As Mrs. Morgan had done for days, Penelope sat beside Derek holding his hand. She told him the news from the office. JJ and Reid are an item, but everyone pretends they don't know. Reid is back to normal. He smiles all the time. She thinks he's getting it. Hotch and his wife are having problems. She's overheard them arguing on the phone. And, she described the cases to him that the BAU was working on.
Sometimes, just as his mother would, she merely said his name. "Derek…Derek…ah, C'mon, Sugar Buns, you need to wake up now," she said, stroking his face. She watched anxiously for any hint that he heard her.
Emily had taken Mrs. Morgan to the restaurant across from the hospital. The girls were worried that she wasn't eating properly. Fran looked thinner to Emily than when they had first met in Chicago. Penelope offered to stay with Derek. Secretly, she hoped that, given the opportunity, she could reach him.
"Derek…Please, Derek," she pleaded.
She listened to the soft sound of his breathing as he slept unaffected. She had a growing sense of alarm, as she began to comprehend that he wasn't going to awaken. There was a strong possibility that the essence of the man she had loved for so long was lost forever.
She held his dear hand to her lips, and kissed it. "Oh God, Derek," she said, breaking into tears.
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As he drifted peacefully in the abyss, Derek heard a familiar voice. He forced his mind to focus. While he struggled to come back to actuality, he became aware of the aroma of perfume. It was not the exotic fragrance Emily wore. It was a sweet scent, like baking vanilla cookies. ((Penelope?)) He often joked with her about smelling good enough to eat.
She was sobbing, as she held his hand to her cheek. He could feel her tears.
((Hey, Baby girl…Don't cry…Everything's okay.))
So many times she had been there for him, when he was troubled or needed to talk with someone. If he was having a bad day, the mere sound of her voice would raise his spirits. He wished he could sleep awhile longer. He had a miserable headache, but he knew he had to stay awake for Penelope. It hurt him to hear her crying.
((Please, don't cry, Pen…It's alright…I'm here, Baby girl…Everything's alright.))
Derek's thumb began to lightly stroke her cheek, trying to brush away a tear. He couldn't speak. His throat was dry. He squeezed her hand firmly, and slowly opened his eyes.
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"As uncommon a thing as true love is, it is yet easier to find than true friendship."
-Francois Duc De La Rouchefoucauld