Chapter 7
It had been two hours since JJ had been brought to the hospital. Garcia rushed through to the waiting room. Seeing the rest of the team members in the waiting room, she relaxed. But her tear stained face told them another story.
"Hey, you are here faster than anyone could think," Morgan smiled at her but Garcia remained silent. He frowned when he noticed that she wasn't being her usual self. "What's wrong?"
The rest of the team became aware of the tension and the tear stains on their usual bubbly and cheerful friend's face. "What's wrong, Garcia?"
Garcia looked at the team and shook her head. "It's been almost a month and yet none of us cared to think about JJ," Garcia said. "None of us thought to even care to see if she was okay. It's all our fault. JJ was drowned in guilt and all we did was add to that guilt."
"What are you trying to say?" Hotch asked.
"We distanced ourselves so much from her that she couldn't even bring herself to us for help and support. She went through it all alone and none of us were there to hold her and comfort her."
"If you are referring to JJ's aunt, then she really didn't want us there," Hotch said.
"Because she thought that we wouldn't care and she was right," Garcia said angrily. "None of us cared to ask why she took some time off. None of us cared enough to look past her fault to see what she was going through. None of us cared to even realise why JJ was so cheerful and bright even when we all were not on speaking terms with her. We are the only family she had and none of us cared."
"What are you trying to say, babygirl?"
"You are supposed to be the best profiler and yet you couldn't figure out what one of our own was going through," Garcia pointed out.
"Garcia, what are you trying to say?" Emily asked.
"JJ didn't just loose her aunt," Garcia said, trying to hold her tears back. "She lost everyone. Us. Will. Henry. And she didn't even say a word. She didn't even ask for anything. All she did was accept everything that was going on with her life."
"Hang on, what do you mean she lost Will and Henry?" Rossi asked.
"Will stayed behind in New Orleans the day they..." she paused.
"They, what?" Morgan asked.
"The day they buried Henry."
Hotch stared at Garcia, shocked with he had just heard. Reid swallowed hard, Rossi took a step back, Emily took a sit and Morgan swore.
Hotch stood watching JJ through the window. How had she gone through everything and not even say a word. She had kept going, without complaining. He swallowed. It was all his fault. He was their leader. He should have known that JJ would take this hard. But she hadn't complained. She did what was aksed of her without questioning, trying to rub off her guilt.
Over the past month, Jack had asked a lot of question about JJ and Henry but for the past week he hadn't said anything about them. Now what was he going to say to his son. How was he going to tell him that the little boy he considered his best friend and brother was now no longer in his life. And he would no longer be there with him.
He went into the room. JJ was okay for the moment. She had developede hypothermia and some of the cuts on her bosy were deep. But doctor's believed that she would be able to make a full recovery.
He took her hand into his and then felt a stab of anger stir inside of him. Will should have been there with her but he had abondoned her to be with his family and left her to deal with everything by herself.
He studied her profile. she ws the most amazing woman he had ever seen. ever since Hayley had died, she had been the one who had been his support pillar. She had always been there for him and she was amazing with his son. Jack loved her and he would brighten up everytime he saw JJ coming to visit him.
JJ had shared her maternal instincts with both the boys and never once could anyone say that she had been biased with her care of both the boys. she treated Jack the same way she treated Henry. she gave them the equal amount of love and joy. May be she gave a little more to Jack because of Hayley but she never made him feel that she was doing a favor on him.
He wiped the tear that had slid down his face. She was an amazing friend. The kind of friend one could turn to at anytime, whenever they needed her. she was the face everyone looked for after a gruesome case. She knew exactly how to comfort each member of the team.
And yet she was the one who had gotten hurt.
