As Derek drove Penelope back to her apartment, she could feel her heart race with each passing mile. As they approached the residence, her mind could only return to the memories of her attack. Kevin's evil words were haunting her as her body flinched at thoughts of the kicks and hits.
Explain? Explain what Penelope? That I have been trying to fight for us, to win your love, and in a moment of intimacy you moan that fucking agent's name! The man who I have never measured up to? The man who goes and fucks woman after woman and leaves you after eye fucking you every day! You moan Special Agent Derek Fucking Morgan's name while you are kissing me and you feel that there is more to explain?
"Baby Girl? Penelope, we're here." Derek knew that Penelope was apprehensive. He could hear her breath become more shallow with each closer turn. He reached for her hand and pressed a timid kiss to her now clammy digits. She was shaking in fear and memory. It broke Derek's heart to see her get this way.
Penelope turned her head and met the eyes of the man she loved. His dark chocolate eyes were filled with concern for her. She could feel the pain all over her body. She closed her eyes and leaned her head down looking at their joined hands.
You really think Derek would ever want someone like you? Hell, I could barely look at you!
Penelope then stiffened and pulled her hand suddenly from Derek's bear like grasp. Holding her hand to her chest protectively, she turned her body from him and looked toward her now frightening front door. "We need to get inside."
Derek was stunned by the shocking changes in Penelope's emotions. Fear was her dominant emotion. As much as he wanted to convince her that he would be there to protect her, he could hear her painful words from her hospital room on a loop in his silence. "Pen..."
"I said we need to get inside," Penelope interrupted firmly.
Nodding, Derek exited the truck and took a sharp intake of cold air. As frustrated as he was, he knew he needed to be the strength for his Goddess to recover. Now would be his time to heal her after she had save him so many times.
Their steps were sending them both back to an assortment of memories. From the first time Derek walked the pathway after Penelope had been shot by Jason Battle Clark to their dozens of movie nights and late night talks. Derek didn't want to think about their afternoon of healing after Emily's death, but as she pulled out her keys, he remembered the way she felt in front of him as he pressed her against the entry door. He remembered asking himself if her hands were always that shaky or if her nervous energy was causing a time delay to entering the apartment.
However, the brush of cool wind shook him from his memories as he heard the quiet whimpers of Garcia's pain. Her bruised hand was holding her body up against the door frame as she took deep breaths to steady her breathing. He could see her knees buckle beneath her and he quickly gathered her wounded body into his arms. "Easy," he whispered.
"I can do this, Derek," Penelope whispered with wounded pride. "I can do this."
"I know," he whispered pressing a kiss to her temple. "You need to let us in now."
Penelope nodded and inserted the key into the door knob. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and closed her eyes before she could see the damage that was inflicted upon her home.
When she opened, she felt tears spring to her eyes as she came across clean floors and fresh flowers. The windows were open letting in kind light into the living room. Her couch had been sewed and all traces of Kevin were removed from her sight. Taking a timid step forward, she looked for traces of blood upon the ground and found none. "Derek?" she asked softly.
"The team has been in here non-stop. Hotch and Jayje didn't want you to come home to heartbreak."
"They could try, Morgan. That's all they could do," Penelope said sadly.
Penelope was overwhelmed with memories with that night. She felt an intense pain in her side and she grabbed for the couch. "Derek, I need to lay down."
Derek moved right to her side and had her lean against his frame. "That's okay. Pen, I need you to trust me and let me carry you."
"No," she said firmly. "I can walk."
"Garcia, quit being resistant."
"Morgan, I have been on my own for years. I don't need anyone carrying me to bed. Is that understood." Penelope continued building the walls of distance around her heart. She was wounded and needed to be alone for her own dignity. She knew of Doctor Johnson's orders of having someone with her at all times. However, this was different. She needed to be alone to heal on her own. No one was going to catch her this time.
Derek stepped back from his strong willed angel, however was close enough to grab her if she stumbled. Slowly, she made her way to her bed and sat upon the end. The same end Derek had sat just days prior. He clenched his teeth as he saw her shaking hands grab to her bountiful blankets to ease her pain. He watched as she slowly scooted herself backward so she could lay upon her blankets. "Can I get you anything?" he asked.
Resting her head against her decorated pillows, she shut her eyes and took a calm breath. "No, right now I am fine."
"Hotch said that he and Dave would bring your prescription when they came by. You don't need another dose of pain medicine for a couple hours. You should get some rest."
Penelope nodded and continued to keep her gaze toward her bedroom window.
Derek timidly took a seat beside her. He had reached toward her bedroom chair and grabbed the purple afghan that rested upon it. Covering her lightly, his gaze made its way down to her enflamed ankle. "Do you want a pillow for your foot?" he asked.
"Im fine, Morgan. Just go home."
"Im sorry to disappoint, but I am not going anywhere," Derek said strongly.
"Don't be here out of guilt, Derek. Just go home." Penelope felt warm tears fall from her eyes as exhaustion began to take over her mind and heart.
"Penelope, get that thought out of your mind right now. I am here because there is no place I would rather be. I love watching you sleep." The minute the words left his mouth, he regretted it. He watched as her body stiffened and her eyelids tightened in pain. However, this pain was not one of physical nature, but rather, going back to memories of their moment together. A moment he destroyed. "Penelope..."
"Derek, I just want to fall asleep." Penelope's voice no longer possessed anger, only sadness and heartbreak.
Nodding, Derek moved away from the bed and whispered, "I'll be on the couch. Just call out for me."
Chuckling sadly at Derek's lack of knowledge of the significance of his statement, Penelope simply tucked into herself and allowed her mind to get lost in dreams she prayed wouldn't haunt her this rest.
Derek watched her sleep from the couch. Though his body was filled with anger and hurt, he was also clouded with confusion. Looking around the neatened apartment, Derek attempted to piece together what happened to his Goddess during her attack. Matching the state of her injuries to places around the apartment, he theorized different ways she could have been marred. Though those thoughts would help him create a profile for a typical case, these thoughts were currently driving him to madness. The idea that his Baby Girl was beaten and abused lit an animal within Derek he never knew existed. He thirsted for Lynch's body and wanted to beat him until he bordered the line of death only to let him survive and beat him again. Growling in frustration, Derek rested his head back against the couch and exhaled to shake off his nervous energy.
When his phone vibrated in his pocket, Derek pulled it out and was surprised to find Reid's name move across the screen. Answering it quietly, Derek moved to a horizontal position upon the couch. "What's going on, Reid?" he asked.
"JJ is here, Morgan. She said that Garcia has been released from the hospital. Is that responsible?" Reid asked.
"If Doctor Johnson agreed to the release, I wasn't about to argue." Derek replied.
"Morgan, if Garcia was to puncture one of her lungs, it isn't necessarily the worst thing that could happen to her. Though less than 10% of the American population lives with one lung and more activities put Garcia at risk if that were to happen to her, she could live a functioning life style."
"Whoa, slow down there, Kid. For now, Penelope has two lungs that are functioning fine. No need to give me an unnecessary heart attack." Derek reached for the bridge upon his nose and pressed against it to release some tension which would brew a new headache. "Garcia just fell asleep. When does JJ plan on bringing you guys by?"
"She said she needs to make some soup and a casserole. Then we will be over."
"Thanks. Hey kid?"
"Yeah?" Reid answered distractedly.
"How are you doing?" Derek asked seriously.
"Well, one of my best friends was killed a couple weeks ago while a woman I view like an older sister has just been beaten by a psycho boyfriend and I have had that same headache for three weeks. I think I am functioning," Reid responded.
Laughing without a hint of humor, Derek sighed and allowed his gaze to return to his Goddess on the purple bed. "I get it, kid. I get it."
"You need sleep too, Morgan," Reid said. "You are no good to Garcia if you are in a zombie like state of mind."
"I hear ya, Pretty Boy. I'll see ya soon." Derek hung up the phone and placed it on the coffee table. Looking at the corner of the table, he noticed a small blood stain upon the corner. Sighing sadly, Derek looked at his sleeping Penelope and asked, "When will you tell me what happened to you, Baby Girl?" With that question floating in the silence of the daunting afternoon, Derek closed his eyes and allowed himself guarded sleep.
"Ugh!" Penelope moaned quietly as her eyes fluttered open. Looking to her clock, she realized that she had been sleeping for about two hours. Her traveling hands felt for her bandages and she knew she needed to re-wrap her binds. Lifting her head up, her gaze fell upon her Chocolate God who was sleeping soundly upon her vivacious couch. Relieved that he was so dead to the world, Penelope slowly made her way off the bed and hobbled toward her bathroom.
Her head was down as she closed the bathroom door. Holding herself up with help from the bathroom sink, Penelope courageously lifted her gaze to allow her eyes to meet the image of her face for the first time since her attack. Gasping at the sight, Penelope's hand reached for the stitches upon her cheekbone. She noticed the variety of colors that covered her ivory skin. Witnessing tears build up within her eyes, her gaze fell to her hands and she bit upon her bottom lip for silence as the colors of purples, greens and blues marred her body.
With shaky hands, she unzipped her jacket and her brave tears fell as she took in the image of her bruised torso. Nothing about her screamed sexy or seductive. No, she was damaged and torn. Lacerations and gashes covered her bruised frame while unflattering beige gauze wrapped her torso. Unhooking their hold, Penelope felt an immediate difference of how her body responded to decreased pressure around her rib cage. She could feel her ribs teasing her inner organs for penetration. That thought spooked her and she felt chaos dominate her senses.
Her cries grew louder and less stable, a reality unknown to her. It wasn't until she heard the firm knocked upon her bathroom door that her cries were silenced.
"Penelope, you need to let me in," Derek yelled through the wooden wall. "Baby Girl, you promised me once that you would never stop talking to me. Honey, I know you are hurt and I know I have hurt you. But how can I help you if you don't talk to me?" Derek felt his heart tear apart piece by piece as he heard her pain filled cries shake him from dead sleep. "I promise you that I will help you and get you back to healing. You just need to let me in. Let me in, Penelope."
After the longest minute of his life, Penelope unlocked the door and Derek timidly let himself in. Closing the door behind him, he turned slowly and took in her half naked appearance. From beneath her purple jacket and beige gauze were definitions of increased bruising and gashes. Her once soft and luscious stomach was now a battle ground of pain and domestic destruction.
His gaze lifted to her face that was now clouded with tears and heart break. Penelope took a shy step toward him and reached her hand toward his shirt. Grabbing him softly, he pulled her into him and held her as she cried. She cried out her pain, betrayal and suffering. Holding onto him tighter, her cries were intense and desperate for closure. "I've got you, Baby Girl. I've got you," Derek kept whispering to her to ease her heart break. As he rocked her slowly in the bathroom, he allowed his own tears to fall upon her blonde hair as they mourned an attack so unjust and savage.