Disclaimer I hate you so much for making me keep saying this: I do not own Criminal Minds.

Later that day, Penelope was sleeping off multiple narcotics and Derek was waiting on the team to arrive. He'd stuck in there the whole way though and even if Penelope didn't notice it he was petrified of what was happening with her. Scared of losing her one way or another.

As he waited by the entrance the events that had occurred earlier replayed for him and he hated it, hated how scared she had to be, hated how on top and in check of her every emotion she had to be to stay calm when her eyes were screaming for him to take her elsewhere.

'Hey Derek.' Rossi's voice came and Derek snapped his head up and smiled but it was a proper smile, it was empty. 'Everything okay?'

'Things could be so much better.'

'How is she?' Hotch asked, he was still feeling guilty; he should've known that the pair of them would've had good reason to not be in.

'She's sleeping.' He said and started to lead them towards the elevator. 'There's a problem with one of the left ventricles, its thinning and stress has worsened it and caused her to collapse and...' He didn't finish as Hotch's hand slapped on his shoulder in aid of comforting him. 'Erm...' He tried to gather himself back up. 'She's gotta have surgery to sort it out.'

'Surgery? Is it that bad?'

'The doctor doesn't want to run the risk of it happening again, I mean her heart stopping.' They made it to the floor and again Derek led the way up the corridor. 'She's going to need ages off Hotch.'

'We'll sort it out.'

'And she's going to need someone to care for her 24/7 for like 6 weeks.' Derek told them, feeling like he needed to run all of this off at them or else he'd forget it.

'We'll sort it out as and when.' Hotch told him with genuine understanding. 'Derek, when was the last time you slept?'

'I'm okay.'

'That's not what I asked.' Hotch told him firmly. 'When was the last time you slept or had any rest at all?'

'Not since about 2 this morning.'

'Well take a seat and I'll go into Penelope.' Derek went to object and Hotch shot him a look and he nodded and sat down on one of the chairs outside Penelope's room. Hotch just straightened up and went into the room, at first he froze, Penelope looked ill, she was hooked up to a heart monitor, oxygen and an IV. He took a seat and as he settled Penelope woke up and looked at him, she then muffled a groan as she knew the shit had officially hit the fan. 'Don't make that noise; I'm not here to lecture you.'

'Where's the usual boss man demeanour gone?'

'Left him at work, my friend's in the hospital and doesn't need the added stress.' He told her and relaxed into the chair. 'So how you feeling?'

'Like someone just cut into the top of leg and shoved a tube into one my arteries.'

'You were always the one to be precise.'

'Precisions unnecessary here.' She said as she tried to relax. 'How's Derek coping?'

'I've made him take a break.'

'Thanks.'

'No thanks necessary. Need anything?'

'I don't know.' Penelope said and stared off, everything was catching her up now. 'Did he tell you I died in his arms?'

'Yeah, he's pretty shaken up by it all.'

'This isn't supposed to happen.' Penelope said as she thought of everything Derek must be going through, everything they all must be going through. 'You shouldn't have to be here, I need to get out of here.' Penelope said as she pushed herself up and a pain shot through her leg.

'Penelope lay back down.'

'No, I can't be dealing with you sitting through this all.' She said as she pushed through the pain and got angry with all the wires keeping her down.

'Penelope I won't tell you again, you don't get a say so lay back down now!'

'No! I can't deal with the pity looks, the sympathy vote! I can't do it!' She said and broke down into his arm, he felt her shake and he just stayed there cradling her, something that was alien to him, but right at that moment as one of his family member's needed him, and he didn't want to let go.

'What's wrong?' Derek said coming in alert and worried, he stood and saw the sight in front of him. 'Pen, you need to lay back down.' He said as he remembered the doctor's advice.

'I don't want to be here.' She said as she fell back against the pillows and cried again. Derek rested on the side of the bed and tried to sort all the wires out again. He knew this was coming; he was waiting for the break, the realisation of what had rolled out only earlier that day.

'I know this is all scary but we're not here because we pity you, we're here because in more ways than one we're family and families stick together through thick and thin.'

'You have families.'

'Yeah and you're part of it whether you wanna admit it or not Baby Girl. Look at your finger, that ring signifies that I'm your family. That one day we're gonna expand that family and have our own to add to it. That ring shows you that whatever happens from here on out I'm not leaving, not for no one.' Penelope calmed at Derek's words, at his attitude, his attention. 'Now don't you dare try to push any of us away because it's not going to happen.'

'I just don't want this to stop your lives.'

'Penelope Garcia, have you not been listening to a thing I've been saying since I got you back? Everything that happened made me realise that if there's one thing that I want more in the world, it's you. Lynch failed and this condition of yours is going to lose as well. You're going to get better and get over it and we're going to get you out of here and healthy. Then I'm going to get your beautiful body down an aisle in a Church and marry you and then I'm going to make so many babies with you that we're going to be overloaded.' Penelope laughed at him, a few remaining tears feel as she began to cheer up. 'Now will you stop the independency crap and listen to me?'

'Yeah I will Handsome.'

'Good because if you look at everyone in this room then you'd know that we're in it all the way. Not to offer pity, or sympathy, or make you feel like you're doing us out of something but because we're going to be around to make you feel better, make you happy, bring back that smile when everything's getting too much for you.' Penelope smiled again. 'Just like that Princess.'

Penelope laid there, she really couldn't believe that her and Derek seemed so much closer after their argument, the words that were made to be harmful and damaging really brought them closer, made them see what they really wanted, made them see how much they'd regret a life without the other.

At the end of the day, if anyone in the world was going to be the piece that fulfilled Penelope, it was Derek and it worked vice versa. He was made so that he hurt her most but loved her more.

And however they looked at it, that argument had really broken her heart. Now they had to mend it and they'd only achieve that together.