Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. None of it. Zip. Nada. Zero.

A/N: This chapter is set a few months from now. Chuck and Sarah are finally together!

My Best Friend
By CountryPixie

Chapter Three

Sarah sat in the waiting room, immobile as a statue. She wanted to pace, to run, to scream, to do anything, but she held her body as still as death. Ellie and Devon sat across from her, heads together and whispering. Sarah was sure she was scaring Ellie, but her worry for Chuck was too consuming to focus on anything besides him.

"Sarah, Chuck's going to be fine," Devon assured her. "Appendectomies are very simple, and Dr. Ziegler is more than capable."

She knew she should say something, but she was afraid that doing so would break the control she was working so hard to maintain. She gave a tiny nod of her head in response.

Ellie leaned in close to Devon and whispered something. The fair-haired doctor nodded, squeezing his wife's hand before getting up and leaving the room.

"Sarah?" Ellie asked.

Sarah looked her in the eyes, but she made no other attempt to answer her.

"Sarah, listen to me. Chuck is going to be fine. I'm not talking to you as a doctor, or even as your boyfriend's sister. I'm talking to you as a friend, and as someone who has been in your position many, many times. I know what it's like to sit there and not be able to do anything."

Sarah frowned, having a newfound appreciation for Ellie. She'd always been in the action, but Ellie, even before learning about her family's secret lives, had always been waiting. Always known what it felt like to be this…powerless.

"It's not as bad as it seems," Ellie continued. "There are always things you can do to help, even if no one will ever know. You're already doing the most important thing."

She still hadn't moved, but Sarah was hanging on Ellie's every word. She knew Ellie was trying to draw her out of her frozen state; she couldn't decide if she was thankful or not, but she was certainly curious.

"What's that?" Sarah asked, speaking for the first time since she'd sat down half an hour ago.

Ellie smiled. "Giving him something to come back to."

Sarah sat there, stunned. Ellie had always been the one Chuck fought to come back to. She was the one that made Chuck do whatever was necessary to stay out of protective custody when Fulcrum was after him, and she was the one that he protected from the Ring. Ellie was the one Chuck came back to. Ellie, his father, his mother, and even Morgan to an extent. His family. Despite how close they had grown, she'd never thought of herself as someone Chuck felt he needed to protect. He was the one she fought for.

"Sarah?" Ellie asked.

"Thank you, Ellie. Are you going to be all right if I go for a walk?"

"I'll be fine. Devon should be back soon."

Sarah stood up, but she hesitated leaving. The baby was due any day, and Sarah wasn't sure about leaving Ellie alone.

"Sarah, I'm fine. I'm sitting in a hospital," she said with a chuckle.

Nodding, Sarah headed for the door. She ran into Devon in the hall; he was carrying enough snacks to feed ten people. Helping him pick up a package of chips and an orange that he had dropped, they shared a smile and then went their separate ways.

Once outside, Sarah found a bench with a good view of the area and sat down. She appreciated everything Ellie and Devon were doing to allay her fears, but she couldn't forget Chuck's agony when he couldn't take anymore pain and had fallen on the floor of their apartment. They'd been enjoying an evening in with Morgan and Alex. The newer couple were snuggling on the floor, their backs against the couch, while Sarah was sitting next to Chuck on the couch, his arm around her. Chuck had gotten up to get more popcorn, and Sarah had gotten up to get more alone time with Chuck. He'd been acting a little strange, but she figured he would tell her if anything was really wrong. She'd been mistaken. He'd been hiding his pain all day, but it all had became too much, and he'd collapsed.

Sarah shook her head as she remembered Chuck gasping that he was fine. 'We're only on the second Star Wars,' he had said. 'Well, technically the fifth, but we're only watching the good ones tonight.' He'd been joking even as he was biting his lip to keep from yelling. Chuck repeatedly stood up to some of the worst people in the world, not to mention Casey, but a tiny vestigial organ brought him to his knees. Morgan had run to get Devon, leaving her to just stand there and watch.

From the way he was nursing his abdomen, Sarah had suspected appendicitis, but she hadn't been sure. She'd never been one to jump to conclusions, but she hadn't been able to stop the thought that something could have been fatally wrong. Devon had gotten there and confirmed her initial conclusion, but the thought of a life without Chuck wouldn't leave her mind.

Restless now that she had moved, Sarah got up and started down the walking path in front of her. She couldn't help but think of how completely different her life would be if there had never been an Intersect. It was possible she and Bryce might still be together, but maybe not. She thought she had loved Bryce, but now she wasn't so sure. She had never imagined a future with him, and she certainly would never have left the spy world for him. She would do anything for Chuck.

Without the Intersect, Chuck's father might still be alive. He and Ellie and their father could be a family, with Devon and any other future Woodcombs included. Chuck would have a girlfriend, and maybe even a wife. Whether that would have been Jill or another woman, Chuck was way too good and too sweet to be alone.

Sarah was surprised by the wave of jealousy that hit her at the thought of some other woman being as close to Chuck as she was. She knew Chuck was too good for her, but at least she was better for him than anyone else.

Devon stepped outside. Sarah saw him looking around, most likely for her, so she started back. Sarah smiled inwardly as she thought of how normal her life was becoming. Her boyfriend was getting an appendectomy, his sister was pregnant, his brother-in-law was looking for her, and she was accepted by Chuck's friends for who and what she was.

Finally catching sight of her, Devon raised his head in acknowledgement as she walked toward him.

"Chuck's in recovery," he said with a smile. "The surgery was successful, and he's going to be fine."

Sarah let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Can I see him?" she asked.

"He's still in the recovery room, but he'll be out in under an hour. Can I get you anything?"

Sarah smiled. "No, thank you. I'm fine. How's Ellie?"

"She's great. She threw an apple at me and told me to stay out here until I learn that she's pregnant, not glass. Would you mind waiting with her?"

"Of course," Sarah nodded, heading inside.

"You're sure you're okay?" Sarah asked, standing in the doorway to their bedroom. Chuck was propped up in the bed, looking surprisingly well for someone still recovering from surgery.

"For the millionth time, yes!" he assured, laughing while he said it. "Go. Get some dinner. You still need to eat, too."

Sarah took a few steps toward the kitchen, then turned back around.

"I love you, Chuck."

Chuck looked a little confused, but he never hesitated in his answer. "I love you, too."

"It's just…" Sarah started, stopping as she came closer to Chuck. She knelt next to him, grabbing his hand. "I had a lot of time to think, and I realized that I don't want to know what my life would become without you in it. You are my best friend and the love of my life."

Sarah was sure she had never been so sappy in her life, but the look on Chuck's face was worth anything in the world. Chuck probably didn't find her words as sappy as she did.

Chuck rested a hand on her cheek, and she brought one of her own up to hold it there. She turned her face to press a kiss against Chuck's palm, then leaned up and pressed her lips to his. She had intended to just give him a brief peck, but Chuck brought up his other hand to hold her held there. The kiss was soft and slow, no urgency behind it, but it was intense. A lot of their kisses were hard and frantic, driven by passion; this kiss was fueled by emotions.

Finally breaking apart, Chuck leaned his forehead against Sarah's. "We're going to have to pick this up again once I'm recovered," he said, eyes twinkling.

"Oh, really?" Sarah asked with faked innocence. "I think I've said everything I need to say. What else is there?"

Chuck opened his mouth to answer, but he never got any words out as his mouth stretched into a yawn.

Taking pity on her boyfriend, Sarah patted his hand. "You rest. I'm going to get something for dinner."

Chuck nodded, and Sarah stood up and left. As she walked toward the kitchen, Sarah thought about how lucky she was. She had been ecstatic to find a friend in Chuck, and now she knew that he was so much more. He wasn't just her best friend. He was her everything.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read, and hugs and kisses to everyone who's reviewed. You guys are as awesome as Devon!