A/N: Ok here is chapter 2, thought I focus a bit just on Shepard and Sam in this chapter so enjoy. Please read and review.

Please don't forget to read my first story which is still in progress. Please read and review.

And I will be uploading another new story soon, "A Surprise From The Depths of Therum". So please check it out. Please read and review.

All rights reserved to Bioware and EA.

Chapter 2 – Crucible Pulse + Five Days

Shepard's eye flickered open and revealed nothing. The room was dark, nothing but the beeps of monitoring equipment. She surveyed the room and found no one. There was a small holoboard panel on hand rail of the bed. She went to reach over with her right arm, which was stiff as all hell but realised it was being held down by something.

She then reached over with her left arm; with what was left of it anyway and what ever she touched it groaned and rolled over, placing its arm across her chest. Shepard grinned. "Sam.." Shepard said softly, jiggling her arm since she couldn't stroke her check with her right hand.

As Sam's head slowly lifted, Shepard saw her look around the room. She must have been dreaming. "Sam.." said Shepard again, making Sam slightly jump.

"Oh my god, Shepard you're awake. You're alive" as she buried her head into Shepards neck and started crying.

"Sam, I missed you too my sweet but can I have my hand back since it's the only one I have left" said Shepard.

"Oh sorry, I'll get the light on too" said Sam, getting up and releasing Shepards arm from underneath her.

Shepard pull her arm up and flexed it as the feeling returned. At the same time, Sam had walked around the other side of the bed and used the control panel to activate the bed lights as not to blind Shepard as her eye adjusted.

"Shepard are you- what's wrong with your arm?" said Sam looking down at the bandaged arm peeking out from the top of the bed sheets.

Shepard looked into Sam's eyes and was for a very short time lost in them but quickly came back to Sam's question. "I'm not exactly in one piece at the moment Sam. My right arm below the elbow is gone". Sam's hands went over her mouth as Shepard brought her arm out from under the bed sheets. "My left leg is gone below the knee and my right is gone above the knee, almost up to my thigh" said Shepard.

Sam sat down beside Shepard on the bed and reached to touch Shepards face. As Sam's soft brow skin stroked Shepards face, Shepard reach up and gripped the same hand with her own. "I didn't look you over when I came in because I would have had to turn on the light and I didn't want to wake you. But what's with the bandages on your face?" said Sam.

"When I woke up in the rubble, how ever long ago that was, my left eye was gone". Sam gasped, placing both her shaking hands on either side of her face and resting her forehead on Shepards.

Shepard grabbed Sam's uniform by the collar, pushed her out and pulled her down into a long awaited, deep, passionate kiss that seemed to make time stop. Sam's soft, wet lips felt amazing against Shepard's. "Sorry, couldn't wait any longer". They both smiled. Sam pattered Shepard on the stomach. She gasped in a bit of pain.

"Oh, sorry" said Sam, pulling her hand away.

"No no, it's ok. There is a gunshot wound their".

"Gunshot!" Sam screeched, getting up and yet again placing her hands over her face.

"Sam calm down, I'm ok really" said Shepard. Reaching up and going to grab her with her right hand. Realising she couldn't. "Damn it" muttered Shepard, as Sam turned around to see Shepard's frustrated face.

"No Shepard, you're not ok" said Sam, grabbing her arm and placing it back on the bed. Sam walked back around to the left side of the bed, laying down beside Shepard. Shepard raised her arm to let Sam underneath and brought her into the tightest embrace she could manage.

"Yeah, you're right as usual. I'm not ok" said Shepard sadly. Shepard and Sam turned each others heads to look into each others eyes as they rested on the pillow.

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Sam.

Shepard rolled her head back up, looking at the ceiling as a very distraught look cam upon her face. Sam put her arm across Shepard's chest. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you" said Sam. "It's ok.." said Shepard quietly.

"You did all you could, you fought all you could. There is only so much one person could do and I'd bet anything in the galaxy that no one could have done better than you. This whole situation would have destroyed a lesser person" Sam said, trying her best to comfort her emotionally and physically crippled lover.

Shepard coughed a bit. "Could you please wipe my eye" muttered Shepard sadly. "Of course" said Sam, reaching over to the bedside table behind her to grab a tissue.

Sam lightly dabbed Shepards eye. "Thank you Sam.." said Shepard quietly.

Sam smiled, "Anything for you my darling" as she gave Shepard a deep kiss.

Shepard smiled, "When you kiss me, my legs turn to jelly".

Both Sam and Shepard stared at each other with blank looks on there face. "Well, when I say legs.." laughed Shepard. Sam's laugh followed. They once again looked into each others eyes. "I love you Sam" said Shepard.

"And I love you Shepard. I was wreck till I saw you a few hours ago".

Shepard wriggled and sat up a bit more. "Speaking of hours, what time is it anyway?" asked Shepard.

"About zero two hundred hours, but you have also been unconscious for two days" replied Sam.

"Wow, longest I've ever been laying down for…ever" said Shepard.

Sam laughed. "Apart from the missing limbs, the gun shot wound, the missing eye and the various cuts, burns and bruises. Are you ok?".

Shepard nodded. "I'm fine. Can I ask you something incredibly insensitive?"

Sam raised an eye brow. "Nothing you could ever ask would be insensitive".

Shepard sat up. "The only thing on my mind, when the crucible fire…was you. Just you and I was wondering if you were thinking of me?".

Sam leaned sat up and looked into Sheppard's eyes. "You were the only person I was thinking of".

Shepard smiled and laid her head back on the pillow and without knowing it, fell a sleep. Sam noticed but didn't utter a word, just the same.