Savior

Chapter 55

-xx-

Derek stepped into the spare bedroom and smirked in Cate's direction as she typed away on her laptop. He got caught up in watching her lip between her teeth as she focused on the current bid she was updating.

He got her to step away from her work early the night before but knew she would be going full force into it the next day. She was determined to secure the trip to Aruba for the two of them. As far as she was concerned, she had nothing planned for the next few weeks other than work and helping Derek heal.

She started the day early today to return the rental and pick up her truck from her sister's house. After a quick coffee with Jackie before her sister headed to the salon, Cate felt much better. She was envious of the tan her sister sported after spending the day at the beach, though.

"Step away from the computer," Derek joked as he took a seat on the bed.

Cate rolled her eyes as he made himself comfortable. The guest bedroom was not used too often, so the bed got tucked into the corner of the room to make room for Cate's desk. "I'm just finalizing the posting for this new house," she replied without taking her eyes off of the screen. "Ian's company finally sent over the pictures after the staging, so I can finally get everything online before the open house."

Derek nodded. "You need a break," he said with a wink. Cate rolled her eyes. "Let's go out and grab some lunch."

Cate smiled; he didn't phrase it as a question. She had only been in the office for about two hours after her morning errands, but she would always drop work to spend time with Derek. The two knew they could not get used to Derek being home for a week straight. "Let me finish up and I'll be right out."

Derek grinned as he stood from the bed. He planted a soft kiss to her lips before exiting the bedroom. The smile never once left Cate's face as she continued her work.

-xx-

After an argument over whether or not Derek should wear his sling out to lunch, the two finally got on the road. Cate got her way; with both driving and getting him to wear the sling. She reminded him that he was only a few days out of surgery and it was important to keep it elevated.

He rolled his eyes and replied, "It's my shoulder – of course it's elevated."

One threat of her staying home to catch up on work and he threw the sling right on over his t-shirt. The look on her face told him that she meant business and was not taking no for an answer.

As she sat across from him on the pier of one of her favorite restaurants, she caught herself smiling. It was mostly due to how funny it was to watch Derek use his phone with one hand, but additionally because of how much she adored her company.

He had promised not to step foot into Quantico for the remainder of the week, but was avidly checking his phone for updates on the case they were working on. Cate stepped back into the apartment after running errands to find him on the phone with Prentiss going over aspects of the case. The phone call ended rather quickly when Cate bee-lined it to the spare bedroom.

Derek glanced up from his phone to see Cate watching the waves crashing next to them. She looked so calm and serene and he was raving about the strapless maxi dress she was wearing. His eyes lingered on the tattoo on her bicep; it filled Derek with such adoration and gratitude for the woman sitting across from him.

"So," she began as she turned back to Derek. "What's the deal with Savannah?"

Derek sighed. "We dated a few years ago," he replied gently.

Cate pursed her lips and nodded. She expected as much when she watched their exchange the other night. She realized that Savannah had not put two and two together on her and Derek until she saw them both in the lobby together.

"I'm assuming it did not end on good terms?" Cate asked as she took a sip of her lemonade.

"That's the simple version of it." He watched the brunette nibble on the inside of her lip, forcing herself to not interrupt him. Her blue eyes were glued to him and it made him almost nervous to continue. "Things just weren't working," he began and sighed. "It honestly wasn't fair to either of us; we both worked so much and seemed to be on opposite schedules.

"We went for dinner one night, and I was dead set on ending it that night," Derek looked down at his placemat for a moment and processed the words through his mind. "She told me she was pregnant."

It took everything in Derek to look up at Cate. Her face was expressionless as her eyes softened in his direction. "Was she?" she mumbled.

Derek shook his head. "No," he replied gravely. "She thought I wouldn't leave if she told me was."

Cate pursed her lips and took in a deep breath. Her heart ached for the man sitting across from her; if nothing else, he was a man of honor and would have raised any child he had with Savannah. But she could see now why he had walls up – why he cringed whenever his mother asked about grandbabies.

But ultimately, she hated Savannah for instilling that fear in him. A fear that all women were like her. She made it clear to Derek very early in their relationship that she wanted a family some day. She was determined one way or the other – whether by getting pregnant or adopting, she was going to have the family she always wanted.

"Catie," Derek muttered as he finally looked up at the brunette. Her vibrant blue eyes showed his pain and all he wanted was to take that pain away. "2014 had been hard enough," he sighed, "After everything that JJ went through, she pulled that shit." He licked his lips as he ran a hand over his head. "I was a wreck for weeks because my best friend was hurting, and I thought there was finally a light at the end of a really long tunnel."

Cate stood from her seat and walked to his side of the table. Derek pulled her into his lap and placed his head against her chest as she wrapped her arms around him. At that moment, the pain in his shoulder didn't exist as he lost himself in her touch. He didn't care that they were in public; he was holding on to his lifeline with everything in him.

Cate held him as tightly as she could while blinking away tears in the corners of her eyes. She would not crumble – she was comforting him. There was beauty in the pain; Derek had opened up to her in a way he never had. He had always been the one to hold her and comfort her when she fell apart. This was her turn.

-xx-