Inspired by the .5 second clip in the CF/CPD crossover promo.
She doesn't wake up the first day. Or the second or the third. It's not uncommon but it's still got you unsettled enough that you find yourself at her bedside every minute you're not on shift.
The near-silence of the room is all too familiar at first, a sound you'd never wanted to hear again and yet somehow, this time, it brings you peace. The low electrical hum of machines reminding you a life is being saved instead of lost.
You pull up a chair and sit down next to her, taking her hand between yours. It's a physical comfort, moreso for you than for Shay, and you're not even sure if she can even hear you when you talk but it's the best you can do. When you look up at her, her eyes closed and breath steady, you marvel at how peaceful she looks. But it's all just a facade, a mask made of painkillers and sedatives. And you wish she was sleeping, that you'd stumbled onto her simply taking a nap somewhere safe and warm and anywhere but here; but here you are.
Sometimes the nurses will pass by and see you reading or on your phone, and you're sure they've probably seen you sleeping too, and you wonder what they must think. Because without fail, no matter how else you're occupying your time, your hand is always wrapped around Shay's.
You kiss her knuckles when you leave, sometimes her forehead too, because you're still not sure if she can hear you when you promise you'll be back soon. But for all the time you've spent with her, it's just your luck that she wakes up while you're on shift.
You make it back a couple hours later to find Shay sitting up and alert and you can't help the tears suddenly falling from your eyes. She opens her arms to you and you collapse into them, burying your face in her shoulder. You worry you might be hurting her but her lips are on your cheek and her hands are rubbing circles on your back so you stay where you are and let her hold you just a little bit longer.
When you finally pull away you bring your hands to your face, wiping at the tears still on your cheeks. She reaches for you then, taking your hand and holding it firmly.
"The nurses told me what you did," she says. "That you hardly ever left."
You can't look at her, can't even begin to imagine how to explain yourself.
She squeezes your hand, "I know you never let go."
Just like that you're on the verge of tears again but Shay is telling you to "come here" and you decide not to fight. This time, when Shay pulls you in, she tilts her head up and catches your lips with her own. It's a soft kiss, sweet and reassuring, and she follows it with two more before she lets you pull away and bury your face in her neck yet again.
Everything is going to be just fine.
A/N: Just wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a comment on any of my work. I really do appreciate it. :)