Oh my, was she dead?
Or was she dying?
When else do you see a white light?
If this was the well-known yet almost dreaded white light she was slightly disappointed. It wasn't as warm or comforting as it was portrayed to be.
And she most definitely did not want to go towards it.
Not like she could move anyway.
"I know you can open your eyes."
"Maybe it was just one of those reflex things and she really isn't coming back,"
"That is quite possible, statistics say…,"
"Not right now."
It was too many voices and they really were way too loud.
'Now voices, no arguing. I'm trying think here.'
Yet she wondered if she could actually call what she was doing thinking. It was more like floating on a completely flat, huge lake with no direction to go and body-less voices that seemed to be talking to her.
'Hey voices, you still there?'
"Did she just say something?"
'Hey you heard that?' If they did maybe she should keep talking.
Is someone holding her hand?
Someone is, she could feel it.
Yes, she could feel her hand.
And her fingers.
She could also feel the other hand that was holding her and realized that they weren't just voices after all. So she squeezed the voice's hand.
"Guys! She squeezed my hand. She's waking up!"
'Waking up? Was I sleeping?'
Her eyelids flickered again and she could see. She could see them.
Well sort of.
It was all really blurry.
And she was in a lot of pain.
Squinting, everything was starting to clear up.
And the voices became people.
People she knew, it was the team.
And suddenly she wanted to cry, and she didn't know why.
"Hey JJ. Welcome back." It was Emily.
"You gave us a scare there." smiled Morgan.
"Don't do that again." Reid added.
"Mommy!" Henry shrieked.
"Oh, my Vanilla Cupcake. You took quite a fall." Garcia.
And then it hit her like a loaded MP5, and she remembered.
And suddenly she wished she kept her eyes closed,
Because it was embarrassing and if she could move she'd run right out the hospital door.
"Jen. You alright? Are you in pain?"Will asked her.
Yes, she was.
But she didn't look at him.
She didn't look at anybody.
How could she?
"You have a serious concussion and several broken ribs. You were in a coma for three days," Hotch informed her, attributing her silence to confusion.
She winced, that was even worse.
"It's okay, Kiddo. We're right here," Dave assured her.
If only she could crawl in a hole and stay there. Maybe, she could go back into a coma for a few more days. Or years.
But then she looked into each of her family's eyes. They were so worried for her. It was really touching and maybe in some other situation she would really appreciate their concern, but she couldn't help it.
And she laughed out loud.
Which she realized was severely inappropriate.
And she was aggravating her ribs.
But then she looked at the now surprised looks that were plastered on them.
And JJ was sure she had gone crazy and by the looks of it, her team thought so too.
"Please…," She rasped through labored breaths, "Tell me that I did not slip into a comatose state by falling down the stairs after tripping on a psychotic clown's forgotten red nose as I attempted to catch that very same clown."
"If it helps, you took the clown down with you," Emily chuckled, realizing the humor in the situation.
"It actually does, thank you."
And they all burst into laughter…
After all, it was embarrassing.
Even Hotch smiled.
And when the doctor entered several minutes later to check on his most interesting patient he took one look inside before he decided to come back later. Because it didn't seem safe to be in the same room as seven cackling FBI agents with guns, a detective and a very confused five year old.
It just didn't seem safe.
So that's it. It's just a one chapter thing, but how was it? I laughed while writing, so I thought it was funny. But then again it could just be me.
Thanks!
-HCB