A/N: I want to thank everyone for their continued support of this story thank you very much. A very special thank you goes out to my wife who not only supports me in my writing and just in everyday life, but who also gave me the best gift ever my daughter who was born March 11 at 1:01 am. And last but certainly not least to Jomarch for her continued beta and support in putting up with my tense issues and making this story readable for you guys. Enjoy.
Chapter 4
October 22, 2011
In a little over a month and half, Chuck's progress has been so amazing that all the instructors as well as staff at the hospital have been pulling for him. Their reports to Beckman are glowing and they all consider him a friend. Chuck's knows that his training is almost complete. But what he does not know is that he would have been in the top of his class at the CIA academy, if he were actually there.
He can feel his muscles burn as he finishes a grueling workout with one of his instructors. Although he's sweating and breathing hard, he still feels energized as he takes his shirt off and begins to wipe the sweat off his forehead with it. He notices Mary coming into the room and staring at his shirtless body. He smiles self-consciously and is still amazed that she would be staring at him like that. He bows to his instructor and turns towards Mary.
"Hey Mary, can you do me a favor?"
"Anything Mr. Bart….
"Mary how many times have I told you to call me Chuck?"
"Sorry Chuck." She blushes and bends her head as she replied.
"Can you get a message to General Beckman for me?'
"Of course, what is it?"
"Please just inform her that it's time for Stage two."
October 26, 2011
The next four days is spent with Chuck going over different escape techniques with a few of the martial arts instructors. They discuss in detail whether improvisation works better on the spot or if a more controlled response is the better way to go. Chuck's dedication and out of the box thought processes have impressed all his instructors such that they view him more as a colleague than a student.. Not only has he taken everything that they have taught him, but he has also taught them a few things. His single minded dedication to getting as fit as possible has also resulted in Chuck adding a lot of muscle mass. His once lankey form is now lean and muscular and he tries to ignore all the admiring looks he gets from the women in the institute because he knows he's done all this for one person. He's so proficient in all espionage skills and with the new intersect 2.0., Chuck knows everything from kung fu to Swahili. While he can't control every aspect of the intersect as yet, he's shown such an intrinsic talent for it that he's already on his way to using parts of the program that most of the scientists he has been working with did not know could be accessed by the human brain.
Chuck sees an aid walk into the room and he quickly bows to his instructors and walks over to the man. "Can I help you?" Chuck asks.
"Sir, I was told to inform you that a new patient has arrived. One Sarah Walker. She is currently in a non responsive state. I was told to bring you her file and take you to her room."
He feels his heart pound in his chest and knows it not due to the workout. He wants to see her so desperately but needs to do this right." Let me grab a shower and review the file, and then you can take me to her room."
Twenty minutes later Chuck is directed to Sarah's room. He stands outside the door for a good five minutes before opening it and when he does, he's startled by what he sees. The once vibrant Sarah Walker looks a shell of her former self. Her once sculpted and muscular body had withered from non use and she looks pale and frail, so unlike the woman he remembered.. Her once bright blonde hair has dulled, and her skin has lost its glow. What hits him the most though is the vacant look in her blue eyes. Eyes that use to convey so much emotion to him now just staring sightlessly out of the window. A blank stare that makes him want to cry.
Despite all that, when Chuck kneels down next to her, all he sees is his Sarah and knows she's the same person inside and that he just needs to reach her.. He notices that she has an IV going into her arm giving her fluids, so he takes her hand and strokes his thumb over her palm gently. He hopes that she knows that someone is there with her and she'll recognize him.
He calls her name softly "Sarah, Sarah it's me Chuck." He stares at her, wanting her to answer him. "Come back to me, I need you." Each time he speaks, he pauses, hoping for some kind of change but nothing happens. Chuck does not give up though as he continues to talk, telling her how much he misses her and pleading with her to come back to him. Chuck sits there whispering to her, stroking her hand all night long, and just letting her feel his touch. He does not know how long he's been there but can see that the sun has set so he finally picks her up out of the chair, and places her gently on the bed.
It's then that he hears her voice and the words startle him.. "No please don't shoot him." It's just a whisper but he hears her clearly and he pulls a chair to the side of the bed,"My sweet Sarah try to sleep, I'll be right here waiting, always". It takes him a while to fall asleep but even when he does his hand still holds hers tightly..
Morning comes and Chuck wakes up with a sharp pain in his neck but it's quickly overshadowed as he sees the sunlight on Sarah's beautiful face. Unlike yesterday, where he only noticed the differences in her appearance, the light of a new day has highlighted the fact that Sarah's there and alive and as beautiful as ever to him.
He finally notices the time on the wall and realizes that he is late for a training class with Sammie. He leans over Sarah kisses her forehead, "Sleep well my love,, I will be back soon". As he walks out the door he does not notice the solitary tear the runs down Sarah's cheek.
November 9, 2011
In the two weeks since Sarah's arrival, he's divided his time between training and just being with her.. He's gotten into a routine and today, he puts a vase of lilies next to her bed before sitting down and taking her hand in his. and talks about his day or about the weather and when he's ready, he finally talks to her "Sarah can you hear me? It's Chuck I'm right here."
He's telling her about Morgan's recent visit, when he remembers to tell her some good news. "Sarah I forgot to tell you that Ellie will be visiting us in a few weeks isn't that great, plus she's pregnant?"
He always expects her to answer and hides his disappointment well when she doesn't. He wants to keep up the conversation though and looks up angrily when he hears a knock on the door as a nurse comes in.
"Excuse me, sir" …the nurse steps back, seeing the glare in Chuck's eyes. He's never been quick to anger but he's been specific about not being disturbed when he's with Sarah, going so far as to tell Sammi that under no circumstances should he be disturbed.
"But General Beckman is on the line." The nurse gulps as she sees Chuck stand up, his glare finally letting up as he turns to the woman in the bed. "Sarah I'll be right back".
He goes into the communications room, his voice curt as he does not even bother to greet Beckman. "What is it….this is my private time"
"Mr. Bartowski don't take that tone with me. I have a few things that I want to go over" She's noticed the changes in him and all reports back to her have highlighted his dedication to being the best spy that he can be. She knows though that there is still no change in Agent Walker's prognosis and understands his frustration. "You are one month from graduating your training so congratulations. As Colonel Casey is making a faster recovery then was at first anticipated. He could be joining you in the next few weeks." His expression does not change and he taps his foot impatiently. "Finally, Your sister Ellie will be coming to see you if I'm not mistaken. Let's make sure that she does not get suspicious about anything. Come up with a believable cover story, for why you and Agent Walker are both here." She sees him nod before answering.
"Yes ma'am. Was there anything e….." He hears the scream coming from Sarah's room. and does not finish as he turns and sprints to her room. He sees her being held down by an orderly and can hear her screaming "Chuck is dead, you're not Chuck" The words seemed to burn from her throat, hoarse from years of non use. He wants to help but is paralyzed until she looks up at him and screams again "Chuck is dead you can't be Chuck".
Finally rushing to her side, "Baby, Baby, shhhh I'm here look at me." Chuck holds her face and turns it toward him and he sees Sarah desperately tries to clamp her eyes shut as she screams in pain again.
"Sarah it's me, Chuck. Please look at me." His voice breaks when he sees the Tears running down her face but he holds on to her until she finally looks up at him. He finally sees recognition in her blue eyes as she whispers "Is..is it really you?"
"Yes, Sarah it's really me." Her next words both shock him but also make him laugh at the same time. "Am I dead?"
Chuck laughs and replies "No, honey you're not dead. You're very much alive and have been well missed".
She clings on to him, her head tucked under his chin and Chuck finally looks at the orderly and asks him to go tell General Beckman that he will call her back and that Agent Walker is awake and responsive.
The next few days are a blur for both Sarah and Chuck. Doctors traipse in and out of her room running test and sharing results. But through it all Chuck does not leave Sarah's side. He watches her diet and ensures that she keeps down the soup and other liquids so that she'll finally be able to stomach solid food.
He catches her up on gossip and real news but most importantly, he tells her about Casey.. Sarah had been relieved when Chuck told her that Casey was ok. She had felt bad that she wasn't there to have his back, but she knew that he would have preferred her to be there with Chuck. He knows that he's skirting around the main issue and so is she. They talk like old friends but she tends to place her hand on his arm the whole time and he hugs her for longer than is necessary each time before he leaves. But neither of them want to acknowledge the two elephants in the room. One being how they feel towards each other and how they reacted when both were injured. And the other was what lead to Chuck being injured in the first place.
Each time she has to undergo an examination, he stares at her longingly and lovingly. He sees her get her color back day by day. Chuck's still worried at the number of different doctors who come and prod and poke at her and he knows she's still fighting bouts of depression. So he doesn't push or mention anything until she does because he does not want her to slip back into the catatonic state that he first saw her in. There are times where she would still think Chuck was dead, but all he had to do was take her hand and she would calm down.
The day she started on solid food; just fruit, bread, and a protein drink, she relished the taste and laughed out loud. He loved the sound and knew what he needed to do to hear it again.
A day later, Ellie and Devon arrived around 1pm. They had come right after their shift. As everyone was hugging one another, Chuck asked Ellie if she brought the package. She smiled and handed it to him and he could see the anticipation on Sarah's face turn to joy when Devon went out into the hall and carried a small package back..
Sarah smelled it right away and exclaimed, "Chuck you had them bring me some sizzling shrimp. I could kiss you."
Ellie's eyes widened at that but she remained silent, instead opening up the package for Sarah and offering it to her with a smile. They sat around for hours just talking, while Sarah ate. Ellie was telling Sarah about her wedding and the baby and only stopped when she saw Sarah start to tear up.
Sarah's thoughts drifting back to when she had seen Chuck in a hospital bed put her stomach in knots. She knows that it would be healthier to talk about it but she does not want to do it in front of Ellie and Devon. She can hear Devon was talking to Chuck about different things and just looking at Chuck is enough to calm her once again.
Ellie notices the looks that pass from both Sarah and Chuck, little glances and some longing looks. She's a bit afraid because she knows they still have a long road ahead of them but, she has a feeling that they would make it. As they leave, Ellie hugs Chuck and then Sarah, while Devon gives Sarah a hug and clasps Chuck on the arm "Man have you been working out? You may have been fit before, well not fit but you weren't out of shape but now you're starting to turn into another me."
He pulls Chuck into a hug, "Dude that's so awesome. You seem more filled out and solid. Maybe when you get out we can go biking or mountain clim.." He does not get to finish as Ellie cuts in "Honey lets get him out of here first. Right Chuck?"'
Chuck smiles and nods, "Yeah let's get out of here first". It's the first time he has mentioned leaving and Sarah knows that it's time to really talk to him. She waves as Ellie and Devon leave before turning back to him.
"Hey, Chuck?"
"Yeah, Sarah?"
"What are you doing tomorrow?"
Umm just seeing you after my therapy." He looks at her, wondering where she's going with this.
" Oh, ok" Sarah knows she has a chance to talk to him but she's still afraid.
"Why is there anything that you'd like to do?" He sees her look down at her hands and wonders if he should bring up their situation.
"No" Sarah looks out the window, not wanting to look into his eyes.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes I'm sure."
"Ok well Sarah, I'm going to go and grab a shower and get some rest." He reluctantly gets up and walks towards the door only to have her words stop him.
"Please, Chuck stay with me," Sarah's voice is soft and tentative.
"Sarah I want that as much as you do but the doctor said that you need your alone time at night. That we should wait before…we should wait." He does not want to leave but he also knows he cannot stay, at least not until they've had their talk.
"You don't want me then?" Again, her voice is soft but this time, he can hear the challenge there.
"Of course I want you, but I don't want to rush you. You're going to start your conditioning next week. After that we will see if you're ready. I promise you I want nothing more then to hold you all night. But let's give it just a few more days ok. I promise." He sees her turn away from him. "Night, Sarah."
"Good Night, Charles." Her tone now cold and Chuck hates that he has to leave but he knows it's the right thing and that he's hurting as much as she is.
To be continued…..
