Okay so heads up I can't find any descriptions or pictures of the physical portion-not the hologram and generated portions-of an omni-tool. So I always imagined it as three small prongs down your forearm that go up your arm to be a ring around your wrist that snaps shut, and then the holograms are generated from there. That's mildly important to a description here so keep it in mind. Also I thought it was really weird that Huerta Memorial had like, one tiny floor, so I interpreted it to be a very small portiong of one wing of the hospital. And review. Not a single review yet-it makes me wary of continuing with this.

Liara walked into Huerta Memorial Hospital as had become her tradition. She flashed her visitor ID to the staff as she walked into the burn unit. She entered a room and sat in the chair near the entrance, silently examining Shepard's chart for changes. She put it back down and watched Shepard's chest rise and fall with labored breathing. His body was covered by a sheet from the waist down, a rebreather over his mouth.

It had taken a month and a few million dollars worth of replacement organs, skin grafts, and bone reinforcement. Luckily the money EDI stole from Cerberus before Shepard defected wasn't yet completely exhausted. Shepard's bank accounts still had a few hundred million in it, down from the few billion successfully stolen.

The Council had been of no help. Unable to provide support due to their own conflicts they offered an insignificant token of cooperation-reinstating Shepard as a Spectre.

Ashley slowly recovered as well. It took three weeks for her to wake up from her comatose state and she hadn't yet been cleared for duty, though she was recovering her motor functions. The massive head trauma left large purple bruises that hadn't yet faded. She was in a different wing of the hospital. Her proximity to Shepard had caught the Council's attention and, impressed by her capabilities, they offered her a spot as a Spectre. She hadn't responded yet, but the idea clearly excited her. Occasionally she would visit Shepard as well.

In the meantime Cynthia, as the next in line, commandeered the Normandy. She, James, and EDI utilizing Eva Core's mechanical body led the ground missions to provide support to evacuations of Alliance colonies-although the occasional opportunity for aiding other species and earning their support did come along once or twice. Liara had stayed on the Citadel to look after the two injured combatants as well as serve as the Normandy's representative in trying to sway various forces to the cause.

Liara felt Shepard's hand, recoiling at the feeling of cold metal. The armor fused into his skin had largely been removed, but he still had a few surgeries left. Currently both his omni-tools, still functional, were embedded in his arms. The devices' three small prongs that lightly clamped onto the forearm had partially dissolved, leaving his forearms tinted with a discolored silver hue.

"Hey John." She began to speak, focused on his face. For all their efforts and skin grafts, they couldn't fix the crimson scarring around his face, nor properly examine the red mechanical orbs that had replaced his eyes, save for the observation that it was indeed a red facsimile of the Illusive Man's eyes.

"Ashley's doing well. You may have noticed her visiting you. The doctors say you're doing well too. You look better." The only response was the steady beep of the heart monitor. "EDI has a body now. You kind of missed that. Joker was ecstatic. He's scared for you too you know. I think that's why he's always making those stupid jokes and never lets anything get to him. He feels responsible for your death. He wanted to be a constant in your life. He wants to be there for you. It's been a month but every day people send cards, emails, sometimes they visit... Thane is here too. For his Kepral's Syndrome mostly but still. News even reached the Migrant Fleet, Tali sent me a few emails, Garrus too. They fell out of contact pretty quick but they still care about you. We all do. So get better okay? You have to..."

Tears beaded up in her eyes and she whispered a second time, "You have to..."

His eyes were red now instead of the previous green, his face covered in glowing scars, small pieces of metal in his chest and his arms vaguely silver, but he was still the same man who rescued her from Therum all those years ago. He was still the man that, reciprocation or no, she loved. "Goodbye John. I'll be back tomorrow."

Ashley took a deep breath lifted herself from her hospital bed to the wheelchair besides it. Her motor functions were mostly intact. She would be able to return to service in only a week, maybe two. Half a century ago that type of injury might've left her bedridden for months. She opened the door to her room and wheeled out, manuvering her way past doctors and shuffling patients to the elevator. She slid in and pressed a button, waiting patiently as the elevator descended.

She had suffered a mild brain injury. Not exactly surprising given an AI had smashed her head against the side of a shuttle several times, but still. The bruising was still evident, so to try and distract from it she got rid of her hair bun and decided to let her hair down. Not exactly going to distract from gigantic purple blotches on her face, but it helped her cope a bit.

The elevator doors opened and she got out, wheeling over past a few doors to Shepard's room. She opened the door and got inside. He looked like shit. Granted he hadn't looked like himself since he died the first time but still it was disconcerting to see him so badly injured, especially so early on in the war. No one fucking listened. Liara tried her best, presenting evidence of the Crucible, but still no one would hear it. Cynthia had also given it a shot and done pretty much what Shepard would've, but without the reputation to back it up even that had fallen flat.

They needed him. The galaxy needed him. He was a symbol, a damn icon, and if he didn't recover soon humanity might follow him to the grave. She felt an intense guilt about how their last conversation had ended. As much as she wanted to, she coudln't trust him. He couldn't trust himself. He could've been indoctrinated, controlled by Cerberus, or both. There had to be a way to be certain though, because she wanted nothing more than to find that her mentor, the man who had made her who she was, was alive and well.

And he really had been her mentor, otherwise the Council wouldn't have offered her a chance to be a Spectre. She couldn't pinpoint her feelings on how it felt. She knew with certainty that she was riding on his coattails, but still it wasn't an opportunity she was keen to deny.

She looked over his unconscious body and smirked, despite herself. She was in a hospital gown and Shepard was naked except for the sheet pulled to cover his lower half. Cerberus had trounced them both before they even left the system. But he had fought them. He didn't submit to them, didn't hesitate, didn't question himself. If Shepard was being indoctrinated then he would show signs. He wouldn't let his mind quietly be taken from him, he would fight. He would always fight.

Funny enough, she noticed his geth-made armor compactly stored in the corner of the room. Smart move. As Liara had said, people would be looking for him. If he managed to wake up in time he might be too weak to defend himself.

She practically never spoke to him, finding it a bit silly to talk to someone who might not even be listening. Shepard would've pointed out the irony in that considering her religious views. She put her hands together and bowed her head, silently praying for the life of her sisters, the galaxy, and the man before her. She gripped his open hand for a second and murmured one thing before leaving, "Please. Wake up."

Review! There are literally no reviews and it's bumming me out.