Kaidan nearly drops his datapad in surprise when Shepard jerks awake like a thing possessed. For one shocked moment he just stares as she inhales sharply and claws at her chest, her eyes wild and round as she looks first down at herself, then around the sterile room.
Then he does release the datapad, ignoring the crack and clatter as the device strikes the tile. Someone is calling for a nurse; Garrus, or Vega, he's lost track of who else was in the room. He is at her bedside in two long strides, gently grasping her shoulders and ducking his head to meet her panicked gaze.
"Shepard," he says firmly, hoping to pull her out of whatever half-dream still holds her. "Sweetheart, look at me."
Finally her eyes find his, and her terrified gasping slows. Shepard's fingers untangle from the fabric of her hospital gown and wrap tightly around Kaidan's forearms. "I'm alive," she breathes, voice thick with astonishment and painkillers.
"You are," he affirms, smiling faintly. His hand moves from her shoulder to her battered face, his thumb brushing over her cheekbone.
"And you're here." It is almost a question, as her brow knits in concern. Her hand slides up his arm to his chest. "You're here," she repeats, her eyes welling with tears, her fingers tightening in the cloth of Kaidan's shirt, clutching it as though he would disappear.
"I told you I'd be waiting," he murmurs, pulling her close. He smooths his palm down her spine, his heart breaking as her breath hitches on a quiet sob. The doctors had warned him that the anesthesia could make her weepy, but that didn't make it any easier to listen to.
"I saw the Normandy go down," she says, pulling back, desperate eyes searching his face. "You were on board, you crashed… in a jungle, and…"
"The Normandy is in orbit right now-"
"Are the geth alright?" The demand is sudden, her hardening expression at odds with the tears still glistening on her cheeks. "And EDI? Where's EDI?"
Kaidan's brow furrows in confusion at the non sequitur. "They're… fine," he says, hesitantly. "EDI's on the ship, the geth are-"
Semi-hysterical laughter bursts out of her, and she proclaims, "He lied!"
The asari nurse hurries in just then, James close behind. Kaidan cuts a baffled glance at Vega, who shrugs and shakes his head.
"The child said destroying the Reapers would destroy the geth," Shepard continues, oblivious to the nurse injecting something into the IV connector on the back of her hand. "But he lied. To protect himself. He… the starchild…"
"She'll fall asleep again in a minute," the nurse informs them, and promptly leaves.
Shepard's eyelids droop as the medication begins to claim her. "I… on the Citadel…"
"You never made it to the Citadel," he says softly, as she sags against him again. This is not the first time he's told her the story. "We found you in the rubble by the Conduit."
A tired, puzzled grumble slips out of her. "But the Crucible."
"EDI got the ward arms open remotely, and when…" He stops, as she snores into his shoulder, but continues to stroke her hair until he is sure she's out.
"Did she say starchild?" James asks, once Kaidan has laid Shepard back to rest.
"That's nothing," Kaidan sighs. "Yesterday she told Joker that she'd fused all organics and synthetics into one kind of life form, and now all living things are half Reaper. Even the trees."
James shakes his head, staring at the now-unconscious Commander with something like awe. "I don't know what's in these asari drugs," he says, "But she is tripping balls."