A/N: Don't kill me for picking up the story like this. I'm not sure where this plot came from, but it's taking a life of its own. I promise, though, things will definitely quiet down after the next few chapters. :) As always, please review! And give me some suggestions!
JJ picked up on the first ring. "Em, are you okay? What did he say?"
Emily's voice trembled. "Jen, could you pick me up? I don't want to drive right now."
The blonde's stomach dropped, her voice barely a whisper. "Emily, what did he say?"
"Please, Jennifer. Just come get me." Emily said through tears. She waited for a moment, waiting forger wife to respond before realizing that her phone had died. "Great." She cried, laying her forehead on the steering wheel.
The doctor's words swirled through her head, the words 'tumor' and 'surgery' stuck in her throat. How did this happen?
JJ's arm hit her cup, spilling the brown liquid over her keyboard. Ignoring it, she swung her bang over her shoulder and bolted out the door.
"JJ, where are-" Morgan started to ask, stunned by the blonde's flushed face. "JJ!" his chair spun as he raced after her.
Morgan was faster than JJ, catching her arm before she left the building's main door. "Morgan, let me go!" JJ clawed at his hand.
"Not until you tell me what the hell is going on." He answered, wrapping his arms around her. "JJ, stop! I'm not letting you go. You can't drive like this."
She thrashed in Derek's arms for a moment before collapsing against his chest. "She's sick, Morgan."
Gently, he rubbed her back, holding her tightly against his chest. "It's okay, JJ. Let it out."
"I begged her to go when her headaches got worse, but she wouldn't listen. She just wouldn't listen." she sobbed.
Morgan wasn't sure what to say, shocked by the realization that his friend could be seriously sick. "Well, what did the doctor say, honey?"
"I don't know." JJ sniffled. "Emily just called me in tears, begging me to pick her up."
Derek nodded. "Then look at me." He tilted her chin to met her eyes. "JJ, look at me. Whatever is going on, she needs you. She needs you to be strong right now. So if you want to cry, cry- get it out of your system. But you need to pull it together before you leave so you can help her, okay? I'm right here. I'm not leaving either of you. We're family and I'm here for you both to lean on, but she needs to lean on you right now, alright?"
JJ sniffled again, rubbing her hand over her eyes. With a deep breath, she said, "I know. I just- I don't know what to expect. I can't lose her, Morgan."
"Baby girl, no one's losing anyone. I promise." he kissed the top of her head. "Do you want me to go with you?"
"Thank you, but no. I think it just needs to be me this time." she tried to smile. "Call you later?"
"Of course." Morgan returned the smile, "Call me when you can. And don't worry, I won't mention this to anyone. You tell the team when you guys are ready, okay?"
She nodded. "Thanks, Derek." With a deep sigh, she pushed the spring loaded door open and squinted at the sunlight.
"Where is she?" Emily thought, trying to hold herself together. Her tears had stopped flowing for the time being, her walls building themselves back up around her. She needed JJ to keep the pieces from falling.
After what felt like an eternity, the blue minivan pulled into the space beside Emily's Mazda. JJ opened the driver's side door to the SUV and wrapped her arms around Emily's sunken body. Immediately, the brunette felt warmth spread back through her veins.
"Em, it's okay. I'm here. I'm right here, honey." JJ pressed her wife's head to her chest, gently stroking her hair.
Emily sniffled. "It's okay, I'm alright." She said, fighting back tears. "Just take me home, okay?"
The drive seemed to take forever, even though they made good time for DC rush hour. JJ parked in Emily's normal spot, but didn't wait to see if Emily wanted to talk before going inside. She simply opened Emily's door and extended a hand, waiting for the brunette to take it. "Come on, honey. Let's go inside."
Nodding, Emily didn't argue. She let herself be guided into their warm, spanish-styled home. They didn't stop in the living room or kitchen, but instead made their way into the bedroom.
JJ sat on the edge of the bed, pulling Emily into her lap. "Talk to me, Em." She held her tightly.
Emily took a breath and whispered. "It's not that bad. I don't know why I keep freaking myself out. I must look crazy."
JJ tightened her grip, pressing her lips to Emily's head. She didn't say a word, waiting for her wife to continue.
"They said I have a glioma in a part of my brain called the basal ganglia. It's a tumor. They said that typically they're hard to remove, but this one is small enough that it shouldn't be a problem. I don't know why this is hitting me so hard." Emily's eyes were closed, taking in the scent of her wife and the feel of JJ's soft shirt against her cheek.
The wheels in JJ's mind had stopped spinning at the word 'tumor'. They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Emily, who sounded surprisingly strong, asked, "What are you thinking, Jen? Don't shut down on me."
JJ snapped back to reality. "I'm not. I guess I'm just in shock. I just- I don't want to lose you, Em. I can't."
"I know, honey. I know. I love you, Jennifer. More than you could ever imagine."
"I love you too, Emily." She hugged the brunette tighter. "So what next?"
Emily sighed. "They said that I could get it removed whenever I was ready, but he wants to schedule something soon. The sooner they operate, the better the chances are."
The word 'operate' frightened JJ more than the word 'tumor' did. "So when?"
Emily's attempt to smile turned back into tears. "He said I could check in tonight and they'd start in the morning."
JJ nodded, biting her lip. "Okay. She repeated. "Okay."
"Jen, come on- don't shut down on me. It'll be okay. I promise. This time tomorrow, it will all be over and I'll be on the fast road to recovery, okay?" Emily pulled the blonde's head towards hers until their lips met. "It will all be okay." she whispered.
