Once again, it's taken me longer than I wanted to get this on the computer, but I hope you'll still enjoy it and be willing to read anyway. If nothing else, you're getting a much longer chapter this time around. Hang in there with me for a couple more chapters, things look dark now, and it's heavy on the drama, but I hope you'll feel rewarded if you stick it out… Thanks so much to everyone who has read and reviewed, your words mean a lot and keep me trying to make it better!

I still don't own the show or any of the characters, of course.

Come Back to Me

Chapter Six

It had been late when she and Derek left Quantico; nearing midnight, she was almost certain. But in her addled stated of mind, Garcia couldn't really say anything for sure. It was almost two in the morning, in any case, by the time they reached the hospital where Morgan had been taken.

Not knowing for sure just where he was, or what had happened with his condition since his arrival, they wandered into the ER waiting room, figuring it was their best bet – at least for the moment, until they knew something different. Hopefully, Garcia realized bleakly, someone would recognize that they were there for him and come to update them eventually. If not, she might be forced to cause a scene. She could just see Reid squirming with embarrassment now, in her mind's eye. It gave her a brief moment's tiny smile and she gratefully gave Reid's hand, which she had yet to let go of, another squeeze, once again glad that he and JJ were with her. The three of them were all looking pretty shell-shocked, but at least they were in it together.

JJ and Garcia sat down nervously, JJ's foot tapping in agitation as she alternately bit her lip and twirled a lock of hair around her finger; anxious habits that had never shown themselves until now as far as Garcia could remember, no matter how big or important the crowd she'd had to stand before, or how difficult the information she had to present. Reid, meanwhile, had taken to pacing the length of the room, quickly back and forth, arms crossed around his torso, muttering what sounded like lines from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales to himself, as if keeping sane with them. She marveled that in the jumble her own mind was she even knew what he was saying.

Yet, even as her two friends were finding ways to help themselves endure the waiting, she couldn't seem to find anything to help herself. She couldn't seem to stop her hands and arms from shaking, so instead she wrapped them around herself tightly, rocking worriedly, and trying to pray to God as often as she could string thoughts together coherently in her head. She couldn't seem to sit still, no position gave her any comfort from the crushing, suffocating pain in her chest, nor the fear crowding in her mind. She felt so frantic inside that it was a struggle to even stay seated or contained in the room. Watching Reid pace almost transfixed her, as if by following his motions she could make his routine back and forth movement her own and somehow steady herself with the monotony of it.

She had nearly reached the point where she felt she was either going to burst or scream in frustration when an ER nurse strode into the waiting room, looking around purposefully, as though deciding who it was she was looking for. JJ stood, polish and professionalism immediately snapping back into place, as if she knew it was needed to show this woman just who they were. She took a step forward, just as the nurse seemed to decide on them and headed their way. Standing, Penelope felt herself latching onto Reid's arm again as they trailed in JJ's wake.

"Are you here for Agent Morgan?" the nurse asked crisply, she'd assumed so by their appearance but was making sure just the same.

"Yes, we are," JJ affirmed smoothly. "I'm Special Agent Jareau, and this is Special Agent Dr. Reid, and Agent Garcia."

"Is his family present?" the nurse asked. "I really should be speaking to his family…"

"They're on a flight from Chicago, but won't reach us for another hour or so yet. I don't believe they'd have a problem with you giving us an update to relay to them," JJ offered confidently, hoping she could convince the woman to override what she knew were hospital procedures.

"I'll have to check with my supervisor," the nurse said apologetically. "I'm really not authorized to give patient information to anyone other than immediate family."

JJ nodded curtly, disappointed, and the nurse started to turn away, but Garcia's voice stopped her, tremulous and in a tone as near begging as anyone had ever heard her use. "Please," she whispered, just barely touching the other woman's arm to call her back, "can't you…can you at least tell us if…if he's still…still alive?" Her eyes were so beseeching, the plea in them so open and raw that JJ knew the nurse would have to tell them something. No one could completely stonewall against that.

To the three agents' surprise, the nurse gave a quick nod, the motion so slight as to almost be missed. "They're still working on him in the ER. He lost a lot of blood and both gunshot wounds are serious, but he's strong. And still fighting to hang in there."

Garcia gave her a nod in thanks, not trusting her voice, but instead biting her lip and ordering herself not to cry. At least he was still with them; he was trying to come back to her. She tried to give the nurse just a tiny bit of explanation why the information was so important to her. "I'm his girlfriend," she whispered, "I just…I just needed to know. I was with him when he was shot…"

The other woman tilted her head then, studying Garcia's face. "Is your name Penelope?" she asked.

Garcia nodded.

"He was asking for you in the ambulance," the nurse told her, almost as if the reluctance she'd had to tell them anything minutes before had been forgotten. "It was really more mumbling, but the paramedics thought he seemed agitated that he wasn't getting a response. He was pretty incoherent, but he wouldn't stop asking if 'Penelope' was alright. They were surprised that he was so persistent when he was in and out of consciousness."

Garcia's head bowed upon hearing this, far from feeling good that he was so concerned for her welfare, she felt even more guilty. She should have been in the ambulance with him, she should have forced them to take her. He had needed her, needed to know that she was there, and she hadn't been.

"Thank you, for what you have told us," JJ answered the woman kindly, seeing that Garcia couldn't seem to look any of them in the face right then.

The nurse gave them what was obviously meant to be an encouraging smile. "I'm sorry I can't tell you more, but hopefully we'll know more soon, and by then his family may be here anyway. You're in the right waiting room, just sit tight, and let someone at the desk know when his family arrives." With a last nod, she turned and walked away from them, leaving them with not much more information, but with the hope that Morgan was at least hanging on.

It wasn't long after that when Hotch and Prentiss barreled in, looking harried but like they were running on enough adrenaline to keep going at full speed for hours yet. "Anything?" Hotch asked JJ the minute he saw them and stalked purposefully over with Prentiss on his heels.

JJ repeated everything they had been told – which wasn't much really – and for a second Hotch looked like he might storm over and try to use his authority to demand all the details on Morgan's condition. But he reigned himself back under the normal iron control he was famous for and settled in to wait with the rest of them.

Prentiss' hand gently squeezed Garcia's shoulder in a silent show of support before she too lowered herself into a seat, sighing dejectedly as she stared ahead, wishing for something – anything – she could do for her friends. It was moments like these, when there was nothing she could physically do, that she was often plagued with silent doubts and insecurity.

She and Morgan had that in common she'd realized not long ago. As long as they were in motion, as long as they were taking some action, both of them were okay. It was when things were out of their control that neither of them were very good at dealing with. Many times she and Morgan were partnered up in the field on cases and she had come to truly enjoy his company and conversation. Though she wouldn't have expected it when she first met him, there were many other, smaller things they had in common as well, from their taste in writers like Vonnegut to the way they could work together like clockwork to diffuse a tense situation. He had been the first member of the team to openly offer her his friendship when she'd joined the BAU and she had been grateful ever since. She honestly believed she wouldn't be as much a part of the group as she was now without the acceptance he'd first offered. What would they all, any of them, do without him?

But especially Penelope. It was easy to see that he meant far more than mere words could really describe to their illustrious computer tech, and that part of her sparkle, her spunk, her hilarious and ribald sense of humor that kept them afloat in some of the worst situations would be gone forever if she lost Derek. They all knew that things had changed dramatically between he and Penelope when she had been abducted and he finally realized how much he cared for her. But it came into painfully obvious focus just then how much he was Garcia's world – and had been for a long time, not just since they'd been a couple. Penelope had given a large part of her being over to their sly, flirtatious man of action ages ago, quietly, before any of the rest of them had noticed, before she herself had dared believe the offering would ever be returned. And just then, Emily saw with gut-wrenching clarity that her friend had long stopped knowing any way to be without him.

What were they going to do?

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It seemed like another eternity, but it had really only been a couple of hours since they'd arrived at the hospital, when they saw Morgan's mom and two sisters come into the waiting room, looking anxious and concerned. But even through her obvious fear for her son, Mrs. Morgan still carried herself like a queen moving through her court as she caught sight of Hotch and started across the crowded waiting room towards them, her daughters following her looking much more flustered and afraid. That her bearing could still remain so dignified and almost regal inspite of the turmoil she must being feeling said a lot about the character she possessed. It was obvious that she lovingly ruled her roost and they all depended on her example to follow. It was plainly clear where Derek got his strength and will from.

"Agent Hotchner, I'm assuming you know what's going on with my son," she spoke up quietly, once she'd reached him, inclining her head in a nod to the rest of them.

"They didn't tell us much when you weren't present, Mrs. Morgan," Hotch replied, looking truly sorry that he didn't have more news to give her. "Only that he was still hanging in there and they had him in surgery. He sustained two gunshot wounds when he walked in on a convenience store robbery."

His dark eyes flicked quickly over to Garcia as he said this last, as if to verify his statement. She nodded, even more afraid than she'd already been suddenly. What if Morgan's mother thought that this was all her fault? That this had happened to her son because of his girlfriend's own stupidity? But she forced herself to take a steadying breath and step forward.

"There's something else, Mrs. Morgan," she whispered, afraid that Morgan's family was about to push her away, and praying that they wouldn't. Even if they did, it couldn't be helped. They deserved to know all that she did, and she was the only one who could tell them.

"I've told you to call me Fran," Mrs. Morgan said, amazing Penelope with a warm smile and reaching out to take her hand. "It's good to see you again, Penelope," she added, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm glad to see you too, Mrs – I mean, Fran" Garcia caught herself with a nervous little laugh, something she only did when stressed to near her breaking point. She was glad to see Morgan's mom; she liked the older woman very much, but right now she was too worried about how to begin her confession.

It was almost as though, just as Derek sometimes did at his best, his mother could read her mind. She chose that moment to ask gently, "What is it, dear?"

Taking another gulping breath, Garcia squared her shoulders and plunged in. "I was with him," she whispered, meeting Fran's eyes and trying as hard as she possibly could to hold onto her composure and not cry any more. "I needed gas in my car, and Derek stopped to fill it up for me before we got back to his place," she blushed at that admission, but fumbled on, now staring at her feet. "This is all my fault. If I'd already filled the gas tank, if I hadn't asked him to stop at that station, if I hadn't come barging into the station trying to help him, he'd be okay, this wouldn't have happened to him."

A few renegade tears did slip out anyway, and Penelope hated herself for them, but Morgan's mom simply pulled her into a comforting, maternal hug, rubbing slow, soothing circles on her back as she did. "Sweetie, this isn't your fault," she said softly, then adding in a whisper at Garcia's ear. "I know you'd never hurt him, and that you do the best you can to take care of him and make him happy. I've honestly never seen my son as content as he's been since he starting seeing you. You did not do this. Understood?"

Garcia nodded, relief flooding her face as she realized the other woman understood perfectly.

It was then that Hotch interrupted gently, breaking in to guide Mrs. Morgan towards the nurse's station. "Now that you're here, let's see what we can find out about Morgan," he said kindly.

They came to a stop right at the edge of the desk, Morgan's sisters and the rest of the team right behind them. "Can I help you?" a different nurse asked pleasantly, looking up at them.

"Yes, I need an update on Derek Morgan. He was brought in a little over two hours ago with two gunshot wounds. He's a Special Agent with the FBI and was shot during a convenience store hold-up."

The nurse's eyes showed immediate recognition, but also a quick flash of trepidation which made Garcia feel horrifyingly faint. She obviously knew who they meant and wasn't anxious to deliver whatever the news on his condition was. "Yes, Agent Morgan," she replied simply. "Are you his family?"

"I'm his mother."

The nurse checked some notes, then told them. "He's out of surgery and in recovery. Just let me page his doctor to inform him you've arrived and he'll be out to speak with you as soon as he can."

It didn't take long after her page, for a sandy-haired man, wearing scrubs with enough blood on them to make Penelope's stomach flip over, to appear. It wasn't that she hadn't seen a lot worse, but knowing that blood was Derek's and that he'd lost so much of it made her knees weak. The doctor's face was tired, and his shoulders seemed stooped, but when he came forward to speak with them, he gave Fran, Hotch, and the rest of them a genuine smile and looked them in the eye.

"Agent Morgan came through the surgery surprisingly well, considering the amount of blood he'd lost and how close both shots came to hitting vital organs. We finally managed to stop the internal bleeding from the wound to his stomach, and also to repair the damage to his neck and shoulder. He should be able to regain full use of that arm in time. In fact, I see no reason why he shouldn't make a full and complete recovery."

They all seemed to collectively breathe again in relief, but just when Garcia finally felt a little of the tension and guilt within her uncoiling, the doctor continued.

"I'm only concerned about one thing. He was unconscious a long time, his body suffered severe stress and massive blood loss, and sometimes, in order to deal, the consciousness simply shuts down, putting the body to sleep effectively, in order to heal. It shouldn't be permanent, but there are no guarantees in a situation like this…"

"Just what are you saying, Doctor?" Fran asked, not liking his last cautionary words at all.

"I'm saying, Mrs. Morgan, that while I see no reason why your son shouldn't come out of it soon and be on the road to recovery, he hasn't regained consciousness yet.

We did everything in our power to save his life – and we have – but he's slipped into a coma."