They said I was in a coma for four months. Broken ribs, punctured lung, skull fracture, internal bleeding, and a host of other injuries. I wasn't paying too much attention to the doctors when they were going down the list of my injuries. After they left, I was allowed to have some visitors. My mother was first. She got promoted to Rear Admiral some time during or after the war. If anyone deserves a promotion, it's definitely her.
She told me that I was out for so long that a lot of people had given up on me. The higher ups were even considering having a memorial service. The only thing that stopped them was my mother... and him. Apparently, during the whole time I was in the coma, he didn't want to leave my side. Once a bodyguard, always a bodyguard I guess.
While I was "sleeping," those two became pretty good friends. She told me about how he would always talk to me. He'd keep me updated on how the crew was doing. Who was getting better, who was getting worse, and who didn't make it. When she asked him why, he said "Shepard invested a lot of herself in us. We're like her family. She'd want to know how we were doing." He was right.
Mom even said she caught him reading to me once. The book was Lena by Jacqueline Woodson. I remember mentioning to him once during those many months spent in the Detention Center, that Lena was the first book my father read to me. Before he died, whenever I was sick or sad he would pull it off the bookshelf and read it to me. It quickly became one of my favorite books. After my father's death, I'd always pull it out whenever I wanted to feel close to him again. I'm surprised he remembered.
I asked her why he wasn't there when I woke up. She explained that he had quite a few injuries himself. Not as bad as mine, but his did require some physical therapy. He put it off for the longest time because he didn't want to leave me alone. He wanted to make sure a familiar face was there when I woke up. My mom immediately stepped up and said she would be there whenever he couldn't be. Of course, a mere 30 minutes after he leaves for physical therapy, I decide to wake up. I really do have the worst timing.
We had been talking for about an hour when she tells me that he should be getting back soon. She asked me if I was up for one more visitor. I was tired, but I had to see him. I had to tell him the one thing I had been holding back for so long. I had a second chance to tell James Vega just how much he meant to me and I wasn't going to miss it.