Thank you all for the reviews and for sticking with this story. I enjoy writing these characters, and it seems like you enjoy reading.

Chapter 9

It had been almost an hour since the doctor came out and told them what was going on with JJ. Now if only someone would come and give them all word that it was okay to go see here in her room. Prentiss looked around the lounge at her friends' faces. They all told pretty much the same story. Lots of worry and lots of fear. She thought back to the ambulance ride to the hospital. JJ had been soaking wet from being in the water and deathly pale. It was an image she was sure she'd not get out of her head any time soon.

Derek stopped pacing the room to grab yet another cup of coffee. All of his senses were still on full alert. His body felt tired from the already long day, and from being in the water earlier. He needed to coffee to keep him going. His gaze fell on Hotch and Rossi, who were talking quietly in the corner. He knew a long conversation with Hotch, and maybe even Strauss was coming. There were fraternization rules that agents were supposed to follow. Especially if they were in the same department. He knew Hotch was definitely the more understanding of the two, but had a feeling that he would get pressure from the top of the chain.

"Hey here comes a nurse." Spencer said standing up.

Everyone turned to see a heavy set nurse headed their way. She was holding a chart in her hands, skimming over its contents. She focused her attention on the group as she drew closer. She smiled kindly at each face before speaking.

"I bet you are here for Jennifer Jareau?" She asked them.

"We are ma'am." Hotch answered.

"We can see her now?" Derek said.

"You can. She's down the hall in a private room." She motioned further down the hallway. "If you all will follow me please."

They followed the nurse and she came to a stop in front of the door to JJ's room. "We normally don't allow more than two at a time in the rooms in the ICU unit, but I think we can make an exception as long as you all behave."

"Thank you." Rossi said to the woman.

"Now as the doctor told you, she is on a ventilator to help her breathe, and they've got her heavily sedated."

"When will she wake up?" Emily asked.

"It's hard to say right now, but we're keeping a close eye on her."

She opened the door, and they all filed quietly inside. Garcia let out a sharp gasp, and the rest of them were startled as well, as to JJ's appearance.

"Oh my angel!" Garcia said in a whisper. "What have they done to you?"

"Just talk to her, and let her know that you're hear. I'm sure she would like that." Before closing the door gently behind her, she turned and said, "Now don't stay too long!"

It took every fiber in Derek's being not to rush over and clutch JJ's hand. He looked down at her, and she seems so peaceful. It looked like she was sleeping, except for the tube that ran from her mouth down her throat, and was held in place by some medical tape. He watched as Emily got down close and held her hand. She brushed some of the blonde's hair back from her face and frowned.

"JJ, it's Emily." She began. "We're all here for you okay."

"And we'll all be here when you're ready to wake up." Garcia added.

She reached out for Morgan's hand, and pulled him closer to the bed. She moved over some and put JJ's hand in his. He smiled at Penelope, and mouthed a silent thank you to her. He squeezed JJ's hand in his and studied her face.

"Hey Pennsylvania it's Derek." He spoke softly. "Penelope and Emily are right, you know. We're all here."

"We shouldn't stay too long guys." Hotch told them. "I'm sure she needs her rest."

Reid looked up from the chart he had picked up from the end of the bed. Of course he would be studying it to make sure the doctors didn't miss anything. He then looked at the monitors to make sure they were functioning correctly then back down at the chart. Once he seemed satisfied he hung the chart back up on the end of the bed.

"Well there are no spikes in the monitors, and her breathing through the ventilator is nice and even." He said.

"Thank you doctor." Rossi quipped.

"You guys Hotch is right." Emily said standing up. "We should go and let her get some rest."

"We can come back first thing." Hotch agreed.

Everyone made their way to the door, but Derek hung back. He was still holding on to JJ's hand. Garcia touched his shoulder on the way out in a show of support.

"We'll be right outside my love." She told him, following the group out of the room.

"Thanks baby girl." He said.

Once the room was clear, he sat back down and took JJ's hand again. Reaching out his hand, he gently stroked the side of her face. He took note of the bruising he could see on her collarbone from being tossed around in the car without a seatbelt, and her bone breaking. It looked like it hurt, and he imagined that if she were awake, she would definitely be feeling the pain right now.

"Alright JJ." He said to her in a low voice. "It's you and me now."

"I'm so sorry this happened to you." He continued. "I should've seen it coming."

His words were met by silence.

"I want you to know that I'm not leaving you." He said. "I'll be right here when you wake up."

The rest of the group stood out in the hallway. The nurse told them that JJ probably wouldn't wake up until tomorrow, but none of them felt good about leaving. They got confirmation that Chelsea had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, and that she had most likely done it when the car was plunging into the river. It was good riddance as far as they were concerned. That woman and her husband had hurt a lot of people.

Prentiss spoke up. "I don't guys," she started. "They said to come back tomorrow, but I think we should stick around."

"I agree with Emily." Garcia stated. "Jayje needs us all here right now."

"Then we all stay." Hotch confirmed.

"I'll go check on Morgan." Garcia said, turning to go back into JJ's room.

The others made their way back to the lounge. There was no doubt they would be there for a while.

Garcia knocked softly on the door before entering the room. Derek sat in the chair pulled up as close to JJ's bed as it could go and held her hand. She smiled at her two best friends and moved into the room.

"Hey you." She said to Derek.

"Hey yourself, mama." He answered back with a small smile.

"We all decided to stay here so that when JJ wakes up she knows we're here for her."

"That's great. She'll like that."

"We're here for you too, you know."

"I know you are."

She gestured towards the empty chair next to him. "So is that seat taken or what?"

"Saved it just for you." He said pulling it right up against his.

"You don't mind if I stay in here with you?" She asked taking a seat.

"Of course not Penelope." He said. "I need you here, and so does JJ."

"Good." She said leaning her head on his shoulder. She glanced up at him then looked back to JJ. She said a silent prayer for her best friend, and squeezed Morgan's hand.

Back in the lounge…

"We might as well get comfortable. We're going to be here for a while." Hotch stated.

"Hotch is right." David affirmed. "Garcia or Morgan will come get us if anything changes."

They all picked somewhere comfortable to sit or lay down except for Reid, who paced around nervously. He hadn't said much, and the whole situation was obviously weighing on him more than he was willing to let on to the rest of the team. Emily motioned for him to come sit next to her. She patted his arm in support after he sat down.

"Reid I know you're scared, but JJ is going to be fine." She told him.

"I know." He said, fidgeting with his watch, but not looking up.

"Hey look at me." She waited until he looked up her before she continued. "We're all scared Reid."

"Thank you Emily." He said smiling.

"For what?" She asked.

"For helping to calm my nerves." He said with a chuckle. "I'm a man of science so I have to believe that the doctors are doing or have done everything to help JJ get better. I'm not someone who unnerves easily when science and medicine are meant to prevail."

"But JJ is your best friend, and her being hurt like this kind of throws science and medicine out the window." She deduced.

"Right." He said nodding his head. "So thank you for helping to calm my nerves and my fears."

"You're very welcome." She said smiling back at the young agent. "Now try to get some rest."

"I will." He moved to one of the small couches and closed his eyes.

Prentiss took stock of everyone in the room, to include Hotch, Reid, and Rossi. She pictured Garcia and Morgan, who sat holding vigil by JJ's side. She then closed her eyes as well, and hoped that tomorrow would bring them all a bit of good news about their friend.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Morning…

Emily walked into the hospital lounge that morning load up with coffee for her comrades. Not the cheap stuff from the lounge either. It was the gourmet kind. She smiled when they all started to rouse as the smell of fresh java hit their noses. They all had a restless night waiting on any word if JJ's condition had changed. Other than a doctor doing rounds and some nurses coming by to check on things, there was no news to report.

"Thank you Prentiss." Hotch said as she set the tray of coffee down.

"No problem." She replied. "Any word on JJ while I was getting coffee?"

"Nothing yet." Rossi said.

"Okay, well I'm going to take these other coffees to Morgan and Garcia. I'm sure they could use the real stuff after a long day and night."

The rest of the team watched as Prentiss walked out of the lounge to head towards JJ's room.

Emily peaked inside the room before and saw Morgan and Garcia sitting close to JJ's bed. Penelope was holding her hand while Derek's eyes were closed. He was probably trying to get some rest, as they all had a tough night of waiting around. She knocked softly on the door.

"Hey guys." She said in a whisper. "I brought coffee."

"Thank you goddess." Garcia said waving Prentiss into the room.

Just then Derek opened his eyes as he started to stir. "I thought I smelled coffee."

Emily handed over the cups to her friends and gazed down at JJ, who appeared to be sleeping peacefully. If it weren't for her arm in a sling, the bruises that showed on her face and neck, and the tube in her mouth helping her to breathe, one would never guess that she had been badly injured.

"How is she doing?" Emily asked.

"No change really." Derek said. "Her hand has moved a few times, but nothing major."

"Yeah the doctor came in way early to check on her, and said that all her vitals looked good, and that she was stable." Garcia added.

"That's good news." Emily said. "Still, it would be nice if she actually woke up."

"I know…" Derek murmured, staring down at the blonde. Garcia and Prentiss both looked at him with sympathy in their eyes. He clearly cared deeply for their friend.

They all sipped their coffee in uneasy silence, as their attention was focused on their friend. Morgan rubbed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. Garcia rubbed his tense shoulders in a sign of support. Prentiss stared absentmindedly at the machines JJ was hooked to, as if looking for some sort of indication of what was going on in the blonde's head. She couldn't make heads or tails of it though.

Just then a quick flutter of JJ's eyes caught her attention. She put her coffee and down. "Hey you guys, I think she's trying to wake up!"

"What did you see?" Garcia asks as she moved closer to the bed as well.

"She just blinked, like she's trying to open her eyes."

Derek moved closer and brushed a strand of blonde hair from JJ's forehead. He stared down at her, looking for any signs of movement.

"Jennifer, open your eyes." He said softly. "We're all here for you."

They all held their breath and waited, not wanting to move an inch or make a sound. Garcia, however, let out a small gasp as JJ began to open her eyes. It took a few times, but soon she opened her eyes fully.

"Thank god!" Prentiss said.

The blonde was clearly disoriented and was trying to focus on her surroundings. Derek laid a hand on her arm in comfort.

"JJ it's alright." He said. "You're in the hospital."

She looked right at him, but didn't seem to register what he was saying. Garcia ran out of the room on a mission to find any doctor or nurse available. She also wanted to go tell the rest of the team that she was waking up.

Tears welled up in JJ's eyes as she tried to focus on the faces in front of her. Her eyes averted from Derek's face to Emily.

"JJ it's me, Emily." She said trying to gently stroke her friend's hair. She smiled when JJ's blurry blue eyes landed on her face. The older woman was glad to see she was registering that she knew her.

Derek looked at the two women, and stayed silent, as Emily tried to calm JJ down. He understood that upon waking up JJ would be confused and most likely hurting. If Emily was going to be the one to calm her down then so be it. He glanced up at the door as he heard Garcia coming back down the hallway with doctors, nurses, and the rest of the team in tow, no doubt.

"JJ please…" Emily was saying. "You're in the hospital."

Tears formed at the corners if the blondes eyes as she tried to relax her breathing. The doctors would take the breathing tube out now that she was awake.

"Stay with me okay?" Emily soothed. "Doctors are on the way, and they're going to take care of you."

JJ nodded her head in understanding, and Derek and Emily both looked up as a nurse and doctor came rushing into the room.

"I hear someone's awake in here!" The doctor said moving closer to the bed. The others moved back out of the room at the nurse's request, but stayed close enough to see what was going on.

""Jennifer, you're in the hospital, and you're going to be okay." The doctor said. "Let's get that tube out of there so you can breathe on you own okay?"

She nodded her head again in understanding. The team watch as the nurse elevated the bed some, and handed the doctor a pair of gloves to put on.

"I'm going to need you to try and take a deep breath for me when I tell you to." He felt around her throat and listened to her breathing with his stethoscope. Once he was satisfied with what he heard and felt he continued.

"You sustained injuries to your ribs so if you feel a sharp pain, don't be alarmed. It's perfectly normal."

"The nurse here is going to hold your hand while we do this, or do you want one of your friends to be in here?"

When she moved her eyes in the direction of the door the doctor nodded in understanding. He smiles at the BAU team.

"Which one of you wants to come and hold this young lady's hand?"

"One of you should do it." Hotch said looking at Garcia and Prentiss.

"Go ahead PG." Emily said.

"Yeah, I got this." She said stepping forward. She moved to where the nurse had been standing and took JJ's hand. Looking down at her best friend, she said, "It's going to okay Jayje."

"Okay then, I need you take a nice deep breath then breathe out as hard as you can on my count." The doctor instructed. "It's not going to feel good, but I promise I'll be quick."

JJ nodded again, and Penelope said "She's tough doc. No need to worry about Jennifer Jareau."

"Alright." The doctor let out a chuckle. On his count JJ took in a deep breath then pushed it out as he pulled the plastic tubing from her throat. You could tell she was in pain, and more tears formed, making their way down her cheeks as she cough and gagged. She squeezed Garcia's hand tightly as the sharp pain cut through her entire body.

"You did great Jennifer." The doctor said passing the tube to the nurse who put it in a waste bin. He waited until coughing subsided before he continued. "Let's get you some water."

He let the nurse help JJ take in just a couple of small sips of water then he motioned for the rest of the team to come back in the room. They all moved in slowly, and Derek moved closer still, wanting JJ to know that he was there. The nurse took out a syringe and administered medication via the IV that was in her hand.

"You've been in an accident Jennifer." The doctor told her gently. "You've suffered some injuries, but I want you to know that you're going to be fine."

"And we're all here with you JJ." Garcia said squeezing her hand again.

JJ opened her mouth as she tried to form the words she wanted to say, but her throat hurt and she started to feel extremely drowsy.

"What..." was all she could croak out. She closed her eyes for a moment.

"It's okay. You may not be able to put that beautiful voice to use yet." Rossi warned.

"He's right." The doctor agreed. "We've given you something for the pain, and it will help you to rest."

"Yeah beautiful." Derek said. "Get some sleep, and we'll all still be here."

"Okay." She whispered. Her eyelids were getting very heavy and her body was starting to relax. The meds were definitely helping with the pain. With one last look at her friends, JJ let her body succumb to sleep.

"We should all go change and maybe grab some real food." Hotch suggested quietly as they headed towards the door.

"I'm staying." Morgan said simply.

"Morgan, maybe you should…" Reid started, but the elder agent cut him off.

"Forget it kid." Morgan said. "I'm staying."

"We'll bring you some food." Emily offered. "We won't be long at all."

"Thank you."

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Garcia offered.

"That's okay baby girl." He said giving her a hug. "Go then come back to me."

"Always." He said.

He watched his team walk out the door. Hotch turned around and gazed at Morgan and JJ. Nodding his head at Morgan in understanding, he gently closed the door behind him. Morgan turned his attention back to a peacefully sleeping JJ. He was relieved that she had woken up, and that the doctor had been able to take her off the ventilator. She had seemed so scared when she woke up though, and that worried him. He sat down in the chair beside her bed, but he didn't reach for her hand. He wanted her to rest peacefully now.

When she woke up he would make sure that she knew how deeply he cared for her. He was just starting to realize it himself.

Thanks again for reading! Now that the holidays are almost over I hope to be updating more often! Don't forget to review please! xo