So I basically had a marathon of all of the Stitchers episodes before the premiere last Tuesday and fell in love with the show. This just kind of came to me, so I thought I'd give it a shot. It takes place during the episode "2.0," but it won't have any spoilers or speculations for the rest of the season.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This story title comes from the song "Heart Out" by The 1975.
first.
Kirsten had never appreciated the sound of a heartbeat so much.
Despite all of the activity going on around her in the lab, Kirsten remained draped across the table with her head pressed to Cameron's chest. He had managed to snake one of his arms around her shoulders, keeping her pressed against him. Cameron's grip was weak, but she could still feel the pressure of his hand against her, and she could hear the reassuring beat of her heart under his ear.
Cameron's eyes were still closed but there was a faint smile on his lips. His fingers moved against the slick black fabric of her suit, stroking gently. Kirsten tilted her head up so she could see Cameron's face. Reaching up, she grasped Cameron's hand and twined their fingers together.
"Don't waste your energy," Kirsten ordered gently. Here he was, trying to comfort her while he was the one who had just come back from the dead. Kirsten couldn't explain the tightness in her chest when she remembered those horrific minutes he had flat-lined. Her eyes stung with unshed tears again, but she blinked hard and tried to focus on Cameron.
"Kirsten," Cameron murmured. She tightened her hold on his hand in response and pushed his hair back from his forehead. Kirsten shushed him and adjusted the way she was leaning against the table so she wasn't so draped across it. She had no intention of leaving him; in fact, Kirsten had half a mind to just climb up onto the gurney with Cameron.
Kirsten jumped when she felt someone touch her shoulder. Turning, she saw Maggie standing behind her. The two women shared a look for a long, silent moment. Suddenly, they were on an even field. This man that they both cared so much about had made such a sacrifice—one that had almost cost him his life. In that moment, Maggie and Kirsten had felt the same terror and it was impossible for either of them to hide it.
"There's an ambulance waiting outside of the restaurant," Maggie told her. "They'll be able to properly make sure that Cameron is alright." Her tone left no room for argument. Cameron was going to the hospital no matter what, and it seemed that Maggie had read Kirsten's mind. They were taking him even if Kirsten climbed onto the gurney.
Instead of protesting, Kirsten stood and looked Maggie straight in the eyes. "I'm not leaving him."
Thankfully, Maggie didn't protest. Returning her steady gaze, she said, "Okay. Ride with him in the ambulance. Camille, Linus, and I will meet you there."
Kirsten nodded her head and allowed the other nurses in the lab to begin to move the gurney towards the elevator. She stopped to grab a sweater and pulled it over the suit before following them. The ride up to the restaurant seemed endless, but the elevator finally dinged and they rolled the gurney out. The paramedics were waiting at the front of the restaurant, and they quickly and efficiently loaded Cameron into the ambulance.
When Kirsten followed him into the back, one of the paramedics opened his mouth—to either tell her to get out or question her presence, Kirsten didn't know. She silenced him with a look and he immediately shut his mouth again.
While the paramedics checked Cameron's vitals and hooked him up to an IV with fluids, Kirsten slid down the bench and reached out hesitantly. Probably do to exhaustion, Cameron had passed out again. The heart monitor now attached to Cameron's chest was beeping steadily, and Kirsten focused on that noise as she took his hand.
He was okay. Cameron was alive, and Kirsten wasn't going to leave his side.
second.
They didn't let Kirsten into the room while they were running tests on Cameron. So she settled for pacing back and forth in the waiting room until Camille, Linus, and Maggie showed up. Kirsten hardly protested when Camille forced her into the bathroom and handed her a change of clothes.
"You can't walk around the cat suit all night, you know." Camille tossed a sweater over the bathroom stall. "Besides, you're probably freezing after coming out of the tank."
Kirsten hadn't realized it until Camille pointed it out, but she was freezing. Even after she pulled the sweater over her head, Kirsten still shivered. She pulled her still damp here into a pony tail and walked out of the bathroom stall, only to be met with Camille's unwavering stare.
"What?" Kirsten asked. She avoided Camille's eyes as she headed towards the sink and splashed some cold water on her face.
Camille stepped up behind Kirsten and studied her reflection in the mirror. "You're not okay," Camille stated. Kirsten's eyes narrowed, but Camille was unapologetic. "Well, you're not."
Kirsten sighed and stared into the mirror. The face looking back at her was so much unlike her own. There were dark half-moons under her eyes and her skin was too pale, making it seem as if she had gone days without sleep instead of a few hours. Her shoulders were shaking slightly, but Kirsten couldn't tell if it was from being cold or the stress of the day.
"What was all that about?" Camille asked. "Earlier, in the lab. With the crying. You don't cry."
"I know." Kirsten turned around so she didn't have to look at her reflection anymore, but she still refused to look Camille directly in the eye. "I don't know what happened, but I was just so afraid and I didn't know if Cameron was going to be okay—" Her breath hitched on a gasp and tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. Kirsten pressed a hand to her mouth and willed herself to calm down.
Camille's eyes widened. Instead of saying anything, she pulled her roommate into her arms and hugged her tightly. Kirsten eventually relaxed and got her breathing back to her normal. She still wasn't sure what the hell was going on with this sudden appearance of emotions, but she was glad that Camille was there.
"Come on." Camille wrapped her arm around Kirsten's shoulders. "Let's go and see if they'll let you in Cameron's room now."
Together, the two friends went back into the waiting room. Maggie was speaking with a doctor, telling her that the tests had been completed and now Cameron was resting comfortably. Kirsten heard the doctor tell Maggie the room number, and that was it—she was off, walking briskly down the hallway. She had to see for herself that Cameron really and truly was alright.
Just as the doctor said, Cameron was resting in bed. The quiet beeps of the monitors keeping track of his vitals hardly disturbed the otherwise silent room. Kirsten pulled one of the chairs up to the side of the bed and settled in.
Kirsten couldn't believe how calm and peaceful he looked. A casual observer wouldn't know that only hours before, Cameron had been minutes away from dying. That knowledge wouldn't leave Kirsten for a long time, however. Her chest constricted again, and she clenched the armrests tightly as she breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth.
It didn't help. Despite her best efforts, tears began to roll down Kirsten's cheeks. She blinked hard in an effort to get them to stop, but nothing worked. Kirsten pressed her hand to her mouth in order to quiet her gasping sobs. Cameron needed his rest, and she didn't need to wake him up because she suddenly couldn't control her emotions.
Of course, the universe seemed to be against her. Cameron's brow furrowed as he stretched a little. His eyes slowly opened and he blinked once, twice, three times before he focused in on Kirsten. With heavy, half-lidded eyes, Cameron studied here for several long moments. He probably wasn't sure if the drugs they had pumped into his system were twisting reality, or if Kirsten really was crying uncontrollably.
"Kirsten?" he whispered.
Kirsten sniffled and tried to smile, but even she knew that it was woefully inadequate. So she wiped at the tear tracks on her cheeks and sat up in the chair. "Go back to sleep," she told him. "I'm fine."
Cameron was barely awake, but he was still incredibly perceptive to Kirsten's feelings. He held his hand out, despite the effort it took to lift it. "Come here."
"Cameron—"
"No. Come here."
Kirsten's shock prevented her from having any time to think. She moved towards the bed, taking Cameron's hand in both of hers. Kirsten was surprised at how firm his command was, and it only deepened further when Cameron managed to pull her down on the hospital bed with him.
"Cameron! What are you doing?" Kirsten demanded. She had practically landed on Cameron's chest, and she worried that she was hurting him. He chuckled lightly and wrapped his arms around Kirsten, rolling her to his side.
Reaching up, he gently touched her still-damp cheeks. "Shh." He stroked his hand over her hair, and Kirsten relaxed into his embrace. She shifted on the bed so she was tucked against his side, with her head against his chest. "It's going to be okay."
Kirsten fell asleep, feeling safe with his arms wrapped around her.
third.
"Cameron, come on. Please think about this."
Cameron finished brushing his teeth and rinsed his mouth out. "Think about what?" he asked. He turned to find Kirsten leaning against the door to the bathroom attached to his hospital room. He had been in the room for barely thirty-six hours, but he was already going stir crazy. Cameron had never been one to sit still for very long, after all.
Kirsten huffed indignantly. "You should be resting."
"Why? I feel great!" And he really did. Cameron practically felt like a new man. That first night he had slept with Kirsten in his bed; the next morning, she had shyly extracted herself from his arms and had gone to fetch them breakfast.
They didn't speak about how Kirsten spent the night wrapped in Cameron's arms. Instead, they amused themselves in the hospital room with a marathon of sci-fi movies from the fifties. Kirsten claimed that she just didn't get the appeal, while Cameron passionately campaigned for some of his favorites.
After their quiet day together, Kirsten just about had a heart attack when she woke up early the next morning and saw that Cameron was no longer in his bed. She wondered how it was possible for him to be so energetic after his previous lethargy, but she supposed it wasn't impossible.
"Cameron, please," Kirsten pleaded. "At least take it easy today."
"What are you so worried about?" Cameron retorted. He crossed his arms and leaned against the sink, arching an eyebrow as he waited for Kirsten to answer.
Kirsten opened her mouth and closed it again a moment later. How did she explain to him the terror that she felt every time she thought about Cameron laying on that table? That horrific moment when they hadn't been able to revive Cameron would stay with Kirsten forever.
Given the nature of their work, Kirsten knew there was a very good chance they could end up in yet another dangerous situation. Cameron could very well have his life threatened again, and that was something that Kirsten was eventually going to have to come to terms with.
For now, however, Kirsten was going to do everything in her power to keep Cameron safe. They had a grace period and Kirsten was going to take full advantage of it.
Kirsten wanted so badly to explain this to Cameron, but to her complete mortification tears began to course down her cheeks. Her breath caught on a gasp and Kirsten balled her hands into fists. Her nails bit into the palms of her hands, she was clenching them so tightly.
"Damn it!" she yelled. She didn't understand why she was constantly crying. It seemed that it was all she had been doing for the past forty-eight hours, and Kirsten was done with it. The sudden rush of emotions she was feeling was foreign to her, and she didn't know how to handle it.
Cameron was watching her intently. If he was surprised by her sudden outburst, he didn't show it. Instead, he reached out and slipped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. Kirsten struggled against him. She was inexplicably angry, but she was still crying. This was just too much for her. After years and years of being able to process things without outbursts of emotion, Kirsten was having issues with coming to terms with her new feelings.
No matter how hard she struggled, Cameron wouldn't let go. He brought one hand up to cradle her head, tangling his fingers in her long, blonde hair. His other arm stayed locked securely around her middle, anchoring her to him.
Eventually, Kirsten relaxed in Cameron's arms. She wound her arms around Cameron's waist and pressed her face into his chest, breathing in his comforting scent. He smelled like fresh laundry and pine, and there was a ruggedness that she couldn't put a name too, but in that moment Kirsten knew that she adored that scent.
Kirsten didn't know how long she stood there, tucked safely against Cameron. Eventually, she lifted her face enough so that she could look up at Cameron. His eyes were calm and steady as he gazed back at her, and Kirsten was struck by how safe she felt with him.
"You okay?" Cameron asked. His hand continued to move up and down her back in comforting strokes. Cameron seemed to know exactly what Kirsten needed, and it was hard for her to wrap her mind around because Kirsten wasn't even sure what she needed.
Kirsten shrugged her shoulders. "Sure. I'm okay," she told him. But her voice was tight, and Cameron knew better. He tightened his arms around, squeezing comfortingly.
"Come on, Stretch," he cajoled. "We're going to see Fisher, and then we're going to go out and explore."
"Explore?" Kirsten arched an eyebrow but didn't pull back from Cameron. "Explore where?"
Cameron shrugged his shoulders. "Somewhere. Anywhere."
Sensing that Cameron needed this, Kirsten smiled and nodded her head. She pressed her face to Cameron's chest, seeking his comfort for just a moment longer before they separated.
fourth.
Kirsten wanted nothing more than for this day to be over. She and Cameron never did get to go exploring. She had found Leslie Turner's body in his apartment, and from there things had just gone haywire. After stitching into his memories and realizing just what lengths Turner went through to keep his secrets, Kirsten was exhausted and emotionally drained.
She had given up on sleep hours ago. Despite Maggie's urges to keep hidden and out of the way of danger, Kirsten had decided to go on a late night walk. Kirsten wandered aimlessly until she ended up at a familiar building.
The building where Cameron lived.
Kirsten stared up at the building, towards the floor where she knew Cameron lived. She had no idea why she was here, but she knew that she had to see him. Somehow, just the mere thought of being near Cameron was enough to relax her.
Making her way into the building, Kirsten took the stairs instead of the elevator. She took the stairs two at a time, practically running up the seven floors as fast as she could. Balling up her fist, Kirsten banged on Cameron's door four times before she stepped back to wait. She bounced impatiently from foot to foot and tried to remain as calm as possible.
Thankfully, Kirsten only had to wait a few seconds for Cameron to open the door. He didn't look at all surprised to see her, actually. He took in her tense posture and stepped aside, allowing her to pass through his door.
Without a word, Kirsten headed into the kitchen and searched through Cameron's cupboard until she found a jar of Nutella. She pulled a spoon from the silverware drawer popped open the jar. Cameron watched as she stuck a spoonful of the chocolate-hazelnut goodness into her mouth.
"I couldn't sleep," she mumbled around the spoon.
Cameron's lips lifted into a half smile. "Neither could I," he admitted. He held his hand out for the jar and Kirsten handed it to him sans spoon. So he stuck his finger into the jar instead and scooped some Nutella up with his finger.
"I don't know what's going on with me," Kirsten muttered after she pulled the spoon from her mouth. She stared down at the silver utensil in her hand instead of at looking at Cameron. When he chuckled, however, she shot him a sharp look that only made him laugh harder.
"Come on, Princess. Isn't it obvious?" When Kirsten didn't answer, he squeezed her elbow. "You have feelings now."
Kirsten huffed. "I know." She had figured it out on her way over to Cameron's apartment. Obviously, stitching into Cameron—who hadn't actually been dead—had flipped that switch inside her brain and opened a whole floodgate of emotions. "What do I do with them?"
Cameron laughed again and shook his head. Leaning against the counter, he handed her the jar of Nutella once again. "Have you talked to Camille about this?" he asked.
"Of course. We split a bottle of wine tonight and she made baked ziti." Kirsten really had felt better after talking things through with Camille. She had found a true friend in her roommate, and Kirsten could now fully appreciate everything Camille did for her. "But I just can't seem to make my mind turn off."
"Come here." Cameron took the Nutella and spoon from Kirsten's hands and set them on the counter. Keeping her hand in his, he towed her towards the couch and sat her down. He reached for the remote and flipped the television on while Kirsten watched in amusement. When he finally set the remote down, he grinned at her triumphantly.
The title image for Star Trek flashed across the screen. "Since neither of us can sleep, we'll use this time to educate you in the next phase of science fiction. This is the show that basically shaped the genre."
Kirsten scooted across the couch so that she was closer to Cameron but wasn't quite touching him. Making herself comfortable, she leaned back against the cushions and pulled a pillow onto her lap. "If you say so."
Cameron grinned at her and began to explain the background of the episode they were on. Kirsten tilted her head back and closed her eyes, allowing the sound of his voice to wash over her.
They were barely ten minutes into the episode when Cameron looked over and saw that Kirsten was fast asleep. He smiled affectionately at her and grabbed a blanket off the arm of the couch. He draped it over her and settled back onto the couch.
When they woke up the next morning, Kirsten was draped across Cameron's chest. She smiled sheepishly at him and he grinned at her. He suggested making breakfast, to which Kirsten responded with a skeptical look.
"You can cook?" she asked.
Cameron rolled off of the couch and offered his hand to Kirsten. "I'm full of surprises, Cupcake."
fifth.
"So."
Kirsten looked up to see Camille standing over her. She had an annoyingly smug look on her face, and Kirsten immediately looked away. She took a renewed interest in her laptop and tried to pretend that her roommate wasn't standing there.
Of course, Camille wasn't one to be deterred easily. "Where were you last night?"
"Where were you?" Kirsten immediately countered.
"Hello, I was here. Which is where you obviously weren't, by the way. You weren't banging around in the kitchen at an ungodly hour, so I decided to check and see if you were in your room."
"You need to stop going into my room," Kirsten said without lifting her eyes from her laptop. As soon as she did, she knew that she was going to start blushing and that would be a dead giveaway.
"You still haven't answered my question." Camille sat down next to the couch and stared at Kirsten, waiting expectantly. Kirsten tried to ignore her, but Camille wasn't going to give in.
Finally admitted defeat, Kirsten set aside her laptop and sighed. "I stayed at Cameron's last night," she admitted.
"Well of course you did." Camille smirked and patted Kirsten's hand."I just wanted to hear you say it out loud."
"You're evil."
"You love me." Camille leaned back against the couch and propped her feet up on the coffee table. "So what's the deal with that? Should I expect you to end up at Cameron's apartment again tonight?"
Kirsten shrugged her shoulders and ran a hand through her hair. She tugged at the ends and chewed on her bottom lip. "I just felt better knowing that he was there and he was okay," she revealed."I couldn't sleep, because every time I closed my eyes… I saw him lying on that table."
"I don't blame you." Camille scooted closer and wrapped her arm around Kirsten's shoulders, squeezing tightly. "Are you finally going to admit what the rest of us already know?"
Kirsten wrinkled her nose and tried to play dumb. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Please, you can't fool me. You totally like Cameron!"
"Camille!"
"What? The rest of us already know it."
Kirsten groaned and slapped her hands over her face, covering her eyes. Her cheeks were red hot with embarrassment, and the last thing she needed was for Camille to make fun of her for that.
"Are you serious?" Kirsten demanded. "Everyone knows?"
"Well, not everyone," Camille conceded. "Cameron doesn't."
"I don't know if that makes me feel better or worse."
Camille rolled her eyes. "The two of you are ridiculous," she murmured under her breath. "Look, you've both been through a lot lately. Just give it some time and see what happens."
Kirsten sucked in a calming breath and nodded her head. Quirking her eyebrow, she poked Camille in the side. "When did you suddenly become the voice of reason?" she teased.
Camille flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Well someone has to be around here!"
sixth.
Kirsten's eyes snapped open, and for several confusing moments she had no idea where she was. She quickly realized that she was in her bed, and not in the lab like her dream had suggested. She took a deep breath and pressed a hand to her chest in an effort to calm her racing heart.
Kirsten normally didn't have dreams, and nightmares were a fairly new experience for her. Sitting up, Kirsten dragged her hands through her hair and buried her face in her knees. Given that she had been stuck in a repeat loop of Cameron flat-lining, Kirsten knew that she had just had her first nightmare
She had three options. The first was to wake Camille up and talk it out, but Kirsten immediately vetoed that one because she wasn't about to give Camille the satisfaction. Her second option was to try and go back to sleep, but she knew that wasn't going to work. Kirsten had been restless all night, and it had taken her almost two hours to fall asleep in the first place. In fact, the only time that Kirsten had really gotten any sleep was when she had been with Cameron.
That brought her to her third option: she could call Cameron. Instead of giving herself time to analyze every option, Kirsten went with her gut and reached for her phone. She selected Cameron's number and pulled the covers up to her chin while she waited for him to answer.
He picked up halfway through the second ring. "What's up, KC? You okay?"
Hearing Cameron call her one of his many nicknames for her already had Kirsten feeling a bit better. She cracked a barely-there smile and then said, without thinking, "Can you come over?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Kirsten wished she could take them back. Feeling this much embarrassment all at once was horrendous, and Kirsten wasn't sure how people dealt with it every day.
Thankfully, Cameron didn't hesitate. "I'll be there in five minutes," he said before he hung up.
Those five minutes seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. Before she knew it, Cameron was opening her bedroom door. He slipped into the room and shut it behind him, his brow furrowed in concern.
"Hey," he greeted. Cameron started to move across the room. He kept his movements slow and deliberate, and it was almost as if he was afraid he was going to spook Kirsten. "What's going on?"
"I couldn't sleep," Kirsten mumbled. She pulled her legs towards her chest and rested her chin on her knees. Cameron continued to move forward until he stopped at the foot of the bed. Kirsten drank in the sight of him, taking comfort in the fact that he was standing in front of her.
"Why?" Cameron questioned. He tucked his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie.
Kirsten pressed her face into her knees once again. She really didn't want to admit it, but Cameron was going to get it out of her eventually. She wasn't one to normally give in so easily, but Kirsten was tired and wanted to go to sleep more than anything else in that moment.
"I had a nightmare." Kirsten spoke directly to her knees, but it was so quiet in the room that Cameron heard her anyway. His eyes went wide before he sat on the edge of the bed.
"About what?" he asked gently. He had a pretty good idea what the nightmare was about, but he wanted Kirsten to say it out loud.
Kirsten peeked up at Cameron from over her knees. "About… everything." She wasn't being vague because she didn't want to talk to Cameron. She just didn't want to relive the vivid details of her nightmare.
"Kirsten," Cameron murmured. He reached a hand out, offering it to her. Kristen slipped her hand into his and threaded their fingers together. Instead of having him stay at the foot of the bed, however, she tugged on his arm until he climbed up towards the pillows with her.
"Stay with me, please?" Kirsten asked. There was something about the quiet darkness of her room that made it a bite easier to be vulnerable. In the morning, Kirsten wasn't so sure that she'd be quite as open. But that was something that she could worry about later.
Cameron didn't ask questions or demand that she explain herself further. Instead, he just gave her one his heart-stopping smiles and climbed under the covers with her. When Kirsten snuggled into Cameron's side and pressed her head to his chest, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.
seventh.
"I want you to have this."
Kirsten looked up from the case report she was reviewing when Cameron slid something across her desk to her. Her brow furrowed in confusion when she saw a shiny new key peeking out from underneath his fingers.
She took the key from him and held it up to inspect it. "What's this?"
"A key."
Kirsten shot him a look. "Obviously. What is it for?"
"My apartment."
Kirsten's eyes when wide and she stared up at Cameron with her mouth hanging open. Cameron almost laughed, but he managed to hold it in. It seemed that he had finally rendered Kirsten Clark speechless.
"I figured you could get some use out of it," Cameron explained. "At least this way, you won't have to bang on my door until I answer."
Kirsten stared at the key clutched tightly in between her fingers. For the past three nights, Kirsten had ended up at Cameron's apartment. She slipped into his bed and always found that it was easier to sleep when he was right next to her.
"You want me to have this key?" Kirsten asked.
Cameron wasn't entirely sure why Kirsten was questioning him, but he decided to humor her anyway and answer. "Well, yeah. I want you to have it."
Kirsten curled her fingers around the cool piece of metal and gave him a small smile. "Okay," she said to him. Her cheeks flushed when he beamed at her, and she pulled her keys from her bag once he had returned to his desk. Kirsten slid Cameron's key next to her own on her key chain.
eighth.
Cameron sighed as he unlocked the door to his apartment. It hadn't been his intention to be out so late, but the dinner he had with his mother had gone long. As always, she had insisted on berating him for his choice of career path, and he hadn't been able to stop her ranting like he normally did.
He was looking forward to taking a shower and collapsing in bed. Instead of find his apartment empty and quiet, however, he found a tall blonde pacing back and forth in his living room. Obviously, she had already taken advantage of having a copy of his key. Cameron tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans and rocked back on his heels as he watched her.
"Kirsten?"
The woman in question stopped pacing abruptly and turned to face him. "So I've been thinking," she began.
Cameron's lips quirked up into a smile. "That's dangerous."
Kirsten shot him a glare that plainly stated she was in no way amused. "I think I have this all figured out."
"What do you have figured out?"
"Why I haven't been able to sleep lately."
"And why is that?"
Kirsten planted her hands on her hips and stared Cameron down. "Do you have any idea what you did to me when you injected that solution to stop your heart?"
Cameron blinked at her. He certainly hadn't expected her to start this conversation with that question. "What…?"
"I was so scared," Kirsten told him, and not for the first time. "You have no idea what it was like to see you lying in the corpse cassette." She stepped around the couch until she was standing directly in front of Cameron. "You have no idea how much I appreciate what you did. You sacrificed yourself so you could help me find some answers."
Unable to help himself, Cameron reached out and tucked some of Kirsten's hair behind her ear. "You know that I'd do anything for you, Kirsten," he whispered.
"I know." She did know that. But what scared her more than anything was that in his willingness to do anything for her, he would put himself into more danger. "But there was one thing that you didn't think of when you stopped your heart."
When Cameron gave her a confused look, Kirsten reached out and pressed her hand to his chest. "You didn't think about how the possibility of you dying would affect the rest of us. You didn't think about how it would affect me."
Cameron's mouth dropped open. He definitely hadn't been expecting her to say that. "I…" He trailed off, unsure of how to respond. He had heard from Linus how Kirsten had reacted while he had been lying on that table. From the way Kirsten was watching him, Cameron knew that it was actually true. And he definitely hadn't forgotten the way she had been holding him when he woke up.
"You have to promise that you'll never do anything like that ever again," Kirsten implored. She curled her fingers into his shirt and couldn't stop herself from moving closer to him. "You can't. I don't think I'll be able to take it."
Cameron placed his hand on Kirsten's waist, holding her closer to him. "You will," he assured her. "If anything does happen, you'll be able to handle it."
Kirsten breathed in slowly through her nose in an attempt to calm herself. "Maybe before," she said, referring to when she still didn't feel any emotions. "But not anymore."
It was surprisingly easy to be open with Cameron. It was made even simpler by the fact that she truly trusted him. Standing in front of him, with his eyes trained on her and his hands holding her waist, Kirsten felt like everything was going to be okay.
Cameron lifted one hand and cupped Kirsten's cheek. "I can't promise you anything," he said. "But I can tell you that I'll be here for you no matter what. No matter what happens, we'll figure it out together."
For now, that was enough. Kirsten closed the remaining small space between them and wrapped her arms around Cameron's waist. She pressed her head to his chest and closed her eyes while he held her against him.
"Let's go to bed," Cameron suggested. Kirsten smiled at him and took his hand. He gave her a t-shirt and a pair of shorts to change into. After he changed, they climbed into bed and Kirsten settled into Cameron's arms.
Things were changing, and there was so much that she had to figure out. Kirsten had to work out her new feelings and the mystery of what happened to her parents, all while continuing with her job in the Stitchers program. She was thankful for Linus, Camille, and Cameron because not only were they her closest friends, they were now her family.
So for now, Kirsten wasn't going to worry about it. So she closed her eyes, pressed her head to Cameron's chest, and fell asleep to the reassuring sound of his heartbeat.
I really enjoyed exploring the Stitchers universe in this fic. Thanks for reading!