Chapter Two: Meant To Be Strangers

Author's note: Here's the next part of 'Heavy Heart' and I hope you all like it! I like this story so far and I'm happy to hear you do too. We start off in a more happy setting with Jill and Josh. I had to add the bit when Josh flirts with Jill in the DLC in RE5 that they had together. So, if you notice it at the beginning, you know where it's from :). It was also kind of a pain to write this, because I had to add a lot of filling for Josh's backstory. Hope it makes sense and it's believable! We also will see what happens at the hospital between Chris and the unconscious Sheva. Read on!

To Justsomegirl17: I can't control myself! I'm a maniac, maniac on the floor! Hahaha :P. I couldn't find any really good point to cut the chapter in half so I just left it at 6k words. Tis an accomplishment! Thank you darling, I'm glad to hear you liked it. And Chris needs to control himself! Arrivederci, my darling! I feel like it's been a long time since I said that… :O
To Sheva Redfield: Thank you! I'm glad to be back—even though it's only been a little less than a week. I admit, last Monday and Wednesday I kept thinking I needed to put up an update! :P I really like the title as well. It's a play on Florence + The Machine's song 'Heavy In Your Arms'. Chris went a little far, huh? Tsk, tsk, tsk. It's alright about the poll, thanks for considering though! Aloha!
To Mss. KB: I just had to do another Creva, you know? I like that you mentioned that even if you're a videogame character, mistakes can still be made. It's true; best not touch someone in such a manner while they are unconscious. Even if it is Sheva! Thanks, I really like the way Jill turned out in this story. It's kind of hard to write her in a Creva, even it's for as friend. I'm so glad that Chris's rough and emotional moments was translated the way I wanted. Thank you so much, you write lovely reviews yourself!

And on to the chapter!

-Sarai

Disclaimer: Resident Evil belongs to Capcom, but the original characters and plot are my own.

"Thank you, Josh," Jill said while staring at her feet, doing her best not show her blushing cheeks.

Josh smiled and looked to the petite woman beside him. "It is my pleasure, Jill. It's not often I get to walk a pretty woman home."

Jill giggled, still staring at her feet as she leaned against the door frame. Josh had offered to walk her to her room and shyly, she agreed. They didn't say much on the walk to the base, but it wasn't awkward at all. They made it to Jill's bunker and now here they stood saying goodbye; however, neither really wanting to.

"I bet you say that to all the ladies," she said with a smile.

Josh chuckled and bent his knees, lowering himself to her height. He was trying to get a better look at her face, "Only the pretty ones."

Jill could feel her cheeks and they felt like they were on fire. She turned quickly to open the door to her bunker. She didn't want Josh to see her act so silly. It was embarrassing for her; she was an older woman, or at least she felt like one, and she had just come back to her old life.

Josh wanted to laugh but held himself back. He was pleased with himself to make her blush the way she was. He stood straight and watched as she unlocked her door and stepped inside. She turned around and finally looked at him. Her cheeks were a rosy red and complimented her blue eyes wonderfully.

Josh had the sudden urge to kiss her at that moment. But he did his best to fight it. He didn't want to make anything awkward between them. He really wasn't sure if she felt the same way towards him the way her felt for her. And ultimately, he wasn't sure if she was single. He was worried that she and Chris might have something going on between them romantically and he didn't want to get in the way.

"Thanks again," she said with a warm smile.

"You don't need to thank me, really. I was the one who asked if I could walk you back."

Jill played with the pockets of her jeans and looked to her feet again. She wasn't acting herself at all and she didn't know how to handle it either. She liked Josh, she finally decided to admit it and she knew she liked him a lot. She dared to look at him once again, even though she knew the blush was still evident on her face.

"I know, but I just appreciate it," she fumbled with the hem of her shirt, trying to think of something to say to delay his departure. "So, uh, how long have you been working for the BSAA?"

"I've been working here for nearly three years now." Josh rubbed his forehead in disbelief, "It's hard to think I've been working here so long… Anyways, when I turned 18 I joined the military. And after about 13 years working in the force, I was referenced to the new paramilitary company called the BSAA."

Jill smiled and listened to him as he talked. She would catch herself staring at his lips and would do her best to discreetly avert her gaze. They continued to talk about their time with the BSAA and whatnot. After about 5 minutes of this, Jill realized they were still at her front door.

She scooted to the side of the doorway and asked, "Would you like to come in? I mean, have a drink or something?"

Josh smiled widely, "I'd love to."

He walked in and looked around her bunker. She gestured to the small table in the kitchen that had two seats pushed into it. He walked over and took a seat as Jill went to grab two glasses from the cabinet and poured water from the faucet into the glasses. She set one down in front of Josh and took a seat across from him.

"Thank you," he said as he took a sip of the water.

Jill nodded as if saying 'you're welcome' and drank some of her own water as well. Thankfully, the water calmed her excited nerves. "So, how did you learn to speak English so well?"

Josh sat back in his seat a thought for a moment. "I knew a little and I could understand some, but not enough to have a declarative conversation. But when I met Sheva, she offered to teach me and after about a year, I could speak well enough to communicate. Then when I started speaking with operatives in the North American branch of the BSAA, I was soon speaking fluently."

Jill was silent. Her hopes, that she had no idea what the hope was, were crushed when he mentioned Sheva. Jill liked Sheva a lot, but forgot that she and Josh were good friends and possibly more. She took another drink of her water and made sure not to make eye-contact with Josh.

Josh noticed her quietness. He sat up in his chair and rested his arms on the table. "Are you alright?"

Jill was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Josh ask her a question. She quickly nodded; a little too quickly. "Yeah, I'm fine."

It got quiet for a moment between the two and this time it was awkward. Jill stared at her hands in her lap while Josh looked around the room. Feeling slightly guilty, because she started the tension just then, she spoke first.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to get all quiet or rude. It's just…well, I'm not sure. I thought that…you know…"

Josh listened to her words and decided to finish her spoken thoughts, "You thought that Sheva and I were together?"

Jill looked to him and just simply nodded. She wanted to apologize for invading his privacy or for asking something that really wasn't any of her business, but she was at a loss for words.

"Jill," he said softly. She gazed into his eyes. "Sheva and I are just friends. Brother and sister, really. She's my family and I look out for her. We never were romantic with each other. It just never occurred between us and won't."

Jill could feel her stomach flutter. She felt as if she had been wishing for something so badly and unbelievably it came true. She felt her cheeks redden for thousandth time that day and she cursed herself for acting such a way.

Josh chuckled as he watched her. He was happy that his and Sheva's relationship details were out in the open. But he remembered that he wasn't the only one with possible ties to someone. He leaned forward and asked if he could ask her a question.

She replied that he could and he took a deep breath. "Are you and Captain Redfield together?"

Jill smiled and leaned forward in her chair. "No. We're just friends, too. We almost tried it out, but we both realized it wasn't for us."

Josh sighed in relief and rubbed his eyes, thankful that she told him. He opened his eyes quickly when he felt something on his hand. He looked and found that Jill had grabbed onto his and locked their fingers together. He grinned and squeezed hers back.

They stayed like this for a while. Neither said a word and the awkward tension had lifted. They stared at each other and would smile. After about half an hour of this, Josh reluctantly admitted he needed to go. He had to write a report on his part of the mission in Kijuju and his work cleaning up the town.

Jill playfully pouted and giggled. Josh laughed and raised her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her hand. She felt a surge of shock run through her body and she smiled from ear to ear. They both stood and walked towards the front door.

"Goodnight, Jill. I had a wonderful time," Josh said with a smile on his face.

Jill returned his smile, "I did too, goodnight, Josh."

Josh could feel his heart flutter. "Can I see you tomorrow?"

He was surprised when she wrapped her arms around him and rested her cheek against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and chuckled.

"Of course you can. I'll be at the hospital in the morning and maybe through the afternoon."

"I'll see you there and I'll walk you back here again, if that's alright?" he asked as he rubbed her back.

"I'd love that," she whispered against his chest. She gave him a gentle squeeze and then released him. He leaned down a little and kissed her forehead. They said goodbye and then he was out the door.

Jill closed the door and leaned against it. She closed her eyes tightly and smiled largely. She made an excited 'E' sound and hugged her body with her own arms. She sighed happily and finally opened her eyes. She needed to get some rest before she went to see Chris and Sheva at the hospital in the morning. She wanted to make sure she looked well rested when she saw Josh again. She made another excited noise and trotted happily to her bedroom.

Chris had found his way to the corner of the hospital room and stayed there for the rest of the night. He didn't want to leave the room but he didn't want to get any closer to Sheva; afraid he might do something wrong or indecent. He had fallen asleep banging his head against the wall behind him and cursing at himself for what he had done. He was guilty of taking advantage of her while she was under drugs, keeping her asleep. He felt even guiltier for the fact that he wanted to touch her again and kiss her.

He had actually slept heavily and hadn't woken up at all through night, despite the uncomfortable position he was in. He refused to get up and go to the chair beside the hospital bed because he didn't want to risk getting too physically close to her.

He had fallen asleep thinking about what Jill had said to him just earlier that day. She had said that she could see he was crushing on or that he liked Sheva in a more-than-sisterly way. He refused to have any part of Jill's games, claiming she was speaking nonsense and that she was completely wrong. But he knew better. He was just too afraid to admit that he had feelings for Sheva, because he didn't want it to be true. Not because he was ashamed of his affection for the African beauty, but because he couldn't allow someone into his screwed up life and let them in.

He feared to allow Sheva into his life, because he didn't want to mess her up with his problems. She was young and pretty and had so much ahead of her. She didn't need some old man confessing his admiration for her and holding her back. He made long lists of why he could never accept or admit his feelings for Sheva.

Chris could feel the sun hitting his face with its harsh rays. His eyes squinted trying to get a look of the room, but the sun wouldn't give him a break and continued to obscure his vision. He rubbed his eyelids and yawned. He wasn't quite sure how long he had slept for, but he guessed it was a fair amount of time if the sun had risen already. He stretched out his arms and legs, trying to wake his body up. He could almost hear his limbs screaming at him for the abuse they had gone through in the past few days and now that he had spent hours laying on linoleum.

"Are you awake?" said a smile voice from across the room.

Chris stood up quickly, startled by the sudden realization that Sheva was awake. "Uh, yeah, I guess so. How are you feeling?"

He finally got a glimpse of her sitting up and her legs crossed while she sat on the bed. She was twisting the hem of her hospital gown and looking around the room.

"I feel alright, kinda loopy. I don't really remember much…what happened?"

Chris took a deep breath and leaned against the wall, collecting his thoughts. "It happened fast. You were searching a shack by the marsh and then you got attacked by one of the infected. I called the medic, but you passed out before they got there."

Sheva gave him a dumbfounded look. "Really? I don't remember any of that…"

Chris stayed next to the wall, not daring to take a step closer. "You lost a lot of blood. Then you got taken to the hospital and they stitched you up. Now here you are."

Sheva brushed her fingertips on her shoulder where the bandages were, "Here I am."

It became silent for a moment, tension filling every corner in the room. After a small moment, Chris spoke first, "Did you want me to get the nurse? I can go get her."

Chris started moving towards the door and was about to grab the knob when he heard Sheva move around. He turned around to look at her and saw that she was trying to get off the bed.

"No, I'll be fine. I just need to walk around for a bit."

Sheva's feet touched the ground and she felt the cold linoleum on her toes. She was about to put her weight on her feet to stand when Chris said quickly, "Sheva, don't, you need rest."

She looked to him and waved her hand in dismissal, "I'm fine, Chris. I can walk if I want to."

"Sheva, please. Just lay back down."

Before he could say more, Sheva tried standing. But instantly her knees became weak and they gave out. She clutched on the hospital bed's handle and caught herself. Not thinking, Chris quickly strode over to her and grabbed her waist, trying to help steady her balance.

"Will you please lay down now?" he pleaded.

Sheva grabbed his wrist and pulled it off of her. "I told you I'm fine. I just need a minute to gain my strength is all."

Chris was slightly hurt at her gesture to get his hand off of her. His mind started racing and he feared that she was actually awake last night when he touched her. He started backing up, heading for the door.

Sheva watched as he stepped backwards, "Where are you going?"

Chris turned around, reaching for the doorknob. He simply shrugged as a response. He opened the door and was half way out when she called out to him.

"Wait! What's wrong? I'm sorry…I didn't mean to get moody and cranky all of a sudden," she said in a small voice.

He shook his head and took another step away from her, "Nothing's wrong. I need to go to the base and you need a nurse."

He was almost out of her line of vision when she called for him again. He clenched his fists and looked to her over his shoulder. "What?"

Sheva was so confused at what was happening. Sure, she got kind of bitchy for a minute there, but she apologized. She didn't mean to hurt him in any way. "Will you come back?"

He thought for a moment. He wanted to say that he can't come back; that he had no reason and it was best they stayed away from each other. But his words deceived him. "I'll come back."

She fidgeted with her gown, "You promise?"

"I promise."

Sheva sighed and smiled, "Thank you."

Chris nodded and left quickly, not bothering to look at her. She watched as his figure faded and the door slowly closed on its own. Her mind was full of thoughts that she couldn't decipher. 'What the hell was that?' she thought to herself.

Sheva hopped up back onto the bed, making sure not to put much weight on her shoulder. She had woken up only half an hour ago. Her mind and body felt so heavy and tired. When she woke, she was scared. She was in the hospital and had wraps and a bandage all over her shoulder and to make things weirder, Chris was way off in the corner sleeping.

She wanted to wake him up and ask him what was happening but he looked so peaceful asleep. She noticed, though, that he had bruises on his temples. She guessed it was from the mission but nonetheless it worried her.

She looked around the room for a while and listened to her heart monitor and it appeared to be fine. She sat up, but the pain in her shoulder was too much to bear. She had let out a small squeal of pain and quickly snapped her head in Chris's direction when she heard him yawn.

She asked him a few questions, then she got moody, next he backed away, and then he was gone. But he said he'd come back, Sheva remembered.

She gently crawled under the sheets and tucked her body in them. She was about to close her eyes when she heard the door open. She was hoping to see Chris but it was just a woman in medical scrubs.

"Good morning Ms. Alomar! I'm Lana and I'll be your nurse for today. How are you feeling?" she asked as she placed the back of her hand to Sheva's forehead.

She let the nurse examine her health and appearance. "Please, just call me Sheva. I feel alright. A little weak and tired, but that's normal isn't it?"

Nurse Lana nodded while she checked the needles in Sheva's arm. "Completely normal. How's the pain?"

"Well, it hurts. But I can handle it."

Lana giggled, "I'm sure you can. Are you hungry at all? I can bring in some food for you."

Sheva shook her head, "No, thank you. I just want to rest for now."

"Would you like a small sedative to help you sleep?"

Sheva thanked her but declined the offer. The nurse was about to walk out the door when Sheva asked for her attention, "Excuse me, Lana, can I ask you something?"

The nurse walked to the side of her bed and looked down at her, "Of course. What is it Ms. Alomar? I mean Sheva?"

Sheva played with the sheets in her hands, "How long was that man in here with me?"

Lana thought for a moment, trying to recall a man in her room. Then it clicked. "Oh! Yes, I remember. He's been here since you came in. He tried to get into the emergency area of the hospital to go with you, but I couldn't allow it. Then, from what I heard," she looked back at the door to make sure it was closed. "I heard he threatened Dr. Kubrick—your doctor—if he didn't let him see you, he'd rip his arm off. So, Dr. Kubrick let him in and he's been here all night with you. Another man was here to see you, too. But he left after a few minutes."

Before Sheva could say or ask any more questions, Nurse Lana was out the door. Sheva knew that the man that had been there for only a few minutes was Josh. She was slightly surprised to hear that he wasn't here long but she didn't dwell on the matter at all. Her mind went to Chris and she wondered why he stayed all night with her. And why the hell was he so eager to get out of here?

Sheva looked up at the ceiling, thinking about Chris and his odd behavior.

Chris had walked back to the base in a hurry. He made it to his bunker and once he closed the door, he punched the wall, making a rather large hole in it. He was about to punch the wall again but held himself back. He didn't want to pay the BSAA too much for his destruction.

'Why did you tell her you were coming back? You know you don't want to,' he thought to himself.

He walked to the bathroom and turned on the shower. He quickly stripped his clothing and stepped into the streaming water. The water was hot and it burned his skin slightly, but he made no move to cool it down.

Why did he tell her he'd come back? He wasn't sure he could face her again. He wasn't sure if he could look her in the eye without feeling terrible guilt. Just seeing her move on her own this morning was torture enough. And when she pushed his hand away he felt so bad. Then he chicken out and ran away.

He stood under the water, feeling it run down his lean body and soaking every part of him. He had to go back to see her, he promised her that. And he wasn't going to break another promise. When she had tried to stand on her own today and nearly fell over, he panicked and feared for her. He didn't want to see her hurt or weak. It wasn't the Sheva he knew.

After a while in the shower he turned it off and grabbed a towel to dry his body and hair. He stepped out and looked at his reflection in the mirror, only to see a man he hated; himself.

"You said you'd see her because you want to," he told his reflection.

"Knock knock."

Sheva looked to the door to see a beaming Jill peeking through the cracked door waving at her. Sheva smiled and waved her in, "Come on in, Jill. How are you feeling?"

Jill walked in and closed the door behind her. She walked over to the bed and said, "Much better, thanks. How are you Sheva? The doctor said you lost a lot of blood."

"It's good to see you walking around. And as for me, I'll manage. I feel kind of stupid actually. I fought and killed plenty of Majini, but it took only one to get me here."

Jill laughed, "You're far from stupid Sheva. It happens. What matters is that you are doing better and that you're healthy."

Sheva smiled and inspect Jill's expression. "You're awfully happy, aren't you?"

Jill sat on the foot of the bed while twisting the blanket into small knots. "Very happy!"

"Did you go out with Josh?"

Jill looked at her in surprise, "What? How did you know?"

Sheva tapped her finger on her temple, "Psychic." They both laughed. "No, I can just tell you were around a man and I know that Josh has the hot's for you."

Jill sighed happily. "Well, it wasn't a date but he walked me back to the base last night. I really like him."

Sheva smiled but put on a stern voice, "Be good to him. He's had his heart broken one too many times."

Jill nodded seriously. "We only just started something, but I can promise you I won't hurt him. Speaking of being good to someone; please be good to Chris."

Sheva furrowed her brows, completely feeling out of the loop. "What are you talking about?"

"It's the same thing about Josh. Chris has been hurt so many times and I can't see him go through that kind of pain again. I mean really, he turns into an asshole and won't talk to anyone."

Sheva laughed. "The thing is Jill, nothing's going on. To be honest, I think he dislikes me."

Jill leaned forward, "What do you mean? Of course he doesn't dislike you."

"I don't know. But this morning when I woke up, he was sleeping in that corner and he had bruises on his temples. Then when he woke up, he wouldn't come near me…he was glued to that wall and he kept trying to get out of here quickly."

Jill knew exactly what that meant. He would act like this when he felt he was getting too close to someone. "Sheva, believe me, he likes you. It's just, Chris has the hardest time letting people in because of the entire trauma he's gone through in his life. It's rare when he'll open up and talk about himself. He usually avoids the topic of his life at all costs. As for trying to get out of here so quickly, I think it's because he felt attracted to you and he freaked and ran."

Sheva shrugged. "I guess. But he wouldn't even look at me. And to top it all off, I had a stupid dream that's too embarrassing to even talk about."

Jill narrowed her eyes, "Well, now that you've said it, you're going to have to tell me all about this dream."

Sheva shook her head. "No, I can't. It's too embarrassing and improper."

Jill clapped her hands together and smiled, "Improper?! Do tell. I won't judge, I promise."

Sheva noted that Jill had started something with Josh, so that meant that there was nothing between her and Chris. Therefore, she felt better about telling Jill about her dream. She rubbed her eyes and sighed.

"It's so stupid… I was laying here in the hospital bed and I could feel something tracing my arm and neck. Then I felt kisses and moans and all that other stuff. Then, out of the blue, I heard Chris call my name. I realize he's the one kissing me. And I can feel his hand on my thigh and hip. I guess I moaned or something, because he stopped and his hands and kisses were gone… And that's when the dream ended."

Jill playfully hit Sheva's knee. "You had a sex dream about Chris!"

Sheva could feel her cheeks burn with embarrassment. "It wasn't a sex dream! There was no sex involved… It was so weird though. It felt so real, but I could only feel. I couldn't see anything."

Jill rubbed her chin, "That is weird… Hey Sheva, how do you feel towards Chris? And be honest with me here."

Sheva sighed and looked around the drab beige room. "I don't know how I feel. When we first met, I liked him immediately. On the mission he'd look at me and he wouldn't look away. But then when we got back after the mission, he just pushed me away. He wouldn't look at me and he gave me short answers. I thought I liked him, but overall…I think we're meant to be strangers."

Jill frowned and thought for a moment. "If you don't want to pursue anything romantically with Chris, I understand. But I know he really likes you. When you were in the ER, he was pacing around the waiting room and asking the front desk every two seconds if you were alright. When the doctor finally came, Chris wanted to see you so badly but Dr. Kubrick refused. So, Chris being the tempered man he's always been, threatened him. He said he'd rip off his arm if he didn't take him to you. Then when we got to your room, he clutched onto you. He wouldn't take his eyes off you and he ignored everyone. I've only seen him so worried once and that was for his sister. You mean something to him, Sheva. He's just scared."

'Is she telling the truth?' Sheva questioned Jill mentally.

Jill was about to add on when a knock came from the door. Sheva told whoever it was to come in. The door opened and stood in the doorway was a very happy Josh. His eyes shifted from Sheva to Jill. Sheva couldn't help but notice how his eyes would linger on Jill for a little longer. He made his way into the room and sat down in the chair that Chris had occupied the night before.

"How is everyone's favorite Shevy doing?"

Sheva rolled her eyes. She hated the nickname that Josh gave her. It was so affectionate and…cute.

"I'm feeling much better. Thanks, Joshy-woshy."

Josh laughed loudly. He was happy he could get a rise out of Sheva even though she was stuck in the hospital. "I am glad, Sheva. You were always a fast healer."

Sheva smiled brightly and shifted on the bed.

"But you're not getting out of it that easily." Sheva frowned. "You need to be more careful, Sheva. You were lucky that Chris was around to call for the medic. If he wasn't, you'd have bled to death and I'd feel so guilty."

"I know, Josh. I know. I had checked the area but this one was hiding and managed to attack me. I'm alright though. I'll be ready to help more with the clean up real soon."

"Oh no," Josh said while shaking his head. "You will not be helping with the cleanup. You will rest here until you are the best you can be. Then you will take some time to do work at the desk. I know you hate it, but that's the only way I'll let you work right now."

"That's not fair!" she nearly shouted. "I can do the mission and I'll finish it."

"You will not. If you disobey me than there will be worse consequences."

Sheva crossed her arms over her chest and furrowed her brows angrily. "You can't tell me what to do. You're not my father."

Josh sighed. "No, I am not. But I am your captain and I say what my team does. And you will rest. Do I make myself clear?"

Sheva turned her face away from him and looked to the wall. Josh was irritated by her attitude.

"I will take your silence as an understanding."

Jill felt incredibly awkward sitting there listening in on their argument. She understood where both of them were coming from, but ultimately she had to agree with Josh. After a while of silence, Sheva and Josh talked more and worked it out. It was agreed that Sheva would rest and do desk work, but once she got a quota of paperwork done, she could go back to the frontline. Josh said it was time to leave and Jill nodded. She stood and kissed Sheva on the cheek and told her she'd be seeing her soon.

As the two were almost out the door, Josh turned around and looked at Sheva seriously, "And lose the attitude, Shev. It's not attractive and it doesn't fit you."

He closed the door and now Sheva was left alone with constant beeping coming from the machines next to her. She had to agree with Josh about the attitude. She really didn't like it but it would come out unexpectedly. For the past week she could feel her temper always on edge. The whole time she managed to keep it under wraps, but since this morning, she couldn't control it. She just felt like throwing something. She was frustrated, but she just didn't know why.

Author's note: Sheva woke up on the wrong side of the bed! Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and thank you all for your lovely comments. The next chapter will actually be the conclusion of this story. I told you it'd be small, right?

In the next chapter, well, I won't tell you too much, but Sheva and Chris face each other once again and feelings get hurt and some blossom. See you on Monday.

-Sarai