"Mac?" She asked in a quiet and totally terrified voice.
"Stel?" She felt a hand on her back and jerked awake. She blinked as her eyes slowly adjusted to the bright artificial hospital light (even though the ugly digital clock read 11:36 PM). She looked up to see whose bed she was leaning on and realised that she was crying.
"Bad dream?" Mac asked quietly and touched her hair.
He didn't look well at all, his face had a grey pallor, there was dark antiseptic staining his chest, numerous IVs and monitor cords where hanging out of him but still - he look indescribably better than when he was in a coma and not expected to wake up.
"I guess so." She laughed and looked down into her lap. She unfolded the thick parchment coloured pages and read the words she had read so many times she could almost recite them.
"How did I get this? I thought…"
"I asked my Dad to give it to you if anything happened to me."
"The doctor said you weren't going to make it." She said quietly as tears involuntarily streamed down her face unceasingly.
"I got that impression from my shirt." He nodded at her and she noticed she was wearing the shirt he had on when he was shot. She hugged it around herself and inhaled deeply. It was still comforting even through the thick smell of blood. She would have got another one that wasn't covered in blood but she hadn't left the hospital since he'd been admitted.
"What are you doing?" He laughed.
"It, ah…it smells like you." She sniffed and wiped her nose on the back of her hand. She stood up and hugged him as best she could while he was lying down.
"I was so scared I was going to lose you." She whispered.
"I'm okay." He said quietly and put his IV-less arm on her back.
"You're not dead but you're not okay." She half laughed, half sniffed. "What the hell Mac? I told you to stay…" She gave up desperately.
"I'm sorry." He said softly. "I didn't think."
"I'm sorry I was busy with the other perp. It would have been okay if I was there." She said guiltily.
"It wasn't your fault. I did the wrong thing. But I'm okay, so we can blame ourselves for the rest of our lives or we can get on with it and do our best to not do stupid things like that again. Agreed?" Stella nodded and laughed.
"Are you allowed to wear you ring?" She asked and held out the small gold band.
"I think so." He said and she slid it onto his finger.
"I won't have to worry about any of the nurses trying to steal my husband anymore." She joked.
"Very funny." He rolled his eyes. "I think you should go home and get some sleep."
"I just had the most horrific dream about my husband dying and shooting myself in the head - I'm not going anywhere." She said stubbornly.
"You need to sleep and if you don't go I'll have one of the nurses kick you out."
"Mac please…I don't want to leave you" She said quietly. He silently conceded and touched her cheek softly.
"I love you Stel." He said and yawned.
"I love you too." She said and put her hand over his and kissed his cheek. "I'll be here when you wake up." He nodded and went to sleep while she stroked his hand gently.
She had never been so glad to wake up in a hospital.
Thanks for reading!