Ok. My second fanfic here. I don't own Chuck. Reviews are very welcome. Enjoy!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chuck was surrounded by white when he woke up. White walls, white floor, white bedspread, and he was wearing a white hospital gown. Tucked up to his chin was the scratchy white material of a hospital blanket, and a pulse monitor beeped regularly at his side. On the other side, with her hand wrapped around his, was Sarah Walker, fast asleep, laying her head on his arm. Her golden hair was feathery on his arm, and as usual, she looked gorgeous, but the shadows under her eyes betrayed her exhaustion. Chuck rubbed his thumb slowly on her hand, and nestled back into the pillows arranged behind his head.
His head. He couldn't believe what had happened of late. Finding his father, bringing down his own personal hero, Roark, and learning that his dad, Steve Bartowski, code name: Orion, could remove the Intersect from his head had left him in a whirlwind of emotions. Sarah had helped him through it; after the evaluation by Agent Forrester, Sarah had been loathe to hide her emotions. She had found his father for him, she helped him through the discovery that his personal hero was nothing but a fraud, and she had helped him explain to his sister why her dream wedding with Awesome had been disrupted.
And then the operation. His dad had jumped at the prospect of getting the Intersect out, and after careful deliberation and discussion with Ellie, who was in on the secret, his dad, Casey and Beckman, and most importantly, Sarah, Chuck had decided to go through with it. And now…he didn't feel any different. He still loved the beautiful woman next to him, still worried for his sister and his best friend, still had a strong urge to prod Casey.
Chuck sighed contentedly. He was happy to know he hadn't changed. The sound of his happiness must have woken Sarah, because he felt a slight movement on his hand. Sarah looked up, and her big blue eyes widened in shock at seeing Chuck awake and smiling.
"Chuck! You're awake, how are you, how are you feeling?" Chuck had never seen Sarah so worried. Even when he was in danger, even when she though he was dead, she had never had the panicked tone in her voice.
"I'm…I'm fine. No, I'm better than fine. I'm absolutely perfect. I feel great, Sarah!" He smiled a huge grin at these words, and Sarah, who had come to terms with her love for Chuck, launched out of her seat to hug him fiercely. His arms wrapped around her waist and he pulled her tight. Moving his head in to nestle on her shoulder, Chuck whispered softly in her ear. "And, you'll be pleased to know, I still love you. No threat of memory loss could make me forget someone like you, Sarah Walker." Sarah gripped him still tighter as she remembered Steve Bartowski's warning that removing the Intersect could remove Chuck's memories since he had originally downloaded it into his brain. Chuck had swallowed hard, and Sarah had looked at him questioningly. He had assured her, though, that even if he forgot her, he'd still be extremely pleased to find a gorgeous woman waiting at his bedside.
They broke apart and Sarah sat back down, keeping her hand firmly in his.
"Well, Chuck, how does it feel to be a free man?" Sarah's tone was playful, but there was tenseness in her eyes.
"I'll let you know when I know if I'm free or not!" Chuck laughed but he, too, knew that his future was as much in the air as Sarah's. Beckman had-very, very grudgingly- agreed to the removal of the Intersect, but she had declared that everyone would wait until post-op to make new plans for the team's future.