Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds!
A/N: So I'm out to break hearts here... I'm not holding promises for anyone here =/ However, I hope you like what's to come and enjoy!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- From Heaven, With Love -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Penelope looked around at the new place and tried to take in the new hustle and bustle of the hospital around her. She heard her name be called out and followed where it had come from. She rounded a corner and was confronted with the team, Derek looking distraught on the side.
She hurried her steps, needing to know what was being said.
"I'm sorry I can't offer you better news than this," The doctor told them, "She's done well lasting this long with that amount of damage but I'm afraid her body won't last with the trauma."
"She's dying." Derek asked as tears fell down his face. "She's dying in there isn't she?"
"I'm afraid so," He told them all, "It's your choice entirely as her next of kin to turn off the life support, or you can let her body decide when it's time. That way you can have a couple of more days with her."
Hotch looked around at his team, each of them withdrawn into their own grief, and then his eyes glued to Derek. He saw a response to all of this that he had felt when Haley was killed by Foyet and he knew what he was going to say wasn't morally right where Penelope was concerned, but Derek needed some time. He needed the time. "We'll keep her on the life support."
"Okay," the doctor said and realised that Hotch had made his decision based on some logic that worked for them. "I'll let the nurses know who will be in the room with Ms. Garcia." He told them, and left them with his sincerest condolences.
Penelope looked at the team and couldn't help but cry. Her death was causing them so much pain that she wanted to take it away and never let it return to either of them. This was becoming harder and harder by the second to find acceptance. She decided to follow the doctor and she found her room easily.
Standing by the doorway, she slowly took the remainder steps and walked to her own bedside.
Looking down at herself, she finally realised just how serious this had all become. Here she was, her breath stolen away and her body now worked with artificial air from a machine, if that was turned off then so was her life completely. She touched her own hand and felt its coolness and wondered if this was death in all its ironic beauty.
She stood there and ignored the team as they all filtered in and surrounded her and she didn't even tire when they were made to leave and the sun set quickly before rising again.
That next morning though, she sat on the chair opposite the door, and watched as Derek walked in and quickly held onto her hand and spoke at her, kissed her gently, willed her to just survive this. She could see he had barely rested since she was hit by that car, and she could tell he wasn't making any plans to leave today.
"Prove them wrong, Baby," He told her quietly, "Wake up for me. I remember what you said before you went to cross that road. I need you to wake up so those big changes between us can happen."
Wiping the tears that fell, Penelope knew neither her nor Derek would heal entirely from this. Even heaven wouldn't bring her that peace, but Penelope had to let him go, she had to go onto the next stage to relieve Derek of this. She had to let him let her go.
"Remember yesterday, before this all happened," He continued talking to her, "I wanted to kiss you so bad, but you had to go over the road to the shoe sale while we were waiting on our lunch. You and your crazy passion for fashion, P," he teased her brokenly. "I had something for you," he mentioned and then went into his pocket and grabbed something. "It's a Morgan heirloom, an eternity ring. I planned to give you it and tell you that I was in love with you and I might not do it right the first time, but I have my whole life ahead of me to love you how you deserve to be loved, Penelope. Just give me a chance."
Closing her eyes, Penelope chose to block out this, to stop the pain from cascading her heart anymore, she needed to remember yesterday, how all this came to happen. How things transcended from the utmost glorious to the downright evil.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- From Heaven, With Love -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"You got a little something," Derek said and reached to wipe the end of her nose.
Penelope giggled as an embarrassed blush flew across her cheeks. "Oops," she said and wiped her nose just in case anything of her drink was left on her nose.
"You're adorable," He told her as he watched her react.
Tilting her head at him, she smiled coyly, "And you're hot, Mr. God," she told him in return and watched him laugh a little.
"You're priceless, Baby Girl," he replied without a lie to it. "So, why are we doing lunch like this?"
"Like what?" she asked him, "We always do lunch when we can," she responded a little confused as to why he was questioning it. Really, she had gotten him out to lunch to tell him why she had been changing towards him, why she was finding it hard to be around him as much. She was in love with him and she owed it to herself to let him know. To tell him the depth of her heart and to tell him what she saw every time she looked at him.
"Our lunches are becoming everyday occurrences," he answered, breaking into her thoughts.
"You say that like it's a problem, Agent Morgan."
"No problem, just one of the best changes to happen," He replied and took her hand in his, "And usually we make up an occasion as to why we're lunching it. So what's today's?"
"Things are changing for us, Handsome. I mean big time changing. That's our occasion," She told him seriously as she sat up a little, completely alert.
"Oh yeah?" Derek asked her, "Gonna tell me how exactly?"
"Once mamma's brought those gorgeous heels she saw in the store window across the street," Penelope told him and got up, "I'm literally taking a look and then I'll be back." What Penelope was actually doing was using it as an excuse to build her nerves back up because right now they had ran away.
"I swear my life would be easier if you didn't have feet," Derek teased her lovingly. He happened to love her love of shoes and all things girly. It made her be in a set above the rest, she wasn't all about vanity, Penelope just loved to look her best.
"But then who would rub my feet after a long day of rocking the most gorgeous pair of heels?" She asked him back with a teasing pout before she lost composure and fell into a little smirk. "I'll be back in two ticks, Stud," she told him, dotting a kiss to his cheek she hurried off, a big grin on her face as she went.
She looked both ways down the road, before she turned to look over her shoulder as she went to cross the road. She saw Derek's expression darken. His body jumping up and just as she looked back she realised the once empty street now wasn't and before she had time to react she felt her body take the impact, pain washing her body all over instantly as she went over the rest of the car - purely by force - before connecting with concrete and her world going dark.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- From Heaven, With Love -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Just dream of our past, Baby," Derek's voice brought her back to reality. She watched him intently as he spoke. "That's our own little love story right there. Do not go and not give me my chance to tell you just how much I am in love with you. Do not leave me here alone without being able to give you that."
"But I have to," She whispered back to him and she couldn't stop the tears from coursing down her cheeks. "I have no other choice any more, Handsome."
"You have every choice to live, Baby Girl," Derek said and Penelope looked to see if he was staring at her as she sat in the corner, but he wasn't. His attention was still transfixed on her unconscious self. "You seem to forget how well I know you. I know you as well as you know me. I know your strength, your power, your tenacity, your passion for life. Use those and come back to me. You don't have to now, but when you're ready to, Baby. I promise I will be here waiting and ready to help you through this. I am not leaving you to battle this alone. You've just got to prove everyone wrong." Derek put his head to her grazed arm. He knew it was a miracle he was after, but all the time she was like this he couldn't leave. He couldn't give up his faith in his baby girl, in the woman he loved.
Penelope realised just how bounded she was and Derek were to one another and she knew that if she didn't leave now and take those five memories then their bond would not let either of them get through the stages of grief that were hanging over them so heavily. She had to take this as her goodbye and accept that the longer she remained like that, in a coma, on life support, the longer Derek was going to waste away.
Taking one last look at Derek, the love of her life, Penelope stood and left the hospital and went back into the light.
Ready to relive moments from her past.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- From Heaven, With Love -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
