At 3 p.m. JJ makes her way to Georgetown University Hospital. It is Emily's third hospital since the explosion. The Ambassador had called a friend who happened to know the best neurosurgeon on the East Coast. Thankfully, the man worked so close to home, though JJ would have gone anywhere to be close to her wife. Gerald and Elizabeth had arranged a medical flight to bring Emily to the surgeon but so far the love of JJ's life was still locked away in her head.
JJ takes a deep breath as she steps off the elevator and makes her way to Emily's room. A nurse sees her and smiles.
"Hi, Mrs. Prentiss. She's doing really good today."
JJ forces as mile to her face. "Great, Nancy. Hopefully she's not trying to flirt too much."
Nancy smiles. "Mrs. P, if it means she wakes up she can flirt with me all day."
JJ chuckles. "Thank you, Nancy."
JJ opens the door to her wife's room. Gerald stands from the chair he'd been sitting in and sets aside the newspaper he'd been reading. He gives JJ a hug and kiss.
"Hi, Jennifer. She's getting stronger. Her last vitals check made the nurse pretty happy."
JJ nods. "They keep saying that. I just…can't keep getting my hopes up. I can't."
He pats her arm. "I understand. Well, I'll give you two some time alone."
JJ smiles. "Thanks, Gerald."
Once they are alone, JJ approaches her wife and lifts her hand up.
"Hi, baby. I'm back. Read through some neat cases today. I know, I know, I shouldn't tease you since you're not allowed to work right now. But I promise you, Em, just open your eyes and I'll bring you as many twisted cases as you want."
She kisses the hand she holds. Emily is paler than JJ had ever seen her. She brushes a hand over the ashen cheek.
"You are so beautiful, Emily. I miss you so much."
She leans over and gives her a kiss. She keeps thinking of the fairy tales Henry loves. In those the sleeping beauty is kissed awake. Why the hell won't that work for Emily?
"Open your eyes, Emily. Just. Open. Your. Eyes." JJ strokes Emily's cheek again. But still there is no response. "Always so stubborn, Agent Prentiss."
As JJ starts to tell Emily how the children are doing (skipping, of course, Henry's tantrum the night before), she sees her wife's brow furrow briefly. JJ straightens up.
"Emily? Emily, are you trying to wake up?"
Suddenly all the machines start to beep wildly as Emily's heart rate and blood pressure start to spike. JJ's eyes widen. They had beeped a few times before but not like this. It's an explosion of sound that doesn't seem to want to end. Emily's eyes are dancing behind her eyelids as tears start to leak down her cheeks.
"Open your eyes, Emily. Just open them. Please, baby. Just open your eyes," JJ begs.
Two nurses race in, bumping JJ out of the way as they start to check all the readouts. Nancy turns to JJ smiling.
"This looks good, Mrs. Prentiss. Really good. Her brain is starting to work more than it has since she arrived. Keep talking to her."
JJ steps back up to the bed. "Please, Emily, open your eyes. Please open them for Henry and Rocky and me. Please, baby we need you. Please, please open those gorgeous brown eyes of yours."
Nancy is watching her patients face. Emily's eyes start to flutter open. They had opened before during the course of the coma but this time they look like they are starting to register her surroundings.
JJ grabs her wife's hand. "That's it, baby! Yes, Emily! Open them, baby! Come back to us, Emily."
Finally Emily's eyes are fully open. Though they are still cloudy from injury and medications, there are definitely signs of awareness in them. She blinks a couple times, her mouth working as if trying to remember how to use it. Finally she croaks out a few words, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Make it stop. Please, Jen, please make it stop," she weeps.
JJ is elated…and confused. "Make what stop, baby?"
"That damn text alert tone. It's fucking annoying," Emily forces out.
JJ bursts into laughter. "Oh, God, Em, you're really with us, aren't you? You're really here!"
Nancy pats JJ on the arm and steps to the phone to call for the doctor so he can re-evaluate his patient now that she is awake.
Emily doesn't stay awake long. Barely five minutes. But JJ will take every minute she can get. She is pacing the hallway while the doctor performs a few tests. The elevator opens and Gerald is running down the hall. JJ smiles at him, engulfing him in a hug.
"She woke up! Her vitals stabilized and, God, Gerald, she woke up! She spoke to me! Cussed at me actually," she says with ecstatic laughter.
Gerald hugs his daughter-in-law tightly; hardly daring to believe what she says is true. They are both pacing 15 minutes later when the doctor walks out. The man smiles happily.
"She's unconscious but not in a coma," he reports.
JJ's legs go out and she flops back against the wall, sliding to the floor in relief. The doctor squats down in front of her.
"She's got a long road ahead of her but she's going to be fine. My guess is that within the next 2 days we'll have her out of ICU. Maybe 10 days and she'll be heading home."
JJ throws her arms around his neck. "Thank you. It's not enough, I know, but thank you."
The doctor hugs her back. "Thank you is plenty enough, Mrs. Prentiss."
The doctor stands and is pulled into a hug by Gerald. Gerald then helps JJ up and they re-enter Emily's room. JJ studies the monitors and sees they are all green lit for the first time.
"Oh, thank you, God," she says reverently. She walks over and picks up Emily's hand. "Hi, baby. I know you're sleeping but I'll be right here when you want to wake up again. We all will be."
Gerald squeezes JJ's shoulder. "I'm going to call her mother. Should I call Derek, too?"
JJ nods. "Yes. Please. I just…can't leave her. Let Francesca know, too."
He nods. "I will."
Once they are alone, JJ leans over and softly kisses her wife's lips. "I love you, Emily."
"Love…Jen…" Emily croaks, though she doesn't wake up.
JJ grins. "A Pavlovian response. Perfect my little nerdling. Just perfect."
At 4:45 the door to the room opens, admitting Morgan and Garcia. Garcia wraps JJ up in a hug.
"Oh, Jayje, I'm so happy!"
JJ smiles. "Me, too, Pen. Me, too. She hasn't woken up again but her vitals are all perfect. She'll wake up again soon. I know she will."
Garcia grins. "Of course she will. She's Emily."
JJ just chuckles. Morgan walks up and takes his best friend's hand. He leans over and gives her a kiss on the forehead.
"You know, Princess, I'm sick of you lying around like a lazy ass. Time for you to wake up and pull your weight. I'm tired of carrying the BAU."
The more he had talked, the more Emily had frowned. He is watching her response. He sees her pulse start to speed up.
"Emily? You in there?"
"Morgan?" JJ asks nervously.
"I think she's trying to wake up," he reports.
JJ and Garcia move to the other side of the bed. Emily's head rolls towards the sound of Morgan's voice.
"That's it, Princess. Show me you're not the lazy agent I've been hearing about," he teases.
Emily's eyes slowly flutter open. Her hand shakes as she lifts it up to stroke his cheek.
"You're…not…dead?"
Morgan smiles at her. "Sorry but no. I'm still around to be second in command of the unit. You're not getting my job just yet."
Emily manages a smile. "Good. Sucked that I missed your funeral. And then your flowers scratched my motorcycle. Was pissed at you."
And just like that Emily is out again. Morgan looks across at the two blondes.
"Okay, did that make sense to either of you?"
JJ laughs. "Not a damn bit. But I don't really give a damn."
Garcia hugs her. "Me neither. Maybe when Reid gets here he'll understand her."
JJ laughs again, just filled with joy. "Maybe. But again, if not, who fucking cares as long as she keeps waking up."
JJ is looking at the clock at 7:13 p.m. when Emily's pulse starts to speed up again, a signal she is about to awaken. JJ, Elizabeth and Gerald press closer. JJ uses a sponge to wet Emily's lips and mouth to make it easier for Emily to speak. After a few minutes, brown eyes once again flutter open.
"That's it, baby, come back to us," JJ encourages.
Emily looks up at her parents and JJ. "Oh, shit," she croaks. "Did I wreck my motorcycle again?"
Elizabeth chuckles, tears in her eyes. " No, Emmy, you got hurt at work."
"Oh. On the farm?"
"Farm?" JJ says with a grin. "Um, not exactly. That doesn't really matter. Baby, the doctor said we need to ask you a few questions. What's the last thing you remember?"
Emily frowns at the strange question. Seeing the looks on the faces of the three people around her she knows it's important that she answer correctly.
"I…was…on a farm. Helping push hay bales off a trailer and…" Emily's voice trails off. Tears spring into her eyes. "Derek…he's…he's dead, Jen."
JJ shakes her head. "No, Emily, he's okay. He's alive and he's out in the hallway with Reid and Garcia."
"Did…did I leave you?"
"No, sweetheart, you didn't. You were hurt after we caught The Puppet Master. In Arizona."
Emily frowns. She tries to put the pieces together with her fractured memories…or rather, dream images.
"The ambulance with Derek. I got in with Derek and…and…nothing."
JJ nods. "Yes, baby, you were both in the ambulance. It had an accident," JJ lies, not wanting to get her wife too emotionally disturbed.
"And he didn't die?"
JJ shakes her head. "No, baby. In fact, he went into the ambulance in worse shape than you and came out better." JJ grins. "Almost not fair."
Emily just nods. "How…how long?"
JJ swallows hard. "You've been in a coma for almost 4 weeks, baby."
Emily's eyes widen and her monitors start to beep. She winces, her voice trembling.
"Stop it…please…stop the beep…please, Jen," she begs.
JJ shakes her head. "I can't, baby. I'm so sorry. Those alarms let the nurses and us know if something is wrong."
Emily just nods, her eyes starting to droop again. "Jen…would you…have called me back?"
"If you had gone away on a motorcycle?" Emily nods. JJ smiles and leans over to give her wife a kiss. "Damn right I would have, sweetheart. I love you."
Emily's eyes slip closed. "Love…you…Jen."
JJ looks at her in-laws. "The doctor said even if her memories are mixed with her dreams, as long as she is able to talk and answer questions about things it's a good sign."
Elizabeth nods. "I know. He spoke to us earlier while you were briefing your team."
JJ smiles. "Good. God, I just want…want this to all be…be over. Doc said 2 days and she could be moving out of here. That has to mean that he expects her to be able to hold a real conversation in 2 days, right?"
Gerald nods. "I believe so, Jennifer."
JJ brings her hands up to her face. "I can't wait. I feel like…like I did as a kid at Christmas. But this time the gift is my wife I just…" she starts to sob, "…I just need her so badly."
Elizabeth hurries around the bed and pulls JJ close. From the time JJ had called them the strong agent had been shoving her own fears and emotions aside. She had been strong for her parents and in-laws; she had been a rock for her children; she had been stoic for her BAU team. Finally, for whatever reason, the dam holding back her emotions finally bursts and she sinks into a chair. Elizabeth squats down and continues to hold her.
"Let it out, Jennifer. Let it all out finally, my sweet. You've shoved your needs aside for too long. Let them out now."
After 5 minutes, JJ's tears finally stop. She takes a deep breath and smiles at Elizabeth.
"Thank you. I think I needed that more than I knew."
Elizabeth smiles and kisses JJ's forehead. "I'd say you did."
JJ glances at her watch. "Can you all stay with her? I need to race home to help the kids get in bed. Henry's been…having issues the past couple of nights."
Elizabeth nods. "Of course we'll stay. Tell the others to come in if they'd like."
JJ nods. "I will. If anything changes, you'll call?"
"You know we will. Give Rocky and Henry a hug and kiss for us."
"I will." She pulls her mother-in-law close. "I love you, Elizabeth."
"Love you, too, Jennifer."
JJ gives Gerald a hug goodbye. She then leans over her wife.
"Keep getting better, Emily. I love you."
She kisses her wife on the forehead and strokes a stray lock of hair off her forehead. With a last smile at the Prentiss' she heads out.
In the hallway she finds Rossi has now arrived, too. She smiles. "Hey, Rossi. Guys, she woke up again."
Garcia gives a squeal and pulls JJ into a hug. "Yay! Our princess is coming back to us!"
JJ nods. "Yes, yes she is. Look, I need to get home to the kids. Especially Henry. Elizabeth said to send you all in. To heck with visitation rules."
Morgan nods. "Jayje, seeing me…with her confusion…will it hurt her?"
JJ blinks her eyes and shrugs. "Honestly, Morgan, I don't know. But I'd rather her see you and know you're okay than wake up once again reliving your death."
Morgan smiles. "Me, too. Thanks, Jayje."
Reid pulls JJ into a hug. "Think she'll want to speak EmiReid when she wakes up?"
JJ bursts out laughing as Rossi groans.
"God, help us," the older agent pleads.
JJ pats Reid's cheek. "I think she'll love it."
After getting a hug from Morgan, JJ heads out for the night. Tonight she would take care of the children, praying that in a couple days she'll be able to bring them here to see their Mama.
A/N: I have had this plot twist in my crazy little head for a long time. On the off chance I didn't get it across let me explain. Chapters 4 & 7 are what's going on in real time. Chapters 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 & 8 are all in Emily's mind as she lies in a coma. Chapter 9 starts back to real time with Emily starting to come around. Gosh I hope I made it understandable. Oh, and the annoying "text alert tone" is actually the machines reacting whenever Emily's bp or other vital signs had spiked. So, did I do okay?
