Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

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'Garcia what are you doing?' Hotch said walking into the hospital room to find Penelope sitting with her legs dangling off the bed, obviously in pain, only two days after getting out of the ICU, meaning it had only been 5 days since she had been shot.

'Getting out of here.' Was all she said, not sounding at all like Penelope, her face evidently tear streaked, her voice full of emotions, ready to break.

'You dare.'

'You'll what?' She said looking at him. 'I'm already suspended... you going to sack me as well?' She snapped at him.

Having been waiting for this break he moved around the bed and sat on the chair opposite her. 'What's wrong?'

'Nothing... I just want out.'

'Talk to me.' She shook her head, and tears fell. 'Now.' He said sternly.

She sighed. 'Why won't he come near me?' She sobbed, he saw the confusion. 'I need him and he isn't here.'

'I don't know Garcia... I'm trying everything.'

'It's not going to work; he hasn't come near me in over 2 weeks.'

'Part of that was due to a case though.'

'A case we fought during, I was horrible Hotch, I went on a date, I got myself shot and now he won't even recognise me.'

'You did not get yourself shot Garcia! And he does.'

'I know he asked to be left off the case.'

'He's too involved.'

'Too involved to see me?' She chocked as a new wave of tears fled. 'I thought we were best friends, the one person that's supposed to be here and he's not.'

'He'll come to his senses.' She shook her head at him. 'He will.'

'He won't, his let me down, like I did him.'

'What do you mean?'

'It doesn't matter, I've discharged myself and I'm going home.'

'Penelope Garcia you dare!' Hotch said annoyed, knowing full well she should stay in the hospital for the maximum amount of time the doctor wanted her to. 'Battle's still out there.'

'I don't care.' She said undeterred. 'If he wants me he'll get me, it doesn't matter.' Penelope replied truly careless about her life now.

Hotch sat completely shocked at the downfall of his tech, of the teams happiness and he felt emotional over it. 'You are going to have one of us sticking with you, we'll go to the bureau and I'll get JJ to take you home from there okay?' He saw her eyes widened, reminiscent of a deer caught in the headlights. 'It might knock some sense into him, we'll pop you into the conference room while I make the arrangements and then you are going home to rest.' She nodded and Hotch left the room, coming back with confirmation of her discharge and then waited while a nurse helped her get ready.

No longer than 30 minutes later they walked into the bureau and she froze at the sight of Morgan through the bull pen doors. 'Don't worry... we'll go straight through and you go sit down, I know you're tiring and in pain so let's do this quickly so you can go home and rest.' He supported her the best he could and opened the door, Emily and Reid looked up in shock at the sight.

'Pen!' Emily said jumping up, she noticed Morgan's attention shift but he wouldn't let himself look at her. 'What are you doing here?'

'She discharged herself that's what.' Hotch said Emily and Reid approached, he looked at Morgan and saw him struggling to concentrate. 'Let's get you up in the conference room and then I'll do my bit.' He looked up at JJ's office. 'JJ... can I borrow you?'

JJ left her office and stopped. 'Penelope Garcia! What the hell are you doing here?'

'JJ I need you stay with Garcia, she needs help and I'm worried about Battle coming back, do you mind?'

'Not at all... is there not another person that you want to ask.' She asked subtly hoping it might prompt a major response from Morgan.

'Don't bother JJ.' Penelope replied quietly, it was then they realised how hurt and upset her voice sounded and how sad her eyes were.

'Right up there with you.' Hotch commanded. 'Girls take her and come to my office after.' They nodded and Hotch went to his office with Reid and Rossi, moments later the girls went back in.

'Is she really okay?'

'Shut the door.' Hotch said and looked out of the window as JJ pushed the door shut loudly, he knew she had done it on purpose, he saw Morgan's attention peak and the hurt that filled him at being left out but he had to realise that he didn't deserve to know. 'She's confused and hurt in more ways than just physically... he doesn't want to know and its killing her, we need to pull together because at the moment she is slipping into a really dark place.'

'Do I get permission to slap him?' Emily asked.

'Not just yet.' They all nodded. 'Right Em and JJ go back to her, Rossi and Reid go see Strauss about time off, I need to get back up patrol at Garcia's for now.' They nodded and headed off.

Emily and JJ made their way to conference room, Morgan watched them the whole time but he hadn't moved, he hadn't even asked if she was okay. That agitated them furthermore. When they got in the conference room they heard Penelope crying, her back shaking violently and it broke their hearts even more at experiencing the pain she was going through and knowing it was mainly due to neglect.

'Pen?' They watched her back stiffen, her hands wiping away tears, her breath hitch and then her hand go to her side in an attempt to halt the pain. 'Don't stop because of us.' JJ said as she sat down. 'If you need to cry you cry.'

'Yeah, we don't mind.' Emily said sitting on the opposite side.

They saw the tears begin to flow, Penelope wasn't forcing them, they were untamed, uncontrollable and they were only the start. 'Why is he doing this?'

'Because he is too stubborn for his own good.'

'He'll come round Pen, you'll see.'

'He won't... if he was he would have by now but what hurts the most is that I feel like I've lost more of me in the last week or so than I have in my entire life.'

'Oh Pen.' JJ sympathized, feeling her heart break even more at the words.

'He hates me.' Penelope sobbed. 'And no one is going to make this better.'

'He will... he will make this better.' Penelope nodded but didn't truly agree.

'It's been too long, can we just go please?' Penelope near enough pleaded.

'Let me go and see.' Emily said getting up and rushing out, she found Hotch going towards the room and halted him. 'I'm worried about her.' She said just loud enough and saw Morgan turn his attention from a file to the pair on the landing.

'See what I mean?' Emily nodded. 'I found her crying at the hospital and I'm guessing they were not the first bout she's shed... but now she needs to get home.' They went back into the room and Hotch send JJ on her way to get Penelope home, when they had left, Reid and Emily got back to work.

Emily was completely infuriated with Morgan's behaviour the entire time she had been there, he hadn't uttered a word, he hadn't made a move, he had heard the crying they all knew it, he had seen the worry from everyone but still remained unresponsive to it all.

She sat forward so she was closer to Morgan. 'Do you really just not care about her anymore?'

'Shut up Emily... you know nothing about it.' Was all Morgan said as he stood up and walked out of the bull pen.