It was two o'clock in the afternoon, and Reid was driving to the hospital to see JJ. He wanted to see her earlier, but Emily had convinced him to get some sleep. After all, he spent the night at his mom's care facility having some deep conversations with her. That was something he didn't think he would get to do again. He was surprised when he got the call from Brookfield… and scared. He hadn't known what to expect. Then, when he got there, it was as if he could momentarily forget about his mother's illness. He was, however, worried about what was to come. There would most likely be a rapid decline in her health. He was just glad that she had agreed to a new trial.

Now, Reid was somewhat rested, and ready to see his best friend. He didn't really know how to feel about JJ's confession… well, her second confession really. He had dreamed of hearing those words from JJ. Granted, not when she was lying in a hospital bed, and on top of that, married… but still. He never thought that being loved by Jennifer Jareau was a possibility, until the day they were held hostage. Then he couldn't get the thought out of his head… but now, even though she confirmed that she felt the same way he did, there was nothing he could do. JJ had Will.

Pulling into the hospital parking lot, Reid pushed those thoughts out of his head. He couldn't let that stop him from visiting his best friend. He had already shut her out for the past six months, and then she almost died. It showed him how much he needed JJ in his life, so he wasn't about to shut her out again.

Reid made his way up to JJ's room and knocked on the door. Hearing her confirmation to enter, he did just that. Seeing her big smile, he couldn't help but return it. "Hey. How are you?" He shut the door behind him and sat down in the bedside chair. He was surprised that Will wasn't in there.

"I'm good."

He gave her a pointed look. "Jennifer."

JJ held his gaze for a few seconds, but finally relented. "I…will be good. Physically, I'm recovering well. It will take time, but the doctor thinks I'll make a full recovery. Mentally, I guess I'm still reeling from the shock of it all. It scared me."

Reid was the only one she would admit that to, and he knew it. "It scared me too." In a rare move he surprised both JJ and himself, and grabbed her hand.

For a moment, no words were exchanged. The two agents just looked at each other, and then down to their intertwined hands. Reid could've sworn that he saw tears in JJ's eyes.

He squeezed her hand before letting go.

JJ cleared her throat. "Um, Emily told me about your mom. How is she doing?"

"She's okay right now. She's agreed to participate in another trial. We're not sure how long this stage will last, but it's what comes after that I'm worried about. I got to spend quality time with her last night and this morning. We got to talk about things we haven't been able to before, so that was nice."

JJ gave a sympathetic smile. "I'm glad you got to have that time with her. I hope the next trial goes well."

"Yeah, me too." After a brief pause, Reid addressed his earlier thought. "Where's Will?"

Suddenly, JJ's whole demeanor changed, even though she tried to hide it. "Um, he went home this morning. He's going to bring the boys by when they get out of school."

Reid could tell she was holding something back. "JJ? What's wrong?"

"Well, uh… Will and I are getting a divorce."

Reid's eyes almost bugged out of his head. "What? Why? Oh no, this doesn't have anything to do with.." His voice trailed off, guilt coursing through his whole being.

JJ shook her head and reached out to grab Spence's arm. He tensed for a second, but then she could feel him relax under her touch. "No, Spence. Will and I have been heading in this direction for a while. We just didn't want to face it… but now, we've gotten to a point where if we don't make some major changes, everybody involved is going to be hurt. I can't do that to the boys."

"But what about them growing up without their parents together?" Reid knew exactly what that was like. He didn't want Henry and Michael going through the same thing.

"We are both going to be there for them every step of the way. It's going to be an adjustment for them… for everyone, but in the long run, this is for the best. Believe me, I have given this so much consideration, I have thought out every possible outcome or scenario. This is the best option."

Reid slowly nodded. "Well, I'm sorry you are having to go through this."

"Thank you. You know, the boys have been asking about you. They really want to see you. After you left yesterday evening, they asked why you didn't stay and see them."

Reid was once again filled with guilt. He looked down at his lap. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have shut you guys out. I shouldn't have stopped visiting… I've really missed them."

"They'll be here soon, if you want to stick around."

He gave a small smile. "I'd love that."

CMCM

About an hour later, Will brought the boys in to see JJ. They gave a big greeting to their mom, and shyly waved at Reid. They weren't exactly sure how to act around him right now, and he felt a piece of his heart break.

Reid got up and hugged the boys. "Hey guys! How are you?"

Will glanced at JJ while the kids mumbled their reply. She just gave a small smile.

Reid knelt down to Henry and Michael's level. "I'm sorry that I haven't been visiting the two of you. Some things happened, and I handled it the wrong way. I shouldn't have done that. I've really missed you guys, and I won't do that again, I promise."

Michael was quick to hug his godfather again, and soon after, Henry followed suit. "We love you Uncle Spence."

"I love you too." He let out a sigh of relief, and looked over to JJ. She had tears in her eyes, and a big smile on her face.

No words were spoken between Reid and Will, but the two men nodded at each other. It was tense in the room, between the three adults, but they tried to cover it up for Henry and Michael.

Reid was sure Will knew about his feelings toward JJ. He just hoped Will didn't get the wrong idea and think that something had been going on between them. Reid made a mental note to talk to JJ about that later, but right now, he just wanted to focus on his godsons… because he had really missed them.