Psych: Solid Steel
Disclaimer: I know, you know ;)
A/N: Sorry it has taken so long to update! I can't believe that I started this story in 2018. Thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows. There will probably be a few more chapters to tie up loose ends, please enjoy!
Juliet tenses as she sits by Shawn's bed. He'd made it through the night and the doctors were optimistic, but still cautious. Lassiter, Henry, and Gus had given her time and she found herself staring at Shawn's still form, tensing every time his heartbeat changed or a nurse walked past the glass wall.
Breathing, she looks around the room, there are flowers and a weird card from Woody that Lassiter brought with him when he returned from the precinct, along with a community card from their fellow officers. Gus had gotten Shawn a pineapple.
Smiling, her mind flashed back to when she had first met Shawn. She'd been nervous about her sting and he had unknowingly walked right into the middle of it. They'd gotten the guy despite Shawn's distraction, and something about the pseudo-psychic had stood out to her. He'd constantly led them on wild chases, but he always came through in the end. The faith she had put in him stopped her fond memories.
Suddenly, all she could see was her mother constantly being disappointed by her father. The feeling of never being able to trust a word her father said sat heavily on her. She and her father had reconciled, thanks to Shawn she admitted to herself begrudgingly, but they were still far from having the trusting relationship she wanted.
The fear that her whole relationship with Shawn had really been what she'd gone through with her father tore her heart apart. Shawn had lied to her about a fundamental aspect of himself. She wanted to be able to move past it, but the weight of that action kept bringing her down.
Standing up, she abruptly walked to the far wall, her back to Shawn. Coving her face with her hands, she suddenly found tears streaming down her face. Crumbling against the wall, she let them come and just hoped no one would come in until she pulled herself back together.
Unfortunately, she wasn't so lucky.
"Juliet?" Henry asked softly, resting his hand on her shoulder. When she looked up at him, he saw the anguish of all the emotions she had been dealing with coupled with the love she had for Shawn and the fear that his current condition caused.
"I am so sorry, Juliet." Henry paused, looking briefly at his son. Juliet wiped her face, trying to pull herself together, Henry's hand comforting, but also a reminder of where she was and what was going on.
"It's ok," she responded, her voice shaking.
"No. No, it's not. He should have told you, he...he wanted to tell you. I just wish he could have been honest with you sooner."
"Me too," Juliet responded; no other words seemed like enough. Henry pulled her into a hug and she let him. She just needed the strength to breathe for a minute and he seemed to have strength in spades.
Just as she pulled away, an alarm began beeping near Shawn. Both of them quickly rushed to his side as he began seizing.
"Nurse!" Henry called, Juliet calling out Shawn's name as she tried to keep him from dislodging the various IVs connected to his body.
The medical personnel surrounded them in a blur and Henry and Juliet soon found themselves outside the room watching as Shawn was stabilized and something was added to his IV. Then the seizure was over as soon as it had started and the medical personnel filtered out of the room, leaving it in relative quietness.
Henry waved down a nurse as Juliet stood frozen, staring at Shawns now-still form lying in the bed, his chest rising slowly with the artificial rhythm of the ventilator.
"What happened?" Juliet asked, her voice still shaky, as Henry came back.
"It was a reaction to some medicine they'd given him, they had to administer some big named medicine to counter the reaction and adjust what they're using to manage his pain and prevent infections."
"Thank goodness," Juliet breathed, "I...I thought he was getting worse."
"I know," Henry said, the tone of his voice deep with concern, "thankfully it was just the medicine. Other than that, they are hopeful about his condition."
"I...I love him and... and I hate what he did... but, but I forgive him," Juliet said, her hands waving around as she let the words rush from her heart, "I just don't know how to trust him."
"Time," Henry responded, providing her with the only comfort he could, "Living with and loving Shawn isn't always easy, but Shawn's heart is always in the right place and when it matters, he never lets down the people he loves."
With a small smile, Juliet looked from Henry to Shawn, they had a long way to go to rebuild the trust between them, but the love she felt for Shawn hadn't diminished since the truth came out, it had been wounded, but despite wishing it away when the anger hit the hardest, she couldn't stop how she felt.
"When you love someone, you love them regardless of their faults, and sometimes in spite of them," Henry wrapped his arm around Juliet, "I am glad he has you and I hate the pain you've gone through, but the love you two share is something that only happens once in a lifetime. It will be hard, but I know you two can overcome this."
"Thank you, Henry, I sure hope we do." Juliet let herself really look at Shawn as she walked back into his room, Henry staying back to give her the space she needed. She took in the bruise on his forehead, the dark circles under his eyes, the pallor of his skin from the blood loss and strain of surgery.
With determination, she walked up to his bed and grabbed his hand, "Shawn, I...I forgive you. We've got a lot of work to do, but I... I don't want to lose what we have. I love you, Shawn."
Leaning down, careful to avoid the ventilator, she kissed him gently on the head.