A/N: So here's the sequel as promised. This will be the last story in this series. I hope you're all going to love this story just as much as the previous two. I know for sure that this is going to be a hard journey. But I hope everyone is going to stick around to see what's going to happen. I hope you all like it!
This story is set seven years after Just Like Yesterday and it's going to contain several flashbacks. If you have any questions you can always ask.
I don't own criminal minds!
"There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment."
~ Sarah Dessen
Chapter 1: Tragedy strikes
His body trembled as he walked through the hallways of the hospital. It was like a second home to him. It was where he saved lives. It was a place where he excelled in his talent. Many people told him he was born to be a doctor and he always believed it. He always agreed. But now. Now he couldn't.
Not in that particular moment. He wasn't even able to get enough air into his lungs. All his years of experience as a trauma surgeon seemed to fade away when he heard the name of the patient. Female, 32 years old, Jennifer Jareau. Now she went by the name of Jennifer West, but once he heard the name coming from one of the medics, his world stopped. She had been shot three times. Three times. How could it be? It couldn't be happening.
So Sean Hotchner stood frozen in the hallways of the hospital, trying to get a grip of the situation. He had to call someone. His wife? His brother? No…
He couldn't call Hotch. He hadn't been in his life for over seven years and he hadn't been in JJ's either. He made the decision to break off contact with his own brother in order to move forward in life. But that didn't mean that he didn't keep track of him. He knew exactly what his brother did now. He was FBI. He even worked for the elite unit called the Behavioral Analysis Unit and he had become unit chief. He had an excellent career and Sean knew he could investigate what had happened to JJ.
He needed to know. No one could get away with hurting his best friend. It couldn't happen. No one. So he picked up his phone and went through his list of contacts, stopping at Hotchner. He dialed the number, knowing it would work.
As he listened to the beats, Sean started pacing. He needed to do something. He couldn't just do nothing. But he knew damn well his chief of surgery would kick him out of the OR.
Hotch was sitting behind his desk, looking through cases. He had to find out where the team was going next. It was always an impossible job to decide who to help and who not to. It hurt when he made the final decisions, but it was a part of his job he had to live with. He choose to do it on his own because he didn't want to hire a media liaison anymore. No one had been able to work under the pressure and they always left within six months. He wondered if there were any eligible candidates for the job.
He was pulled from his racing thoughts when his phone rang. It was an unknown number so he thought it would a detective asking for questions about a case. ''Hotchner,'' he greeted, hearing heavy breathing on the other side of the phone.
Sean felt like breaking down when he heard the voice of his older brother. It sounded so different, yet so familiar. ''Aaron, it's Sean.'' he sighed shortly.
''Sean?'' Hotch croaked out, hearing his brother break down on the other side of the phone. His breathing was erratic and he was whispering but Hotch didn't a hear a word of it. He knew something was wrong. He rose from his chair, grabbing his gun and credentials before storming out of the office. ''Sean! Sean?'' he repeated as he passed by Reid, Prentiss and Morgan. They all looked at him with stunning faces. He realized they had never seen him in such a panic, but he had no time to explain.
''You have to come, man.'' Sean suggested as he leaned with his back against the wall and dropping down to the floor. ''It's JJ!''
Hotch felt paralyzed at the sound of her name. He hadn't spoken to her in what seemed like a century. And it hurt more than anything. She was still on his mind each day. ''What happened? Where are you?'' he asked frantically. ''I'm on my way, Sean. Tell me what's happening.''
''I'm at work. New-York Memorial Hospital.'' he replied as he forced himself to keep calm for JJ's sake. ''She was shot, Aaron. Three times.''
Hotch felt the ground under him disappear and he choked up. He was standing in the elevator with weakened knees and he had to do everything to keep thinking. He was an agent and it was his job to stay calm. ''Where is she now?''
''They just brought her up to the OR.''
''Sean, it'll take me two hours tops before I'm in New-York.'' Hotch explained. ''I need you to go in there and help her. She needs you, Sean.''
''I can't do this, Aaron. I can't operate on a friend. Not JJ.'' he whispered in tears.
Hotch stormed out of the elevator and ran towards his SUV. ''You can do this. You're the best trauma surgeon in New-York. JJ deserves the best.'' he said, thinking about the time he noticed Sean's name in a medical journal. He had been published and labeled as one of the rising surgeons in the field of trauma surgery. He was excelling in every aspect in his field. ''I believe in you.''
Those were the words he needed to hear. So he rose from the ground and started to make his way towards the OR. 'Thanks, Aaron.'' he said kindly. ''I'll let you know when something happens.''
''Okay,'' he whispered and then the line went dead.
Never in his life had Hotch run so fast. His legs were taking on a life of its own and his heart was nearly exploding. He couldn't believe what was happening. Even though he had no contact with JJ in years, he still cared for her. A lot. And he needed to be there. He needed to know what happened. No one got shot three times without a real reason. Something awful must have been going on in her life. No lawyer got shot. He knew that from experience. His days as a prosecutor taught him that behind each crime was a reason. They weren't fair or understandable. So he eventually decided to join the FBI, hoping to catch the bad guys himself and keep them from hurting more people. His job had become the most rewarding thing in his life and it changed him.
Hotch ran past the nurses' station and he heard a nurse calling out to stop him from going any further. So he stopped and turned around frantically. ''Hi!'' he said with urgency, holding his credentials in front of the nurses' face. ''I'm SSA Aaron Hotchner, FBI.'' he explained. ''I'm here about a gunshot victim. Her name is Jennifer Jareau.''
The nurse moved around a little, going through some papers until she stopped at a one piece of paper and he looked at her. ''I have someone by the name of Jennifer West.''
''West?'' he repeated in disbelief. JJ had married the man, he once called his enemy. He felt his knees go weak at the thought of them together, but the fact was that it wasn't his business. JJ had chosen to go her own way. He had no right to feel anything about her marriage. ''Has anyone spoken to her husband?'' he asked in a hurry.
''No, sir.'' the nurse replied. ''But a male victim was found at the same house where your victim was found shot.'' she explained as she shifted through more papers. ''The name is Griffen West.''
Hotch stepped back, realizing the intensity of the news he just received. It wasn't what he wanted to hear. He knew it was going to destroy JJ's life forever if Griffen was going to die as well. She had dealt with too much death in her life already and another one would devastate her completely. ''Where is he?''
The expression on the woman's face told him more than enough. ''He's in ICU.'' she began sadly. ''During surgery Mr. West went into hypovolemic shock. And because of the amount of blood loss and response time of the ambulance, his case is severe.'' she explained with difficulty. ''His organs are shutting down due to the lack of blood in the blood vessels to sustain blood pressure in the vital organs and the brain.''
''Oh my god.'' Hotch whispered emotionally, trying to keep himself together. He had to stay strong. ''Can I see him?''
''Of course.''
Hotch followed the nurse one floor up to the ICU. His heart was sinking as they were nearing the room. He knew the nurse just told him that Griffen was going to die. Now the question was if JJ was going to live.
A/N: What I did in this chapter felt heartbreaking. I've invested a lot in creating the character of Griffen West and I loved to write him. He might be back in a new story. I feel like he's too great to let go off. I hope you all enjoyed his presence in the stories as much as I did. But he'll appear in many flashbacks to come, so it isn't really the end yet. Thanks for reading!