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The nurse checked her clipboard before shaking her head. "Not yet, but he should wake up soon. You can go sit by his bedside if you'd like."
"Thank you," Morgan said, relief washing over her. She followed the nurse's directions and found herself standing outside Derik's room. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The sight of Derik lying in the hospital bed, hooked up to machines monitoring his vitals, made Morgan's chest tighten. A bandage was wrapped around his head, covering the spot where Adam had struck him. He looked so vulnerable, and it only served to remind her how much she cared about him.
"Hey, partner," she murmured, pulling up a chair next to his bed. "You better wake up soon, alright? We've still got work to do."
As she sat there, watching Derik's chest rise and fall with each breath, Morgan couldn't help but reflect on everything they'd been through together. The lies, the betrayal – it felt like a lifetime ago, even though it had only been weeks since she'd discovered the truth. And yet, despite it all, Derik remained the closest thing to family she had left.
If he could risk his life for her, face down a deranged killer like Adam Sallow, then maybe she could find it in herself to forgive him. To trust him again.
"God, what a mess we've made," she whispered, resting her hand on his arm. "But we'll figure it out, Derik. I promise."
As she sat there, lost in thought, she couldn't help but hope that they could mend the broken pieces of their partnership and move forward – together.
Morgan's fingers tapped gently on the arm of the chair, her gaze fixed on Derik's steady chest movements. She'd been sitting there for what felt like hours, but in reality, it had only been a matter of minutes. Her mind raced with thoughts, unable to settle on just one.
The raid on the abandoned wildlife center had yielded horrific results. The FBI had discovered more victims, their bodies grotesquely preserved with feathers stitched into their skin. It was a macabre tableau that would haunt Morgan for years to come. But at least Adam Sallow was now behind bars – and she had played a part in putting him there.
"Derik, you wouldn't believe what we found there…" she whispered, as if he could hear her. "It was like something out of a nightmare."
But Adam wasn't her only concern. Thomas still hadn't contacted her about Skunk, her loyal dog who had been kidnapped by that duplicitous bastard. He had threatened her, forced her into playing his twisted games, and she still didn't know what he wanted from her. Why involve Skunk? What purpose did it serve, other than to torture her?
Morgan's heart ached as she thought about Skunk, picturing his wagging tail and the way he always seemed to know when she needed some comfort. She missed him desperately, and the uncertainty surrounding his fate gnawed at her soul.
The steady beeping of the monitors filled the room, casting a soft blue glow on Derik's pale face. Morgan watched him intently, her heart aching for the man who had once been her partner and closest friend. Despite everything that had happened between them, she couldn't deny the bond that still lingered.
Just then, Derik's eyes fluttered open, the green irises shimmering in the dim light. He focused on Morgan, and a weak smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "You know," he croaked, his voice hoarse from disuse, "we really should stop meeting in hospital rooms like this."
Morgan's lips quirked into a small smile as she reached out to take his hand, her fingers brushing against the cool skin. "I'm just glad you're all right, Derik." Her voice was softer than she'd expected, betraying more vulnerability than she meant to show.
His eyebrows shot up in surprise at the contact, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he held onto her hand gently, his grip reassuring. "Do you think things can ever be normal between us again, Morgan?"
"Normal?" she echoed, searching his gaze. "There never was anything normal about us, Derik. But maybe we can find our way back to something better." The admission hung heavy in the air, an unspoken promise that they both knew would take time and effort to fulfill.
Derik nodded, his eyes locked with hers, understanding the weight of her words. They sat there in companionable silence, letting the moment stretch out before them.
As the minutes ticked by, Morgan found her thoughts drifting back to Thomas and Skunk. She wrestled with the idea of confiding in Derik, torn between wanting to trust him again and fearing his reaction. Finally, with a shaky breath, she made her decision. "Derik, there's something I need to tell you," she began hesitantly, "It's about Thomas."
"Thomas?" Derik's eyes narrowed, his grip on her hand tightening. "What did he do, Morgan?"
She could see the concern etched across his face, and it gave her the courage to continue. As she opened up to him about the threats from Thomas and the disappearance of Skunk, she felt an odd sense of relief. It was as if a burden had been lifted from her shoulders – one that she hadn't realized she'd been carrying all this time.
Morgan hoped that by sharing her fears and suspicions with Derik, she was taking a step toward rebuilding the trust that had once defined their partnership. And as they sat there, hands entwined, she knew they were both willing to fight for the chance to start over. Together.
"Tell me, Morgan, please." Derik's voice was laced with concern as he sat up, wincing slightly from the pain his movements caused. His green eyes were focused intently on Morgan, urging her to continue.
"God, Derik, it's just—" Morgan hesitated, unsure of how to begin. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, a mix of anxiety and adrenaline coursing through her veins. "I asked for his help in getting the names of the men who framed me from the FBI database."
"Are you kidding me, Morgan?" Derik snapped, his expression turning stern. "That was beyond stupid! You're putting your career, hell, even your freedom at risk!"
"Will you just shut up and listen for once?" Morgan shot back, her tone sharp as she glared at him. To her surprise, Derik closed his mouth, his gaze never leaving hers as he silently urged her to continue.
"Fine, go on," he muttered, his jaw clenched in frustration.
"Anyway," Morgan said, taking a deep breath as she recalled the events that led them to this point. "After I rejected Thomas' advances, he got angry. Started threatening to expose me and all that. One day, I came home, and Skunk was gone. Thomas had taken him."
"Son of a—" Derik's hands curled into fists, his knuckles turning white from the force of his anger. "How could he...? That bastard!"
