Potomac General Hospital – Morning

Her eyes opened not because she had slept the last eight hours but because the pain in her body was demanding all of her attention. The memory of the night before had haunted her attempts at real rest and so she was exhausted as her eyes slowly allowed the day to enter her being. She assumed she was alone in the room with the team out looking for Morgan but she was surprised to see that indeed she had a visitor.

The older woman at her bedside was a welcomed sight and suddenly her eyes were flooded with tears as the woman gently took her hand in hers. She'd been crying too as she noticed the red rings around her eyes. She'd been like a mother to her for the last several years. She hadn't realized how much she missed her own mother until she met the kind and loving woman now sitting next to her bed. Her pale hand squeezed the slightly wrinkled hand; it was her way of saying thank you and the smile she received in return let Penelope know that she understood.

"Fran."

"Hey, baby. How are you feeling?"

"Terrible. When did you get here? Derek?"

A tear escaped Fran's eyes as she exhaled deeply without breaking her focus on the broken woman in the bed.

"Penelope…"

"NO…don't tell me, don't tell me…he can't be…"

Hotch watched from the window. He didn't envy Fran and he was glad that Dave had insisted on using the jet to go and get her and her daughters. Things had gone terribly wrong since Derek's return from Chicago; worse than any of them had ever imagined. He'd sent the rest of the team to Chloe's home to get a better idea of what her plans had been for Derek. He also needed them not to be there when the doctor gave him the news. Their jobs seemed to have taken so much from them and made them all victims in a twisted sort of way that made evil spill into their private lives stripping them of the peace that they needed to regenerate themselves to continue the fight against the unspeakable depravity they fought every day.

"He's alive that's something, right?"

The voice behind him reminded him of the only thing that really mattered at the moment. Sarah, Derek's oldest sister came into view standing next to him as they both now watched Fran and Garcia.

"Yes, it's something."

"I don't know how much more my mother can take. If she loses Derek…"

"She won't." He interrupted.

"You sound so sure."

He turned slightly to look at the woman whom he'd only seen a few times over the years, offering a slight smile. She seemed surprised she'd heard how rare smiles appeared on the man's face.

"I know your brother. He's a fighter and he loves that woman in there. He'd do anything to protect her."

"Those two." She chuckled.

He chuckled too without saying another word.

"Penelope, Derek is alive."

She could breathe again her heart was beating and blood was surging through her body at the words.

"He's alive?"

"Yes. He's in serious condition but he's alive."

"Thank God!" She whispered.

Home of Chloe Irvin –

Rossi, JJ and Reid carefully walked around the large home in silence mindful of the crime scene investigators working in every room. It was obvious that Chloe had spent a lot of time and money preparing to keep Morgan with her. Each room had bars on the windows and locks on the doors that only unlocked from the outside. The most shocking was a room that was equipped with chains, and shackles bolted to one of the walls and instruments for torture and video cameras mounted on the walls and ceilings.

"This was one sick broad." Rossi uttered.

"I guess this room was his." Reid added.

"What was she planning?" JJ asked.

"She was going to torture him until he agreed to stay and play out her fantasy." Rossi answered.

"I can't imagine what he would have gone through if she'd been able to get him to this house."

Reid picked up what looked like a cattle prod and examined it closely. Then he noticed the cigarettes and matches and syringes and small clear vials lying nearby.

"She was determined that's for sure."

Rossi headed toward the door he'd seen enough.

"Let's get the hell out of here."

Potomac General Hospital –

"She won't forgive you. You've gone too far this time. You almost got her killed!"

All he could think to do was run and so he ran…and ran…until he couldn't run anymore. He dropped to his knees in exhaustion breathing so hard his chest hurt.

"You can't run from me, Derek, don't you know that by now?"

He hated that face that grin and he wanted to kill him all over again and silence the taunts and the sound of his laughter ringing in his ears! He tried to move but his body wouldn't move. He looked at his hands and they were covered in blood, her blood. He remembered now that he'd left her alone dying on the black asphalt. He deserved to die next to his mortal enemy.

"Agent Morgan! Agent Morgan! Take it easy, you're safe now, you're in the hospital."

"Garcia…I'm sorry! Garcia…"

"Calm down or I'll have to sedate you again, please!"

He didn't want that he couldn't fall back into the place where Carl Buford seemed to rule and held him captive.

"No, please, help…"

"Okay, okay…just calm down…open your eyes, you're going to be just fine."

Slowly he was able to open his eyes and his mind began to clear and make sense of where he was. He locked onto the woman's face above him. Her eyes were kind but stern as she kept her hand on his shoulder holding him still and in place on the bed.

"Where am I? Where's Penel…"

"Take it easy I'll answer all of your questions but you have to remain calm."

He nodded his understanding and relaxed under her hand.

"You were in a car accident. You were hurt pretty bad and…"

"What about my friend?"

"You mean the woman in the car with you? I'm afraid she was dead when the rescuers found you."

"Good!"

"Excuse me?"

"She wasn't my friend. Where's Garcia? Where's Penelope?" He asked angrily.

"Calm down, calm down. She's down the hall and she's going to be fine."

He turned away and closed his eyes fighting the tears back.

"Thank you." He whispered.

"You're welcome." She began. "I need to talk to you about your condition. Are you up to talking for a few minutes?"

He shook his head and turned to face her again.

"First of all, I'm Dr. Gladys Dyson and I'll be your doctor while you're here."

"When can I get out of here, Doc?"

"Well, your injuries are quite extensive. You were pinned under the wreckage for several hours and that caused considerable damage to your body. You have several broken ribs, one punctured a lung and we've inserted a chest tube to help you breathe."

"Damn!"

"You also have a broken collar bone and both of your legs are broken and…"

"There's more?"

"I'm afraid there was an injury to your spine."

"What are you saying, doctor?"

"It's possible that you may never walk again."

He didn't just hear that his life, his career, everything was over. Carl's voice was ringing in his ears again. The wicked sound of his laughter was louder than the doctor and now she sounded like a murmur as she continued to explain his options.

"Get out!"

"Agent Morgan, please! It's important that you don't give up!"

"Get out, please!"

"These next few days are crucial to your recovery. We'll need to get you up and moving around as soon as possible to prevent…"

"I SAID, GET OUT!"

The doctor stepped back and watched him grimacing against the pain, the tears and the news that would change his life forever.

"I'm so sorry. I'll be back later to check on you."

He was able to hold back the flood of emotions until the door closed as the doctor quickly left the room. He felt his body shaking and trembling; he wanted to die anything was better than being useless, paralyzed and unable to work or live without being a burden.

"I told you boy, they were too late. No worries, I'll take care of you. I'll make you forget about those bruises and those useless legs. I'll make you feel good. You can't run from me anymore! I can't wait to get my hands and my…

"NO!"