Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

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'Morning Penelope.' Fran said with a smile as she entered the room. She knew Penelope was awake as she heard the quiet conversation between her and Derek. 'Morning Derek.'

'Morning.' They both said in unison, except Penelope's carried on into a chesty cough. Derek again drew the straw to her lips and she drank slowly.

'How you feeling today?' Fran said taking the chair Hotch had previously occupied.

'A bit better... I'm pretty fed up of feeling tired.'

'I suppose you are... but it'll all work out good you'll see.' Fran offered her a smile and Penelope just nodded.

They continued to talk, Derek and Penelope told Fran about the nightmare, Derek also commented on how Hotch was truly reluctant to leave. Then the nurse came in and sorted Penelope out for the morning, whilst connecting the feeding tube, it became apparent how much the 4 months had affected Penelope's body, her ribs too evident, the bruising to her abdomen too severe but Derek forced himself to look, he had no idea why but he felt he needed to.

'So plans today?' Penelope asked once the nurse was gone.

'Whatever you want them to be baby girl.'

'How about you going home and getting some proper sleep.' She saw him about to argue back. 'Handsome... you need to rest.' She paused as she coughed again. 'And I know you're mom's not going anywhere.' He sighed. 'Please?'

'Okay baby girl... but I will be back.'

'I know you will.'

'Before you know it.' She nodded and let a small smile cover her lips as she got tired again. 'I'll go when my mom's back, but you just sleep okay?' She nodded and closed her eyes, doing the thing that she was fed up with doing. When she opened her eyes again it was to a room with only her and Fran.

'He went home then?'

'He did... thank you.'

'Thank you?' Penelope repeated slightly confused at being thanked.

'Yes thank you for getting my son to go home and catch up on some proper sleep.'

'Well he needs it as much as anyone... and sleeping... in that chair is not going to work.'

Hours later Derek walked into the hospital, he had gone home, taken a shower, and crawled into bed, sleep found him easily, his baby girl wanted him to take it so he took it. Nearly 4 hours later he awoke and thought it was time to go back. He checked his cell and the main phone and found no messages to alert him to anything so he relaxed and took his time getting to the hospital knowing both his mother and Penelope would be happily with the more time he spent at home. He got into the SUV Hotch had gotten for him while he was in Chicago and drove to the hospital.

He was walking up the corridor when he saw his mom walking back in with the jug of water from Penelope's bedside. He hurried and walked in to find Penelope sitting upright, she looked to the door way and smiled.

'Surprise.' She had with a raspy voice, her eyes looking groggy but happy.

'What... when did this happen?' He stuttered as she was no long lying down with the drainage tube , or with the chest tube to help with her lungs.

'About an hour after you went home baby.' Fran said in response and put the straw to Penelope's lips. 'She only just woken up, so you two have good timing... or sixth sense.' She said with a smile. 'Although I'm going to toy with the idea of lover's intuition.' Both Derek and Penelope laughed.

'Handsome... you really need to stop staring.'

'Sorry... I can't believe it... it's a...'

'Major difference?' Penelope ended for him, she then relaxed into the pillows placed behind her. Derek just nodded, Penelope no longer had the bandage around her head, she had a biggish square plaster nearing the back of her head, he hair evidently separated the best it could be to allow access. He now saw the long cuts to the side of her head as well as the large cut that ran from her left temple into her hair.

'Why didn't you call me?'

'We wanted to surprise you.'

'Well you did it.' He came out with a large smile, he approached the bed and dropped a kiss on Penelope's head. 'You really did.'

'Derek.' His mom said.

'Handsome... although this is good there is the down side.'

'What?' He said worriedly.

Penelope started to cough again. 'That cough.' His mom pointed out. 'It's pneumonia from when Penelope's lung collapsed when she was brought in.'

'How bad?'

'They're going to start her on antibiotics so they should work but they're going make her sleep a lot.'

'But it's easily treatable?'

'Yes handsome it is... its a common complication with punctured and collapsed lungs.' Penelope said when her bout of coughing ending, she saw and heard the worry plaguing Derek's voice and face. 'I'll bounce back but forget about it, drugs sort that, I'm nearly tube free!' She joked and Derek relaxed furthermore and kissed her again. 'I can now sit up.'

'With help.' Fran pointed out. 'She's allowed to sit up with help and not without it.'

'I'll admit, I don't even want to try and get up on my own... I have no strength and the pains in my sides are still bad.'

'It's all normal.' Fran chucked in before Derek could question again. 'Did you sleep?'

'I did over 4 hours.'

'Wow that's impressive, you look better for it handsome.' Penelope said.

'I feel better.' Was all Derek replied as the nurse came in and inserted a hypodermic to Penelope's IV, she pushed the clear liquid in and then checked all of Penelope's vitals. Fran, Derek and Hotch were all used to it by now, it was a usual within the room.

'The antibiotics will make you increasingly tired so you just need to sleep them off. The next three days will be heavy doses so you should feel sleepy within about 5 minutes, but after the three days they will start to decrease.' Was all she said and then left the room.

No more ten minutes later Penelope was asleep, Fran had gone to get drinks and Derek just said and stared again, his thoughts coinciding with where his gaze was fixed. His mind kept running over the fact that his baby girl was indeed back, it had been a week and his mind was still trying to run the fact that she was back.

Fran walked in and he stood. 'I'm going to call Hotch, see if he got back okay and give him an update.'

'Okay... you okay Derek?'

'Yeah... minds still processing everything.'

'Understandable... you may see your sister's, they're coming here after work.'

'Are they?'

'Yeah... Des is still a little overwhelmed, as I'm sure you can understand.' Derek nodded. 'Right go and then you can get back.'

Derek walked out of the hospital and into the spring heat, it hit him that when Penelope did get out, she would be welcomed to heat and summer, he smiled that she could recuperate in the sun, but then thought to how many seasons she had missed, he missed watching the snow melt with the new spring days with her. He snapped into reality and grabbed his phone.

'Hotchner?'

'Hey Hotch, it's Morgan.'

'Everything okay?'

'Well as Pen put it with the good comes the bad side.'

'What do you mean?'

'Well I got back and she's had the draining tube removed and the chest tube.'

'But?'

'Well she's got pneumonia that was brought about from the punctured and collapsed lung.'

'But she will be okay?'

'Yeah... they've started strong antibiotics but she's been sitting up basically on her own and everything.'

'Well that's better than no news...' Hotch said with an evident smile in his voice. 'I'll let the other knows but we're already being pulled into a case, so I'll call when I can.'

'Okay... don't work to hard.'

'You sound like Penelope.'

'I'm doing her part for her.' He joked. 'You know she'd be saying it to you if we were there.'

'I do and its an appreciated piece of normalcy.'