So I've been keeping up with the Nadia x Doyle fics, and I thought I'd add one of my own. I'm still pretty new to this, so bear with me.

Like some of the rest of you, I was a little disappointed by the way we left these two hanging, so this is my answer to that. By the way, Remembrance Lane and Jesus.Lives are totally my inspiration. You guys rock, keep the good stuff coming!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the 24 characters, so please don't sue me. I'm a poor college student, I don't have anything anyway

She watched Morris and Chloe leave hand in hand. They were the last of the main techs to leave. Staff had been trickling out of CTU headquarters for the last hour, wrapping up minor details and filling out the last of the day's reports. The last of the stragglers were just finishing up now, a new wave of fresh staff were coming in to take their place. A cleanup crew was busy working off to the side, removing any debris left over from the Chinese attack. Two of them were busy cleaning up the blood stain on the floor from where Milo had lain just hours before. That sight brought a flood of memories to Nadia Yassir. She pushed them all back, swallowing the lump in her throat. She didn't have the time or the energy to deal with that now. All she wanted was to go home and crawl into her nice warm bed and sleep for a month. Still, she lingered on the main floor of CTU, looking around at the almost empty room. She wanted to go home, but something was keeping her rooted to that spot.

She looked over toward the hall that led to the infirmary. She knew he was still down there, resting. Dr. Bridger had been brought in for the new shift and had begun working on him right away as soon as he had been brought in from the beach. She remembered watching as they wheeled him in on that stretcher. His face was bandaged around his eyes, but he offered no sound of protest. She knew he was very awake, but he had said nothing as they took him down the hall. A twinge of guilt crept into the back of her mind. She hadn't even gone to see him yet. She couldn't. It was her fault that he was there. She should have listened to Karen. She knew that Jack was right about his father. Doyle knew it too. But instead she followed the orders of the administration and look where it got them. They had nearly lost the boy and the component and now Mike was…her thoughts trailed off as she looked down the hall again. Squaring her shoulders, she began walking toward the infirmary. The hall seemed longer than usual, and it seemed to be forever before she stood outside those doors. She swiped in, and immediately saw Doyle on a recovery bed through the glass doors. Dr. Bridger caught her eye and entered the room, leaving Doyle alone. Nadia tore her eyes off his still form to meet the doctor's gaze.

"How is he?"

"It's a little too soon to tell the full extent of the damage. His right eye is completely blind; the shrapnel severed the major nerves. His left eye is a little better, and there is a chance that he might regain sight in it. Again, it's too soon to tell. He will be flown to L.A. Memorial as soon as he's feeling a little more stable."

"How long will it be before he can be moved?"

"He could be moved now, but there is no rush. Besides his eyes, there is nothing wrong with him. I've been letting him rest for a while. The hospital will have to wait until he's more healed before they can do any work on him anyway. Eye injuries are like that, it's best to hold off for a while before they attempt any corrective surgery."

"I see. Is it okay if I see him?"

"That would be fine. I'm sure he'd appreciate that. I've been the only person he's talked to since he got here."

Nadia felt another stab of guilt. She should have come earlier. She owed him that much. She looked back at Bridger, swallowing hard.

"Thank you, Doctor."

He smiled at her kindly, then moved into his office to fill out some medical reports. Nadia slowly approached the doors, taking a deep breath before she heavily pushed them open. She slowly made her way to the bed, trying to be quiet just in case he was sleeping. He cocked his head a little as she approached, no doubt aware of the fact that it was not the doctor who had just walked in. She approached the edge of his bed, still unable to make a sound. She was racking her brain for the something to say, but nothing she thought of seemed right. He surprised her by speaking first.

"I was wondering when you were gonna show up."

His voice was a little raspy from the drugs, but his tone was even. He didn't seem to bear her any ill will. Not that it mattered; she bore enough against herself for the both of them.

"How'd you know it was me?" she asked, her voice coming out almost in a whisper.

"I smelled ya," he said matter-of-factly, sniffing for effect.

She almost laughed, but then realized he wasn't joking. She felt awkward standing over him, even though he couldn't see her. She abruptly sat down on the edge of the bed next to him. He turned to her a little more, but she couldn't tell if he was surprised or agitated. The bandages hid most of his expressions. He hadn't tightened his lips though, a gesture Nadia had come to associate with exasperation, so maybe he didn't mind.

"Mike…"she began uncertainly, her voice shaking audibly.

"Nadia, it's okay. Don't feel like you have to make yourself uncomfortable. What's done is done."

"But it's not done," she faltered again. "What happened today has lasting consequences."

"Do you think I don't know that?" His voice was not harsh, but it had a hint of resignation in it.

Nadia sighed aloud. "I just…I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

The surprised look on his face was visible this time. "Sorry for what?"

"What happened was my fault. I should have listened to you and Jack and Karen. They were right about Phillip Bauer. I was so afraid of what the supervisor from Division might do that I ignored my instincts and everyone else's and just did it by the book. And look what that accomplished. We almost lost everything. Now Jack is missing and you're…"she stopped suddenly, unable to finish the sentence.

She looked down at him, expecting to see anger on his features. His face instead looked thoughtful.

"Do you always do that?" he asked suddenly.

"Do what?"

"Blame yourself for everything that happens. Were the nuclear attacks yesterday your fault too?"

Nadia looked at him, stunned. He didn't blame her at all for what happened.

"Nadia, what happened to me is not your fault. I was following orders too. I knew the risks when I took this job, just like I knew the risks when I became an agent in the first place. You had no way of knowing the false component was rigged to blow any more than I did. This," he jerked a thumb toward his face, "was not your fault. Milo was not your fault." He stopped abruptly; he hadn't meant to say that. Mentally kicking himself for bringing that up, he waiting, trying to read her reaction without his sight.

Nadia was silent for a long time. The dam of emotions that she had been holding at bay finally broke. She felt the tears stinging her eyes and she fought them back for all she was worth. For some reason, she didn't want to cry in front of Mike. And yet another part of her wanted nothing more than to hold onto him for all she was worth. Finally, she drew a deep breath, sniffing loudly.

Crap, I made her cry. Good job, Mike.

"Yes it was," she choked out finally.

He reached carefully for where he thought her hand was. He found it unerringly, and closed his fingers around hers. He brushed his thumb over the top of her hand, doing his best to sooth her. Something warm and wet dripped onto the back of his hand. He shifted forward slowly, finally working himself into a sitting position. Nadia shifted on the bed next to him.

"Mike, you need to lie down…"she said, her voice even more haggard than before.

"I'm fine," he said firmly.

He slowly moved his left hand up her arm, finding her hair. He brushed it back over her shoulder, then softly wiped the tears from her cheeks with the pad of his thumb. She reached up, holding his hand to her cheek.

"It's going to be okay. I promise," he said quietly. "Come here."

She allowed him to draw her close, burying her face in his shoulder. Her small arms wrapped around his back, seemingly clutching him for dear life. He felt a sob rack her body and he held her a little tighter, stroking her hair gently. Suddenly, the pain he had felt earlier disappeared; all his attention was on stopping the tears he had inadvertently caused. He rubbed her back, whispering nothings in her ear until she finally stopped shaking. Her breathing slowed and became more regular. For a moment, he almost thought she had fallen asleep. She nuzzled her face a little deeper into the crook of his neck and he tightened his hold on her a little more. He did not want to let her go. He almost chuckled when he thought of the fact that about 24 hours ago, he had her in an interrogation cell. He remembered tightening his grip around her throat when she refused to give him the answers that he wanted. He shuddered at that memory. In just a few short hours, the person who he was so sure was working for terrorists was wrapped in his arms, seeking comfort from him. And he wanted nothing more in the world than to give it to her.

He usually wasn't the type to fall for someone quickly. He was never impulsive about emotions; in fact, he didn't have much use for them. They only got in the way. His job had hardened him. He was used to people not understanding him and what he did. He was used to being alone, and only looking out for himself and his teams. But in a very short amount of time, he found himself caring for someone much deeper than he would have though possible for the amount of time he'd known her. Nadia was beautiful to be sure, but that was not what attracted him to her. She had a strong and confident demeanor, and yet he knew that she was far more unsure of herself than she let on. She hid her emotions well, and never let others see the weakness beneath her cool façade. Except for him. Earlier yesterday, when she told him that Milo had been killed, he asked if she was alright. She looked at him, her eyes pleading with him, and said 'no'. The look on her face broke his heart. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and love all the pain away right then and there. But time was short and he and Jack had a mission. He leaned his head against hers; he would make up for abandoning her before. She stirred a little in his arms, and he turned his head to kiss her hair softly.

Nadia relished the feeling of Mike's strong arms around her. She had felt so guilty over what happened to Milo, even after Morris had assured her it was not her fault. Earlier before Mike had left, she knew that he had wanted to hug her. She wanted him to hug her. She needed him more than ever at that point. Earlier, he had terrified her when he had interrogated her. In a matter of a few hours, she had gone from fearing him to seeking his opinion and his comfort. And then, she had sent him on a mission than cost him his eyesight and his career, just like that. She had failed to save Milo, just as she had failed to protect Mike. They were her responsibility, and she blew it.

But here Mike was, comforting her after she had sent him on that mission. He didn't blame her. All he wanted to do was to be there for her. She nuzzled a little closer to him and felt his grip tighten a little. He kept on whispering to her that it was okay and that he was there for her. He was kneading her back slowly, working out all the tension that had built up. The guilt that had threatened to overwhelm her slowly ebbed away with his ministrations. She breathed in his scent deeply; it was salty with a hint of something she could only identify as Old Spice. This felt really…nice. She didn't want this moment to end. She could feel all the stress and emotions that had been building up slowly dissipate as Mike continued to hold her close. She tightened her grip on his shirt, and he turned to kiss her hair. She felt it all too keenly.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, they finally pulled away from each other. Neither of them really knew what to say to the other. Each knew that the other had been doing a lot of recapping during the last few minutes. A tapping at the glass saved them both from having to think up something to say. Nadia looked over to see Dr. Bridger with a paper in his hand motioning for her to join him. She thought he had a slightly embarrassed look on his face, and she wondered how long he had been standing there.

She looked at Mike sheepishly, though he could not see it.

"Well, Dr. Bridger wants me."

I want you. "Yeah," he said instead.

"Mike..." her voice trailed off.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you…for everything."

He reached down and squeezed her hand, turning as if to look at her.

"Anytime. Listen, if you ever need to talk about anything, you know my number."

She looked down at her hand in his. She had hoped to come and visit him in the hospital, but that might be a little presumptuous.

"Yeah," she said, a little more disappointment in her voice than she had intended.

As if reading her thoughts he said, "You can come visit me too. If you want to," he hastily added.

Her eyes snapped up to look at him.

"Yeah, I'll definitely do that."

His sigh sounded almost relieved. He paused for a moment, as if deep in thought, searching for the right words to say to her.

"Maybe we'll be able to help each other out. You know…pick up the pieces."

"Together," she added.

"Yeah, together," he confirmed, the barest of smiles touching his lips. "You better go see what Doc wants."

"Yeah. I'll see you soon, Mike."

There was determination behind that statement, and Mike did not doubt its truth. His smile widened as she rose to leave.

"I'll be waiting."

If you guys liked what you read, I might be persuaded to write a little more. I had some more ideas for these two, but I want to make sure you like what was there so far. So keep the reviews coming guys!