Penelope paced the floor outside Derek's room as the doctors and medical team examined him. She was nervous and hopeful that this was the beginning of his recovery. A few minutes later Fran, Sarah and Desiree returned and joined her in waiting.

"How long are they going to be in there?" Penelope asked.

"As long as it takes, Baby. Relax he's awake and that's a good thing," Fran reassured her.

Penelope nodded and stopped her pacing to watch the action from the large window.

"I need him to be okay," She said to herself.

"He's a fighter. You know my brother won't quit on you and the baby." Sarah added.

"He's too stubborn to quit," said Desiree jokingly.

"I'm still deciding if I'm mad at you two for not telling us about the baby." Fran teased.

"I'm sorry, it's just we wanted a moment to let it sink in, you know?" Penelope confessed.

"I get it and I don't fault you, really I don't." Fran began. "Lord knows I've harassed my son for years about settling down and giving me some grandbabies."

Penelope smiled and continued to watch through the window. A few minutes later, Dr. Alvarez joined the three in the hallway while the nurses continued working with Derek.

"How is he, doctor?" Penelope asked anxiously.

"Considering what he's been through, he's doing good. His vitals are stable, and he's alert and aware of his surroundings."

"So does that mean he's out of the woods?" Fran asked.

"It means I'm very optimistic that he's going to recover."

The three were overjoyed at the doctor's news.

"Let me caution you, he still has a way to go before he's back fully but, he's doing quite well."

"We understand, doctor! Thank you for everything you've done for him."

"He did the work, he's a fighter!" The doctors sighed in relief which made Fran and the younger women smile. "Let me know if there's anything you need."

"Thank you doctor," they all said in unison.

Dr. Alvarez nodded and headed out of sight. As the nurses left the room, Penelope followed by Fran, Sarah and Desiree entered the room greeted by Derek's slight smile.

"Hello Handsome," said Penelope as she leaned down and planted a soft kiss on his lips.

"Hey Baby Girl." His voice was raspy and weak.

"You should rest your voice." Sarah began.

"Yeah but it's good to see you awake," added Desiree.

"That's right; how are you feeling?" Fran asked.

"Like I was hit by a truck."

"Well, from what the doctors said, that's only part of it," said Penelope.

For the next several hours, the three women stayed with Derek insisting that he leave the talking to them. Derek rolled his eyes and playfully teased them that listening to them talk non-stop was worse than what he'd endured at the hands of Cody Madden.

Home of Derek and Penelope Morgan – Two weeks later – Morning

Penelope was happy that her husband had recovered enough to come home. She doted on him which drove him crazy, but she didn't care. Their family had dodged another bullet, and she was grateful.

Over the past several weeks, she'd thought of Obie White, the elderly man who had saved her life, not once but twice. She wanted to see him and to thank him for what he had done; she wasn't sure what Derek would think about making a trip to the place that nearly took both of their lives.

Derek moved slowly around the bedroom. He'd come a long way in his recovery, but mornings were still difficult, with aches and pains that slowed him down for a while until his body adjusted to the movement. He wanted to get back to work, but the doctors had insisted on a few more weeks of rest. The bureau insisted on several sessions with the department shrink to which he hadn't even started. He didn't want to revisit those days of torture; he didn't want to think of being certain that he'd never see Penelope again or see his child growing inside her. Yet, without doing just that he'd be sidelined indefinitely.

He made his way downstairs and headed toward the kitchen; he could smell eggs, sausage, bread, and coffee; he was starving. He stood in the doorway watching her, she'd been quiet and distracted the last few days but whenever he asked, she would insist that everything was fine. He knew better.

She felt his arms slowly snake around her waist; she smiled as he pulled her against his body, kissing her lightly on the neck.

"Good morning, Baby Girl."

"Good morning."

He kissed her again, and again on her neck.

"What, no, 'I'll show you a good morning, Hot Stuff'?

"I want to go see Obie."

Derek released her and turned her to face him.

"Baby..."

"I'm serious, Derek; I need to see him, to see if he's okay and..."

"You did all you could do for him. You convinced the bureau not to press charges against him. What else is there?"

"That poor man was so heartbroken and lonely, that he convinced himself that I was his wife. Derek, that's so unbearably sad!"

"Grief makes us do some crazy things sometimes," he reasoned.

"No, you don't get it. He risked his life for me, he protected me."

"And I'll always be grateful for that. Especially since I..."

Derek walked away and stared out of the large kitchen window. He'd been hiding feelings of his own. Things that the two of them had not discussed. Derek hid behind his concern for her, forgetting that just like he knew her, she knew him.

"Derek?"

Penelope approached him waiting for a response.

"What is it? Talk to me, Handsome."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. Are you forgetting that we know each other better than anyone else?"

He turned to face her; he couldn't hide his troubles any longer and he knew it.

"I failed you. I left you out there alone. I didn't protect you and I can't..."

"Derek, you didn't leave me! We were both injured, unconscious and you were taken! There was no way you could have prevented what happened."

"Baby Girl, it was my fault! I took my eyes off the road for just a second...I didn't see the tree...it was so hard to see through the snow...I'm so sorry!"

"Listen to me, Cody Madden caused the accident, not you! He placed a trap in the road that caused us to crash! I know how you love to carry all the weight on your shoulders, but this, this is not your burden to bear."

Derek shook his head; he wasn't ready to believe that, and he wasn't ready to believe that he had failed her. Penelope watched him denying her words. It was who he was. He'd made himself responsible for everyone he cared for and that alone would be his downfall, not a bullet, not an unsub or another Cody Madden out for revenge. It would be his insistence and his determination to protect and care for everyone; an impossible feat but one that he would take on, nonetheless.

"I should have seen the trap, I should have been able to..."

"No, Derek, you just said it; it was snowing, and you couldn't see!"

She was right and he knew it, he wanted to believe, he needed to believe that he could protect her against everything, but it wasn't true. The truth was that Derek was terrified of losing her and their child; it terrified him more than anything else in the world.

Penelope watched as he nodded, accepting what she was saying to him. She knew that most likely she would have to have this same conversation with him again, but that's who he was, and she loved him for it.

Derek smiled weakly and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear.

"No apologies." Then pulling away slightly. "I need to see Obie."

Derek nodded and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Okay, let's go see Obie."

Penelope kissed her husband and laid her head against his chest. He renewed his hold on her and lightly laid his head on hers and for the next several minutes the two enjoyed the silence in the room.