Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.
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Slight jump..... carrying on from where Chapter 5 finished!
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'Right it's been an hour I'm going to pop down the corridor.' Hotch stood and left.
'Should we wake him up? Tell him the good news.' Reid said fidgeting restlessly.
'Erm let's see what your boss comes back and says first.'
'What's the boss man going to say then?'
'Derek, how long have you been awake?'
'Just long enough to hear Hotch leave, so what's happening? Is it Pen, what's happened? Is she okay?'
'Derek calm down she's fine. They're going to start to take her off the drugs, she's breathing on her own and everything; it's going to be a few hours before she is awake.'
'Yeah and the doctor said she won't be fully awake for the next couple of days because of the high dosage of drug.' They watch as he sighed and fell back from resting on leaning on his arm.
'Can I go to her? I want to see her.'
'Let me go and ask.'
An hour later they were all in her room. Derek refused to leave once he was there, he continually held her hand. Conversation flew freely through the air; they managed to laugh so that if she heard them she would hear the laughter she brought to them on so many occasions.
'Excuse me, it's late. Only one or two of you can stay here. Mr Morgan we need you to get you back to your room. We can't risk your leg.'
'Come on Morgan, I'm going to stay. I promised remember.'
'Okay, just when she wakes up come and get me please.'
'Sure thing.'
Derek was allowed to be left with her for a moment on his own. The team and his family understood and all filed out.
'Baby girl, I don't know if you can hear me but I'm here for you. Well kind of, but I'm close by I promise. I want you up and well soon. I want you to know that I love you.' He had to be quick as a knock came on the door.
'Come on Morgan let's get you back.' Hotch walked in and the rest of the team hugged him and said goodbye, and promised to stay until Hotch came back. Getting him back to his room they had to wait for assistance to get him back into the bed. Once he was lying down he was giving some pain meds to help through the night and Hotch left. He turned to his mom and sisters.
'Well, which two of you are going to honour my company through the night?'
'We've decided to alternate. Sarah and I are going to stay first then mom will come back in a couple of hours.'
'Thanks.'
'For?'
'Not leaving her alone.'
'We wouldn't dream of it. You over that dream thing now?'
'Now I've seen her I am, kind of.'
'Right son well you get some sleep. I Love you.' Fran said as she pushed a kiss on his cheek. She then walked over and hugged her daughters and made her way back to Penelope's room.
'So big bro, do we get to see yours and Pen's humble abode?'
'When we get released you will.' He said with a smile but he could feel the drugs taking their effect.
'Derek just sleep.'
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It was getting on 1 in the morning when Hotch and Fran got settled either side of Garcia's bed. Hotch had given the armchair while he took the plastic chair. She had objected at first but gave up when he wasn't planning to back down.
'So how many times have you met Penelope?'
'Oh, well, maybe 3 or 4 times. Derek brought her to ours at Christmas. The first time I had met her was after a bad case and he had brought her along because she was going to spend the week you had given them off alone.' She smiled. 'I understand she doesn't really have family?'
'No not really, we are her family as far as she is concerned. Her brothers kind of broke away from her when their parents died. She doesn't talk about it a lot, maybe to Derek but that's between them.'
'I've seen the way they act around one another. It's so natural and comfortable.'
'It is we love seeing it around the office. The best is when she is just sat on his desk and they are talking.'
'Do they do it often?'
'All the time. We hated it when they used to have arguments, and there was none of the banter, or the phone calls. Luckily they haven't had an argument in over a year. Just minor quarrels but they were joked about after 2 minutes.'
Fran laughed but yawned. 'Well I think they are perfect and I think we should get some rest, Derek's going to be angry tomorrow if we are tired.' She said with a smile.
'I think your right.'
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Hotch had woken at early the next day, feeling slightly rested; when he looked over he saw Desiree was now opposite him and not Fran. He smiled that they had bothered to change during the night. He stood and stretched and walked into the bathroom. Coming out he saw Desiree beginning to wake up.
'Hey, why don't you go sit with your brother? I don't mind staying. The others should be here soon.'
'Okay, make sure you get us though when she wakes up.'
'Of course I will.' He watched her leave and then walked over to the window. He breathed in deeply and turned taking the empty seat at Garcia's side.
He was leaning back thinking about everything that had happened when he heard the slightest noise. He immediately looked to Garcia and saw her hand twitch, this immediately made him stand. 'Penelope, it's me Hotch. Come on you need to wake up.' He saw her eyes open slightly and blink a couple of times before closing them against the brightness of the lights. Hotch having noticed this, rushed over to the light switch and dimmed the lights before closing the blinds. 'Come on Penelope, open those eyes. Good girl.'
'Where am I?'
'Pen you're in hospital.'
'What happened?'
Hotch began to feel slightly uneasy. 'Pen, I'm going to go get someone.' 10 minutes later he stood at the end of her bed. 'Is she okay?'
'Sir, can I just ask you to leave temporarily while we run some tests.' Hotch nodded and the doctor followed him out. 'It seems the knock to her head has caused her to forget some things. I am fairly sure it is only temporary but none the less the tests will help us understand how much memory loss she has.' Hotch nodded and told him that he would be down the corridor. Once the doctor was in the room and the door shut Hotch made the walk to Derek's room, walking straight in he saw Derek was awake.
Looking at Hotch and losing his smile. 'What's wrong?'
'She woke up but.' He took a deep breath. 'But she can't remember anything. She seemed confused at first and then she asked where she was and what had happened.'
A tear rolled down his face, the fear of Penelope being hurt more scared him too much. 'I need to get to her. It might help.'
'Let me go and get a wheelchair and someone. The doctor is convinced its temporary.'
'Okay but we might be able to help.'
Hotch left and came back with a nurse and a wheelchair. They rushed to put him in it and then got down the corridor and the door to Penelope's room opened and the doctor walked out.
'How is she?'
'She remembers quite a lot up to a point. I would like you to go back in it may help.' They pushed Derek through the door and saw that she was crying slightly.
'Pen, baby girl?'
She just stared at him and her face went blank. 'The car crash.'
'Yeah baby girl. You remember?'
'Yeah. I was so scared when I couldn't.' She let some tears fall, more of fear than sadness.
'It's okay goddess. Why don't you rest? I'm going to be here.'
Without another word she was asleep, the lasting effects of the drugs proving evident. He sighed running his hands over his head.
'You did Derek.' Derek just sat and nodded. 'You got her to remember. You were obviously her prompt.'
'Yes Morgan, it's a good sign.'
'Mr Morgan, we would like to check your leg over.'
'Okay, let's go. Just will you 4 please stay here?' He received 4 simple nods and he smiled.
Just over 20 minutes later, the door opened and in came Morgan, in shorts and a t-shirt, up right on crutches. They looked at him shocked.
'What? I'm healing faster than expected so they want me to get mobile on these things so here I am.' He noticed his mom smile and moved out the chair.
'Okay now you've done a bit, sit!' Derek laughed as he manoeuvred himself to the chair and slowly sat. 'We want you rested.' He looked at Penelope and then at the rest of them. 'She hasn't woken up again.'
They sat around until a nurse came in and checked everything over. 'Mr Morgan you really need to get back to bed, the doctor said you need a bit more rest before you can stay out of bed for prolonged amounts of time.'
'But I want to stay here.'
'Ms Garcia is more than good hands.'
'Come on Morgan, I'll come and sit with you for a bit.' Hotch said standing.
'I'll be along in a moment to give you some pain meds. You shouldn't get sleepy from them as they are a normal level.'
Hotch walked Morgan back to his room, helped him up onto the bed and then sat next to him. Things were going to get better they knew it.
