-October Cont.-

After a long day and an even longer afternoon, all Emily wanted to do was sleep. On top of all the work that she did on this day, she came home to a foul mood child. It was rare that Natalia was like this but it wasn't her favorite. She practically fought Emily on everything. Even Marissa had no idea what was going on.

"Natalia honey, please I need you to go upstairs and change your clothes."

"No."

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you."

"I don't care!" she yelled

Emily took a deep breath and turned off the tv that was on in front of her.

"MOMMY!" tears started to come down her face

"Now, I'm going to tell you this one last time, Natalia Jade Prentiss, Go upstairs and change your clothes now!" she started to raise her voice

Natalia stood up and headed towards the stairs. Emily watched her as she continued to throw her tantrum. She rubbed her belly and sat down.

"I hope you don't act this way when you get to her age." she joked while talking to her stomach. She smiled when she felt the baby kick.

When Natalia finally came down, she had stopped crying but her face was still red from crying.

"Are you gonna talk to me honey? What's bothering you, you never act this."

Natalia shook her head no and stayed silent. Emily nodded and watched her as she sat at the table. Emily warmed up some macaroni and cheese and placed it in front of her.

Emily noticed that he daughter looked tired, as if she wasn't sleeping. She wouldn't pressure her anymore about it but she would keep an eye on her. After she finished dinner, Natalia looked at Emily and then looked at the clock.

"It's time for bed right?"

"Yes honey. Please go and brush your teeth and I will come and read you a story in a few minutes."

"I dont want a story tonight mommy."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Goodnight mommy."

"Goodnight baby. I love you."

"I love you too."

Emily watched as she walked up the stairs and into her bedroom. Now she knew something was up. Natalia always wanted a story before bed. Emily you have a talk with her but for tonight she would just let her be. Emily remembered wanting to be alone and she was never able to have a moment by herself. Emily was giving her privacy and she knew that she would talk when she was ready.

When Emily was ready to go to bed, she climbed the stairs and glanced into her daughter's room. She was fast asleep, but Emily went into the room farther and gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead. She gave one more glance at her before she went into her own bedroom. When she walked into her bathroom, she grabbed a makeup wipe and began cleaning her face when she felt an achy pain in the her stomach. She assumed it was attributed to the fact that she was 8 months pregnant. She kind of brushed it off and then finished brushing her teeth, changed into her pajamas, and crawled into bed. She noted that ache was still there but she cuddled up into her pillow and fell asleep. Emily woke up to a sharp pain in her stomach, it was in the same area as before but now much more pronounced. She looked over at the clock and saw that it was 2:30 AM. She then winced when she felt another pain near her belly button. She tried rubbing her belly in the hopes that it would help it go away but it wouldn't.

After about an hour, Emily was still awake but the pain was getting worse. She was starting to get worried now. She swore that the pain was starting to move , it sounded crazy but it didn't hurt in the same spot that it was hurting about an hour ago. She got up and started to run a bath. She thought that maybe it would help with the pain. She didn't want to go to the ER tonight if she didn't have to but she definitely would keep that in mind. The pain startled to settle when she sat in warm water. She finally was able to relax when she heard a slight knock on the door and saw Natalia opening the door.

"What are you doing up so late baby?" Emily asked as her daughter started to walk closer to her.

"I was looking for you mommy. I had a nightmare and I got scared."

"Im sorry baby. Do you want to talk about your dream? "

"No, i just want to be with you Mommy."

"Here let me get out and you can sleep with me in my bed. How does that sound?"

"good."

"Okay. now go and lay on my bed and I will meet you there in a few minutes okay?"

"Okay mommy." she said as she walked out of the bathroom

Emily took a deep breath and tried to climb out of the bath tub as best as she could. She grabbed the towel that was hanging and dried herself off. She put her pajamas back on and headed for her bed when she felt the same pain again. She winced and held the bottom of her stomach.

"mommy are you okay?" she asked sitting up in her mother's bed.

"Yes baby. Im okay. Im coming."

She then laid down in bed next to her daughter. She just so happened to look over at the clock and read 4:30 AM. Still in pain, she cuddled close to her daughter and tried to get some sleep.

As soon as Natalia was fast asleep, she got up and started to pace the room in hopes that this pain would settle. The longer time went by, the more the pain increased. Emily grabbed a heating pad and laid back down in bed. She finally was able to get some sleep but that was until she heard her alarm go off. She got up and started to get things ready for Natalia's field-trip day. As she was making her daughter's lunch when she started to feel off. She put her hand on her forehead and noticed that she was a little warm. She finished Natalia's lunch and headed upstairs to get Natalia up and ready.

When she was walking up the stairs, the pain increased. She knew something was off. She knew that she needed to get to the hospital but she also didn't want to scare Natalia. She headed for the bathroom to grab a thermometer. After a few minutes, she looked at the thermometer and it was 101.9. Panic started to set in. She had no idea why she was in so much pain and now she was running a fever. She slowly gets down the stairs and prepares a bowl of cereal for breakfast. The thought and smell of food makes her nauseous. Emily leaned onto the couch, she couldn't walk anymore. Walking, moving, and everything else made the pain worse. She now knew that this was something serious and that she would have to go to the ER.

When Natalia came down the stairs, she saw Emily leaning over onto the couch.

"Mommy?"

"Okay Natalia. Mommy isn't feeling very well, so I need you to be on your best behavior okay?"

Natalia nodded

"Okay good. After you finish breakfast, I need you to get ready for your field-trip, and brush your teeth. Okay? Marissa is going to be here soon."

"Okay Mommy. " Natalia sat at the table and ate her cereal.

Emily pulled out her phone and tried calling Aaron. it kept going straight to voicemail. She called again, several times but no answer. She then decided to call JJ. she couldn't do this herself, she needed someone.

"Hello?"

"JJ?"

"Hey Em. Is everything okay?"

"No. I need you to take me to the hospital. Natalia is leaving for school soon. But something is wrong. "

"Okay. I'm on my way. " and with that JJ hung up the phone,

After Natalia had finished breakfast, she got up and placed her bowl in the sink. She the then turned around and headed for the stairs. Emily smiled when she saw that her daughter was in a better mood. She silently said thanks for that one, but then she just focused on her breathing. Eventually Natalia came down the stairs, ready simply as Emily had asked.

"Okay mommy. All ready."

"Okay baby. Thank you. I love you so much okay."

"I love you too Mommy."

"Okay Marissa is going to pick you after school today. Okay?"

"Okay mommy. Are you okay?"

"I will be. Okay. Just have fun at your field-trip"

"Okay. I will."

There was a knock at the door. Emily motioned for Natalia to open the door, when she opened the door, she was greeted with Marissa.

"Marissa are you okay with keeping Natalia after the field-trip?" she called

"Yeah of coarse. Everything okay? You don't look very well."

"Im okay. I just need to shower and what not. But thanks so much, I'll keep you updated okay."

"Okay. Bye Em."

"Bye Marissa. Thanks again. "

As they left, Emily took another deep breath. Her hand went over her stomach and then closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. It was silent and Emily did not make a sound. JJ raced over to Emily's apartment. She parked her car and ran into her building. When she finally got up to her apartment, she knocked on the door but no answer. She knocked again and still no answer. She pulled out the spare key that Emily gave her and unlocked the door. She walked in and saw Emily sitting on the couch with her hand on her stomach.

"Emily. Are you okay?"

Emily looked over at her with tears in her eyes.

"JJ. I think something is wrong. I have a fever and I have the persistent sharp pain on my right side. it keeps getting worse and I'm scared. "

"Everything will be okay Em. Okay? Come on." JJ reached out her hand and pulled Emily to her feet.

"Okay slowly it really hurts when I walk."

JJ nodded and they walked slowly out to the car. When they finally started driving, Emily wanted to make a call to the hospital and let them know that she was on her way but she realized that she had forgotten her phone on the counter.

"JJ I know that this is a bad time but I need you to do me a favor."

"yeah sure anything em. "

"I need your phone to call the hospital and then when we get to the hospital. I need you to call Aaron for me."

"Aaron, who's Aaron? Wait as in Hotch, Aaron?" JJ asked as she looked over to Emily and handed over her phone before looking back to the road.

"Yes." She said as she laid her head to the side and her hand protectingly over her stomach. She dialed the very familiar number and told them that she was on her way.

"Why? I think he will understand that this is an emergency. I don't think you need to call in sick right at this moment Em."

"No. JJ... He's... he's the father."

"Wait. What. Oh my god. When."

"JJ please, I'll explain this to you later but Please I just need you to call him."

"Yeah I'll call him but you owe me a story. "

"I'll tell you anything you want to know if this baby is okay."

When Emily finally arrived at the hospital, she was immediately taken back and JJ was left in the waiting room. She was calling Aaron but it kept going to voicemail too. Meanwhile, nurses and doctors were hooking Emily up to so many wires and fetal wires. They were poking and prodding her but she didn't care, she just hoped that her baby was okay.

"Okay Emily. Im Dr. Collins. When did this pain start?"

"This morning around 2:30 AM or so but i developed a fever around 630. "

"And where does the pain hurt?"

"Here, but it feels like it's traveled from around my belly button to more to the right of my belly." Emily pointed the places on her right side.

"Have you had anything to eat today?"

"No. the thought of food made me nauseous so I haven't eaten yet."

"Okay. Based on your symptoms, it sounds like you might have an appendicitis but we're going to have to run a few more tests. Is that okay with you?"

"Yes. As long as my baby is safe."

"Baby has a strong heartbeat for now. We'll continue to monitor you."

"So this isn't labor or preacclamsia?"

"No, I don't think so. We'll have to run a few more tests but I think you have an appendicitis."

"Thanks Doctor. "

An hour later, it was confirmed that Emily was having an appendicitis. She was rushed into emergency surgery. While they were preparing Emily for surgery, Emily requested to see JJ right before she went in. JJ walked into the hospital room, and saw Emily lying there.

"Emily. Are you okay. what's going on?"

"I have an appendicitis. They're rushing me into surgery. I'll be fine and most importantly the baby is fine. But were you able to get ahold of Aaron?"

"No. it just keeps going to voicemail. I'm going to call the office to see if he's there. Okay?"

"Thanks JJ."

"Okay Mrs. Prentiss are you already to go?" the nurse asked when she walked in.

"Yes."

And with that a few more nurses came into the room and wheeled her into the OR. JJ was walked into the waiting room. She sat down on one of the chairs and dialed a familiar phone number.

"JJ. Sugar where are you and Emily. I have been trying to get ahold of one of you for a couple of hours now."

"Im sorry Pen. I had to take Emily to the hospital. She's fine but she's in surgery."

"SURGERY! "

"Penelope, I need you to calm down. She and the baby are okay. I just need to do me a favor okay?"

"Yeah sure anything, what's up?"

"I know it's a little past 9 but I need to know where Hotch is at."

"He's in his office. Why?"

"Can you transfer this call to him please it's important. "

"Are you sure everything is okay JJ?"

"yeah. I just need to speak with him. "

"okay. But please call me as soon as you get an update."

"I will, but Garcia please. Don't let the others know, this just stays between us for now"

"Okay but you and Emily owe me."

"Don't I know it."

"Okay transferring you now."

"Thanks P"

JJ waited until the pathetic holding music stopped.

"Hotchner."

"Hey Hotch it's me JJ. "

"JJ where have you been? I called and spoke with Will. He said that Emily called you and that you rushed out of there. Do you know where she is at? I've been trying to get a hold of her but it goes straight to voicemail, i was about to go down to her apartment"

"Listen, I am with Emily in the emergency room. They just rushed her into surgery. She has an appendicitis. "

"WHAT? Is she okay? Is that baby okay?"

"Yes, her and the baby are fine. They just wheeled in and I was trying to get ahold of you."

"Okay. I'm on my way." and then he hung up on her. She then started to pace the waiting room. As far as she knew, they were just friends, she didn't know of anything more.

Aaron was starting to panic on the way to the hospital, he knew that things between them have been rocky but at the end of the day, he still cares about her and she is carrying his baby. All he could think about was how, if he had lost them, how guilty he would feel about seeing another woman and not being honest with Emily about it, but then again, he gave her his heart and she rejected it. Some part of him felt that he needed to tell her, but another part of him felt it wasn't her business. He knew he probably should have but he didn't want things to go more sour than they already are. When Hotch finally arrived, he still found JJ pacing the room.

"Any word?"

"No. "

After about an hour of watching JJ pace, he knew that he had to speak with her and that she most likely had a lot of questions. Although his main concern was Emily and the baby, but a part of him was concerned about what JJ knows and what she doesn't know. He just knew that he had to ask her.

"Listen JJ, Not that this is important right now, but i don't know what Emily has and hasn't told you but.."

"Hotch its okay. Thats not what is important right now. The safety of Emily and the baby is what is most important right now. "

"I agree."

"Okay then we can talk later but right now, it doesn't matter. " Aaron shook his head in Agreeance

After about an half an hour went by, the doctor came out of the double doors and was walking towards the both of them.

"Mrs. Jereau.?"

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to give you an update on Emily. everything went well. She and the baby are doing great. We are going to monitor her for a few days and then she can go home. We just need to make sure that there aren't any signs of infection and that she doesn't go into spontaneous labor since she is about 35 weeks along."

"Dr. Collins thank you, I'm happy to hear that everything went well. This is Aaron. He is the baby's father."

"Nice to meet you Aaron. You guys can see Emily in a little while. She's being moved into a recovery room. "

"Great thank you."

Aaron sat down in the chair next to JJ and released a breath he didn't know he was holding. He came to the realization that he could have lost her, he could have lost the baby. He could have lost the both of them. He was glad that he didn't. He wouldn't know what to do if he had lost the both of them.

Both JJ and Aaron were both lost in thought. The room was silent. Aaron kept thinking about he almost both Emily and the baby. he knew how he felt when she first told him that she was pregnant, but now, just by feeling and seeing pictures, he has fallen in love with this baby already and he did not want to know life without this baby.

JJ on the other hand was trying to piece this puzzle. Her best friend just admitted that the father of her baby is none other than her boss. She was trying to think of when they would have had the chance. Emily had told her that it was a one night stand, was there more than that? Were they together? Did they love each other? She felt like she didn't know either of them. She had no idea and she didn't see this coming. She knew that they have been off lately, but she just assumed it was because of case and partially Emily's hormones.

They were both stopped in their thoughts when a nurse started to speak with them.

"For Emily?" the nurse came up to them and said

"yes that us." Hotch stated.

"Come with me. She just got moved into a recovery room. She still sedated but she will wake up soon and I'm sure she would want to see you guys."

"Thanks." JJ said as she grabbed her purse and started to follow the nurse.

When Hotch and JJ walked into the room, the saw Emily just lying there. She was still out, but they were both glad to see her. Although, she looked a little pale, she had never looked more beautiful to Hotch. Both JJ and took a seat in the chair both on the opposite sides of Emily. After a long stretch of silence, Aaron finally spoke.

"You know, I first met Emily when she was 18."

That perked JJ up, "Wait really?"

"Yeah, I used to work for her mother in the beginning. Emily was getting ready to go off to college when we had first met." Aaron knew that he wasn't going to tell her the full truth of that night but he was going to tell her what he wanted her to know.

"Was she just as stubborn as she is now?"

"I hadn't known her long, but yes, from what i had heard, she was pretty stubborn."

JJ laughed "Can I ask. How.. how did this happen? I mean i know, but how did this come to be?"

"Long story short, Emily and I just got really drunk and one thing lead to another. We didn't expect this to happen, we both blacked out that night. I can't speak for Emily but I still can't remember that night."

She sat back into her chair, with her arms crossed and made eye contact with Aaron.

"I always knew that there was something up with you two. I don't know why I didn't see it earlier. "

"Do the others have any idea?"

"No. They just know what Emily's told them. I don't know how they will react when thy find out. I'm sure they won't be happy."

"Yeah well, Emily and I just decided to keep it between us for now and then we would figure it out later."

"Yeah well, it seems Emily is pretty good at that. "

Aaron was about to say something more to JJ but was cut off when they both noticed that Emily was starting to wake up.

Her eyes started to flutter open. As her vision started to clear, she looke over at her left and saw JJ.

"JJ?"

"Emily. Hey. How are you feeling?"

"A little sore but is everything okay?"

"yes, you and the baby are doing great. Heart rate is strong for the both of you. but they want to keep you here for a few days."

"Figured. Hey were you able to get a hold of.."

She was cut off when she heard another voice in the room. she had looked to the opposite side of her.

"Aaron?"

"Hey Em. How are you doing?"

"Better now that the pain is gone. "

"Good. Im glad that you both are doing good. I was worried for a little bit."

"Where were you?"

"What? i've been here. "

"No earlier, I called you several times this morning. I was trying to get ahold of you but it kept going to voicemail."

"I'm sorry, I uh.. i left my phone at home."

she gave him another look and then turned her attention towards JJ. Sensing the tension, JJ got up and grabbed her phone.

"Hey Im going to give Garcia a call and then I'm going to check on the team."

"okay thanks JJ." Hotch said

After JJ left the room, Hotch looked over back to Emily and she gave him another look.

"What?"

"Nothing, I just.. Nothing."

"Oh come on Em.. I.."

He was interupted when a nurse came in to check on Emily.

Aaron eventually, excused himself to grab he and Emily something to eat, as well as JJ. He knew that he was going to have to call Beth at some time but for now, he was going to just focus on what is right in front of him.

Emily on the other hand looked over at the clock and saw that it was almost time for Natalia to come home from her field trip. She picked up her cell phone and dialed.

"Emily?"

"Marissa hey, Can you keep Natalia tonight? I'm in the hospital right now and i wont be home for a few days."

"is everything okay?"

"Yes, it is now. I had a appendicitis. But everything is all good. Baby and I are doing well."

"Yes, of coarse, I'll keep her. What do you want me to tell her?"

"I.. You can bring her a little later but I'll explain more to her when she gets here ."

"okay Em. Call me if you need anything. "

"Thanks Marissa. "

After about 30 minutes, Aaron came back to find Emily asleep. He had seen JJ standing out in the hall on the phone what who he assumed it was Penelope. Aaron set the food down on the side table, and let JJ know that Emily was sleeping at that he would come back later to check on her. JJ shook her head yes, and then aaron had grabbed his coat and headed on his way.

Once he got to the office, he opened his office door and saw a woman sitting on the corner of his couch. He took a deep breath and the set his briefcase down on the desk. He turned and the faced her.

"What are you doing here?" He asked as he turned on the light in his office and placed his jacket down.

A little later, Emily woke up later with him gone. JJ was still there, but nonetheless, he was gone. Now, Emily knew something was up. The day was half gone, her daughter would be coming soon, but she wanted him there. He wasn't there when she needed him the most.