Penelope's back ached when she woke up the next morning. She sat with a stretch, looking around the room, finally accustomed to the antiseptic stench of the hospital. It had only taken her two days that time, and she cracked her back, looking over at Dave.
He was feeding Iris, a sad smile on his face and she smiled in return, loving how much of a family they looked like. "Good morning, Dave."
"Morning, Kitten. Iris was fussing, so I got everything ready for her. I'm taking her up to see Alison in a little while. The breakfast cart should be here in just a little bit."
Penelope nodded before heading into the private bathroom, relieving herself and washing her hands. Rejoining him, she held out her arms for Iris, wanting to hold the baby tight. "Did she have a good night?"
"I think so. It's hard to tell, since she can't talk to me. I found an old voicemail on my phone that I haven't gotten rid of, and it was so good to hear her voice."
Her doctor came in just then, smiling at them. "Good morning. I'm glad to see that you're both here. There have been developments in Erin's condition, and I wanted to discuss them with you. David, as her power of attorney, you need to make some decisions."
"I thought she was getting better," Penelope quickly interjected.
Doctor Winchester smiled at her. "She is, slightly. She's not recovering as quickly as we would like, however. I do want to see if she'll be able to breathe on her own, and I'll need your permission to remove the breathing tube."
Dave nodded. "Whatever you want to do is fine, Doctor." The man handed over a form for Dave to sign and he did with a flourish. After that was done, the doctor stepped out and came back a few moments later with Jill and another nurse.
"You'll need to step outside while we do this, please."
They nodded and went out into the hall. Penelope sagged against Dave, the weariness of the situation catching up to her ever more. "I'm so tired, Dave."
"I am, too, Kitten." He cuddled her close, rubbing his hand up and down her arm. "But we have to stay strong for Iris, and Alison, and Erin. Look, it's Sunday. Why don't you head home and take a shower, get something to eat with Kevin and then come back? It's not like she's going to wake up anytime soon."
The defeat in his voice hurt her heart and she shook her head rapidly. "I am not going home just yet. Something is calling my name, telling me that I have to be here. Okay?"
He chuckled a little, the first happy sound she had heard from him since everything had begun, and she giggled in response, feeling a small weight removed from her shoulders. "I should know better than to try and convince you to do something you don't want to, Penelope. So, do you want to shower first in that god-awful little compartment?"
"Sure. I need to make myself look pretty for all the hot guys I'm going to meet here."
"Well, you know, Doctor Winchester has had his eye one you…"
She blushed a little, loving the teasing banter he was keeping up with her. It grounded her, making her feel normal in this sea of uncertainty that they were sailing. "He is sort of cute. But I think Kevin might have a small problem with that."
"Well, you aren't officially going back out yet. Erin told me that when I asked if I had to invite him over along with you to Christmas dinner." He smiled before kissing her forehead. The door opened and Jill stepped out into the hallway.
"If you want to come back in, you can. Just be prepared to hear how labored Erin's breathing is going to be. Without the breathing tube, she has to work harder to breathe. But, she is breathing on her own."
"Praise God for that," he said under his breath, tightening his arm around Penelope. "And is there any indication that she'll wake up soon?"
"I wish there was, Dave, I really do. But this is another sign of hope." Jill smiled and went back to her rounds as they slipped inside the room. She had been right, Erin's breathing sounded labored and harsh to her ears, but to Penelope it was a wonderful sound.
"I wish I could breathe for her."
"You wouldn't, though. She needs to fight this battle on her own, and this is just one more skirmish she needs to win. Right?"
He dipped his head slightly at Penelope's words, beckoning for her to sit down. Doctor Winchester smiled at them both kindly before he left the room, waving a little to her as he closed the door. "He is a doctor, Kitten."
"And right now, I'm focusing on Erin. Here, take Iris so I can shower." She handed the baby over and went to her bag, pulling out fresh clothes and her makeup bag. Dave was right, the shower stall was quite small, and she stripped quickly, laying her clothes over the back of the toiler.
It felt good to step beneath the hot stream of water, to wash the gunk and grime of the past few days off her skin. Once she felt reasonably clean and her hair was washed, she turned off the water, shaking off the excess before grabbing one of the towels and drying off completely. After dressing, she looked at herself in the mirror, trying to smile, trying to feel positive for Dave and Erin.
Stepping back in the room at large, she took Iris from Dave's arms and let him disappear into the other room. As soon as the water began to fall, she pulled out her phone and dialed Morgan. "Hey, Sugar Bear."
"Penelope! How are you holding up?"
It was so good to hear his voice. He'd been calling every night, to check in, but this was the first time she'd called him. "Okay, I guess. They took the breathing tube out today, and Erin sounds really weird to my ears. All harsh and labored. I know that she needs to have that out so that she can recover, but it hurts, you know?"
"I do. Do you need me to come spell you and Dave today? I know how wearing it can get to be when you're waiting for a change that may…" His words trailed off, but they both knew what he was going to say, and she sighed.
"We're going to be fine, I think, but a friendly face is always welcome."
"Then I'll be there in about twenty minutes. I love you, Baby Girl."
"I love you, too, Der. See you soon." She stuck the phone back in her pocket and then bounced Iris up and down on her knee. "Let's find a book to read on Penelope's iPad," she murmured, going over to the table and pulling out the device. It didn't take her long to find a book of Hans Christian Anderson stories and she downloaded it, beginning to read the first tale that caught her eye. "Really, the largest green leaf in this country is a dock-leaf; if one holds it before one, it is like a whole apron, and if one holds it over one's head in rainy weather, it is almost as good as an umbrella, for it is so immensely large…"
By the time she had finished two stories, Dave had rejoined them, listening to her voice intently. After the next story, she heard the door open and Derek slipped in, leaning against the wall as she finished the story and set the iPad aside. "You are going to be a great mother someday, Garcia," he said lowly, smiling at her. "And how is the little princess?"
"She's doing remarkably well for being cooped up here. But Alison wants her close by, and we aren't going to leave Erin's side, and here we are. How is everyone else on the outside world? I've heard a little from Jayje, but she's understandably busy with Henry and Will."
"Yeah, she's so busy, getting those last minute presents and everything. Will's mother came up from New Orleans last night, and I guess the less said there, the better. Reid took Maeve out to Las Vegas to meet his mother."
"Ooh, is this the test, then?"
"What test, Kitten?" Dave asked, finally looking up at them.
"The 'If you don't like my mother, we don't have a relationship' test. What outcome are you hoping for, Boo?"
"That she fails the test. There's just something about her I don't like."
"Me, too." Iris yawned and rubbed her face into Penelope's chest, so she got up and put the baby in the crib, covering her with a blanket. "And what about Hotch or Blake?"
"Beth came down from New York to visit and Blake said that she was fine spending the holiday alone. She did ask after Erin, though, and I gave her all the news that I knew. That's a good sign, right, that she even asked after Erin?"
"I would say so. I'm just sorry that it had to take something so serious to make her want to reach out." Dave smiled a little at them. "Derek, do you think that we could get you to do something for us? The food here is decent, but I am really craving Chinese. How about you, Kitten?"
"That would be really wonderful."
"Say no more, then, guys. I will return shortly with your desired food." He came over and kissed her forehead lightly. "Oh, and Kevin would like to hear from you at some point soon."
"Thanks," she said unenthusiastically, watching him go out the door.
"What's wrong with Kevin wanting you to call?" Dave asked as he came up to her side.
"I guess I just don't want to deal with his drama while I'm waiting for Erin to wake up. I need to be focused solely on four people right now – you, her, Iris, and Alison. There isn't any room in my heart for anyone else right now. And I know how selfish that is, but she's my friend! I didn't realize how much I cared for her until this horrible, terrible, accident."
"Accidents like this tend to bring things into a sharper focus." She nodded and turned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist as she let herself cry once more. "And I don't think she'd want you to cry so very much. Erin's not one for a lot of tears."
She nodded, refusing to let go of him. "Have there been any more indications that she's in there, listening for us?"
"I thought she squeezed my hand earlier, but I couldn't be certain, you know? It could have been just a simple reflex."
"But it gave you hope, right?"
He tightened his arms around her. "Yes, it did."
Penelope finally pulled away from him to look at Erin's inert form. A deep silence filled the room, punctuated only by the beeping of Erin's machines and the harsh sound of her breathing. Dave sat next to her, picking up Erin's hand once more. "Alison seems to really like you. When I took Iris up there again yesterday afternoon, that was all she could talk about, how happy you make her mother."
"It goes both ways. Erin makes me incredibly happy." A soft groan came from Erin's lips and they both sat up straighter, looking towards the bed. Penelope reached out for Dave's free hand and he gripped it tightly, so tightly, as they waited with bated breath for the next sound that came from Erin's throat.
The silence was broken by Derek returning with their food, and they both turned to look at him. Penelope could feel herself grin at him and he looked at them quizzically. "Did I miss something here?" he asked, setting the bags of food down on the table.
"Erin made a noise earlier. We were hoping that she'd make another, but then you came in. Thanks for bringing us food, Sugar." He nodded, coming up to her side and kissing her head. "So, what did you get?"
"All of our favorites, including beef and broccoli." She nodded and went over to the bags, pulling out the containers and arranging them on the small table. Derek passed around plates to all of them and then they dug in. Iris woke up a few minutes later and Penelope picked her up, bouncing her on her knee.
"Would you like to try a bite?" she asked after noticing the baby staring intently at her food. Iris nodded and opened her mouth, while Penelope broke a tiny piece of the least spiciest food and held it out to her. She quickly devoured it and Penelope laughed when she opened her mouth for more, looking for all the world like a baby bird.
"I think you're going to create a monster there, Kitten. Better be careful." She nodded, smiling at Rossi. "Erin hates when we get Chinese at home. There's something about the way garlic makes me taste when…" He blushed and stopped speaking, looking down at his lover. The first thing Penelope thought of caused her to blush, too, and she giggled lowly.
"I feel like I'm being left out of something," Derek said, looking between the two of them. "But do I want to know what's going on here?"
"Probably not, Sugar Bear. I just didn't realize Erin was quite that…vocal."
Rossi glared at her, and she shrugged. "There's no need to…"
"I know, which is why I didn't mention what she was vocal about." She went back to eating, feeding bits and pieces to Iris as she did. When the meal was over, Derek and Dave cleaned everything up, throwing the empty containers in the trash. "So, Iris, do you want to go see Mommy again?"
The baby nodded and she smiled at the men. "See you in a few hours, Kitten." She nodded and held Iris out for Dave to kiss. Then, she leaned down, kissing his stubbly cheek.
"You need to shave. When Erin wakes up, she is not going to want that stubble burning her skin. Oh, and if she makes any more noises, text me ASAP. Okay?"
He nodded and then she left the room, heading over to the elevators. She couldn't keep the happy grin off her face and knew that as soon as Erin woke up, she would have one heck of a story to begin telling her.