Savior
Chapter 50
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The jetlag finally caught Cate about a half hour after she had arrived at the hospital. From the rush in Miami to hurrying from the airport to the hospital, Cate never realized just how tired she was. Even the coffee from the airport was not enough to keep her running on fumes.
She had fallen asleep when she placed her forehead down on the bed next to his hand. The second she relaxed enough to let her eyes close, she was fast asleep.
She jolted in her sleep as she felt something against her forehead. Through half open eyes, she turned to see Derek starting to wake up.
"Hey beautiful." She smiled at the rasp in his voice.
"Hey you," she answered as she slowly sat up in her chair. "I have a bone to pick with you, mister."
The smile that crossed her face mimicked the one on his. "Is that so?"
She nodded as she wiped at the bottom lids of her eyes, trying her best to wipe away the sleep but not smear her make up. "Yep," she replied. "You need to stop giving me heart attacks. I won't live that long if you keep this up."
He chuckled. "I'm sorry, baby. It wasn't my intention."
She pursed her lips. "Do you remember what happened?"
Derek nodded. "Fire fight with our unsubs. I was the lucky one to get hit."
"Besides obviously being shot, your doctor said you were pretty lucky." Cate stretched out in her chair all while keeping a good hold on his hand. "The bullet hit some soft tissue, but otherwise you'll be fine in a few weeks."
Derek sighed as he looked towards his shoulder. He closed his eyes as he rested his back against the pillow. "You know you didn't have to fly up here."
She rolled her eyes as he narrowed his gaze in her direction. "Of course I did, lover. You'd do the same thing."
He nodded softly. "I'd do anything for you, doll."
Just as Cate was about to reply, the doctor walked into Derek's room. She gave his hand a squeeze. "I'm going to let your team know you're awake."
He winked in her direction as she started out of the room.
Cate stepped into the waiting room just as Rossi stood from his seat. He wrapped the petite brunette in a tight hug. "How is he?"
She pursed her lips into a tight smile. "He's awake, and probably arguing with the doctor by now."
Emily laughed. "That's always a good sign."
Cate nodded. "It definitely is."
Rossi patted her on the shoulder. "I am off for coffee. Does any one want to join me?"
Reid stood from his seat. "I need to get out of here," he answered.
"I'm going to head back in there," Cate replied. "But I'll always take a coffee."
The Italian man smiled in Cate's direction. "You've got it."
Cate reached for her duffle bag on the floor. She smiled at JJ and Emily before stepping back into the hallway and to Derek's hospital room. His doctor stopped her as he walked out of the room. "Every thing looked clear when we had in him the OR. We'd like to keep him for at least 36 hours for observation."
Cate smiled. "Thank you." He nodded and started off down the hallway.
Cate slipped back into Derek's room with a grin on her face. "Is this all it took to see you in that in person?"
She chuckled. "Something like that," she replied with a laugh.
She placed her duffle bag on her chair next to the bed with a sigh. "And what are you doing?"
"Changing," she answered with a grin. "This may be cute, but it's not comfortable to lounge around here in."
He laughed. "Can you see if I can get dressed? This," he pointed out the hospital gown, "sucks."
Cate shrugged as she pulled clothing out of her duffle bag. "You're here for 36 hours, love. Get used to it."
Derek sighed. "I'm fine. They can let me go home."
"Nice try," she replied. Cate gathered her yoga pants and tank top from her bag as well as the aquaphor and her flip flops.
Cate stepped towards the bathroom. "Not so fast," he lifted a hand to summon her over. "Get over here, little lady."
She grinned as she placed her things on his bed. Cate took a seat on the bed as he pulled her over with his right arm. "You really need to stop scaring me."
He pursed his lips into a tight smile. "I truly am sorry, Catie." She nodded against him as she immersed herself in his scent. He kissed the side of her head as he ran his hand up and down her arm. "What is this?" he asked as he touched the plastic wrap.
Cate chuckled. "The timing sucks," she said with a shake of her head. Cate stood from the bed. "I'll show you in a minute." She grabbed her clothing and toiletries and headed into the bathroom.
The brunette stepped back out with her hair in a pony tail, wearing a flowy tank top and tight black yoga pants. Cate threw her things in the duffle bag before stepping back to the top of Derek's bed.
She grinned as she flexed her bicep showing the fresh ink. Derek slowly reached out for her arm and ran his fingers an inch under the tattoo. "Catie," he mumbled.
A year escaped her eye at his tender touch. "It was crazy," she started. "A spur of the moment-"
"I'm crazy for you, Catherine," he cut her off. Her breath caught in her throat as he softly pulled her close to him. Cate had to brace herself against the bed as his lips claimed hers. "Stay with me," he muttered against her lips. She broke into a bright smile.
"I'm not going anywhere, Derek," she replied.
"I mean," he began, but was silenced as Cate kissed him once more.
"I know," she replied as she pulled away from him. She understood just how deep his words were.
Cate sat next to him on the bed and smiled as he wrapped his good arm around her waist to keep her where she was.
Knocking at the door caused the two to look to the doorway. JJ had a bright smile on her face. "It's good to see you up," she said to Derek. He nodded a thanks. "Is it okay if the team comes in for a minute? I cleared it with the nurses, but wanted to check with you."
Derek nodded and attempted to sit himself up further in the bed. Cate stood to help him adjust. JJ turned from the doorway to signal for the team to come down the hall. Cate kissed Derek's cheek. "I'm going to call my sister. I'll be right back."
She gave his hand a squeeze before stepping away from his bed and into the hallway. She caught Rossi stepping out of the waiting room as he handed her a steaming hot cup of coffee.
"Thank you," she said with a grin.
"Anytime, kiddo. How are you holding up?"
She shrugged. "Better now," she replied softly as she cast a glance in the direction of Derek's room. She could hear laughter coming out of it. "Do you know what happened?"
Dave nodded. "A stray shot hit Derek. We're not exactly sure of where it came from, but when you're in a gun fight with three unsubs, sometimes these things happen."
Cate pursed her lips. "Am I going to worry every time I know he's back in the field?"
The older man did not have the answers she was looking for. "The first few times, you probably will," he replied gently. "But believe me when I say Derek is one of the best in the field. He's saved my life before."
Cate fought every emotion going through her mind at that moment. Dave gave her shoulder a squeeze as he stepped away to head to Derek's room.
The brunette stepped into the waiting room and sighed. It was evident the team had been hell bent on staying as long as it took to see Derek. Coffee cups and water bottles littered the table and spare cell phone chargers hung from the outlets.
She couldn't help the smile crossing her face; they were more than a team. They were a family. Cate took a seat on the couch and typed out a text message to her sister letting her know the updates.
She lost herself in the conversation via text message with her sister when the tablet sitting on the coffee table lit up. Cate looked around her cell phone to see Penelope Garcia lit up on the screen. She smiled in spite of herself as she slid to answer the video call.
"When were you all going to update—" she began, until she saw Cate's face on the other end. "Cate, hi! I'm so sorry! How is he?"
The brunette pursed her lips into a smile. "He'll be fine in a few weeks, Pen."
The blonde on the other end nodded. "What did the doctors say?"
Cate took a sip of her coffee. "The bullet hit soft tissue and should not affect his shoulder at all. They're keeping him for 36 hours for observation, but otherwise he should be just fine."
"So why was his surgery so long?" She let out a frustrated sigh. "JJ promised to call me back as soon as they knew anything!"
The brunette shrugged. "She was probably on the phone with me. I flew out from Miami as soon as she called me." She watched the bubbly blonde grin.
"You two are just too cute," she exclaimed.
Cate bowed her head to hide the blush creeping in and her mind went back to her conversation with Derek. "The surgeon said the surgery was more exploratory, so that's probably why it took so long," Cate said with a shrug. She looked up to see JJ and Emily in the doorway of the waiting room. "Unless you want JJ or Emily, I'll let you go, Pen."
The blonde smiled and waved before disconnecting the video call. "We're about to head back to the hotel," JJ began as she stepped into the room. "Did you want me to get you access to Derek's hotel room?"
Cate nodded. "Please, in case they kick me out of here," she replied with a laugh.
"I think you're good to stay the night," Emily said with a smile as she began to tidy up the waiting room.
Cate took a sip of her coffee. "Though I don't think you'll be getting much sleep," JJ said as she pointed to the coffee cup.
The brunette shrugged. "I'm exhausted. This is barely keeping me awake."
Cate stood from the couch, smiled at JJ and Emily and headed back to Derek's room just as Reid, Rossi and Hotch were walking out. The Italian patted her on the shoulder as he and Reid slid by to meet the ladies in the waiting room.
She pursed her lips as she looked up at Aaron Hotchner. "JJ will have Derek's hotel room accessible to you. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to reach out."
"Thank you," she replied as she licked her lips. Hotch nodded before following the others down the hallway. She stopped in the doorway to Derek's room and grinned as she watched him from the threshold. "It's just me and you now, handsome."
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