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AN: I know, I know. Yet another post-‘Penelope' story. But the prompt was just too perfect so I couldn't resist. :) Hope you enjoy it anyway!
She was the heart of this team, the most emotional, most compassionate, most humane of them. She was a light in the darkness of this job, her cheerfulness never failing to cause the corners of his mouth to rise, her playfulness being the one thing that kept him sane even during the worst cases.
No one knew it except himself but sometimes when it was really bad he called her just to hear the sound of her voice. It was like music to him, helping him to clear his mind and concentrate on the basics.
Killing someone was a sin. That much was for sure. But during the cases he had worked Derek had sometimes wondered if there was a difference in that, some kind of graduation of how much killing a person was a sin. Was it a greater sin to kill a good person? The Bible said that everyone was equal - but could that be possible? Was it really an equal sin to kill an innocent child and a twisted serial killer?
Now he felt like he'd gotten the answer to that question. There were people in the world who were so compassionate and good-hearted that you could probably call them angels. They cared more about other people than themselves. They were there whenever someone needed their help.
And killing an angel was the greatest sin of all.
He couldn't think of a single person who didn't like her. He couldn't think of anyone who could ever want to do her harm - or any reason anyone could want to hurt her.
But someone had.
And worst of all, he hadn't been there. Not that he could have done much more if he'd arrived at the hospital anytime sooner. But yet he felt guilty for not being there. After their fight and after she'd blown him off when he'd asked her out Derek had ended up in a church trying to pray - for a reason that he couldn't understand.
Had that been the answer to his prayer? That a woman he cared much more about than he probably should ended up in a hospital severely injured, hurt, at the edge of death?
When he had arrived at the hospital a thousand questions had been running through his mind. But when he'd seen the rest of the team he had immediately known that none of them were going to be answered anytime soon. They hadn't known anything either.
It hadn't taken very long until the doctor had arrived delivering the relieving message that she would make it. Yet this short fraction of time had been the longest wait he had ever had to endure. There was so much he had never told her, so much he needed, wanted to tell her. What if it was too late and he wouldn't get another chance?
What if he'd never see her smile again, the sparkling in her eyes when she was teasing one of them and the crinkle of her nose? What if he'd never hear her voice again, her laughter?
There had been too many what ifs running through his mind during the time he had to wait. So Derek had made a decision. He had silently prayed to God begging him to let her survive. And he had made a deal with Him.
If Penelope survived Derek would stay with her and watch over her, make sure that she was safe until they found whoever did this to her and stay until he was sure she was healed. And he would tell her everything he'd always wanted to say. He wouldn't wait a second longer.
And if she died he would hunt this guy down even if it was the last thing he ever did. He wouldn't rest until whoever shot her had paid for that. And he would never set foot into a church again.
Sighing with relief he turned from where he'd been standing in the door to her bedroom watching her sleep and went back to the couch. God had fulfilled his part of the deal. Penelope was alive, on the road of recovery. And Derek would do his best to fulfill his part of the deal as well.