Chapter 3: Questions
"Hey, how are you feeling?" Mac asks as Stella's eyes flutter open. She tries to reach out to him, but her arm is too heavy.
"Mac, I can't lift my arm," she tells him with panic in her voice as she uses the other arm to sit up in the hospital bed.
"Your arm is broken, so you have a cast on-"
"Ouch," she screams feeling a burning pain in her side.
"-and a nasty cut on your side," he finishes.
"What happened to the other driver?'" Stella asks.
Mac replies, "He was driving drunk and that cost his life and almost yours. I'm sorry I hurt you; this is my fault."
"Mac, it is not your fault; you were not the one driving drunk and speeding through red lights," Stella says, determined not to let him blame himself for this, even if it was his fault, which it wasn't'. After sitting silently for a few moments Stella asks, "How are you feeling?"
"Better, now that I know for sure that you're okay," he answers, reaching for a marker on her bed stand. "Can I sign?" Mac asks, gesturing to her arm. Stella holds her arm out to him, but is not sure she can keep it there. He takes it, to her relief, and writes 'Get well soon. Sorry. Stay with me forever. (heart) Mac.' As he finishes Lindsay, Danny, Flack, and Hawkes walk in to visit Stella.
"Here, Stella, we all bought you some flowers," Flack says, placing the bouquet on the bed stand.
"Stel, can I sign your cast?" Danny asks and starts writing without waiting for an answer.
"Are you feeling okay?" Sheldon asks.
"How do you think I feel with a broken arm and humongous cut on my side?" Stella retorts, smiling. Sheldon and Flack then sign, and Stella glances toward Lindsay, who had been silent the whole time.
Lindsay points to Stella's hand with a quizzical look on her face. Stella gives her back a look of confusion. "Congratulations. You're engaged. To who?" Lindsay bursts out. Flack, Danny, and Hawkes all look down at Stella's ring. Mac smiles at Stella mischievously and only Lindsay notices. "You and Mac?" she asks when Stella doesn't reply.
"Has to be. She kissed him yesterday," Danny reminds them.
"And she had a date with him," Sheldon inputs.
Flack says, "Yeah, she was in Mac's car during the crash."
"Yes, we are engaged. I asked her to marry me last night," Mac tells them, reaching out to grab Stella's hand.
"Congrats. When is the wedding?" Hawkes asks.
"We haven't really talked about that yet," Stella says, shifting around in the bed to find a comfortable spot.
"I always new you two would be together," Danny smiles down at the happy couple.
"Why's that?"
"You should have seen them after… after Claire passed away. Stella was always there for him, to comfort him, to make him eat, to make him try to sleep, to love him. And slowly Mac seemed to get over Claire, with her help, and began to love her."
"How long have you two been going out without telling us?" Flack asks.
"About six months. You mean none of you caught on?" Stella asks a bit surprised.
"Yeah, I guess you are a lousy group of detectives if you didn't notice anything between us before now," Mac chimes in.
"Actually there were a few times where you guys looked like more than friends."
"Are you guys going to have kids?" Sheldon wonders aloud.
Mac shrugs and Stella smiles. "I think it is times for you to leave now. You're getting a bit too personal." Everyone seems to agree, and all but Mac leave the hospital after telling her to get better and that they will come visit her again soon.
"Stel, you need to get some rest," Mac told her getting up to stretch his legs after sitting beside her for so long.
"So do you," she replies.
"I'm not going to leave you here alone. I am getting kind of hungry though. Would you like anything?" Mac asks her. Stella shakes her head in reply.
As Mac leaves to get something to eat, Stella wonders aloud, "When do I get to leave this place?" She has never been too fond of hospitals.
"Two or three days," Mac replies, stealing one last look at her before closing the door.
"You need anything?" Mac asks Stella before climbing into the bed beside her.
"No," she says thinking about what the rest of the group had said the first time they came to visit her at the hospital. Mac stares at her and after a few moments, she notices him. "What?"
"What have you got on your mind that you are not any paying attention to me at all? I could hold a gun to the back of your head, and you wouldn't notice," Mac states putting his arm around her shoulder.
"Just some of the questions the guys asked us a few days ago," she replies, still in a trance.
"Like what?" Mac prods further.
"When are you getting married? Do you want to have a family? Other stuff?" Stella says, putting her head on his shoulder.
"December or January; when do you want to get married?" Mac says. "And yes I would like to have family someday if you want to. Actually, Claire was about a month pregnant when… when the towers fell."
"Really? I'm sorry, Mac," Stella says quietly in thought. "December sounds good to me," she yawns loudly.
"Go to sleep, Stel, we have a while to discuss all this," he says and turns out the light.
"I love you, Mac," Stella says before she falls into a deep sleep.
"I love you too, Stella," Mac snuggles into her warm body, careful not to hurt her and is soon fast asleep as well.