A/N: I don't know if there's still any interest in this story except for one person. My stuff doesn't get reviewed much any more, which is fine. TLDR, I hope you enjoy this.
Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck.
Chuck blew out a breath and tried to wrap his head around everything. It had been five days since he had received the card from Bryce. The flashing on the screen had disoriented him. He remembered that now. He winced slightly as a slight pain ran through his head, where a part of the skull had been removed and now replaced. The dreams he had shook him to his core. His real life ex-girlfriend was a spy in his dream…one who tried to screw up everything for her own gain. He didn't think he thought of Carina like that but…
Then there was his father dead, and his mother a spy, working in Russia. There was one thing right about the family dynamic, he and Ellie were close. Ellie had basically had to raise him as his parents became more and more involved with their work. And then…Molly.
"Hey," he heard the voice from the door. He looked up and saw her. "You scared me you idiot."
"I apologize for scaring you, Molly," Chuck said, grinning at his friend.
"I mean, you're like the brother I never had," Molly continued.
"Molly," Chuck said in exasperation. "Bryce is literally your brother.
"Eh," Molly shrugged, chuckling. She came in, sat in the chair beside his bed, worry on her face. "Seriously, you okay?"
"Ellie thinks I will be," Chuck replied. Physically he would live. Would he be able to do the work he had done previously? He had no idea. He looked over at Molly, trying to figure out why the twenty-two year old woman in real life was portrayed in his dream as an infant and then later as a five-year old. "I'm just a little messed up right now."
"Wanna talk about it, or is that a bro code thing I need to get Morgan in here for?" Molly asked him, grinning.
"God, no," Chuck blurted out. "If I told Morgan this…he'd lose his mind." He looked over at the young lady who had become his close friend. He struggled with what to do.
"Chuck…I can listen, no judgments," Molly told him. Chuck nodded, took a deep breath and began.
}o{
"Holy shit," Molly breathed out when Chuck finished. He gave her a look. "I'm not judging, but…Chuck…that was insane." She was silent a moment and then grinned. "Working at the Buy More for five years because of Jill?"
"I know, I know," Chuck replied, shaking his head and then wincing, remembering the hard way he had surgery on his skull. "It's Carina I really can't get over. I mean…I told her that I loved her-"
"Okay, stop," Molly told him, holding up her hand. "I love you like the brother I've never had." Chuck gave her a look, but she ignored him. "But you didn't love Carina. You just thought you were supposed to, because of…well."
"Just say it," Chuck told her.
"You remember that eightes song, Ah! Leah!?" Molly asked. Chuck nodded. "There's a line in there that says, Baby, it's no good We're just asking for trouble
I can touch you But I don't know how to love you
It ain't no use We're headed for disaster
Our minds said no But our hearts were talking faster."
"Yeah," Chuck replied. "It's got a great beat."
"It does, but it's you and Carina," Molly pointed out. "Listen, it's cool, you two have fun together, but you're not forever, and you both know it." Chuck was silent for a moment. "Tell me the truth, if she seduced you like she did in your dream…"
Chuck laughed. "We both know what would happen," Chuck told Molly. "But I thought I was in love with Sarah…" he trailed off and the frown returned to his face.
"You know, Sarah is great," Molly said softly. Chuck looked up at her. "Come on, Chuck, I've told you about her, Bryce talked about her, Ellie has talked about her, is it any wonder that your brain thought she was the most bad-ass person on the planet?"
"I didn't say that," Chuck protested. Molly chuckled. "I didn't."
"Did you say those exact words, no," Molly admitted. She gave him a look. "But we both know you said it with what you said." Chuck grinned and blushed. "Carina's not incapable of love…she just doesn't love you, and that's not an indictment against her."
"I know," Chuck replied. "I know that, but…"
"Chuck, you didn't love Carina, you just thought you were supposed to," Molly said gently. "I mean, look at your parents. They haven't been the best role models on what two people in love are supposed to look like."
"They haven't," Chuck admitted.
Silence filled the room for a few seconds; it was comfortable "Sarah, huh?" Molly asked, grinning. "And why in the hell was I a little girl in it?"
"Well, when you talk about Sarah, you do talk with a bit of awe and reverence," Chuck pointed out.
"She did save my ass a few times," Molly admitted. "She was like a big sister to me. She never treated me as an annoyance." Molly began to laugh. "And you thought her dad was a conman!" Molly nearly fell off the side of the bed where she was sitting.
"Shut up," Chuck muttered, but he couldn't keep from laughing himself. "God, what craziness. How the hell did I make that leap?"
"I mean, it makes some sense," Molly told him. Chuck looked confused. "Okay, hear me out. Her dad, in real life, not the dream." Chuck gave her a bit of a glare, but she ignored him, smirking. "Is a former lounge singer that went big with his one hit, If Love is a Con Then I Don't Want to be Right."
"Baby steal my heart," Chuck sang from the song and then laughed.
"He goes by his stage name, Jack Burton," Molly continued.
"Okay, it's making sense," Chuck agreed. "But my parents?"
"Chuck, they might as well be dead as much as you and Ellie see them," Molly pointed out. "Your mom works how many hours a week? She's the scariest lawyer I've ever met, and let me tell you, when Sarah told her that she was your doctor and there was not a living will that put your mom in charge…I wanted to slap my brother again for dumping her."
"I thought she dumped him?"
"Eh, it was a mutual breakup, very cordial," Molly said with a shrug. "Idiot," she muttered.
"Okay, but my dad…you know what, never mind," Chuck said, shaking his head.
"Oh, your father? The absent minded professor?"
"I know, I know," Chuck said, trying to stop her.
"The man who forgot to pick you up how many times from school?"
"I know, I know," Chuck said, shaking his head.
"Seriously, how much of dating Carina was about pissing off your mom?"
"I never did it intentionally," Chuck replied. He gave a small grin. "Although the fact Mom didn't like Carina was a positive."
"Is that the only thing about me that was positive?" he heard from the door. Neither of them had noticed Carina had opened the door and had poked her head in.
"Absolutely not," Chuck said. "Come in."
"You sure?" Carina asked.
"Carina," Chuck said exasperated. "Any chance Bryce is with you?" Carina gave a quick shake of her head. "He still thinks it's his fault?" Carina nodded.
"Get in here," Molly told Carina. Carina came in, and Molly pointed at the edge of the bed for her to sit.
"I couldn't," Carina began.
"You know damn good and well you want to hug him," Molly told Carina. Chuck opened his arms, and Carina rolled her eyes, grinned, and gently hugged him.
"Don't ever scare me like that again, Curls," she told him, holding him tight. "I may not love you that way, but I do love you, you dumb nerd."
"I didn't do it on purposed," Chuck replied as she sat back. He saw her looking at his head. "Bald not doing it for you?"
"It's different," Carina admitted. "How are you feeling?"
"Weird," Chuck admitted. "Physically okay, but emotionally…."
"Yeah, you and your emotions," Carina said winking at him. "What can I do?"
"Nothing, just keep being you," Chuck told her. "And tell my idiot friend, it's okay. I know he didn't try to kill me."
"At least he didn't send you a computer," Molly said, giggling. Carina looked confused and gave Chuck a look.
"I may have had some weird dreams while in that coma," Chuck said with a shrug. "You may have been a DEA agent….and I may have gotten a computer in my head."
"But I looked good, right?" Carina asked. Chuck laughed and Carina took his hand. "Seriously, Chuckles, you scared the shit out of me."
"Seriously, Red, I didn't do it on purpose," Chuck repeated. She grinned at him. "By the way, I love you, and no, not like that."
"Yeah, you do," Carina said, grinning, as both Chuck and Molly laughed.
"I'm sorry, this is a place for sick people and those recovering," Sarah said with a smile as she stepped into the room. "No parties in here, Mr. Bartowski."
"Sorry, doc," Chuck replied. He couldn't help the smile on his face as he saw her. He felt confusion work its way through him. What was he feeling? Was it real feelings, or residual from the dream.
"Bryce send you?" Sarah asked Carina, grinning.
"No, but I knew if I came and saw Chuckles, that maybe he'd finally show up and see him." Carina paused. "Okay, let me correct myself, he's been here every day, he just hasn't come in."
"He's decided he tried to kill you," Sarah told Chuck. "He always was a little dramatic."
"Tell me about it," Chuck joked, making Sarah's grin grow. "Uh, really important question, Sarah…does Carina have to change one of my forty-seven nicknames? Is my hair coming back?"
"Probably," Sarah answered with a bit of a wince. "I mean, it should, but…you never know."
"Great," Chuck said, blowing out a breath. "Please don't think I'm ungrateful, it's just…well…I wasn't ready to go bald this young."
"I didn't say it was terrible," Carina said softly.
"Well, I think you look amazing," Sarah told him.
"You can't believe her, she's seen the inside of your brain," Carina told him.
"What does that even mean?" Chuck asked.
"Chuck, she saw your brain, you're one of the smartest people I know, it had to be brain doctor porn for her."
"Oh my God!" Molly snorted, laughing. Sarah was laughing as well as Chuck just sat there and shook his head.
"This is why we broke up, wasn't it," Chuck said, grinning at Carina.
Carina patted his hand, and stood. "Nah, we just weren't right," Carina said with a shrug. She bent down and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Still love ya."
"Love you, tell him to come by, seriously," Chuck told her.
"Will do, take care of yourself, Chuckles, I'll see you soon," and with that, Carina was gone.
"I should go as well," Molly said standing. "Take care of him," she told Sarah. "He's like the brother I never had."
"Again, Molly LARKIN," Chuck stressed. "Bryce is your brother."
"Eh," Molly said, shrugging. With that, she gave Chuck a hug and left.
"Boy, didn't know I was the heavy," Sarah said. Chuck didn't know what to say to that. In his mind, she was the same woman who could clear a room with a look, while that look also turned him on.
"I hear, uh, I hear that you had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting my mother," Chuck began. Sarah glanced down at a clipboard she was carrying, not wanting to look Chuck in the eye. "Thank you," he said softly. "You probably saved my life."
"You're welcome," she said, looking up at him and locking eyes with him. Jesus, it was like being back in the dream. He felt like she was looking into his soul. "Chuck, there are some things I need to know as your doctor." Chuck nodded. "You mentioned stuff that happened while you were unconscious, and I'm wondering if I need to get someone for you to talk to."
"No," Chuck said, shaking his head. "I really don't think I need a shrink."
"Bad experience with one?" Sarah asked.
"I mean I did end up in an insane asylum," Chuck said before he thought. Sarah looked up at him, shock on her face. "But you got me out," he continued. Confusion covered her face. "Well…that's what happened in the dream."
"Must of been some dream," Sarah said. "You know, you can talk to me, you have doctor patient privilege, right?"
He was silent for a moment. "But it involves you, Sarah," he admitted. "I mean, it's not bad…or lewd…well…we…" Chuck blew out a rough breath.
"Hey," she said sitting down beside him and taking his hand. He looked into her eyes, and for the first time since he woke up, he felt safe. "You can trust me."
"I do," he said, not even hesitating. Her eyes went wide, and then he noticed it. The light blush, the corners of her mouth twisting, and the shy smile. "I know this is gonna sound crazy, but Sarah Walker….I trust you." The shy smile grew.
A/N: For those of you that got this far, give me time on this one. It takes me a minute to make things work. Take care of yourself and tell those you love them that you love them. See you soon.
