AN: This hospital stay is very loosely based on my sister. She has status seizures often, and she lands in hospital and her muscles hurt so much she can't move and then has to do things like physio and relearn to walk. It's all very crazy. This particular time my sister was in she kept having seizures so it would set her back because she would ache again and then be to tired to even do the physio.

Anyway I hope this chapter is okay. I brought in the kids. Life's a bitch and doesn't wait for anyone.

It was a couple of days later before the kids were able to come a see JJ in hospital. She had been there for 5 days, which was longer than expected, but due to what they were saying was a long case of postictal paralysis JJ had to undergo physio to be able to go home. But each time she had a seizure it would set her back slightly as it continued to make her already sore muscles sorer. Emily had been with JJ since she dropped the kids off at school, Garcia and Rossi were going to bring the kids to the hospital and hang around before Emily took them home later that night. They had waited so long so JJ was slightly stronger and more in control of herself, which after talking with her therapist she was. She had managed to cope much better.

Earlier that morning JJ had the dressings from her now scabs on her legs and chest removed, they were healing well, but Abi had a brief serious talk to JJ about stopping the harsh scrubbing in the shower, because if she ends up with an infection which doesn't get checked out and treated from what she was doing she could land right back in hospital whenever she left. JJ had agreed to try, and one step towards that was allowing Emily to help her take a sponge bath earlier. The two had been able to talk and unofficially come up with a plan for if JJ felt she was going to do it again.

The kids were 5 minutes out and JJ still had to give a couple more laps of her hospital room. She had a walker, Abi and a Physiotherapist by her side with Emily stood in front talking about anything random to keep the blonde distracted from the aches and the struggle she was having moving her legs. "Come on Jayje, you catch me, and I'll make anything you want when you get home."

"Even Cowboy pie?" JJ smiled getting closer to her wife, as the physiotherapist helped push JJ's legs along the floor allowing her to take bigger steps than she could herself.

Emily shook her head. "No, I refuse. Anything but that abomination." No one could understand how much she hated that dish. She didn't hate many meals, but that was one she could never learn to like. Not even if it was the last meal on earth.

"What's Cowboy Pie?" Abi asked, she had one hand on the walker keeping it moving with JJ and another round her waist keeping the blonde standing up, so she couldn't help but eavesdrop on the conversation.

The brunette shuddered at the thought of it. "It's a sausage, bean, mash kind of dish. I can not stand it. But JJ loves it and seems to have gotten all the kids hooked on it. I thought it sounded nice when she first mentioned it but honestly it isn't"

"No, Emily. It's so nice. Your just fussy." The younger woman spat out her tongue, thinking maybe she had won this argument and she could get Emily to cook one of her favourite meals.

Emily laughed at the small lie JJ may have just told. "Me fussy. Come back to me when you don't pick apart everything I put on your plate."

"Oh, are you a fussy eater." Abi asked with raised eyebrows. Violet had been fussy as a child but thankfully had grown out of the phase, she was now a foodie.

The blonde protested "No, I'm…"

"Yes, you are, you don't eat sprouts or cauliflower, you only eat unsmoked bacon with no fat, if there's any fat on it you freak out. You hate butter, radish, eggplant, anything spice, the only chips you like or salt and vinegar kettle chips or Cheetos. Whenever we have tacos your as bad as the kids you separate the shells from its fillings and pick everything out. Want me to continue?" Emily interrupted. Her wife was fussy. But she was glad that was one thing her kids hadn't picked up. They were pretty good eaters, they preferred some things to others but generally they ate everything.

"No." JJ pouted. She wasn't that fussy surely.

The physiotherapist stood up straight, "Alright let's get you back on your bed before your crew arrive, because as good as this is, it can be quite scary for the young ones." Abi helped move JJ on to her bed slowly and carefully. As they were helping her get comfortable a flurry of children and people came rushing into the room climbing on the bed and chairs, excited to see their Momma after 5 days. Which felt like longer.

Emily started grabbing the ones on the bed putting them on the floor. "Alright, lets just give the doctors a minute to sort momma out then you can give her all the hugs you want yeah?" JJ smiled seeing all the kids, she needed this.

Garcia and Rossi stood at the door watching the kids wonder round and watch one of their moms be helped to the bed and connected back to the monitors she had to stay connected to. They were grateful they were able to come see their friend, but however grateful they were, they couldn't help the feeling of being scared deep in their stomachs. It didn't matter how many times someone was in hospital, and in their case, the team were there quite often, it still worried them at how vulnerable and weak a person looked when they were in a hospital bed. Especially when they were unable to move themselves. Abi finished connecting JJ to the monitors and left the room letting everyone get to say hi to their Momma who they had only spoken to be phone.

"Momma." Gracie called trying to jump on her mothers bed. Emily picked her up as well as the others who wanted to sit on the bed, letting them get hugs from the mother they hadn't seen in 5 days. But it felt like longer with how JJ had distanced herself before the event which landed her here. Emily couldn't help the rush of emotion that came over herself. She was happy.

"Hi my babies." JJ made sure to give them all the tightest hug she could give them and a big kiss on either cheek. "Have you all been being good for Mommy and Uncle Dave?"

"Yeah, Momma, we tidied up all our toys and got a bath when Mommy and Uncle Dave asked. We've been really good." Michael exclaimed excitedly. He wanted to make his Momma proud.

The mother smiled happily, they always made her proud and did everything they could when either herself or Emily weren't there. "Oh wow. That's amazing. It sounds like you've been super good."

Lizzie pouted "Yeah, but we miss you."

The blonde mother took hold of her eldest daughters hand, she was sat towards the edge of the right side of the bed, she would have got closer to her mom, if Gracie, Luke, and Samantha weren't sat on her. "I know you do Lizzie, but I'll be home soon, I promise. How's school been?"

Henry usually loved school but at the moment they were going over things he already knew. Stuff his Mom's had taught him or his favourite uncle Spence. "Boring can't we come stay with you instead. Schools rubbish." He had plenty of friends too but staying home would always trump going to school.

"Momma what's they for?" Samantha asked pointing to the wires connected to JJ's chest coming out the hospital gown. She poked them a couple times, which made the monitors make a couple of loud sounds.

Emily picked up the small twin, setting her on her hip so she could see the machines and take some of the pressure off JJ. Abi had been at the door with a nurse watching, they had a couple things they had to do then they could leave the family alone for a while. "Hey doc, fancy explaining the machines to the munchkins." Emily asked as she saw Abi hovering.

"Of course." Abi let the nurse go about her business changing the things she needed to while she tried to explain the things which were monitoring JJ, "This one checks your Mom's heart is beating on time." She said point to the machine, and also pulling down the blood pressure cuff, to check manually that was okay. Just one of the many checks she needed to do. "This one lets us see your moms brain is working, look you see these spikes that's your moms brain. How cool is that!" She exclaimed.

"Can you put it on me?" Luke asked poking at the wires on his Moms head, this caused the EEG machine to go a little wonky.

"Not right now bud, listen to the nice doctor." JJ said pulling her sons hand down from her head putting it on his lap.

"This bag here." She said point to a big clear bag of liquids, "This is a drink for your mom, but it goes straight to the tummy, and this one here," She said pointing to the small liquid bag. "Is to stop all the poorly in your mom so she can come home." She had started JJ on antibiotics this morning due to her white blood cell count still being up. She wanted to counteract any infections before they became serious or made JJ more ill.

"What's that one?" Henry asked point to the bag which the nurse had put in a tray to take away.

"That one is a gross one, you sure you want to know?" All the kids nodded they wanted to know what the gross one was. "That was your moms wee, gross right!"

"Ewwww, Momma, that's gross." The kids all scrunched up their faces it was gross. Henry took a step away from the bag which the nurse was holding near him.

"Alright, everything's good." The doctor said turning to Emily and JJ. "I'll be back in an hour for another check and with some Ibuprofen because your gonna get sore again." The couple nodded and watched as Dr West walked out the room with the nurse who had kept quiet during their checks.

"You two coming in, or are you just going to hover at the doorway?" JJ asked her colleagues who hadn't said anything but stayed just at the doorway looking upon the family.

"We didn't want to interrupt. We know how important these moments are." Rossi held up his hands slightly. He hated intruding on family moments.

"If your welcoming us though does this mean I can hug you?" Garcia asked excitedly. She had been itching to run in and hug her best friends. They were both off work again and she missed them. The place wasn't the same without the two. She had so much gossip to share, with her friends. But for now, this would do.

JJ nodded with a laugh. "Of course, you can, if you can get past these sprogs." Garcia hurried into the room and managed to squeeze past the children to give one of her best friends a hug.

"I'm gonna take it you didn't see me here which is why you haven't given me a hug yet." Emily rolled her eyes with a smirk on her face. She loved Garcia, she was always eccentric and joyful. Even at times like this.

The technical analyst pursed her lips and frowned at Emily. "You don't need attention. Your able bodied and can hug me yourself." She said almost seriously. The chuckle which followed how not serious the couples colleague was.

Rossi and Garcia only stayed for an hour before shooting off back to their own families, to prepare for dinner. Emily had ordered a pizza for herself and the children which had gone down a treat for them. Herself and JJ only had a slice each not needing much to eat at the moment. Before Emily had taken the kids home for the night Abi had come in to formally meet the kids. Who were incredibly happy to meet the doctor, some of the kids even mentioning they wanted to be doctors when they grew up, but reluctant to leave their mother behind. After lots of coming and going it was natural for them to have some kind of separation anxiety. Especially when knowing their mother was in hospital. But after lots of hugs and kisses the kids were all prepped and at the door ready to go. Emily grabbed all the school bags, and walked to JJ's side. "Alright, I'll be back tomorrow okay."

"Okay thank you. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye baby, I love you."

"I love you too sweetie." JJ weakly waved off her wife. Abi had been in the room helping out. Her service had been pretty quiet, she had another night on call, and had come in to put up another bag of fluids and do another check on her patient when the goodbyes were shared. She waited until everyone had left.

"How you doing?" Abi asked. JJ had visibly slumped down in her bed. She had been up for a good few hours, clearly, she was exhausted. Looking at the machines Abi pulled the med trolley close which she had brought into her patients room, it was time for her night meds anyway.

"I'm gonna have a seizure, right?" The blonde could feel the aura and seeing Abi pull the trolley close she knew it was going to happen. Her auras had been off lately, or rather the lack of had her worried. Maybe now she was getting them, things were getting back to normal internally anyway.

Dr West nodded. "I think so." She lay the head of the bed down so JJ was lay flat, and she pulled the sides of the beds up. Abi pressed the nurse assist button alerting the nurses that she was going to need their assistance. "This is all good though. I'm learning more and more every time I manage to catch one."

JJ acknowledged it and reached out for Abi's hand. She kind of preferred when she didn't know she was going to have one, because at least she didn't have the intense anxiety when she knew it was going to happen. But having an aura meant her anxiety had gone sky high. Just as she held on to Abi's hand. That was it she was gone again. A seizure having taken over her body.

In the car on the way back most of the kids had been pretty silent. They were tired from a long day at school. Monday's they were always more tired. Now they were also tired from their long visit at the hospital, it hadn't been too fun for them with not much too do. There had been lots of sitting around talking and eating pizza. Not much fun for children. Emily continued to drive their van home. Maybe after a good night sleep they would all be back to normal.

It was quiet until Lizzie spoke up. "Mommy. Why does Momma keep having to stay at hospital? She's always there." She hated her mom not being home.

"Your Momma's poorly. You know how she has fits which is when her body goes shaky, they made her poorly. So, the doctor has to look after her. But she should be home soon." Emily tried to explain it as simply and as carefully as she could. The fact was things like this was scary and she didn't want to scare her children. Herself and JJ had agreed when the kids were old enough if they asked, they would tell them the truth, but until then they would try beat round the bush a little.

Michael popped into the conversation from his seat right in the back. "But she's always there."

"I know honey, it's because the doctors make her a little bit better each time." The mother hated that this was affecting the kids too. She tried to keep focused on the road as they asked her questions.

"The bad man made her have a poorly head right mommy?" Henry asked from the seat next to his mother. He got to ride in the front when no one else sat there.

Luckily, they were at a red light or Emily was sure she wouldn't have been able to drive for the second she had to process what her eldest child had just said to her. "What bad man?"

"The one that took you and momma a while ago." Henry confirmed with his mom. He knew more than he should, and he knew it. He never looked to his mom. He stayed watching things pass by his window.

"How do you know about that?" Emily questioned.

He paused before answering. His mom might not like to know where he heard it. But when he looked to his mom, he knew he had to tell her. You don't lie to family. "When you disappeared, I heard Uncle Derek and Uncle Spence talking about it, they said that he banged Momma's head and made her have the fits. Then I heard you and Momma talking about it too, you said she's going to have them forever." He really hoped his Mom wasn't mad.

Emily continued to drive and not get too distracted by the fact her child had overheard some potentially worrying and if he had heard more details, they could be traumatising to him at his tender age of 10. "Henry, why didn't you say anything before?"

"Because I wasn't supposed to be listening and I didn't want to get in trouble." He confessed. He hated when he got in trouble. He was a good boy never one for trouble. He wanted to be like his Mom's when he grew up and FBI agent just like them.

"Oh sweet. Your never in trouble for anything like that. Okay, so yes it was a bad man that did it. But the bad man in gone now and Momma and the Doctors and trying to get her better. She will get better, but that means she has to stay in hospital sometimes. Henry, you, me, and Momma can talk about this when she's home but for now. Know your Momma is getting better and will be home soon okay?" Emily hoped this would do an answer for now. She needed to talk to JJ, to see what details would be okay to share and how they could approach this with their son. She wished he had never found out like this. This was something she and her wife should have told them. Not something they overheard.

"Okay." The knowledgeable boy nodded.

Satisfied it could be left until she had more of a private chat with the boy. She told all her kids. "We love you all you know right?"

"We loves you too Mommy." Gracie said with a cheesy grin. Being 4 meant the young girl was pretty oblivious to everything that was going on. She popped in and out of conversation as other things took her attention. Emily continued driving not sure how she was going to broach this subject matter with JJ or her son.