A/N - annnnnd we're done. Thank you for indulging me with this story about one of my favorite pairs. xoxo - tmtcltb
x
x
Chapter 30: February 2016 - St. Louis
x
x
Teylor blinked, staring at the popcorn ceiling in puzzlement. If this was how heaven looked, he had quite a few questions for his brother Mas.
Then the ceiling was replaced by a petite brunette waving a small flashlight in his eyes, and Teylor realized that he must be hallucinating. What else could explain Doctor Scott being in the middle of some god-forsaken jungle? Except, Teylor realized, he wasn't in the jungle either, if the ceiling and the beige walls were to be believed.
"Teylor, do you hear me?"
Teylor tried to remember if auditory hallucinations were a common part of dying, but all he could remember were stories about being drawn towards a bright light at the end of the hallway. He definitely wasn't being drawn towards the light Doctor Scott was shining in his direction, which felt more akin to being stabbed with hot pokers.
"Doctor Scott?"
The words were garbled, almost unrecognizable, his throat burning with every word. And then Doctor Scott disappeared, and another face appeared. One the Teylor never thought he would see again.
Caroline.
He opened his mouth, but no words emerged. Teylor shifted, feeling a burning pain in his neck. If he were hallucinating, you would think that he could have come up with something better than a beige room with bad lighting and an exhausted looking wife.
Did that mean...
Caroline's eyes glittered with tears. "Took you long enough to wake up. I would smack you if Rachel wasn't here to see. Didn't I tell you that you weren't allowed to get killed? You're supposed to die of a broken heart after me, you idiot."
Was it possible that this was real?
Teylor tried to speak, but his throat was painfully raw. Finally he managed to croak. "What? Where?"
"We're in St. Louis," Caroline explained, as though that made any sense. She lifted a cup, placing the straw in his mouth. The cool water felt amazing on his throat, and he heard himself groan. He took another sip, drinking in the sight she made standing there. She looked exhausted, her hair pulled back into a messy bun, black shirt wrinkled beyond belief, eyes shining with tears.
And she was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen.
"St. Louis?" He whispered a moment later.
"Yup." Caro nodded. "Took Jesse three hops but she got you up to Korea. Rios literally held your neck the whole way so the wound wouldn't reopen. Then a med-evac from Osan. Rachel hasn't left your side in a week. Apparently she has a reputation to uphold and letting you die would be a black mark on her record."
Teylor managed to lift a hand, feeling the thick bandages that wound around his neck and upper chest. Doctor Scott reappeared. "Please avoid touching the wound, Teylor. Lieutenant Green's stitching left something to be desired and, regrettably, it was far too dangerous to reopen the wound upon your arrival here in St. Louis."
"Danny stitched me up?" Teylor felt like he was repeating the same thing over and over and, yet, the idea of being here - being alive - still felt so unbelievable.
"I walked Lieutenant Green through the process via radio prior to your evacuation from the island," Doctor Scott explained. She paused, then continued whatever she was doing that required her to keep flashing that damn light in his eyes. "And while his quick thinking saved your life, there are likely to be some long-term health consequences as the result of the delay in receiving formal medical treatment."
Health consequences? Teylor quickly wiggled his toes, thankful when they moved upon command. "Like what?"
"Not paralysis." Caro chuckled, patting his legs, although he could see the rings under her eyes. "Things like dizziness, increased risk of stroke, vertigo. Danny had to pull the sides of the artery together to get it stitched and it's now smaller, to put it simply."
Doctor Scott's face became, if possible, more serious. "Unfortunately, the risk of the artery rupturing in the future is greatly increased, although we will not know for sure until more time has passed."
Teylor blinked, reading between the lines. "So I'm out."
Apparently done torturing him with the light, Doctor Scott switched it off. "You appear to be stable for the moment. I will leave the two of you alone to talk."
As Doctor Scott left, Caro intertwined her fingers with Teylor's hand. "You won't be able to go back to the James. Although Admiral Chandler mentioned the possibility of a training or desk position. Perhaps working with Kara."
Teylor managed to lift a hand, reaching out to touch Caro's cheek. "I was already planning on leaving. Told you back in Connecticut. I just needed a little time."
A tear leaked down Caro's cheek, then another. "I thought you wanted to stay with the guys. To help them."
"I did," Teylor acknowledged, wiping away a tear, rubbing his thumb across her lip. "But I've done that. I went to Connecticut and Iowa and Chicago and even Australia to find their families. And now it's time to come home to you. To Maria and Manny and Christopher. To be with my family. Maybe even to expand it a little."
Caro's grip on his hand was painful. "You mean it?"
Teylor started to nod before realizing how much it hurt. "I made the decision before we left Australia."
"Thank you for coming home to me," Caroline whispered, leaning down to give him a soft kiss.
"I love you, Caroline."
"I love you too."
x
x
THE END