A/N: This chapter is a little shorter and more angsty, I'm ok with it. The angst only gets worse so brace yourselves haha.
CHAPTER 9
Kohr: "We are giving the antitoxin another 10 minutes or so to start working before we really should start worrying. There's a chance she will turn around and make it through just fine."
At that statement, they heard loud beeping and yelling coming from her room.
Nurse: "Dr. Kohr, she's seizing!"
Will: "What!?"
Will and the doctors started running over, but Will was held back by Hotch and Morgan.
Morgan: "Let them do their job man…she'll be ok…just let them work…shhh…"
Morgan had pulled Will into a firm hug, partly for comfort and partly to keep Will in check. He was surprisingly sympathetic and calming. JJ and her family bring his compassion out sometimes.
Will: "She's hurting! I need to go to her!"
Rossi: "Will listen, she's going to come through this! She'll be ok! She's probably just seizing due to the fever, like Henry did that time! And he turned out to be just fine after. Okay? Remember?"
Will just gave up struggling, still held up by Morgan as he slumped back into the bigger mans arms and broke down again.
Will, crying: "I can't lose her…she holds us together. Without her, everything is just dark."
Rossi: "We understand, trust us…we know."
Hotch had gone over toward the waiting room door, facing away from them, he let a few tears roll down his cheeks. 'That's all that I'll let go.' He wiped them away, let out a deep breath, and went right back over to the group.
Hotch: "Let's go over to the waiting room and wait for the doctors to give us an update, come on. We'll get you some coffee Will."
Rossi quietly to Morgan: "Where's Alex?"
IN THE ICU WAITING ROOM
Alex was standing outside the APO doors in the waiting room watching as everything unfolded. She didn't know JJ or Will very well yet, but already knew how special she was to the group. JJ was the heart. The center of everything. Mom, little sister, big sister, profiler, she was someone important to everyone. She had heard about all the time that JJ was gone and had a hard time imagining everyone functioning properly. As she saw the hurried activity head towards JJ's door, she turned away and went to sit down in the chairs.
She didn't want to watch, and she didn't want to get in their way. Alex's brother had Lymphoma when they were in their 20's. Her whole family spent hours, days, weeks in hospitals watching him slowly waste away. She hated waiting rooms, but she hated the ICU more. Alex had promised herself years ago, after he passed away, that she would never enter an ICU again. Not unless it was to say good bye. She had heard the familiar sobs and screams of grief coming from Will through the doors. Alex refused to look over. She knew they'd be coming in here soon and she have to brace herself. Put on a brave face for them. What she was going through had nothing on Will and JJ's plight right now, even the team's. She would be expected to be the strong one. Since Alex wasn't quite as close to Jennifer, her judgment would be expected too be less clouded by emotions. Unfortunately, being in this setting made that impossible for her.
As Blake heard the doors open, the crying sound got louder, she took a deep breath and looked up at them. Will was a wreck, staring blankly in no particular direction at this point. Morgan was basically carrying him in. Hotch had held the door open for them and Rossi was saying comforting words to Will. As they stepped through, Hotch stayed behind and went back to JJ's room to guard her. Alex stood up and went over to them.
Alex: "What happened?"
Rossi: "She seized, we figured we should bring Will in here for a bit until they get her restabilized."
Morgan: "What happened to you?"
Alex, trying and failing not to look rattled: "I got an update from Doris..um..the nurse out here. I figured I'd watch the door to the stairwell, there's no security."
Doris heard her name and glanced with her eyes over to Blake, thankfully not calling her out on the lie. She sees people freeze up at that door all the time, understanding that most of them have a past trauma they are trying to avoid.
Rossi saw right through her but didn't say anything either: "Good thinking, we'll need your clear head today. Lord knows none of us have one."
Alex: "I'll give it a shot." She said with a telling and doubtful sigh.
A few minutes later Kimura came back out and gave them an update.
Kimura: "We were able to stop the seizures…"
Will: "Seizures! She had more than one?!"
Kimura: "After everything she wound up having 3, only a minute or so apart. But we stopped them for now. Hopefully she'll be waking up shortly and we can get a handle on her neurological status."
Will: "Could the seizures have caused any permanent damage?"
Kimura: "It's always a possibility, but it's way too soon to tell. No doubt she'll wake up confused and disoriented, but that's standard. And honestly, she was confused and disoriented when she came in anyway, so hopefully she'll be about the same or better. The antitoxin should be taking effect any time, and hopefully we'll see a marked improvement in the immediate future."
Will: "Can I go see her now?" He said, barely having had put himself together after breaking down before. He had a new resolve now that the timing for the medication was almost up.
Kimura: "Sure, Agent Hotcher went in to sit with her until you got back so that she wouldn't be alone."
Will: "Great, let's go in then."
