AN: Thanks for the reviews; I promise at least two major things are coming up in this story very soon :) and yes, JJ has been through hell and I cannot promise nothing else will come up but for now, the focus is on her strength and determination.

Remember, italicized parts mean flashback.

Hotch sat in the ICU, holding the hand of his unconscious agent; the monitors and beeps and constant in and out of medical staff was not reassuring and the fact that Ross had been summoned out by the critical care physician did not ease any of Hotch's anxiety.

"JJ," He sighed, rubbing her hand with his. He knew she was sedated, knew she couldn't hear him, but he felt that talking to her may help with any anxiety she was feeling. At least he hoped it did. He had known she was anxious earlier on, knew her anxiety was increasing significantly even though she refused to admit it. "JJ, I'm here," he promised, shaking his head. What the hell had happened? Why JJ? Why her? His heart was breaking as more information came flooding in, came flooding in at the true extent of her injuries; and her prognosis. All because they had taken that damn case back in August of 2017; this had happened because he had agreed to take a damn case. And JJ had paid dearly for it; was still paying for it. And Hotch shook his head as he looked up at her, was this fair? Was this the right thing to do? Keep forcing treatment on her when they never knew what could go wrong next? Would this be her life, in and out of hospitals? Tortured?

He couldn't stand the thought of it; of JJ slowly dying because of a decision about a case. And he rubbed his chin; thinking back to when she was first abducted and the emotions then. How they had gone from shock and anger to denial and back again before reaching despair and then acceptance that they may never see her again. And then he had gotten that call, and they had slowly pieced together what had occurred; and then the second abduction… and the feelings and emotions associated with all of it were torture. And he couldn't imagine what JJ felt. To Hotch, while all the emotions earlier on were awful, watching his powerful agent slowly die was worse then torture; watching her struggle to breathe, to fight for every breath, watching and waiting and knowing she was going to die was far worse then he could have ever imagined.

And he was still stuck in that cycle, that constant state of hypervigilance, the constant waiting for JJ to… for JJ to let go. Right now, his sole focus was on JJ, was with her but he knew once she passed, his furor and anger would be directed at every fucker that was involved in his agent's abduction, torture and eventual death. And he would go through hell and high water to make sure every single one of them was executed. And if the justice system didn't… he would pay whoever he needed to, to make sure it was done. JJ deserved it; she deserved justice; she deserved peace.

He took a deep breath and looked up at the monitors; he didn't know how to interpret the readings but knew colors and that green meant good and red was danger. JJ constantly floated between the two; and according to Ross, a dedicated team was working to put a plan in place while the FBI worked to ensure that anyone that had access to JJ or anything to do with her medications or equipment was screened and cleared.

Everyone was working to keep her alive; but she was working the hardest. And Hotch shook his head, "just rest, JJ. Just rest. We have it," he whispered, touching her skin and cringing at the still raging fever. He looked down and readjusted the blanket, the specialized blanket that had been brought in to help cool her down; a cooling blanket. The nurses had gently pulled her hair up and out of her face as they had taken all of her clothes, leaving her with just the cooling blanket on. And Hotch did his best to turn his head when the nurses came in to give medications, or when the blanket slipped down a bit. But when it was just him and JJ, when her body would shake from the fever and the blanket would fall, he would gently pull it back up and over her.

He sighed and thought back; it had been a hell of a last few hours.

Hotch stood, watching as Ross and JJ appeared to be arguing over something; arguing wasn't the correct word. Ross was talking and JJ was shaking her head; refusing something. He heard Ross' voice grow louder and heard the frustration in it; he saw that stubborn light briefly flicker in JJ's eyes and knew something had gone down.

"Ross?" Hotch called his name, nodding for him to come over. He watched as the doctor stood up and walked towards him, watched as JJ turned her head away. "What's wrong?"

Ross shook his head, "she's declining again; the medication I gave her earlier is wearing off and it's becoming apparent. She is really struggling to breathe, Hotch. I am running out of options here…"

Hotch nodded, "An ambulance is on the way; it'll meet us at the road, we are waiting for clearance from the meteorologist but is seems the storm is decreasing in strength. There is talk we can get her on a chopper if we can get her to a meet up point."

Ross swallowed, glancing back at JJ. "She needs a medical transport; that is for sure. But Hotch… she is refusing medical treatment."

Hotch looked at him, "what?"

"I don't know, but I told her we were getting ready to transport her to the hospital and she said no. She cannot talk much anymore because all of her energy is going to her breathing; but she adamantly refused to go to the hospital."

"She can't stay here…"

"I know, Hotch. But if she is refusing medical treatment, I cannot force it on her."

Hotch knew that, he knew the law, but he also knew JJ desperately needed it. "Is it her PTSD that's causing her refusal?"

Ross looked back, "I don't know, Hotch. I don't know if she is scared, I don't know if she is just done fighting, I don't know if it's the fever; but she does not want it. I've told her if she doesn't go to a hospital, she will die."

"What was her reaction to that?" Hotch questioned, already pulling out his phone to make a call.

"She said she knows and asked about hospice care."

Hotch looked back up at him, "what?"

Ross nodded, "She's refusing Hotch, and I cannot convince her otherwise. She is angry,"

"She needs control over something; she has no control at all Ross." Hotch licked his lips, "everything has been forced on her without her consent. If we force this on her, we lose her."

Ross nodded in agreement, "so what do we do?"

Hotch took in a deep breath and brought the phone to his ear, "we call in reinforcements."

It took less then ten minutes before Garcia had worked her magic and Hotch found himself on the phone with the one person who could help JJ. He explained the situation and smiled gratefully at the immediate desire to help.

"Give me a few seconds, I am going to have Garcia transfer this to video chat. Also, she looks awful; don't be alarmed by her appearance." Hotch explained and then walked towards JJ, watching as she looked like she was about to hit Ross. He knew she was livid, he knew that look. He had been the recipient of that look many times before.

"JJ," he used the voice he always used with her when out on cases; the one that showed authority and understanding. And trust. He knew she needed him to know that he could trust her. He watched as she looked up at him and he swallowed, Ross had been right, JJ was declining. "I have someone for you," he stepped forward and turned the phone around.

He saw her expression change instantly, saw it go from anger and hate to happiness. He handed her the phone as she reached out and didn't react when her hand began to shake from holding it for a second. "Hold on," he rearranged the pillows and propped the phone up against them so that JJ could see without having to waste precious energy gripping the phone.

"Will…" Hotch heard her gasp, heard the smile in her voice.

"JJ, you look beautiful," Will said, and while Hotch did not listen in on the call, he did pick up snippets of it. And Will had done a phenomenal job. After a few minutes, Hotch heard Will tell JJ that he loved her and to get Hotch.

But Hotch frowned when he noticed that JJ was trying to speak, but simply could not get the words out, she was nearly gasping for air now. "Hotch, I had to bribe her, but she's agreed to medical treatment." Hotch watched as Will wiped away a tear, "Hotch… please don't leave her. She's so scared right now, she won't admit it, but she is terrified."

"I won't leave her side." He promised before walking back over to Ross and JJ. "JJ, the transport team is here, can we take you to the hospital?"

He watched as JJ nodded, watched how Ross' expression spoke volumes; he knew Ross was beyond worried. He watched as a transport team moved in with a backboard, blankets and four backpacks overflowing with medical equipment.

"JJ, I am really concerned about your breathing," Hotch heard Ross say, removing the stethoscope from JJ's chest. "I am doing everything I can not to intubate you but am running out of options," he said softly, watching as the team began rearranging equipment. "I will get you off the vent as soon as I can, okay?" He promised but JJ shook her head.

"Just… I can… do… it," she gasped.

"Its not a question of you doing it, JJ. You can't, not right now." Ross replied, standing up as three men came around them. He rubbed his face, trying to make a decision. JJ was in imminent danger of respiratory arrest, but intubating her was exceptionally dangerous with her current complex condition. The last thing he needed was her crashing while they were transporting her in the middle of the storm. He was out of options.

"JJ, I promise we are here," he soothed, grabbing some tools from his bag as JJ was lifted from the couch and placed down on the backboard. Instantly, she began fighting to try and sit up, panic etched in her features as she fought to breathe. Ross looked at one of the medics and ordered the medication as he looked down at JJ and forced her down, "I am right here, sweetheart," he promised, "JJ, I have to intubate you, okay?" She shook her head and Ross saw tears start running down her cheek, "shh," it soothed, watching as the medic prepared the medication.

"JJ, I am right here," Hotch dropped down next to her, taking her hand.

"No…" she gasped, still fighting to sit up as she saw Ross holding the now familiar tools; her captors had done this to her numerous times, had forced this on her, and now it was happening again. By the people she trusted.

"Ross?" Hotch looked to the doctor, seeing the utter distress JJ was in.

"Go ahead," Ross nodded to the paramedic and Hotch watched as the medic injected something into JJ's IV. Instantly she went limp in his arms and Ross moved to her mouth. "Alright sweetheart, you're okay," he said, skillfully navigating the tube down her throat before nodding and backing away as the medic attached a bag to the end and began squeezing it. Ross pressed his stethoscope to JJ's chest again and listned before nodding. "She's good, let's go."

And Hotch had stood back as the team moved JJ out, had walked with them as they navigated the snowstorm and walked as they hauled JJ up hill. And when he saw the waiting ambulance, Hotch took in a breath; they had made it.

And the rest was a blur; JJ had stayed stable on the drive to meet the helicopter and stayed stable throughout the trip. She had been met with a team of skilled doctors and nurses in the ER and Hotch had stayed with her the entire time; watching as a litany of tests and procedures were completed, as more staff came in and poked and prodded her, watched as she was escorted to scan after scan. And watched as Ross looked over every bit of information that came back; and the more information that came back, the quieter Ross became.

And JJ had been moved up to the ICU four hours after arriving in the emergency room; and Hotch had not left her side. She was still intubated, and as Ross had explained, it was the best thing for her right then and that they all wanted her off the vent as soon as they could; she was not there. Not yet.

Hotch closed his eyes as he thought about security and ensuring that nobody got to JJ; it would be a nightmare to implement with details; so he had given the project to Reid. And he knew Reid would deliver; he just had to wait until then.

He had just stood up to stretch when the door opened and Hotch looked up; it was Ross. And Hotch could tell instantly that the doctor had been crying.

"Ross?" Hotch asked, looking towards the man who had become a close friend.

Ross didn't say anything for a moment, but walked over to JJ and smiled. "You've got a hella fight up against you, JJ." He paused before looking to Hotch, "She's got a long road, Hotch; she's got a lot going on, and her needs are exceptional right now. But damn she is a fighter. I am going to give you the bad news first, okay? There is good news."

And Hotch nodded, "She is in heart failure; significant heart failure. Normally, in her condition, the transplant team would not even look at her, but I just met with the department head and she agreed to come look at JJ for consideration. She cannot leave the ICU until well after the transplant is done. She cannot have a transplant until we get her immune system back up; it is exceptionally low right now so we are working to improve that. The surgeon is going to go in when she is more stable and remove the kidney; its not functioning and only contributing to the litany of her conditions. They will also remove the port that was placed and place a new one. And yes, she does need one right now."

"I thougt you said there was good news," Hotch growled.

"There is, but let me finish this. She is septic, it's a blood infection and we think it came from the port placement. Now, lets get to the good news; her fever is already coming down, it was crtically high when she got here, close to 105 but they have gotten it down to 103 which is much better. The blisters and burns on her skin are healing well but there is evidence that they are internal as well; as far as I know right now, they are not causing her any pain. Her immune system is racing up, its improving quickly which is tremendous. She is urinating and her vitals are stabalzing."

Hotch smiled, "she does sound better,"

Ross nodded, "She still has a long road, but we are nowhere near when I first met her and are already way ahead of when she was in the cabin."

"Does she still need the vent?"

Ross nodded, "for now, yes. She is triggering it, which means she is trying to breathe over it. But I want to give her entire body at least a day of rest before we look at taking her off of it; I hate it but we are essentially forcing JJ to rest. She is resting and her body has improved significantly in just a few hours. I am in constant contact with Garcia who is in contact with Will; he is consenting to all medical procedures right now since JJ cannot. Her doctors and I are debating if we just keep her ventilated until we can get some of the surgeries out of the way, we don't want to have to extubate her, then intubate her and extubate her again. But we will reconvene tomorrow."

Hotch smiled as he looked down at JJ, the blue tinge had nearly vanished and she looked peaceful. "Ross, I cannot thank you enough for saving her life. I am glad you are part of our team."