A/N: Shorter, but just as gut wrenching.


Home.

She was going home.

Well… not home. Not to the quaint little two storey home in Virginia where they had decided to make their fresh start after Louisiana. The little house that held her own bed, her own shower, was always turned upside down with the boys' clothes and toys… she wasn't going home.

But she was leaving Atlanta. And now that the day had truly arrived, she couldn't wait to be rid of the place forever. As much as she loved and cared for the amazing medical staff who had looked after her around the clock for almost two weeks, she never wanted to see the inside of this hospital ever again.

The morning had been a whirlwind of preparations, punctuated by a never ending rotation of all the nurses and doctors who wanted to come and say goodbye to JJ before she left Atlanta for good. Rosie in particular had nearly moved JJ to tears.

"Now you take care of yourself, ok JJ? And I'm sure the next time I see you, you'll be walking to meet me," she'd said, her voice filled with care and reassurance in a way that made JJ feel like anything was possible.

Now, it was down to minutes. Just minutes until the wheels left the ground in Georgia and when they touched down on the other side, she would be back home in Virginia. She was securely strapped into place on her gurney, a warm blanket covering her to keep her warm as cool air recirculated around the cabin. It was a relatively large aircraft as far as air ambulances went. She was sure it was a Gulfstream, for it looked very similar on the inside to the old BAU jet. If the BAU jet had also been equipped with thousands of dollars worth of medical equipment.

"Hey," came Will's voice, snapping her from her thoughts. The doctors had given her a shot of something to help her relax during takeoff, and as she dragged her eyes up to meet her husband's, she realised how quickly it was having an effect on her.

"You ok?" Will asked gently, reaching for her hand. "Comfortable? Warm enough?"

"Yeah," JJ breathed, a soft smile crossing her face. "I'm just glad to be going home"

"Me too cher," Will replied, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her forehead. He brought his hand up to her cheek, letting it linger there for a moment as his thumb caressed the top of her cheekbone. "I'm gonna go sit with the boys for takeoff, but I'll come check on you soon, ok?"

JJ nodded, watching as he walked towards the front of the jet to take a seat beside her mom. Her eyes travelled over to the adjacent seats, where Henry and Michael sat side by side. Michael seemed to be taking it all in his stride, completely unperturbed by the fact that they were travelling in their own little plane to go back home. But Henry… Henry still seemed lost. A shell of the boy she had kissed goodbye and left at home just a couple of short weeks ago. He was slumped in his seat, AirPods in his ears, his chin resting on his hand as he stared blankly through the tiny window.

"Alright," came the voice of Megan, the flight nurse, breaking JJ from her thoughts as she reached over to tighten and check the straps securing JJ to the gurney. "We are just about ready to go. You feeling ok?"

"Yeah," JJ breathed in reply, tipping her head to the left and taking in the view from the window beside her.

"Home before you know it," Megan said with a smile, squeezing JJ's hand gently before moving to take the seat on the opposite side of the aisle.

They were underway fairly quickly, the small jet roaring into the sky, the little family onboard quietly grateful to be leaving the city behind that had been the starting point for tragedy.

It didn't take long for JJ to fall asleep, the medication in her system keeping her relaxed and sleepy as they cruised above the clouds towards DC.

Beside her son-in-law, Sandy was keeping a watchful eye over her two grandsons sitting across the aisle to her left. Henry was gazing absently out the window, AirPods plugged firmly into his ears, while Michael played happily on his tablet.

Hearing a quiet, yet troubled sigh coming from her other side, Sandy turned, finding Will's face fraught with worry and anxiety.

"Hey," she said softly, catching his attention. "What's on your mind?"

Will paused, biting his lip as he glanced over towards JJ to make sure she was still asleep.

"I… I'm terrified," he said softly, flicking his eyes up to meet his mother-in-law's. "All this time, it's… I mean, I've known all the time how much our lives have now changed, but… there was this… separation from it all. And now, now we're goin' home, and when we're home, it's gonna be real. We'll be home, but JJ will be in the hospital, and when she is able to come home, it's… everythin' will be different. And I know I don't have a choice either way, but I just… I don't think I'm ready to face it"

There was a short pause before Sandy let out a soft sigh. "I don't think you'll ever be ready, Will. I don't think any of us are ready to face exactly what this means"

"I just… I know it's not a shameful thing or anythin' but… my wife's disabled," Will said painfully, his composure slowly beginning to crack as he spoke. "I don't even know what to do with that. She's gonna need so much support, I… how do I make sure she has everythin' she needs? And the rest of us. I have to… Jesus"

"Take a breath," Sandy said softly, bringing a hand to Will's back as he leaned forward in his seat, his breathing beginning to increase. "You're getting ahead of yourself"

"How can I not?" he snapped, his face hardening and then immediately softening again. "Sorry, I… sorry"

"It's ok," Sandy reassured him. "All you can do right now is take it day by day. Some days are going to be… awful. But other days? They'll be defined by improvement and success every which way you turn. Yes, JJ will need a lot of support. Physically, emotionally, mentally… but you have an entire village around you all to help you get through it. If the boys need to get out of the house, or you need a day to focus solely on JJ, you call me, or your friend… the colourful one. What's her name? Priscilla?"

Will chuckled. "Penelope?"

"Oh," Sandy said with an abashed grin. "Yes, that's her. Penelope. You can call us. Or if you want to take the boys out and JJ needs someone to be with her, any one of us will be more than happy to come and help out"

"She'll hate every second of it. Bein' babysat," Will sighed.

"I know," Sandy murmured in agreement. "It's going to be a huge adjustment. But remember she's got at least a couple of months in this rehab facility first. She'll have access to so many people who can help her relearn how to do things, social workers and therapists who can help counsel her through the mental aspect… she'll be equipped to handle it by the time she leaves. But please don't forget that everyone is going to be there to support you all. You're not doing this alone"

"How are you so level headed?" Will asked quietly. "That's your daughter"

"I… don't get me wrong, I'm… shattered. I can't believe this has happened. But I also know her extremely well, and I know if anyone can overcome this and still live a full, wonderful life, it's her. She's determined and stubborn enough for the entire state of Virginia"

Will chuckled, shaking his head. "You got that right"

"If she was a child, still under my roof, still completely dependent on me to look after her… I think it would be different. My heart is shattered for her, irreparably so, but she's an adult, with so much support around her, including myself, and I just… after all the heartache our family has been through, I have to believe she's going to come out the other side of this"

Will swallowed hard, dropping his face towards his lap as he fought back impending tears. In the silence between the two of them, all he could manage was a nod; but instead of it being an agreement, it was more of an assurance. To himself, to Sandy, that they would manage. They would fight. And whatever it took, they would get JJ through this.


Getting JJ settled at the rehabilitation centre had taken the vast majority of the afternoon. Will was thankful for Sandy's presence, as when the day only continued to get longer and longer, she had taken the boys home to give them a reprieve. It was too much for anyone… but especially for two boys who could barely even begin to wrap their young minds around what was happening to their mom.

It was late before Will could bring himself to leave JJ's side. Part of him wanted to be there in case she needed him. The other part of him was terrified to go home. The house he had run out of expecting nothing worse than a concussion, expecting that he would be back in a day or two with a busted up but largely ok wife who would insist she was perfectly fine.

Instead, he had run out straight into a nightmare.

His heart was hammering in his chest when he let himself through the front door at near on 1 in the morning. Dave had arranged for his car to be dropped off to him so he could make his own way home, but instead of going home when he'd left the hospital, he had instead driven aimlessly for nearly two hours. Nothing on the radio. Just quiet. The hum of the road beneath the tires. The icy winter wind battering the shell. Empty roads and pale streetlights making him feel incredibly alone.

Silently, he dropped his keys into the dish on the hall table, the house still and quiet before him. It was dark, telling him that Sandy and the boys had long since gone to bed.

Whether they were getting any sleep was another story.

He let himself into their bedroom, just off the main entryway, the darkness enveloping him as he closed the door behind him. Fumbling over to the right, he flipped the switch, the light flickering on as electricity raced to it for the first time in weeks.

Their bed was still unmade, frozen in time from when he'd left it the night he headed to Atlanta. Just looking at it made him feel weak at the knees; so much had happened, and yet it was in such a short space of time that he hadn't even gotten to make the bed.

He felt completely lost, almost as if in a fugue as he made his way into the adjoining bathroom, turning on the lights and heat lamps as he went. It was autopilot, muscle memory that carried him over to the shower stall, where he reached in and flipped on the hot water. Once he was satisfied it was warming up, filling the bathroom with steam, he tugged his shirt over his head, casting it to the side and leaning against the countertop.

There wasn't even a moment for him to check in with himself before the tears began to fall. At first, they were slow, rolling down his cheeks and dripping to the porcelain vanity, masked by the sound of the shower. But then, they were vigorous, the sobs wracking his body relentlessly as he held himself up on shaking arms, his heart tearing itself in two for the irreparable damage that had been done. His body fought to keep him upright, but it was a futile fight. Half-dressed, completely broken, he sank to the wall beside him, burying his face in his hands as the tears flooded down his face.

"I don't know what to do," he sobbed, his voice soft and broken beneath the tears, drowned out by the drumming of the water beating down in the shower. "I don't know what to do…"