Suddenly, Linda was no longer sleepy. She sat bolt upright and looked at Garrus, who was once again grinning at her. Her mouth worked madly as several things struggled to come out; she finally managed to croak, "You….heard….me? I thought you were asleep!"
"Dr. Chakwas had given me a pain reliever. I must have been in shock from my wounds because it really knocked me on my ass – or would have if I hadn't already been lying down. I was fighting the effects because I wanted to be awake when you came back. At that point, I was conscious but so lethargic, I couldn't respond. By the time I could, you were already gone." An amazing array of emotions crossed Shepard's face, prompting Garrus to ask, "Shepard, are you alright?"
Hearing the concern in his voice, Linda reached out and took his hand in hers. "Yes. I just don't know if I am going to laugh, cry, or throw up."
Startled, Garrus replied, "If you're going to throw up, please do it somewhere else. I do love you, but I draw the line at getting barfed on."
Shepard laughed and wiped away the tears that she had not even realized were running down her cheeks. "OK – I guess I'm just going to laugh and cry!"
"Why did you tell me that you loved me when you thought I couldn't hear you?"
"This is new territory for me," Shepard said without meeting Garrus' eyes. "I knew that we had feelings for each other, but it kind of took me by surprise when I realized that I am totally, completely, head-over-heels in love with you." Looking up at him, she continued, "I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid. Telling you for the first time while you were asleep seemed to be the safest thing to do. That way, I could say the words, but not be hurt by your reaction if you didn't feel the same way." Looking down again, she added softly, "It felt so good to tell you, I wished that you could hear me."
Garrus removed his hand from hers and reached up to wipe away the new tears slowly tracking down her face. "Apparently, sometimes wishes do come true. But, why were you afraid?" he asked gently. "I've never known you to be afraid of anything."
Shepard gave him a small smile. "Give me a gun and something to shoot and I'm fine. The emotional stuff doesn't come as easily to me." Ducking her head, she continued "You're the only man – other than my father – that I've said those words to. It's a big deal for me."
"It's a big deal for me too. I've been in love with you for a long time Shepard. I never dared to hope that you would ever love me back." Garrus reached up carefully and pulled Shepard back down on the bed, once again settling her against his side. They lay there, watching the stars through the window over the bed.
"Sometimes I forget just how beautiful the universe really is," Shepard said with a sigh.
"Beautiful," Garrus agreed – but he was looking at Shepard, not the stars. He grunted as he shifted positions slightly.
Concerned, Shepard asked "Are you in pain? Should I get the hypo-spray?"
"Relax, Shepard. I'm uncomfortable, but I'm alright. If I have problems sleeping, I'll let you know and you can get the hypo-spray then. In the meantime, I have everything I need right here." He hugged her tenderly.
Shepard looked him in the eyes and said with a smile, "I love you, Garrus. Sleep tight, handsome." She was still smiling when she fell asleep.
####
"OK, tough guy," Shepard said as she approached the bed with the hypo-spray that Dr. Chakwas left the previous evening. "I'm going to give you a dose of pain medication before I leave. No arguing allowed," she added as Garrus opened his mouth to do just that. "For me, a wound is always the most painful the second day. You are going to be sleeping anyway, so where's the harm?"
"I don't like being under the influence of medication," Garrus griped. "I don't like feeling like I'm not in control of myself."
"I understand – I feel the same way. However, you are perfectly safe here in my quarters; the door will be locked and EDI will keep an eye on you. I'm also being purely selfish. I'm hoping that if you sleep well today, when Dr. Chakwas checks on you tonight maybe she will go ahead and dismiss you early. I would like to spend most of my shore leave with you."
Garrus searched her face for a moment, and then nodded. "Go ahead, Shepard. But you owe me one – just remember that."
Shepard pressed the hypo-spray against his neck, then leaned over and kissed the injection site; she pressed her forehead against his. "Sleep well. I'll be back before you know it. I hate to leave you, but I asked Samara and Thane to spend some time with me on Ilium today. I really think those two will hit it off; they have a lot in common."
As she stood up to leave, Garrus grabbed her hand and pulled her back down beside him. "Aren't you forgetting something? Aren't you supposed to tell me that you love me?"
"You're absolutely right. I love you, Garrus" she told him, stroking his scarred mandible.
"That's better. I love you too. Have fun today." With that, he turned onto his left side, pulled the covers up over his shoulders, closed his eyes, gave a deep sigh, and went to sleep. Shepard watched him for a moment, then smiled and made her way out of the cabin.
####
As Linda had suspected they would, Thane and Samara connected immediately. They discussed their children and the decisions that they had made in child-rearing, and in Samara's case, child-killing. Thane was amazed at the sense of peace that flowed from Samara; he was fascinated by the Code of the Justicar and listened intently as Samara explained it to him. Shepard also thought she saw more than a slight appreciation for Samara's extremely feminine form in Thane's eyes. She smiled to herself – Samara had proven that Miranda was not the only female that considered skin-tight leather and knee-high, high-heeled boots appropriate battle gear.
The two of them introduced Shepard to areas of Ilium that she had never seen before. She was amazed at the variety of shops, restaurants, casinos, brothels, and other businesses present. There was something available for every known species and all tastes – no matter how perverse.
When Thane and Samara decided to grab some lunch, Shepard bid them farewell. She spent some time wandering around on her own, familiarizing herself with the area and making note of places that might appeal to Garrus. Occasionally she ran into other members of the crew and spent time making small talk with them. She even saw Jacob and Miranda enjoying a romantic meal at an outdoor café; they both looked very happy. She gave them a wave, but didn't stop to talk.
####
Shepard entered her cabin quietly, her arms laden with containers. She made her way to the sitting area and put everything down carefully so that she wouldn't disturb Garrus. When she turned to look at him, she froze. Garrus was still curled up on his side asleep, but he had Hershey clutched tightly to his chest, with his face buried in the bear's fur. Shepard's heart clenched at the sweetness of the scene; she stood there, trying to engrave it into her memory – she didn't ever want to forget it.
Garrus opened one eye.
"Hey, you," Shepard said softly.
He held one hand out to her, keeping a firm grip on the bear with the other. "What are you looking at?" he asked sleepily.
Shepard took his hand and slid onto the bed. "You and Hershey," she replied. "I have never seen anything so totally cute in my entire life."
"He smells like you," Garrus explained.
"You truly are the sweetest man I have ever met," she replied, leaning over to press her forehead to his. "How are you feeling?"
Garrus rolled onto his back and stretched carefully; his mandibles flared in surprise. "Better. That didn't hurt; I guess the pain medication was a good idea," he admitted grudgingly.
"I thought you might be hungry, so I brought you some supper. Do you feel like moving to the sitting area to eat?"
"Sure." He cocked his head at her as he sniffed the air. "Something smells wonderful."
"I found a kiosk specializing in turian food. The proprietor – the first female turian I have ever seen, by the way - helped me decide what to get for you. She seemed both surprised and pleased that a human would care enough about a turian to want to surprise him with a meal. I described your tattoo to her and she recommended some dishes from that region. I hope you like them."
Garrus began opening containers curiously. "Shepard – these are wonderful. I haven't had some of these dishes in years. Thank you."
"You're most welcome. You know, you really need to give me a few lessons in turian food so I don't have to keep guessing at what you might like." She arched an eyebrow at him.
"I could say the same for you," he replied as Shepard began opening her containers. "What is that? It looks disgusting!"
Shepard pointed to various items as she named them. "This is pizza, this is a slaw dog, and these are chili cheese fries with jalapenos. I haven't had any of these things in years either. None of it is very nutritious, but all of it is wonderful." She sighed happily and bit into her meal with gusto.
They had finished their meals and Shepard was filling Garrus in on her day when Dr. Chakwas came to check on his wounds.
"Doctor, would you like for me to wait in the hall to give you some privacy for the exam?" Shepard asked.
"It's alright with me if you stay as long as it's okay with Garrus." She cocked her head at him questioningly.
"You can stay, Shepard – just try not to swoon over the sight of my naked torso."
"I'll try, but I'm not making any promises. Doctor, do you have any smelling salts just in case?"
The doctor just smiled and shook her head at them as she proceeded to remove the bandage.
Shepard didn't think that she was in any danger of swooning, but the sight of Garrus' naked torso did in fact take her breath away. The others were focused on the exam, so she allowed her eyes to roam freely, taking in as many details as she could. She was amazed that Garrus could be both so human and so completely alien at the same time.
Linda had always admired men's arms and loved to watch the way their muscles moved and flexed under the skin. Garrus' arms were very similar to those of a human male; his skin made his musculature just that much more obvious; a definite plus in Shepard's book. She already knew that his bony collar left ample room for her to get her arms around his neck – a requirement for the type of kissing that she intended to introduce him to. She liked the definition that his plates gave his torso – sort of a turian "six pack", she thought with a grin. The bony ridge down his chest might be a little awkward during love-making, but I'm sure we can come up with some creative ways to work around it. Shepard suddenly realized that both the doctor and Garrus were watching her as she studied him; she felt her face redden.
"See anything you like, Shepard?" Garrus asked; she could see the twinkle in his eye.
"Oh, yeah," she replied, arching her eyebrow at him. "You definitely need to hurry up and get well. What's the prognosis Doctor?"
Dr. Chakwas shook her head and said "Garrus, I'm astonished at how quickly you heal. New skin is already forming over your wounds; it's absolutely amazing. I'm going to clean your wounds, treat them with an antibiotic ointment and put on a new dressing. Based on your progress, I think you will definitely be cleared to return to duty in another 24 hours."
As she worked on his wounds, Garrus asked "Doctor, would you allow me to accompany Shepard to Ilium for a few hours tomorrow? I promise to take it easy."
The doctor considered for a moment and then nodded. "Based on the amount of healing that has already occurred, I think it will be okay for you to go ashore for a little while – but absolutely no strenuous activity. Your new skin is delicate; I don't want you to damage it. Come and see me when you get back to the ship. If everything still looks good, I will release you." Turning to Linda she added, "Shepard – I'm holding you accountable while you are together. If anything happens to worsen his wounds, the repercussions will fall on you."
"Don't worry Doctor; I'll take good care of him. I have a vested interest in making sure that he is released from your care as soon as possible."
"I know – that's why I'm holding you responsible," the doctor said with a grin. As she left the cabin, she called over her shoulder "I'll see you tomorrow Garrus. Good night, you two."
Once the cabin door closed behind the doctor, Shepard patted the seat next to her. "Ok you, come here. We need to have a chat."
Garrus sat, looking concerned. "This sounds serious. Am I in trouble?"
"Of course not," Shepard replied, moving closer so that she could drape her legs over his. "I just think it's time that we discuss the 'elephant in the room' – meaning our plans to consummate our relationship," she explained when Garrus looked confused. "I know that you recommended that we wait until just before going to battle with the Collectors so that we wouldn't disturb the crew. However, according to what Dr. Chakwas told us, apparently we are already disturbing the crew." Looking Garrus in the eyes, she continued seriously, "You gave me a scare yesterday. This is a dangerous mission; something could happen to either of us at anytime. I don't want to waste a single minute of the time we have together and I don't want to risk losing the chance to become your lover."
"You don't have to convince me Shepard. Believe me, I have been having serious doubts about my recommendation that we wait. After all, a man can only take so many cold showers. When do you want to - uh - 'book the room' I believe is the way you put it?" he asked.
"How about tomorrow?" she asked with a grin. "Provided of course, that Dr. Chakwas releases you from her care."
"Tomorrow it is," Garrus replied with a growl.