The sharp clatter of medical tools on the floor roused Garrus from his drug induced sleep. The Normandy was taking evasive action and Joker was definitely doing his best flying and swearing. Random items rolled back and forth across the floor of the Med Bay. Dr. Chakwas held tightly to her chair, her eyes shut tightly. A particularly hard turn bounced Garrus across the cot he was occupying. Luckily, Dr. Chakwas had managed to fasten the bed restraints around him before Joker had begun to deploy his particular style of evasive maneuvers. The restraints dug into Garrus tightly and he was slightly aware of the discomfort. He closed his eyes again, unable to care about the current situation and found himself slipping back into sleep.
"Shit… Shit… Shit! Extraction Team, things are getting dicey out here. Have you reached the Citadel?" Joker announced over the intercom, relaying his transmission throughout the Normandy.
Garrus felt his attention suddenly focus. He forced himself to remain conscious.
"Approaching the Citadel. Sending shuttle extraction coordinates to you now, Jeff." EDI replied.
Garrus struggled to keep awake, fighting against the powerful opiates which flooded his system.
"Stay sharp and look for survivors," an Alliance soldier said through the intercom.
They're looking for Shepard! Garrus' mind screamed.
Garrus fought to remain conscious as the team searched for Shepard. Twice, he felt himself drift off and he had to shake his head violently to keep awake. It felt like an eternity before the Alliance soldier could once again be heard through the intercom.
"Normandy, we have discovered three persons. Two males and one female."
Garrus felt his heart quicken, his head swam in a mist and he felt the opiates begin to pull him back into unconsciousness despite his best efforts.
"Normandy, the identity of the Illusive Man has been confirmed. Status, deceased."
Garrus listened intently. He knew without a doubt that it had been Shepard who had put an end to the Illusive Man.
"Normandy, the identity of Admiral David Anderson has been confirmed. Status… deceased." The Alliance soldier said solemnly.
Garrus breathed in deeply, every muscle in his body tensing. The intercom remained silent. The strain of the situation began to wear at him and Garrus could feel his muscles tremble with fatigue.
"Normandy…" The Alliance soldier said over the intercom. "Shepard is… alive."
Garrus felt all of his muscles relax at once, leaving him heavy from the relief that flooded through him. He began to breathe again, unaware he had been holding his breath. Before he even had time to rejoice in the news, Garrus was once again unconscious.
Garrus could feel himself coming out of his induced sleep once again. This time he could hear the sound of concerned voices. He groggily turned his head towards the voices, his vision slowly clearing.
"…heavily sedated. We simply don't have the proper equipment, Dr. T'soni." Dr. Chakwas finished saying.
Garrus could see Liara fretting over an Enviro-Protection Pod. Garrus felt confused, Enviro Pods were specialized sterile modules used strictly for Quarian patients. He sat up slowly, noticing his safety restraints had been removed. A wave of dizziness met him as he tried to sit up.
"We have do something!" Liara protested. Her hand reached up and she began to rub her chin nervously. "What do we need?"
Dr. Chakwas sighed and looked down into the Enviro Pod. "Her armor was severely burned and it has bonded to her skin." The words came out painful and slow. She shook her head. "We can't begin to remove the armor without extensive nerve damage and I can't even determine the extent of damage to her cybernetics until we remove it."
Garrus pushed himself into a sitting position. He felt the thermal bandage pull on his abdomen tightly as he moved. The pain was only a minor discomfort. Dr. Chakwas had him on a high dose of opiates and they combated everything he felt. Garrus craned his neck and was barely able to make out the form of a young woman in the Enviro Pod. Her armor was charred black and melted, molding in with her skin. Her exposed forearms were burned and bloody. Garrus struggled to see her face. He put his feet on the floor, supporting himself against the bed.
"We need to get her into a Hydro Vat," Dr. Chakwas continued. "That will help loosen the armor from her skin. But we have a bigger problem. Her armor is fused together. We can't cut it off without risking further injury to her."
"We could use an acid based compound to weaken the armor in places and remove it in several pieces," Liara offered.
Dr. Chakwas nodded in agreement. "We don't have much time. The Enviro Pod will only sustain her for a short while."
Garrus began to move slowly towards the pod, the truth of the situation finally dawning on his opiate laced brain. He could almost see the woman's face in the pod.
"Glyph," Liara turned to the VI. "What Intensive Emergency Medical facilities are nearby?"
"One moment, Dr. T'Soni, while I analyze your inquiry… The Nimbus has been repurposed into a Medical Frigate with Specialized Intensive Care. Would you like me to make contact?"
"Yes," Liara said. "We need to get her there as soon as possible."
"Garrus?" Dr. Chakwas said, her tone rising in surprise as she saw him.
Garrus stood beside Dr. Chakwas, looking down into the Enviro Pod. The woman inside was nearly unrecognizable. She had a large cut over her left eye and a darkening bruise under it. An angry welt discolored her right cheek bone. Scalded burn marks snaked their way up her neck and jaw. Her mouth and nose were stained with blood. Her eyelids were dark and closed. Garrus felt his legs tremble weakly as he looked down at the woman he loved.
"Shepard…" He whispered, his knees buckling from exertion. Dr. Chakwas and Liara grabbed him.
"You shouldn't be up, Garrus." Dr. Chakwas scolded. Garrus resisted, putting his hand on the Enviro Pod over Shepard's damaged face.
"Artemis, I should have been with you." He said weakly.
Liara shot Garrus an anguished look. "Don't do that to yourself, Garrus."
Garrus groaned and stared down at Shepard. "I should've protected her."
"Garrus…" Liara said, her voice falling short. Garrus rested his hand on the Enviro Pod for a moment longer, slowly puling his talons across the smooth casing, allowing his arm to drop to his side.
"You have to rest Garrus," Dr. Chakwas said. Garrus remained still and unmoving. "I will sedate you again if I have to," she threatened.
Garrus sighed and resigned himself. He allowed them to return him to his cot. Dr. Chakwas sedated him anyway. As Garrus' vision slowly faded, he stared at the Enviro Pod and the painful sight of Shepard.
Hold on, Shepard. Hold on.
PART II:
Garrus sat hunched over Shepard as she lay in a medically induced coma. They were on the Nimbus and she had been under Specialized care for nearly a week now. At first, the medical team had refused any visitation from Garrus or anyone else from the Normandy. Despite persisting, the medical staff kept insisting that Shepard's location aboard the Nimbus was confidential. Frustrated, Garrus, Tali and EDI devised a plan to discover Shepard's location. Garrus had been in charge of looping the video from the security surveillance feed. When this was done, EDI distracted the VI in charge of patient records while Tali hacked into the medical logs and gained the location and access code to Shepard's private room.
Garrus chuckled, remembering the shock of the Salarian nurse when she saw him sitting with Shepard. She had called for the security officers. The first two failed to remove him from the room. It took six more and a tranquilizer from the slippery Salarian nurse to haul Garrus out of there. A transmission from Primarch Victus cleared Garrus of being a terrorist and an assassin. Another transmission from Admiral Hackett granted visitation rights to Shepard for the Normandy crew and high ranking officers with proper credentials. However, the visitation clearance didn't exactly mean much since Shepard was to remain in her induced coma until further notice.
Garrus sat and stroked Shepard's forehead gently. He found it comforting to be able to be near her. He spoke to her, hoping that she could hear him somehow.
"You know, they're calling you 'The Shepard' now." He began, fumbling for more things to say. "The food here is horrible. They forced me to eat some as punishment for breaking into your room. So, you're not missing much by being asleep." He muttered idly. He found himself looking at her neck and chest. The thermal grafts had been removed that morning and delicate pink skin glowed in place of the scalded and burned flesh. Garrus wasn't sure how, but the medical staff had somehow successfully removed Shepard's charred armor. It couldn't have been an easy task or a pretty one given the state of the ceramic plating of the armor.
Garrus shuddered at the thought, remembering the feel of his burning armor against his skin which was far thicker than Shepard's. He had no idea how she had endured so much pain and still managed to have found the strength to destroy the Reapers.
"I'll update you on the latest Normandy gossip. Joker and EDI are exploring their… relationship. If you could call it that. Liara's been helping EDI program modular enhancements within her Gynoid body so she can experience and feel human interactions. Well, long story short, EDI got a little over eager and didn't test out the enhancements in a safe environment before employing them. And as a result, Joker is being treated for some minor burns." He remarked whimsically with a chuckle.
He ran his talons through her hair and smiled. He was getting used to human fringe. It had a nice feel and he loved how it slid through his fingers. He looked at her face and noted that the cut over her eye was going to leave a slight scar that would probably heal in time. The other markings on her face were fading away, leaving only traces of discoloration that would disappear completely in a couple of weeks.
"Just between you and me, I have a weakness for women with scars," Garrus continued, spouting every random thought he had just so she could hear his voice. He remembered that she had once told him after a night together that his voice was the best thing to wake up to. That and his mouth, among other things.
"Your rifle was lost in the battle. I thought about getting you a new one and modifying it for you. You know, so you can practice your aim in a futile attempt to outshoot me." His voiced dropped abruptly. He was running out of small talk. He found himself watching as her chest rose and fell with each breath she took.
"Artemis…" He had taken to using her first name when he had something important to say to her. "I've been alone in this galaxy for what's felt like a long time. I never thought I could find even a shred of happiness, not to mention love. But you changed all that and I…" He trailed off, suddenly realizing exactly what he wanted to say. "I'm not willing to risk losing you ever again. When you're healed, when you finally open your eyes, I want to make you mine, forever."
Garrus reached up and ran a padded finger over his face, smearing his painted markings across his finger pad. He reached over and gently traced a faint outline of his colony emblem across her cheeks and nose.
"Artemis, I want you to be my…" Garrus began.
"Tradition dictates that you should propose a union to your chosen when she is conscious." A familiar dual tone voice chided from behind Garrus.
Garrus stood quickly and turned, his eyes setting upon a Turian he never thought he would see again.
"Father!" Garrus muttered, his mandibles flinching in surprise.
Lyras Vakarian stood straight and disciplined, his arms laced behind his back. Despite his closely controlled stature, he looked tired. "Son," he replied flatly.
Garrus felt the gap between his father and himself quickly appear once again. "I'd heard you and Solana made it off Palaven. I tried to find you, but it was nearly impossible with all the refugees."
Lyras took a few steps into the room, resting his hands on the rail of Shepard's bed. "We barely escaped with our lives. It's been a nightmare of refugee camps, chaos and disorder since then."
"I'm surprised that alone didn't kill you," Garrus quipped, immediately wanting to kick himself for the comment.
Lyras looked at Garrus without amusement. "You always were flippant. I see some things never change, no matter what command you serve under."
Garrus stood in ashamed silence, his head bowed. Lyras continued to stare at Shepard.
"How's Solana?" Garrus asked quietly after a while.
Lyras turned from Shepard and stood once again before Garrus. "She was injured during the assault on Palaven. She shattered her ischium and femur. We couldn't get proper treatment right away. She's still healing, though the doctors fear she'll have a limp the rest of her life. She sends her regards." Lyras said stiffly.
Garrus felt the sting of the comment. "She's still angry with me. I'm sorry about mother. I would have been there if…" he trailed off. "I sent every credit I could."
Lyras shook his head. "I never blamed you for that and your mother didn't either. You had a duty and you stayed true to your post."
Garrus involuntarily jerked at the statement. He had never meant to imply that his sense of duty to destroying the Collector Base was more important to him that his own Mother.
"Your mother and I had our differences. We went our separate ways a long time ago. But the last thing we agreed on was you, Garrus. In the end, your mother held no bitterness. Solana is angry with you, but your mother understood." Lyrus continued. "Solana will come around eventually. She's still young and headstrong. Just like her brother."
Garrus nodded, hoping Solana would one day try to understand his position. The silence between Garrus and Lyras grew dense. Lyras finally broke the awkward silence.
"So, you planned to take on this alien as part of the Vakarian clan without consulting me?" Lyras asked, motioning to Shepard.
Garrus felt himself flush with anger, but maintained his composure. "She is the savior of this entire galaxy. She deserves your respect."
Lyras looked at Shepard again. "You would taint the Vakarian name by tying it to an alien? A human Spectre?" He asked in a disgusted tone. "And if I forbid this union?"
Garrus felt his anger flow through him. He fought to keep his voice even. "I'm not giving her the Vakarian name. I'm giving myself to her. You can keep the family name. You're a fool to think the Vakarian clan could be sullied by the inclusion of a human alien. And not just any human. This is commander Shepard. She has saved the galaxy more times than you will ever know." Garrus was very close to his father now, bearing down on the tired Turian. "And I don't care what you allow or forbid anymore. I've gone my whole life under your direction and I've got nothing to show for it." He pointed to Shepard. "Under her command, I've witnessed such feats of compassion, overcome dire adversity, survived when survival was not an option and loved a woman with every ounce of my being. So, if she's not good enough for the Vakarian name, then neither am I."
Garrus stopped, his anger boiling through him. He waited for Lyras to respond with harsh words that would disavow Garrus as his son. To Garrus' immense surprise, Lyras smiled.
"My son has finally become an adult," Lyras mused to himself.
Garrus was shocked. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Lyras chuckled again and reached out to Garrus, embracing him. Garrus stood unresponsive under his father's arms, confused. This was the first time his father had ever embraced him.
"I'm missing something. Did you hit your head on Palaven?" Garrus growled.
Lyras pulled back, a smile still on his mandibles. "I've waited so long for you to have a sense of duty to someone other than yourself. To make decisions that were right instead of just going along with what I told you to do. You have matured so much from the hot headed Turian who reacted without thinking." Lyras motioned to Shepard. "And I know she is partly to thank for that."
"You were testing me?" Garrus asked incredulously.
Lyras nodded. "In a sense." He walked over to Shepard and began to remove his face paint, adding it to her cheeks as Garrus had done earlier. "I commend Commander Artemis Shepard for her bravery and her skills. I would be honored to join the House of Vakarian with the House of Shepard."
Lyras looked up at Garrus who felt a knot form tightly in his throat. "After all, there you stand, my son. And I know this would not be the case if it were not for her."
Garrus was stunned at the sentiment.
Lyras further surprised Garrus by bending down and placing his mouth on Shepard's forehead, kissing her. "Welcome to the family, Shepard."
Garrus blinked in surprise. "Did you just kiss my girl?"
Lyras looked at Garrus with a kind of smirk. "Word travels fast when Commander Shepard takes a Turian lover. I foresaw this coming, so I studied human tradition in an attempt to make her feel more accepted. This 'kiss' motion appeared to be a widely accepted form of affection in all the vids." Lyras gestured for Garrus to resume his seated position beside Shepard's bed.
Garrus was still in shock as he sat down across from his father. "Besides," Lyras continued, "if you didn't ask her, I was going to."
A joke. Garrus thought amazed. My Father actually made a joke.
Garrus chuckled, the tension lifting from the air. "She has a weakness for scars," he said, motioning to the side of his face to his father. "She would never go for a clean cut guy like you."
Lyras chuckled and picked up Shepard's hand, holding it between his. "I want to get to know her." Lyras said, staring at her face. "Tell me about her, Garrus. Tell me all about her."
Garrus smiled and looked down at Shepard as well, feeling his love for her blossom within him.
"She has the warmest smile," he began. "And her eyes glow like the Illium sun at dusk…"
