Fifty Ways to Love You - Emily Prentiss x OC

24. girlfriend things

[trigger warning: anxiety attack]

My anxiety only built as the drive continued. JJ kept asking if I was alright, if I wanted to stop and calm down. I kept telling her no, until I was so overwhelmed I couldn't speak.

"Galina? Here, there's a rest stop in a mile, we're gonna go and we're gonna calm down, okay? You're okay. You're fine."

I tried to regulate my breathing, to no avail as I couldn't sense what was normal and what wasn't. JJ pulled into the rest stop and helped me get out. We sat at this picnic table — not many rest stops had picnic tables, it was odd — and she told me to look at the trees across the highway.

"Galina, is it okay if I touch you?" I nodded and sobbed, my hyperventilating and the cars being the only unnatural sounds around us.

JJ put one hand on my leg, like it had been in the car, and the other on my upper back. She noticed my bad posture, and gently pushed my shoulder to get me to sit up. "Good. Can we breathe, Lina? We're gonna do that."

I was still trembling and terrified after we took ten deep breaths. Maybe it helped a little. I don't know. JJ asked me if I wanted to call Emily. I shook my head.

"Not...yet," I said. She smiled compassionately. It was the first thing I'd said in about ten minutes. "No, not yet,"

"Okay. That's okay. We're fine here. Hotch isn't here, he can't do anything from here. We're just gonna sit for a little bit. Does that sound okay?" I nodded.

"Um, Jay? I—I'm gonna use the bathroom." I pointed in the general direction. She squeezed my leg and nodded with a small smile. "I'll be right back,"

"Take your time."

Once I was out of earshot and eyeline, she pulled out her phone and called my girlfriend. "Hey, Jayje, I—is Galina there?"

"She's using the bathroom. Listen, I know how to deal with flashbacks and episodes but I don't know how to help her with an anxiety attack. I think we got through the worst of it, she should be a little better now, but what else should I do?" asked JJ in desperation. Emily was speechless for a moment. "Emily?"

She sounded on the verge of tears. "Um...I...god, my poor girl..."

"What do you normally do?"

"Girlfriend things! I ask her if I can hold her and then I kiss her and tell her everything's gonna be alright! But you can't do that!"

"Emily, it's okay, relax,"

"I can't, Jayje. My...I'm not there for her,"

"Call back in, like, ten or fifteen minutes. We'll be back on the road, and you can talk to her then. She's in the bathroom right now. She's really worried about what Hotch is gonna say, Emily." Emily played with her necklace.

"I know she is. She gets wound up so tight. She always has, since we met." Emily forced a chuckle when she said, "She always said I 'calmed her down' when we were at Interpol." JJ smiled and chuckled softly. "Thank you for being there for her, JJ. I'll talk to you in a bit, okay?"

"Yeah. Bye,"

"Bye."

I came back from the bathroom and we got in the car, merging back onto the highway and speeding down towards DC.

-

Emily went in Rossi's office and asked if she could talk on the phone in there for a bit, as she had nowhere else to have a private conversation.

"Why?" Rossi asked, wondering why she couldn't just get in her car or something. Emily crossed her arms and glared.

"Well, you snitched to my boss about me dating my coworker, so now my girlfriend is worried about coming back here. I'm gonna call her and talk her down. I think you kind of owe me this one, Dave." Rossi threw his hands up.

"No need to be hostile," he said rather rudely before leaving. He went to go talk to Hotch, which wasn't Emily's favorite concept, the two of them talking, but she was glad to be alone. He didn't discuss our relationship with Hotch again, thank fucking god.

Emily called me and I sighed. "Hey, Ems,"

"Hey, love, I just wanna check in. Are you doing okay?" I rolled my eyes and smiled through my tears.

"You don't have to lie, I know JJ put you up to this," I said.

"Caught me." We all chuckled. "But really, baby, how are you doing?"

"Oh, fantastic,"

"Hey," she laughed, "don't shut me out. I guilt-tripped Rossi into letting me use his office for this,"

"You what?" I laughed. "Emily, this is why I love you,"

"I love you too, darling. And I promise you, everything will work out. Whatever happens, I will never stop loving you, любимая." I smiled.

"Did you ask Dima or did you Google that? Because I know you didn't know that before," I chuckled.

"You've called me it once or twice,"

"Я тебя люблю, милая," I said with a smile. "You always make me feel better, angel. I love you,"

"I love you, too. I'll see you soon, okay? And we're gonna be all right."