Chapter 3

Thank everybody who read and reviewed this. I will try to work on my grammer. Enjoy the story

Tali had started to wake up. fallen asleep from laying on the bed and the crying had made her tired. While she was sleeping she held the note from Shepard to her chest. Hoping that she would dream about him. hoping when she opened her eyes Shepard would be there. Tali knew making these type of wishes would just make it harder on her ,but she did not care.

She longed to see the person that made her life worth living. She looked around the room. No one in sight. As she was scanning the room she saw the scrap book of photos and the letter in her hand.

She just stared at the letter Shepard had left her. Knowing no matter how much she missed him. no matter how much she begged and pleaded. He was not coming back. "your never coming back are you" she said aloud. As if waiting for someone to anwser her question. She sighed and sat up on the side of the bed as the day before.

Putting back the scrap book in the drawer and putting the letter in her belt. She got up and slowly walked towards the door. Looking at every possible detail before making it to the door. She looked at the fish in the tank. Wondering if they knew as well that Shepard was not coming back.

She watched the tank for a few minutes then walked to his desk and sat down in his chair. The lights in the room were not on ,but the light coming from the fish tank lit it just enough to be confortable. The blue light covering most of the room in a dim relaxing light. Now Tali saw why Shepard had had that tank. After a mission she guessed he would sit were she was and just watch the fish and relax.

She looked to her left on a shelf and saw a little glass cage. Something was moving around in it. She quickly got up and examined the container. Then a furry little animal poked it's head out of the a little plastic house.

Tali thought that was the most adorable thing ever. She saw a little cylinder container near him labbled" hammester food". Tali looked at the little fury thing. "so you're a hammester" she grabbed the cylinder. Uncapped it and dropped a little of the pellet's from it. She was surprised she had not noticed him before. He must only been there a little while.

The pellet's had fallen in front of the hammester. It quickly ran out and started to eat. Tali smiled and set down the container. This room was filled with so many fond memories of her and John. She stood there silently.

"what now" She thought to herself. She proceded out the door and towards the elevator. She pressed the button for it to come up….the elevator still was not here. "where is it" She thought. She suddenly remembered Shepard hating them as well.

"These elevators are probaly the most annoying thing on the ship. It takes them forever." Shepard said impatiently pushing the button over and over again. Tali looked at him smiling. Watching Shepard get angry was sometimes very amusing. The commander always had a long fuse ,but when it came to elevators. Watch out.

Tali laughed softly. Remembering him. (ding). The elevator finally got there. Tali walked inside and bushed the button to go down to engineering. She turned around looking back at the Commanders room door. Then the elevator closed cutting off her view.

After a couple minutes she had finally got to her destination. She walked out towards her console. Getting back to work. She knew she needed to keep the engine up and running and could not be off for more then a day at a time. Tali was not over the commander's death. Not by a long shot. She could just not delay her work for to long.

She passed the two doors leading to the engineering room. She was the only one in there. She shrugged it off. She positioned herself in front of the console over looking all basic and advanced functions going on. She could not help ,but think of all the times Commander Shepard came down to visit her.

She quickly shook her head. She can not be distracted when she is working. Her task is crucial to the ship running properly. One wrong button and she could break or blow something out then they would have to dock for who knows how long. Come to think of it what are they going to do now that the reapers have been defeated. She started to question this until she heard a sound like something had lost power.

She tried to use her omni tool to call joker and see what was happening. "joker can you hear me. Whats going on." She listened but did not get a response. The main lights were still on and when she had gotten back to the elevator it was running as well. She pressed the button to go up. She sighed again. "take your time you bosh'tet." She was refering to the elevator. Finally the doors closed and it started to move.

"you idiots" Joker yelled. "what were you thinking." Tali had just gotten off the elevator and had approched joker and a group of crew men. " I have told you a thousand times to watch what you are doing." "What's going on here" Tali asked Joker turned and looked at Tali. "oh. Hi Tali. I was just yelling at these Dumbass idiots. Who don't know to pay constant attention to what they are doing or know what they are doing. They fried the whole communicatios relay on the ship."

Tali looked at the man and woman standing there looking guilty. The man was rubbing the back of his head and the woman was fidiling her fingers. Tali turned back to joker "how did they do that" she asked. Joker looked back at the crew men. "well miss I know everything here tried to fix a couple of wires that had come apart and put the communicatons wire and connected it to the electrical wire to the command console. The only reason it did not instantly burn the whole system instantly was becouse the circuit for that wire was off. When she just willy nilly put any wire's together without checking to see if they were identical and turned on the circuit it fried our communications. We cant send or receive anything"

Tali looked at the woman that could not bear to look up from the embaressment. Then she turned her attention to the man standing next to her. "So what did he do" Tali asked. Joker looked at the man who was standing in shame with his head down. Just like the woman. "oh him. well he was the one supposed to be fixing it. Apperently he thought it would have been a good idea to let miss I can do what ever I want here try and fix it herself. While he went to the bathroom." The man quickly stood at attention. "sir I had no idea that she was going to try to fix anything. I simply went to the bathroom as quickly as possible and when I was coming back I saw her turning on the circuit and frying the communications."

The woman was even more embaressed now. You could feel the shame coming off of her. "is that so" Tali said. The woman quickly lifted her head to try and defend herself. I was only trying to help. it looked like I could just easily connect a couple wires and be done. I didn't mean for this to happen." Joker was even more enraged now. "that is why people go to school for this type of thing. So they don't make mistakes like this." Tali looked at her she was not a very happy person right now. The last thing she needed was to go crawling in the vents to see how much of the wire was fried and if it was two big they would have to dock and get somebody else to fix it. "Alright let me see what I can do. You" she pointed at the man.

"go get me the tools from the engineer closet. Bag C tools." The man quickly ran to get the tools. "You. Go back to your normal duties and stay out of the way." She said dryly. she quickly ran off to do what she was told. Joker looked at Tali. Joker calmed down and spoke. "hey are you o.k" Joker asked worried. "it's not like you to be mean." Tali turned and walked to the circuit board a couple steps away. Turning off any and all electrical lines near the command area.

She turned back to Joker. "just fine" She said with anger in her voice. Joker didn't buy it. "well it does not seem like it." Tali stopped and looked at him. "so im supposed to be happy I have to be crawling through vent's trying to fix people mistakes." She said somewhat taunting him. Also very loudly becouse people were starting to stare at the two of them.

"Alright alright. Take it easy. It's just not like you to be mad at anyone." Tali replied. "well im tired o.k. it's been a long week. Stopping the reaper invasion fixing this thing day in and day out. Watching Shep…." She stopped herself wishing she had not brought that up. Joker now realized ,but before he said anything he looked around and saw a lot of people looking at them. "hey you all have a job to be doing." Everyone looked at him. "go on get back to work."

People resumed there normal work and started talking to one another. "Alright come over here" Joker motioned while limping to the elevator. They stopped in front of it and had not stayed near the middle of the room. Being the center of attention.

"is this about what happened to Shep." Joker said waiting for a response from her. She just looked to the ground trying to hold back the tears starting to form. Joker went on "look Tali. I miss him to. He was one of my best friends. More then that he was like my brother." Tali looked at him listening. Still fighting the tears. "I know for a fact that Shepard cared for all of us. Mostly you ,but I don't think he would want you wasting your life sulking over what happened. i know it's only been a couple of day's ,but He would want the best for us and that means moving on." "but I don't want to forget about him" Tali protested. "moving on does not mean you have to forget about him. it just means accepting what happened and being able to live with it."

"it does not mean we erase him from our lives. He will always be in our hearts were ever we go. He is watching us from up above. Do you think he would be happy with you sulking like this." Tali thought about it having a tear come down her eye. Keeping her voice normal. "no. he would not like it" Tali finally responeded. "the only thing that matters is that you loved each other while you were together. Tali looked at him "your right."

Joker smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "alright then. Let's get these comms up" he said limping back to the cockpit. Tali looked at him. " joker" she called out. He turned around. "have you been reading your romance novels again." Tali asked. joker looked shocked at her and was quick to respond. "No. I mean what gives you that idea" joker said with a fake smile. Quickly limping faster. Trying to avoid her.

Tali laughed at this. The man from before came with the bag labled "Tool bag B." Tali looked at him " I said Tool Bag C. how does B sound anything like C." The man quickly ran back down to get the right bag. She knew he had to take the elevator. "I really need to fix that thing"

Shepard had been walking for a couple hours. In the direction of the ship he had saw a ways back. He had still not seen a single living person or anything for that matter. He had walked by ruined buildings and broken streets. Nothing was were it was supposed to be. Everything had been destroyed by the reapers.

He had remembered some part's of what had happened during the battle

"But I already have a home"

"John!"

"Ahh. Why does my head hurt" he grabbed his head and stopped walking. "I hope I didn't hurt it to bad" He said rubbing his head. When the pain subsided he started to walk again in the direction he had been going. While he was walking he started to notice that a lot of the ruble of the buildings started to look familier. It was almost like he was walking in circle's

He shook that possibilty away. His mind was trying to play tricks on him. trying to demorilize him. well he was not going to stop. When his head started to hurt it reminded him of the pain the rest of his body was feeling. It had not dissapeard. He just was able to tolerate it more. It still hurt every fiber in his body to walk ,but he was just not going to wait to die in god nows where.

He kept walking on. Goal in his sights. He was going home to see his friends again and to see the one he loved. He thought of Tali and how worried she must be. Or she probaly thought he was dead. He could imagine now. She would be crying her eyes out thinking he was dead. Even though he was still alive. Well for the most part he was.

As he took each step it seemed that he was not getting any closer. He had not thought of how far away it might have landed. It could still be miles before he even finds. That is if it was still even there when he made it.

He quickly started to walk faster thinking that it was probably the last ship for a while to come or maybe not even come back. He quickly high tailed it up a hill of debris not watching his step. As soon as he got to the top to rest before he started to run saw it the ship was a short way's down the hill. He saw soilders. Alliance soilders moving near the ship. He called out to them. "hey over here." They didn't hear him. He got to excited and quickly ran down the hill. He lost his footing and started to roll down at a fast speed.

The pain from his body hitting the hard debris on the way down brought pain you could not imagine. After who knows how long he had been rolling. He finally had hit flat surface and started to slow down. When he slowed down enough he landed on his back facing the sky. Blacking out from the pain. He heard people talking before he went out.

"it's commander shepard" one said "he looks pretty banged up" another said "we need to get him back to London." Shepard went out like a light

When Shepard started to wake up again. He was slowly coming to. His eye's slowly but steadily started to focus so he could see. When he woke up enough to be able to look around. He noticed His body was in not as much pain as it was before. He examined the area around him wondering were he was. The last thing he remembers was that he was facing the sky while he was on the ground. He looked around

Shepard was in a bed. Under a tent. He had a tube sticking into his left arm. Putting nutrients into his body. With a resperator helping him breath. There was a desk sitting beside him that held a diverce amount's of different medicines. There was a machine keeping track of his heart rate. And there was another checking his blood pressure.

Shepard started to try and get up ,but his body was in pain now to the point to were he could not move. He looked around for anybody. Then called out.

"is there anybody there." He waited a second. Then the flaps of the tent in front of him started to move and in walked a familiar face.

"Well look who finally got out of their coma" said a Turian holding a bowl of soup. Shepard could not believe his eye's. "Garrus is that you." Shepard said not believing what was seeing with his own eye's. Garrus smiled and sat in a chair next to the bed Shepard was laying in.

"well there is only one Turian that looks this good. So yeah it's me." Garrus said while setting the bowl of soup on the table and leaning back in the chair with his arm's crossed smiling. Shepard could not help but laugh at his Turian friend. who he was so glad to see

"how you feeling Shepard" Garrus asked. Shepard examined himself and tried to move each body part. He was not in much pain as he was before but still in pain. "I'd say a little better. Don't feel like I will drop dead like I used to" Shepard replied.

"well you shouldn't you almost died on us twice when we got you here . I'd say it's out of your system." Garrus replied sitting forward in his chair. Shepard was Shocked by this. "really twice" Garrus looked at him. "yeah we brought you back though don't worry and the dock said you shoud be able to leave tommorow." Shepard looked around the tent once more.

"where am I" he asked. "london medical camp." Garrus replied grabbing the soup off the table. "here eat this. You need to eat if you want to feel better." Garrus put the soup in Shepards lap carefully. Shepard took the soup and got into the sitting position. He grabbed the spoon and tried to lift it up ,but his muscles were not letting him.

"Having trouble there." Garrus said laughing. "just a little" Shepard said giving up. "don't worry you should have full use of your muscles by tommorow it's just the medicine your taking. It relax's them so they can heal faster." Garrus said taking the soup from his lap. " how did I even get here" shepard wondered.

"Well hey said they found you out there in the torn up city. But that you rolled to them or something. I didn't catch the full story but it was weird. You just popped out of nowwhere." Shepard remembered tripping down the hill and hearing voices ,but that was it.

Shepard tried to change the subject. "so how is the crew." He asked laying back slowly. Garrus stood up and walked around the room "joker is still back on the ship doing what he love's best." Shepard interupted. "reading romance novels" Garrus laughed at this. " no stearing the ship. Jacob is helping out on tuchunka. Grunt is still there also. That guy love's to fight." Shepard smiled knowing that was true.

"miranda is helping her sister with something. She wouldn't say what though. I cant really remember what everyone else was doing a lot of stories to follow. But most of them are doing something now to help out."

"I see" Shepard said "What about Tali." Garrus face palmed himself. "that's right we need to let her know your ok Shepard. From what I can remember before I left. She is very bad shape."

"is she that worried" Shepard sounded alarmed."she thinks your dead." Garrus said dryly. "Why haven't you tried contacting them." Garrus sat back down. "I have tried ,but there not responding. Either something happened to them. The comms system is out. Or joker turned down the volume on the comms and forgot to raise it back up again."

"well we need to get back to the normandy" Shepard said as he was getting out of bed ,but Garrus pushed him down slowly. "whoa whoa whoa. Your in no shape to get out of bed." "what if something happened to them" Shepard asked worried. Garrus reassured him. "Don't worry im sure there fine. Joker has to come pick me up tommorow anyways. I told him in ten days to come back for me."

"Why are you even here." Shepard said with curiosity. Garrus stood up and walked around the bed. "well I wanted to help out. But they don't need soilder's right now so I figured heck. Why not come help here."

"I have only been out for a day. how have you been here almost two weeks." Shepard asked. Garrus laughed. "you really think it's only been a day. Shepard you have been out for 9 days." This shocked shepared. It had only felt like a day or two top's.

"how am I even still alive. I have to eat to stay alive." "I have been feeding you soup and liquids for those day's. it isn't filling but it keeps you alive." Shepard was surprised to hear Garrus had actually been taking care of him himself."

"you care for me that much huh." Shepared said while slightly laughing, "ha ha ha very funny" Garrus said sarcasticly. "I just hope you return the favor if this ever happens to me." "Don't worry I will feed you all the soup you will ever need." Shepard said reassuringly. "and change my diapes as well." Garrus added. Shepard looked confused at him "diapers."

"yeah diapers. Were did you think your crap went when you did your buisness. It didn't just magicly dissapear." You were feeding me soup." Shepard countered "that's the amazing part some how you still did ,but while we are talking about soup." Garrus grabbed the bowl off the table next to the bed.

"you need to eat this. Want to get better." Shepard looked at Garrus holding the spoon in front of him. Shepard had a blank expression on his face. "your acting like my mother." Garrus laughed. "well just return the favor someday." Shepard ate the spoon full of soup. And made a sour face. "that's taste's disgusting."

"I know" Garrus laughed. "is there any solid food I can eat" Shepard asked. Garrus put the spoon back in the bowl. With the medication your taking right now your body will not be able to digest solid food. Now drink the soup." Garrus said holding out the spoon with a smile." Shepard drank the soup from the spoon and made another sour face." Your enjoying this aren't you." Shepard said. Garrus just laughed "kinda."