Hey guys! I honestly can't believe we are in mid-July. I. still can't process the month of March. Since it is mid-summer it is scorching hot outside. Each time I step out I feel like I'm melting. I can't wait until the sweater weather. That is my favorite time of the year. Anyways, new chapter today. Welp, our protagonist is still alive so the show must go on. Remember to leave a comment on what you think so far. Bye.

Chapter 32

Emily was pacing around the waiting room, hoping to hear any news about Dani. She hears the elevator door ring open and sees her team walking out the elevator looking rather anxious. JJ spots Emily and walks towards her with the rest of the team behind her.

"Hey. How is Dani doing?" asked the blonde agent.

"She is inside. I'm not really sure what is happening. They haven't told me anything." Emily answered.

JJ nodded and placed a hand on Emily's shoulder. "How about you go sit down and try to relax," JJ said while gesturing her hand at a chair.

"JJ, I don't think I can get close to a relaxed state," Emily told her.

"You need to try," Tara told the brunette. "Matt and I will go ask about Dani. You sit here with the rest."

Emily looked up at the rest of her team and she knew she couldn't win this argument. She hesitantly sat down while Matt and Tara went to the front desk. The rest of the team sit around Emily. Rossi and JJ sat next to the brunette. She is visibly anxious with her foot jumping up and down while she was picking her nails.

"I'm sorry I left without telling you all," she told her team. "It was an impulse action that placed lives in danger. You guys didn't deserve that."

"We will admit, you almost gave us a heart attack. With my age, that isn't really good," Rossi said while slightly chuckling. "But we know why you did it. It was to save Dani."

"I'm pretty sure if any of us were in a similar situation we would have reacted the same way," JJ said. "I would have done the exact same thing if someone were to have my kids hostage."

Just after she finishes her sentence, Matt and Tara walk towards the group with a male doctor behind him. He was around his mid-forties with grey hair and black glasses. He was holding a clipboard on one hand while walking towards the group. The two agents sit down while the doctor begins to speak.

"Family of Daniela Hernandez?" he asked.

Emily stands up quickly and looks at the doctor. "I'm her mother. How is she?" She asked anxiously.

"She is doing rather well. Her health condition is stabilized and her heart rate is back to normal," he told the agent. She and the rest of the team let out a relieved sigh. "However, she did suffer from rather serious injuries. The cut that she had on her brow was a very deep cut. She had to receive five stitches on the wound. It will heal eventually but it will most likely leave a permanent scar. She also has a broken rib after receiving a strong hit."

Emily felt downhearted after hearing what the doctor told her. Hearing that her daughter was hurt made her heart crack into pieces. Guilt washed over the brunette. She failed in protecting Dani. This error could have cost her daughter's life.

"Can I go see her?" Emily asked.

"Yes. She is at the end of the hallway resting," the doctor said. He looks at the rest of the team who were attentively listening to the conversation. "I think it would be best if you all wait until tomorrow to visit her. Right now she will need lots of rest."

The team nods in agreement and stands up. Rossi walks up towards Emily and looks at her. "We will come back tomorrow to check up on you and the kid. Anything you need, do not hesitate to call us, okay?"

"Will do. Thank you. All of you," she told her team. They all said their goodbyes and Emily made her way to the room where Dani was in. She reaches the end of the hallway and looks to her left where she sees Dani's room. She opens the door anxiously waiting to see her daughter again. She walks inside and sees Dani lying down on the hospital bed with the IV stand next to her. She walks in, cautiously, not wanting to disrupt the teen while she is resting. Emily hears the heart rate monitor beeping at a normal pace. Dani looks up and sees Emily standing at the end of her bed. She meets the brunette's eyes and greets her with a weak smile.

"Hey, Em."

"Hey, honey," Emily said while walking towards Dani, standing on the side of the bed. She smoothes Dani's hair gently, not wanting to hurt her. "Are you okay? Does anything hurt?"

"I'm alright. I just feel a little tired," Dani responded. Emily looks at the stitches Dani had going through her eyebrow. The agent cringed internally knowing that once the drugs wore off, Dani would feel a stinging discomfort. Her eyes begin to feel watery with tears.

"Dani, I am so sorry this happened. If I would have known-"

"Hey, don't do that. Don't blame yourself," Dani said. She reaches for Emily's hand and holds it. "I will be honest, I am confused about what happened but you don't have to explain yourself now. I'm just glad it's all over."

Emily bends down and kisses Dani's temple. "Me too. You were very brave. Way more than I was."

"Sit down, Em. I know you are tired," Dani told Emily as she pointed to a chair at the back of the wall. "You make me feel nervous when you are standing," she said with a chuckle. Emily pulls the chair so that she is sitting next to Dani, holding her hand.

"Do you need anything?" She asked while rubbing small circles on Dani's hand.

"No. I'm fine." She replied. Just then a nurse walks in the room. She greets both Dani and Emily and takes out an IV bag from a cabinet.

"I see that the first bag is almost empty. I will replace it with a new one. This will help you keep hydrated," she said with a warm smile. Dani nods as she watches the nurse change the bag. After the nurse was done, she adjusted the needle that was on Dani's arm. Dani looked at the needle that was poking through her skin which made her wince.

"God, I hate needles," she murmured with a frown.

Emily looks at the teen and gives her a comforting smile. Emily had a good idea of why Dani wasn't fond of needles. Dani's mother had a dark history with them. It's no wonder why the teen didn't feel comfortable around them.

After finishing setting up the IV, the nurse left the room. The teen was tired and tried her hardest to keep her eyes open. Her eyes were darting all over the room, making sure no one was there to hurt her or Emily.

But she was too tired.

This didn't go unnoticed by the profiler. Emily saw how alert and tired the teen was. She knew it was important for Dani to rest but the only way she would do that is if Emily convinced her that she was safe.

"Honey, why don't you take a nap, okay?" She said while pushing a string of hair from Dani's face. "I promise I will stay here the whole time. I just need you to rest."

Dani looked at Emily and wanted to protest but she was too worn out. "Okay," she whispered.

Emily was running her fingers softly through Dani's hair while she watched Dani drift to sleep. Once she saw the teen's eyes flutter shut, she slowly pressed her lips on Dani's cheek.

She looks at the state Dani was in. Cuts and bruises all over her, not counting the ones that were not visible to her. Her child was hurt. She was hurt right in front of her and Emily couldn't do anything to stop her. She realized that she has failed to protect her as an agent and as a mom.

"Im sorry," she whispered with tears streaming down her face. "Lo Siento."

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Hours passed by and Emily was watching Dani as she slept. Emily managed to sleep for a few hours but wanted to be awake in order to take care of Dani. Emily felt more relaxed but was still jittery when it came to abrupt sounds or movements. She then felt her phone vibrate. She pulled out her phone and saw the time. About a quarter till 11. She read a message from Garcia.

Garcia: Good morning, Em. The team and I will be arriving at the hospital in about 20 min. Take care :)

Emily smiles when reading the text. She responded to the text with an okay.

Emily was forever grateful for her team. They helped in saving her and her daughter. This team was very special in the agent's heart compared to other places she had been. The BAU was more than just a branch in the FBI. It was a family connected with an unbreakable bond of love and friendship. Something that Emily never had before. Emily would do anything for her team and she knows that they will too.

She then sees Dani starting to move her fingers.

"Dani?," Emily asked while placing her palm on Dani's cheek. She sees how Dani slowly opens her eyes. Dani looks up at Emily and meets her gaze.

"Emily?" She asked with a scratchy voice.

"Hey, baby. It's me. I'm right here," she said in a calm voice. Dani rubs her eyes in order for her vision to adjust to the light. She looks back at Emily and smiles.

"How are you feeling? Does anything hurt?" Emily asked.

"My head feels a little fuzzy but that's about it," Dani replies while rubbing her eyes. "How about you? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," Emily said. "Do you need anything?"

"No. I think I'm good," Dani said while looking at Emily. "How long was I asleep?"

"About ten hours," the agent replied. Dani's eyes went wide open in surprise.

"Ten hours?" She questioned in disbelief. She looked at Emily and she nodded. "Well that's a record," she murmured.

"It is," Emily told the teen. Dani tried to sit up on the bed but she struggled due to her body feeling weak. Emily immediately stood up and helped the teen. She carefully helped her up and placed a pillow behind Dani in order to support her.

"Gracias," Dani said, slightly embarrassed. She didn't like the fact that she couldn't do something so simple like sitting up but was grateful for the agent's help.

Emily places a soft kiss on the top of Dani's head. "No hay problema," she said with a smile. She sits at the edge of the bed and wraps her arm around Dani. The teen leans on the woman, resting her head against her chest. Even though she had slept for hours, Dani still felt tired. She knows it's most likely because of the medication they gave to her.

They hear someone knocking on the door and entering. It was the same doctor who Emily had spoken to the night before. He walks towards both of them and offers a smile.

"Hello, Daniela. I am Doctor Brown." He introduced himself. "Do you remember seeing me yesterday?"

Dani lifts her head up and looks at the doctor. "No. Not really," Dani told him with honesty. She saw a lot of nurses and doctors checking up on her and was very tired the night before. There was no way she could recognize who helped her in the hospital yesterday.

"That is alright," the doctor said with a smile. "I talked to your mother last night. I just wanted to pass by and see how you were doing."

Emily held her breath as the doctor finished his sentence. Last night she identified herself as Daniela's mother to the doctor. Yes, Emily did consider herself her mom. After all, she loves the girl as her own daughter and sees her as one. She knows Dani has a different opinion when it comes to that. the word "mother" or "mom" we're sacred words to her. To Dani, she will have only one woman as her mother. Sofia Hernandez was and will always be her mom even if she wasn't present in her life anymore. The child made herself a promise in never replacing her mother. Emily respected Daniela's decision. She just hoped that one day Dani would see her as another material figure, not a replacement one.

"I'm alright," Dani replied to the doctor, completely oblivious to the fact he mentioned Emily as her mom. "I just feel tired, that's all."

"That is completely normal. You don't have to worry about that. You will eventually regain your strength," he said while walking towards Dani. "Now if you don't mind, I want to check your pulse."

Dani nodded and the doctor placed his stethoscope on Dani's back. After he was done, he took a look at the stitches Dani had on her brow, making sure they were good.

"Everything looks just fine," he said while writing down on his clipboard. "I want to keep you under observation for another twelve hours then you may go home. I will prescribe pain medication that you can take home today."

"Will you prescribe a lot of meds?" Dani asked nervously.

"No. Just two," he told her. "You are very strong, Daniela. I can see that. I will need you to take lots of rest and minimize any sort of physical activity for a while. This is so you can have a faster recovery with your broken rib."

Dani nodded. She wasn't surprised by having a broken rib. She knew that the last punch she received was a strong one. Dani herself heard it crack. She frowns when remembering it.

Dr. Brown looks up at Emily. "I will send you a copy of the prescriptions and further information in regards to Daniela's recovery. Any questions before I leave?"

"No. Thank you so much for everything," she said while placing her hand on Dani's shoulder.

"No problem. I will leave you two to rest," he said and walked out of the room and closed the door.

"Twelve more hours?" Dani said while placing her head against the headboard of the bed. "That is a lot of time being stuck in this place."

"Time will fly, Dan. Don't worry about it," Emily told her. "If it were up to me, I would have kept you under observation for at least another three days."

"Oh no," Dani said while shaking her head.

"What is it? asked Emily while shifting closer to Dani.

"Once I get out of the hospital, I will be stuck at home with you the whole day," Dani answered with a grin.

Emily shakes her head with a smile. "Oh, yeah. You will have to suffer from my 24/7 presence for a while," Emily said while wrapping her arms around Dani.

"How will I ever survive?" asked Dani sarcastically while rolling her eyes. Emily gives Dani a light squeeze and kisses the side of her head.

"I promise I won't be bugging you all the time," she told Dani.

"Okay. I will keep hold of your word but if you break your promise I will go move in with Penelope," Dani said with a smile.

"Talking about Penelope," Emily said while taking out her phone. "She texted me saying that she and the rest of the team will be coming over for a visit. I want to warn you so they don't catch you off guard," said the agent while scrolling through her text messages.

"What time will they be here?" asked the teen. She was excited to see the team again, especially Penelope.

Knock Knock