Chapter Seven: Waves of Red

Gabriel Reyes closed his phone, and set it down on the side table next to the bed he was currently occupying. He'd left the hospital earlier in the day, and didn't want to be nagged too much. So naturally, he didn't go home. He knew he had to call Morrison, at least. It was...irritating That conversation had gone about as well as Reyes figured it was going to. A lot of sanctimony, yelling, and guilt tripping from the golden boy.

Still, the nightmare had gotten to him earlier. He had done something wrong. He had hurt someone who had simply been trying to help him get better. That was, perhaps, the most irritating thing of all.

He sat for a few minutes in quiet contemplation, staring out the window of the second floor barracks room. What to do now? He didn't have work until tomorrow morning, and even that was going to be a lot of bitching unpleasantness. He really didn't want to think about it. So he thought about her. Not his girlfriend, whose bed he currently occupied, but the doctor whose face had filled his vision as soon as he had regained consciousness. Blond, somewhat petite, with glacially cold eyes. She was pale to the point of too pale, in his opinion. Not his type at all. But he owed her…something. More than an apology, since he'd almost killed her and she had definitely saved him. He'd figure something out later…he had to.

Keys rattled in the door, snapping him out of his reverie. Ah, she was back. His more or less steady girl, Kerrigan, slipped silently into the room. He was curled up on the bed, and made no move to alert her to his wakefulness. She tiptoed to the kitchen, and went for the fridge to complete her daily ritual-drinking milk straight from the carton when nobody was looking. Reyes wasn't sure what was so embarrassing about the habit. She lived alone, after all. Nobody else drank the milk. But he made an effort not to call attention to it anyway, out of respect, since she went so far to hide it.

She went to shower, and he rolled over to face the bathroom door. He thought about getting up to join her, but didn't want to scare her, either. After all, she thought he was asleep. The last time he tried to slip in the shower with her, it didn't end well for him. The knot she had left on the side of his head had been visible for a couple days after that. So much for being a lethal killer. So he exhaled and waited, patiently.

He took her in from head to toe when she emerged from the shower a few minutes later. This time he made no effort to pretend to be asleep. She saw him watching and flashed a secretive smile. Towel-dried scarlet waves fell to the small of her back. She had hazel eyes, light olive skin, full lips, and hips that could subdue the most virtuous of souls... Above all, she was the most beautiful creature Gabriel Reyes ever laid eyes on. They had actually gone to high school together back when L.A. was still L.A...and he felt even more attached to her because of that connection. He knew of no one else he could trust.

"How did it go?" Kerrigan displayed few outward emotions, but she always seemed to worry about him. She always wanted to know how things went. She was the closest person to him. The only person he really trusted, anymore.

"Oh, you know, the usual, except someone decided to shoot me today. He let the covers drop, exposing his chest and bandages covering one quarter of it. Bandages that doctor had applied. "

His display got Kerri's full attention, though, and she hurried over to him. She took her time examining the bandaged area on his chest, frowning.

"And you're already out of the hospital? The doctors here must be miracle workers." Her tone seemed wry to him, but he shrugged it off. She looked into his eyes, with her hands still on his chest. He felt the ever present heat rise up within him.

"So I'm told," was all he said, rather more gruffly than he would have liked, before she crawled into bed without putting any new clothes on. She didn't really need to know about the incident earlier today. He didn't tell her everything, and he was certain she had her secrets as well. But there were more than a few things they did share. Companionship, however, was something they did share. He was more than happy to provide. So long as he could continue to hold his temper in check. So long as he continued to understand the nightmares were not real, and that the woman following him around did not actually exist. So long as he kept his tenuous grasp on reality…things would be okay.

"People were insufferable today. I managed to get good coffee for downstairs, and even tea, but someone managed to complain about even that. Can you imagine someone was upset that I didn't pick up decaf? Decaf coffee! As if the world wasn't in the middle of a devastating war, and coffee wasn't rare... oh, miss apartment manager, how dare you not bring me decaf? Gah...just drink something normally decaffeinated and spare the world..."

Reyes reached over and smacked her lightly with a pillow. He supposed mundane problems like annoying people were just as difficult as his, in a certain light. He would be suffocated by the boredom of them, but somehow they seemed far more interesting coming from Kerrigan. Perhaps it was her wild femininity, her animation, her wry wit. He wasn't sure. She was probably the only good thing he had left going for him. Despite his injury, he rolled over to face her.

She smiled instantly, knowing. "You're hurt."

"So?" he didn't bother to mask the gruffness in his voice as he rolled over on top of her. "If I'm ever that hurt, you can just go ahead and kill me."

"Ah…"

There wasn't much talking after that.

Jack ran.

He ran like a man on a mission. His plowed through the snow with little resistance, and reached his goal in no time at all. There was a young blonde woman curled up on an old concrete bench set into a recession on the path. Doctor Ziegler. In one hand, she clutched a cell phone, as if it were a lifeline. She was shivering. What exactly happened to her? She was so close to the barracks she could practically spit on them. Instead, here she was, lying out in the snow, freezing cold, holding a phone like it was going to save her from something.

"Dr. Ziegler, can you hear me?" Her face didn't move, but her eyes tilted towards him, and blinked a few times. It was a languid movement, and she even seemed to smile, before drifting off somewhere else. He grimaced when he realized why she hadn't turned her head. It was…stuck there. She mumbled a few words that were not for his ears, but could be sensible in context, he supposed Jack estimated that the doctor was definitely approaching hypothermia If she didn't already have it. He needed to get her out of the cold. Faced with the dueling needs of delicacy and haste, he compromised the best he could. He gently removed her face from the concrete bench where it had partially adhered to the surface. Then, he simply picked her up without any additional finesse. She groaned as he did so, and Jack couldn't help but wince. He knew there'd be some skin left on that bench. But it was better than nothing. Thankfully, most of her skin that was otherwise exposed was covered by long, white lab coat. And a little discomfort was certainly better than freezing. He turned, with her cradled in his arms like a child, and jogged back down the path towards the barracks as fast as he safely could.

On the way, he was plagued with thoughts. As a talented doctor, she was likely smart enough not to let herself freeze to death like this, even avoiding people. The entire situation seemed off. Jack scrutinized his surroundings over again, suddenly more aware of them than he had originally deemed necessary. Was he mistaken in thinking the base safe for the people living on it? No one else seemed to be around. Except for the suspicious footprints he found earlier, there was no sign of anyone else out in this weather. Could there be a saboteur? His thoughts were trekking somewhere darker than he had time for. This was Doctor Angela Ziegler, after all. Her research and skills were invaluable. To lose her…ah. It would be a blow Overwatch, and humanity. There had been many such blows lately, and Jack hoped to minimize them in the future. He shook his head. He could think about it after she was stabilized, when he could ask her a few questions.

Jack made good time getting back to her building. She was quite light to him, and he suspected that would still be the case even without the enhanced strength that the SoldierX program gave him. He made for her apartment on the fifth floor, this time taking the elevator. The thing seemed agonizingly slow, and it was definitely smaller than Jack was comfortable with. By the time they'd made it to her door, he noticed she was falling asleep. Jack felt like now would be the perfect time to panic, if he were prone to such things.

"Dr. Ziegler, Dr. Ziegler, can you hear me? DR. ZIEGLER?" His voice was forceful; harsh. He jostled her a little bit to see if she would respond. Her head lolled to the side and rested against his chest. He cheeks were pink. He'd lost men in battle before. He'd watched them die. He'd never held a woman while she died. Or anyone outside of a warzone, for that matter. He didn't want to start now.

"Not right now" she muttered, without opening her eyes. "I have patients. Not right now. No. I can't come to the lab. Yes." Though it didn't make sense, relief flooded through him. She didn't appear to be getting any worse, and they were out of the elements. He could help get her out of the danger zone with the very tech she had invented. Once again, he was awarded for his diligence in always carrying a med kid. He gave himself a mental nod of satisfaction.

"Excuse me, Dr." He muttered, trying not to be embarrassed while exploring her coat pocket. Of course, if he was embarrassed by that, he knew he would really have a hard time in a few minutes. Those wet clothes could not stay on her. He fished out a keycard, and snorted. They all looked alike. Handy, dandy, cheap government worker accoutrements.

Still cradling the stricken Doctor in his arms, Jack pushed the door open and went into her room, kicking it closed with his foot behind them.

Angela felt like she was floating. She knew that was not so. Her entire body was numb, and it wasn't just from the cold. Was she afraid? She knew she was trembling. She had heard footsteps running towards her, but couldn't seem to lift her head. Was there someone there?

There was. Someone spoke to her. It was a vaguely familiar, male voice. Oh, thank goodness. Someone had happened by and found her. It was laughable that a couple hours ago, being found was the last thing she wanted. Now, the relief that flooded through her was like having a second life. She heard him…and struggled to look up at him. Angela felt like she was swimming through a particularly thick batch of molasses. She tried to talk to him, but found her voice wasn't working the way she wanted to. Plus, there was the lab. Winston could wait. The Caduceus could wait. Why was the lab here? Couldn't they call her instead of bringing the entire office outside? She. Had. Patients.

Angela was shivering uncontrollably, and she knew it. The odds were against the entire lab being set up here, across from the pond as well. She had started feeling heavy some time ago, and not had much control of her body. He thoughts, before they became muddled, understood there was more going on than exposure. Was she sick? She didn't think so, but couldn't remember. Had she eaten something funny? Was it shock from earlier? If she made it home, she'd have to get a blood test to make sure everything was okay. Normal people didn't get so fatigued out of nowhere. She needed her neck looked at, too. Ah…. that. She was desperately trying not to think about that. She knew the man was still there, he seemed to be talking to her, but she wasn't quite sure what he was saying.

Briefly, her cheek burned out of nowhere, and her legs hurt abominably. She groaned, because it hurt, but felt considerably less cold afterward. She was floating up now. No, being lifted up. By someone blessedly warm. She thought, perhaps, she'd never known true warmth until this moment. Someone was carrying her. She couldn't tell who it was. Whoever it was though, they had a broad chest, and absurdly muscular arms. She felt very small, but also very comfortable. Like she belonged. The world rushed by around her. She felt safe, though. Nothing bad could happen to her now. Angela resisted the urge to sleep.

She closed her eyes and let her head rest on her mystery man's chest. He seemed to be running. Where was he going? Blue…. he was wearing a blue jacket. An officer, then. What was an officer doing out in the middle of nowhere? Perhaps those people were looking for her? She wasn't anyone important to them though, so it seemed odd.

"Dr. Ziegler…can…" Was he talking to her? Her thoughts swam. She tried to look up. The world tilted awkwardly, but her head finally obeyed. When she saw who was holding her, heat flooded into her limbs. It was Commander Morrison. That handsome, scary stranger. Well, she'd have to add extremely warm to the list of things she thought about him. Because he was quite warm. Or maybe she was starting to warm up thanks to his body heat. Embarrassingly, he was staring right at her. His face was unreadable, but his eyes were hard. His golden blonde hair was soaking wet, and matted to his face. Was he angry with her? Certainly it didn't hurt him if she accidentally froze to death. What was his issue? Angela got the impression that Mr. Morrison wanted everyone to be just as golden as he was. She let her head roll back. It wasn't worth thinking about, too much. It's not like they knew each other, or owed each other anything.

Well, that wasn't true. She did owe him. She would be out in the cold if it wasn't for him. In truth, she probably owed him her continued existence.

Somehow, strangely enough, he knew where she lived. Had he been there first? Odd. First, they rode the elevator up. Then, he walked straight down the hall to the proper door the first time. He unlocked the door, which was strange. She didn't remember giving him the key. Angela suspected he wouldn't need it if he really wanted in the room. He did all of it without seeming burdened by carrying her, and strode inside. As the door shut, she closed her eyes and let the darkness and safety swallow her whole.