"Whatcha got there?" she asked.
"Oh," Angela blushed while tucking back a loose strand of hair. "It's nothing."
"And yet you're blushing," the nurse teased. "Someone have a secret admirer?" Elbowing Angela lightly, the woman laughed. "Eh, eh?"
"No, no, no," Ang chuckled. "It's nothing like that. It's just..." She cleared her throat while lifting her gaze. "The way he shares stories just makes me think I'm there. And that I'm laughing right alongside him."
"You sure you're not in love, doctor?"
"With Genji?" She giggled. "He's my patient."
"Doctor can fall for pa-" the woman silenced herself upon receiving a harsh glare. "So what's it say?" she tried to change the subject.
"Genji writes that he and his master are doing well. That they have experienced the first snowfall of the season. And," this is where she started to chuckle, "his first test with the fresh fallen snow was to withstand an 'avalanche of snowballs flung ceaselessly from perhaps the most mad omnic to ever float upon this holy temple.'"
Not understanding one phrase from Angela's reading, the nurse quirked a brow. "That supposed to mean something?"
Angela shook her head while wearing a smile. "It just means that he's finally found peace. Genji... he was in a very dark place for a long time. Had I not saved him and told him to seek out the light... he might..." Her face went grim. "Let's just say that he's found his purpose. And although it's cold and odd, he's happy. He's growing. He's learning. He's becoming the warrior he was always meant to be." Her lips twisted happily to the side. "And even more so, he's becoming the kind of man I always saw within. He's no cold-blooded killer. He's a hero."
"A hero?" the nurse took a seat on one of the empty cots. "You falling for a hero, Mercy?"
"No," she shook her head before her brows furrowed. Face losing its expressions, she fell silent. "No. Not anymore..."
"Not anymore?" Reaching up her hand, she held onto Mercy. "What's wrong?" Her large olive eyes begged to know the truth. To help a friend in need. "Please, Angie. We've been partners for years now. You can trust me. You can tell me. What's... what's going on."
"It's just..." Angela moved to the bed. "About nine years ago," she began, "my life changed."
Squeezing Ang's hand, the nurse coaxed Angela on.
"His name was Jack Morrison and he... ugh," she grunted, "he was the worst." Scowl on her face, she continued. "He was constantly coming to my medbay with the dumbest of injuries. Stabbed himself with a fork. Accidentally took McCree's spur to the cheek. Like how can someone's foot accidentally end up on your cheek? Had this weird bruises that I know Reyes gave to him because I overheard him talking about how he had to give Jack another beating..." She sighed. "Finally told him that enough was enough. That I wasn't going to waste my time treating him."
Her shoulders dropped and her eyes dulled.
"And then he stopped coming."
"And you started to worry?"
"Not at first. I was so happy to finally be free but... as days and soon weeks passed, I realized I missed him. I missed his goofy smile. I missed his horrible puns and pickup lines. I missed his sweet stare and perfectly chiseled chest."
"Oh, Angie," the nurse blushed, "you saw his abs?"
"Kat," she turned to the nurse, "I saw more than just his abs."
"Oh la la~!" she gushed. "You must have known he was a keeper just by the size of his shaft!"
"Let's just say I wasn't interested in that originally," she admitted.
"But later on...?"
"I would never complain," Angela winked.
"So what happened?"
"I realized I had grown to miss him and his antics. That his antics were actually what kept me sane. That I grew to expect them and almost enjoy them, and yet I took them for granted. With him gone, I started to ask around. I had to physically shake the truth from Jesse! I grabbed the cowboy by the collar and demanded to know where Jack went."
"...and?"
"He was missing in action."
"What?!" Kat touched her friend's shoulder. "No way! How? What happened?"
"I asked the same thing. With haste, I did what I had to. I walked up to Commander Reyes and demanded to know where Jack was last seen. He refused to share but I threatened to poison every soldier so help me! After pulling some strings, he, Jesse, Ana, and I were off with a dozen other soldiers. When we landed in perhaps the most desolate town I'd ever seen, my heart sank. There was no way we'd find him. No way he'd have made it."
"But you found him...?"
"I did. It was just a prototype but my Valkyrie suit had to shine. It had to save the day. I had it take a reading of the area, comb over every patch of blood and scattered brain matter. And, after several hours, I found it. I found his unique DNA signature. Now," Angela blushed, "I wasn't the brightest back then so I might have been overzealous and I went on to look for him without telling anyone else. I found myself holed up in some musky cavern. It appeared to be an abandoned mining shaft of sorts."
She paused. "And, well, let's just say my suit isn't exactly built for stealth. The second I left the main entrance, I was targeted."
"Oh no," Kat tugged at Angela's arm with worrisome eyes, "what happened!"
"I ate a few bullets. God did they sting. And I was a fool for I hadn't thought to bring a firearm. So there I was, out in the open surrounded by at least seven men. And then, out of nowhere, I hear this god awful comment. 'Are you lost? Because it's so strange to see an angel so far from heaven.'" Angela rolled her eyes. "As I turned to find the owner of the voice, the cave wall behind me started to spark and thunder. A rain of bullets sprayed the unsuspecting men, taking down each and everyone of them until it was just me and this annoying wall."
"Wait... wall?"
"Yeah," Ang moaned, "wall. I recall walking up to him and looking at his camouflage disguise. He made it look like he was part of the mine itself. When I asked why, he said it was better to blend in then die out in the open. I helped pull him off the wall, which reopened his wounds. He whined like a baby but I patched him up as best I could."
"And then what?"
"I had to carry him bridal-style out of the cave."
"You what?" Kat blinked before shaking her head. "He didn't even walk out of the cave with you?"
Her laughter filled the tent. "That's what he wanted to do but he was so malnourished that I couldn't let him waste any more energy. I scooped him up into my arms and glided forward. As soon as I reached the mouth of the cave, I saw the friendly faces of the team I had been deployed with."
"Ang," Kat pulled in her boss, "that's the cutest, sweetest story ever!"
"Yeah," she blushed while recalling those old memories. "It was something else. Ever since, he started call me his knight in shining armor. Said I was his beautiful white knight. His hero."
Looking down at Genji's letter, silent tears started to roll down her cheeks. Just looking at what Genji wrote broke her. These were from her beloved friend Genji, not her partner in life, Jack. To know she'd never get a letter from Jack... well, it killed her.
"Kat," she turned her broken gaze to her friend, "he's dead."
She reached out a hand to conform her. "I know, Ang. I know."
"I lost him. I couldn't save him."
"And Genji writes to you so you know that you haven't lost him."
"If one more person close to me dies," her voice cracked.
"You're strong, Angela. You're tough. This Genji seems tough too. He'll always write to you. He'll always send you a piece of his happiness."
"I... I don't want to admit this but..." Ang sighed before looking at her friend.
"I already know, Ang. You'd be lost without him. You were once his guiding ray of light. He is now your beacon of hope. You know that if he survived that maybe, just maybe..."
"That maybe Jack's out there, somewhere. Just waiting to come home," she finished.
"Then you have to stay strong," Kat reassured her. "You have to fight. The battle has only just begun. Let Genji be your sword and I your shield. Together, we will find him. We will bring Jack home."