Savior

Chapter 52

-xx-

Cate zipped up Derek's duffle bag and rested back against the counter, releasing a sigh with the movement. Derek got the okay from his nurses to change into jogging pants and a loose t-shirt that was easily accessible to his wound.

"What's going on, babe?"

Tired blue eyes lifted to face the man across the room from her. "Nothing," she replied softly as she crossed the room. "I'm just tired."

Derek pursed his lips. "Then come here and relax."

She smiled in his direction as she adjusted the messy bun on the top of her head. Cate curled up in the bed next to him and released another sigh. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.

Derek turned the best he could to watch the brunette next to him. "For what?"

She lost her train of thought as he placed his lips to the side of her head. "I walked out in the middle of our conversation earlier." She felt Derek release a deep breath. "You don't deserve that." Cate licked her lips. "It just caught me off guard."

Derek pulled her as close to him as he could. "I know," he replied.

"Twelve hours ago I thought you were gone," she admitted. "All JJ could tell me was that you were shot." She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "With everything going on around me, I panicked, Derek. I thought I lost you."

Derek sighed. "I'm not going down that easy, baby. Especially when I know you're waiting for me at home."

She smiled to herself. "Stop scaring me," she said. It came out almost like a whine.

"I'm sorry," he replied as he ran his hand up and down her arm. "If it makes you feel any better, I walked to the ambulance."

She scoffed at his statement. "You get shot and still finish the job, huh?" Derek chuckled.

Cate let the silence in the hospital room linger as she focused on listened to Derek's breathing. It had been a long night and morning; she found herself waking up whenever Derek made the slightest movement or sound. She fought to get comfortable in her makeshift bed as well.

She had constant flashbacks to the sixteen days she spent in the hospital three years prior. Her mother had set up next to her bedside just as she had for Derek. Every minute she spent watching him sleep overnight, she struggled to put herself in her mother's shoes.

Helena did not leave her bedside for over a week. Her sister and brothers made sure to bring food for the matriarch. She joked now that she read a lot on her Kindle, but Cate knew she was worried to leave the room.

Cate smiled in spite of herself; Derek was in a much better position than she was. She knew deep down Derek didn't even want to step into the ambulance or the hospital, but had to follow protocol. He knew he would never hear the end of it from Cate, either.

"I want that," she mumbled as she made herself comfortable next to Derek.

"Want what?" he asked as he looked away from the TV in the corner of the room. It sat on silent but played through the night.

"I want that future that you saw." She felt Derek take a deep intake of breath. "That's all I want."

Derek watched her out of the corner of his eye. She seemed so somber when she spoke about a family. He knew it wasn't because of her childhood because she always raved about her family.

Derek shook every negative thought from his mind. Cate had expressed the worry she had due to her injuries sustained in her attack. He just hoped that by some grace of God they were able to have the family they both dreamed of. He knew Cate longed to be a mother, and he was anxious to see her in action.

"Whatever is takes," he said as he squeezed her hand. "I'm not going anywhere, baby."

Cate filled her lungs with a deep breath as she turned to him and grinned in his direction. "I love you."

Derek smiled back. "I love you, so much Catie." Cate placed her lips to his. "I mean it. It's me and you against everything for the rest of our lives."

Cate closed her eyes as she rested her head against his chest. There were things she felt with Derek Morgan that she never expected to encounter in her entire life. She saw things so differently now. There was a light at the end of the extremely long tunnel she found herself in three years ago.

-xx-

Cate craned her neck to each side, trying her best to stretch the muscles. She was so eager to get on the road and drive home with Derek that she neglected to check the GPS. They were nine hours in, and facing another hour or so due to construction on I-64.

The brunette tapped her nails against the steering wheel in time with the music on the radio. She was not used to driving a sedan and found it a lot easier to bend the laws of the road when they hit patches of highway with no traffic.

She reached for the coffee cup in the center console and sighed as she took the last sip. She cast a glance in the passenger seat to see Derek fast asleep. They had stopped to get him a pillow to keep him comfortable. As happy as she was that he was next to her, in one piece and healthy, she currently found herself frustrated that he was sleeping. The least he could do was stay awake and keep conversation so Cate could stay awake behind the wheel.

He never even woke up the last time she stopped at Starbucks. She chuckled to herself that he didn't see her bring out two trenta cups for herself. Two nights spent in the hospital was not helpful to her sleep routine. Her back screamed for their bed at home.

She could feel her eyelids start to get heavy as they continued on the trek home. The thirty-six hours that Derek's doctor wanted him to spend in the hospital came and went without issue, but they were held up for discharge due to a shift change. They stepped out of the hospital closer to 4pm rather than noon.

"Hey," Cate said as she reached for Derek's leg. When the touch did not wake him up, she gently hit his leg. "Wake up!"

Derek slowly stirred from his sleep and sat up further in his seat. "What's wrong?"

Cate wiped at her eyes as she continued driving. "I'm falling asleep."

The words woke Derek up quickly. "Let's stop for coffee or something." He was taking in all of the signs on the highway as she sped past them.

Cate picked up the cup from the center console. "I don't think that'll help anymore." She pointed to the one in the cup holder in the back seat. "I've had four since we got on the road."

Derek laughed. "You're addicted."

She shrugged. "It wouldn't be so bad if it was working."

"And I thought we'd get home quicker with the NASCAR driver behind the wheel."

Cate suppressed a laugh the best she could. "You slept through the hour of hell in traffic," she mentioned as she glanced at him. "I imagined doing terrible things to you."

Derek chuckled. "Let me take the last leg," he offered.

Cate shook her head. "The doctor said no driving for at least a week."

Again, his laughter filled the sedan. "C'mon, Catie. You're exhausted. I can handle driving with one hand."

She rolled her eyes and turned up the volume of the radio. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear you say that." A look to her right at him caused her to smile. She felt much more awake now and ready to tackle the rest of the drive. "Just don't get in my way when we get home. That bed is calling my name."

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