Four days had passed since the surgery and Spencer still hadn't woken. J.J. remained by his side, night and day, while the rest of the team went back to work as usual. It was late in the evening, when the door opened and J.J. turned to see Emily walking in.

She gave J.J. a sympathetic smile as she approached the bed. She placed her hand on Spencer's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Hey handsome," she said softly. "We needed you at work today. Took us an hour to solve this riddle that you would've gotten in less than a minute."

She turned her head towards J.J. who looked exhausted. Her eyes were lined with black circles and her eyes were blood shot from lack of sleep and probably abundance of crying. Her skin was pale, and it was clear she hadn't been eating much.

"Why don't you go home for a while. Take a nap. I can stay with him," she offered.

"No, I'm fine. I get sleep here and there," J.J. replied.

They stood in silence for a while as Emily stared at Spencer. He looked at peace. So, wherever his brain was, he didn't seem to be in pain.

"Why is it always him?" Emily sighed.

"I wondered the same," J.J. mumbled.

"Do you think it's time for him to …" Emily hesitated. "You know … throw in the towel? Maybe find something safer to do?"

"The selfish side of me wants to be able to see him at work every day, but when I see him like this … I think how much longer until his luck runs out? There has to be a point where you've used up all of your almosts," J.J. sniffled as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

"It's weird. I don't see how we can continue without him," Emily said sadly. "He is irreplaceable. In more ways than just his brain."

"I'm starting to wonder if I want to do this anymore," J.J. said looking up at her friend.

Emily turned to her a little stunned.

"After I was shot, I seriously began considering a new career. The thought of Henry and Michael growing up without me … it scared me and now, seeing Spence like this … I just want a normal life. Where he goes to work, and I care for the kids. He comes home and dinner is waiting on the table for him and we take vacations together and we do normal things like normal people."

J.J. started softly weeping as Emily walked around to comfort her friend. She pulled J.J. into her arms and held her tightly, trying to hold her own emotions at bay.

"I think we all think about that at some point," Emily said. "And maybe we all need to reconsider our lives. The last few years have been insane. Maybe it's time for all of us to consider a change."

They both composed themselves and separated from their embrace. Emily turned back to Spencer and tapped his foot.

"And you, I'm starting to think you're being lazy and just don't want to work," Emily teased.

Spencer's fingers twitched. Emily looked at them and back at J.J. questioningly. Her eyes were riveted to that spot as well, mouth agape. Maybe it was another seizure.

"Spence, honey, can you hear me?" J.J. said hopefully as she looked at his face.

She watched him carefully for some kind of sign. She nearly collapsed when his eyes opened momentarily. They moved around the room landing on her, before rolling closed. J.J. hurried closer to his side. She placed a hand cautiously on his cheek, her other hand holding his hand.

"Spence, open your eyes for me, please," she almost begged.

His eyes fluttered open again. He looked at her under heavy lids as Emily hit the button to summon a nurse.

"Hey, can you hear me? If you can hear me, squeeze my hand," she ordered.

She looked to Emily and back to Spencer's hand, hoping for something. Then she felt his fingers curl ever so slightly over hers. It was a weak squeeze, but she knew it was an attempt none-the-less.

"Oh, thank God," Emily huffed behind her.

"I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. Keep fighting to come back to me," she said as happy tears now dripped from her eyes.

She lifted his hand and kissed the back of it.

(xxxxx)

The following morning, Spencer woke up fully. He had a headache as expected, but in general, J.J. was happy to see that he seemed healthy otherwise. He didn't speak other than a few soft yes or no responses.

Not long after Emily returned to see how he was doing the doctor came in to assess Spencer.

"Dr. Reid, how are you feeling?" Dr. Kato asked as she sat down on her rolling chair.

"Ok. Headache," he said in the same soft toned voice he'd been speaking in since he woke.

"That's to be expected. We can give you something for that," she stated as she began checking his vitals.

"Non-narcotic?" J.J. piped in.

"Yes, I saw his notes," Dr. Kato said, with no judgement.

"All of your vitals are looking great. I'm going to ask you a few questions, is that ok?"

Spencer nodded slightly.

"Tell me your name."

"Spencer," he said.

"Full name."

"Dr. Spencer Reid."

"Great. Where do you live?"

He looked up momentarily before looking back to the doctor.

"1500 West Madison Ave. Apartment number 23," he said.

"Good. When is your birthday?"

"October 17."

"Excellent. Any guess on today's date?"

He furrowed his brow as he tried to think. He looked at the doctor in a panic.

"Dr. Reid, it's ok. There may be a few things that you struggle to remember. Your brain went through some serious trauma."

Spencer nodded his understanding, but still looked concerned.

"Do you know who these two ladies are?" Dr. Kato asked.

Spencer looked at J.J., then at Emily, and back to Dr. Kato where he nodded.

"Emily," he pointed to her. "She is the Unit Chief of the BAU and J.J.," he pointed to her, "she is an agent in the BAU, like me."

J.J. looked to Emily with large eyes. She looked back to Spencer with a frown.

"Spence, do you … do you remember what happened between us?" she asked as her heart pounded.

He looked at her with a furrowed brow and shook his head.

"Are you dating anyone Reid?" Emily jumped in.

Spencer shook his head no. J.J. felt tears fill her eyes as she looked to the doctor who was taking notes. Spencer looked at Emily and J.J. in confusion.

"Dr. Reid, do you remember anything about the accident you were involved in?" she said watching him carefully.

"No," he replied.

"What is the last thing you can remember happening to you?" she questioned.

Spencer looked up at the ceiling. His eyes were moving rapidly as he tried to figure out what he remembered.

"Um, last thing I remember is Lily's birthday party. Matt had a princess party for her," he said.

Emily's jaw dropped and J.J.'s hand went to her mouth. Dr. Kato took in their reactions, as did Spencer.

"That's not right, is it?" he frowned.

J.J. looked at Dr. Kato, worried about what to say. She didn't want to discourage him, but right now, her brain was running a mile a minute. She couldn't think clearly.

"Reid," Emily said slowly and hesitantly. "That party … it was nearly a year ago."

Spencer's face creased with distress. He looked to Dr. Kato, his eyes pleading for help.

"It would seem your short-term memory has been affected. At this time, let's not worry. It is very possible that it's temporary. We can't and shouldn't assume the worst. For now, I suggest you continue to rest when possible, allow your brain to heal properly."

She turned to face Emily and J.J.

"I would limit visitors to no more than two at a time and I would keep the visit as short as possible. Don't tiptoe around his memories. Feel free to share photos and stories with him. It can help in his recovery process."

She spun her chair back to Spencer, who was worrying his blanket.

"Dr. Reid," she said getting his attention. "I know you are upset, but as I said, let's take it one step at a time. It is incredibly common in traumatic brain injuries to experience memory loss. We will work with you to help recover those memories."

Spencer nodded as Dr. Kato patted his hand. She stood up and walked out of the room, leaving Emily and J.J. watching him awkwardly. Finally, Emily took a deep breath and plastered a smile on her face.

"Hey, that beautiful brain just needs a little more rest. I'm going to head off to work, but I'll check in later. Everything will be fine. You've beaten the odds time and again. I don't doubt you for a second," she said.

Spencer nodded with a small side smile that was purely out of courtesy not actual happiness. Emily leaned over to give J.J. a quick hug before leaving the two of them alone. J.J. reached out and grabbed Spencer's hand.

"Why don't you take a nap?" she said.

"You should go home. Will and the boys need you," he said softly.

J.J. felt a pang in her heart. She closed her eyes momentarily and then opened them, hiding the pain she felt.

"It's ok," she said. "Will knows I'm here and the boys are fine. Just get some rest."

He gave her a small smile and then closed his eyes. J.J. waited until he was asleep before she let herself break. She silently cried into her sweater until she was so exhausted emotionally, mentally, and physically that she fell asleep in the chair.