The Road Not Taken
Morgan and Garcia
Chapter Three
He lay on his back, in a room painted purple and surrounded by things only Penelope would ever use to decorate a home, feeling complete tranquil and at peace for the first time in his life.
She lay on her stomach next to him, one hand on his chest, looking flushed and satiated. A sexy grin curved her lips. Her hair was all tousled and she was still panting from their lovemaking.
"Wowza, Hot Stuff! That was...so, so, so, amazing. You've ruined me for other men."
"Good," he said in a low growl as he rolled her over and angled himself on top of her again. Looking into her shimmering eyes he felt completely known, accepted and loved. His mouth covered hers and hot, intense heat whipped through him.
It was more than desire. It was as if he was in the safest place in the world when he kissed her.
Suddenly he was standing in a church, wearing a white tuxedo and top hat, looking down a very long aisle. The doors opened to reveal Penelope standing there dressed in a beautiful ivory gown that had a long train- the train has small purple flowers embroidered on it. She carried a bouquet of purple flowers that were bright and bubbly as her personality.
Tears pricked his eyes. Soon she was there, holding his hand. The vows passed in a blur of sounds and colors, the room spinning all around them, the faces of family and friends smiling surrounded them. And then he had her in his arms again, kissing his wife. They turned to the crowd, hands joined, he kissed her hand before they rushed down the aisle.
Derek lifted Penelope into his arms, hugging her in the foyer of the church, and spinning her around, whispering in her ear. "I will forever love, honor and cherish you, baby girl."
After he set her down he cupped her face, as tears ran down her face, and said "Thank you for making my life worthwhile, Mrs. Morgan."
"You make me so happy, Derek Morgan."
A second later they were in a hospital room, a baby in her arms, tears coming down both their faces, their friends from work there and Derek's family too. They had a son.
Like a flash he saw the home they shared, Clooney rolling around the backyard with their three year son. Penelope was pregnant again, laughing and smiling brightly while Derek worked the grill. Then another image of two kids in a pool. Now there was another son and they were both older and seemed to have a fearless gene inherited from their father. They jumped off the side of the pool and did flips into the water. Derek was so worried for them. They needed to be careful. He didn't want to lose his family.
Then he was sitting on a couch with Penelope. She had been crying. "I just don't know if I can keep doing this. You take too many chances in the field. And I sit at home here with my heart in my throat waiting to get a call from Hotch that this time you aren't coming back."
"I will always come home to you. I am not going anywhere."
"You can't promise that! And you aren't being careful like you swore you would! I knew who you were when I married you but you, Derek, know that I can't lose another person I love like I lost my parents."
"You won't lose me."
"Why did you get in that ambulance? What about me? I could have listened to you die!"
"Baby girl-"
"No, Derek! You have to think about us first or you have to leave us go. Because I won't live this way."
He took her in his arms and she sobbed. He knew she didn't mean it. She wouldn't kick him out and she wouldn't leave. Penelope was just trying to recover from yet another scare when she thought she might lose him. He had to stop putting her through this.
"I'm so sorry, baby girl, that you went through that. I do put you and our sons first. This family is everything to me. You're everything, everything, everything, everything..." the word repeated and repeated and repeated like an echo.
(Oh, the moons too bright.
This chain's too tight.
The beast won't go to sleep.
-x-x-
I've been running through these promises
I made to you but couldn't keep.
Ah, but a man
never got a woman back
not by begging on his knees.
-x-x-
I'd crawl to you, baby,
and I'd fall at your feet.
I'd howl at your beauty
like a dog in heat.
I'd claw at your heart.
I'd tear at your sheet.
I'd say please, please,
I'm your man) (Leonard Cohen)
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Fran Morgan was at work when she was paged to the nurse's station. "Fran, call for you on three."
"Thanks, Shirley." She hit three, thinking it was one of her daughters about something trivial. Sometimes they just needed a Mom's words to get them through the day. She couldn't use her cell at work because of the machines. The cell could mess them up. "Hey."
"Mrs. Morgan, this is Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia with the FBI. I work in your son's unit, ma'am."
She had heard about Penelope a thousand times. "Of course, Derek mentions you often. Is he all right?"
"Ma'am, he's working in San Francisco for a case and he's been injured. As I understand it, it's a head injury. I don't have more details yet but he's in surgery. I promise to inform you as soon as there's more word on his..." hiccup, sob "condition. I'm sorry, ma'am. Hang on, please."
Fran felt the room spin. She could hear Penelope's crying on the other end of the phone. Fran's hand covered her mouth.
She didn't know how she could cope if she lost her precious baby boy. This was the day she had always prayed would never come.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Rossi, Reid and JJ came into the hospital. It had taken quite a while to get there because of traffic. They asked about Derek at the desk but before they could find out anything they looked down the hall and saw Hotch leaning against a wall.
The hospital was loud and chaotic. The blackout was making the city a mess.
"There's Hotch," JJ said and literally ran over to him, with the men following her at a slower pace.
They watched her touch Hotch's arm and him startled. When they got closer they could see how grim he looked.
Rossi said "Derek is tough. He'll pull through this one."
Reid saw a sign that said waiting room and followed it. He wanted to see if he could locate Emily. Finding the room, he saw that it was as loud, packed with people, and hectic as everywhere else in the hospital. Among that chaos sat Emily, looking stunned still.
Reid walked over and crouched in front of her. "Hey."
"Reid." A little life came into her eyes but then it died as quick as it had flared. "He's in surgery still, I'm pretty sure. I guess it's a serious head injury Morgan took but he'll make it. He has to, right?"
Reid hugged Emily. They never had hugged before but it was easier to hug than talk. There was a lump in his throat that just wouldn't go away.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Kevin took Penelope to the airport. He asked if she really had to go. She wondered if it was a trick question. No matter if he was asking more than just that simple question the answer was the same whether it meant losing Kevin or not.
Yes, she really had to go.
Penelope didn't make it to San Francisco until almost noon the next day. She hadn't slept in more than thirty hours but she wasn't tired at all. She was still too frantic to think about closing her eyes.
As soon as she was in the airport she called Hotch for another update.
Derek was in a coma by then. They said he could come out of it anytime. The sooner the better. There was also a chance he never would wake up again.
When she reached the hospital she got a visitor's pass and went to the ICU. Penelope came across Rossi first.
"Kitten," he said in a comforting way, wrapping her in his arms.
By now she was numb. There were no tears left to cry. She looked past Rossi to Derek's hospital room and was surprised his mother, who she knew from pictures, was already there. Her flight from Chicago must have left before the first one Penelope could get on from Washington DC.
Moving out of Rossi's arms she stumbled a few steps to the door of the ICU. Derek lay there, machines hissing and hooking up to him, a tube down his throat, and his head wrapped in bandages.
She gasped.
Fran turned and looked at her, then stood up. "Penelope Garcia."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Its okay. You can come in."
As much as Penelope wanted to rush inside she also wanted to run away, to go back in time and not be here in this city. To have Derek not be in that hospital bed. He was a man so full of life. But now his life was whittled down to this sad sight that made her want to howl in agony for him.
Shuffling inside she said "I didn't mean to interrupt."
"I know you're very close to my baby boy. He would want you near by while he's fighting to come back to us. Its quite possible he could hear us so make sure you talk to him and tell him how much you need him to wake up. I'll give you a few minutes alone with him." She walked out.
Penelope took Derek's hand and held it, not able to move it much because IV's were attached to it. "Hey, handsome...Derek, please don't give up. You don't have to wake up and be just like you were...you don't need to be perfect for me or anyone. You just have to wake up...I love you and I need you. Please, baby, please try for me. We can get you through this together but I can't get through the rest of my life...without you."
Beep. Beep. Beep. That's all Penelope heard in that room. And all she would hear for days when Derek didn't answer her back.
