The next morning Emily was up first. She woke up around seven and couldn't fall back to sleep. She didn't know what had woken her but she suspected it was the anxiety building in the pit of her stomach. The last thing she wanted to think about was their meeting with the ADA. She didn't want to let her father get off with a plea deal so he could pretend that he hadn't done everything that he had done to her, but she would rather let him have this deal than testify in court.
She got up and hobbled carefully into her bathroom and started the shower. Once it was the right temperature she got in and just stood under the hot water for a moment. She moved the stool Eddie got her to sit on so she didn't hurt herself and sat down. She managed to wash herself before the wave crashed over her.
Her heart was racing, her hands started shaking, and her breathing was labored. She moved to sit with her head between her knees as Eddie had taught her. She took deep, calculated breaths, and fresh tears stung her eyes.
After a few minutes it still hadn't passed, Emily knew she had to do something. She moved so she was sitting on the floor of the shower now, and tried to focus harder on her breathing but she was only hyperventilating herself.
Eddie woke with a start and it wasn't until she heard the sounds of Emily's shower that she realized what had woken her. She checked the time and knew Emily shouldn't be up yet. She shook Jamie awake.
"Babe, wake up." The worry in her voice was more than enough to draw him from his slumber.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"Em's already up and in the shower. I think something's up. I'm going to check on her. Can you grab her a cold water bottle from the fridge?"
"Yeah, I'll sit it on her nightstand. Let me know if I can help." They got up and Eddie made a beeline for Emily's room. Jamie went to grab her a water bottle. Eddie knocked on the bathroom door before cracking it open.
"Em, are you okay?"
"No…I…can't…it won't…stop." She managed between choked sobs and uneven breaths. Jamie set the water bottle down and left.
"Okay, can I come in so I can help?"
"Please." Her voice cracked and Eddie's heart broke for her daughter. She walked in and grabbed Emily's robe off the hook, reached in and turned off the water, and handed Emily the robe so she could put it on. Once she had it on, Eddie helped her sit on the edge of the tub. Emily was still hyperventilating and Eddie went back to get the water.
"Can you try and take a sip of this?" Eddie asked but Emily could barely stretch her hand out to take it.
"I'll be right back," Eddie said after she realized that this panic attack was just too much for Emily to handle on her own. During the week she was at the hospital before she came to them, she was prescribed medication for times like this. Eddie ran to get it and brought it back to her.
"I'm gonna help you, okay? We're gonna take the medicine the doctor gave you for this. Emily nodded. Eddie uncapped the water bottle and helped Emily take a sip so she could swallow the pill. Then, she sat rubbing her back and calming her until the medicine kicked in.
After another five minutes that seemed like forever, Emily finally managed to catch her breath. Eddie helped her back into bed and told her to rest. Jamie came in to check on her and also brought her some toast. He wanted her to have something for her stomach so it wouldn't get upset with the medicine on it. Emily managed a small smile and nod in thanks as she took it.
"We're gonna give you a few minutes, okay?" Eddie asked.
"Okay."
"Holler if you need us," Jamie added. Emily nodded. They shut her door behind them and went out to the kitchen.
Emily relaxed against her headboard and focused on eating her toast. She knew her medicine would probably make her sleepy, on top of the fatigue she already felt in her still-healing body.
Meanwhile, Eddie and Jamie were sipping coffee silently in the kitchen. Jamie texted his boss and told him he'd be in late. His boss replied that that was fine and that he would take care Jamie's squad for roll-call.
"Coming with us?" Eddie asked even though she already knew his answer.
"Yep. Espinosa is going to handle my roll-call." He replied.
"I really hope this goes well. She deserves it and she needs it." Eddie whispered. Jamie wrapped his arm around her and kissed her head.
"I know. We'll be there if it doesn't go well. Our daughter is going to be fine, it'll take time, but she'll be fine."
After she finished her toast, Emily put on her boot before getting up to flip on her light and pick her clothes for the day.
Eddie and Jamie retreated to their room to get ready for the day. They showered together and went about their usual morning routine. Jamie was dressed in his uniform, because he would still be going into work later. He also hoped it would help Emily feel safe. Eddie made sure she had her shield and gun in her purse, not willing to take any chances.
When they returned to the living room Emily was sitting on the couch dressed and waiting for Eddie to help with her hair. Eddie spotted her hairbrush and walked over to her and sat down, taking the brush from her and brushing through her hair before putting it in a french braid.
"You feeling better?"
"Yeah. I don't even know what happened. It hit me so fast. I tried to call for you but I couldn't catch my breath for long enough. I tried everything you showed me, but none of it worked."
"Sometimes it won't. That's what the medicine is for, the last resort. We're going to get you into therapy, okay? I think you could really benefit from it, if you don't like it or if it doesn't feel right we'll figure something else."
"Okay, I was gonna bring it up later, anyway. I don't want to feel like this all the time."
"I know, I get it. We're gonna help you through, Em. We'll fight it together." Emily nodded.
"If we want to get there on time we should probably head out." Jamie said and the three left the apartment to head over to the District Attorney's office to meet ADA Perez.