Sorry for the wait on updating, I was preoccupied the last few days. Here be the next chapter! Thanks to all those who have been reviewing!

CONSCIOUS

Derek sighed and looked over Spencer's still sleeping form. Three days had passed and Spencer still wasn't awake. He must be really sedated, he hasn't even moved. He reached over and took his hand in his. "Hey, baby," he said quietly. "I love you, please wake up soon." He was the only one there to be with Spencer, the rest of the team had to fly back to Quantico for another case. Hotch was supposed to fly out the next day to speak to the doctor about transferring Spencer back home as well.

In the meantime Derek had been doing everything he could think of to make Spencer comfortable. He would fluff the pillows, adjust the covers, and make sure it was warm enough in the room. And every time there was a nurse in the room he would question her about Spencer's condition. He was glad they didn't seem to mind answering all his questions. At one point Derek even dared to go to the cafeteria to get some food for himself. Of course he felt bad for leaving Spencer alone.

Derek didn't care to do much else except sit there and watch over Spencer. He was pleased to see that he was getting some of his color back and seemed to be breathing a little easier. He gently brushed some hair out of Spencer's face and cupped his cheek in his hand. "I love you, Spencer, I really need you to wake up. I need you here, I can't do this without you." He put his head down for a moment as tears formed in his eyes. "I just want to take you home and help you get better. I…I have so much to tell you about how sorry I am about the way I acted. I need you know that I never want to be without you." He wiped away some tears, then gently placed his hand on Spencer's chest. It relieved him a little to be able to feel Spencer's heart beating. "Emily said she was going to help me bring all your stuff back to the apartment, so that means you have to wake up and come home with me." He was about to continue when a nurse walked in.

"Hello, Derek," the nurse said happily.

"Hello, Anne," Derek said. Given how much time he has spent in Spencer's room, he was now on a first name basis with at least half of the nurses on the floor. "Do you need me to move?"

"Just for a moment, sweetie. You can sit in that chair right over there." Anne waited for Derek to move before going to check all the machines and Spencer's vitals. "He seem to be recovering rather quickly," she said, glancing over to Derek. "That's very good. His heart rate is back to normal, and he doesn't need any more blood transfusions. I'd say he should be waking up pretty soon, by the end of the day at least."

"Really?" Derek asked hopefully.

"It looks like it," Anne said cheerfully. She turned back to Derek. "You said another agent would be stopping by within the next day or so?"

"Yeah, Aaron Hotchner," Derek said, standing once he realized Anne was done. "He's going to speak to the doctor about transferring Spencer back home."

Anne nodded and looked over Spencer's form. "He should be ok to move within the next two days. I'm assuming you're taking him by plane?"

Derek nodded. "Hotch was going to see if he could fix up the private jet to haul all the medical equipment. Spencer would be more comfortable."

"Ok. Well, I'll be heading out now; I'll be back later to check on Spencer once again. Tell Agent Hotchner I said hello."

"I will, thank you," Derek said, watching Anne leave the room with her clipboard. He took his seat next to the bed again and took Spencer's hand back in his own. "Did you hear that, Pretty Boy? She said you're getting better, you'll be able to come home soon." His reply was the sound of Spencer's oxygen machine and the beeping of the heart monitor next to him. Derek leaned over and gently kissed Spencer's forehead. "I love you, baby. I'm going to be right here when you wake up."

Later on…7 PM…

"Yeah, the nurse said he is getting better pretty fast," Derek said on the phone. He had called to update the others on Spencer's condition.

"That's great!" He heard Garcia's voice on the other end of the line. The speakerphone was on, so everyone could hear Derek talking.

"So it will be ok to bring him back here then?" JJ asked. She was very glad to know that Spencer was getting better and couldn't wait for him to return home. "Henry will be pretty excited to see him, I promised him."

Derek smiled at that comment. He had seen Spencer with Henry before, and he had to admit that they were too adorable together. "I'll let him know that when he wakes up."

"I'll fly out there first thing in the morning, Morgan," Hotch's voice came over the phone. "I'm pretty sure we'll be able to bring him back on the jet."

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow then, Hotch," Derek said. He said his good-byes to the rest of the team and hung up the phone. Sighing, he went back to the bedside again. He was exhausted, so he decided to try and take a nap in the chair. As he drifted off he began to think about the good and bad times he had with Spencer. Like the first time Spencer had made dinner at his apartment.

"Derek, what are you laughing at?!" Spencer demanded. He was standing in the kitchen doorway, an apron wrapped around his skinny body and a spatula in his right hand. "What is so funny?"

"You! In that outfit!" Derek said. He was nearly rolling on the floor he was laughing so hard. "I've never…seen you in…an APRON before!" He started choking due of his excessive laughter.

"Serves you right," Spencer muttered, retreating to the kitchen. Of course this only made Derek laugh harder.

Derek smiled at the memory. He also remembered that that apron had come into play in the bedroom later that night. He also remembered the time he found Spencer by the lake after a rough case.

Derek walked slowly down the hill towards Spencer. He knew the younger man had been extremely upset about the case they had just finished. He was also worried Spencer had been sitting by the lake for a good two hours, even though it was raining lightly. He finally reached him. "Spence?"

Spencer looked up at Derek. His eyes we red from crying and his damp hair was sticking to his face. He was nearly soaked from the rain and he was shivering lightly. "Hey," he said quietly.

"You look like a drowned rat, Spence, you have to be freezing," Derek said. He took off his dry coat and put it over Spencer's shoulders.

"Thank you," Spencer said, jut as quiet as he had been before.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"No." Spencer looked ahead for several moments before looking back to Derek. He suddenly reached up for him, his eyes filling with fresh tears.

Derek quickly pulled him to his feet and wrapped his arms tightly around him. He frowned when Spencer began to sob against his shoulder. "Pretty Boy, it's ok, I'm here."

"It shouldn't have happened! Not to that little boy!" Spencer sobbed. "He…he looked like Henry. JJ…she got really upset too." He pulled back and wiped his tears. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, babe, don't apologize," Derek said, pushing some hair out of Spencer's face. "It's over now, we got the creep who did it." He gently kissed Spencer. "Come on, let's go home."

Spencer nodded and hugged Derek once more. "I love you."

"D-Derek?"

Derek's eyes flew open and he sat up straight in his chair. He looked over to see Spencer's beautiful brown eyes staring at him. "Pretty Boy?"

"Y-You're…here," Spencer said weakly. He closed his eyes and swallowed, making a face when he did. He opened his eyes again and looked back at Derek. "You're here."

"Of course, baby," Derek said, leaning over and taking Spencer's hand. "I wouldn't be anywhere else right now. How do you feel?"

"Sore," Spencer said. He tried to sit up, then cringed and made a face. "Very…sore." He leaned back again and put his hand on his stomach.

"I'll get a nurse, ok?" Derek stood up and began to walk toward the door."

"No," Spencer started, trying to move his arm. "D-Don't…leave me."

"Ok, I won't," Derek said, going back to the bedside. He pushed the call nurse button, something he should have thought of first. He took Spencer's hand again. "You really scared me, Spence. I thought I was going to lose you back there." He was about to continue when the nurse named Anne came in.

"Oh, Spencer, you're up," Anne said, a small smile forming on her face. "I'll go get the doctor so he can check you over." She quickly exited the room again.

Spencer slowly turned his head to look at Derek again. "Where's…my m-mom?"

Derek frowned, his hold on Spencer's hand tightening. "She was released from here few days ago. Hotch had to shoot her in the arm to get her to drop that gun. They have her in a ward right now."

Spencer frowned slightly. "I c-can't…see her?"

"They don't think it's a good idea right now, babe, not yet." He leaned over and kissed Spencer's cheek, making the other man smile slightly. "I've missed you, I have so much to tell you."

"I've…missed you…t-too." Spencer coughed lightly, cringing when he did. "I love…you."

"I love you too," Derek whispered. He gently ran his hand through Spencer's hair, looking up when the doctor entered.

"Well, look who's back," the doctor said, smiling down at Spencer. "I'm just going to check and make sure everything is running smoothly and then I'll let you rest. Do you feel like eating anything, Dr. Reid?"

"Not…yet," Spencer said quietly.

The doctor nodded. "Sounds like you could use some water though, Anne can bring you some when we're all done here." The doctor quickly checked over Spencer and the machines around him, adjusting something on the iv stand. He confirmed that everything was looking good, then looked down to Derek. "I received a phone call from an Agent Hotchner, he said he will be here tomorrow to discuss plans for transporting Dr. Reid back to Quantico."

"Ok, thank you, doctor," Derek said as the doctor turned to leave. He smiled when Anne came back with a cup of water and a straw for Spencer. After the nurse had left, he noticed Spencer trying to get to the cup of water. "Let me help you, Spence." He held the cup up to Spencer's mouth and waited for the younger man to take a few sips. Once Spencer was done, he set the cup back down on the table. "Better?"

Spencer nodded slowly. "Much." He peered over to the table to see a sparkly pink "get well" card sitting there. "What the…hell is…that?"

Derek cracked a smile and looked at the card. "It's from the girls on the team, they thought it would be cute. You should have seen the faces Hotch and Rossi made when they signed it."

Spencer smiled. "I can…imagine."

"I think Garcia colored you a picture too," Derek said, laughing a little when Spencer made a face. He reached over and took Spencer's hand again. "I'm so glad you're back."

Spencer smiled again, this time a little brighter. "Me too." He sighed with content when Derek lightly brushed is cheek with his hand. "I…thought you…h-hated me for…a while."

Derek frowned. "I only hated myself for what I did to you. I shouldn't have overreacted like that. I shouldn't have hit you and I certainly shouldn't have kicked you out. I regretted it so much." He looked down momentarily. "It was hell sleeping in bed without you that night. I felt so…alone. I can only imagine how I made you feel."

"It's…over now, D-Derek," Spencer said quietly. "You're here and…I l-love you."

Derek smiled and very gently he pulled Spencer into a small hug. "I love you too, Spence."

TBC

So, remember those twists I mentioned that are hiding up my sleeve? I'm thinking one of them might be revealed in the next chapter…review, please!