"Prentiss, hey, it's me, I'm right here. You're gonna be all right. Stay with me baby, come on, stay with me."
"Let me go."
"No. No I am not letting you go- HELP ME- listen to me, I know why you did all of this, I know what you did for Declan, and I am so proud of you. Do you understand that? I am proud of you because you are my friend and you are my partner. No Emily, come on stay with me! If you can hear me, please just squeeze my hand. Yes, there you go, there you go, just keep squeezing."
XXX
Hossain stepped into the empty car and easily hotwired it to run. He disarmed the alarm and pulled it into gear. The weight of the gun on his side brought him great comfort. He knew there would be road blocks set up, but he had walked through neighborhoods and was now out of their perimeter. There were only so many cops.
Hossain smiled as he revved the engine and took off down the road. Although this was not ideal, he was ready. He was always prepared, and all that he needed to do was put plan B into action.
XXX
"Jayje?" Garcia rested her hand on JJ's shoulder.
JJ tipped her head so her red-rimmed eyes met Garcia's.
"Come with me," She offered JJ a hand, and she reluctantly took it. They walked down the hospital hallway together.
"Where are we going Pen? I should be there waiting, what if Emily wakes up?" JJ stopped.
"Morgan promised to call the second he hears anything. We're still in the hospital."
JJ reluctantly began to follow Garcia again. When they entered the cafeteria Garcia led her to a seat and went up to get food. All JJ could think of was Emily. How her beautiful skin had been so blue. She hadn't been breathing. Despite what the Doctor said about her having a good chance, JJ didn't trust him. She wouldn't trust anyone until Emily was in her arms.
Hotch had ordered a security detail to be outside Emily's room even though there were three FBI agents down the hall. This did little to soothe JJ's fear that Karchanda would come back and try to kill Emily again. When they hadn't known where Emily was, JJ hadn't been able to function, and even with her back, she wasn't much better.
JJ looked up and saw that Garcia was back, and had placed food on their table. A piece of chocolate cake, vanilla pudding, and bowl of fruit, and a cup of soup.
"I didn't know what you wanted," Garcia explained, "but I figured cake was always a good bet."
"Thanks Garcia," JJ pulled the chocolate cake towards her and eyed it.
Garcia waited for her to take a bite before talking, "When did you and Emily start going out?"
"What?" JJ asked, her mouth still full.
"Come on! You can't just drop a bombshell about you and Emily dating, and then not give me any details!" While Garcia was curious, she was also trying to keep JJ distracted from the current situation.
"A week or two after she came back," JJ eyes turned dreamy as she remembered their first official date. She had taken Emily to a small Italian Bistro. After, that they had gone back to her house and watched a movie.
"Well who asked who? Let me guess, she asked you?"
JJ let out the smallest of laughs, "No Pen, I asked her."
"You did?" Garcia asked, astonished.
"I was sick of waiting. I know this sounds cheesy, but ever since she joined the team, I just couldn't forget her dark eyes. I tried to ignore it, I was afraid she wouldn't feel the same. I hadn't even told you that I liked women, and I was just scared... I didn't want it to change our friendship."
"I love you just as much as I did before, Butterfly, don't you ever worry about that."
"You're great Garcia, you really are," JJ smiled at her friend.
"Well back to you and Emily," Garcia started, "how did you guys, you know, get together?"
"I don't know exactly. Her last few month before Doyle happened, I saw her looking at me differently. Even when I was at the Pentagon we would get together for lunch, and things were different... better. But as soon as I got the courage to say anything, Doyle came. When she left I was so scared I wouldn't ever get to see her again. And then when I had to help her fake her death, I knew that I would never take another second with her for granted," JJ thought about their minimal contact through online scrabble, their cryptic that couldn't hold much, "And then she got to come home," Tears came to JJ's eyes and Garcia took her hands.
"I knew that I couldn't waste any more time," JJ started again, "So a few weeks after she got back, I asked her. I was still afraid she would reject me, but I knew I had to. After all that time of having to pretend she was dead, I couldn't stay away from her any longer," JJ stopped for a moment, before continuing, "and she said yes, she said yes Pen."
Garcia could see a light in JJ's eyes as she talked about Emily. She knew that if Emily didn't make it... she wouldn't be the only one gone.
"Emily's gonna make it JJ, I can feel it."
JJ just smiled sadly, "I hope so."
Garcia remembered all too clearly the time when she had been shot, when a man had been trying to kill her, when he came to her house. "Be there for her Jayje, when she wakes up, be there. But also be there with her when she goes home."
"I know Garcia, I want to be there so badly."
Right then Garcia's cell phone rang and she picked it up, "Uh huh... okay... yeah, we'll meet you there."
"What is it?" JJ's eyes were bright with hope.
"Sorry Butterfly, the doctor says we won't be able to see her until tomorrow."
"Oh, okay," JJ looked down and felt her insides crush.
XXX
"You should go home JJ, we can't see her until tomorrow," Morgan said, holding his jacket in his hands.
"I think I'm just going to stay here, just in case. I think someone should be here."
"Well at least let me stop by your house and pick you up some clothes," He reasoned.
JJ shot a glance to Garcia, "I think Garcia was going to do that."
"Your house is right on the way to mine, I've got it," Morgan said.
JJ started to panic, she barely had any clothes at her own house, and it was clear she hadn't lived there in a while, "Ummmm, I think Garcia..."
"I'll meet you out in the hall, my chocolate god," Garcia shooed him out of the room.
"What?" He put his hands up, but followed her orders nonetheless.
When he was out of the room Garcia turned to JJ, "Something you want to tell me?"
"Uhh, yeah, I didn't mention it, but I moved in with Emily."
Garcia's eyes immediately brightened, "Oh my God, I can't believe it! My two girls," She threw her arms around JJ, "So this is serious."
"Yeah," JJ smiled, "We're pretty serious," JJ paused, "My clothes are in her room on the left side of the dresser, you should probably bring some things for Emily so she has them when she gets to leave."
"Of course," Garcia let go of her.
"Oh, and could you bring the gray Yale shirt? It's in the top drawer on the right side."
"Yale shirt? I don't think you went to Yale," Garcia joked, and smiled at the flustered woman, "Okay, I'll see you first thing in the morning Sweetie. Call me or Morgan if you need anything, we will be here before you even hang up the phone."
"I know you will Garcia, thank you."
Garcia left the room and met up with Morgan in the hall.
"What was that all about?" He asked.
"Oh, nothing to worry about, just a girl thing," Garcia smiled at Morgan' confused expression as they left the hospital.
XXX
JJ stood alone in the waiting room. She was scared and tired, and just wanted to see Emily. She could hear people moving about the hospital. JJ curled up on an uncomfortable chair and closed her eyes. She thought that if she could just go to sleep, then the morning would come sooner, and she would get to see Emily.
But the more she tried to do that, the less tired she became. She sat back up and looked at her watch. She walked down the hall, and then looked at her watch again. It just wasn't working. Only seconds passed by when it should have been minutes, hours.
Finally she sat down again and thought. She passed the time remembering her dinners with Emily, and going to her house. Always driving separate cars to the BAU. She thought of Emily's dark hair, and her light skin, and the way it was always so smooth. She thought of her soft lips, and how much she wanted to feel their warmth against hers.