I know you guys probably hate me for not updating AND for leaving off with a cliffhanger, but I have a valid excuse! I've had no internet access for the past week, and school work and soccer have taken up a lot of time. Not to mention that I've been in a play for the past few weekends. But I feel like such a hypocrite, since I always yell at other people for doing this. So I'm wicked sorry! Thanks for reading (and hopefully) reviewing!

"She's been in a coma for three days, John! I have to see her!" I said from the doorway of my room. It felt weird using Soap's real name, but I needed him to realize how serious I was.

"Doc will tell you when Emma wakes up, Char. She needs to rest." Soap said, running a hand through his disheveled hair.

"What she needs is a mother! What if she doesn't wake up and-"

"And you have to calm down! Panicking isn't going to help her. Besides, you need to get some sleep." He got up from the chair in the corner of the room and walked towards me.

"I'm not tired." I said, trying to conceal a large yawn.

"Bullshit." He started. "Come and lay down."

When I didn't move, he grabbed my arm and all but pushed me onto the bed.

"Now I'm going to get something to eat. When I get back you'd better be asleep." Soap shut off the light and left the room.

After about 20 minuets of laying in complete darkness, the door opened and the captain walked in. I quickly shut my eyes and pretended to be sleeping. But just as I thought he was going to leave, I felt one of his hands lightly stroke my cheek. He then leaned down and kissed my forehead.

"Sleep tight, Char."

When he moved away, I opened my eyes just enough to see him collapse in the chair. His hair desperately needed to be combed, there were large bags under his eyes, and his face could use a shaving. Overall, he looked exhausted. Hell I probably do, too, but Soap just seemed so worn down and worried about Emma and the impending mission. I guess he was just being brave for my sake. Over the past few days I have had a number of breakdowns, but he's been by my side the entire time. He's the only person other than Tommy that I have been able to completely count on.

The door opened again and someone entered.

"Sir, Doc needs to see you and Charlie immediately." Ghost said. I slowly opened my eyes and sat up.

"Is Emma awake? Is she alright?" I asked anxiously.

"I- I don't know. Doc didn't tell me." Ghost replied. Before he could say anything else, I hopped up from the bed and headed towards the infirmary.

"How is Emma doing?" Soap asked. Ghost and I were standing next to him outside of the room.

"Well, we had to preform surgery in order to remove the bullet. It ricochet off of two of her ribs and punctured a lung. Despite that she lost a lot of blood, she should make a full recovery." Doc finished.

I let out a sigh of relief. "Can we see her?"

"Of course." He replied. Soap put one of his hands on my shoulder and gave me a reassuring nod. Ghost opened the door to the room and we walked in. Emma was laying in a bed placed in the center of the room with the covers pulled up to her chin. Monitors surrounded the bed and an IV was hooked up to her arm. Her skin was still extremely pale, but I could see it was slowly starting to regain color. I walked over to her and placed a hand on her cheek. After a few seconds, Emma's eyelids opened and her glistening green eyes were peering up at me.

"Mummy... What happened?" She asked weakly. I knelt down beside her.

"You had a little accident. Just promise me something."

"What is it?"

"Never wonder off again."

She nodded as I kissed her tiny forehead. Thank goodness she was alright.

"Roach, you forgot your ice picks!" I called to the young Sergeant. He turned around sprinted back to me, then grabbed the gear from my hands.

"Thanks." Roach started. "Um, could I ask you a question?"

"Fire away." I said, crossing my arms.

"Well, what do I do if I need to...um... use the little bug's room?" He began to shift uncomfortably.

"Wait, what?"

"If I need to... relieve myself on the chopper, where do I... go." His face had begun turning a deep shade of red.

"Why would you ask me instead of another guy?" I asked.

"You're the only one who wouldn't laugh. But would you just answer the question?"

"Um... I guess bring a... empty bottle."

"Ok, I'll do that... Thanks." He began walking away once more.

"Oh and Roach?" I called ahead.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Don't fall off the side of the mountain. Hell, don't even look down." I chuckled. He gave a weak smile and left. The Captain and Ghost walked over and now stood where the sergeant had previously.

"Don't scare the poor lad. If Roach is freaked out, then that makes my job ten times harder." Soap said. I could barely make out his face through all of the gear he was wearing.

"Well I was just giving him some friendly advice. We don't want a squashed bug at the bottom of a freaking mountain." Soap rolled his eyes at my comment.

"Not to change the subject, but did Roach just ask where to... use the Lou on the heli?" Ghost added.

"Yep. He thought I was the only one who wouldn't laugh."

"I wouldn't of laughed." He said.

"No, but he's scared shitless of you. All you do is yell at him."

"Well he's fucking annoying."

"Yeah, but he's growing on you. Last week when he spilled his drink on you, you just said 'It's fine mate.' The normal Ghost would have kicked his ass for it." I said, placing a hand on my hip.

"She's got a point, Ghost." Soap added.

"Whatever. I'm going to get something to eat. Good luck on the mission, Cap'tn." Ghost said as he left us. The pilot signaled to Soap that he was ready to leave.

"You'd better get going." I said.

"Yeah. Take care of Emma. She needs you."

"That's my job, remember?" I laughed lightly. He smiled down at me and kissed my forehead before leaving. Once he was about to board the chopper, he spoke up again.

"Don't forget about our date after!" He called. Roach, who was sitting next to him, shot us a confused look.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Roach asked.

"It's nothing, Roach. Hey, did you bring an empty bottle?" I yelled. His eyes went wide as they took off. I started laughing for the first time since Emma's accident, and it felt pretty good.

(Three days later)

"Sit up, Em. It's time for breakfast." I said. One of the nurses had brought in a bowl of Frosted Flakes, which was Emma's favorite cereal. With my help, she slowly got into an upright position. Although she still winced in pain, I could tell she was doing much better. The spark was returning to her eyes and she was doing things with more ease.

"When is Soap and Roach coming back?" She asked through a mouth full of cereal.

"Anytime, now. I was wondering if you would like to go out for a stroll today. I checked with Doc and he said that it would be OK." Her face lite up and she was nearly bouncing with excitement.

"Yes! Can we go now?"

"We can go after you finish your breakfast- hey slow down. You're going to choke!"

After she was done eating, I gently scooped her up and placed her in a wheelchair. She wasn't to thrilled by the idea of not being able to walk, but she eventually acknowledged that there was no other way she would be able to leave the room.

As I rolled her down the hallway, we were met by Toad and Archer.

"Hey kiddo, how are you feeling?" The Archer asked.

"OK. But Mummy won't let me walk." She pouted. Archer chuckled and put a large hand on her tiny shoulder.

"You will soon, don't worry. Just get better." He said. Suddenly I could hear a chopper flying over head.

"That must be Tweedledee and Tweedledum." Toad added. Emma burst out laughing, but then started to cough uncontrollably. I grabbed my water bottle from bag and handed it to her, which she then gulped down.

"Careful or you'll hurt yourself even more." I said to her, then looked up towards the snipers. "I'm going to tell the Captain that you called him that." I smirked.

"Whatever Alice. I'll see you guys later." He and Archer then walked pass us.

"Let's go meet Soap and Roach." Emma said enthusiastically. I nodded my head and proceeded towards the door.

"So how did the mission go?" I asked the two weary looking soldiers in front of me.

"It was great until Roach almost fell off of a cliff." Soap said.

"I thought I told you not to look down!" I scolded.

"I didn't! It's just that the ice was too thick and-"

"No excuses. You looked down." I interrupted. Roach sighed and walked past me, heading towards the barracks.

"He's a little shook up, lass. I'd go easy on him." MacTavish said.

"Poor kid. Although, he came back in one piece. I'm guessing that was your doing."

"I caught him just in time, actually. But it kind of freaked me out, too. What if I hadn't caught him in time?"

"Well he's here now so no need to panic. Besides, you have to get ready for a date tonight, if that's OK with you?" I said.

"Sure. But I get to choose where we go."

"And where would that be?" I grinned.

"It's a surprise."

So that wasn't as good as I intended, but the next chapter will be HUGE! A big question is going to be answered! Anyways, hope you liked the little Sarlie moments, and I promise I will get back into my normal updating times! Thanks again for your support!