Morning Star
Chapter 20
Syd woke up more than a day later in the hospital and lamented to herself that this seemed to be becoming a habit, one she would like very much to quit. But this time she was neither agitated nor despondent, for as she looked around her room her eyes lit upon the one form she wanted to see more than anything – Gage.
He was lying in the room's other bed, his eyes closed but his head turned towards her. Above the sounds of the various medical monitors and the steady flow of oxygen through the tubes in his nose, Syd could hear him steadily breathing. She smiled to herself as she remembered how wonderful it had been to feel him in her arms again after Erica had pulled him from the river. He had told her again that he loved her and in doing so had vaporized all the fears and doubts she'd had about opening her heart to him. Whatever pain and suffering they had gone through, this love was worth it.
She wanted to touch him again. She needed to touch him. She wanted to brush those stray hairs from his forehead, she wanted to hold his hand, and she wanted to not just hear, but feel, him breathing. As Syd sat up she realized that for once she was not strictly confined to her bed. No myriad of tubes or machines held her in place, though her tightly bound leg was stiff and she had great difficulty moving it. She reached down to her side for the buzzer and called for assistance.
A young nurse entered the room a few minutes later and smiled with delight at seeing one of her patients awake. She helped Syd down from the bed and to the washroom, then led her back to the chair beside Gage's bed.
"Thank you." Syd said, as the nurse helped her settle. "How is he doing?"
"He was dehydrated and suffering from heat exhaustion when he was brought in, and he had an infection in his shoulder, which if left untreated could have caused some complications. But we've been able to stabilize it with a treatment of antibiotics. He's very lucky, it looks like he had some help – the gunshot wounds had been cleaned and dressed."
"Has he woken up yet?"
"No, but that's normal. His breathing and his heart rate is normal, he'll wake up when his body has had enough rest. Now you take it easy too, your body will need plenty of rest before you can be discharged."
"Thanks. I'm fine." As long as Gage is here with me, I'm fine, thought Syd. She sat beside him, reaching over to finally touch his brow, run her fingers through his sandy brown hair. He stirred as if suddenly restless and Syd quieted him with a "Shhhh, its okay, I'm here."
As she sat there staring at him, she felt her stomach begin to jumble in knots. For the first time since admitting their love for one another Syd realized that their world was about to change. No longer would they just be best friends and partners, they were heading down a path to become lovers. What did that hold in store for them? Secret kisses and private dates or an open relationship in front of their friends? And down the road, would they move in together? Get married? Have children? The thought sent warm tingles through her body; she had never really considered having children before. She had a sudden image of Gage sitting on a picnic blanket at a park, holding a tiny pink bundle in his arms. He was laughing and smiling, and pointing at the swings, where Syd herself came into view pushing a young boy. They waved back at Gage and the infant, a perfect day and a happy family.
"Oh Gage." She spoke softly. "Wake up. We have so much to talk about."
"Syd..." Gage turned his head and captured her hand with his own. He looked at her, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "You okay?"
"Oh Gage!" Syd stood up as best she could and flung her arms around him. "I'm fine, I'm just fine."
He wrapped his arms securely around her, vaguely aware that his left shoulder was stiff and throbbed with a dull ache. She felt so good, so right, he didn't ever want to let her go.
But he did, for at that moment the door burst open and in walked the remaining members of their Ranger family. Alex and Erica let out squeals of delight to see their friends awake and well, Trivette let out a loud noise that sounded something like a 'yeehaw', and Walker stood back in the shadows grinning silently. If any body could survive what they had gone through, these two could. It was apparent that they had taken the leap to moving beyond best friends, and Walker vowed to himself to do everything he could to make sure they stayed partners. But that would come later, now it was time to celebrate.
Syd settled back in her chair, seeking Gage's hand as soon as the hugs were over. Gage clamped her small hand in his own, squeezing tightly to make sure she was real. She looked over at him and smiled, his joy reflected his own typical Gage grin. Their friends settled in around them filling Gage in about Syd and Walker's rescue from Rebecca Jenkins, and asking Gage about his experiences. As he told them about the kind Mexican couple and his journey up the river, Syd looked over and out the window.
The morning sun streamed in but brighter than that, framed in the middle of the window, glimmering with its own intense light was her morning star. From that star Syd felt the love of her parents and her grandmother shining down upon her, and she thanked them for giving her the strength to open up her heart. There were many mornings ahead of her and many more times when she would need the luck of the morning star to help her survive. But its constant presence in her life meant that whenever she lost her way all she needed to do was look up and its radiance would lead her home.
The End
Chapter 20
Syd woke up more than a day later in the hospital and lamented to herself that this seemed to be becoming a habit, one she would like very much to quit. But this time she was neither agitated nor despondent, for as she looked around her room her eyes lit upon the one form she wanted to see more than anything – Gage.
He was lying in the room's other bed, his eyes closed but his head turned towards her. Above the sounds of the various medical monitors and the steady flow of oxygen through the tubes in his nose, Syd could hear him steadily breathing. She smiled to herself as she remembered how wonderful it had been to feel him in her arms again after Erica had pulled him from the river. He had told her again that he loved her and in doing so had vaporized all the fears and doubts she'd had about opening her heart to him. Whatever pain and suffering they had gone through, this love was worth it.
She wanted to touch him again. She needed to touch him. She wanted to brush those stray hairs from his forehead, she wanted to hold his hand, and she wanted to not just hear, but feel, him breathing. As Syd sat up she realized that for once she was not strictly confined to her bed. No myriad of tubes or machines held her in place, though her tightly bound leg was stiff and she had great difficulty moving it. She reached down to her side for the buzzer and called for assistance.
A young nurse entered the room a few minutes later and smiled with delight at seeing one of her patients awake. She helped Syd down from the bed and to the washroom, then led her back to the chair beside Gage's bed.
"Thank you." Syd said, as the nurse helped her settle. "How is he doing?"
"He was dehydrated and suffering from heat exhaustion when he was brought in, and he had an infection in his shoulder, which if left untreated could have caused some complications. But we've been able to stabilize it with a treatment of antibiotics. He's very lucky, it looks like he had some help – the gunshot wounds had been cleaned and dressed."
"Has he woken up yet?"
"No, but that's normal. His breathing and his heart rate is normal, he'll wake up when his body has had enough rest. Now you take it easy too, your body will need plenty of rest before you can be discharged."
"Thanks. I'm fine." As long as Gage is here with me, I'm fine, thought Syd. She sat beside him, reaching over to finally touch his brow, run her fingers through his sandy brown hair. He stirred as if suddenly restless and Syd quieted him with a "Shhhh, its okay, I'm here."
As she sat there staring at him, she felt her stomach begin to jumble in knots. For the first time since admitting their love for one another Syd realized that their world was about to change. No longer would they just be best friends and partners, they were heading down a path to become lovers. What did that hold in store for them? Secret kisses and private dates or an open relationship in front of their friends? And down the road, would they move in together? Get married? Have children? The thought sent warm tingles through her body; she had never really considered having children before. She had a sudden image of Gage sitting on a picnic blanket at a park, holding a tiny pink bundle in his arms. He was laughing and smiling, and pointing at the swings, where Syd herself came into view pushing a young boy. They waved back at Gage and the infant, a perfect day and a happy family.
"Oh Gage." She spoke softly. "Wake up. We have so much to talk about."
"Syd..." Gage turned his head and captured her hand with his own. He looked at her, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "You okay?"
"Oh Gage!" Syd stood up as best she could and flung her arms around him. "I'm fine, I'm just fine."
He wrapped his arms securely around her, vaguely aware that his left shoulder was stiff and throbbed with a dull ache. She felt so good, so right, he didn't ever want to let her go.
But he did, for at that moment the door burst open and in walked the remaining members of their Ranger family. Alex and Erica let out squeals of delight to see their friends awake and well, Trivette let out a loud noise that sounded something like a 'yeehaw', and Walker stood back in the shadows grinning silently. If any body could survive what they had gone through, these two could. It was apparent that they had taken the leap to moving beyond best friends, and Walker vowed to himself to do everything he could to make sure they stayed partners. But that would come later, now it was time to celebrate.
Syd settled back in her chair, seeking Gage's hand as soon as the hugs were over. Gage clamped her small hand in his own, squeezing tightly to make sure she was real. She looked over at him and smiled, his joy reflected his own typical Gage grin. Their friends settled in around them filling Gage in about Syd and Walker's rescue from Rebecca Jenkins, and asking Gage about his experiences. As he told them about the kind Mexican couple and his journey up the river, Syd looked over and out the window.
The morning sun streamed in but brighter than that, framed in the middle of the window, glimmering with its own intense light was her morning star. From that star Syd felt the love of her parents and her grandmother shining down upon her, and she thanked them for giving her the strength to open up her heart. There were many mornings ahead of her and many more times when she would need the luck of the morning star to help her survive. But its constant presence in her life meant that whenever she lost her way all she needed to do was look up and its radiance would lead her home.
The End