Everything

"What do you mean?" AJ asked raising a brow. "How bad is it?"

"I found his car abandoned with blood." He told her and flashbacks of Dean having the same conversation with her when her mom went missing.

"Oh my god." She said sitting on the couch feeling sick.

"I found him." Dean said to her but AJ could barely hear him. "AJ, I found him." He repeated and she looked up. "He's in really, really bad shape." He told her bluntly. "He's lost so much blood and he doesn't look right-"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" AJ snapped.

"He was jumped I'm assuming." Dean told her. "He took a beating and has a few stab wounds. He's in very critical condition."

"Take me to him." AJ said standing up.

"Maybe you should just absorb this a few minutes." Renee suggested. "You look so pale."

"I need to be with my husband." AJ told her coldly.

"I'll take you." Dean said.

"I have to go to the bathroom again." AJ said placing her hand over her mouth and running into the bathroom.

"How bad is it?" Renee asked.

"I found him a few yards from where his car was. He was in the woods. I think whoever did it thought they killed him." Dean told her. "He had a faint pulse."

"You got to him in time." Renee assured him.

"I didn't even recognize him. He as covered in blood, dirt and swollen." He confided. "I don't want her to see him like that."

"She has to be with him." Renee told him. "But you were right, she is pregnant." She told him quietly.

"Fuck." He groaned running his hand over his face.

"So you have to try to keep her calm. You have to be her brother and not a cop." Renee told him. "I'll come with you guys."

"She's going to lose it." Dean warned her. "He was-"

"Just try to keep her out of his room until the doctors have a chance to work." Renee told him.

"Ok, I'm ready." AJ said walking over to him.

"Grab your purse because they'll need insurance information and whatnot." Dean told her.

"Oh, right." She said grabbing her bag. "I hate to be a nag but Larry-"

"We still have food here from the last time he stayed with us." Renee assured her.

"I'll call Peyton she'll come by with Jack and walk him." Dean told her with a nervous smile.

"Don't do that weird smile." She warned him. "Lets go." She said walking out the door without them.

"This is going to suck." Dean sighed following her and Renee out.

AJ was in the waiting room at the hospital and like the last time she as here it was filled with police officers but this time was different as in the Captain was there, and even the Mayor of the City. It was bad. Press was camped outside and no one was talking to her. She was sure she wasn't going to get the good news last time she was here. Renee was by her side and Dean was pacing the entire time. She could overhear officers talking and knew it was real bad. Most were waiting on word that he had passed away. She was waiting on word that he had passed away. She was losing hope.

"How long has it been?" AJ asked Renee.

"Six hours." Renee said looking at her watch. "Just stay strong. The longer they are the better the news. That means he's fighting."

"Did you find whoever did this?" AJ asked looking up at Dean.

"No." Dean told her honestly.

"So why is everyone here? Why aren't they out looking for who is responsible?" She asked through tears.

"There are hundreds of officers working this right now." Dean assured her. "We'll get them."

"Them?" AJ asked.

"It had to be more than one guy." Dean told her. "For that amount of damage? Had to be."

"I feel so sick." AJ groaned.

"You need something? Need a doctor to look you over?" Dean asked concerned kneeling in front of her.

"You told him." AJ said annoyed to Renee.

"He told me technically." Renee sighed.

"Dean, I didn't get to tell him yet." AJ whispered. "He doesn't even know he's a father."

"Good. So when you go in to see him you can tell him and he has something more to fight for." Dean reasoned with ease.

A team of doctors stepped out and AJ stood up with Dean at her side and she reached for his hand as the doctor approached.

AJ was now sitting next to Punk in hospital room. He looked awful, she barely recognized him but he was breathing. He was in medically induced coma due to the beating he took but it looked worse than what it was. He had a broken hand, his spleen was removed, he had so much damage but he was fighting so AJ was going to fight with him.

"The doctor said you might be able to hear me." AJ said to him. "I'm really mad at you." She said to him. "You promised me you'd be more careful after last time. This wasn't careful. This was so reckless. I'm sure it was heroic but it was reckless. You didn't just leave me behind last night." She said shaking her head and holding onto his hand. "I can't stop shaking, can you feel that? You know what stops me from shaking? You." She told him. "You always calm me down and now I'm just going to freak out because you're not here to tell me it's going to be ok and I'm just crazy."

AJ looked over to the machines and he sighed.

"The beeping is so annoying." She said to him. "But it's a beautiful sound it means you're still with us. I say us because I'm pregnant and I wanted to be super romantic and sweet about it but you didn't leave me much of a choice. Dean thinks if I told you now you'd fight harder." She said looking at him. "I took like six tests. I couldn't believe it. I told my father that you and I were going to be parents than he ever was. I can't be a parent alone." She warned him. "I won't be able to do it. You're my backbone." She said squeezing his hand a little more.

"I have my first check up later today." She laughed at the irony. "I wanted to go together before we had to go to Jersey. I guess that's off the table. I think I'm like eight weeks along. I don't know for sure. Dean wants me to be checked out but I won't do that without you." She said to him. "We do this pregnancy together."

"AJ?" Pam asked tearfully stepping into the room.

"Pam." AJ greeted sadly standing up and took Pam into her arms.

"Oh my god." Pam sobbed upon seeing Punk.

"He's strong." AJ assured her. AJ was going to comfort Pam because Punk would have wanted her to. "He's so strong. He's going to pull through."

"Is it even really him?" Pam asked holding onto AJ but walking closer.

"It is. But he's doing well." AJ said walking her over to the chair. "Sit with him? I have to use the bathroom. The doctor said to talk to him." She encouraged. "I've probably already annoyed him with my chatting he's faking it." She tried to tease to cheer up Pam.

AJ stepped out of the hospital room and ran her hand over her face.

"Who are you?" AJ asked the man standing outside the door.

"He's a Detective." Dean said jogging over. "This is Detective James. With whoever still on the loose you're going to have a police detail here. How are you feeling?"

"No better than I was an hour ago when you asked or the hour before that." AJ said to him. "I'm tired but I can't close my eyes."

"I really want a doctor to look you over." Dean whispered to her.

"Dean-" She began.

"I know you don't want to do this without Punk." Dean said knowingly. "But you're in there telling him to fight for this kid so let's just make sure it's all good. I'll go with you. You won't be alone."

"It's not the same." AJ said shaking her head.

"AJ, your health is important. You've been stressed and Renee said you were sick all night." Dean said to her.

"I'm always sick. This baby hates me or something." She said to him.

"When he wakes up he's going to kick my ass if I didn't have you checked out." Dean said to her. "For my sanity let's just do this? Pam is here so he's not alone, there's a guard, we can do this super quick."

"Fine." She reluctantly agreed.

Another three hours went by and AJ was holding onto one of Punk's hand and her other hand was holding her first sonogram photo.

"It's really hard to tell but the Doctor told me how to find the baby in the picture." AJ said squinting her eyes at it as she rested her her head a bit. "I think this baby might have your ears or something." She said turning the picture to sideways to try to find the baby. "I'm nine weeks along so I was pretty close. We're due in February." She told him. "And I'm never going to an appointment without you again so you better wake up." She warned. "Your mom went home. She can't see you like this it's breaking her heart."

"AJ?" A voice asked and AJ looked up and she saw Renee. "How is he doing?"

"No change." AJ said to her. "Did they find anything?"

"No, I'm sorry." She frowned. "I want you to know that the prosecutor working your mom's case reached out, she's willing to change your testimony days around-"

"I can't leave." AJ told her. "Phil needs me here."

"AJ if you don't testify Eliza is going to walk." Renee warned her surprised. "Everything you've fought for-"

"I only have so much energy to fight these days and right now I need to fight for my husband, my child's father." AJ informed her. "I can't leave this hospital let alone the state."

"Ok." Renee said to her.

"I know you must think I'm terrible. Like I'll let my mom's killer walk, but my mom of all people would have done exactly what I'm doing." AJ said to her and Renee placed her hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not judging you, AJ. I just want to make this as easy on you as possible." Renee told her.

"I wonder what he was thinking." AJ said looking back at Punk now. "Did he think he was going to die? Was he scared?"

"You'll have to ask him when he wakes up." Renee told her. "I'm going to make those calls to Jersey and go home and check things out but can I do anything for you before I leave?"

"No, thank you." AJ said to her looking at Punk. "We're good here."

"Alright." Renee smiled a bit then stepped out of the room.

"Don't do that." AJ said to Punk who was just laying there. "I'm not leaving your side and the last thing I'm worried about is Eliza Daniels. You need me. My mom is gone and you're still here and that's my focus. Besides if I travel I might be sick the whole time. I don't know if it's nerves or your kid inside of me but I just can't stop throwing up." She groaned. "I thought I'd be one of those pretty glowing women and I spend 90% of the time with my face in a toilet. I wonder if people will realize I was pregnant before marriage." She said fearfully then laughed. "This isn't a small town no one cares that's fine."

"I mean, Mrs. Jenkins from down the street will judge you." Dean said from behind AJ.

"Isn't she dead?" AJ asked looking back at him.

"Nah. She's still lurking in her attic window." Dean smirked. "He's already looking better." he said to her and AJ glared at him. "I mean it, I can see he has two eyes now."

"Any luck tracking the guy or at least figuring out what happened?" AJ asked him.

"His CI is a young woman we worked a case with. She's not really a CI but a troubled young kid who calls when she's in over her head. Her husband has bad connections and I guess he saw Punk coming around and got jealous, called a few buddies over who were at the bar around the corner and they jumped him." Dean explained and AJ cringed. "Witnesses say about six guys."

"My god." AJ gasped looking at Punk. "And you can't find any of them?"

"One of the guys turned themselves in when they realized Punk was a cop. We picked up two more and we'll get the rest." Dean told her. "We'll get them all."

"Why didn't anyone call for help? Where was this girl?" AJ asked.

"She ran scared." Dean told her. "It's not the neighborhood where you call for help."

"He's a someones husband, someones father, he's a human." AJ insisted. "How could no one help? How could they do this and disregard him like trash on the side of the road?" She asked.

"If you didn't call me when you did we wouldn't have found him in time." Dean told her. "You saved him."

"If I didn't fall asleep I would have noticed it earlier." AJ said shaking her head.

"Damage would have been the same." Dean informed her.

"Did you have an officer take Pam home?" AJ asked.

"Of course." He said removing his jacket and pulling another chair over.

"You haven't slept you should go home." AJ told him.

"You're going to sleep. I'm going to sit up and keep chatting with him." Dean told her.

"Dean-" She began.

"An officer is going to take you back to my place you're going to shower, go to the guest room and sleep then the same officer will drive you back." Dean told her. "You can't be here around the clock. You have a baby now and this baby needs rest. You heard the doctor your blood pressure was through the roof and I promise you Punk will murder me if anything happens to you or the thing."

"The baby isn't a thing." AJ frowned. "It's a baby. It's part me and part him."

"I get it." Dean said to her. "Go sleep a few hours."

"You really won't leave his side?" AJ asked skeptically.

"Have I ever lied to you before?" Dean questioned.

"No." AJ said with a light smile and Dean waved in the officer.

"To my place and that's it, no stops." He told the officer.

"Call me if there's any change." AJ said giving Dean a hug then leaned over and kissed Punk's head. "I mean any change no matter how slight."

"I will." He told her.

"Dean-" She began before leaving. "Thank you."

"I got this." He said with a laugh and sat in the seat she was in. "Go."

Later that night AJ was finally asleep and even though Punk was in bad shape she was hopeful. Sleeping was easier than she though since she was so exhausted.

"You don't sleep much." A voice said to AJ as she was dreaming she was in her old Hillsborough home.

"I can't sleep these days." AJ said to her mother as she sat next to her on the bed.

"You look beautiful." Daria smiled a bit. "Your life is so beautiful. You've done so well baby."

"Phil is going to die." AJ said to her.

"I've been watching him a long time now. I don't know him to be a quitter." Daria said to her. "He has a lot to for. You and your baby."

"My baby." AJ whispered remembering.

"You'll keep the tradition going." Daria said to her.

"I miss you." AJ said to her.

"I know you do. But I don't get a chance to miss you because I'm always there." Daria told her. "I'm that little in your head reminding you to breathe."

"I'm sorry about your trial." AJ told her. "I've looked forward to being there and I wanted to be there-"

"Don't be silly, April." Daria smiled a bit. "You're a wife, you're a mother." She reminded her. "Your place is with your family. Justice will be served in some way or another."

"I want everyone to pay for it." AJ told her and Daria frowned.

"April, you have to let go of this anger." Daria told her. "Lashing out isn't go to make you feel better. It's going to make you more bitter. And you my dear should not be bitter." Daria reminded her with a smile. "You are a successful, powerful woman who is also a wife and now a mother and those are the greatest roles you will play. You've made the life for yourself that I always dreamed you would."

"I don't know if I can do this." AJ said shaking her head.

"He's going to need you." Daria informed her. "This will be a long road and his life is forever changed from this."

"Will he be ok?" AJ asked her.

"He'll be ok. Physically." Daria added. "Emotionally the scars will take time to heal. You have to be to him what he's been to you."

"Of course." AJ said to her. "I just don't want to mess it up."

"He loves you entirely. You won't mess it up." Daria assured her. "He thinks he's not good enough for you. That he'll never be your number one."

"He's always my number one." AJ said shaking it off. "He doesn't think that."

"You're awfully closed off." Daria noted.

"I'm working on that." AJ said to her.

"You have to let your anger go." Daria told her. "I don't want you consuming your life with what happened to me. You found me, you got me home, you gave me peace and now you have to go on and be a wife and mother. You have other people you have to help. I'm ok." She assured her. "I have a front row seat to watching you became an amazing person."

"Ok." AJ said quietly. "It's not easy."

"It's not." Daria agreed. "But you're strong and I know that because I raised you. I'm fine, April, you can go on now."

"I'll try." AJ told her.

"You will." Daria corrected and then smiled.

"What?" AJ asked.

"She's going to be beautiful." Daria smiled warmly.

AJ's eyes popped open and just as they did Renee walked into the room.

"I wanted to let you sleep longer but Dean called." Renee told her.

"What happened?" AJ asked already jumping out of bed.

"His swelling has gone down and they're going to ease him out of the coma you just have to wait for him to wake up now." Renee smiled. "It's really good news."

"Good news." AJ said to herself with a smile. "I have to get changed and we'll go."

"Ok." Renee said to her closing the door and AJ placed her hand over stomach.

"Grandma said you're going to beautiful." AJ said to her no existent bump with a light smile. "We're going to be ok."