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Vaughn nervously sat in the chairs, waiting for Sydney to come out of surgery. Next to him, Will was leaning his head against the wall, just staring at the ceiling. Francie was asleep, her head gently resting on Will's shoulder. Weiss was sleeping in a corner char, head back, mouth open. Jack was nervously pacing the hall back and forth. Vaughn could see him walk back and forth, from the window in the waiting room. On his seventh pass in ten minutes, only increasing the anxiety that Vaughn already felt. Around them, other people waited for their own loved ones waited doing the same thing. "Who are you waiting for?" An elderly man asked Vaughn.
"My girlfriend. How about you?"
"My wife is getting her hip replaced. She's been in there for four hours. We weren't going to have her do the surgery, but she fell down the stairs this morning, so it just made sense."
A nurse came through the doors. Jack quickly followed, not wanting to miss the news in case it was about Sydney. He took the vacant seat next to Weiss. Everyone in the room that was awake turned to look, hoping that it was news for them. "Mr. Pond?" She asked.
The elderly man Vaughn was talking to walked over to the nurse who led him through the doors to see his wife. Vaughn looked towards the doors, but there was no nurse to show him to his Sydney. Jack stood up again, and started pacing in circles around the room. "How long has she been in there?" Will quietly asked, as not to disturb the sleeping Francie still quietly resting on his shoulder.
"In surgery? 45 minutes. But she was prepping long before that." Jack answer, not breaking step. Vaughn banged his head against the wall three times. "She should be in there for another hour or so."
"I am going to get some coffee." Vaughn left his chair, in search of a cup of coffee. He turned a hallway, and heard his name being called out.
"Michael." Vaughn turned, and for a brief moment, he saw Sydney, he heard Sydney, he felt Sydney. To his udder disappointment, he found Shelby standing there instead. "It is Michael, right? Sydney's boyfriend?"
"Yeah."
"How is she? The lady at the desk said she's still in surgery."
"Then you're up to date."
"How long has she been in there? I would have come sooner, but I had to drop Andrew off at home to let the babysitter go home, and then I came straight here."
"She's been in there for nearly a quarter of an hour." Vaughn directed Shelby to the waiting room, and he himself continued his search for a cup of coffee.
Another hour later and Vaughn remained as the only one awake. He just sat there, spinning the dreads of his coffee around the bottom of his cup, watching the spirals. Only tow other people were awake, waiting for their young daughter to come out of a surgery to repair her heart. They sat praying. Vaughn looked over at them. They looked so scared. Through the glass doors, a doctor appeared. Vaughn watched as the doctor took off his scrubs, and talked to the nurse at the desk, before making her way to the waiting room. She seemed to move in slow motion, and Vaughn just wanted to scream, "Faster!"
The airlock doors opened with a hiss. The three occupants still awake thrust their undivided attention at the doctor. "Family of Sydney Bristow?" She asked.
Vaughn let out a sigh of relief, not even knowing he was holding his breath. He jumped up to get news. She led him to just outside Sydney's door. So close, but yet so far away. "We had no complications during the surgery. It looks like she should be fine in a couple of days."
"Can I go in there?" Vaughn quietly asked, his hands placed on the glass.
"Yes. She should be waking up any minute now."
Silently Vaughn entered the room, and sat down next to Sydney's bed, and took her hand. He leaned his head against the wall. It is funny how sometimes you shut your eyes for a short moment, only to wake up later, not even knowing that you had fallen asleep. This phenomenon happened to Vaughn. A tight squeeze to his hand woke him. He looked over at a smiling Sydney.
"When did you get up?" Vaughn immediately asked.
"About half an hour ago. I was going to let you sleep, but everyone is trying to watch us from outside."
"How are you doing?'
"Not bad. It kinda hurts, but nothing I can't handle."
"Good."
"Can I motion for all my other friends to come in now?" Sydney asked, joking around.
"You could have done that earlier you know." Vaughn assured her.
"I wanted to talk to you first. I love you."
"I love you too." Vaughn kissed Sydney's forehead. "I'll go get everyone for you. Your dad is the only one that's standing outside the door."
"Ok."
Sydney smiled as each of her friends filed into her room. Happy faces, relieved at her expected fast recover, surrounded Sydney. They took seats wherever the room would allow, and all (including stone-faced Jack) began to chat carefree.
A nurse came in to check on Sydney and saw the small crowd. "Ms. Bristow! when I said you could have a couple more people in here, I thought you meant two, not an entire army. I am sorry but you need your rest, and these people have to go."
Everyone understood where the nurse was coming from, and left leaving their well wishes behind. Vaughn stayed, at Sydney's demand.
"Syd, there has been something I have been wanting to ask you for several days now."
"yeah?" Sydney asked. She was beginning to feel the effects of the medicine the nurse administered to her, and was fading quickly into a deep sleep."
"Will you marry me?"
"Do you even have to ask? Of course I'll marry you!" Sydney leaned over and began to kiss Vaughn.
"I-I-I don't have a ring for you right now. I was planning on asking you after the reunion, so the ring is in my drawer at your place."
"Vaughn, its ok Honey." Sydney kissed him again to get him to shut up. "What a day, huh? Meeting your mom, Annette, the reunion, catching Sark, getting shot, and now this, we're engaged."
"What a day." Vaughn repeated before Sydney fell fast asleep.
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