On My Own Too Long

Reid and Prentiss

Note- I do not work in the medical profession so you'll have to bear with me as far as medical things in this story.

Chapter Six

September 2011

The team had split up to search different locations where Doyle might have been hiding Emily in rural Iowa. JJ and Hotch happened to end up with the group of local law enforcement agents who found Emily.

When JJ first ran into the dirty, dank bar where Doyle had been holding Emily she was scared for what she might see. She thought she had prepared herself for anything but there was no way she was prepared for the sight of Emily pregnant. JJ stayed with Em on the ride to the hospital, tried to calm Reid while Emily was in surgery, and now waited in a hospital room for Emily to be brought out of the recovery room.

JJ's mind raced with worries for Emily's child. Henry was such a joy and gift in JJ's life, she couldn't imagine if Emily's baby didn't make it. The loss would be unbearable for her friend.

When they finally rolled Emily into the hospital room, JJ jumped out of her seat, rushed to Emily's side and took her hand. "We're here. We're all here for you. Well, not Garcia yet but she's trying to get a flight out. She'll be here soon, okay? Your family is here with you."

Emily squeezed JJ's hand. "Did you see the babies yet?"

"Babies? As in more than one?" JJ asked in shock.

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The male members of the BAU stood staring through a window into the Neo natal ICU at the two newest babies who had entered the room- a three pound nine ounce boy and a four pound three ounce girl. A nurse had just pointed out Emily's children to the men.

"Twins?" Morgan asked, awed, his eyebrows both raised high.

Hotch had a concerned look on his face while Rossi looked proud and happy. Rossi said "Mark my words, those two will be fighters just like their mother."

Reid's mouth was slightly hanging open as he stared at the two tiny babies. He moved his mouth, trying to speak, but no words came out. Morgan rubbed his back, comfortingly.

The babies were inside of incubators with IVs going into them.

Reid's eyes were glued to the babies as he muttered "I need to speak to their doctor." He wanted to know what challenges the babies maybe be facing.

Morgan said "We should go check on Prentiss and find out how she is first. See if she knows anything."

"Good idea," Hotch agreed, as they all started to walk down the hallway. Reid was the last one to pull his eyes off the babies. Still in shock over everything that had happened, his mind raced with all the complications that premature babies could have and woman could go through because of having a c-section.

Guilt weighed on him because Emily had gone through her whole pregnancy far from her home, her family, her friends...him. No matter what happened next he wanted to be there for her, holding her hand tight and getting her through this. But would she let him?

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Emily had been awake for the c-section. What had caused her to pass out in the barn was a spike to her blood pressure. When she got to the hospital they got it under control and she woke back up but the fetal monitors said the babies were in distress, with their heart rates falling, so the doctors decided to rush Emily into the operating room for the c-section.

She was able to see her babies after they were born. The boy was smaller, his cry weaker, with just a little light brown hair. The little girl weighed more and had a stronger cry, with much more hair that was a lot darker than her brother.

Emily watched as they were cleaned up and then they were brought over to her for her to hold for a moment. Neither had to be given oxygen, luckily, which had been one of the main concerns the doctors told her about because their lungs might be undeveloped since Emily had been only thirty four weeks pregnant.

All too soon the babies were taken off to the neo natal unit, leaving Emily crying because she hated to have them be away from her at all. They didn't even have names yet. She had thought of some names but she wanted to speak to the babies' father first before she settled on any.

Emily hadn't been sure she would make it home from witness protection before she gave birth but now she had been rescued, JJ told her Doyle was dead, and Emily could breathe a sigh of relief that she wouldn't be raising her kids all alone in Iowa. It scared her terribly that they had been born early but the doctors told her so far they were doing really well. They would just have to wait and see if the babies would face any challenges.

As a new mother she worried constantly for her children. The only comfort Emily had was that her family was here with her so she wasn't going through this alone. They had saved her and the babies in time. If Emily had given birth out in that barn all alone she shuddered to think about how herself and the babies would have fared.

So many moments when Doyle had her by the hair shoving her face under the water Emily had feared she might die and so many times when he kicked her she had been afraid he would aim for her stomach, but he never did. He had delighted in torturing her, even though it had been highly risky to waste time that way.

He had screwed up by not taking her out of the area so the team couldn't find her. That screw up had been what saved Emily and the babies...well that and her awesome team coming for her. Knowing they would never give up on her had helped her to get through the scariest moments in that barn.

Though she was physically safe now she was still incredibly worried about her babies. Her emotions were on a roller coaster. She wished she could have protected them better so they weren't born six weeks early.

JJ had been sitting with Emily, holding her hand and trying to reassure her, and eventually the guys from the team walked up to the open door of the hospital room. Hotch asked if they could come inside and after Emily waved them all four men shuffled in, looking rather stunned at this turn of events.

Rossi was the first to smile and tell her "You have two very beautiful babies there."

Emotionally, Emily said "Thank you. I think so too."

Hotch told her "I'm sorry we didn't get to you sooner."

"You got there. That's all that matters," Emily assured him.

Derek told her "I'm proud of you for hanging in there until the calvary arrived. Doyle's dead and you're safe now."

"Music to my ears," Prentiss said.

Reid walked over to her. He took one of her hands in both of his as he gave her a forlorn look over the bruises on her.

Emily said "I know I look like hell but it doesn't hurt that much really, surprisingly."

JJ said "That's the epidural," with a small smile, then she turned to face the rest of the team. "I could use coffee. What about you all?"

She hustled the guys out, with them all promising to come back soon, leaving only Reid and Prentiss alone. She squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry you found out this way about my pregnancy."

"It doesn't matter how I found out. All that matters is that you and the babies are okay."