Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.
Next day
Being back in her own room, put her mind at ease, being there with everyone made her happy.
When Derek see's them off as they leave to go to work, she attempts to get up only to wince with pain and get caught out by Derek as he swans back into the room.
'Hey, hey, hey baby girl, what do you think you are doing?'
'Getting caught red handed by the looks of it.' Garcia replies sheepishly.
'I've had enough. I can't hold back anymore.' Getting down on one knee, Derek pulls the ring his had with him since the shooting. 'Penelope Garcia, will you be mine, 'til death do us part? Will you marry me?'
'Oh Derek, YES of course I will' She cries at the thought that he is finally hers that their love is reciprocal and official. 'I want you to know that you are my reason that I have kept going and I am forever grateful for it.'
'Oh baby girl, I will always be there for you, like you have with me, you have never left my side or been far from my thoughts and I now want to help you get better and overcome this.'
2 days later
The team turn up to help Derek and to show the support to Garcia.
'I'll be right back, I'm going to sign the discharge papers and we can get going.'
'I'll go get a wheelchair and before you start Garcia, you are getting in it no arguments, plus its hospital rules.' Rossi demands in his ever loving fatherly way.
After a couple of minutes, Derek comes back with a list of things to watch out for in the case of a relapse, he reassures Garcia that it is only a precaution and not an inevitability.
'Derek, I have extended your leave so that you can help Garcia, if we need you we can send you the work but we realise that she needs someone for help and support.' Hotch says with a smile appearing.
'Agent Aaron Hotchner, I do believe I spot a smile there' Garcia teases as she is helped into the wheelchair.
'Oh behave!'
Later that night
'Let's get you to bed mama' Derek helps a hobbling Garcia into his bedroom.
'Why your room, honey?' She halts a little bewildered. 'I don't mind the spare.'
'Nope, you're in this one, we are after all engaged, and its closer to the bathroom, makes it easier.'
'You're not going to stay with me? I don't know if I want to be alone.'
'Well if you don't I will come running and keep you safe throughout the night as well as the day. Now in you get, I'll be in the living room, if you need me then just call, okay?' He says as he puts her on the bed and hands a glass of water and her pain pill.
'Okay and thank you.' She receives a smile that she knows means that it was not necessary to say thank you.
Pouring himself into yet another file, he hears a scream, knowing that Garcia has woken from a dream, a nightmare, he runs into the room.
'Goddess what's wrong?' He says sitting on the bed hugging her as she sobs.
'I dreamt of that night, the bullet hitting my shoulder and I felt a sharp pain, it really hurts.' Hating to see her cry he takes a looks to rest assure her mind, but sees that it is bleeding.
'I'll be back; I'm going to redress your wound.' He says as he gets up and hurries to the bathroom to get the stuff he needs. It seemed that as soon as he was gone he had returned. After finishing, he hugs her and helps her lay down. 'I'm staying with you tonight, no questions asked.' He can see the fear leave her face as he turns the lights off and puts the alarm on, he feels her relax into his body as soon as he in the bed, next to her.
Fast forward 2 weeks
After realising her dreams are escalating, Derek notices that she is no longer her bubbly, lively, vibrant self; instead she is withdrawn, sad and fragile. Trying to understand, he gets her to see a specialist, someone that can help her in ways he is trying hard to reach. She accepts and promises to tell him everything, she trusts him to know.
'I am so sick and tired of not having the ability to laugh and not being able to love life.' She sobs as she lies in bed. Derek says nothing but kisses her head to let her know he is trying to help her and will be there no matter what.
Upon falling asleep, however, she dreams an unusual dream, unlike the rest. It is still the night of the shooting but instead of a flow of pain, she see's Derek leaning over her, cradling her before he picks her up and rushes to a safe place. She can hear that she is back in the restaurant, his yelling 'ambulance call an ambulance' then snippets of a conversation 'Hotch...unsub...us' that's all she gets before everything goes completely black. She realises that he saved her that night. She wakes up smiling as tears gently roll down her face, different tears to the rest. She realises there is a light at the end of the tunnel after all.
