Hey everyone, it's me, you're favorite college freshman! Yes, I moved in and the first week of classes are done but I'm already ready to graduate (anyone know how far away 2017 is?). Anyway, I hope you guys are still with me and will continue to bear with this weird ass schedule of mine for the moment. I'm still getting adjusted- as some of you can relate to- but there is NO WAY I'm dropping this story. I hope you all enjoyed your summers (and this story!) but I'm sorry to say that...it's over. Yea, depressing I know! Anyway enjoy the sorta extra long chapter and leave me your thoughts!
Chapter XXXIII
Emily hadn't realized that she dozed off until the sound of a door closing startled her awake. She shot out of her seat, hand on her already unbuckled holster, and spun on her heels.
"Whoa." Dr. Monroe stopped dead in her tracks and raised her hands. "I come in peace?"
"Sorry." Emily loosened her muscles and sank back into the chair. Watching as Monroe checked JJ's chart and vitals, Emily massaged the back of her neck that cracked in protest.
"Are you-"
"Yes, just…agitated." Emily waved away the concern in the doctor's voice.
"I, uh, heard what happened. That girl they brought in and…that man." Monroe glanced nervously around the room. "Is it true what they're saying about him?"
"What are they saying?" Emily continued to stretch, only partially invested in the conversation.
"That he's a mobster from Manhattan and she was his…well she lived with him and he used her to steal millions." Monroe rattled off the daily gossip.
"No Doctor, that's not true." Emily sighed and the woman before her seemed relieved. "She stole billions."
"Oh." Monroe crossed her arms. "And…you all saved her?"
"She's more of a victim than most of the people you've treated." Emily defended Mackenzie as she stood. She locked eyes with the doctor, blue meeting brown, and waited for her to relent.
"Of course, I didn't mean to judge." Monroe shook her hands in front of her and sighed. "Well I've given Agent Jareau here some steroids to help get her system up and running again. She should be awake soon."
"Thank you." Emily pulled out her cell phone, ready to call Hotch until she remembered what had transpired between the two and texted Rossi instead.
JJ's waking up. Let me know when you're coming.
EP
"Just push that button if she needs anything." Monroe smiled softly before exiting, closing the door behind her. Emily saw the blue sleeve of a cop's uniform by the door and deduced that Aaron had indeed contacted the local police department. He wasn't taking any chances with a man like Hail two floors up and Emily was glad for their boss' vigilance. Her boss. Was that what it came back to? The fact that Aaron was actually Hotch would continue to haunt their 'relationship' until one of them brought it up. Emily struggled with the word, unsure of whether or not it could even be called that. We kissed, so what? She thought to herself. Several times. Vigorously. While I was straddling his lap. Emily shook the memory from her mind, locking it away in a compartment where she could handle it better at another time. She placed her head in her hands and leaned against JJ's bed as she rubbed her temples. Trying to reduce the blood flow to her cheeks at the mere thought of kissing Aaron Hotchner, Emily wasn't aware of JJ's slowly opening eyelids until her hand gripped the sheets besides Emily's elbow and she felt the slight tug.
"Hey." The brunette grasped the smaller woman's hand and squeezed as she watched her try to keep her eyelids open. "How're you feeling?"
"Like," JJ's voice came out raspy and she took a deep, painful breath before continuing. "I got shot." Emily chuckled.
"Dr. Monroe told us that you have 6 broken ribs and 2 of them almost punctured your lung." Emily explained as the blonde shifted uncomfortably.
"That's…phenomenal news." JJ winced as she tried to sit up. Emily leaned forward, gently took the woman's shoulder and helped her into a sitting position. "How's Mackenzie?"
"Still in surgery." Emily sighed. "You haven't been out that long though."
"Everyone else?"
"Hotch sent them to the hotel to clean up. I texted Rossi when Monroe told me she'd given you something to wake up." Emily caught the slight look of confusion on the woman's face.
"You texted Rossi?" JJ tried to cross her arms and failed. "And Hotch sent them? What happened?"
"What do you mean?" Emily feigned her own confusion which only caused the woman to frown.
"I may be drugged up but that doesn't mean I'm blind." JJ quipped and Emily sighed in resignation. "Em, it's me."
"I know, it's just…he's just a little upset." Emily rested back in her seat.
"Define upset." JJ tried not to frown. It felt like minutes ago when she'd been thinking how happy she was for her friends and how she couldn't wait to tell Garcia all about catching their first kiss.
"Well, you know how Morgan and I-"
"Stop right there." JJ held up a hand and sighed, only to press that hand against her chest a second later. "We all know about your flirtationship with Morgan. And by 'all' I mean people in Count-T have asked me about the two of you."
"Wha-" JJ held up a hand and stopped the sentence midway.
"Em, you know how Aaron is. He's protective, almost as stubborn as you and probably easier to anger."
"I know that I just-"
"Then you know what not to do. It's obviously going to take some getting used to seeing as you and Morgan go at each other all the time but you're going to have to watch what you say around both of them." Emily sighed.
"You're right. I tried to apologize."
"Just give him some time." JJ reached out and patted Emily's arm. "Something this trivial isn't going to stop…whatever it is the two of you have going on." Emily blushed and cleared her throat as her phone buzzed in her pocket.
oksy, we ar comnG inn0w.
"What the…" Emily handed the phone over to JJ, her lips tucked in in an attempt to hold back laughter.
"This is what happens when you text Rossi." The blonde wrapped an arm around herself and shook with restraint. When the door behind them opened, the women were still in a fit of unstoppable giggles.
"That's a sound I haven't heard in a while." Rossi's voice drew their attention and the laughing suddenly increased until the sound that left JJ sounded more like a cough than a laugh. Emily placed her hand on the woman's back to steady her. JJ lifted her own in an attempt to wave the brunette away.
"M'fine." She coughed out. "Needed that." She smiled at her friend who sighed in relief and returned the gesture.
"We both did." Emily agreed.
"So what was so funny?" Morgan asked. Both women shrugged instead of responding. Just then, a knock came at the door and every agent's hand went to their hip out of instinct. Hotch opened it and let a 2 men in doctor's scrubs in.
"Hello Agents, I'm Dr. Ashford and this is Dr. Figueroa." The older, dark haired man said as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.
"How's Mackenzie?" Emily crossed her arms in anticipation as he eyes danced between the two men. Figueroa, a tanned, blondish man, stepped forward.
"Do you mean 'Jane Doe'?" he asked, puzzled. Emily nodded eagerly, fully aware of the fact that no one in the room knew the girl's real name.
"She's stable." The younger man nodded and fumbled with the bottom of his shirt.
"Doctor?" Hotch raised an eyebrow in question, urging him to continue. The blond man sighed before resuming.
"The bullet did a lot of damage." He summed up.
"And?" Emily took a step closer, ready to pummel the man for answers.
"The bullet ricocheted off her ribs, hitting her liver, right lung, and lodging itself less than an inch from her aorta." Emily listened cautiously, waiting for the worst part. "We were able to repair the tears in her liver and lung which was a miracle in it of itself." A stern look from the elder doctor caused Figueroa's cheeks to brighten.
"And her heart?" Rossi asked, concern easing into his features.
"Only time will tell." Was Figueroa's reply.
"What do you mean?" JJ sat up straighter in bed, her own expression rapidly changing.
"Surgeries as risky as these are never predictable." The blond man said with a roll of his wrist. "She could wake up in an hour and be perfectly okay."
"Or…"Morgan glared at the man, knowing exactly the kind of answer they'd receive.
"She could become exhausted from lifting her head. She could have brain damage. She could never actually wake up. The truth is; the possible outcomes to this are- at the moment- up in the air." Figueroa sighed. "A single day- a single moment could tip the scales in her favor."
"Or against her." Reid slumped in a chair, a frown on his face as he ran through the statistics in his head.
"And Hail?" JJ's small voice asked from behind the group. Everyone turned to look at her, expressions varying from confusing to annoyance.
"Mr. Hail's been out of surgery for about an hour." Ashford stepped forward and announced.
"He's alive?" Morgan frowned in disapproval. Ashford took in his sour expression and returned it.
"I'm sorry if that's not the news you were hoping for Agent." The elder man crossed his arms across his chest.
"You'll forgive us if we don't particularly care about the man who put two of our own in the hospital in addition to being responsible for several unsolved murders." Rossi defended.
"I wasn't aware that the FBI had a policy for not doing their jobs." Ashford shifted his stance.
"Oh no Doctor, we did our jobs perfectly." Emily sneered. "Why else do you think he's here?"
"Fidelity, bravery and integrity indeed." Ashford mumbled as he pretended to look over Hail's chart. Just as Morgan moved to take a step towards the man, Hotch's arm darted out and stopped him.
"We're a little pressed for time here Doctor, so if you wouldn't mind telling us exactly how Adrian Hail survived." The unit chief left no room for debate and Ashford cleared his throat.
"The first bullet went through his left shoulder and broke his collarbone before stopping at the base of his neck. The second- the one that went through your Jane Doe- did a lot more." He cleared his throat before continuing. "After it exited her chest cavity, it entered Mr. Hail's ribcage where it slid in between them and punctured his right lung. The damage caused by the extensive bleeding forced his kidneys to shut down simultaneously along with breaking off into over a dozen pieces and damaging the lining of his stomach. Coupling that with the fact that it lodged at the base of his spine, I do believe that you will all get your wish soon enough."
"So he…might not make it?" Emily asked timidly, earning herself a signature glare from the man in white.
"Yes Agent, there is a chance that Mr. Hail might not survive the night." Ashford raised a finger. "But rest assured, the nursing staff and I will try our best to make sure that doesn't happen. Now, I must go finish my rounds." The man left in a hurry and disappeared down the hallway.
"Well…this sucks." Rossi groaned.
"Good guys: 0 Bad guys: 4." Morgan mumbled in frustration.
"Four?" Emily turned to him and the man nodded in return.
"You, JJ, Mackenzie and the fact that the son of a bitch might actually walk out of here." Morgan counted off their 'losses' on his fingers.
"JJ's perfectly fine!" the blonde sang from beneath her sheets.
"Not if she keeps referring to herself in the third person, she's isn't." Emily sang back, causing a few laughs.
"If you all don't mind," Figueroa spoke up. "I should be getting back."
"When can we see her?" Emily called after the man, who immediately turned his attention to her.
"She needs time to rest. I'll come get you as soon as I can." He promised her with a soft smile. She returned it slowly, if not a little shyly. The man's blue eyes danced with amusement.
"Thank you Doctor." Emily began to shake the man's hand.
"Please, call me Jason." He showed off his perfectly white teeth while using his thumb to caress her hand. Noticeably uncomfortable, Emily pulled back in and everyone watched the man leave in silence.
"As entertaining as this is…" JJ's voice once again demanded their attention. "Can we leave now?" Her loud groan was drowned out by the collective 'no!' they all voiced.
Not the most action-packed but seeing as they're in a hospital, I think that's appropriate. Let me know what you want to see as we wind down to the end!