Days passed.

The knot on the back of Morgan's head had begun to heal, the swelling was nearly gone. Mel and Reid spent more time together with Bash, barely letting a moment go by without looking at him, or holding onto him.

Gayle continued to lay in the hospital, an IV in her arm, the heart monitor hooked to her chest, and the bandage around her head. Although Morgan would have preferred staying at the hospital more than an hour at a time, the BAU needed him more than Gayle's sleeping form, and he was called away day after day to help them stop the bad guys.

The team was on a case in Michigan when she came to, groggily looking around the room in hopes of seeing a familiar face. Instead, she saw the blur of fluorescent lighting that hung from the ceiling, and the shadow-covered face of the nurse who was checking her monitors.

"...well, hey, stranger...glad to see your back," she replied with a smile on her face. Gayle winced, rolling her head away from the nurse, as she raised her hand to cover her eyes. "How are you feelin?" the nurse asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Mmn...like...I got shot..." she grumbled, closing her eyes again, and laying her hand completely over her face. "Where am I?" she whispered.

"You, darling, are in the hospital, in your own private room...your friends haven't been around in a couple of days, though...I can call someone if ya want me to, let them know you're awake," she offered, with a sweet smile on her face. Gayle wanted to groan at the sweetness in her voice, unable to enjoy it as much as most patients probably did, but she refrained from doing so, and sighed softly instead.

"No...no thank you...I just..." Before she could say that she just wanted to be alone, her stomach rumbled instead, and she blushed faintly. "I'm really hungry, I guess..." With a chuckle, the nurse nodded her head.

"We'll get ya taken care of, darlin'," she smiled, patting Gayle's foot gently as she rounded the end of the bed and heading out the door.

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It was dark when Gayle awoke again. She lay quietly in her room, listening to the sounds in the hallway, for a while before she reached out carefully, and lifted the phone off the table beside the bed. Setting the base of the phone on the bed, she rested the receiver between her shoulder and her ear, and punched in a number she hadn't had to dial in a very long time. After a couple of rings, a soft, sleep-laced voice answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"...hey, Mel...it's me." Mel sat up, a little more awake, as she glanced at Bash's sleeping form in the bed beside her.

"Gayle? Hi! You're awake! How are you feeling?" she asked, her voice soft. Gayle smiled.

"I'm tired, and sore...did I wake you?"

"...yeah, but that's alright..." Gayle gently shook her head.

"No...you go back to sleep...I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?" Gayle gave her a second before speaking again. "Where, uh...where's Morgan?"

"...the team has a case in Michigan, so they all flew out," she answered, with a soft smile. Gayle nodded, wincing slightly as she put her other hand over the top of her head, before sighing and leaning her head back on the pillow.

"Okay...how's Bash?"

"He's fine...sleeping peacefully next to mommy," she replied with a smirk, reaching out to gently touch her son's head. He shifted in his sleep, but didn't wake, simply sighing contentedly as he stayed in his dreams.

Page Break

The TV was on in the corner, playing the show loud enough for Gayle to hear from her bed, but she wasn't watching it. Instead, she had her head tilted back, and her eyes closed, with both her hands over her stomach. She heard footsteps approach the door, but stop when they reached her room. She didn't move, though – she laid still and listened to their movements, as they entered the room and stopped beside her bed.

"...After all this, you're watchin' a crime show?" Morgan asked, eyebrow raised, as he saw what was on the TV screen. Gayle rolled her head, glancing at it before she looked up at him.

"It was the only thing on...and I enjoy yelling at the TV when I know who the killer is," she murmured, reaching out and rubbing her hand against his arm. "You are a sight for sore and tired eyes, Derek Morgan...how's your head?" she asked, moving her hips gently and patting the bed beside her for him to sit. He hesitated, but the look in her eyes comforted him enough to sit beside her.

"My head is fine...just a bump. I've had worse, I promise," he said, trying to prevent her from worrying over him. "How are you feelin'? You were out of it for a few days," he added, reaching up to brush his thumb against her cheek. Gayle smiled, leaning her head against his hand, and shrugged.

"I'm...feeling. I'm not cold anymore," she said, with a soft chuckle. He smirked, and shook his head, rolling his eyes a little.

"That's good...you had me worried back there, you know..." She knitted her eyebrows together.

"Worried?" For once, Morgan looked unsure as he looked away from her eyes, and took her hand.

"...I was worried that I was gonna lose you." The pair had known each other for years, and not once in that time had she ever heard his voice so quiet, seen his eyes so unguarded. It made her blush a bright pink, and she glanced down, running her fingers across the back of his hand.

"...I thought so, too," she murmured, running her free hand over her stomach. "Hard not to think that...but...Derek, you covered it somewhat well," she added, smiling a little.

Morgan's hand held hers tightly, as he watched her lay in the bed. Neither of them spoke, as the television played behind him, but they didn't move either. After a few minutes, once the nurse had come and gone for her routine check of Gayle's monitors, Gayle breathed out softly, and squeezed his hand. He lifted his eyes, and bit his lip.

"Hey, Gayle?" She raised her eyes to meet his, curious.

"What?" He thought for a moment, before reaching up and pushing her hair off her face with a small smile.

"You were going to tell me something, when the EMTs arrived at the house...what was it?" he asked, wondering if she even remembered. The look in her eyes as she turned her head to look away told him she did, and he slid his finger to her chin, turning her head towards him again. "Gayle..." With a soft sigh, she squeezed his hand, and dropped her head gently back against her pillow.

"...Derek...I..." He raised an eyebrow, causing her to stop, and look at him. "I was afraid that...that once I was in that ambulance, I would never see you again. I was afraid that this," she said, putting her fingers across her stomach where her wound was, "was going to take me away from you...and I didn't want to die...without telling you how I felt." There was an uncertainty on his face, in his eyes, that made her smile a little as she wrapped both her hands around his. "I love you...Derek Morgan. It took me nearly three years to have the strength to say that, but I love you..." she spoke, her voice soft and full of uncertainty as her eyes darted away from his when he looked into hers.

The two didn't speak for several moments, but they didn't need to – within seconds, Morgan was trailing his fingers against her cheek, a sweet smile lying across his lips. She finally lifted her eyes to see him, and she returned a hopeful smile as her fingers moved across the back of his other hand.

"...I love you too, Gayle," he finally spoke softly, placing his free hand against the bed to support him as he leaned up, and pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead. She smiled, moving a little as he pulled back, before patting the bed.

"You look...exhausted...c'mon. Lay down, there's enough room." Morgan chuckled, smiling, but shook his head.

"No way, you're still healing."

"I don't care – I want you to lay with me, Morgan...would it make any difference if I said that's an order?" she asked, eyebrow raised. Laughing, he shook his head again, but this time, he stood, laid his cell phone and credentials on the bedside table, and laid beside her, carefully putting his arm behind her head.

"Okay, it shouldn't, but it does..." She smiled somewhat proudly, resting her head against his arm, and cautiously scooting her form against his body. He glanced down, and put his hand against her waist. "Careful, Gayle...you're hurt, you don't need to be moving around yet."

"Do you know what it's like to be confined to a bed, unable to move because of a hole in your stomach? It's excruciating – I'm tense, I wanna get up, and move, and I can't, because some nut ball decided it was a good idea to kidnap the both of us, and shoot me," she replied, shaking her head as she sighed. Morgan ran his fingers through her hair gently, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

"I know, babe, I know...just get some rest, alright? I'll hang around for a little while." With a small, reluctant sigh, Gayle nodded, kissed his arm, and closed her eyes.