Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds... I wish I owned it!

Come day 3 of Derek's confinement he could feel himself near enough crawling the walls, he was only hearing about Penelope's condition from word by mouth, he needed to see her. He cursed Reid for sharing his germs this time, knowing that he was laid up with the flu as well.

He left his room, finally feeling more like himself, he went downstairs in search of his mom or a phone. He walked into the kitchen and found Rossi standing talking to his mom, he smiled.

'Look whose up.' Rossi said with a smile, he saw Derek's expression and the way his lips readied to speak. 'She's not great today, they can't get her fever down and when they do they can't keep it down. She's got a chesty cough; doctor was worried this morning that it could turn into a chest infection with the multiple breaks to her ribs.' He saw Derek's face twist with so many emotions. 'They think the knife that Sam used was dirty, it looks like Penelope's wound is infected, and that won't be helping the fluey side of her health.'

They watched Derek walk away worried, and as they followed him they watched him slump onto the sofa exhausted. 'Count yourself lucky you're able to get up out of bed, JJ said Reid's really suffering.'

'Good.' Derek said and put his arms over his eyes. 'I need to see her; I need to see she's doing okay.'

Rossi sighed. 'You won't be allowed in her room.'

'I've already got the same thing as her.'

'Don't make it worse eh?' Rossi bargained and Derek nodded. 'Go get ready, seeing you might make Penelope feel better.' With that Derek rushed off and upstairs.

Walking through the corridors, Derek was eager, he wanted to see Penelope in front of him, see her for himself, and then he turned and her room came into view, the door was slightly ajar and he could see Emily sitting outside the room. 'Not going in, outside.' Derek reluctantly agreed.

Derek stood and looked in at Penelope, she was asleep, her hands rested on her stomach, she was reattached to a heart monitor, she had the oxygen tubes propped under her nose again and she looked paler than she had even after the surgery.

'It's all just precautionary.' Emily told him as she stood beside him. 'She's got a slight wheeze, coughing causing pressure on her sides, and her heart rates all over the place so they want to make sure that they have it monitored. She's still being her sarcastic self.'

'Didn't surprise me that she'd stop that.'

'How you feeling now Derek?'

'I'm feeling good, just tired but I'm missing her.'

'She's missing you too.' Emily said as they watched Hotch watch over Penelope with the eyes of a eagle. 'She's in good hands.' She commented and then Penelope began to cough, waking herself up abruptly, struggling to sit up, Hotch jumped up and helped her. Emily leaving Derek and his mom to worry went into the room. 'Need me to get anyone?'

'No.' Penelope said hoarsely as the cough disappeared leaving her throat sore, she fell backwards completely exhausted, her eyes closed again, as she just breathed.

'Penelope, why don't you look out of the window, there's a surprise.' Hotch said smiling and slowly Penelope opened her eyes and looked, her eyes laying straight on Derek who smiled back as she smiled at him. 'We thought you needed him.'

'I do.' She said and closed her eyes, Hotch got up and left the room when she just fell back to sleep. He took one look at Derek and smiled.

'Good to see it hasn't knocked you for six.'

'Nothing can keep me away from her.'

'I guessed that.' Hotch told him. 'She's just exhausted at the most, but you and me need to have a talk.' Derek nodded and followed their boss away and out of the ward they were in, Hotch led him to the cafeteria and they sat down. 'She's done nothing but worry about you, she feels like she needs to look after you.'

'Why? She's the one in hospital not me.'

'She's scared to admit this fully but she really does love you, more than she'll ever tell you. What happened with Sam just pushed what she tried to give up on to the surface.' Hotch watched as Derek's face changed, he looked defeated. 'Derek, you cannot expect her to just be all there with a relationship with you, as much as she wants to its going to take a hell of a lot more than casual sayings to her. You both nearly destroyed one another because of a woman. You need to re-establish what you had.'

'And I will, if it kills me because I can't do with her and I know she can't do with me. She knows I love her, and she knows why I turned, why I believed Sam so easily, that's all water under the bridge but I want my baby girl home and I want her home with me.'

'I've been thinking, what if we got a doctor to check you over, I think the only way to get you two on track is being together again.' Hotch asked Derek. 'See if it's safe to let you two be together because as much as I try, I'm not what Penelope needs right now.'

'Can we do that?'

'I can.' He said with a twist of his mouth, Derek watched his boss smile. 'Time apart makes the heart grow fonder and all that.'

'You're going soft.'

Hotch laughed. 'Being around Penelope actually has that affect, it's kind of scary.'

'She's an influence to have around.' Derek said as they stood and made their way back. 'Thanks for that Hotch.'

'No problem Derek, you just need to be slow, not rushing into things, you'll both be better for it in the long run.'

Later that day Derek sat in Penelope's room completely satisfied and he had no intention moving. She was yet to wake up but just being with her made him feel better.

'Longest three days of my life handsome.' Penelope's voice rang out sore as she remained still, her eyes still closed.

'It really was baby girl.' He said and kissed her hand. 'But I'm back and I'm here.' She nodded as she inhaled deeply and fell back to sleep.

Rossi, satisfied that all was well and he was not needed anymore decided a certain woman needed to be cross examined and taken apart piece by piece. He strolled into the building, officers looking at him warily.

'Agent Rossi, we've been trying to get hold of you.'

'Right why? I was at the hospital.'

'We have an escapee.' The deputy told him, and he watched Rossi's eyes change and the pupils dilate as realisation happened. 'Sophie McAnder's escaped, killed 2 officers, wounded 3 while she was at it, we've been trying to get hold of you. She's going after Penelope Garcia and Derek Morgan.'