Chapter 8
"Hey babygirl," Morgan greeted.
"Hey, hot stuff," Garcia replied. She tried to sit up.
"Uh-uh-uh," Morgan scolded, "sit back down. The nurses will be in a few minutes to change your bandages."
Garcia rolled her eyes.
"You don't want to get an infection from the burns," Morgan explained.
"Right. The burns and the stabbing."
"Hey," Morgan consoled, "Hotch loves you. He'll love you no matter what. And I think you're beautiful, myself sweetness."
"But what if he's just saying that?" Garcia asked.
"Penelope," Morgan answered, "Hotch is an honest man. He will never lie. They just...wanted to make you feel insecure. Don't let them win." He pecked her arm.
"I wonder what Hotch will have to say about that," Garcia quipped.
"There's the baby girl I know," Morgan smiled, "go make him jealous. But not until you get better, okay?"
"Okay."
After Morgan left, Hotch walked in with Chief Cruz.
"Chief Cruz?" Garcia asked.
"Please," Cruz said, "it's Matt."
"I'm sure you're here to take our statements," Hotch said.
"No, I'm here as your friend," Cruz said, "local PD are cleaning up the mess in the warehouse. And as for the shooting, let's just say they deserved it." He turnend and smiled at Hotch.
"But you can't-" Garcia started.
"I think I can embelish some of the reports," Cruz smirked.
The Section Chief paused and looked at his technical analyst.
"So you mean to tell me her brothers did all of this?!"
"Don't call them that," Garcia snapped, "they burned me alive. It's a miracle that Aaron can look at me the same way."
"Hey," Hotch whispered, planting a kiss on her lips, "you will always be my sweet Penelope."
"And what's worse is we used to be really close," Garcia ranted, "he pushed me on the swingset and I confided in him about my first love. And Lucas was the one who consoled me when Mom and Dad died and-
The anger was boiling for a long time. It was clear this rant was something Garcia needed to get out of her system. Hotch and Cruz had to physically restrain her.
"Shh...Penelope. It's alright. Let it out," Hotch coaxed. And Garcia let out the biggest wail ever.
"And now that's shattered," Garcia cried, "they refused to contact me for twenty years. And I've tried to contact them plenty of times. And then they show up and do this to me!" She pointed at her whole body.
"And now, I have no family."
"That's not true," Cruz said, "you have Aaron and the rest of the team."
"What about Michael?" Hotch asked.
"I've only talked to him twice a year. He's always teaching somewhere. Last I heard, he was in Alaska on a sabbatical."
Hotch made a note of that. Maybe he could convince Michael to come down. The whole time he was rocking Garcia he thought Come back to me Penelope.