Disclaimer – Still own nothing.
AN – One more chapter after this, then this story will draw to a close. Just because this story will be over doesn't mean I will stop writing Falling Skies stories though. I have four other Falling Skies stories planned and I will be working on them and start posting as soon as I can.
To Jubs – If you look at the beginning of chapter 22, you see some signs of what's going on with Maggie, but yeah it is still a little bit of a twist. Glad I still can surprise you a little. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Enjoy Everyone!
Two Weeks Later…
At first, Hal wasn't aware of anything. He felt like he was floating, it was peaceful, quiet. Then slowly, it started to change. The first change was that he started hearing voices. They sounded familiar, but he couldn't figure out who they belonged to or what they were saying. After that, it was a steady beeping noise. He at first thought it was an alarm, but nobody seemed to turn it off. He then figured that it probably wasn't alarm, but he didn't know what it was.
The next thing Hal became aware of, was the feeling of a mattress underneath him. Then, a rough blanket under his hands. Every now and then, he thought he could feel another hand holding his in their grasp. He tried to figure out who it was, and what was going on, but every time he tried, he became so exhausted he slipped back into the darkness.
Hal was so confused. The last thing he remembered was telling Matt, Maggie, and Anne that he loved them. Did he pass out after that? He must've, but he couldn't remember actually closing his eyes. Did he die?
The curiosity finally won against his exhaustion, and he forced his eyes open. The ceiling was white and looked familiar. With the sound of the steady beeping, Hal quickly concluded he was in the infirmary, again. He tried to take a deep breath and started panicking when he became all too aware of something in his mouth and throat, blocking his ability to breathe.
"Hal?" Hal heard his father's voice, but the fear of whatever was in his throat and being unable to breathe was the only thing he could focus on.
"Hal, calm down! Anne get in here!" His Dad commanded as he came into his line of sight. His Dad put his hands on Hal's shoulder and arm, trying to stop him from reaching up to pull out whatever was blocking his airway. Suddenly, Anne appeared on Hal's other side.
"Hal! Hal, you have a breathing tube in your mouth. The tube is helping you breathe, but you need to calm down. It's okay, you're okay." Anne told him, placing her hands on his other shoulder and arm. Hal slowly stopped struggling as he realized that though he wasn't able to breath, oxygen was still somehow getting to his lungs. Anne smiled down at him when he stopped fighting and somewhat settled down.
"That's better. Now, do you think you can breathe without the oxygen tube?" Anne questioned. Hal immediately nodded, or at least, tried to. Now that the panic had subsided, he become aware of how tired his was. Luckily though, Anne got the message because she asked, "You're sure?" Again, he nodded.
"Alright, Tom can you help me?" Hal didn't hear his Dad respond, but did feel his Dad's hands go under his head and shoulders, lifting him up off the pillow a little. Anne then reached down under his head, undoing the strap that held the tube in place.
"Hal, when I count to three, I want you to cough as hard as you can, okay?" Anne instructed him and Hal nodded.
"One, two, three." Anne counted down and Hal instantly started coughing as Anne pulled the tube out of his throat. Once it was gone however, Hal couldn't stop coughing. His throat was so dry and the presence of the tube had made it worse.
"Easy, easy." Tom whispered, rubbing his son's shoulder. Anne took advantage of the fact that Tom was still holding up Hal's head, and slipped a nasal cannula around his face.
"Breathe through your nose Hal. That will help." Anne instructed him. For once, Hal obeyed and slowly the coughing ceased. Tom then lowered Hal back down onto the pillow.
Hal opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't force any words out. His throat felt as though he'd been swallowing sand.
"Don't try to talk just yet. Your throat's going to be sore because of the tube. I'll go get you some water." Anne informed her patient. She turned away and left Hal's line of sight, so he looked over at his father instead, who was still by his side. The relieved smile on his Dad's face told Hal that he had worried him, big time.
"Here you go." Anne's sudden reappearance demanded Hal's attention. He turned his head to look at her, and saw a cup with a straw in her hand. She helped him lift his head enough so he could drink. Once he was done, he pulled away and though his throat was still sore, he asked the question that was burning a hole in his head.
"What happened?" Hal croaked, his voice so quiet the adults could barely hear it. He couldn't remember anything after he told his family that he loved them.
"You were hurt in the explosion when you destroyed the Espheni power source. You've been in a coma for two weeks." Anne revealed. Hal remembered that much and was about to ask for specifics when he saw the pain in both his Dad's and Anne's eyes.
Hal searched his mind, trying to remember what all happened that night. He remembered his Dad carrying him out of the building, his Dad and Ben leaving to go kill the Espheni Queen. Anne, Matt, and Maggie were all beside him. Then Matt and Maggie left. He had asked Anne how bad it was and she didn't actual answer because he saw that it was bad, bad enough that he, wait. Did he actually, die?
"Did I die?" Hal asked bluntly. The look in his father's eyes made him regret asking. The look of pain and regret was heartbreaking. Hal didn't need his Dad or Anne to answer his question.
"But, then how?" If he actually died, if he was that badly injured, how was he still alive?
"We'll explain it when you're better. The important thing is that you're going to be okay." Tom said, not ready to dwell on those memories just yet. Plus, Hal already looked so exhausted and he wanted to wait until Hal was more alert and ready to hear how Cochise saved him. Suddenly, the door opened and Tom turned to see Matt, Ben, and Maggie enter the room. Smiles broke out on all three faces when they saw Hal was awake.
"Hal!" Hal turned his eyes to the door the minute he heard Matt's excited yell. Matt was running towards him, but Anne quickly turned and stopped him.
"Easy, easy. He's still pretty weak." Anne told him. Matt nodded, though reluctantly, and moved past her, making his way to the bed. Once he got to Hal's side, he sat down on the bed.
"Hey buddy." Hal whispered. Matt suddenly burst into tears, and fell forward, his head landing on Hal's shoulder. Hal managed to lift his arm and wrapped it around Matt.
"Shh, it's okay. I'm right here." Hal soothed his baby brother. Feeling someone grabbing his other hand, Hal looked over to see that Ben had come over on his other side, tears in his eyes. Hal squeezed his other younger brother's hand, trying to give him some comfort as well. Ben gave him a smile, holding in his own urge to cry in relief, and squeezed back.
As Hal turned his head to look again over Matt, his eyes found her. Silent tears were making her way down her face, and Hal instantly grew worried. He had only seen Maggie cry once, but then she gave him the biggest smile he had ever seen grace her face and he knew she was okay.
Maggie, for her part, kept herself a few feet away from the bed. As much as every instinct told her to run into Hal's arms, she forced herself to stay still. His family, his brothers needed their moment with him more than she did. Just seeing his beautiful brown eyes full of life once again was enough for her. Even though his voice was little more than a croak, it was music to her ears. She could wait for another moment with him. Hopefully, a more private moment during which she could finally tell him the secret she and Lourdes had been keeping for more than two weeks.
FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS
An hour later, Hal finally fell back asleep. They all knew he had tried to stay awake as long as he could, but he was still so weak that he became tired very quickly. So, as Hal started to drift off, Anne ushered the family out of the room so Hal could get some real rest. It was then Anne told Tom about wanting to run some tests.
"What tests do you want to run? He seems fine." Tom asked Anne as they walked down the hallway in the hospital wing.
"He does appear to be fine, but his brain was without oxygen for a time and given what Karen did to him, I think we should check to be sure. Not to mention what could've happened when Cochise used the leftover piece of the power crystal to bring him back." Anne told the father. Tom put his hand on her shoulder as he stopped in his tracks, turning her around to face him.
"What do you mean?" Tom questioned, confused as to what the doctor was talking about.
"Like Kadar said when we realized Hal could connect with the skitters, it was because of the fluid that Karen had pumped into him. The fluid was similar to what the spikes had been pumping into Ben and Deni and the other harnessed kids. I did a few blood tests and found that the fluid is still in Hal's system. I think when Hal touched the original power source, he destroyed the connection the source and fluid had. But the drug didn't actually leave his system. When Cochise used the other piece of the stone to bring him back, there's a chance that it might have powered that fluid like it was before." Anne explained.
"Your saying it might have given Hal his abilities back." Tom concluded.
"Yes. We might have to wait until he's stronger before we know for sure, but there are some tests we can do to find out."
"But, he's not healing like he did before." Tom pointed out.
"No, but that part of the stone was a lot smaller and not as powerful. I just don't know yet." Anne replied.
"But, either way, Hal's going to be okay, right?" Tom couldn't help but ask for more confirmation. Anne gave him a reassuring smile.
"Yes, he's going to be just fine." After letting out a sigh of relief, Tom lowered his head and gave the doctor a kiss on the lips. She didn't hesitate to return it. Pulling away all too soon, Tom asked her another question.
"Have I told you lately how amazing you are?"
"Not lately." Anne replied with a smile.
"You are amazing. I love you Dr. Anne Glass." Tom told her.
"I love you too, President Tom Mason." Anne said back, and they sealed their declaration with a kiss.
FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS
After Anne kicked them all out of Hal's room so he could get some sleep, Matt went to go watch Lexi. Lourdes had been watching her, but her shift at the hospital would be starting soon so Matt was sent to go get the young girl. Tom left to meet with Weaver and Marina, and Anne went back to work. It was then Ben told Anne his decision about taking out his spikes.
While the doctor was a little confused at Ben's request, she agreed to remove the spikes from his back. She promised to do the surgery after she had finished running the tests she wanted to run on Hal.
Ben didn't have to wait very long. Though his older brother was still weak and tired, he woke up again only a few hours after they had left his room. Before his family could swarm the room again though, Anne had him sent to have the tests done, leaving Ben alone waiting for the tests to be done so Anne could remove his spikes.
"Hey Benji." Ben looked up from his hands on his lap and up at Deni who was making her way down the hall towards him.
"Heard Hal's awake. How's he doing?" Deni asked, sitting in the chair beside him.
"Anne says he's going to be okay. She's running a bunch of tests on him right now, but he's going to be alright." Ben answered with a smile.
"That's great Ben." Deni commented with a smile.
"Yeah. It is." The blonde replied, looking back down at his hands, the smile leaving his face.
"You alright?" Deni questioned, a little confused as to why Ben didn't seem happier.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm just, beyond relieved." Ben immediately responded, not wanting Deni to worry about him anymore than he knew she already was.
"So, what are you doing over here?" Deni inquired, seeing they were sitting by the operating room.
"Waiting for them to be done. When they are, Anne's going to take my spikes out."
"She is?" Deni was surprised to hear that. Ben had always seemed to enjoy what the spikes did for him, and the last time there was the option of having their spikes removed, he turned it down.
"Yeah. They're useless now anyways, and, after seeing what all this did to Hal, I just don't want any part of it." Ben explained, glaring at the floor. He knew that Hal was going to be okay, but he couldn't forget what his older brother went through and what he had to do in order to help destroy the aliens who were trying to destroy them.
"That's understandable." The other hybrid stated.
"What are you doing here?" Ben asked his best friend.
"Getting my new glasses. Like you said, spikes don't work anymore. My eyesight is back to what it used to be." She informed him of her reason for being in the infirmary.
"You'll look good with glasses." Ben told her.
"Oh, I don't look good now?" Deni teased, though from the look on Ben's face, he didn't realize it.
"No, that's not what I meant. I mean, you always looked good, and you'll look good with glasses too." Ben tried to explain. Then he noticed the smile on her face and realized that she was teasing him and was trying not to laugh.
"Shut up." Ben said. Deni managed to keep from laughing, but kept smiling at him. Ben looked down at his hands, then back at her.
"Hey. Thanks, for everything." Ben said, his voice quieter.
"Of course." Deni replied. After she said that though, Ben continued to look at her. She waited for him to say something else, but he didn't. Instead, he slowly tilted his head closer to hers. Deni suddenly realized that she was leaning forward too, and their lips met in a kiss. After a few moments, they pulled apart to catch their breath yet kept their heads close to each other.
"That was, long overdue." Ben whispered, and Deni let out a quiet chuckle.
"D*mn right it was." Deni told him, and before he had a chance to respond, she pressed her lips against his in another kiss.
FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS
After a long shift, Anne was finally finishing up her work for the day. While she waited for the results of the tests she had run on Hal, she used the Volm machine to remove Ben's spikes. The surgery went smoothly and Ben was barely affected. Just to be on the safe side though, Anne decided to keep Ben in the hospital overnight for observation.
She was just about to leave when Lourdes had come over with Hal's test result. As Anne was looking them over, she saw Tom walking down the hallway in her direction.
"Hey Tom." Anne greeted, looking up from the papers in her hand.
"Hey. Are those the test results?" Tom asked, coming over towards her.
"Yup. Everything's in the clear. He'll still need a lot of rest, but he's going to be just fine." Anne told him as he stood in front of her.
"That's a relief. What about the effects of the power source?" Tom questioned, glancing down at the results in her hand, though he barely understood what they said.
"Kadar is still running tests on that. But, we won't know for sure unless we bring in a skitter and have them try to connect to each other. If we do decide to do that though, I want to wait until he's stronger." Anne informed him.
"Good idea. And Ben?" Tom wondered about his other son who was now also in the hospital.
"Everything looks good there too. I'm keeping him in for observation, but he'll be just fine too." Anne assured him. She had thought that the news would make him relieved but he still looked worried, so she asked, "Is something wrong?"
"No, that's great news, it's just, Ben never said anything to me about wanting his spikes out. Usually, something like that, he'd come talk to me. But this time, he didn't." Tom revealed, remembering how he didn't know anything about Ben wanting his spikes out until a few hours before he told Anne. Tom, just like Anne and Deni, was surprised, but he supported his son's decision.
"Well, the spikes are dead now anyways. It's not like the choice is that difficult to make anymore." Anne reminded him. Tom nodded, yet still had a slightly confused look on his face.
"Yeah. You're free now right?" Tom questioned, changing the subject.
"Yeah. I'm done for the night." Anne replied.
"Good." Tom said as he grabbed her hand and gently pulled her along down the hallway.
"Tom, what's going on?" Anne wondered as he led her away from infirmary and towards their bedroom. Once they got to the room, Anne placed the papers she still had in her hand on the dresser, then turned to look back at Tom, who was standing by the foot of their bed.
"Anne, you are amazing. After Rebecca died, I never thought I could fall in love with someone again. I'm so glad that I was proven wrong." Tom told her, coming to stand right in front of her, grabbing her hand in both of his. Anne gave him a confused smile at his declaration. She felt the exact same way as he did, after all, she had a husband and a son before the war, but she didn't really understand why Tom was telling her this now. Not until he got down on one knee in front of her.
"Anne Glass, will you marry me?" Tom asked with a nervous smile. Anne returned it with a bright smile of her own and nodded.
"Yes." Tom instantly stood up, wrapped his arms around her and twirled her around in the air while she laughed with joy.
FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS
Maggie waited until she saw the nurses who had brought Hal back to his room to leave before she made her way towards it. She went inside and besides her boyfriend lying down in his hospital bed, she saw no one else in the room. Since it was late, and they had already been kicked of the room, the odds of someone else coming in, besides a nurse checking in on him, would be slim.
Hal looked better than he did earlier. His normal skin color was returning, the chest tube and the IV that went into his chest was gone, as well as two of the three IV's in his arms. Only one IV and the nasal cannula remained. Maggie was about to leave since it looked like he had already fallen asleep, when Hal opened his eyes. He immediately saw her and smiled.
"Hey. I was wondering when I'd get to see you." Hal said, his voice stronger than it was earlier.
"I wanted to let you have some time with your family, and once you started to fall asleep we were all kicked out of the room. How are you feeling?" Maggie told him as she went over to him and sat down on the edge of the bed. Hal lifted his hand and grabbed hers.
"A little sore, but I'm okay." Hal purposely left out how exhausted he still was. He wanted to talk to Maggie since he hadn't had the chance. While she as there with his family when he woke up the first time, they didn't really talk much and he knew that if he told her how tired he was, she would insist he rest and that they could talk when he was more awake.
"Yeah, you were pretty badly hurt." Maggie commented, looking down at their entwined hands. Hal watched her for a moment, noting the slight fearful look in her eyes.
"I'm going to okay you know." Hal assured her, squeezing her hand.
"I know, it's just, you really scared me. Hal, I get why you did what you did but, we need you here. Me, your Dad, your brothers." Maggie replied, looking back up at him. Her eyes were starting to get wet as the memory of Hal lying dead on the cold pavement almost three weeks ago came to mind.
"I didn't have a choice. It really was the only way." Hal tried to explain. He was about to explain further, but stopped when he saw Maggie nod.
"I know that." Maggie told him, but Hal could still see the look of pain in her eyes.
"I'm so sorry Maggie. I never meant to scare you, or hurt you. I told you I'd always come back." Hal apologized.
"I know, but it's not just about me, or your siblings and your Dad anymore Hal." Maggie informed him.
"What do you mean?" Hal asked worriedly as he pushed himself up in a sitting position, though his ribs throbbed painfully in protest.
"A few days after we got back from Washington, Lourdes found me throwing up in the bathroom and made me go through a whole whack of tests. Turns out, it wasn't the flu." Maggie started to tell him. She stopped in order to try and gather up her courage, but the pause only made Hal get even more worried.
"Maggie, what's wrong?" Hal pushed for an answer. If she wasn't sick with the flu, what was she sick with? Was it something worse? Had her cancer come back?
"Hal, I'm pregnant." The words came out of Maggie's mouth so fast that Hal wasn't sure that he heard her correctly.
"What?" Hal couldn't help but ask for her to repeat what she had just told him.
"I'm pregnant Hal. We're having a baby. You're going to be a Dad." Maggie repeated, her face expressing a look of nervousness and fear. Hal's memories of holding her hair back while she emptied her stomach, her near constant exhaustion despite all the sleep she had been getting ran through his head. Honestly, Hal was surprised he didn't even think about the possibility of her being pregnant before. Looking back on it now, it seemed so obvious.
Hal stared at his girlfriend in complete shock. While he had told her about what he wanted in the future when they went to destroy the tower over Boston almost a year ago, he thought the whole having kids part of it would happen later, not now. He never expected to have a family this early, but yet, he couldn't find himself being upset. It was everything he wanted, just happening sooner than he thought it would be.
"Hal? Please say something because you are making me very nervous right now. I know we never talked about anything like this, though we probably should have when we moved in together, but I never really thought about having a family because I never thought that's something I would want but ever since you disappeared for those five months all I could think about was how I do want that and I want it with you and now this has come up and I know this a total shock. I'm still shocked myself but I really hope you're okay with this because-" Maggie babbled until she was suddenly cut off by Hal pressing his lips against hers in a passionate kiss.
"I'm so much more than okay with this." Hal spoke gently when they pulled away so they could catch their breath.
"Yeah?" Maggie couldn't help but question.
"Yeah. We're having a baby." Hal said with a small laugh. The smile on his face was the happiest she'd ever seen and she smiled in return.
"Yeah, we are." Maggie confirmed.
AN – I threw in some Tom/Anne because I haven't really done much of them in this story, or in any of my stories I don't think. They're not a couple I've done before, or one I truly hardcore cared about in the show, not like Halgie, so sorry if it's a little sloppy. I know this chapter is a little rushed, but I hope you all enjoyed it nonetheless. Only one more chapter left.