He existed in a drug-induced haze for the rest of the day. The following week was more of the same with two-hour sessions with Jason and then morphine to dull the pain afterwards. He refused to see anyone except the doctors and nurses and Jason and that was because he had no choice in the matter. He was angry but he complied trying to find a way to remain miserable because everything else had been taken from him. He saw the dread in the staff's eyes whenever they entered his room. No one wanted to be assigned to the bear in room 432 and he knew it. Still, he secretly longed for the company of his friends and family, especially Penelope whom he was sure was no longer his best friend; he'd done a bang up job, literally in running her away. Therapy was going as well as could be expected but still the doctors were uncertain if he'd walk again. Carl still pestered him in his dreams and in his quiet time, which was most of the time.

Penelope had been discharged two days earlier returning to the hospital for physical therapy every other day. Her heart broke each time she'd enter and then leave without seeing him. Her words still haunted her and she wished she'd been stronger and able to keep her mouth shut. He was certain that she blamed him and because he would not see her she couldn't convince him otherwise. She asked Jason about him and she could hear the truth behind his guarded words and his professional obligation to keep his patient's status confidential. She loved Morgan and she wanted nothing more than to be there by his side but his stubbornness and pride were in over drive. He was afraid afraid of the possibilities of not being able to walk and work again. He was afraid of being dependent on others and being weak. It was destroying him bit by bit and she was helpless to do anything about it.

It had been over a week now that Jason had begun working with Garcia and Morgan; two of the most stubborn people he'd ever met and his two biggest challenges. She wanted desperately to get better even at the risk of over doing it. Her main goal was to be able to nurse her friend back to health. Morgan on the other hand, worked hard but still there was no commitment or fire in his spirit. The workouts were easier for him yet he'd given up, doing just enough to get by not believing that any of it would really matter in the end. Jason was the best at what he did and that was why he'd been assigned the task of getting the two FBI agents back on their feet.

Jason stood outside Morgan's room remembering their first meeting. The anger and terror illuminated his face and he felt for him. He needed to find a way to break through the wall of anger and get him to fight and believe he could get better. He'd never failed in getting a patient back to where they needed to be but for the first time in his career he wasn't sure what the outcome would be for Morgan. One thing he knew for certain was that there were a lot of people who cared about him and who needed him to be whole again. Just before stepping inside he pulled a yellowed worn picture from his wallet. He'd always look at the picture during those times when he felt challenged and doubtful. The face of the man staring back always made him feel better. The man looked so strong and confident posing in his policeman's uniform. He remembered wanting to be a policeman like his father when he was a child. Everything changed after his father was killed trying to stop a robbery. Jason was twelve but he could still remember his mother tearfully sitting him down and telling him that his father had been killed and about how his brother was with him when he'd been shot. Jason had always envied the brother and sisters he'd never met. They had everything that he didn't. They were the ones who called him, daddy and they were the ones who shared Thanksgiving and Christmas with him while he got rushed occasional visits and excuses why he couldn't be with him and his mother all of the time.

He was amazed at the uncanny resemblance between the man in the picture and the man lying in the bed on the other side of the door. Jason always thought he looked like his father until he saw Derek up close. It was hard not to resent the man he was now responsible for helping to walk again. It wasn't his fault that Jason hadn't had a father except in secret; not his fault at all. Still, he couldn't help but feel angry whenever he watched Derek's family, his family, wait patiently in the waiting room in hopes that he'd change his mind and let them come in to see him. So, without further delay he carefully slid the picture back in its hiding place, took a deep breath and entered the room.

Home of Penelope Garcia –

"Fran this was simply delicious! You didn't have to do this!"

"Of course I did! You've got to keep your strength up and right now you're not ready to go grocery shopping and standing over a stove is out of the question. Besides, I don't mind."

The two women sat comfortably at the kitchen table eating lunch. Penelope and Fran had been close ever since meeting in person almost seven years ago. They had big one thing in common, Morgan. Fran like everyone else saw the more that was them; more than colleagues, more than friends even though the two of them refused to admit it or talk about it out loud.

Fran wasn't going to leave Quantico until Derek was better even though he was stubbornly refusing to let any of them see him bedridden or stuck in a wheelchair. So, she spent her time either in the hospital waiting room or at Dave's cooking away for all of them. Today, her focus was Penelope who'd just gotten back from therapy exhausted and sore from her workout.

"So how's your physical therapy going?"

"I hate it and love it all at the same time. The pain is almost unbearable but I know in the end I'll be back on my feet without a cane or a walker and so, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get better, you know?"

"Yeah I know. I just wish my son was as committed."

Fran turned toward the window staring out at nothing in particular fighting to keep from crying. It broke Penelope's heart to see her so upset. She wanted to wring her friend's neck for putting his mother through this.

"He'll snap out of it and before you know it, he'll be fighting like hell to get on his feet."

"What if…"

She couldn't stop the tears now.

"Fran, we both know how stubborn your son is and he's not going to let this beat him!"

"I hope you're right. This is his biggest battle yet and he seems to have given up already."

"He hasn't given up and he won't. We've just got to let him do it his way."

"I hear you." Then turning back to face the younger woman, she continued. "Thank you for being such a good friend to him over the years, Penelope."

"He's been an even better friend to me. I love him and I'll never give up on him."

"You two." She smiled.

"What?"

"I see the love you two have for each other and it's so much more than just friendship."

" I don't understand."

"It's in his voice when he talks about you, which is all of the time. It's the way your face lights up when he's around. It's the fact that you two are so dedicated to each other. You two." She smiled again.

Penelope understood exactly what Fran meant. She realized that she was going to have to admit that she was in love with Derek and she was going to have to tell him sooner rather than later. There was so much to lose if he didn't feel the same about her, but what if he did? She didn't want to talk about this not now and especially not with Derek's mother. So, she changed the subject; she had become very good at that whenever the subject of Derek came up.

"So Fran, when are you going to tell your son that you're dating Rossi?"

The sound of Fran's fork hitting the plate sounded like a sonic boom as she slowly looked up, mouth opened and wide-eyed into the eyes of the woman who she'd hoped would one day be her daughter-in-law.

"H-How did you find out?"

"You're not the only one who notices things, Fran Morgan."