AN: I know it's another short chappie but I thought you guys might have wanted this sooner than later. This is a thanks to the reviewers! Hope you enjoy and like usual, please review. Dedication: Just a reminder...this is for Ian...I hope that your mom, my aunt gets you back home.
Her tears blur her vision as the world seems to swim before her eyes. Her face remains deathly pale as a paramedic leaves the pack around Spencer and approaches her.
"Are you family?" he inquires softly. Even he can see how close she is to breaking.
"Yes." she lies smoothly and simply. She needs to know what happen. JJ shoves her hands into her pockets as they continue to tremble and shake.
"He was extremely lucky. In fact it is a miracle he survived."
"Survived?" she gasps.
"It seems he only has a concussion. He hasn't even lost consciousness. Can you tell me who that young man is and what happened please?"
JJ's knees become weak with relief as she responds, "His name is Spencer. Spencer Reid,"
She pauses before she continues, the words continually drying up in his throat. She finally manages to expel them, "It was a suicide attempt."
The paramedic immediately plasters a look of practiced insincere regret on his face.
JJ rushes on, unwillingly to hear his standard apology, "He dived headfirst," her voice cracks. "He's been diagnosed as bipolar," she continues knowing that he will need all medically pertinent information.
She rides with him to the hospital, her red-rimmed eyes watching Spencer lying there, sedated. She waits as they rush him to x-ray. She watches the clock in the waiting room slowly drag forward its hands. A doctor comes to see her updating her. She is surprised to find that Reid had listed her as his medical proxy.
Several hours later JJ finds herself exiting the hospital in a daze. Spence had been put on a seventy-two hour psychiatric hold and she was not permitted to see him unless cleared by his psychiatrist. She hated that she had to hide this from the team but knew that Spence would not want them to know.
JJ goes to work the next day in a semblance of normalcy. She had spent the entire night tossing and turning in bed unable to sleep properly. The events of the past day keep flashing in front of her eyes. She shakes herself out of her memories once more while standing in the elevator. She tells herself to get a grip on her emotions before entering the bullpen. She was the first there, after her last nightmare she had given up on sleep and decided to work instead.
While flipping through files and filling out paperwork she prepares an excuse for her haggard appearance. The usual Henry kept me up all night should work she convinced herself.
And sure enough it did. Hotch gave her a slight suspicious look but he did not pry further.
JJ's weary look had only increased by the third day. She falls asleep on her pile of paperwork, twitching with the nightmares that invade. She jerks awake at Hotch's knock, his concerned face peering over the threshold to her office.
"Sorry…" she apologizes, trying to wipe her face inconspicuously.
"Bad dream?" Hotch asks. He had seen the unpleasant shudders during JJ's nap.
JJ nods and glances away unable to meet Hotch's worried gaze.
"JJ, are you alright?" he inquires uneasy about JJ's behavior of late. At her lack of response, he sighs and continues, "The whole team is concerned. As your friends, we want to make sure that you are okay."
She lifts her face to meet his questioning stare, muttering, "Something's going on at home right now. It will be resolved soon."
She adds defensively, "I can still do my job."
"You know we are here for you? You can tell us anything." Hotch adds, sympathy lining his voice.
"Yeah, just this isn't my secret to tell." JJ tells him and turns back to her papers, effectively dismissing him.
She drives back to the hospital to find out they had already discharged him. Spencer's shrink only then informs her that he has agreed to move to a long term facility. JJ immediately dislikes this woman at first sight. First, Dr. Hirid is a shrink, second, she would not let JJ see him before, claiming that he was too psychotic and that her visit would do more harm than good. And third, she gives off an aura of a snob, one who does not truly care about her patients.
JJ gets the address of the long term facility and immediately plans to drive there tomorrow on Saturday. Dr. Hirid gave her permission to visit him after he has settled in otherwise JJ would have already been on her way.