Chapter 6
Garcia kept the team going with coffee and sandwiches; she tried to help JJ, but the blonde agent was quiet, only grunting replies to questions occasionally. The whole team worried about their friend.
"Code blue OR 7," announced the speaker
Penelope pulled JJ into her arms and just hugged her tight, "It's Emily, sweetie; she is hard as nails. She won't give up without a damn good fight. You know that, don't you?" Penelope asked with her calming voice.
Thirty long minutes passed when two doctors appeared in the waiting room. The surgeon approached JJ
"Agent Jareau, Emily's lungs suffered damage from repeatedly inhaling water. Her tiny air sacs have deteriorated and collapsed, reducing the oxygenation of her blood. Making things worse, she has bacterial pneumonia in her left lung, and the lung wall has moderate damage from her fractured ribs. The lung keeps collapsing on us. I want to put her on ECMO- Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. We essentially take over for her lungs, allowing them time to heal. We remove the blood from her body through a machine that oxygenates red blood cells and removes the carbon dioxide. I want your consent to put her on ECMO if her oxygen saturation drops below 85%. There are some possible complications you should be aware of. The main problem is Emily might never be able to breathe unaided again." he was interrupted, " Code blue OR 7
The doctor turned, running toward the OR
" Do what you need to, Doctor, save her." JJ consented as the doctor ran; he raised his arm, confirming he had heard her.
EJ
" I can't handle this; it's been two hours." JJ angrily announced
Morgan watched his friend, knowing she was close to erupting. Her emotions all used up.
"Agent Jareau!" the doctor asked, trying to get her attention
"Yes, please call me JJ." answered the blonde
"Dr Lygo." smiled the tired man. "We had to put Emily onto ECMO. Her oxygen levels fell below 85%. I had to remove her spleen; she is stable at the moment. We are moving her into ICU once she is settled; I will allow visitors two at a time." smiled Dr Lygo.
" Thank you so much. Could I stay overnight, please?" I asked JJ who was giving the doctor the complete blue eye treatment.
The tired doctor just smiled at the begging blonde. " I feel sorry for your husband; those blue eyes are dangerous. I have asked the staff to wave the rules for you as long as you follow their instructions. Deal?" smiled the tired man
"Deal, thank you. You don't know what it means to me." smiled JJ
EJ
Emily was connected by two large tubes carrying her blood to a machine at the side of her bed. JJ was had hardly slept a wink overnight; she was too concerned about her friend laying in the bed connected to the machine doing the job of her lungs. The nurses had been great at explaining everything they were doing for Emily and making sure JJ looked after herself. The blonde had reluctantly showered, now dressed in a set of hospital scrubs; she held onto Emily's hand, only moving if they needed to get to her friend.
" JJ, can I have a word? Please just for a moment." Hotch asked her
Reluctantly she released her hold on Emily's hand. She was following her boss into a small waiting room. He indicates that she should sit and hands her a legal envelope.
After reading the three-page document, JJ looks up in utter horror at Hotch.
"You can't be serious? I don't care what it says; we are not doing it." answered the crying blonde agent.
" I promised Emily when I helped her with her living will. She doesn't want to be on any form of artificial life support for longer than a week. On the eighth day, all forms of artificial life support should cease. You are required to sign a do not resuscitate order. It's all legal; Jennifer and Emily's wishes she doesn't want to be a comma chick, surviving through a machine. I have given a copy to her doctor; this is Emily we are talking about; she would crawl over broken glass to get back to the team. You know that, Jennifer." unusually Hotch smiled and gently patted her shoulder
JJ walked back into Emily's room, retaking her seat. She lifted her hand, noticing how cold it felt.
" You, Emily Prentiss, are going to fight this, do you hear me?" scolded her blonde friend. She jumped, feeling a hand on her shoulder
Turning around, finding a grinning Derek Morgan looking down at her
" Don't do that, Derek, you scared the crap out of me." laughed JJ
JJ
They were standing outside Emily's room while the doctors did their checks. Morgan looked at JJ, wanting to ask her something but unsure if he should.
"Ask Derek, I can hear you thinking." smiled JJ
He smiled. "Hotch told me about Emily's living will. Could you do it, Jayje? Could you unplug her?" Morgan asked very quietly
"NO!" was her simple answer
EJ
" Her Pneumonia is responding well to the antibiotics. It should be fully cleared up in another few days." Dr Lygo told JJ and Derek
"That's good, right, Doc?" asked Derek.
"Yes, that's great—anything to make her stronger. You must both understand the general state of Emily's body after the beating she endured is not good. We are not sure if her damaged lungs will ever provide sufficient oxygen to breathe by herself again. I know it will be hard, but you might have to carry out her wishes in her living will. We will do our utmost to same her, the brutality her body endured she is lucky to be still alive. It would help if you prepared yourselves for the worst." The surgeon told the two agents.
JJ and Derek sat with Emily silently after the doctors warning of her prognosis.
"What happened during the raid?" JJ finally asked
Morgan told her he had managed to corner Aiden Black in the house after exchanging gunfire. He had hit the son twice in his shoulder. He was upstairs under guard until he was fit enough to be transported to prison. Doctors had successfully repaired his damaged shoulder; he would suffer some mild discomfort but regain full use of his shoulder after some rehabilitation. "We have enough evidence to keep him locked away for the remainder of his life." Morgan smiled as he told JJ.
"Amanda Black. Died." smiled Morgan
She was pulled over during a routine traffic stop by Metro PD. She panicked, pulled her concealed weapon and started firing. Officers returned fire hitting her three times in her chest, killing her instantly.
"She got off far too quickly after what she has put Emily through, Bitch deserved... She deserved." JJ just walked into the bathroom.
Morgan could understand she needed her time alone; she had a lot going on with Emily, Will, Henry and Emily's living will. He wished he could help his friend but understood all he could do was be there for her when she needed him.
EJ
Jennifer sat holding Emily's hand in her room as she and been for the previous six days. The Pneumonia had responded well to the antibiotics and almost cleared up.
"Jennifer, It's time for the talk." smiled the doctor as he gently touched her shoulder.
JJ looked up and nodded her head. "I know, ok, Doc," JJ told him, had been dreading this conversation,
"She will have been on ECMO for seven days tomorrow. I don't think she is strong enough to support herself without the ECMO; the damage done to her lungs is too severe. Are you willing to sign the form to remove her from external life support as she has defined in her living will?" asked the doctor
"No!" was her simple answer
"Agent Jareau. You need to..." the doctor was interrupted by Morgan wheeling Will into the room.
"Doctor, can you give us a few minutes?" Asked Will from his wheelchair
"I will leave you two alone," Morgan told the married couple
With tears falling down her cheeks, JJ turned to face the two men "stay, Derek, please." she asked in almost a whisper.
"I want her back playing with Henry; he loves his aunty, Emmy. The Emily I know and love is full of life. She wouldn't want to lay connected to that contraption to stay alive. She has given you her desires in her living will. Jennifer, I know it will be hard for you to sign the form to stop her ECMO; there is always a chance she will be strong enough to breathe independently. Satisfy her request; you know it's the right thing to do, Sweetheart; I love you. You will do the right thing." Will kissed his wife.
Morgan quickly wiped the tear away, " I agree with Will; that woman laying there is the most stubborn person I know. She once told me when she was smashed. The LaMontagne's are her anchor to all that's good in this world. She will fight to stay here, Jayje." Morgan emotionally told his friend.
Derek wheeled Will out and back to his room, leaving his wife to think things through.
JJ's blue eyes looked at her friends bruised face; with a sigh, she closed her eyes
"The funny thing, Emily, I would ask your advice on what I should do," she sighed
EJ
"Lay with me, Jenny," asked Emily, her arm outstretched
JJ took the offered hand and snuggled into the brunette on the bed. Emily kissed slowly down her neck biting hard on her pulse point. JJ moaned in pleasure at Emily's ministrations.
"Harder moaned JJ."
Leaving her mark on the blonde's neck with a smirk, Emily kissed her gently on the lips.
"I love you, Jennifer, I have for a long time, but I was too insecure about losing you as a friend. I did nothing, then it was too late, William and Henry. Keeping you close as a friend was the best I could do; I would do anything for you. My love." Smiled Emily
JJ opened her eyes after daydreaming; she checked Emily was still asleep in her bed. With a sigh, she looked around to check she was alone in the room.
"Damn you, Emily, I have loved you since I met you. I just yearned for you but was too afraid of what people would think; Will was the safe option. I wouldn't ever regret having Henry, but I can only dream about that." JJ told herself quietly. She often had that particular daydream and another favourite when alone in her bed.
Suddenly it hits JJ. She needs to sign the form. Emily Prentiss is the woman she knows. Not wanting to leave Emily, she pressed the call button. The nurse popped her head into the room
"Can you tell Dr Lygo I will sign the form?" she told the young nurse
EJ
The whole BAU watched as Emily was taken to have her ECMO machine removed; the entire team had spent time with Emily just in case something went wrong. To JJ's surprise, the doctor had allowed her to watch the operation from the observation room. Dressed in a blue set of scrubs, JJ watched in utter fascination as the medical team worked around Emily, removing the tubing from her chest. Her eyes constantly return to the oxygen saturation readout, the magic number 95% and above.
Two stressful hours had passed when the doctor stepped back from the operating table, looked up at JJ, and nodded. The operation was completed, Emily now oxygenated her own blood maintaining 98%
"Jennifer, everything went well. She maintains 98% oxygen saturation with ease; meet us down in recovery a nurse will bring you down." the doctor told her
"Thank you, Doctor." smiled JJ
EJ
Sitting beside her friend in the recovery ward, once again holding her hand, JJ felt relieved they had successfully removed Emily from the ECMO machine. The doctors planned to keep her in a medically induced coma for a week to allow her lungs to recover.
" You, Emily Prentiss, have worried the crap out of me. So glad you haven't given up on us all." smiled JJ looking at her sleeping friend.
Without warning, Emily's oxygen saturation started to drop 98%-97%-96%-95%
The nurse walked over and muted the alarm; JJ had signed a do not resuscitate order, complying with Emily's living will.
94%-93%-92%
" she won't last much longer, Jennifer; her heart will stop soon; we will give you the room", doctor Lygo told the upset blonde agent.
"Damn you, Emily Prentiss, don't you dare leave me." muttered the weeping blonde
91% her heart monitor started exhibiting weird flickers. 90%-89%
The heart monitor now showed a flat line indicating her heart had stopped. 55%-35%-00%
Feeling a gentle hand on her shoulder, JJ looked up at doctor Lygo through her watering eyes.
"She has gone, Jennifer. I am so sorry. Time of death 15:46." the doctor gently told her "Take as long as you need with her, would you like me to tell your colleagues?" asked the kind bald doctor
" Please, doctor," JJ told him, climbing onto Emily's bed and snuggling into her side.
EJ
" Emily Prentiss?" announced the doctor
The BAU team stood up.
"I'm afraid Agent Prentiss died a short while ago; her lungs couldn't handle working on their own. Jennifer has asked for some time alone." He told th em
Garcia fell into Morgan's outstretched arms, distraught the other team members looked shell shocked at the news.
