Liara was sitting on a shuttle as it made its approach to the clinic. She was staring at the screen watching the devastation pass. She didn't want to think about how bad Thessia had held up. Earth may have taken the brunt of the fight, but the asari were not nearly as prepared as the humans. Not that anyone was prepared. Vega called up from the cockpit "There it is" and Liara's nerves started to jingle. The building they approached looked inconspicuous; just a garage made of concrete. When they entered the lower level, a steel door opened below the transport revealing a whole different area. The bright, white area held a glass door that slide open. Once they entered, it seemed just like any other hospital: a waiting room, welcome desk, and the smell of antiseptic.
Admiral Hackett was waiting at the welcome desk, "Welcome to Delta Bunker. Let me take you back to the Commander, Doctor." Hackett lead her past a room that Vega was being led to with vending machines and couches as Hackett showed her through the double doors on the other side of the room. They walked down the long white corridor passing doors, and people scurried by in scrubs. They too2k an elevator that required the Admiral's thumbprint. "I just wanted to warn you that the Commander has gone through hell, and it shows."
Liara was wringing her hands, "Admiral, I found Shepard on the Shadow Broker's base. He was just a mass of muscle and tubes then, and I still managed to keep it together."
"Good. You're going to need that." The doors opened and he took her down the hallway. The hallway was well guarded with soldiers posted at every doorway. At the end stood two guards, one she recognized right away. "Major Coats, its good to see you. I'm please to see you survived the attack."
"Likewise, ma'am." He opened the door, and they walked in. They stood in a waiting room with a comfortable looking couch, a nice coffee table, and a big vid console. Coats took them through a door on the right and down the stairs. The stairway opened up on the left as soon as they reached the bottom. Walking past the doorway in front of them, they followed along the left to what looked like an observation window. It was dark where they stood, but the room beyond was lit up with white light. Liara was transfixed by what she was seeing.
In the middle of all the surgeons on a metal slab was Shepard. What little she could see they were trying to treat the burns on his left side. He was on a ventilator and his eye was taped shut. She put a hand on the glass as she was swarmed with relief and despair. She watched as one of the surgeons looked up and exited the room. Liara couldn't look away as the surgeon approached, but she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder. "Liara, I'm glad you could make it."
She turned around to see Miranda's worried blue eyes looking back at her. She gave the woman an uneasy hug, "Miranda, I'm glad you're here for him. How is it looking?"
They pulled away and they both looked inside the operating room. "It's not as bad as the last time, but we also had better resources then. When they brought him in he had some massive internal injuries. If it weren't for his modified trauma module he would be dead, but even still we had to fight to repair some of the vital organs. On top of that he was burned at about fifty-one percent of his body, which is getting into the fatal stage with the type of tech we have available. We're currently doing some skin graphs, but Liara, the damage to his left leg was too extensive. He had fourth degree burns reaching down to the bone. I'm sorry but we had to remove his leg."
Liara just kept looking at Shepard, "Is he alive?"
"For right now, yes. Unfortunately, I can't guarantee he will survive. Look, Liara, I did the best I could. He saved my life on the Collector base and so many times before that. I wish I could do more but . . ."
"You've done everything you could. That's all he's ever asked any of us. He'll make it through." She watched the surgeons work some more, ignoring the people behind her.
"How do you know?"
"Because, he promised me."
For two weeks Liara wouldn't leave Shepard. Everyone told her they would watch him, but she just couldn't stay away for long. When she would try to sleep her dreams were filled with nightmares. The loss of John on the SR-1 still haunted her, and after this scare her dreams were uneasy to say the least. The steady beep of the heart monitor helped erase the dreams. That was why Liara would be found sleeping at his bedside. After a long day of talking to doctors and the Council, Liara found herself nodding off. She felt something tickling her cheek. She brushed it away drowsily and tried to go back asleep but she felt it again. She opened her eyes to see him smiling at her as he gently touched her face. She could only stare at him unbelieving. His voice was harsh and gravely as he whispered, "Is this real?"
"Shepard? You're awake." She leaned over him and pressed her lips to his. When she pulled away she reached up to caress his face, and he smiled again. "You came back."
"I promised I would." He lifted his hand to hold her face. Tears started to well up in his eyes, as he looked her. "Please God, tell me this is real. I don't want this to be a dream."
She looked confused as she looked at him. "Of course this is real. Everything is okay now. No more fighting. The reapers are dead because of you, John. Everything is finally okay."
Shepard could only feel the hazy glow of morphine, and the warmth of Liara. Everything else didn't matter any more. He wasn't sure exactly where he was or if this was real, but Liara was here smiling down at him. He could only see out of his right eye but that was all he needed. He held onto her hand, his only indication that she was real. "What happened? The last thing I know for sure was you taking off on the Normandy."
She sighed as she touched the right side of his face. "I'm still not too happy about that, but it might have saved my life. Chakwas said I had some internal bleeding. Nothing compared to what happened to you. The doctors think you were close to Harbinger's beam, but not directly hit. Whatever the beam did hit exploded causing some damage. Your trauma module kept you alive till you activated the Crucible. Then the shockwave shorted out the module. From what the experts say, your shields saved your life."
Shepard smiled, "Legion gave me that module after a hairy mission. Said 'Your current module is insufficient' and walked away. I guess he saved my life again."
"Then the universe owes Legion." Liara swallowed. She was nervous, he could tell. He tried to lift his left arm but he couldn't. She finally looked in his eyes to see tears welling up. "John, you took a lot of damage that even the module couldn't help. Your chest plate was fused to your torso in some places that's why your chest might hurt. They didn't want to waste any skin graphs for nonlethal burns. Your face had some second-degree burns, but your arm and leg suffered the worst. They were able to save your arm, but . . . John," a tear rolled down her face. He let go of her hand to wipe it away from her cheek. She finally looked up. The heartbroken look on her face almost undid him. "John, they took your leg. I'm so sorry."
Those words were a blow. He knew that his life had been changed, but he couldn't seem to process this clearly. "And my eye?"
"They're saying that for now you'll need to wear an eye patch, but in time the implant will heal itself. Thank the Goddess they brought in Miranda to help."
He looked at Liara surprised, "Miranda's alive?"
"Yes, and in charge of the team that saved your life. Speaking of which I better—"
When she turned to walk away he grabbed her wrist hard. She winced but he wouldn't let go, "Don't leave me." He couldn't help himself, but he felt that if she left him she would never return. It was irrational, but he knew she was his only link to reality or sanity; he wasn't sure which at this point.
Sensing his panic, she sat back down. "It's okay John. I'm just going to press this button. I swear I'm not going anywhere." He finally let go and she walked over to the far wall to press a button. He could see that she was worried but she didn't leave. She sat next him and just held his hand. A door opened on his left. He couldn't see but he could hear them walking forward. "Good to see you made it through Shepard."
"Well you do good work Miranda."
She walked over to his right so he could see her. She smiled as she looked down at him. "I take it Liara has told you everything?"
Liara ran her thumb over his hand, "I've told him."
The room was quiet. Miranda scratched her chest as she looked down at the ground, "Look Shepard. I did everything that I could, but there was just no possible way we could keep the leg. If I had the resources that I had on Project Lazarus we could have saved it but . . ."
"It's alright Miranda. You saved my life; again. Looks like I owe you again."
Miranda smiled down at him, "We're even, I think. After you saved everyone; I believe the entire galaxy owes you." She scanned him with her omnitool. "Looks like the skin graphs are healing well. You should be ready to leave in a week or two. We'll want to start you on physical therapy soon. I'll let everyone know your awake now. The galaxy has been waiting for you."
That was an understatement.
