9
They had sat watching the movie and JJ felt fine. She was certainly glad to have some normality back in her life. But when she started to get a cramping feeling in her legs and back she realised that her life as of now was anything but normal.
Using her good arm she tried to shuffle herself around a bit on the couch, but the feeling still refused to leave.
The look that crossed her face was one of annoyance and slight distress. Which was picked up by the ever vigilant members of her team.
"JJ are you okay?"
JJ looked up to see her friends staring at her. She loved them, but she wished that they would stop giving her those awful, pitiful looks.
She breathed deeply in and out and mustered up an honest reply "Yes, I'm fine. My legs and back are just really sore. I guess that's probably because of the fact that I can't exactly get up and walk around and stretch my muscles."
Morgan looked at her. They had been told that she would need to start physiotherapy after the stitches were out of her feet. But also they needed to make sure that she was exercising what little muscles she could move in the meantime. It was important if they were going to help stop her muscle atrophying.
"Jayje, the doctor said that you should work on some exercises before and up until you get harder ones at physio. Do you want to do some now? It might help to alleviate some aches and pains?"
JJ considered this for a moment.
"I… I don't know what to do."
"It's okay, I'll help ya. While we're doing that my leading lady can start dinner if she's okay with it. I heard your stomach growling, and you need to eat with your medication."
'Just accept it JJ. You can do it. They are here because they want to be not because you forced them to be.'
"Okay. That sounds… good." She told them with a small, lop-sided smile.
Garcia got up and made her way over to JJ kissing her on the forehead before making her way out to the kitchen.
Emily waited around to ask "Do you want me to go with Pen or stay with you guys?"
"It's okay. You can keep Penelope company. I'm all good here."
"Okay."
Emily followed after Garcia and headed to the kitchen.
"Hey girl, is it okay if we go back to your room? I think having a soft, flat surface with no sides like your bed would be best."
"Um, okay."
Derek held his arms out waiting for her nod of approval and as soon as he received it he swept her up and the two were headed off down the hallway.
On the way JJ piped up "Derek… I… I'm sorry for before… I don't know what came over me. I must have gone back there; to-"
"JJ, please don't apologise, because you have nothing to be sorry for. We don't care. We just all know that it is something that you will have to work through."
JJ nodded.
"And it won't be alone either. You have got this whole team behind your back. And you know that seeing the FBI head shrinkers are mandatory."
JJ groaned and rolled her eyes.
"Ah, now there's the JJ that I like to see."
JJ just rolled her eyes and weakly punched him in the chest. Though what worried Derek was the fact that it seemed as though the playful punch actually took a lot of effort on JJ's part.
Carefully Morgan lay her down on the bed. "You okay like that Jayje?"
"Yeah… fine."
Morgan looked doubtfully at her. "You do realise that for this to work at all you need to trust us and tell us the truth."
JJ's lip started to quiver. 'No, you are not going to cry right now.'
"I… I'm just really achy that's all. I don't like being held prisoner in my own body." JJ looked up at the ceiling avoiding eye contact, but was soon met by Morgan's face hovering over hers with a big, lopsided, goofy grin.
"Well, that's what we're working on. It'll take time but you'll be back to normal soon. In the meantime I'll help you out and so will physio."
JJ nodded emotionally "Thanks."
Moving down to the end of the bed Derek asked "Okay JJ. Are you ready?"
"Yep. I am."
"Okay, I'll take the brace off later. I'll work with the other leg for now."
Carefully he took her ankle and began to rotate it slowly and flex her foot back and forward. He then took her leg and bent it at the knee mindful of the stitches, not wanting to overdo it. He repeated the process with the other leg, though not as intensely or for as long because of the knee cap that had been dislocated. Just enough time for the muscles to get a bit of a stretch before the leg was wrapped up nice and securely all over again.
She whined and tried to tell him that she didn't need it but he wouldn't have a bar of it.
"Don't even go there JJ. Don't even try. It's one thing to take it off to shower or to stretch the muscles a bit, but it is a whole other can of worms to be having it unsupported, so don't even try."
JJ huffed and puffed but stopped fussing eventually.
He moved up to her arms and shoulders and began to stretch and then massage them.
Near the end of it he noticed that her eyes were closed and that her breathing had evened out. She must have felt awfully relaxed to have fallen asleep like that. That was really good, it made him happy that he could help her out like that.
He covered her up with a blanket and headed out to the other girls. Walking around the corner he heard the girls talking and giggling.
"Hello ladies." He said getting their attention.
"Hello my chocolate thunder. Where is my beautiful blonde counterpart?"
"She's asleep. I think it must have relaxed her. I worked in a bit of a massage to ease some of the tension, especially in her shoulders and she was out like a light."
"I see. That's really great. I'm really glad. But she does need her medication, so when the soup is ready we will have to wake her up."
"Soup? What type?"
"Chicken and corn. I figure soup is pretty much the go to for now. I'll ask her tomorrow if there is anything specific that she wants. But I figure that for at least tonight she can sip it from a mug. But I'll clear that with her first. I am not going to take away any more decisions from her than we all decide that we have to or that is necessary. But it is also really important that she actually get some food in her system. She is probably so tired because she is running so low on fuel."
O/o
She heard a familiar voice calling out to her, pulling her away from sleep.
"JJ. JJ. Wake up JJ."
"Ah mmmm." She grumbled.
"You gotta wake up."
"Mmmmmm." Was her reply.
"JJ. Open your eyes. You need to wake up because we are going to have dinner. And you need to eat."
"Derekkkkkkkk…."
"It's not negotiable JJ. Not negotiable."
"Fineeeeee." She looked up at him pouting.
He couldn't help but smile. Some of JJ's usual traits were shining through. He could only wonder however, how long that was going to last. But nevertheless, he was going to take it in stride and accept it while he could.
"Where do you want to eat tea? In the kitchen or the lounge?"
"Umm. I think probably the lounge. That way I can sit in the recliner and it will be easier to eat."
"Okay. Now Garcia made soup. Do you want it in a mug or a bowl with a spoon?"
"Bowl with a spoon. I'm not incapable… though it may seem it." She whispered under her breath.
"Hey. Hold on right there. Don't start with the self-deprecation. Like I have told you and will continue to tell you, this is just temporary."
As Derek walked out toward the lounge he was met in the hallway by a bubbly Garcia.
"So, what is the consensus?"
"We are going to eat in the lounge tonight. And no mug."
"Righty-o." Garcia told them as she set off back to serve up the soup.
Meanwhile Emily did as she was told and made herself comfortable on the couch.
Morgan was attending to JJ. He made sure that her arm was supported by cushions and he pulled the lever on the recliner so that the foot rest lifted up and her feet were supported. Noting the change in temperature between the two rooms he even grabbed the throw from the other chair and put it over her before moving the table that would hold her dinner, to hover above her lap.
"All set?" he asked her inquisitively.
"Seems so." She replied.
Then he turned around to Emily and began to place cushions around her to support her sore back and arm before he then grabbed her a table and placed it in front of her.
Moments later Garcia walked in with two bowls of soup and placed it in front of the ladies with spoons and toasted rolls.
On her second round she placed a glass of juice on each table with a little plastic cup filled with pills on each table. Though the amount JJ had to take outnumbered Emily's by almost double.
Then as they all sat together eating they talked about things that really didn't matter. All by the hopes of the other three that they could distract JJ into eating a decent amount.
Though it was an okay plan, and she managed to eat more than she had in days, it still wasn't an ideal amount, and definitely not the amount that she would normally eat.
O/o
A few days had passed which meant that there was only a few days left until JJ was going to be able to have the stitches removed. She was very glad, which made her friends glad. But she was also very antsy, which made her friends not so happy. She was trying to push herself, and make them allow her to push herself further than she should at the specific point in her recovery process – and they were not having a bar of it. The entire situation was frustrating to everyone but especially to JJ. She felt as though she could only come so far because they – her friends – were holding her back. And then she would take it out on them. Yelling and getting frustrated, before she would start to feel incredibly guilty and remorseful and then she would begin to apologise profusely. All three friends told her that they understood where she was coming from – though that didn't make the situation any easier.
As JJ continued to try to push herself, Derek found himself having to become even more vigilant as he was worried that JJ was going to hurt herself badly.
With only a few days to go until her stitches were going to be removed they all headed off to bed and tried to get a good night's sleep. Though they knew by now that either JJ or Emily was likely to have a nightmare, and that was likely to wake one of the other three up.
It was dark, and the only light that filtered into the room was through the curtains from the full moon outside high up in the sky. Derek had been asleep for a few hours when a sudden noise woke him up.
A thud, followed by a muffled, yet pained voice drew his attention and had him fleeing from under the covers of his bed towards the source of the ruckus.
Heya. So I chose to write a chapter this evening because I could bare to do anymore study. So I hope you liked it. Let me know. : ) Thanks.
