Trust Fall Part 8

About 27 hours after Wash's surgery, Taylor's vigil paid off. Wash's breathing increased, and her muscles moved. Her eyes fluttered open, and then she looked at the Commander. She tried to smile.

Wash reached tentatively for his hand, and he took it, and she said weakly, "Why is it, Nathaniel, that whenever I return from a near death experience, I always see your face?"

"You'd rather wake up to the face of the devil?" he grinned.

"There's a difference?" She kidded, and managed a quiet laugh with him.

She tried to reach up to him but couldn't, so he leaned over and gently kissed her.

She enjoyed the kiss, and tried to sit up, but failed, "Mmmm. Nice. Where am I?"

Taylor said, "In Dr. Shannon's med center."

"Thank God. The Phoenix Group cracked down on our little rebellion. Lucas had me. I… I tried to create a distraction so you'd all escape. I heard a bang. Such pain. And then I fell. And that was it. Until now."

That sat in that uncomfortable silence that they both knew that she barely escaped death.

But the old 'tough' Wash took over, and she ordered, "Now get me out of here, and back to work."

She strained to get out the medical gurney.

Taylor looked at her with very sad eyes, "Alicia…"

It was too late. She panicked and screamed, "Nathaniel! I can't feel my legs. I can't feel my legs!"

He placed his hands on her to calm her, and gently said, "Shhh. Your legs are still there. But there is something wrong with them. Please settle down Alicia. You need your rest."

She actually started to cry, "I can't. I can't…. I'm all broken for you, Nathaniel."

He caressed her face, staring into her panic-stricken eyes, "You're all alive for me, Alicia. And I bet you can feel this."

He leaned down, not caring who saw him, and kissed her long and deep, which she returned, and gently stroked his neck with one arm.

"Ok. Ok. I guess you're right."

Elisabeth was touched with the poignant reunion of Wash and Taylor, seeing the extent and depth of their previously hidden love for each other. She poked her head in, trying not to intrude, "Five minutes is up Commander. I need to give her a sedative."

"Please Doctor," she turned and pleaded, "I need more time with him. I know this sounds like a little girl attitude, but I need to go to sleep seeing him."

"OK, Lieutenant. He can stay until you are asleep," assured Elisabeth.

"Is it true, that I will never walk again?" Wash asked anxiously.

"I am pretty certain, but cryogenic stasis has so many side effects. I could be wrong. Especially as long as you've been under, and wounded besides," Elisabeth explained to try to give Wash some hope.

"Please promise me you and Nathaniel will help me walk again."

"We'll do our best Lieutenant," she assured Wash as she administered the sedative. Wash could feel its effects almost immediately.

Taylor whispered, "I love you, Alicia, sleep well. I'll be here."

Wash's eyes started to droop, "And I love you, too, Nathaniel. I… I think I dreamed about you for…. for… omigosh… how long has it been?

"Five years…"

She settled back on her bed and a trickle of tears worked its way down her check, "Oh dear me. When I wake up, tell me everything. I guess we won."

"What you did allowed us to win, Alicia. We got away. I will give you the whole debrief. There's no rush. We do in fact have all the time in the world now."

"OK," she sighed in relief, and reached for another kiss, and was asleep as they broke it.

He put his head on her shoulder and finally let loose of his tears. Elisabeth touched him to console him, and quietly left, pulling the privacy curtain and let him stay with her as long as he needed to.

...

Taylor visited her every day, but she got other visitors as she got stronger. One afternoon, surrounding her bed was the entire Shannon/Reynolds family, including little Aaron.

Zoe stepped forward, and smiled, "We're all glad you're getting better, Miss Washington. Without you, we'd have all been killed. We all made this get well card and to thank you for helping us get away."

Wash accepted the cute handmade get well card graciously, and nodded in appreciation, "Thank you Zoe. You are quite the grown up young lady."

Zoe said proudly, "I'm 12 now. I remembered all my survival skills you taught me when we had to hide after you got hurt."

"You sure did, Zoe. You're here to tell me about it. You always were my best student."

Zoe blushed, "Commander Taylor thought I did good too. Did you know Commander Taylor missed you a whole lot while you were gone?"

It was Wash's turn to blush.

Jim Shannon whispered, "She knows, honey. She knows."

Wash praised Reynolds on his promotion while she 'slept' for five years and gushed over Aaron, "Well Sergeant, I'm happy to see you and Maddy together. I saw that coming. Who's this handsome little boy?

"Aaron, Lieutenant," said Reynolds and Maddy proudly.

"Pleased to meet you Aaron Reynolds," and she waved.

He waved back tentatively, trying to be shy, not sure of who this was, but understood this was one of his mommy and daddy's friends.

….

At the end of a week of recovery, Elisabeth made one more exam, and announced cheerfully, "Alicia, I think you can go home now. You're cleared to leave."

Alicia complained, "Yeah, but not under my own power. No offense Elisabeth. But at least I can go home."

"None taken, Alicia,"replied Elisabeth. The two women were on a first name basis now.

Taylor stood closely by, and stuttered, "About your home. Alicia. When we thought you were…um… "

Alicia scolded him, "Say it, Nathaniel: 'when we thought you were dead'."

Taylor cleared his throat, "When we thought you were dead, after three years, we gave your place to Mark and Maddy as a wedding present."

"I can't think of the more perfect couple to have it."

"So I'm at the barracks then?" she teased.

"No. Something better. I thought maybe we should bunk together."

"As long as it's the same bunk, soldier," she ordered.

Taylor smiled back, "That is already arranged. I'm being threatened with an insurrection by the entire colony if it's any other way."

"So word's gotten around about us huh?"

"I'm afraid so, Alicia," snickered Taylor.

Alicia scoffed, "You being all mopey and lovey-dovey over me all the time kinda spilled the secret. See? I've only been gone five years, and you mess the place up completely. Not to mention blowing our tough images."

They laughed. Elisabeth just rolled her eyes and thought, "These two are really fun as a couple."

"OK then. I'm ready, Nathaniel. Let's go," Washington noted.

She was expecting a wheelchair to be brought in, but Taylor just gently picked her up and carried out of the med center and into the colony.

Unknown to either of them, word got out quickly of Wash's release today. People had stopped everything they were doing, and lined the pathways to Commander Taylor's quarters as they walked. They enthusiastically applauded Wash, cheered her, and wished her well. She was deeply moved, and waved and nodded to everyone along the way. She could barely keep back tears of happiness.

They got to his door, "Well here we are."

"Yes we are. Are you ready for this?"

She snickered, "Seems I've heard that 'come on' line from you before at that 'first kiss.'"

"So beat me. I'm a warrior. I'm not that original," he smirked.

Both laughed but were very self-conscious of the crowd of well-wishers around them, but knew they wanted a 'show', so they obliged them.

She smiled, "Well then. Here's your answer. To quote a phrase: 'I'm as ready as I have ever been', and leaned up to kiss him long and deep, which created a roar of support from the townspeople.

He took her inside. Taylor turned around, with her firmly held in his arms, and faced everyone, thanked them for their support. Wash teased, "No peeking!"

They closed the door. Alone inside his quarters they could see all the smiling people disperse to give them their privacy.

"I know this is gonna sound incredibly mushy to you, but don't leave me. Don't ever leave me, Nathaniel. Not ever again."

"I won't. As long as you don't, and especially don't get any more ideas of sacrificing yourself again. OK?"

He placed her in a chair and braced her in at his simple table, and fixed them a quiet dinner. It was tender reunion as they enjoyed their meal together. Afterwards he carried her back to his futon.

"You're not going to carry me all the time everywhere we go, are you?"

He winked, "Only until you start walking again."

"Nathaniel. That's sweet."

She gave him an affectionate look and asked, "You do remember what Elisabeth said, right?"

"What was that?" Taylor asked honestly.

"Everything but my legs work. Let's find out," she grinned slyly.

"So soon?"

"It's been five years since the last time you held me like that, soldier… or have you been 'getting something on the side' since I've been 'dead'," she teased Taylor softly and reached for him.

"No, I haven't been with anyone. You're kind of a hard act to follow, Lieutenant, dead or alive," he admitted with a raised eyebrow.

They chuckled. With the urgency he had in undressing them both, it was quite clear to Wash as she smiled that there had been no one in his life since, and she arched her back in satisfaction with that thought as he embraced her.

The sounds of their freed emotions made it very clear how much they had missed each other and how ecstatic they were to be together again in this very special way.