The guys of Inferno were more worried than anyone else but they did manage to get some sleep after Cody came by to tell them that Hector was alive, out of surgery, and still unconscious but not out of the woods just yet because his stable condition could change to something worse at any time. Hector had been hit in the chest-the left side while saving Tallon from being hit just as they were getting to extraction that would take them out of a mission gone horribly wrong by ambush from the enemy side. When they reached Dreki base-Tallon instantly offered to ride with Hector to the hospital and for three hours, there had been no update until Tallon apparently let Cody know. The Inferno unit let the rest of the Dragon platoon know-anyone who didn't get the update that way they could relax a little. With it now being close to ten in the morning-the four men of Inferno were anxiously awaiting to find out if they could go see Hector but as like the night before they had to wait for Tallon to radio in that Hector was cleared for visitors and his condition wouldn't worsen at all. It sucked having to wait but Tallon radioed at 7:30am to let them know that Hector was still asleep but stable and the doctors wanted to wait for him to wake up fully to examine him before allowing visitors.

Of course Thaxter, Evan, Ryan, and Viktor understood that-they didn't want their friend to not be up for visitors. The guy took a pistol bullet to the chest and made it back to base, then onward to the hospital for surgery which he also survive and was now either unconscious or sleeping. Tallon reported at around midnight that Hector was starting to wake up but they all knew that he had to be exhausted from everything. The group was sitting in their barrack awaiting any kind of word on their friend-Tallon had said as soon as he knew something they would too. A single knock on the barrack brought them from their thoughts and worrying as Major Holgerson walked in holding a radio in his hand although he looked worried himself and the concern for the men on Inferno began to rise as they wondered if Hector was okay still or not. Had something happened overnight? "Major...Holgerson. Have you...gotten word from, Furysen?" Thaxter asked slowly approaching the major now with his friends also following and them all looking at Alex.

"That I did. Just a few moments ago. Haddock is alive-not to worry about that but he still very weak. The bullet missed vital organs-but it fractured two ribs. He's tired still but awake and alert so the doctors cleared him to be stable and can have visitors. So you four can take one of the jeeps and go see him, and one of you inform his family. Furysen will meet you outside the hospital so you know what room to go to-just radio him on channel seven to let him know you're there," Holgerson stated-the guys instantly sighed in relief. Hector was okay and they could go see him.

"Thank you, Major Holgerson. We're ready to go right now," Viktor nodded firmly. Alex handed them a set of keys and nodded.

"He was taken to the Combat Support Hospital just past the Baghdad Airfield-it's close to thirty minutes from here, I want you all back by 2100. That clear?" Alex stated.

"Crystal, Major. We'll be back by then," Thaxter nodded as Alex did the same and walked out of the barrack.

"Hey, send Haddock our wishes to get better alright?" asked Andrew Cortez.

"Will do guys," Ryan offered a smile as they headed out the barrack next to see the jeep parked off to the side past the barrack line. They all climbed in and Evan drove-heading right for the hospital where Hector was.

(Half Hour Later)

Now at 10:45am-they reached the hospital and radioed Tallon to let him know they were there. Sure enough after parking and reaching the entrance, Tallon was waiting there to lead them in. "Doctor said not to stress him out or we have to leave. He's gotta stay calm and relaxed," Tallon stated right away.

"Got it, how was he last night after surgery?" Thaxter asked.

"Had no idea what happened and didn't stay awake long. Maybe ten minutes before he went back to sleep. Doctor said it's normal for him to sleep and that if he feels tired he should-will help the recovery," Tallon informed.

"How long is he lookin' at in here?" Ryan question.

"If nothing arises in his condition to worsen it from where it is, two weeks and then he can return to base but will still be required to maintain light duty for another two weeks. The fractures to his ribs weren't great but still enough to keep him down about a month. I got told that we were lucky we kept the wound closed or it could have led to a collapsed lung. Anyone call his family yet?" Tallon asked next.

"We were told not to call anyone until he was cleared stable for twenty-four hours but Holgerson gave us permission before we left base. Haven't called yet-you should be the one too though. You've been with him all this time and know more information," Evan added in.

"I'll do that. Hector is in the room just down this hall-fifth door on the right. Remember what I said, he's stable but it can still change." Tallon reminded.

"No problem," Viktor nodded as they headed down the hall towards the room while Tallon moved outside the doors and lifted his phone. It was 11am for them so it had to be 8am back on Berk. And to top it off it was a Saturday so likely he could catch the whole Haddock family at once-Tallon recalled that Hector mentioned his family didn't start doing their own thing until about 11am on Saturdays and Sundays. Tallon dialed the Haddock household and pressed the phone to his ear. It only took two rings before someone picked up-clearly with a worried voice.

"Hello?" came Spencer's voice.

"Mr. Haddock. Hi, it's Tallon." he greeted.

"How is Hector! We saw the news last night," that was Mrs. Haddock's voice for sure.

"Calm down-I'll tell you. I've been with him all night," Tallon informed.

"Can we talk to him?" Heather's voice asked.

"Unfortunately, you cannot right now. I'll explain if you calm down," Tallon insisted-the phone fell quiet.

"We'll be calm. Just tell us what happened, Tallon. Please?" that was Astrid's voice, what was she doing there? It didn't matter right now. Tallon took a breath.

"You know I can't give you much about the mission but basically, shit got crazy fast. Hector pushed me out of the way and got shot in the chest-left side. It didn't hit anything vital but it fractured two ribs. He was in surgery last night for two hours-he made it through fine. Doctor on staff said it helped that we kept pressure on the wound the entire time or his lung might have collapsed. As it stands right now, he'll be in the hospital for two weeks before he can return to base. Then after that-he has to stick to light duty another two or so weeks to ensure the wound doesn't reopen and there isn't anything they missed. As for talking to him-doctor doesn't want him under any stress or his condition can go from stable to much worse. He's under close watch for the next few days. He's very weak and tired-been sleeping a lot since last night. I'll keep you posted on his recovery," Tallon explained.

"But he will...live right?" Darius asked.

"I wish I could give you a definite. But right now-I don't know. That's why the doctors are watching him closely and are avoiding anything that can stress him out. The rest of Inferno are in with him right now-I was with him all night to keep an eye on him. Right now he's using a breathing mask because it's a little hard for him to breathe without it. Doctor said that was normal for the next few days," Tallon stated, "I gotta go for now. I told Hector I wouldn't be gone long, don't try to call him because he doesn't have his phone. It's at the base still-we never taken them on missions. The guys brought me mine this morning. I have to return to base tonight myself and I'll update you again then. It's gonna be rough these next few days so we're all on edge with fingers crossed. Hector's pretty tough-I'm sure he'll be fine but we all know he's not invincible,"

"We understand. Let him know we love him and are praying for speedy recovery and to hear from him soon?" Val asked lightly.

"I will do that, Mrs. Haddock. I'll call later on-likely around 6-7pm your time. Bye for now," with that, Tallon hung up with a sigh as he moved back inside the hospital and to Hector's room where he walked in to see the guys sitting around near the windows or in the two chairs that were present in the room.

"Hey...there you are," Hector said through the mask over his mouth and nose with a faint smile.

"I didn't go far my friend. Had orders to call your family-they know you're recovering and I assured them you'd be just fine," Tallon offered a smile as he moved beside the hospital bed and Thaxter moved out of the chair closest to the bed so Tallon could sit down.

"How did...they find out?" Hector asked with slightly wider eyes.

"Hey, ssh...relax. You know you can't stress out, Hec. They were watching the news last night when we returned and you were rushed off here. It's okay, take it easy." Tallon insisted patting his arm some. Hector gave a nod as he looked to the others of his unit tiredly.

"If you're tired-you can sleep. We'll still be here. Holgerson said we could stay til 9pm," Ryan told him.

"I'm alright...for now. Slept most of the night and up to when Tal said you guys were on your way," Hector replied calmly.

"You in any pain?" Viktor asked.

"Sore-mainly the chest. Hurts to breathe but I guess that's what the mask is for," Hector sighed.

"Well you heard what the doctor said, Hector. It's gonna be a rough few days while the hole in your chest closes, be lucky the bullet didn't hit anything vital and you escaped with a hole and two fractured ribs...or you could be in here a lot longer man." Tallon mumbled.

"Told ya unless I get hit in the head or the heart-I'm gonna live," Hector tried to chuckle a bit but only ended up cringing from pain.

"Well chest on the left side is cuttin' it real close, Hec...You're fast, smart, and strong but you aren't invincible," Evan sighed now.

"I'll be okay. How was my family?" Hector asked curiously.

"Worried. Astrid was there too-I don't know if anyone else was," Tallon remarked.

"I still gotta figure out what to do about that whole thing," Hector sighed closing his eyes.

"Don't worry about it right now-focus on you. Then you can worry about your love life later-you can't have one if you're dead from stress," Thaxter stated as the others nodded.

"I'm not stressed about it-just confused," Hector replied now.

"Confusion leads to stress. Hector, stop worrying about it. She hasn't asked about your answer so clearly she's willing to wait. She sounded worried for you on the phone when I called so I think they'd all want you to get better faster and then you can decide what you want to do," Tallon said to him.

"Fine, fine. You're right. I'll take it easy," Hector smiled.

"Good." the group said in thanks that Hector's stubbornness wasn't winning right now. It was quiet a few minutes and although they had said for him to worry about himself-he still thought about Astrid and the last conversation they had together where he said that he had to decide if he could be with her or not. Did he love her? Yes. Did he want to be with her? Yes. Was he scared to be hurt again? Absolutely. So what did he do? Risk the fear and be with her-she seemed sincere over the phone but that was just the thing...

It was over the phone that they talked-not in person where he could see her eyes. Hector had always been good at that-seeing emotions through eyes. Her voice seemed sincere, and her answers didn't seem planned. But he wanted to see her eyes-he should have Skyped her instead of used a phone call. For now-it didn't matter. He would listen to his friends and the doctor-he would take it easy. It was July so he'd have a month or recovery to go and then in September-their first tour would end and he'd be back on Berk. That is was his deadline-he'd give her an answer when he got home.

"Tallon-do me a favor?" Hector asked as Tallon looked his way, "Text Astrid for me-tell her I'll give her my answer when the tour is over and I'm back on Berk,"

"You sure you wanna set yourself a time limit. That's only...two months away, Hector," Thaxter asked.

"I'm sure. I'll use a month to recover and then from that until we go home to decide," Hector nodded to them.

"I'll let her know." Tallon replied to him as he pulled out his phone, "What's her number?"

"354-011-0109," Hector stated as Tallon typed it in and then started typing the actual text out before pressing Send.

"Alright-I sent it. Now promise me you'll wait at least a week before you start thinking about it all-and until you don't need the mask anymore," Tallon asked.

"Swear I'll wait til I'm cleared. Thanks, Tal." Hector smiled to him, Tallon nodded as Hector relaxed with his eyes and closed not long after-he managed to fall asleep again.

(Berk)

Astrid had spend the night at the Haddock's after seeing the news report, she couldn't go home she was too worried about Hector and also the fact she knew that she wouldn't get updated so she wanted to be where the updates would go and that was to his parents and siblings. After Tallon called-Astrid was relieved to hear Hector was alright but still had a pretty long recovery ahead of him and they couldn't talk to him just yet. She'd been wondering what his choice would be if he wanted to be with her or not but thus far-she hadn't heard anything since March when Hector said he needed time to think about things. They were all just relaxing in the living room when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket so she pulled it out and opened the screen to see a text from a number she didn't recognize.

[Hector said he will give you your answer when the tour ends in September -Tallon]

That made a lot of sense. At first she wanted to question it but then it made sense why he was waiting-he wanted to see her face to face to tell her and also he needed time to recover from the wound he received. That was fine with her-at least she knew now that he wasn't just avoiding her in fear although he had every right to do just that after what happened between them. So in September she'd know if he wanted to be with her-she could wait. She honestly wanted to see him again too, and in two months she would get to. It was mid July now, there was still the rest and all of August to go. She wasn't sure when in September he'd be back but at least for right now she knew it would be sometime that month he returned and she couldn't wait to see him.

[I'll be waiting patiently until then. And let him know that I've got him in my prayers for a speedy recovery-we all hope to hear from him soon. That all was for me, his parents, siblings, and the others who I know he doesn't like but they are trying. 'Cept Jessie and Skylar. -Astrid]

After she sent the message she put her phone away and relaxed. So two more months until she knew-she could handle that for sure.

(Iraq)

Hector slept, not moving an inch except for the rising up and down of his chest to show he was breathing. Tallon received the message from Astrid and put his phone away-then he and the guys continued to chat quietly as their friend slept. They all knew he needed it. The nurse came in a few times to check over Hector and said that he was staying stable and that was a good sign-this relieved his friends. Thaxter took the radio and reported back to base on Hector's condition remaining stable and levels holding steady. Cody most of all was relieved to hear that-the two were close and the friends knew that. Cody was the one to help Hector join the military in the first place. Hector woke up after the three hour mark hit-making it 2pm when he started to show signs of waking up. He groaned and cringed a bit but kept himself relaxed and breathed slowly as the doctor had instructed him the first time he woke up with such a tightness in his chest that he couldn't breathe properly-the mask helped but only by a little.

"You alright?" came Tallon's voice first.

"Yeah...waking up is harder on the breathing. I'm okay..." Hector replied with a single nod, "Did...Astrid reply?"

"She did," Tallon nodded and showed him the message as Hector laughed a little.

"Those two will never grow up...I guess I won't knock the other's-least they are trying. Well, according to Astrid they are. They never gave me any crap when I was home. I suppose it wouldn't kill me to try back-seems like they've changed with Jessie and Skylar being the way that they are," Hector sighed slightly.

"Well, focus on you for now. We got two months before we go back home again," Evan reminded.

"Yeah, I got it, Ev. Don't worry..." Hector smiled.

"Our job to worry you nut job. You took a bullet for me and it almost killed you," Tallon grumbled to his stubborn friend.

"That's...my job as...leader of the platoon. Protect the...others," Hector wheezed a bit.

"Alright, take it easy now...Doctor says you're staying stable-let's not change that. We want our leader back at base with us," Ryan informed.

"Couple weeks and I'll be back," Hector told them.

"As long as you heal properly," Tallon reminded.

"I will, Tal. Calm down-I ain't ready to die just yet," Hector grinned.

"Smartass," Tallon shook his head sighing with a smile.

"Rather be a smartass than a dumbass," Hector countered.

"I'll give you that one my friend," Thaxter chuckled.

"So am I allowed to eat, because I'm starving," Hector asked.

"We'll find out for ya," Viktor stated as he and Evan headed out of the room to find a nurse or doctor to ask. Hector relaxed a little-though he was lying badly wounded, it wasn't so bad having his friends there with him. They kept him distracted and happy, at least he wasn't alone in the hospital to heal but he knew they'd have to go back at 9pm and that included Tallon too so he'd be alone for the night and he highly doubted that the higher ups were going to let them come back every single day until he was released from the hospital and could return to the base himself. At least for now he had them so he'd enjoy it while he could. It was times like these he was really glad he joined the military because he had the best friends around who were willing to spend all day in a military hospital just so he wouldn't be lonely. He was truly blessed and nothing would ever change the fact that he loved these guys like they were his own family-his brothers for life.