***Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds (although it would be really cool if I did!)

JJ shifted the car into park, turned the key and lunged for her purse. Reid was already standing, shoving the passenger-side door closed. She locked her car mid-flight, racing to keep up with him.

As they entered through the sliding doors of the emergency room, Reid and JJ flashed their badges at the receptionist, who pressed a button to allow them entry. Perks of working for the FBI.

"Dr. Reid?" a woman called out as they proceeded down the hallway.

Reid slowed, turning toward the source of the sound. A doctor emerged from behind a curtain, then motioned for him to join her in front of a cubicle.

"Dr. Lucille," Reid said, catching his breath. "How is she?"

"She's having some trouble breathing," the doctor said, adjusting the stethoscope around her neck. "It appears she may have accidentally inhaled some of her dinner, leading her to develop aspiration pneumonia. It's very common among patients with Alzheimer's. We've put her in an induced coma while we attempt treatment."

"But that's too dangerous for someone her age! She might not wake up."

"It was that, or watch her give herself a heart attack. She was in a state of absolute panic. Inconsolable. That kind of response is often deadlier than the pneumonia itself."

The doctor placed a comforting hand on Reid's arm. "Diana's a strong woman, Spencer. She'll come out of this."

As JJ watched the doctor walk away, she turned to face Reid, who was trembling.

"You should sit down," she said, pulling him toward a nearby couch in the waiting room. "We won't be able to go in and see her for a while."

Reid let her lower him onto the couch, his legs turning to jelly under him. He placed his head in his hands.

JJ rubbed his back, unsure what to say. Everything will be okay? That hardly seemed like a promise she could keep.

So they sat in silence for several minutes, Reid stiffening every time a doctor emerged from behind a curtain. JJ took out her phone, and saw that she had two missed calls from Will.

"I'll be right back," she whispered to Spence, taking her phone with her down the hall. She sank into a chair by the coffee station and dialed her husband's number.

"Jennifer," Will growled as he picked up. It wasn't too far off from his normal voice, but JJ found her muscles tightening anyway.

"Hey, Will, I'm so sorry. I had to take Spence to the hospital. His mom's in a coma."

As the words left her mouth, JJ closed her eyes, the reality of the situation beginning to sink in. She hugged her arm to her side, trying to comfort herself.

"That's a shame," Will sighed over the line. "Tell him I'm praying for her."

JJ nodded, her hand to her mouth. She had spent a lot of time with Diana when Reid was in prison, and she'd grown to think of her as a second mom, of sorts. She was much easier to get along with than JJ's actual mother.

"When do you think you might come home?"

Will's question caught JJ off guard. She hadn't even thought about leaving. How could she? Spence didn't have anyone else to turn to.

"I can't leave while she's in critical condition," she answered, smoothing down her skirt.

There was an awkward pause, as Will fought to keep his feelings in check.

"You need your sleep," he said after a while.

She snorted. "I'd never be able to sleep with all this going on. I think I'd better stay until there's news."

"But Jen, that could take hours. Don't you think you ought to come home?"

JJ's voice caught in her throat as she pictured Reid slumped in a hospital chair by himself. When she'd been unconscious, Reid hadn't left the hospital. How could she abandon him now?

"He needs me," she said at last, placing a hand over her eyes. She hated crying in public.

Will exhaled into the speaker, as the first of JJ's tears fell onto her lap. "Your family needs you too, JJ. Me. The boys. Don't forget that."

JJ ran a finger under her eyelid in an attempt to salvage her mascara. "I know. I won't."

Her phone lit up, signaling that the call had been ended. JJ stood up and grabbed a handful of napkins from the coffee station. She used one to dab at her eyes, reserving the rest for Reid. She poured two cups of coffee and walked back down the hallway to find her best friend bouncing on his heels.

Reid's posture relaxed when he saw her, and he accepted the cup of coffee gratefully. "Will?"

JJ nodded. "Just telling him I'll be a while longer."

Spence's face drooped into his signature puppy-dog look, the one that made it so hard for her to lie to him. That look had cost her years off her life during those awful months when she had to keep Emily's fake death a secret, even from him.

"You don't need to stay with me," Reid said, his voice tight in his throat. "You can go home. I'll call you if anything changes."

JJ tilted her head at him, and laid her cup on the table beside her. "I'm not leaving you."

Reid tried to remain stoic, but his eyes turned red and glossy. JJ reached out a hand and placed it upon his.

"I'm not going anywhere," she said again, as Reid's head landed on her shoulder.

***Author Note: If you enjoy this fanfiction, please check out my self-published book series on Amazon (see link in my profile). For some Jeid videos I've created, check out my YouTube channel (also linked in my profile). Thanks so much for all the support!