forever after all 🤍

twelve.

I woke up in a bed next to Aaron's. Last night, an orderly had moved us into the same room because I was beginning to stabilize.  I reached for his hand, fighting through wires, blankets, and bandages to get to him. His body was cool to the touch. "Aaron... please. Wake up for me, and for Jack, and for the team. Wake up so we can catch the son of a bitch that did this." A nurse walks in and takes me away for testing, even though I would rather lay in bed all day. 

A familiar voice meets me in the physical therapy room. "Hey, babygirl." It's Morgan. "Hey, Derek, how are things at the BAU?" "They're fine. It's not the same without you two... speaking of that. Emily, you're Hotch's proxy. In the case of an emergency, he left you to be his voice. You need to appoint an interim unit chief, so we can work cases while we wait for you to heal." I sigh and nod. "I leave Derek Morgan as interim unit chief." He grabs my hand. "Em, it's going to be okay. You need to not focus on him waking up, focus on you getting stronger. You'll be walking in no time." Except it felt like I was never going to walk again. I could barely stand, let alone move my legs. I needed him sitting here, cheering me on. The physical therapist worked with me today on moving my legs, but it felt useless. They wanted me to work in a pool to strengthen my core, but I was exhausted. "Ms Prentiss, do you have someone at home? We want to discharge you soon, but you'll need help at home." I started to cry. "Um-well-my-my fiancee-yeah. I have someone at home. Penelope can help me." The physical therapist put her hand on my shoulder. "It'll all be okay. I promise."

Everyone keeps telling me it'll be okay, but it doesn't feel like it. Penelope came and picked me up that night, but I was completely useless. Wheelchair to car. Car to wheelchair. Wheelchair to the couch. "Emily.. I know you don't want to, but have you called the ambassador? Your mom should be here. I burst into tears again. "No-she-she doesn't even know about the wedding." I buried my face into Pen's shoulder. "Can we call her? We can do it together." I nodded, handing her my phone. 

"Hi, yes, Ambassador Prentiss, my name is Penelope Garcia. I'm a friend of Emily's. She was in an accident. It was bad, but she's alive." Penelope mumbled some more details to her, before hanging up the phone. "She will be on the first flight out of Germany." Penelope helps to lay me in her guest bed, before giving me the call button. "If you need anything- ANYTHING- please ring me, Emily." After she left, I forced myself to close my eyes, and go to sleep. There really wasn't anything else for me to do. 

Pen woke me up in the morning, my mom standing in the living room. "Hey, mom..." "Emily Elizabeth! You were in an explosion and you didn't even bother to call?" Pen shot her a death glare. "Oh honey, I love you so much." She wrapped me in a hug. "Her med schedule and PT schedule is on the fridge. Please be safe Em."

-two weeks later-

"Emily!  Wake up! He's awake!" I jolt awake. I swing my body out of bed and use my upper body to get into my wheelchair. I still can't walk, but everyday physical therapy and injections have helped me get closer to my goal of standing and walking every day. I don't think Pen and me have ever driven that fast, but in mere moments we were at the hospital. "Aaron!" He looked up and smiled at me. "Emily." Pen wheeled me over to him, where he leaned up to grab my hand. I reached over him, engulfing him in a hug, tears falling from my face. "Why are you crying, babe?" "I-I just didn't know if you were going to wake up. I missed you so much." He looked over me, my bruises and scratches basically gone, but still bound to my wheelchair. "What even happened?" "Someone rigged the SUV to explode. We were being watched. I'm not really sure more than that. I'm supposed to go in for my cognitive interview, but I-it's been hard. I don't want to relive that moment. You made it out with some trauma to your brain, and internal injuries, but you seem to be recovering really well. Must've been the coma," I giggle. "I wasn't as lucky. The initial impact fractured my vertebrae. I still can't walk." He frowned. "I-I'm sorry, Em. I'm sorry for everything- the argument in the car, for not protecting you, for not being here for you through all this.." "Aaron-stop. None of this is your fault. I'm going to be okay. I'll walk down that aisle, just like I promised." 

As much as I wanted to stay there forever, hearing his voice and holding his hand, he had to have tests done, and I needed to bring all my courage up to do the cognitive interviews. I had Garcia bring me to the BAU, wheeling me in to see all my friends waiting. "I've missed you so much!" JJ said, hugging me tightly. "Are you ready for the interview?" Morgan asked. I was letting him do it because I knew I could open up to him. "Okay Em, close your eyes, Picture that night."

"It's cool outside. The SUV window is rolled down. Hotch and me are arguing about how I dealt with the unsub." "Good Prentiss, keep going." "We were the last ones at the jet. I got out, but I heard the shutter of a camera. Like someone was stalking us. Then I was on the ground. God, Morgan, the light is so bright. There's Tsia- she's telling me it's not my time yet. Here's JJ." I sigh, opening my eyes. "Sorry, that's not that helpful. It's all I remember-"

I was cut off by the ringing of my phone. "This is Prentiss." "Hello, Ms Prentiss, it's Dr. Denson, I have some good news. We just got urgent FDA approval for a microdisk implant. We think if it works right, you can be walking in less than a month. This is a clinical trial though, so it has risks and costs. Let me know what you think." I gasp. "What is it Em?" "That was the doctor, there is experimental tech they want to try in my spine...I could be walking in a month." It hit me. I could be walking in a MONTH. I couldn't turn this down. "That's amazing!" JJ said. I started heading to the hospital to meet with the doctor.