"…and to the Earth it gave great light, and so it continued both day and night." Penelope sung along with the carolers that were visiting the room, loving the peaceful feel that it brought to everything.
It was now Christmas Eve, and despite all the signs that Erin had given earlier, there had been nothing further to indicate that she was any closer to waking up. She leaned against Dave, letting him place a comforting hand on her shoulder as she rocked Iris back and forth in her arms.
Earlier that day, Tim's parents had visited the hospital, bringing over some of the gifts that they had gotten for Iris and Alison. The visit had not gone as well as was to be expected, and Penelope had had to go up and take the baby, as Alison was too upset to deal with her. When pressed, Alison had told her that Tim's parents were going to cremate his body and hold the service the day after Christmas.
That had made Dave see red, and he had gone up and comforted Alison before calling and reaming his parents out. It wasn't enough to get them to change their minds, but they did relent to having the service in the hospital chapel so that Alison could attend.
Sighing, she listened to the carolers begin another song, this one just as familiar to her. "O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie…"
"This is Erin's favorite Christmas hymn, right?" she asked lowly and Dave nodded. She began to watch her on the bed, hoping that somehow these carolers would be able to reach her in a way that they had not. Softly, she began to sing as well, noticing how heavy Iris was becoming in her arms. Looking down at the girl, she saw that she was asleep and she went and put her back in the crib. Rejoining Dave, she resumed her vigil, willing Erin to wake up, to say something to them.
It seemed to have no effect and after the song, the carolers left, wishing them a Merry Christmas. They nodded and Penelope took a seat next to Erin once more, picking up her hand. It was less cool than it had been, and she was grateful for that. "Merry Christmas, everyone!"
She turned to look at the doorway, seeing Hotch, Beth, Derek, and Alex, standing there. Tears clouded her eyes as she smiled at them, beckoning them in. Out of the four, it seemed that Alex was the most uncomfortable, and Penelope wasn't sure if that was because they were in a hospital or that she was visiting Erin. "Thank you for coming."
"We didn't want you guys to spend the holidays alone," Beth replied, taking the seat next to her. "Aaron told me that she made a few noises yesterday. That's a wonderful sign of progress, right?"
"Yes." There was something comforting about the woman's presence, and suddenly Penelope was glad that Hotch had decided to stick with the relationship. She needed someone like that here in that very moment. "So, Merry Christmas to us."
"Oh, Penelope." The woman enveloped her in a soft hug, the scent of her perfume filling Penelope's senses as she struggled to not cry once more. Ever since Dave had mentioned Erin not wanting them to cry so much, she had made the concerted effort to do just that. It was so hard, though, when hope seemed to be dangling just out of their reach. "She is one of the strongest women I have ever had the opportunity to meet. And she is going to wake up."
"I know. I believe that in my heart, Beth, I really do." The woman nodded against her head and then let her go. "So, what did Hotch get you for Christmas?"
"I have no idea. And we have to wait until after the midnight service tonight to open one of our presents. I guess this is a tradition he and Jack have. Only, he gets to pick which present I open. And of course, it won't be the one that I want to open, it's never as easy as all that."
"No, never."
And then, Beth was pulling out a small package from her purse. "Here, we got this for you. Actually, Derek has a whole bag of presents for you and Dave. We didn't want your holiday to be completely devoid of all the trappings, you know."
Penelope drew in a deep breath as she smiled at her. "Thank you." She set Erin's hand back down on the bed, noticing the small twitch from the corner of her eye. Shaking her head, she stood and went over to her bed, sitting down next to Dave as the others gathered around them. Derek passed out the gifts they had brought and she bit her lip at the sight of their generosity.
"So, go on. Open the gifts." Beth seemed so eager to bring a spot of normalcy to the situation, and Penelope found herself responding to this more than anything. Hesitantly, she peeled the paper off the first gift, revealing a new pen from Derek. Alex had gotten her a bright colored scarf, while Hotch and Beth had gifted her with a recording of Blithe Spirit, along with a gift card to her favorite clothing store.
"Thanks so much everyone. I appreciate this so much," Dave murmured as he looked down at the gifts he had been given. Penelope noticed the tear tracks staining his cheeks and she reached out to him, resting her hand on his shoulder. He looked into her eyes and she saw the hope that was rapidly fading from his mind still shining faintly there. "You should probably wake Iris up, Kitten. I think Alison wanted to see her once more before she went to sleep tonight."
"I think I'm going to leave her there tonight. Alison is finally strong enough to look after her in the night, should she wake up."
Dave nodded and she went to the crib, picking the baby up. Iris smiled up into her face, patting it gently. "Penny! Iris sleep granny?"
"No, sweetie, I'm going to take you to Mommy tonight. She misses seeing you all the time, and this would be a wonderful Christmas present for the two of you." Shouldering the diaper bag, she left the room, happy to see the others were going to stay with Dave a bit longer.
"Hey, mind if I go up with you?"
"Not at all, Derek." They walked side by side until they reached the elevator. "I think she twitched a little when I set her hand down. My mind wants to say that she purposefully did that, that she missed my touch. But that's just wishful thinking, isn't it?"
He looked at her seriously as they stepped onto the elevator. "Baby Girl, you need to hold onto that hope, you really do. And maybe, just maybe, she was trying to reach out to you in the only way she can right now. Your mind is sharp as a tack, and I don't see you as someone reading too much into something."
She nodded, sagging a little against the wall. "I guess I just needed you to talk me down from the ledge." He nodded and as the elevator continued to rise, she listened to Iris babble away.
Alison was sitting up, reading a book, when they entered the room. "Penelope! What brings you here?"
"I think that Iris should spend Christmas Eve with her mother, don't you? Your doctor said that you were strong enough to take care of her during the night, and so…"
The young woman started crying, setting her book aside to hold out her arms to her child. Penelope handed her over, putting the diaper bag on the table next to Alison's other things. "If my doctor lets me, I'm going to come down and sit with Mama for a while tomorrow. My brother and sister are planning on coming up as well."
"That will be nice, Allie. Have a wonderful evening."
"You, too, Penelope." She waved to Iris as she left, a soft smile on her face. She decided to take the stairs down this time, tired of riding in the elevator. When she got back to Erin's room, the others had left and it was just the three of them once more.
"So, just us again?"
Dave looked up at her and nodded. "It gets a little oppressive in here. Only you and I aren't affected by it, it seems."
"Oh, I am, Dave, I just push past it for her sake. I have to." He nodded and she came to sit next to him once more. "Did you notice any more movements or noises while I was gone?"
"Nothing. Why?"
"I thought she tried to squeeze my hand earlier. I know it's always so cheesy when I see it on television, but do you think we should ask her to give us signs that she's in there, that she is trying to wake up?"
"I suppose anything is worth a shot, Kitten." She smiled sweetly at him and picked up Erin's hand. "Erin, cara, Penelope is holding your hand right now. Do you think that you could squeeze it once, to let us know that you can hear us, that you're trying to come home. I could use a bit of a Christmas miracle at this point, my love."
They waited for some indication that she was there with them, unable to say anything yet still wanting to be there with them. It seemed like there would be no magic in the evening for them, and as the minutes ticked by, Penelope felt herself tear up. Unconsciously, she began to pull her hand back, and then Erin's fingers tightened around hers. Penelope looked up at Dave, sucking in a deep breath, jerking her head towards their entwined hands. "David," she hissed happily and he nodded.
"Erin, if you can hear me, squeeze Penelope's hand two times." It was so faint, and yet so clear. Two distinct squeezes on her hand had her bursting into tears, tightly griping Erin's hand in return. "I'm going to go get the night nurse, Kitten. Stay here with her."
Penelope nodded, arching up into the light rubbing of her arm. Excitement thrummed through her body as she bent over the bed, resting her head on Erin's stomach as she looked up into her face. There was nothing there to indicate that she was nearing waking up, but the light squeezes had managed to restore her faith that something good was coming. "Oh, Erin, you're almost home to us. Your kids are all going to be here tomorrow, and you granddaughter. Wouldn't it be lovely if you were awake for them?"
The door squeaked and she sat up to look at the people who were coming in. Doctor Winchester was smiling a little, while Pam, the night nurse, couldn't hide her look of jubilation. "So, Dave just told me that we may have a bit of a Christmas miracle on our hands. If you don't mind, I have a few tests that I need to run through with her, so if you could go stand over by Dave."
She nodded and stood up, trying to untangle her hand from Erin's. Her friend just tightened her grip and Penelope glanced up at the doctor. "She won't let go." Sitting back down, she leaned in close to Erin's ear. "Honey, you have to let me go for just a moment. The doctor wants to run some tests to see how close you are to fully waking up, okay? We're right here, we just can't stay by your side for this," she whispered before kissing the woman's cheek.
Finally, the grip on her hand relaxed and she stepped back by Dave, leaning into him as he wrapped his arm around her waist. "She's there, Kitten. She has to be. I mean, she wouldn't hang on to you if she wasn't fighting her way back."
"Right? I was so amazed when she responded to me. I'm hoping that tomorrow shows us an even bigger miracle." He nodded against the top of her head and she dug her hand into the fabric of his shirt. Penelope found that she couldn't watch what the doctor was doing, so she turned her face into Rossi's chest, breathing in the comforting scent of his aftershave.
It seemed like an eternity passed before Doctor Winchester addressed them once more. "I am cautiously optimistic that Erin will wake up within the next three days. She responded to all my stimuli tests, which is a wonderful sign. I hope this is a blessing for you to hear."
She nodded and Dave reached out for his hand, shaking it vigorously. "Thank you, so much, Doctor Winchester. I've really appreciated the way you've taken care of Erin."
"You are most welcome. I'll see you both tomorrow." They nodded and he left the room with Pam. Penelope turned to Dave, hugging him tightly.
"Oh, this is so wonderful!" she squealed with happiness, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I want to tell everyone, but I don't want to jinx anything."
"I know what you mean. Why don't you sit on the other side of her, and we'll each hold her hand?"
"That sounds perfect, Dave. And we can sing her favorite Christmas hymn." He nodded and moved her chair, and she settled in it, picking up Erin's left hand. Once Dave had picked up her right hand, they began to sing softly. This time, when Erin tightened her grip on Penelope's hand, she didn't gasp, instead smiling all the wider as she and Dave finished the song. Locking eyes with him, she knew that Erin's grip was just as strong on his side and she nodded at him before a large yawn escaped her body.
Chuckling a little, he motioned towards the bed, and she shook her head. "I don't want to leave her side, either, Kitten. But your back will really hate you in the morning."
"I don't care, Dave," she replied as she nestled her head on her other arm, watching Erin's stomach move up and down with her breaths, the steady motions lulling her into a deep sleep.