Chapter 11: Awakening

It had been almost two weeks since Alex had been admitted to the hospital. Nothing about his condition seemed to be improving and his chances of ever waking up were falling each day. Already they were below 50%.

The only thing that had changed was that a few days ago Alex had suffered a heart attack, significantly lowering the odds that he would wake. It had been scary. Cammie had woken up to the sounds of what seemed like every machine in the hospital beeping and Alex convulsing. Ben was somehow there instantly, pulling her away from him as the nurses ushered them out into the hallway so they would have space to work. Somehow the doctors were still hopeful, though Cammie wasn't so sure that the teen would recover anymore.

She wasn't going to give up on him though. Ben was passed out in a chair by the window. Cammie was sitting in the one by the bed. She was thinking about what it would be like to lay down next to Alex again, like how they had the night before the mission. She was thinking about everything she wanted to tell him, about kissing his soft lips and him kissing back, needing her. They say that sometimes people in commas can hear and understand what's going on around them, so she started to talk to him.

Cammie whispered anything and everything to the unconscious teen. She told him how much everyone still needed him, how much she still needed him. She told him about K-unit, about the Gallagher Girls who had all left for school again. She talked to him until she fell asleep.

Alex woke slowly. As he became more aware, the pain came, crashing over him in huge waves. Alex felt his breathing hitch and he fought to get it back under control. His body felt sluggish and heavy and he could feel his hair matted down with sweat. There was something in his mouth. With great difficulty, Alex forced his eyes to open. The room he was in was dark. The only light was what leaked in from the hall through the crack under the door. Alex felt his eyes close again and he forced them open. He was so tired. Why was he so tired? And why did his whole body hurt? Alex couldn't remember where he was or who he was with. Was he in trouble?

Gradually, he noticed a light pressure on his pointer finger. It took a massive amount of effort to raise the hand, more than it should've. Briefly, Alex wondered if he'd been drugged. In the dim lighting, Alex saw a small white pulse monitor attached to his finger. Alex went to remove it but his other hand was caught on something. He turned his head to see a girl. She was sitting in a chair but she was sleeping with her head on his arm and her hand in his.

He watched her for awhile, resting his free hand on his chest since he didn't have the strength to hold it up any longer. She was pretty. His eyes closed without his consent but he didn't try to open them again. He was just so tired. Instead of fighting it, he let himself fade back into unconsciousness.

Cammie woke to the smell of coffee. She looked around to find she had fallen asleep with her head on Alex's arm. Ben smiled at her and handed her a cup of coffee, which she took gratefully.

"Thanks," she said, glancing at Alex. She frowned. He was still unconscious but there was something different. She couldn't quite place it though. "Ben, did something happen?" She asked, gesturing toward Alex. He shook his head, glancing at the boy and immediately stopped.

"What?" Cammie asked. "Does something seem off to you too?" Ben nodded distractedly, not taking his eyes off the boy. Cammie also turned her attention back to Alex, trying to figure out what wasn't right.

"There!" Ben exclaimed, pointing. "Look at his hand. It was by his side before. Now it's on his chest. And his head was straight. Now it's pointed toward you. He moved."

"But he. . ." Cammie trailed off. "What does that mean?" Ben shrugged.

"I have no idea but it has to be an improvement right?" He said, getting excited. Snake and Eagle walked in, also carrying coffee. Snake woke up Wolf and handed him a drink before noticing how excited Cammie and Ben seemed to be.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Alex moved!" Cammie exclaimed. Wolf did a spit take.

"Cub what?" He asked, scrambling to his feet and moving toward the bed, not bothering to brush off the coffee that was now all over his shirt.

"Yeah," Ben said. "Look. His hand moved from his side to his chest and his head is tilted toward Cammie."

"When did he move?" Snake asked. Both Cammie and Ben shrugged.

"It must have happened sometime last night," Cammie guessed.

"So you have no idea if he actually woke up?" Snake said. Ben's face fell slightly.

"Well, no, but it's gotta be an improvement right?" Ben asked hopefully. Everyone in the room was looking at Snake, holding their breaths.

"It's an improvement, but we need to talk to Cub's doctor to know exactly what that means for him."

"On it!" Eagle sang, shooting out of the room before anyone could protest, not that they would've. He was back a couple minutes later with the doctor and a nurse in tow. Both were wearing a neutral expression on their face but once entering the room, they didn't stop until they were standing at the monitor by Alex that monitored his brain waves. They messed with the monitor for a bit before stopping and looking at a still frame. The nurse and the doctor glanced at each other and nodded, seeming to confirm that they'd both seen what they thought they had.

"What?" Wolf asked, getting impatient. Snake shushed him, waiting for the doctor to speak.

"There was a point last night where Alex's brainwaves spiked for about 10 minutes, meaning he was awake, or at least partially aware for a short period of time."

"What does that mean for him?" Ben inquired.

"It's a good sign. It means he's much more likely to pull through. He should start waking with more frequency and for longer periods of time." Wolf's face spread into the widest grin he'd ever had. He was so filled with relief. All he could think was that Cub was going to be okay!

A/N: Okay, so I didn't get this up in a couple months like I said I would but it's here now. That counts for something right? And it didn't end up being as long as I thought either. I originally had more to this chapter but it kinda started to drone on and I was having trouble finding a good place to just end the story. The climax already happened. This was just the falling action. Anyway, I reread what I had and decided that this makes a better ending. Sorry to those of you who were hoping for another chapter. This story is officially done. Thanks for sticking with it everyone. I really appreciate it. I'm glad you all liked it. Please review and let me know what I could do better! I always enjoy constructive criticism.