Ellie and John had decided to travel to the hospital together. It had made sense to them as, once the first procedure was done and Ellie was satisfied with Chuck's response to the procedure, they would have no reason to hang around since the night-time had become Sarah's time with Chuck. They loaded up in the Crown Vic and, after a brief stop at the office of a friend of Ellie's to borrow a set of eye speculums to allow for the visual input of the treatment program, they arrived at the hotel around a quarter to three. Ellie had brought her parking pass with her and directed John to the employee lot, slipping the pass over the rearview mirror before guiding him through the rear entrance and down several back hallways used only by staff and volunteers until they arrived at the ICU.
Unsurprisingly, Sarah was already there, sitting next to Chuck and holding his hand. Stephen arrived shortly after Ellie and John and the four prepared the room and Chuck for the treatment. The blinds between the main hall and the room were closed. Chuck's bed had been risen until he was in a semi reclined position. Ellie and Stephen went over the treatment once more before Ellie checked Chuck's vitals. Once she was satisfied, he was good to go, she used the speculums to hold Chuck's eyes open before holding the tablet up and pressing the button to start the subliminally altered program. A few minutes later, the treatment was finished, the speculums were removed, and Chuck's bed was put back to its supine position so that he would be comfortable until he came around. Ellie checked Chuck's vitals as well as his E.E.G. monitor, everything was looking good thus far, so all that was left to do was wait.
Not knowing how long it would take for Chuck to come around, Ellie suggested they get something to eat. She knew Sarah wasn't going to want to leave, and her dad was pretty set on staying put until Chuck regained consciousness. Not to mention that it would be best if he or Ellie were in the room at all times in case Chuck began to wake. Ellie had given her dad a rudimentary overview of what needed to be done once Chuck woke up; just in case she wasn't in the room so that he'd know what to do until she returned. Once she was sure Sarah and Stephen were good to go, she got their food requests, and she and John headed down to the doctor's lounge, which had access to the cafeteria's kitchen.
They placed their orders, requesting they be placed in travel containers, and paid for their purchases. Luckily, none of the orders were too complicated, all had ordered sandwiches with chips or salad on the side. Once their food was ready, they grabbed some bottled water and their to go boxes before heading back to Chuck's room. It didn't surprise them that there had been no change to Chuck's condition by the time they returned. Ellie and Stephen had explained to them that, in the simulations, it could take a few hours for the program to work through the block that was keeping Chuck comatose.
They quickly ate and settled in to wait for as long as it took. Sarah had reclaimed her seat next to Chuck, Ellie had taken a seat on the window seat and tucked up next to John who had his arm around her shoulders, his hand lazily resting on her upper arm where his fingers drew random patterns over the sleeve of her blouse. Stephen still sat at the table, amicably speaking with John to get to know him better since the man was important to both is children, although in different ways. Even without them saying it, he could tell by the little non-verbal interactions between Eleanor and John Casey, there was clearly affection and, despite the newness of the relationship, a definite connection.
Before he could question the major about his intentions in regard to the Bartowski family, specifically in regards to his relationship with the elder of the siblings, the sound of alarms coming from the monitors caught their attention. Ellie rushed over to see that Chuck's heart rate had jumped alarmingly high. But a quick glance at the monitor showed it was just elevated, and thankfully not irregular. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sarah jump and become transfixed on Chuck.
"He squeezed my hand," Sarah informed Ellie quietly.
"He might be coming out of it," Ellie explained.
Almost as if he had been waiting for Ellie to make such a proclamation, Chuck's eyes fluttered open and he cast his eyes around the room in bleary confusion.
"Wha… where am I?" He asked groggily, his voice scratchy from disuse.
Ellie took charge when it was clear Sarah was too choked up to speak, "You're in the ICU at Westside medical," She explained gently as she brought his bed brought up to a slightly inclined position and had him sip on some water to relieve his dry throat. "You were shot in the left shoulder during your last mission and slipped into a coma, possibly due to hitting your head when you fell. From what John and Sarah told me, it seems whoever shot you got lucky and happened to hit you right on the edge of your vest. Thank God you were wearing one or else it could have been much worse. Yes, I know about your work with the CIA and NSA, as well as Dad's involvement in the Intersect project. Sarah and John briefed me a few days after we realized you were not going to wake up any time soon. You missed Christmas and New Year, it's now January 5th in the evening.
"I was in a coma?" Chuck asked in disbelief.
"Yes, for nearly two months," Ellie nodded.
"Wait," Chuck's eyes widened, "What do you mean Dad's involvement with the Intersect project."
"I created it," Stephen stepped into his son's line of sight, "Or at least the really cool part of it."
"So that day I snuck into your office," Chuck mused, "And you freaked out..."
"You had downloaded some of the base coding," Stephen supplied, "It might be why the intersect works so well for you when it failed or malfunctioned with other people. Not that I ever wanted you to be a part of all this, but for what it's worth, I'm proud of what you've accomplished with it. I'm just sorry that it came at the cost of so much sacrifice."
"Wow," Chuck sighed looking around the room as his eyes began to focus on the people around him before returning his gaze to his sister. "I have so many questions about everything. I'm having a little trouble differentiating reality from possible dreams. It's like I have these snippets of memories that are too real to be dreams, but at the same time are hard to believe actually happened. Did Mom come by, or am I imagining that bit?"
"Yes, Son," Stephen nodded, waling over to greet Chuck. "She came home and we both came to see you."
"She's gone again?" Chuck asked, already knowing the answer. At his father's small nod, He sighed and laid his head back on his pillow. He sat up a moment later, his eyes lock on his father's, "She's a spy, isn't she?"
"Yes," Orion nodded, "Her code name is Frost."
Ellie looked on in wide-eyed shock when she saw her brother's eyes roll back in his head and his eyelids flutter, afraid that he was having a seizure, but a few moments later his eyes refocused and narrowed in their father's direction.
"How could you?" Chuck demanded of his father, "It's your fault she's gone."
"Technically Hartley uploaded that version against my advice," Stephen explained, "Yes, your mother followed when it was clear the natural shutdown process had failed."
"There's nothing natural about having this thing in your head." Chuck protested, "You need to figure out a way to fix him."
"I know," Stephen admitted, "We're working on it. There's nothing I want more than for our family to be whole again. I want your mother back home permanently, to watch as you and Ellie fall in love and have your own families..."
"That's why I know about your other job, Chuck," Ellie cut in before her father could wander too far off topic, "Hartley was the neurologist on the original Intersect team. When your Intersect essentially locked up, they brought me on to see if I could figure out a way to unlock your Intersect as well as work with Dad to figure out how to remove or overwrite the original programming."
"Why do I get the feeling that I'm going to be your lab rat?" Chuck arched an eyebrow at his sister.
"Because you are, or at least the second-round lab rat since Dad already endured the first tests," Ellie shrugged, "Dad and I have been working together to streamline the program so that it interacts better with the brain and can be custom-programmed for each Intersect host. However, we have to remove the original program before the new one is uploaded to reduce the stress on your brain. We aren't going to do it now, we'll wait until you've recovered more, to do that."
"But no matter what, you're going to remove the Intersect?" Chuck asked.
"Yes, after it's removed, if you want to upload the new version, we'll leave that up to your discretion." Ellie explained, "However, you won't be allowed to upload the Intersect 2.0 until after you have successfully completed rehab. You've been in a coma for a while, so you've lost muscle tone. You'll need to go through rehab to rebuild some of that muscle. That does mean you will need to use a wheel chair for a while then later graduate to other ambulatory devices such as a walker, crutches, or a cane, until you are able to move around unassisted. Your physical therapist can give you more information as to what to expect and potentially how long it will take for you to complete rehab, but it will depend on how hard you are willing to work in and out of your sessions."
"Ugh, my brain hurts," Chuck complained.
"Are you getting a headache?" Ellie gave him an evaluating look, "I can get you something to help with the pain. That looked like it hurt when you got that information about Mom."
"Flashed," Chuck supplied then explained further when he saw the confused looks on his father and sister's faces, "That's what I call it when the Intersect activates, because all the information comes to me in a flash."
"Makes sense," Stephen shrugged.
"And it doesn't hurt," Chuck shook his head, "At least not now that I'm used to it. I used to fight it which made it painful when the flashes happened."
"You said your brain hurt," Ellie pointed out.
"What I meant was that I'm a bit overwhelmed here," Chuck explained, taking a sip of water before he continued, "You hit me with a lot, Sis."
"There was a lot to tell," Ellie shrugged.
"For now, it might be best to focus on the immediate future," Chuck suggested, "Just like Bob Wiley, I gotta focus on my 'baby steps' until I'm able to be back at full speed, or at least nearly there."
"Okay," Ellie nodded, "So first thing's first, since you are no longer in a coma, you'll be moved out of the ICU so that people who aren't being lazy bums and need an ICU room can have it."
"I was shot!" Chuck jokingly protested, pointing toward his affected shoulder, "Right there!"
Ellie rolled her eyes before continuing on, "In any event, you'll be moved to the rehab wing where you will be assigned a physical therapist who will evaluate what needs doing to get you back on your feet literally and figuratively. Based on their evaluation, you will either stay here to rehab or be moved to a dedicated rehab facility until you are cleared to go home. You'll likely still need to do out-patient rehab after that for a while longer until you are able to walk unassisted."
"Okay," Chuck nodded, processing all of what his sister had told him, "And the Intersect stuff?"
"We are going to monitor you for at least the next couple days to make sure it doesn't lock up on you and send you into another coma," Ellie explained, "Then after that, we'll run the removal algorithm."
Chuck looked between his sister and his father, "Is it really going to be removed or just overwritten?"
"Well, since you downloaded the base infostructure when you were little, we are actually able to remove the Intersect 1.5, which is the version that Bryce Larkin sent you," Stephen explained, "It also means that, if you later choose to stay with the company and download the Intersect 2.0 or subsequent versions and updates, it will be easy to integrate into your 'cognitive interface,' for lack of a better phrase."
"Or what us doctors call your Hippocampus and cerebellum," Ellie rolled her eyes, "But that won't be an option until much further down the road. However, we would welcome your input on how to best way to remove or restrict Hartley's Intersect."
"We already know that his will require and overwrite," Stephen supplied, "Since he was well into his 30's when he downloaded the personality matrix that created the Volkoff persona."
"I'd have to see what you've got so far, first," Chuck nodded his understanding, "Then maybe I might be able to come up with something."
"There's no rush," Ellie advised, "What most important is your recovery and health. To that end, it's late, and you really should get some rest."
"Ellie, I've been asleep for months," Chuck pointed out.
"Being in a coma isn't the same as actual sleep," Ellie pointed out, "Besides, your body is best able to heal when you are sleeping. I'll be back in the morning to check up on you."
"Okay," Chuck nodded, "I love you, Elle."
"I love you too," Ellie gave him a soft smile before leaning down and kissing his forehead like she used to when they were little and he was sick. "I'll let the nurse's station know to find you another room on my way out," She then stepped back to open the blinds while their father to stepped forward.
"Your sister's right, try and get some rest," Stephen patted his son's shoulder. Chuck nodded to the older man and watched him amble out of the room.
"Don't give Walker too much trouble or else I'll come back with Bertha," Casey grunted, earning him an eye roll.
"Wouldn't dream of it, big guy," Chuck shook his head in amusement before watching Casey open the door for his sister and exited after her.
Chuck watched as Ellie paused and spoke a few words to the charge nurse while Casey waited near the elevators. The faint ding of the active elevator could be heard before the doors opened and Casey stepped inside, holding the door while he waited for Ellie to finish her instructions to the nurse and join him in the car.
"And then there were two," Chuck turned to Sarah with a soft smile. "I take it you drew the short straw when it came to protection detail?"
"No," Sarah shook her head, "To be honest, in person surveillance is not needed, Casey practically had this room wired for sound until tonight. He actually took down the cameras down while we were waiting for you to come to."
"Right," Chuck nodded, "Probably so he can wire up my next room, right?"
"No, your next room isn't going to be monitored," Sarah shook her head, "Beckman had a deep dive done the staff in the rehab ward, and designated which were to be allowed to work with you. Ellie made the arrangements, luckily the therapist that was selected is an old friend of Ellie's so you'll be in good hands."
"Okay, so if I no longer need to be under observation, and the staff assigned to me are approved, why are you still here?" Chuck asked, then realized how that sounded, "Not that I'm not glad you're here, I'm all for you being here. I'm just curious since I'm sure there are ops you'd much rather be doing."
"Nope, no missions, no ops," Sarah shook her head, "Even if there were, I'm right where I want to be." She loved the large grin that split his face.
"Really?" Chuck asked in awe.
"Really," Sarah nodded, "Why wouldn't I want to spent time with my boyfriend."
"So, cover maintenance then?" He asked his smile dimming a bit.
"No cover, just us," Sarah assured him. "Beckman has officially designated you as an NSA analyst, so the agent/handler restrictions don't apply. This can be real, if you want it to be."
"So, you'd be my real girlfriend and I'd be..." Chuck tried to clarify.
"No, I am your real girlfriend, and you are my real boyfriend," Sarah stated, "I'm sorry I wasn't ever able to tell you before now, but you and me, us, it's all I've ever wanted. I just didn't think I could have you, really have you until now; assuming you want me."
"Really for real?" Chuck smiled.
"Really for real," She affirmed, leaning forward and giving him a soft, but passionate kiss that showed just how real they were.
"Sarah Walker, will you be my girlfriend?" Chuck asked softly.
"I thought you'd never ask," Sarah smiled, letting him pull her down to sit next to him on the bed. They shifted a little bit until they could snuggle up in the be, Sarah's head on his uninjured shoulder which was still sore, more from disuse than the minor damage caused by the bullet.
They laid together a while in comfortable silence before Sarah spoke again, "Chuck, I want you to know everything. I know I've held back before but..."
"Sarah, you don't have to," Chuck protested, "I meant what I said after our mission to San Diego, I don't need to know who you were because I know who you are."
"I know, and I love you for that," Sarah smiled up at him, "But I want to tell you, because there are things about me that you really should know before we get too serious. Things that will impact your life in a big way if this goes the way I want it to."
"Did you just tell me that you love me?" Chuck looked down at her, a goofy grin on his face.
"All that, and that's what you heard?" Sarah rolled her eyes, "Yes, you big nerd, I love you. I always have. I don't know exactly when it happened for sure, but sometime in those first couple days between you helping that ballerina and defusing that bomb at the Grand Ambassador, I fell for you; harder than I wanted to admit to anyone, least of all to myself."
"That's good, because I love you too," Chuck told her sincerely before pressing a soft kiss to her lips. "I love you Sarah Lisa Walker."
"Sam," Sarah saw the confused look on his face, "My birth name is Samana Lisa Novak, but my legal name, my real name is Sarah Walker. Sarah is my real identity because that's the name I had when I realized that I could be a 'real girl' as you like to say. You helped me to find the real girl I'd buried deep inside when I left to travel with my dad."
"Okay then, Sarah it is," Chuck smiled.
"Sarah's just the start," She returned the smile, "I don't know how much of what I've told you over the past couple months that you remember, but we can call that my warm up for the real conversations we are going to have. There's a lot, but the most important part of it starts about three weeks before we met, in Budapest..."