A/N: This was meant to be a one shot.. it's not going to be. I have been so busy lately, that it is hard to write! But I will try. Let me know what you think! I already know that there will be a branch off story of this one, in a way. There is no Will or Henry. Enjoy and PLEASE review!
It's four in the morning when your heart stops. Your entire life crawls to a stand still as you arrive at the collapsed building, first responders are everywhere, tons of them. Cops, firefighters, paramedics-everyone trying to do a job- to save lives. At that is why you were called in, specially requested on the scene to save a life.
You know very little details, only that a building suddenly collapsed, and that a mass casualty unit has been set up. Just one look at the building and you know you will not be coming home tonight. Thankfully, your wife is understanding- she is in the same line of work, saving lives.
You smile as you think about her, and grab your phone. It is too loud to talk and you know she would not be able to hear you, so you shoot her a quick text message.
"Mass casualty. Home late. Love you."
And you stick the thing back in your pocket as you search out who is command. You take a quick glance at the building and cannot help but whistle softly, it is a miracle that anyone survived it, and if anyone is still trapped inside, you have very little doubt they are still breathing. You cannot help but freeze and look at it, you know the building was as of a few hours ago, a domestic violence shelter. Now, it's smoldering rubble.
"Dr. Jack!" You jump at the sound and turn to see one of the paramedics rushing towards you. He is young and you have seen him before, but he is panicked. "We have someone over here, sir. She needs you bad…" He is rambling and panting.
"Alright, where is she?" You ask, grabbing your gear and following the medic, thumbing the phone in your pocket, waiting for the vibrate to tell you your wife knows you won't be home.
"She's trapped, sir, under the rubble. We cannot get her out- that's why we requested you."
You nod, it means you have to go into the building. They wouldn't send you in, unless it was secure. Unfortunately, as a trauma surgeon, you have done this a few times, gone into the field to attempt to save a life. "Tell me a bit about her." You like to be prepared before you go in, you need to prepare yourself for what you are dealing with.
"Female, mid thirties, 100/50, pulse is 130. Her left leg is crushed under the concrete pillar. Broken ribs, possible internal bleeding, definite head injury as she is in and out of consciousness. Pupils are reactive." He spills off and you nod, you already know this poor woman's chances are not great.
"Her family here?" You ask, knowing there is a chance that she won't make it out alive.
He nods. "Sorta. Cops are trying to track them down."
"What do you mean "sorta?" You ask, not sure what he had meant. He is about to answer when a low rumble is heard and suddenly, a mass of people come running towards you.
"Get back!" They shout and you watch in horror as the rubble shifts and you swear you hear the building give a death howl as it collapses further.
"Is there anyone else in that building?" You ask the medic as you dust yourself off.
"She's the only victim left."
"Let's get her family here, okay?" You tell him as you see one of the firemen signaling for you to follow him inside. "Let's do that now." Deep down, you know this poor woman isn't coming back out. Not alive anyway.
You crawl, and crawl following the light ahead of you. "She's right up here," The fireman says. "She's pretty hurt, not doing so well. Captin is with her- didn't want her to pass alone."
You nod and begin to see the area up ahead. You stop when you see two larger figures sitting up, and kneeling over someone, the victim, on the ground. "I thought you said she was the only victim left."
"She is, the other two weren't here when the building collapsed. One is her boss, he wouldn't leave. FBI.."
And you stop, you see someone familiar up ahead, you recognize him immediately and he is looking down, his hand on the cheek of the victim. "No." You shake your head as you crawl faster, adrenaline pushing you. "No.."
Tears begin to fall quickly.
"Leo?" The voice pulls at you and you know its Hotch. "Leo, what are you doing here?" He asks and moves in front of the person, stopping you from seeing her.
"Hotch.."
"Go back, Leo, go back now." He commands before looking to the firefighter. "Another doctor, we need another doctor."
"Hotch, please!" You beg because you know, you know why you're wife didn't respond to your text.
"Leo, you cannot be here." He tells you.
"Hotch- there is nobody else." You explain and finally reach her side.
Hotch looks at you, and realizes you are right. "She's not consciousness right now.." He says softly and moves away, allowing you access to his agent, to your wife, to your JJ.
And when you see her, you smile, because even with all the blood and ash, she is still gorgeous.
"J?" You whisper and rub your hand over her face, careful not to hurt her in any way. She doesn't respond, and you know that she is not doing well.
You turn to the Captain who is still with you and Agent Hotchner. "Kid outside told me she was stable.." Even though you didn't believe it.
"Sorry doc." The Captain responds. "I'll talk to him." It's his own way of confirming that JJ is not okay- not stable. "We've been with her for about an hour, she's uh.." He pauses and you watch as he rubs his mouth with his hand. "She's been coughing up blood, Agent Hotchner has been helping her to clear it, she isn't waking up as easy as she was before. Its taking longer for her to come around, and she isn't consciousness for more than a few minutes at a time."
You stop and look up at him, briefly tearing your eyes away from your wife. "He didn't mention she was coughing up blood!" Your panic begins to rise again, and you reach down to feel her pulse. You are torn, you have to be the doctor right now, but you are also her husband.
And you know she is dying. And you still have to play both roles.
"Leo." You look up at the whisper and see Hotch nodding down to JJ. Her eyes are fluttering, she is beginning to wake up.
"JJ?" You lean over, and gently place your hand to her cheek, caressing it gently. "C'mon, babe, open your eyes." You plead. It takes a while a good few minutes before she is able to do it. And you instantly, immediately, that she is dying. She is dying right there in your arms, and by God you have the skills, the education to stop it.
"We need to get her out. Now." You tell anyone who will listen.
"Leo- her leg is crushed, we can't move her." The Captain explains and without a second thought, you know exactly what you are going to have to do. And you go straight into doctor mode, one that when a cough breaks the silence, it immediately grabs your attention.
"JJ." You look into her eyes. "Hi honey," You smile and reach down, wiping away a tear that is falling from her eyes. She is in so much pain. "I'm going to fix it, I promise." You tell her softly and you watch as she struggles to take a breath. "JJ, shh, its okay." You tell her as you assess her condition further. You press your stethoscope to her chest and close your eyes. She isn't moving air, and you have zero doubt in your mind that very soon you will have to intubate her or watch her stop breathing altogether.
"Leo.." Its' faint but its her voice, and it took all her energy to get your name out. She is gasping for air and you cannot risk having her sit up to ease her breathing. She cannot sit up.
"JJ, don't talk okay. I have to cut off your clothes, It's just me and Hotch" You guide her, grabbing your gear and cutting off her vest and shirt- wondering why it hadn't been done earlier. Once her shirt is gone, you look and see her stomach, it's black and blue- there is no part of her that is its normal color. Her chest is moving too fast, she is breathing to hard and too fast, you can see it without having to listen to her. Shit.
You make eye contact with her just in time to see it start to happen. "Hotch!" You yell at him, and watch as he getnly forces her head sideways and she coughs up a concerning amount of blood. She cries out in pain as she does so and you know her ribs are broken and with broken ribs.. no, you have to do this one step at a time.
"Where is the intubation equipment?" You are frantic now, your wife is not able to breathe and the one thing that can help her do so is missing. "Hotch, where is it!?" You scream as you dig and hear the Captain get on his radio and demand one be brought down.
"Five minutes." You hear the Captain tell you, "It'll be here in five minutes."
"She doesn't have five minutes!" And right then it hits you. JJ has every possibility of dying right now and you break down.
"JJ, please.." You beg, letting your tears fall to her. "I'm right here, I'm going to help you I promise." You whisper, and you see fear in her eyes- so you do the only thing you can right then. You be her husband. You kiss her and take her hand, and she never takes her eyes off of you. She is trusting you to save her life and you are not sure you can.
"Home." She forces the word out, a tiny word.
"What JJ?" You ask, looking back as you see someone coming towards you. Thank God.
It takes a bit for her to respond but she does. "Home, Leo. I." She pauses again. "Go home."
"I know, sweetie, Ill get you there." You don't bother telling her what you are about to do to her, she doesn't need to know. She'll be mad at you, but she'll be alive. "Do you remember we have to get to Auckland in a few months. Just you and me." You tell her as your life saving equipment is brought.
"Leo!" You look up and could almost cry- Jean Little is there, your co worker, a gifted trauma surgeon is at your side. It's not all on you now. "Oh, Jesus." He sees JJ.
"Hi, Jean.." JJ gasps out and you squeeze her hand.
"Hi, kiddo." Jean looks at you. "How bad?"
You explain everything you know as you watch Jean help you prepare the meds you know are going to sedate your wife. "JJ, we are going to give you some meds honey," You see the fear in her beautiful eyes, "we have to baby, you can't breathe on your own anymore. I will see you when you wake up, okay?" You tell her and watch as Jean injects the meds into her IV line. She is out instantly and before you know what is happening, Jean is skillfully slipping the tube down her throat, and in the background you are hearing voices.
Familiar voices, doctors, nurses and medics, people are coming to help. Thank God.
But the monitors are still screaming, and you press your stethoscope again to her chest. You hear everything you don't want too, a gurgling sound, like she is drowning. And she is, only in her own blood, she cannot breathe because her chest has filled with blood. Her chest has been crushed by the debris and you begin to wonder if you can fulfill your promise to her- you begin to wonder if you will be able to bring JJ home.