When Emily and JJ got to Caitlín's room, Penelope was gone, having left with Derek awhile ago. Sinéad intercepted them and hugged them both, although it quickly became clear that she was holding onto something, especially because she was barring them from entry from Caitlín's room. Behind her, they could see Spencer sitting with Caitlín, kissing her and telling her comforting things while, curiously, rubbing at something on her left wrist as he held it in one hand. Whatever it was, part of it was metallic, but they couldn't quite see it from the angle that they were standing at.
"Sweet pea," Emily said pointedly. "What is it?"
"Caitlín is fine—zero signs of a concussion—but she woke up a little before Spencer got here, and she remembered what the date is."
Even though she'd lost all track of all date and time for the past few days, JJ still knew exactly what Sinéad was driving at.
"It's January eighth, isn't it?"
Sinéad stood to the side. "Yes."
JJ immediately stood up from her wheelchair and went into the room to be with her sister, leaving behind a very perplexed Emily.
"What happened on January eighth?" Emily asked, parking the now-empty wheelchair next to the door.
"Two years ago, Caitlín was with this guy, Walker Thompson, and he knew she's different, and he accepted it."
"Walker proposed to her, didn't he?"
"Yes, but right after that, he told her that he was going to enlist in the Army because it was a family tradition that he had to uphold and couldn't get out of."
"And I'm guessing that it didn't go well with your sister, did it?"
"You got it. Caitlín is not cut out for the kind of life that comes with being an Army wife, and she already had no desire to leave the family that we were nannying at the time. I wasn't there when they had their worst fight about it, but the way it goes is that Caitlín had a fear-induced seizure that put her in the hospital."
"Was this the turning point that ended things?"
"Uh-huh, but her episode caused something to happen to her body, and when she woke up in the hospital, she found out that she'd miscarried a baby she hadn't known was there."
"Oh, no…" Emily said softly, thinking of her own angel-babies.
"Caitlín was at the seven-week mark, and when she told Walker about the miscarraige, he just couldn't forgive her and actually broke off the engagement before Caitlín had even left the hospital."
"What a jerk!"
Sinéad shrugged. "Walker enlisted shortly thereafter and shipped out to basic training at a fort in Italy, but he died less than a month later in a freak accident. Caitlín has always wanted to be a mother, and even though she hadn't known about the baby until it was too late, it's always crushed her that she lost her chance."
"There aren't any words to describe it—I know firsthand what your sister is feeling. This kind of thing will always leave a mark on your soul. Did she name the baby? Sometimes that helps."
"She named it Phoenix, and has a tattoo of one and also of a baby footprint on her left hip." Sinéad supplied before quickly adding on, "Caitlín loves nannying—don't get me wrong—but this day is just hard for her."
Emily thought again of her three angels in heaven (their names were Noor, Sunny, and Aria). "I completely understand. Let's go see your sister."
Caitlín was in much better spirits by the time they joined them, and it made Emily's heart swell with joy because as she looked at the people before her—JJ, Sinéad, Caitlín, and Spencer—and as she thought of her unborn children, she realized that her very own family, something that she'd once thought she'd never have, was in the room with her.
"Emily?"
Caitlín was talking to her.
"Hey, you." Emily sat with her on the bed. "How are you doing?"
"Better, but bored—according to the doctors, I can't go home until the late afternoon because that's when all of their monitoring tests and my blasted IV drip will be done." Caitlín pouted. "Is there any chance that you can use your FBI pull to spring me out?"
"Careful, Em." JJ chuckled. "She already asked me the same thing."
"Then that's definitely a no, but I'll give you points for trying." Emily brushed some of Caitlín's hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear in a motherly sort of way. "Sinéad told me about why this day does a number on you."
"She did?"
"Mhm, and I know how you feel because I have three angel-babies. I'm here for you."
"Thanks." Caitlín gave Emily's hand a gentle squeeze. "That means a lot."
"You guys," JJ said suddenly when she remembered the new developments regarding the children. "Emily and I have some really exciting news to share."
"Yes." Emily chirped, catching on. "Yes, we do."
"Then I should get going." Spencer quickly interjected. "I don't want to overstay—"
"Spencer Sheldon, don't be ridiculous." Emily reached over and ruffled the young man's hair just because he knew it would tick him off. "You're as good as a brother to JJ and I, so you're staying, alright?"
"Okay," he was already trying to fix his long wavy locks. "But don't touch my hair."
"You got it, chief. Ready to act like a big kid now?"
Spencer nodded, so JJ sat up straighter in her chair, framing her bump with one hand and rubbing it with the other.
"We found out that Baby Bird is a girl," (JJ's grin grew to a beam when Sinéad, Caitlín, and Spencer all reacted happily) "And just a little bit ago, she was kicking up a storm."
"Is she kicking, or anything of the sort right now?" Caitlín asked quickly.
JJ gave her bump a few experimental nudges, but the baby was quiet. "Nope. I think she tired herself out by kicking me and fell asleep."
"Did you guys find anything out about the twins, then?" Spencer wanted to know.
"Yes, actually." Emily was the one to sit up straighter now, proud of what she had to say. "I can't say for sure who is where at the moment because they keep changing positions on me, but Ladybug is another girl, and Sprout is a boy."
Their family cheered more.
As Caitlín stretched out her limbs—she was very restless—the metallic object on her left wrist grabbed Emily's attention again, especially since, now that she was closer, she noticed a flash of purple in addition to the medal. Using her lightning reflexes, she reached out and caught Sinéad's arm so she could have a closer look.
"It seems that JJ isn't the only one of us who got a new piece of jewelry today." Emily noted, examining a purple-banded bracelet, complete with a metallic nameplate engraved that had her name and a caduceus medical symbol on it. "This looks like a medical ID bracelet."
"That's because it is." Caitlín watched as JJ got a look at the bracelet before Emily finally let go of her arm. "Mum and dad always told me that I'd need one of these whenever I moved out, just in case I get into a mess like this and I don't have anyone help me. I've been putting off getting one…"
"Just what does it list, besides your name?" JJ asked, knowing that while Caitlín only got into scrapes like this once in awhile.
"My being autistic, my penicillin allergy, my blood type, and emergency contact numbers." Caitlín traced a finger over the band material. "The doctors gave me a catalogue of styles to choose from, and Sinéad, Spencer, and Penelope helped me choose."
"Well, better safe than sorry." JJ told her stepsister before adding with a wink, "And something like this wouldn't make us love you any less."
Caitlín yawned sleepily, and leaned against Spencer, who was laying on the bed with her for that exact purpose.
"I'm sorry—I'm just super tired because I had a rough sleep, and it wasn't for long."
That sentence also ended in a yawn and she was already half-asleep in Spencer's arms, so Emily and JJ stood.
"It's okay, Caitlín," JJ whispered to her. "You're in good hands now, so you sleep, and we'll come back later."
"Okay, sissy…"
Caitlín only ever referred to JJ as 'Jenny,' so the fact that she called her a nickname like 'sissy' meant that she was bone-tired.
Emily and JJ left quietly.
Before leaving the hospital altogether, Hotch found them and informed them that they, along with the rest of the team, that they didn't have to come into work until nine the next morning. He also had all of their personal belongings that Vera had confiscated from them during their abductions.
Among their belongings were there iPhones, both of which had died quite awhile ago. Emily charged them both when she and JJ entered their bedroom, and just as she did that, the landline rang.
"Maybe if I ignore it, it'll stop." Emily mused as she watched JJ shed her shoes, clothes, and accessories until she was naked.
"Or," JJ said cheekily without looking back. "The sooner you answer, the sooner you can come join me."
Emily answered the phone quickly after that.
In the shower, JJ stood under the hot water sighing in relief and running her fingers through her hair as all of the grime and dirt from the last few days washed off her and into the drain. They hadn't been deprived of bathing privileges, but the method with which they had bathed had been a tad crude and hadn't brought the kind of relief that only a hot shower could.
A smile crossed JJ's lips when she felt her daughter kick in response to the change in temperature.
"You like that, don't you, Baby Bird?" JJ prodded her bump and then laughed when she felt a solid kick. "You need a proper name, though, and so do your brother and sister. Maybe it's time we have a chat with mommy about it."
"Have a chat with mommy about what?"
Now free of the phone—and her clothes—Emily came to join JJ in the shower.
"Our children really need names." JJ informed Emily as she shut the door of the shower stall behind her and allowed herself to feel the relief of the water on her skin. "We can't keep calling them Baby Bird, Lady Bug, and Sprout forever, can we?"
"No, I suppose not. What about naming them after people important to us?"
"That sounds perfect," JJ gave Emily a peck on the cheek. "But let's have that conversation when we're fully clothed, hm?"
"Good plan."
There was a beat of silence between the two of them and JJ noticed that Emily was quiet, thinking about something.
"Babe," she cupped Emily's face in her hands and smiled at her. "What is it? Who was on the phone?"
Emily held one of JJ's hands in hers, kissing it. "Remember that brownstone on Mission Street—the one with everything we've ever wanted in a proper home?"
JJ nodded, remembering the place full well, as it was the only one that they'd made an offer on to buy during their weekend of house-hunting, having fallen in love with it immediately.
"Yes. I remember it perfectly."
"Well, the only other family that was interested in it pulled out, so it's ours now."
"Oh, my God... we have a new home?"
"Yes," Emily confirmed. "And I made arrangements for us to meet with the real estate agent at eight-thirty tomorrow morning to sign the papers and get the keys."
"There goes a proper sleep-in, but hooray—we just bought a home together!"
Emily opened her mouth to answer, but words failed her when she pulled back and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she was suddenly overcome with what felt like an intense amount of hard stomach butterflies.
Only the water from the shower head could be heard for a moment as it dawned on them what Emily was experiencing.
"They're kicking you, huh?" Emily asked kindly.
"Yeah—I think they don't want to be too far behind their sister." Emily took JJ's hands in hers and held them to the spot where she was feeling the most activity. "Feel this, Jayje. They're both wide awake and kicking."
JJ's heart filled with joy as she caressed Emily's bump with a newfound sense of love towards their twins, and she laughed softly when she felt a stirring in her own womb. Keeping one of her own hands on Emily's twin belly, JJ put one of her fiancée's on her own rounded midsection.
"They're all competing for attention already, Em. Just imagine what things are going to be like when they start talking… or walking."
Emily shuddered. "No, thanks."
A sudden, sensual "Oh!" was all JJ could get out after that because Emily wanted to celebrate all of the good things that had happened so far that morning. In doing so, she decided to take JJ right then and there in the shower.
JJ was perfectly fine with that.
