Somebody To Lean On -
A Criminal Minds Fan fiction -
Written By: AutumnMalarkey.
Chapter 1: Discoveries
"Prentiss." Hotch called over to her. Her eyes met with his, and she could not help but feel the spark between them.
"Yes, Sir?" She began to stand up.
"You're coming to the latest crime scene with me. Rossi and JJ, go to the latest victims house!" He instructed; knowing fully well that Reid and Morgan were already trying their best to get one step ahead of the killer.
"Sure." She stood up, not feeling all to well as a light headed feeling came over her head, she stood still. Waiting until the feeling passed. And when it did, she followed Hotch out to the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV). Upon seeing her nearing the car, Hotch felt worried, and not just a normal worry, a worry he felt deeply for the woman he loved. The paleness of her face told him something was not alright.
"Are you alright, Prentiss?" He asked, keeping her Agent name to make it sound more boss like.
"Yeah, I'm fine." A small smile was flashed his way as she climbed into the passenger side of the vehicle. Hotch knew more than to argue with her; he knew she was as professional as him and if she thought it was something that would risk someone else's life or one of the team's she would have told him.
"Alright then." He followed suit and got into the car, putting the key into the ignition he began to drive towards a crime scene.
Being only half of the way there, Emily cursed to herself. Not understanding why her body hated her at the minute, but, she could not stop, as bile rose in her throat, she knew she was going to be sick.
"Pull over." She instructed and Hotch looked at her as if she were crazy.
"What?" He asked, still driving at the same speed as before. He glanced over as she shouted for him to pull over again, and saw as her pale face turned a slight green. Quickly, he pulled over into the side of the abandoned road by some bushes and watched as she darted out of the car, not forgetting to shut the door behind herself, hoping Hotch did not have to see or hear what was about to happen. Much to her annoyance, Hotch felt a mass of concern and also left the car, going over to where she was violently retching, he cringed slightly before panicking about what to do. As a result, he did the only thing he could do; crouch down behind her back, pulled her hair from her face and held it back as he rubbed smooth circles on her upper back, soothingly and did not stop until he heard the vomiting stop.
"Are you alright?" He asked, still not stopping the motion entirely until she nodded. "Alright then." Leaving her side, Hotch went and got a water bottle from in the car and passed it over to her before his phone started vibrating and ringing out an awful tone. "Excuse me." He walked away from Emily who was washing her mouth out with the water. "Hotchner." He announced.
"Hey Hotch, any leads from the crime scene?" Morgan's voice came over the other end, and immediately Hotch knew that Morgan and Reid could find nothing more from what little they had.
"Yeah, there has been a delay. We haven't got there yet." Hotch informed him.
"What is wrong? Did you get a flat? Run out of gas? Did something happen?" The worry in Morgan's voice was evident.
"No, but Prentiss is sick." Hotch regretted saying that as the second the words left his mouth, a loud, ear piercing 'what?' came over the phone. "She has just threw up and she didn't look too good before, I think I'm going to take her to the hotel and then go to the crime scene." It did not take a profiler to know that Morgan had just nodded.
"Alright, Hotch, just make sure she is fine before you leave her." Concern was evident in his voice.
"I will." Hotch then hung up and helped Emily as she stood up.
"Are you alright? Any dizziness? More nausea?" His hand went to her forehead which was a normal temperature.
"No, Hotch, I'm fine." She moved away from his hand, letting it drop back to his side.
"Really, because you just threw up and earlier you looked like you were going to pass out, Prentiss!" There it was again, his emotional concern turning back to professional. "Have you had a bump to the head recently?" He asked, needing to know if she had to go to the hospital.
"No, Hotch." She replied again, like a stubborn three year old.
"Maybe I should just take you in to be on the safe side." He paused, thinking.
"No, I'm fine, seriously. I think it's just food poisoning or the flu or something…" She too paused in thought, knowing her 'or something' was a massive or something. "Can I just go back to the hotel?" She asked, looking down at the ground where her foot had somehow buried itself in the mud with the movement of her awkwardness from having to ask, Hotch, too, picked up on the action.
"Sure." He helped her into the car and waiting for her to fasten her seatbelt. Giving her the bottle of water back, he went over to the drivers side and drove away, back in the direction of the station and hotel.
"Emily… Em, wake up." She heard the hazy voice and slowly opened her eyes, looking at the blonde woman in front of her. "It's time to go home." JJ explained, but her explanation only confused Emily further as she wondered how long she had been asleep for.
"Wh-What?" She groggily asked, sitting up.
"The case is done. Hotch and Morgan found a massive clue at the last crime scene and the second he got his next victim, we had him." She once again filled her in.
"How long…?" She asked, utterly confused.
"You've been asleep since you got in the car with Hotch, he carried you up here, it's about four am now." She finally gave her the information she needed and Emily nodded.
"Thanks. But, why are we leaving so early?" She asked, even more confused.
"Hotch wanted to get home in time to get Jack to school and I miss Will and Henry." Emily knew immediately what it was now, their children. The one thing she would most likely never have. She always believed that, and even after everything that happened today, she still believed it would never happen.
"Sure. Just let me get my things." As a response, JJ held up her go bag to show her she had already packed. "'Kay then, Thunderbirds are go!" She joked and JJ smiled at her.
"You seem better." She commented as she helped her up from her bed.
"Yeah, I feel better too. It was probably just the car journey." JJ nodded, knowing that it can happen to everyone.
"Alright then. But just to be sure you should probably sleep it off on the jet anyway." She opened the door and waited for Emily to leave before locking the door and walking down the hall.
"Sure I will."
It seemed that Emily had done a complete re-enactment of before; as she was being shook awake again, she wondered how she had even gotten onto the plane.
"You fell asleep in the car again." Hotch explained and Emily nodded. "Come on, we have landed." He told her again and Emily's eyes looked around the plane to find only her and Hotch left. "I'm driving you home." He informed her.
"What time is it?" She looked and saw sun coming through the windows of the jet.
"About 7." Emily once again nodded.
"I feel completely better now so I should get back to work. Paperwork isn't going to do itself!" She joked, but Hotch did not crack a smile.
"Prentiss, you obviously aren't fine. You've slept fifteen hours straight through!" He groaned.
"Which is why I am well rested and ready to work, Hotch." She glared at him, and knew Hotch was not going to budge… not with out some pushing.
"I swear, either you drive me there, or you drive me home and I then take myself there." She gave him no way out, and Hotch, admittedly, just wanted to get home to Jack.
"Alright, I'll take you to the BAU." He succumbed and helped her from her seat.
Walking into the familiar bullpen, she immediately felt two sets of eyes on her.
"Princess, not that I'm not happy to see you or anything, but why are you here?" Emily heard Morgan ask.
"I'm fine now. Well rested and raring to go. Which is a hell of a lot less than what I can say about you two." Her head motioned towards Morgan then Reid as she walked over to her desk and sat down.
"Well, it is apparently a 'paperwork' day. JJ hasn't had any cases come through." Reid explained and Emily nodded slightly. She sighed at the massive pile of files on her desk and picked up a pen and the first folder, she began working.
After a serious four hours of working, two of the three agents found themselves getting restless, Morgan watched as Emily's pen practically gave off steam, quietly as he could, he scrunched up a piece of paper and watched as he threw it and it bounced off of Emily's head and landed on her desk. Her eyes came up, shooting daggers at Morgan, but a slow smile grew and he could see her joking side as she picked it up and hit him with the paper again.
"Guys." Reid looked at them, unsure of what to do or say. Also slightly amused. He watched as Morgan reached for the piece of paper and was about to throw it when Emily bolted from her seat and began running around the bullpen, Morgan chasing her every move. The piece of paper went back and forth between the two of them before they heard a voice over the balcony.
"Morgan, Prentiss, what the hell?" It was not as powerful as their boss' voice, but it was enough to make them halt. Both of them looked up at Rossi who was standing looking amused.
Emily tried her best to focus on the older man. Blinking several times, then taking deep breaths, but nothing was helping. The only thing she knew to do right now was to sit down. But her chair seemed so far away. Morgan, who held the piece of paper in his right hand, raised his arm and lashed it in Emily's way. But just as the paper was hurtling through the air, it missed her, just by an inch or so. No, not because Morgan was a rubbish shot, it was right on target, but, Emily's legs buckled from underneath her, her eyes lolled in her head and she began falling to the floor. Morgan saw her pale face, and watched her knees drop and began to race to her side, catching her only seconds before she hit the floor.
"Prentiss." He shook her slightly. "Prentiss, wake up." He slapped her cheek lightly in an attempt to wake her, but nothing happened. "Reid, Rossi, someone call an ambulance." He ordered to the two men now around him, along with a crowd of other people from the pen. Within seconds, Rossi was on the phone and he informed them about her sickness earlier.
"They said to lie her on the floor and get a jacket or something to put under her head." As he said it, Reid was already six steps ahead, grabbing a jacket and rolling it to put it under her head.
"Morgan? Reid?" Emily groggily opened her eyes to look at the people over her. She attempted to sit up, but was held down by Morgan.
"Stay lying down, Princess." His hand did the same as Hotch's had done the previous day, and went to her forehead. Prentiss reached up and threw his hand off of her.
"I am fine, just help me up." She tried to stand and saw everyone around her, not willing to help her, "Fine then." Finally, she stood up, holding onto Rossi's arm tightly.
"Come on, let's get you to the couch in my office." Helping her, he watched as she carefully went up the stairs and into his office. Carefully pushing her onto the couch he sat next to her. Rossi was about to ask if she felt better now, when two paramedics walked into the office followed by Morgan and Reid.
"Hello, Miss Prentiss-" The first, taller, blonde paramedic was cut off.
"Agent Prentiss." She snapped with a slight un-amused glare. The first paramedic stood still, in shock.
"Alright, Agent Prentiss, we understand that you fainted a few minutes ago." The second, smaller brown haired paramedic said.
"Yes…" She urged him on, feeling slightly embarrassed and vulnerable.
"And you threw up yesterday…" He waited for her to nod. "Okay, have you been feeling exhausted?" She once again, sent him another nod. He sighed, "Is there a possibility that you are pregnant Agent Prentiss?" She knew the question was coming and her cheeks began to burn.
"No." Her avoidance of eye contact with the three men, three profilers to be exact, proved that she knew that answer was not true. Apparently it did not take a profiler to figure that out as the two paramedics also noticed her looks.
"Okay then, we think it is best that you come to the hospital with us, just for a few blood tests." Her head began to shake. "I really think it will be best-"
"No." She cut him off again, "I will go later, after work, but for now I am fine." She watched at the paramedics walked away and without letting any of the boys talk, she left the office and went back to her desk. Morgan, Reid and Rossi following her.
"Good morning my chocolate Adonis!" Garcia smiled as she carried a cup of coffee over to Morgan's desk. After getting no reply and seeing all three men over Prentiss' desk, she knew something was wrong.
"What is wrong?" She asked, leaving the coffee and speeding towards them.
"Emily has just passed out." Reid informed her, and now Garcia was in a bigger state of panic than what she was in before.
"What? Are you okay? Did someone call an ambulance?" She looked at all three men.
"The paramedics just left after Em refused to go to the hospital with them. Apparently she's 'going to go later'." Rossi mocked.
"You need to go to the hospital, Em." Garcia gave her a stern look.
"I'm fine, leave me alone. I promise I will go after work."
"Oh, I know you will, because I'm driving you there." Garcia gave up and succumbed to just letting her have her way.
"That's not necessary." Emily said.
"Oh, I think it is." Garcia replied, once again giving her a stern look.
"Fine." She grumbled, at least it was not one of the guys.
"Good, see you at four. It's a date!" She chirped, picking the coffee back up off of Morgan's desk and passing everyone a quick smile before leaving to her office.
Prentiss noticed the blonde come bounding out of her office at around five and she groaned slightly; there was definitely no way to get out of it now. She knew this evening was going to be long, and if it was not bad enough to be dragged to the hospital by Garcia, Hotch and JJ had arrived at work halfway though the afternoon, and of course, Emily's 'faint' was the first thing they heard about. Now, as much as she loved JJ, she really did not want to be accompanied to the hospital by her as well. If that was not bad enough, it was the stern, strict voice of Hotch as he called her up to his office and tried to force her to go to the hospital. But, no matter what had happened it no longer mattered. In less than a minute she would be getting taken out of the Behavioural Analysis Unit (BAU) and getting in Garcia's car. Emily groaned, not out loud, but in her head. She decided that it would be best if she tried to finish this file before going, so her pen worked at 60 miles per hour over the crisp white paper until the light on the white page disappeared, and a shadow covered over it.
"C'mon, Sweetpea." She looked up and met her eyes with Garcia's.
"Two seconds." She went back to writing until the pen seemed to be stolen from her hand.
"No, now." She looked up and saw that Morgan had stolen her pen.
"Fine, whatever." She grumbled. Picking her coat off of the back of her chair and her purse from under it, she left with Garcia.
"How are you feeling now?" Garcia asked, as they neared her car.
"Fine. Honestly." She looked her straight in the eye.
"Alright then, even if you are feeling fine now, something really is not right about fainting and throwing up." She unlocked the car and both got inside of it.
"Garcia." She got the voluptuous blonde to look at her. "When we get to the hospital, can you wait outside in the waiting room? I would rather do this on my own." Hearing the vulnerability and shakiness in Emily's voice, she knew that something was worrying her.
"Sure, as long as you don't run off once you are through the doors." She smiled at her, settling the mood as Emily smiled back at her.
The drive was silent, not another word passed between the two. Emily's head rested against the back of her chair, her eyes shut and she felt her exhausted body relax. This was beginning to annoy her now, for the past month she had been getting more and more tired, dizzy, nauseous. This was all her own fault; being dragged to the hospital, she knew she should have taken the test the second she suspected it. But she could not, it brought back all of the memories from when she was fifteen. All the pain, loss, friendship. She would never forget what Matthew had done for her, especially after all she had done to him. But none the less, she wished he was here right now, holding her hand like he had fifteen years ago just when she found out about the baby the first time. The baby. She or he would have been about 23 by now. She would have been a mother. Something she longed to be. Wanted for so long. Another reason why she had not taken that test. The long reason was that she does not think she could have faced the disappointment. The pain of never getting what she wanted, what her womanly right is. She realised as the car slowed down, that they must have arrived, so she sat up and started to unbuckle her seatbelt.
"C'mon." Garcia turned the car off and left her side, going round and helping Emily out.
"Garcia, I told you, I'm fine. What the hell are you doing?" She rhetorically asked.
Both walked towards the large white building.
The second they entered the hospital, they were met with loud noises, cries, a room full of people.
"Go sit down, I'll get them to sign you in." Garcia smiled and motioned towards a chair and watched as she sat down before going to the desk.
Apparently, the second you mention 'sick, FBI Agent' they admit you in record time, for, only five minutes later, were they being taken back into a more main part of the hospital. Garcia went and sat in the waiting room as Emily was taken to a horrible, sterile room; she always hated hospitals.
"Take a seat, please, Miss…" The slightly younger, brunette doctor checked a clipboard from in her hands.
"Agent Prentiss." She avoided the looks of the doctor and gave yet another yawn.
"Alright, Agent Prentiss, I'm Doctor Young." Doctor Young watched carefully as she yawned and took a seat in front of Emily. "How long have you been feeling exhausted?"
"Er… I would say about a month or so." Emily watched what the Doctor was writing.
"Did it start after a specific thing or was it just random exhaustion?" Emily did not want to lie to the doctor, she had no clue why. It probably would have been a hell of a lot easier than lying to the four profilers on her team, but she did.
"I think it was after a case in Connecticut. It tired out the whole team, but I seemed to be the most tired and once I got back the vomiting started which really was not helpful."
"You have been throwing up?" More notes were written on the board as Emily nodded. "A kind of sick throwing up or what?" She carried on writing as Emily answered her.
"Just sometimes when I wake up or if the smell is over powerful." Doctor Young nodded.
"And you fainted today?" Another nod. "Did that just happen today, or have you fainted before?"
"Not until today, but I have felt like I was going to. I just go dizzy, but the difference is I sit down for a few minutes when I feel dizzy." More notes were taken.
"But today you couldn't do that?" Emily shook her head and waited another minute while more notes were being taken.
"Agent Prentiss, is there a chance you could be pregnant?" Emily paused… what was she supposed to tell her? "I'm guessing that is a yes?" Another simple nod and the clipboard was put down. "I will be just a minute; I'm going to get someone from maternity. The woman in the waiting room, do you want her to come in here? Hold you hand?" She smiled slightly.
"No, it's alright." Emily sent her a smile back.
"Okay then, while I'm gone do you think you can get yourself up on the bed?" She signalled over to the bed in the corner and Emily nodded. "Alright then." Doctor Young left the room.
It took a minute or so before Emily even moved. Still in shock of what was happening. It was now or never. In about twenty minutes there is a chance she could be becoming a mother. Her hand went to her stomach. Tears welling up in her eyes; this was so much like when she was fifteen. All except she had someone there to hold her hand all the way though. This time, she was alone. Only slightly. She might never be alone again, not for around nine months or so. She gave a sigh and left the seat, going over to the horrible bed in the corner and carefully lying down on it. At the time, that wait seemed like the longest wait ever but soon the door re-opened and in walked Doctor Young with a Doctor from maternity and quite a large machine.
"Hello, Agent Prentiss, I'm Doctor Neavy from the maternity ward." As Doctor Young was setting up the machine, he walked towards her. "Can you lift your top up for me?" He waited for her to lift her t-shirt ever so slightly before pressing his hands into her stomach around different areas, checking for a mass. Once he found some, he grabbed a bottle of blue gel. "This may be cold." He poured the gel on, and cold was an under exaggeration as Emily gave a soft hick in her breathing from the cold hitting her skin. "Let's see if we have a surprise for you." He turned the machine on and Emily felt her eyes tightly close. Contrary to what she had felt before, she now knew this to be the longest wait ever. Her heart thumped in her chest and her breathing was shaky as she felt the wand travelling over her stomach until she heard the words that stunned her.
"And here, is baby." It took another while for her to open her eyes and looked over at the screen. She felt her smile grow slightly.
"My baby?" he nodded.
"I'll just go and get you a copy of the picture."
Her hand held onto her pants pocket, holding onto the scan picture, not that anyone knew that. Once she left the hospital room, she had put the scan away and told Garcia that the doctor told her it was because she was exhausted and slightly run down with the flu. Of course, Garcia had believed her and immediately offered to stay with her through the night. Obviously, Emily said that she did not have to and told her she probably would just be sleeping any way. With all of that over and done with, she now sat back in the warm car, her hand over her stomach protectively. She was glad Garcia was not a profiler; she was not even picking up on the small action. And she was happy, for the time being. Just her and her baby, no one else had to know about them. They never should, they would just ruin it all.