Olivia returned Casey to the hospital where she insisted on spending the night again. John was still unconscious, still pale, but still breathing. That was what Casey concentrated on. She checked her cell phone and saw that she had a message from Fin. He told her to try and sleep and that he would come by for her in the morning. She smiled as she listened, intensely grateful for Olivia and Fin. Their support meant the world to her.
She settled back in the chair, taking John's limp hand once again.
"Hey baby," she said softly, kissing his knuckles. "I miss you. I want to tell you about my newest plans for our wedding. I'm sure you're getting sick of it, but it's my job to be annoying about it. I decided on sea foam green and white for our colors. I know you have no idea what sea foam green is, but you'll like it. I promise." A tear dripped from her eye and splashed on his skin. "You…you j-just have to come back to me."
She cried herself to sleep, not letting go of her fiancé's hand for a moment. She had horrible dreams about John being shot, dying in a pool of his own blood as she bent over him, begging him to hang on, but he died in her arms. She went to his funeral and when she looked into the casket, nothing but a worm-eaten corpse remained of John. Suddenly, the body reached out a hand and grabbed Casey's arm.
She awoke with a cry of horror, breathing hard and feeling tears racing down her cheeks. She tried desperately to catch her breath, looking over at the clock and seeing that it was a little past midnight. She shuddered, still trying to shake off the horrifying image of John's body when she felt pressure on her arm again. Startled, she looked down.
John was awake, and he was gazing at her with tears in his eyes. She fell to her knees on the floor to put herself more at his level and she stared disbelievingly at him. "John," she whispered, reaching out almost timidly to touch his face. He closed his eyes at the contact, then opened them again.
He tried to bring his hand to her face but lacked the strength, so Casey brought it there herself, resting it against her wet cheek. "John," she murmured again, bringing his palm to her lips and kissing it over and over. She could taste her tears on his skin.
She knew she should call the doctor, but she wanted just a moment with John. He could not speak to her, of course, but the look in his eyes was enough. "I love you," she said, kissing his forehead gently and getting to her feet once again. "I'm going to get a doctor. Don't you dare go back to sleep."
She was sure he tried to smile, and she smiled back through the tears that continued to fall from her eyes. She hurried to the nurse's station and alerted them as to John's condition, and John's doctor led Casey back to his room.
He examined John for several minutes before pronouncing himself satisfied with John's improvement. "He'll need to keep the oxygen mask on for a while longer," he informed Casey, making some notes on a clipboard.
A nurse stepped forward with a whiteboard and marker so John could communicate to Casey, and then Casey and John were left alone.
Casey returned to her chair. "You can go to sleep now if you want," she said, so completely elated that he was alright that she could not stop smiling.
He started writing on the board and he held it out to her when he was done. It looked like quite an effort. "No way," he wrote, "not when I haven't seen you in days."
His refusal warmed Casey's heart, but she shook her head. "You need to rest. I want you out of here as soon as possible."
He wrote again. "Oh yeah? Why is that?"
She could almost hear his voice asking her the question in a suggestive tone, and she laughed. "Because I want to make out like there's no tomorrow," she whispered against his ear, "and then you're going to take me in the interrogation room."
His eyes widened and she pulled back. "Don't even bother writing. I know what you'd say. Evil woman. Harlot."
He drew a smiley face to indicate that he would laugh, if he could, which amused Casey to no end. It seemed very junior high of him. His hand was shaky as he wrote, though, and Casey took the marker from him. "Go to sleep. I'll be right here. I have to go to work in the morning, but I'll come back as soon as I can."
He reached for the marker, but she shook her head, knowing what he was going to say by the expression in his eyes. "I love you, too," she said, bringing her lips back to his face and kissing every inch of it that she could. "Now sleep."
He obediently closed his eyes and Casey settled back to sleep after sending a text message to Olivia, Elliot, Fin, and Cragen.
HE WOKE UP! THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING; I LOVE YOU GUYS!
Love, Casey