Title: Regarding Penelope
By: bahjcb
Pairing: Morgan/Garcia
Rating: PG-13
Note: I recently re-watched the movie Regarding Henry
Summary: What if more happened to Garcia from her bullet wound than her heart stopping on the table? The team would have a lot harder time identifying her shooter if she was in a coma.
***
All conversation stopped as the surgeon entered the room. Derek froze. Or, at least, it felt like he did.For a moment, the surgeon said nothing. Finally, clearing his throat, he asked, "Are any of you Derek Morgan?"
Stepping forward, in front of the other agents, Derek simultaneously pulled out his badge for identification and said, "That's me."
The surgeon glanced at the identification and nodded.
"I'm Dr. Daniel Franks. I was the lead surgeon for Penelope Garcia's recent surgery."
Derek just nodded, hoping the other man would get to the point.
"You're listed as Agent Garcia's emergency contact."
"And?" Derek prompted.
"Agent Morgan, may I speak with you in private?"
Derek felt sick, but quickly agreed. Soon he was following Dr. Franks in his bloodstained scrubs, leaving the rest of the team behind to deal with the mounting nervous tension.
To the remaining members of the BAU team, it seemed to take hours before Derek returned. But, in reality, it was only thirty minutes.
When Derek finally did return to them, he looked slightly ill—more so than when he first arrived.
Taking over as spokesman for the group, Hotch stepped forward and asked, "Morgan, what's going on?"
It took him a second, but Derek finally seemed to come alive enough to answer.
"The…the bullet barely missed her heart. It ripped through her diaphragm, however, and nicked Pen's splenic artery. There was a lot of internal bleeding."
As Derek's voice trailed off, J.J. and Emily grabbed hands, hoping to give and get support for each other. Rossi stepped over and put a comforting hand on Reid helping to steady the shaking young man.
"Is Garcia all right?" Hotch demanded, trying to get Derek back from his thoughts.
"Her heart stopped on the table. They were able to get it beating once again but she was without oxygen for sometime. Dr. Franks said they'll know if there was any brain damage from the resulting anoxia when Pen wakes up."
"What's anoxia?" Emily asked, trying to wrap her mind around what Derek had just told them.
Absently, Reid replied, "It's a term that means 'without oxygen.' When do they expect Garcia to wake up?"
This time Derek looked down at his tightly clenched hands. Blinking back the tears, he answered, "They don't know. Penelope's slipped into a coma."
Seeing his girl so still and pale brought home to Derek how bad everything was. Lacing one hand with hers, Derek stared at their contrasting skin tones until he could bare it no more. Resting his forehead against their entwined hands, Derek started to pray.
"God, I know I haven't done anything to deserve your help. I've hated you for a long time. But if this is your way of punishing me, why did you have to bring Penelope into it…I'm sorry. Please, help her. Please let Pen be alright," Derek begged. "She loves her computers and if she couldn't run them…I could live with her hating me for the rest of my life as long as she's okay. Please, please help her. Amen."
Derek didn't raise his head, but continued to plead for mercy from on high as tears slipped down his face.
"Hello," Fran Morgan sleepily said as she answered her phone.
"Mom…"
Hearing the worry and despair in her son's voice, immediately woke her up. Sitting up and flipping on the lights, Fran asked, "Derek, what's wrong?"
"Garcia…Penelope…she's been shot."
"Derek, baby, start at the beginning," she instructed. "What happened?"
In a shaky and tearful voice, Derek told his mother everything. He started with what Penelope had told him about the guy she met, went to the fact that he'd gone to church, and ended with the fact that Penelope was in a coma.
Not pausing, Fran instantly replied as she got out of bed, "Derek stay at the hospital with Penelope. I'll be there on the next flight out."
"Mom, you don't have to…"
"Derek, you are going to want to catch the man who hurt Penelope. You also aren't going to want to her to be alone. I am coming."
"Thanks, Mom."
Fran could hear the relief in her son's voice and paused in her packing.
"Don't worry, baby. I'll be there soon."
Some hours later, Derek was resting his forehead against his and Penelope's intertwined hands, when he felt a gentle and familiar touch on his shoulder. Looking up, he gave his mother the best smile he could muster at the time—all and all, it wasn't much of one.
"Hi, Mom."
"Hello, sweetheart. Have there been any changes?"
Despondently, Derek shook his head no.
Brushing her hand across his head, Fran reassured him, "Don't worry. Penelope's a fighter. She'll come back to you. I promise."
"What if she's still too mad at me?"
Smiling, Fran replied, "Then Penelope will come back to give you a piece of her mind. Either way, you're not done with her yet."
At the moment, Derek didn't have the strength for laughing, but he did give his mother a watery smile before leaning against her for comfort.
"Morgan," Hotch said quietly for the doorway of Penelope's hospital room.
Derek looked over at his mother and she gave him a quick nod to show she was fine with staying with Penelope. Rising from his chair, Derek followed Hotch out into the hall.
Looking around first to make sure they were alone, Hotch leaned forward and said, "Do you know of anything Garcia might be involved in that the F.B.I. should know about?"
Scowling, Derek replied, "What's this about?"
"There are some encrypted files on Garcia's computer that no one can get to."
"What were you doing on her computers?" Derek snapped, interrupting his boss.
Trying to keep his cool, Hotch replied, "Maybe it's just a coincidence that Garcia's attacker went after a F.B.I. Technical Analysis, but if not, we need to find out why he picked her."
Stepping closer and glowering for all he was worth, Derek growled, "Penelope is not involved in anything illegal."
"Internal Affairs is worried because of the way Garcia was recruited."
"Damn it, Hotch! I don't care that Pen was an illegal hacker when they found her, she's not doing anything now."
"She told you?" Hotch asked, curiosity taking over him for the moment.
Rubbing a hand over his head, Derek nodded. "Garcia and I have been friends for a long time. She told me after Buford," he reluctantly added.
"Morgan, I don't believe Garcia was up to anything illegal either but I have to ask…"
"If she encrypted files on her computer it was for a damn good reason, Hotch!"
Before he could continue to yell at his boss, Fran came into the hall and set a hand on her son's arm.
"Derek, concentrate," she ordered. "You need to help Penelope, not get angry."
Taking a steadying breath, Derek acknowledged his mother's words with a nod.
"Now, think like a profiler. Why would Penelope have encrypted files on her computer?"
Fran and Hotch watched as Derek started to concentrate on the matter at hand.
"It would be something important…something she was trying to protect…"
"Or someone," Hotch muttered.
Fran, hearing Hotch, asked, "Derek, who would Penelope try to protect?"
Derek's head shot up as he looked at Hotch. "Us! Garcia would have encrypted our files after what happened with Elle! She wasn't doing anything illegal, Hotch. She was trying to protect the team."
As that made more sense to Hotch than Garcia selling secrets, he agreed. Before leaving though, he asked, "Morgan, has there been any change?"
"No." Derek looked down. "There's no change at all."
Fran grabbed her son's hand in a show of support. Giving Derek's hand a tight squeeze, she asked Hotch, "What about the case? Are you any closer to catching the guy who did this?"
"No."
At this, Derek looked up sharply at his boss.
"What do you mean no? What about that bastard she went on the date with?"
"We haven't been able to find anyone who was able to identify him. We're working on it, Morgan," Hotch promised.
"Well, that doesn't seem to be good enough, is it?"
"Derek!" Fran reprimanded.
"It's alright, Mrs. Morgan. I understand," Hotch assured her. "We're doing everything we can."
Turning, Derek headed back for Penelope's hospital room saying, "Let me get my coat. I'm coming back with you."
"No," Hotch declared.
At Derek's look of disbelief, Hotch hurried on. "We don't know who this guy is or if he'll try to come back after Garcia. Right now, I think it would be best if you stay with her. Keep her safe." As a further gesture of goodwill, Hotch added, "I'll send a copy of the case files to you for review."
"Thanks, Hotch."
With that, Derek headed back into Penelope's room, but Fran hesitated behind. Making up her mind, she turned to Hotch and said, "He's in love with her."
"I know," Hotch acknowledge with a nod. "He doesn't know it though."
Fran gave him a small smile. "No, he doesn't. Not yet."
Hotch started to walk away, but turned back around at Fran's voice.
"Thank you for being so good to my son."
"We're lucky to have him on the team, Mrs. Morgan."
Fran just smiled and nodded, glad to have reached an understanding with her son's boss.
"Have you called her family?"
Derek looked up in surprise when his mother reappeared.
"Her family?"
"Sweetie, you told me once that Penelope has four brothers."
"Oh, I…no, I don't think anyone's told them."
"Do you want me to run by her apartment? See if I can find an address book?"
Derek stared for a second before standing up and grabbing a box he had shoved under Penelope's bed.
"It's her things," he explained to his mother. "She would at least have their numbers in her phone."
"Hand it over," Fran commanded, holding out her hand.
"Mom, I'll call."
Fran looked like she was going to argue, but she nodded her head and let Derek handle it.
Twenty minutes later, Derek came storming back into the room with a black look upon his face. Worried, Fran jumped up and rushed over to her son.
"Derek, what's wrong?"
It took him a few minutes to answer he was so angry. Instead, Derek took several deep breaths as he flexed his hands into fists.
"Those bastards!"
Normally, Fran would reprimand her son for his language, but she was too worried to say anything.
"Derek?"
"Edward Garcia has moved."
"What?"
"I called her oldest brother. He and his family moved six months ago without telling her. The person who has their number now has no idea where they are. I had to leave a message for John with his secretary because he was just too busy to come to the phone!"
"And the other two?" Fran asked cautiously.
"More of the same thing."
Derek ran a hand over his head and paced the length of the room.
"Damn it, Mom! Penelope deserves better than that. Why would they treat her this way?"
"Derek, baby, not every family is as close as ours is." Rubbing a hand up and down his arm, Fran added, "But, she has us now."
Turning to his mother, Derek pulled her into a tight hug. Soon, Fran felt tears wet the top of her head. She always hurt when her babies hurt. Now, however, was one of the times it hurt the worst. The times she couldn't do anything to make it better.
At the moment, Fran (besides a couple of large F.B.I. agents standing outside the door and guarding the room) was alone with Penelope. Derek, she decided, needed a shower and a nap on a bed instead of a hospital chair, so Fran sent him off, promising to watch Penelope until he returned.
Derek had been gone for about an hour went Fran heard movement coming from Penelope's bed. Putting down the book Derek insisted she read to his baby girl—so Penelope would know she wasn't alone, Fran stood up and moved closer. She didn't have long to wait until Penelope's eyes fluttered open.
Smiling at the other woman, Fran squeezed her hand as she said, "Welcome back. I'm going to get the doctor. I'll be right back."
Penelope didn't say anything. Instead, she just stared blankly at Fran.
***
Derek went home, took a shower, and changed clothes, but he didn't take a nap. Hotch had sent over the files, but he could only read them so many times before the words blurred. Determined to see if the team had come up with any new leads while he was gone, Derek headed to Quantico.
Hoping that some of the figurines Penelope had scattered around her office would brighten her hospital room, Derek headed there first. Seeing someone else in her office, he narrowed his eyes and stalked in, ready to ream the interloper.
"Who are you?"
The tech startled before looking up, wide-eyed, at the much larger man.
"I—I'm Kevin Lynch."
"What are you doing in Garcia's office?"
"I'm working here until she gets back."
Leaning closer, Derek growled, "I hope you realize this is just temporary."
Kevin quickly nodded.
"Good. And remember, treat her office with respect. Do NOT mess it up! Understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good."
Grabbing a couple of things he knew to be her favorites, Derek gave Kevin one last glare before leaving Penelope's office.
Hotch looked up when he heard the knock on his office door.
"Morgan, come in. How's Garcia?"
"No change," Derek replied as he moved into the room. "Any leads?"
"No."
"Damn it," Derek growled. "Hotch, why would someone hurt her like this?"
"I don't know. I wish I could tell you."
Derek nodded and stood up. "I've got to get back to the hospital."
Hotch nodded. "We'll call you the moment we find out anything."
"Thanks."
Derek was heading towards the elevators when Kevin Lynch came scurrying up to him.
"Um…Agent Morgan," he tentatively called.
Derek turned around and looked at the tech curiously.
"What?" he asked, not really caring about politeness.
Kevin handed him a disk, saying, "This uniformed police officer showed up. He wanted the cases of his that Agent Garcia flagged. I don't know why, but I thought I better give a copy of the cases to someone."
Derek took the disk and nodded. "Thanks. I'll look them over."
Kevin started to walk away, but then turned back. "I—I…ah…I hope Agent Garcia gets better. From her computer I can tell she's a really cool girl."
For the first time, Derek grinned. "The coolest."
Derek arrived back at the hospital to see a flurry of activity and his mother standing out in the hall. Quickly, he jogged up to her, worry wrapping around him like a dark cloud.
"Mom, what's going on?"
Fran turned to him with a grin.
"Penelope's woken up."
"She's up?"
"For the moment, she tired. The doctors assured me that was normal."
"So, what are they doing?"
"They're running some tests," Fran told her son. "They're trying to see if there was any brain damage."
Derek sucked in a breath. The longer she had been out, the more worried he'd been that she'd never wake up. For a while, Derek forgot that that could be the least of his worries.
Stepping around his mother, Derek walked into Penelope's room. He didn't move in very far, wanting to stay out of the way, but he wanted to know what was happening.
Derek's entrance did not go unnoticed, at least by Penelope. Seeing him enter the room, she turned her attention from the doctor to Derek. She didn't say anything, she just stared.
The doctor sitting with her, whom Derek would latter find out was a neurologist named Dr. Matt Smythe, turned to see what had caught Penelope's attention. He smiled when he saw Derek. The nurses had told him all about Penelope's co-worker who wouldn't leave her side. Dr. Smythe was glad she had someone there for her.
"Penelope, can you tell me who that is?"
Penelope's face turned into that thoughtful look Derek had seen on her more than once. It coming up while she was trying to remember his name, however, worried him.
"I…h-h-hot st-uff," she replied with a blush creeping up her face.
Dr. Smythe burst into laughter.
"Very good! I doubt that's his given name, but that's progress."
Penelope's forehead creased in frustration. "Th-th-at's all I c-an re-re-member."
As Derek listened to her stutter as Penelope tried to form words, his heart dropped. Then, swallowing his worry, Derek vowed to help her in any way he could.
Walking towards the bed, he gave her his most charming grin.
"That's okay, baby girl, we rarely call each other by our first names anyway. I'm Derek Morgan."
"D-erek."
"Right," he praised with another grin.
Dr. Smythe interrupted their conversation by saying, "Penelope's having some trouble forming words, but, she's already improved just in the time we've been talking."
"That's my girl!"
Penelope blushed, but looked rather pleased.
"She also has some memory loss, but we won't know how much until we do some further evaluations."
Derek nodded to show he was paying attention.
"If her progress keeps up, we'll be able to move Penelope to a rehabilitation facility within the week."
"No," Derek interrupted emphatically. "Pen is not going to a facility. She's staying with me. I'll take care of her."
"Agent Morgan…" Dr. Smythe started.
"It's not up for negotiation, doctor. Pen's staying with me. I can drive her to rehab every day, but she's not staying in some damn facility!"
A large grin crossed Penelope's face, she may not remember Derek Morgan very well, but already, she could see why she instantly felt glad to see him.
The BAU team stood nervously in the hall, waiting for Derek to let them see Penelope. They were getting nervous while waiting, as it seemed like Derek would never come out.
After some time, however, it wasn't Derek who came out. It was Fran.
"What's going on?" Reid demanded.
"Derek told you about Penelope's memory loss?"
Everyone agreed that he had.
"She's a little…worried about meeting all of you. Penelope's feeling a little overwhelmed."
"Should we go in one at a time?" J.J. asked.
"No, she would rather see you all at once," Fran replied. "Just don't crowd her."
Everyone agreed and slowly followed Fran into Penelope's room. Entering her room, they all found Penelope propped up in bed and holding Derek's hand in a death grip.
"Hi, Garcia," Emily hesitantly said.
"H-h-hi."
Hotch, J.J., and Rossi all quickly said hello back. Everyone felt awkward and the tension in the room rose.
"Baby girl, this is our team. Rossi—the new guy, Hotch—our leader, J.J.—our P.R. person, Emily—the talkative one," Derek teased. Emily grinned at that. "And last, but not least, our resident genius, Reid."
"Hello, Garcia," Reid finally said. He was having a hard time seeing his vibrant friend looking so pale and uncertain.
Penelope didn't even try to stutter out a greeting this time, but instead, just gave Reid a small smile.
Fran was worried. Having the five of them stare at Penelope like they were sure she was going to break any minute could not be helping the woman she thought of as a third daughter.
"Agent Hotchner," Fran said, interrupted the strained silence. "How is the investigation going?"
"We don't have any new leads at this time." Turning from Fran to Penelope, Hotch asked, "Garcia, can you remember anything about the shooting?"
Penelope shook her head no before finally venturing, "Ev-ery-one s-s-seems f-familiar, b-b-but…"
"It's okay, baby girl," Derek interrupted before kissing the top of her head. "You just tell me if you do remember anything to help us catch that bastard, okay?"
Penelope nodded and squeezed his hand.
"Garcia," Reid tentatively ventured. When she turned to look at him, he added, "If you ever need to talk to someone, or if you need anything…"
"Th-th-an-thanks."
***
Derek was sitting next to Penelope on the bed, holding her hand tightly as Dr. Smythe prepared to give them her test results. Fran perched in a chair next to the bed and try to appear calm for the couple on the bed.
"Well," Dr. Smythe said with a large smile. "Penelope, I believe that your results are very positive."
"Really?" Derek asked for them.
"Oh, yeah! Your reflexes are still slow and it will be a while before you're walking without at least a cane, but that's nothing physical therapy can't help. Since you've woken up, Penelope, you've come an amazing way with just your speech therapy. If you keep going with that determination, you should be in top form in no time."
"Wh-at about my mem-mem-ories?"
"Well, the good news is that you don't seem to have problems encoding memories now."
"B-b-ut?"
"To be honest, I'm not sure you'll ever be able to regain all of your memories from before you were shot. That's something we'll just have to wait and see, but I wouldn't count on it."
Penelope nodded, disappointment seem to exude from her. Derek squeezed her against him in a tight hug. He didn't know what he could do to make things better, but he desperately wished that he could.
"What about the catheter?" Fran asked, hoping for some good news.
Dr. Smythe brightened at that. "Now as you all know, we just changed Penelope's suprapubic catheter three days ago. That means it's good for another four to ten weeks. Because of the trauma to your abdomen, Penelope, you're going to need to wear it for a least a couple more weeks. The good news is that you should have sufficiently recovered before we will need to replace it again."
"Is there anything special we need to know about the catheter?" Derek asked with all the intensity he usually kept for interviewing a suspect.
"I will give you detailed, written instructions long before you leave."
"So I c-an lea-ve to-mor-row?"
"That's right," Dr. Smythe confirmed with a grin. "You're leaving us all behind. And then in two days, on Thursday, you'll start rehab. You're going to do great!"
"Hey, baby girl," Derek said as he walked into Penelope's hospital room for the last time. "You ready to go?"
"Der-ek, you don't…"
"Stop right there, mama. I know I don't have to. I want to take care of you."
"My a-part-ment?"
"The unsub shot you there. He knows where you live. There is no way I'm going to let you stay there."
"Der-ek…"
"Don't even start," he commanded.
"Hot st-stuff," Penelope said with big, puppy dog eyes.
Derek started to laugh. "I'm on to you, baby girl. That won't work this time. I'm standing firm."
A smile spread across Penelope's face, letting him know she caught the "this time." Realizing that, Derek just grinned and shook his head.
Fran stepped into the room looking from Derek to Penelope before deciding she didn't want to know.
"Are you two ready to go?"
Derek glanced at Penelope and she nodded her head. Fran grabbed Penelope's bag while Derek grabbed a wheelchair.
"Wal-ker, hand-some," Penelope commanded as she pointed to her recently acquired equipment.
"Sorry, baby girl, hospital rules. But, don't worry; we're bringing the walker with us."
Penelope just grinned at him as Derek helped her into the wheelchair. Just as she got settled, Derek's cell phone rang.
Looping Penelope's bag over one shoulder, Fran said, "Get it. We'll head out."
Watching his ladies leave the room, Derek answered his phone, "Agent Morgan."
"Hello, I'm Stacy Leon, Senator Garcia's assistant. I'm calling about a message you left for him about his sister."
Derek froze when he realized who was calling. Trembling with rage, he snapped, "Senator Garcia was too busy to call himself for over three weeks?"
"Senator Garcia has many obligations. But, he has authorized me to release some funds to help pay for his sister's hospital bills."
"Tell Senator Garcia thank you, but it's too late and go to hell."
With that, Derek snapped his phone shut and stormed out the door.
Fran and Penelope looked up as Derek caught up with them. Seeing how angry he was, Penelope raised one hand and grasped his to get his attention.
"Hot st-uff, wha-at's wro-ng?"
Seeing her worried eyes look up at him, Derek instantly calmed. Leaning over, he kissed the top of her head.
"Nothing, baby girl. I promise. I'm fine now."
Neither woman seemed to really believe him, but they both let it go.
Derek unlocked the door, but stopped from opening it. Turning, he said, "I forgot about Clooney."
"Clue-knee?"
Grinning, Fran said, "Derek's overgrown puppy."
"He loves you," Derek added. "He might try to jump on you."
"O-k." As Derek didn't immediately open the door, Penelope added, "O-pen the door, hand-some."
Laughing, Derek did as he was told.
Clooney was waiting at the door. When he saw Penelope he started barking and jumping around enthusiastically.
"Clooney, sit!" Derek sternly commanded.
Instantly, Clooney did as he was told, but his tail was still waving so fast it looked like he might take flight.
"Welcome to Casa Morgan," Derek teased.
"I li-ke it," Penelope decided as she looked around.
Fran immediately took over, deciding that Penelope should be shown her room and bathroom first. As they all slowly made their way to the master bedroom, Clooney happily followed along behind.
"I hope you don't mind," Fran said as they entered the room. "But when I was packing your luggage, I grabbed some of your things to make you feel more at home."
As Derek looked around the room he was struck by how right it seemed to have his and Penelope's things intermingled.
"Th-ank you," Penelope sincerely replied. Turning to Derek she added, "Bu-t th-is is y-our room."
Derek just crossed his arms and tried to look as stern as possible. "Don't argue with me, baby girl. I'm not letting either you or my mother sleep on the couch and nothing you say will change my mind."
Clooney barked his agreement.
"Derek, what are you still doing up?" Fran whispered as she came out of the kitchen with a glass of water at two in the morning.
Derek was sitting on the couch, his blankets pushed to one end while he scanned the papers spread out before him on the coffee table.
"The team has been forced to take other cases. Pen's is being put on the back-burner."
Fran sat down on the couch next to her son and rubbed his back comfortingly.
Looking back at the file in front of him, Derek added, "I feel like I'm missing something, but I don't know what."
Standing up, Fran kissed the side of his head. "You'll figure it out," she told him encouragingly. "But go to sleep. You won't do anyone any good half asleep."
"Thanks, Mom," Derek replied with a grin. "I'll go to sleep soon, I promise."
"You had better," Fran threaten teasingly.
"You don't ha-ve to sta-ay," Penelope assured him as they walked into the rehab center.
"I know, mama, but I've brought work. It will be easier to work on it here than with Clooney jumping around me trying to play."
"Der-ek…"
Upon kissing the tip of her nose, Derek added, "Don't worry about me, baby girl. I'll be fine."
As a nurse led Penelope office, Derek reflected that the real reason he didn't dare leave her was the fear that she'd be back in that hospital bed if he left her alone.
Derek sat staring at his laptop as if the answers he was searching for would come to life if he stared long enough. A continuous digging in his hip, however, interrupted his concentration. Digging around in his coat pocket, Derek found the disk Kevin Lynch had given him.
"I forgot about you," he said to himself more than to the disk.
It didn't take Derek long to recognize that the same officer was first on every scene—Jason Clark Battle. And, just like Penelope, all three murder victims were shot with a revolver.
Before Derek could contemplate what that could mean, he heard a noise and looked up to see Penelope and her physical therapist making their way towards him. Shutting the laptop, Derek jumped up with a grin.
"How did she do?"
"Excellent, as always," Amy Nelson, Penelope's physical therapist assured him. "Tomorrow we're going to get rid of the walker and move up to a cane!"
Pulling Penelope into a sideways hug, Derek kissed the top of her head.
"Alright, baby girl! Congratulations."
Laughing, she replied, "Th-anks, hot stuff."
***
Penelope leaned heavily on her cane as she reached under the sink in the extra bathroom for her spare drainage bags. Fran usually helped her change the drainage bag on her catheter, but Fran was on a grocery run and asking Derek would be too awkward. Beside, Penelope decided as she grabbed a drainage bag, it wasn't that hard to do.Of course, thirty seconds later, she completely changed her mind. It was one thing to get the bag off; it was a whole other to get the new bag on. It wouldn't have been so bad except for the fact that Penelope's bladder started to drain once she got the drainage bag off. With urine shooting out the opening, it was hard to get the next bag on and soon there was a large mess.
Feeling absolutely helpless and completely frustrated with her situation, Penelope burst into tears.
Derek muted the game he was watching when he heard Clooney start to howl. Standing up, he left the game, and tracked his dog down. Clooney was sitting outside the spare bathroom howling in tandem to the wracking sobs Derek could hear coming from behind the door.
Pushing the dog out of the way, Derek distractedly said, "Quiet, Cloon." Turning towards the bathroom door, he asked, "Baby girl, are you alright in there?" As she didn't answer and continued to cry, Derek started to slowly open the door saying, "Pen, I'm coming in."
Urine has a distinctive smell, no matter how much water Penelope has to drink to keep her healthy with a catheter. Looking at her, Derek instantly knew what had happened.
Turning her tearstained face towards him, Penelope said between sobs, "I was just trying to change bags."
Not caring about anything other than the fact that his girl was upset, Derek hurried over and pulled Penelope into a tight hug. Rocking her gently, he kissed the top of her head, waiting for her to calm down.
Pulling back, Penelope wiped the tears off her face saying, "I sorry. I didn't mean to fall apart like that."
Silencing her with a quick kiss, Derek then said, "You don't have anything to apologize for, baby. You're due a few moments of falling apart every now and then." Pushing strands of blonde hair behind one of her ears, he added, "Let's get you cleaned up."
"Derek…"
This time, Derek just covered Penelope's lips with his fingers. "Baby, I'd carry you, but I'm afraid of aggravating the stoma around you catheter. Now, you can either come quietly or we can risk it."
Grinning at his high handed manner, Penelope said, "Get some towels or something for me to walk on. I'm dripping."
Giving her another quick peck, Derek commanded, "Stay put. I'll be right back."
Now that Penelope was no longer crying, Clooney was happy to trot back and forth between his people while Derek laid down a path of sheets between bathrooms. Once the cotton path was done, Derek hurried back to Penelope and helped her to the other bathroom with Clooney blissfully following along behind them.
Once in the master bath, Derek had Penelope sit down on the closed toilet lid. He then helped her remove her soiled bottoms and subsequently sponged her legs clean.
Standing up, Derek said, "We better clean that bandage, too, baby."
Penelope nodded and smiled as she watched him follow the doctor's instructions to the letter by washing his hands before putting on clean medical gloves.
Gently, Derek removed the bandage around the catheter. Before moving to the next step, he tossed the old bandage along with his gloves and repeated washing his hand and putting on new gloves. Tenderly, Derek held the catheter in place while he washed and rinsed the area around it.
While he patted the area dry with a soft towel, Penelope said, "Are you going to wash your hand and change your gloves again, handsome?"
Looking up at her with a grin, Derek replied, "That's the doctor's instructions, baby girl. I'm not deviating. Now, hold still, I just have to replace the bandage and the drainage bag and we're done."
It didn't take long before Derek finished up fixing Penelope's catheter. He then grabbed her a change of underwear and a pair of soft, warm pajama bottoms.
Once she was dressed, Penelope said, "Let me help you clean up that mess, sweetness."
"Baby, do not make me spank you! You are getting in that bed and you are resting."
"Yes, sir," she replied with a cheeky grin, showing Derek she wasn't really taking him seriously. Glad to have won a battle, however, he didn't fight it.
Seeing Penelope was going to take a nap, Clooney jumped up on the other side of the bed and laid down.
"That's right, Clooney," Derek praised the lab. "Watch our baby girl and make sure she rests."
Keeping her eye on Derek and a smirk on her lips, Penelope reached over and scratched Clooney on that spot behind his ears. The dog turned to mush. Derek just shook his head.
Fran came home to find the apartment unusually quiet and the television on but muted. Curious, she dropped the groceries off in the kitchen before search for someone. It didn't take Fran long to find her son on his hands and knees in the spare bathroom cleaning the floor.
"What happened?"
Derek jumped, startled. Looking over his shoulder, he grinned at his mother.
"Give a guy a little warning next time, Mom."
"Okay," Fran agreed with a smile. "Now, what are you doing?"
"Oh." Derek shrugged and went back to his cleaning. "We had an accident trying to change Penelope's drainage bag."
Fran leaned against the doorjamb and smiled benevolently at her son. She knew both Penelope and Derek well enough that she knew exactly who had the accident. Now the muted television made complete sense.
"Where's Penelope?"
"She's supposed to be taking a nap, but Clooney's watching her so there's no telling."
Laughing, Fran replied, "That dog would let her get away with murder."
Gathering up the paper towels he had been using, Derek stood up and turned towards his mother.
"Ha! Let her! Clooney would help her."
"He does adore Penelope. That is always a good sign."
Walking past her, Derek chastened, "Mom."
"I'm just saying…"
"I know what you're saying. Penelope's still recovering. I think this might be a little fast."
Following along behind him Fran replied, "Derek, sweetie, my beloved baby boy."
Derek stopped and turned around to face Fran when she started with the long list of endearments.
"You're being passed by sloths and snails."
"Ha, ha, ha," Derek replied as he headed back towards the kitchen garbage. "Now I know where Sarah gets her sense of humor from."
Deciding to let it go for now, Fran smiled and asked, "Where's Penelope's used bag?"
"I already washed it."
"Is there anything you need me to do?"
"Put up the groceries," Derek teased as he finished washing his hands.
"And what will you be doing, Agent Morgan?"
"Checking on my girl."
Fran knew that was code for watching Penelope sleep, but she just smiled and sent her son off.
"Derek Morgan, it had better be an emergency," Fran sternly instructed her son. "Because, I swear if you are calling to check up on us…Derek, we are grown women. Besides, Penelope's in physical therapy at the moment and I'm just sitting in the waiting room reading a book."
Racking his brain, Derek replied, "I just wanted to ask you if you'd walk Clooney when you got home."
"Uh huh," his mother intoned, showing that she didn't believe that for one minute. "You know, I thought it was incredibly nice of Agent Hotchner to allow you to do a lot of your work at home and to not travel. You know the best way to repay that kindness…"
"To pay attention to work while I'm here," Derek answered like a small child being reprimanded.
"That's right."
Out of the corner of his eye, Derek saw J.J. rushing towards him frantically. "Sorry, Mom. I've got to go."
"Call me if you need to head out of town."
"I'm not going out of town!"
"Morgan," J.J. hissed urgently.
"Bye, Mom."
Hearing her repeat the farewell, Derek snapped his phone shut.
"J.J., what's up?"
"Amber, Morgan," she whispered harshly.
Confusion over took his features as Derek repeated, "Amber Morgan?"
Growling in frustration, she hissed, "No, Morgan! Agent Amber Bell. One of your ex's."
"Oh. What about her?"
"She's on her way up here. I left Spence to hold her off." Glancing over her shoulder, J.J. added, "Crap. Here she comes. Remember, be cold. She's a piranha." With that, J.J. hurried off to go find Reid and comfort him after the ordeal he must have gone through.
Turning, Derek saw her. Amber Bell was one of those stunning women who knew she was attractive and use it to her advantage whenever she could. It had been years since they'd had a thing, but seeing her now, Derek wondered what he could possibly have been thinking.
"Hello, Derek," she murmured in that smoky sounding voice of her. "You look even better than the last time I saw you."
Standing up to keep distance between them and show her she had no effect on him, Derek replied, "Agent Bell, you are exactly the same."
Amber preened, and Derek thought that if she realized exactly what he meant by that, she wouldn't be happy.
Not letting Derek's standoffishness affect her, Amber sat down on the edge of his desk. This in turn, pulled her already short skirt up and showed off more of her shapely legs. Setting one hand down and leaning forward, Amber gave Derek a perfect look down her low cut blouse.
"So, I've heard what you did for that poor computer analysis on your team."
"Excuse me?"
There was a hard edge to his voice that Amber seemed to miss.
"You know how office gossip is. I met that Garcia once. She's chunky, kind of odd looking. She must have really appreciated you taking care of her."
All out glaring, Derek replied, "For your information Agent Garcia has a style that is all her own—that doesn't mean it's odd."
"What's got your short in a knot?" Amber asked with some irritation.
Growling, Derek angrily grabbed the file he had been working on.
"I would appreciate it if you wouldn't talk about things you have no idea about. And by the way, do up your shirt. You're about to fall out."
And with that, Derek walked off towards the conference room to work in peace.
"Hello, Mrs. Morgan," Amy Nelson perkily greeted Fran.
Smiling at Penelope's physical therapist, Fran set her book aside and stood up.
"How's Penelope doing?"
"I have great news. But, I'll let her tell you. Come on back with me."
Gathering her things, Fran followed the pint-sized cheerleader through the maze of halls till they arrived at the room Penelope was in. Seeing Penelope laying on a hospital bed, Fran forgot all about the promised good news and rushed in.
"Penelope, what happened?"
Smiled, the blond happily replied, "They're taking out my catheter."
"Really?" Fran asked, turning back to Amy for confirmation.
Amy quickly nodded. "Yep. Pen's ready to take charge of her bladder once more!"
"Oh, that's wonderful! Derek will be so excited."
Penelope grinned and replied, "Let's wait until he gets home to tell him."
Putting her phone back in her purse, Fran nodded in acknowledgment. "You're right. If we call him now, Derek will insist we all wait till he can be here to watch and make sure everything's okay."
"Despite his amazing medical expertise," Penelope teased, "I think he'll just get in the way."
***
"Be careful, it's hot!" the perky barista warned as she handed over their orders.
Scowling, Penelope replied, "I should hope that our coffee is hot."
The barista looked taken aback before hurrying off to help another customer. Fran, on the other hand, just gave Penelope a knowing looking.
"That was a little harsh, wasn't it?" Fran asked as they walked down the street, Clooney happily walking between them.
Penelope took a sip of her drink before answering. "Sorry, I didn't sleep well last night. I guess I'm kind of grouchy."
Fran patted her arm in a gesture of support. "What's keeping you up?"
"Clooney. I think he's having nightmares of some kind. Either that or he's chasing squirrels in his dreams now."
Fran laughed. Clooney had looked back at them when he heard his name, but seeing that he wasn't going to get any extra attention, he went back to checking out everything around them as they went on their walk.
"Pen, dear, are you sure that's the problem? You could easily lock Clooney out of your room."
Penelope was quiet for a while and Fran let her gather her thoughts.
"Tomorrow, I go in for my first appointment with the psychiatrist to see if I'm ready to go back to work. What if I'm not cleared, Fran? What do I do then?"
"And what if you are?"
Penelope nodded, showing that that fact worried her as well.
"I'm not sure I'm still able to do my job. What if I let the team down? What they do is so important."
Fran looped her arm around Penelope's, pulling her close.
"You could never disappoint your team. They may be your colleagues, but they are also your friends—your family. Whatever happens tomorrow, you'll be alright."
Grinning, Penelope added, "And I'll always have you."
"Damn right you will," Fran replied with a large smile.
As Derek watched Penelope play fetch with Clooney, he couldn't believe he had ever thought he was happy before this. Just being with Penelope in the park on a sunny day was better than any clubs he had gone to alone or any of the women he'd ever been with.
Laughing, Penelope pushed a strand of blonde hair behind one ear. "Clooney, I think we've played long enough, don't you?"
Clooney just pushed his stick into her hand and wagged his tail frantically.
"Okay, one more time," she agreed.
As she reached up to throw the stick once again, Derek caught a glimmer of something in the trees beyond her. In an instant, he knew what it was, but to late to do anything about it.
"Pen, gun!" he shouted, running for her.
The crack through the air followed by her body stiffening awkwardly before collapsing on the ground, just proved that he was too late.
Clooney arrived next to Penelope not long after Derek. The dog knew something was wrong, but didn't understand what. As Derek gathered her in his arms and tried to staunch the bleeding with his shirt that he had hurriedly ripped off, Clooney kept shoving his muzzle forward trying to get Penelope's attention.
"Clooney! Move!" Derek commanded, trying to push his dog's now bloody snout out of the way.
Looking around, Derek realized that no one seemed to notice their predicament. He couldn't believe that. Someone just shot the only woman he'd ever truly loved and no one noticed a damn thing.
"Someone call 911!" he shouted to the others littered around the park. Seeing someone reach for their cell phone while staring at him in shock, Derek looked down at the woman in his arms.
"Pen, baby girl. Stay with me."
He breathed a sigh of relief with her eyes fluttered open.
"Baby, stay with me."
"Der-rek," she whispered.
"That's me, baby." Leaning closer, Derek pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Stay with me. An ambulance is on its way. You'll be fine."
"L-ove you."
"I love you, too, baby girl."
Penelope gave him a half smile before her eyes glazed over.
"Pen! Baby! Baby, talk to me! Baby girl!"
Even as he pleaded with her, Derek knew it didn't matter. Penelope was gone.
Opening his eyes, Derek looked around frantically. Sitting up, he almost fell off the couch. Throwing his blankets off him, Derek rushed to the master bedroom, praying that it had just all been a very bad dream.
Seeing Penelope fast asleep with Clooney cuddled next to her, Derek breathed a sigh of relief. Just to make sure, however, he crept closer. Once again, relief filled him as he found her breath ruffling the fur on Clooney's head.
Unwilling to leave her just yet, Derek crept around till he was on the other side of the bed before cautiously crawling onto the mattress. Finally, he started to calm down and relax as he quietly watched Penelope sleep.
Derek was starting to fall back asleep himself and was trying to decide if he should go back to the couch, when Penelope sighed and her eyes fluttered open.
"Hey, handsome," she whispered, like she was used to waking up in the middle of the night to find him watching her.
"Hey," he whispered back with a grin.
Reaching over Clooney, Penelope grasped Derek's hand in hers.
"What are you doing up, hot stuff?"
"Nightmare."
"I'm just fine, Derek."
"I didn't mean to wake you."
"You didn't."
Derek stopped feeling guilty as Penelope grinned and rubbed her thumb against his hand.
"Tell me about when we met."
"It was several years ago."
"Are you telling me you can't remember, handsome?"
Derek grinned. Lifting her hand up, he pressed a kiss to her fingers. "No way, baby girl. I can remember it like it was yesterday."
Penelope smiled and her eyes drooped as Derek told her about the first time the met and how they started flirting right off, like it was the most natural thing in the world. He explained how they instantly became friends and that Hotch never even bothered trying to get them to speak more professionally to each other.
"We've always had fun together."
Giving his hand a squeezed, Penelope replied, "We still do."
Seeing her eyes droop once again, Derek replied, "I'll go back to the couch."
Tightening her grip on his hand, Penelope replied, "You won't get any sleep on that couch."
"But…" he started to protest.
"Sugar, don't worry. Clooney's sleeping between us." With a grin, she added, "He'll protect me from your advances."
Laughing Derek pressed another kiss to her hand before agreeing. "Clooney does love you best."
Penelope was tempted to fidget, but Derek was doing enough for the both of them. Leaning over, she laid a hand on his thigh.
"Sexy, calm down. You're not even the one going to see the therapist."
"I know. I just worry about you, mama."
"So I noticed," Penelope replied with a grin.
Before any explanations or justifications about his actions could occur the door leading from the lobby back to the doctor's office opened and a man in his mid to late forties entered the waiting room with a grin.
"Penelope Garcia?" he asked. As Penelope stood up, he added, "I'm Dr. Wesley McKnight."
Dr. McKnight held the door open to let her pass, turning to Derek he said, "We'll be fifty minutes."
"I'm fine," Derek assured him. He had no intention of leaving, no matter what the psychiatrist said.
"Well, we have a wide assortment of magazines. I tried to find some that are slightly more interesting than Psychology Today."
"I'm a profiler with the BAU," Derek replied.
Dr. McKnight grinned. "Well, maybe you'll enjoy Psychology Today. This month's issue is all about sex," he added as if he was letting Derek in on a great secret. "That always makes those dry articles slightly more interesting."
Derek just blinked in disbelief as Dr. McKnight shut the door.
Sitting down in his plush leather chair, Dr. McKnight said, "I'm sure you already know why you're here, but I'm required to go over it. I'll try to make it quick."
"Okay."
So far, Penelope wasn't exactly sure what to make of her therapist.
"We're going to have a couple sessions together to see if you're ready to return to work. When you're ready, I'll sign off and then you'll go back to work. The powers that be will probably make you work with another tech for a while, so you're not overwhelmed, but that most likely won't last more than a day or two—a week at most. Any questions?"
"No. Ah, Dr. McKnight."
"Call me Wes."
"O-kay."
Settling back into his chair, Wes said, "Tell me about you."
"What about me?"
"Anything and everything you want. I'm not picky." As he watched Penelope sit there quietly trying to think of what to say, Wes added, "Tell me about what you can remember. What's your earliest memory—now?"
"Agent Bell," a skinny, stereotypical computer nerd called as he chased Amber Bell down the hall.
Amber turned and gave him a stunning grin, "Hey, Joel."
"I have the information you requested."
"Already!" she replied.
"Well," Joel said with a grin. "If Agent Garcia were here we would have gotten it to you faster. She's amazing."
Grinning, Amber teased, "Sounds like someone has a crush."
Joel blushed and shifted uncomfortably. "It doesn't matter. Everyone knows she's Agent Morgan's property."
Putting a comforting hand on Joel's shoulder, Amber seriously replied. "J, I think you're better off without a woman who would let a man referred to her as his property."
"Well, I don't think anyone would actually say that to her face."
"Ah!" Amber replied with a knowing grin. "I know Morgan. I can see why the office gossip would imply that."
Joel's face suddenly became very serious. "He'll treat her right, won't he? I mean, I like Agent Garcia. She's really nice. She'd do anything to help other people. I'd hate to see her hurt."
Amber froze, unable to give her friend reassurance. From the contact she'd had with Morgan, she knew he was a nice guy, but he didn't seem to have any staying power when it came to women. If she knew more about Garcia…maybe she could assure Joel that Garcia would be fine. Amber didn't think telling Joel that Morgan was faithful while he was interested was exactly what the man wanted to hear.
Smiling, Wes said, "Our time is up. Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?"
Penelope grinned in replied. "No it wasn't."
"Good. So, I'll see you next week. Same time, same place."
"Sounds good," she agreed, opening the door.
As Penelope walked out of Wes' office, she found Derek flipping through a Popular Mechanics magazine without seeing any of the pages in front of him. He glanced up, however, and when he saw her, Derek tossed the magazine aside and stood up.
"Ready to go, baby girl?"
Slipping her arm around his, Penelope said, "Let's go, handsome."
Once the lobby door closed behind them, Penelope said, "Derek, you don't have to drive me home. I can just take a bus or call Fran. She'll come pick me up."
"I know that, baby girl, but I've got plans for us this afternoon."
"Oh?" she asked, intrigued.
Derek just smiled and kissed her cheek.
"It's a surprise. And, no amount of wheedling will get me to tell you where we're going."
Flashing him a grin, Penelope replied, "Oh, we'll just see about that."
***
Like Vanna White showing off the newest prize puzzle, Derek excitedly introduced Penelope to her afternoon surprise. Penelope just looked at him blankly.
"Amy said you're ready to start driving again."
"Okay?"
"This is your car. Esther!"
"You named my car!"
This wasn't going how Derek imagined at all. Shoulders slumping, he replied, "No, baby girl…" He trailed off, however, when he saw the teasing glint in her eyes.
"Very funny, Mama."
"I thought so," she giggled.
Walking forward, Penelope ran her hand along the side of the car.
"So, this classic baby is mine?"
"You were very excited when you bought it."
"Have you ever driven it?"
Wrapping his arms around her waist, Derek said, "Why would I want to drive when I could have such a gorgeous female as yourself to chauffeur me?" Kissing the side of her neck, he added, "You're a great driver, baby girl. I'll be with you the whole time. It'll be fine."
Turning in his embrace, Penelope grinned and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Hand over the keys, handsome. Let's see what this baby can do."
"Ten and two, baby girl," Derek casually instructed as they drove down the street.
Penelope just flashed him a grin and kept her hands at nine half and three.
"How are you planning on passing your driving test if you don't follow the rules exactly?"
"Handsome, I already have a license. And, you forget, but I've been watching you drive for the past several months. You, Derek Morgan, do not follow every traffic law there is and don't even pretend you do."
"I'll have you know, Mama, that I'm excellent driver."
Slowing down as they came towards a light, Penelope replied, "And I'm sure that one day you'll be the bane of your teenagers' existence as you teach them to drive."
"Goddess, it's not nice to tease the man who lived at the hospital while you were in a coma."
Laughing, Penelope turned as the car came to a complete stop. Grinning, she leaned over to reward him with a kiss on the cheek, but, Derek happened to turn his head and their lips met. Running one hand along her face, Derek caressed her cheek. Penelope sighed and deepened the kiss.
There was no telling how long they would have kissed except for the fact that the light changed to green and the car behind them started honking their horn incessantly. Quickly, they pulled back and Penelope turned her attention to the road.
As she drove along, Derek reached forward and pushed a strand of blonde hair behind one of her ears and said, "We'll have to try that again sometime when we're not at a traffic light."
Giving him a quick grin, Penelope replied, "You've got it, hot stuff."
Fran knew Derek and Penelope were home before their keys even jingled in the door. Of course, Clooney jumping up and running to the front door barking excitedly was her first clue. Her second was their happy laughter.
"So, how did the driving lesson go?" Fran called from the couch where she was folding laundry as they entered the room, Clooney rushing around their legs barking.
Penelope just grinned as she sat down next to Fran and helped her fold the clothes. Derek grabbed Clooney's collar to stop him from trying to join the ladies on the couch.
"It was like riding a bike, Mom. Pen's a natural."
"Good job," Fran congratulated. "I knew you would do just fine. Clooney sit," she snapped at the dog who instantly obeyed. Clooney never disobeyed Fran. "Derek, come help me fold this sheet."
As they were all concentrating on the laundry, the room was quiet except for the television that was projecting the news. That, however, caught their attention when a man's voice said Penelope's name. Dropping his end of the sheet, Derek flipped around to face the TV and turned up the volume.
The three of them watched as an attractive man with dirty blond hair stood solemnly as he clasped his dark haired wife's hand in his. The way he held the small woman's hand, he gave the impression that he was suffering under a great weight.
"Penelope Garcia, was my sister."
Derek instantly knew who was speaking—Senator John Garcia. Already he was tense with anger.
"My sister," John Garcia went on passionately. "Was a beautiful, loving young woman who was cut down in the prime of her life because of a random act of violence. My sister should not be dead! I do not want any other family to go through the pain ours did at my sister's death."
Penelope would have assumed it couldn't possibly be her family—her brother, except for the fact that one of John's children was sadly hold a picture of her for all to see. Staring at the screen in horror, Penelope couldn't believe her family thought she was dead.
She knew perfectly well that Derek had called them. She knew he hadn't told them she was dead. At the same time, Penelope was angry that John was standing there, using her death as a platform for some legislation he was trying to push through and the fact that none of them had even bothered to show up for her non-existent funeral!
Fran, seeing that Penelope was upset and that Derek looked ready to deck someone, she grabbed the remote and turned the television off.
"I'm calling, Hotch," Derek growled. "You do not need to go through the hassle of convincing the F.B.I. that you're alive."
As Derek grabbed his phone, the home phone rang. Glad to have an excuse to leave the tension, Penelope jumped up and answered phone before anyone else could.
"Hey, Penelope!" Sarah's voice said happily over line.
"Sarah," Penelope said, relief filling her voice.
Derek and Fran exchanged a look of gratefulness. They were worried about how Penelope had been reacting.
"You will not believe what I heard on the radio on my way home from work!" Not giving Penelope any time to guess, Sarah answered, "Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot."
"Okay," Penelope laughed.
"I heard it and all I could think was that that should be Derek and your song."
"Our Song! Why would our song be Baby Got Back?"
"Baby girl," Derek interrupted. "You do have a mighty fine rump."
Sarah, overhearing her brother's comment, burst into laughter. "See! You absolutely have to dance to that at your wedding reception!"
Giggling, Penelope turned to get a bit of privacy, and whispered, "If you get him to propose, I'll get him to dance to that song."
"Deal," Sarah instantly agreed.
"How did you know to call?" Derek asked his sister, later that night after Penelope and Fran had gone to bed.
"I didn't. That was just a blessing that I called at exactly right time," Sarah explained. "You were watching a rebroadcast of Senator Garcia's news conference. I heard it earlier today. I knew you two were going to spend the afternoon driving, so…"
"Thanks, Sarah," Derek said sincerely.
"Hey, baby brother, I care about Penelope, too. I also care about you."
"I'm fine."
"Are you? Mom said you haven't been sleeping well. You sound tired."
"It's late, Sarah."
"Derek, don't lie to me!"
Sighing, Derek rubbed a hand over his head. "I've been having nightmares about the unsub trying to quiet Pen."
"Does Penelope know?"
Derek appreciated the fact that his sister didn't try to tell him his nightmares had no basis or that everything would be fine.
"No. I don't want to worry her," he added.
"Well, keep in mind, Der, that Penelope knows you better than anyone. Once she figures it out you should tell her the truth. She'll worry more if you don't."
"Noooo!" Derek woke himself up with a start. Breathing heavily, he sat up and dropped his head in his hands. As his heart rate calmed, Derek decided he had to catch that damn unsub or he'd never have a good night's sleep again.
Standing up, Derek walked toward Penelope's room to complete his nightly ritual of checking on his baby girl so he could hopefully get some sleep.
***
Settling back in his chair, Dr. Wes gave Penelope a half smile and said, "Let me get this straight. Your brothers think you are dead because Derek told John's assistant that it was too late for him to help out. John's assistant took it to mean that it was too late because you had already passed on."
"Right," Penelope agreed with a wry grin.
"So, John's reaction to this was to sponsor gun control legislation in your name."
"Basically."
"Well," Dr. Wes said with a grin, "It's obvious that your family has always been very close."
Penelope laughed, but Dr. Wes could tell she didn't really think it was funny.
Leaning forward, he propped his elbows on his knees. Looking intently at his patient, Dr. Wes asked, "What are you going to do?"
Penelope was quiet for a moment before answering.
"Well, Derek convinced the F.B.I. I'm not really dead, despite what my family thinks."
Dr. Wes didn't respond, but continued to thoughtfully watch her.
Shifting uneasily in her seat, Penelope added with a shrug, "Derek said that it could be just as well if the shooter thinks that I'm dead. That he won't try to come after me."
"How do you feel, Penelope?"
Looking Dr. Wes in the eyes she said, "I don't know. At first, I was really angry. But now…I don't remember them. I have memories of everyone on the team, even if they're vague." Shaking her head, Penelope added, "But, I don't remember my brothers."
"Does that upset you?"
"In a way, but at the same time…I don't care."
Straightening up, Dr. Wes studied Penelope for a moment before saying, "Penelope, you do realize that the fact that your brothers reacted to your death the way they did has nothing to do with you?"
"What?" she said, surprised at the seemingly non sequitur.
"The way your brothers acted represents them and what kind of men they are. It has nothing to do with you or who you are."
Biting her bottom lip to stop the tears, Penelope nodded.
Leaning forward, Dr. Wes squeezed her hand and added, "Your brothers are missing the amazing woman that you are and that's the worst punishment they could ever receive. Even if they don't realize it right now."
"Thank you," she whispered softly.
"I cannot believe he did that!" Emily angrily exclaimed.
Reid nodded in agreement. He and Emily were sitting with J.J. in her office discussing Senator John Garcia's press conference. They hadn't said anything at first, afraid of upsetting Penelope or Derek. Angry in behalf of their friend, however, soon brought them together to discuss the matter.
"The worst thing," Reid added, "is that he used Garcia to push his own agenda though congress."
"No, the worst thing," J.J. argued, "is that there is nothing we can do."
"I don't know about that," Emily said with a wicked gleam in her eye. "I do have some contacts."
"What are you thinking?" J.J. eagerly asked.
"Even if you haven't broken any rules, having auditors after you can be an experience."
"Especially with all his campaign accounts," J.J. agreed with a grin.
Reid shook his head. "I don't know. Is that enough? John Garcia never even tried to come to his sister's funeral."
"I know a lot of different types of inspectors."
Grinning, J.J. added, "And I know some journalists who would love to know about Senator Garcia being checked over so thoroughly."
"Remind me to never get on the wrong side of you ladies."
Reid may have grinned, but he was completely serious.
Slipping her arm around Penelope's as they took Clooney for a walk, Fran asked, "Did your appointment go well?"
Penelope nodded. "Yes. Dr. Wes helped me to feel better about the whole thing."
Fran grinned and patted Penelope's arm. "Good. I was worried that you were blaming yourself for your brother's idiocy."
Turning her head to look at Fran, Penelope grinned. "Who needs Dr. Wes? I should have just talked to you."
Laughing, she replied, "Yes, well, sometimes we need people who are certified in giving advice to make us believe it."
"Well, it was nice talking to someone who I knew wasn't going to worry about me no matter what I felt. Derek gets a little over protective."
"I've noticed," Fran replied dryly. "He ran a background check on Dr. Wes because he thought it was odd that your doctor wanted to put you at ease by letting you call him by his first name."
Laughing, Penelope said, "I'm sure that's exactly how he said it too."
"You know Derek."
"Yes I do."
They walked in a comfortable silence for sometime before Fran asked, "Now, how long is it before you're cleared for duty?"
"Oh, I forgot to tell you! Dr. Wes said that next week after our appointment I'll be cleared to start working part-time."
"Congratulations!"
"I'm excited."
"Do you know who will be your mentor till you're cleared to work by yourself full-time?"
"No. I should find that out when I arrive."
"It will probably be Kevin Lynch." Fran started laughing after she said that. "Which will be a good thing because Derek's already threatened him."
"What?" Penelope laughingly asked.
"Oh, that's right. You were in a coma when this happened. Kevin Lynch has been filling in for you while you're gone. Derek found him in your office and threatened him if he didn't keep your area how he found it."
"Oh, well, that will make working with him easy."
"Don't worry," Fran assured her. "Knowing you, you'll be able to make friends with him despite the fact that you have an overprotective, F.B.I. agent, who clearly adores you following you around."
"Fran, do you think Derek is always going to threaten every male who looks my way?"
"No," she answered thoughtfully. "I think that after Derek realizes that you're his as much as he's yours, he'll back off."
"The problem is getting him to realize it," Penelope sighed.
"My boy may be slow, but he's not dumb. He'll get there."
Derek stalked up to the counter and slapped a picture of Penelope down in front of the daydreaming barista.
Startled, the girl quickly straightened up and said, "How can I help you?"
"I'm looking for a man in his mid to late thirties. He would have been here with this woman back in November."
"November," a gangly, acne infected, teenage boy repeated. "Kimmy's a blonde. You shouldn't ask her tough questions."
"Shut-up, bozo," Kimmy replied. "I'd love to help you, but I've only worked here since January."
"Thanks," Derek sighed.
The busboy not wanting to be left out said, "Hey man, maybe I can help."
"You can't even remember what you had for breakfast."
Pointing to the picture, the young man said, "Yeah, well I remember her name is Penelope. She's really nice and tips well. She hasn't been by for a while."
Derek nodded but tried not to hope that this kid actually knew anything.
"She was shot. We have reason to believe that the man who shot her was here with her back in November."
"What'd he look like?" the kid asked, suddenly serious.
"A white male, mid to late thirties."
"That's not much to go on," Kimmy softly explained.
"That's why I'm hoping someone will remember something."
The busboy was staring at the ceiling during this exchange and Derek was ready to count him as a loss and leave, when the kid brought his head down and gave Derek a big grin.
"I remember! That was back when I was dating Angie," he said to show he knew what he was talking about. Kimmy just rolled her eyes.
"She saw the guy talking with Penelope. She thought Penelope was majorly lucky because he was such a babe. I didn't like him though. He seemed too smooth."
"You were just jealous, moron."
Derek quickly intervened before they could get back to arguing.
"What did this man look like?"
"Sort of average. I mean height," the boy quickly added as Kimmy looked ready to tease him. "He was shorter than you," he told Derek. "Let's see, the guy had brown hair. And…oh, I remember. He had a shirt with his initials on it. I thought that was so pretentious."
"Do you remember what the letters where?"
"Sorry, man," the kid apologized as he shook his head. "I just remember that there were three of them."
"Thanks for your help," Derek replied as he picked up Penelope's picture.
"Oh, hey, dude," the boy called as Derek started to walk away. "Tell Penelope that I hope she gets better. I really liked her. She was nice to everybody."
Derek smiled and nodded his consent before leaving the café.
***
Next part of Regarding Penelope.
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