"To Derek," Rossi said, raising his glass – full of water, as it was only noon. "May he rejoin the land of the living. Salud, chindon." He tipped his glass back to drink heartily.

The others around the table raised their glasses in a toast to Derek's life. The team had just gotten back from their latest case and had all congregated together to celebrate Derek, hopefully, waking up. "To Derek," they chorused.

"To Derek," Emily said softly, hand trembling slightly as she brought her glass to her lips.

"So, what are they doing to wake up him?" Ashley asked. She was on loan from Andi Swann's team while Derek was indisposed.

"It's actually a very interesting process," Reid said excitedly, going into scientific explanation mode, causing several of the others to roll their eyes. "Typically used with Parkinson's patients, Deep Brain Stimulation is used to deliver electrical stimulation to targeted areas of the brain, blocking abnormal nerve signals. By stimulating parts of the thalamus, they've found that certain patients have been aroused to the point of being unable to sleep. Theoretically, with a coma patient, the same procedure can be used to induce waking."

"Reid..." Garcia said, holding up a hand to stop him. "You're not helping. No matter how many big science-y words you use, they're still drilling into Derek's brain." She gestured wildly with her fork, stabbing at the air to emphasize her point.

"Don't worry, it's totally safe. The current they use is so small and while the FDA hasn't approved it for use in patients other than Parkinson's, it has passed their rigorous..."

"Still scary!" Garcia insisted, shushing him.

Emily was staring off into space, strangely quiet. JJ rested a gentle hand on hers, disturbing her from her reverie. Emily startled as if she'd only just remembered she was there. She attempted a forced smile that looked more painful than reassuring.

"Are you alright?" JJ asked, voice low to keep from being overheard by the others, though they'd undoubtedly also noticed her odd behaviour.

She nodded, a little too insistently. "Fine. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" JJ persisted. "You don't look fine. No one would blame you if you aren't. It can't be easy on you, going through all this alone."

"I'm fine," she repeated, emphasizing the word. She folded her hands under the table to hide their shaking. "I'm just a little anxious. If this doesn't work...there's nothing else to try. This is our final shot." Then, almost in a whisper, "I don't know what I'll do if he doesn't wake up...I need him."

JJ squeezed her hand under the table. "He's going to wake up," she assured her with a small hopeful smile. They both knew she couldn't promise that, but they both pretended they believed it anyway.

"I sure could use a drink, though," she said, only half-joking, then laughed a little hysterically.

Several pairs of eyes met, mirroring each others' worried expressions. Hotch pursed his lips, but shook his head slowly. No one said anything. It wasn't the time or place.

Oblivious to their mutual concern, Emily stood up in a daze.

"Where are you going?" Reid asked.

"Back to the hotel." This did nothing to ease anyone's worry – she had barely left the hospital in all the time she'd been there, not to eat, not to sleep, not to change her clothes... "I'm just going to go take a shower and clean up," she said, as if reading their minds. "I don't want Derek to wake up to me looking like a wreck." She gave that hysterical high-pitched laugh again.

"But the surgery..." Garcia started to protest.

"I'll be back before the surgery starts," she promised. She attempted that smile again that absolutely no one believed.

Message One: Penelope Garcia, 1:15PM

"Emily? It's me. Just checking that you didn't fall asleep. They've moved up the surgery to two hours from now. Make sure you get here in time."

Message Two: Penelope Garcia, 2:00PM

"Hey, Em. Me again. Wake up. They're prepping him for surgery. You should be here."

Message Three: Penelope Garcia, 3:20PM

"Emily, answer your phone! They've just started surgery. He could wake up at any moment – you need to be here. You promised."

Message Four: Penelope Garcia, 3:55PM

"Emily Elizabeth Prentiss! Are you ignoring me? You promised to be here for my Chocolate Adonis when he wakes up and you are officially not allowed to break that promise!"

Message Five: Jennifer Jareau, 4:05PM

"Hey, Em. It's JJ. Garcia said she's called you a few times and you haven't answered. She's worried you're angry with her. Call me back to let me know everything's okay."

Message Six: Penelope Garcia, 4:30PM

"Emily, you're starting to scare me now... This isn't like you. Maybe you're afraid he isn't going to wake up and want to save yourself the pain and disappointment, but he needs you to have faith. He needs you to be here. Please, just call me back so I know you're okay."

Message Seven: Spencer Reid, 4:40PM

"The surgery is going well. They haven't been able to induce arousal yet, but they're upping the current and they're starting to see some unusual brain signals. You should really be here."

Message Eight: Penelope Garcia, 4:45PM

"Okay, Emily, I'm freaking out now! Where are you? If you don't call me back this instant, I am tracking your phone and credit card and GPS and computer until I find you!"

Message Nine: Jennifer Jareau, 5:23PM

"Garcia is totally losing her mind right now, Emily. She's serious about tracking you down. I don't know what's going on with you right now, but you need to stop it. You're scaring us. Just call someone. Anyone. Please."

Message Ten: Penelope Garcia 5:28PM

"Emily? I don't know what's going on, I can't find a trace of you, so you must be at the hotel. I'm hoping you're just sleeping. I'm coming over."