HERS
Shepard's eyes fluttered open. Her vision was blurred, but the face she saw was unmistakably friendly. Feminine. Darkish hair. Ashley? Am I dead? No, it can't be her…not young enough. "Hello, Rachel. It's good to see you again," a gentle voice said quietly. It was Emily Alenko.
"Mrs…Alenko?" Shepard smacked her dry lips together.
"Shh, shh, dear. Here, have some water, you poor thing." A soft arm reached around Shepard's head and neck, nestling it, and the cool water felt like heaven in her parched mouth.
Shepard looked around dizzily, trying to get her vision to focus. "Where am I?"
"You're in London, the Royal London Hospital." Emily looked worn and much older than the last time she saw her over three years ago in Vancouver. "How are you feeling?"
I feel like death warmed over. "I'm tired. My body feels like lead. Where's Kaidan?"
A sad sigh came from the older woman's mouth. "He's in the room across the hall." Her eyes welled up.
Shepard's heart started beating faster and her voice rose. "Wha-what happened?"No, please, no, not Kaidan.
"Please, dear, don't get excited. I didn't mean to upset you. Kaidan stayed behind to help you. Something happened, no one knows what, but he brought you to some soldiers and…just…dropped." Tears fell from Emily's eyes. "They said he pushed his biotics way beyond tolerable levels and caused himself to develop a blood clot in his brain. They told me he said to take care of you, that you were pregnant, and he hasn't said a word since. It's been nearly two weeks now."
A nurse entered the room. He smiled and started checking the fluids in Shepard's IV. When he was close enough, she grabbed his arm. "Ka-I mean, Major Alenko, tell me…how is he? Please, don't lie. I need to know."
"Well, he's been sleeping a lot. His brain needed time to heal after the surgery to remove the clot. The rest of his body is mostly healed, that's the easy part, but after what happened to him on Mars, his brain was a bit more fragile than realized. They removed the L2 implant and replaced it with the newest L5. He's got mostly normal brain activity, which is a good sign, but no guarantees."
Shepard shook her head in disbelief. "Can I see him?"
The nurse pursed his lips. "Not today. You just woke up yourself. If you feel good tomorrow, we'll get you moving."
"That's not good enough. He's my…" She paused. He's my husband, my everything… She started to swing her legs over the side of the bed. "Take me to see him. Now. No is not the right answer."
"You'd probably better listen. She's a powerfully determined woman," Emily said to the nurse with a smile.
The nurse sighed and rolled his eyes, but still smiled slightly. "Fine, I'll get a wheelchair. You will not walk over there, got it?"
"Yes, sir."
As the nurse left the room, Emily drew close to Shepard. "Don't worry, dear. Everyone knows about you two," she whispered in Shepard's ear. "You have the blessing of the entire galaxy." She smiled gently. Shepard looked worried.
What will I find…is he there anymore? As she moved herself to the side of the bed, a roll in her stomach stopped her. She placed her hand on the small swell and felt a tiny flutter. You're still here. You must be a tough little guy…or girl. God, I hope you can know your father.
Emily's hand rested on Shepard's shoulder. "Is everything ok?"
"Yeah, I just felt the baby. I can't believe it's still here."
The nurse raised Shepard to her feet and she gave out a small groan as atrophied muscles began to feel work for the first time in a while. "Ok, Commander," he said as he strapped her into the chair. "Let's go."
HIS
Kaidan's mind swirled in thick dreams. He knew this wasn't the real world and he was trying hard to fight his way out of it. Bits of life and consciousness would float by like bubbles in a stream, but they would soon pop and disappear and be forgotten. Routinely, he would relive the last few hours before this hazy existence he now had.
Rachel, lying on the ground, burnt, her skin nearly ash in some places. Ash…ash…Ashley. Was she with Ashley now? Maybe if he could just let go, then he could join them. The fight was over anyway; the galaxy probably didn't need their kind anymore. Human biotics were only made for war. He and Rachel were freaks, despite their military usefulness. Freaks that somehow found each other, found solace in each other. She seemed to love and accept him for who he was, in his entirety. He loved her for opening up his mind to accepting that he could be more than just an aberration. She was so confident and even proud of what eezo had done to her body. Kaidan just wanted to be more than a tool of war.
War raged in his mind. He couldn't remember anything that happened after he screamed in the skycar. Was she still alive? If by some miracle she was, did their baby survive? "Kaidan…" He felt the pull of the real world, of Rachel, calling him back, telling him it was time to be alive again. But he also felt the pull of death, and again of Rachel, calling him to join her in eternity, telling him he'd never have to fear separation again. He wasn't sure which voice of hers to believe. Which one was real and which one was fake? He just wanted to have some real rest…
"Kaidan…" He heard her again. He wanted so hard to figure out which way to go. He was growing weary of the balancing act between life and death he'd been performing. "Come on, Kaidan, come back." Come back where? If he went the wrong way and she wasn't there, well, he wouldn't be able to handle it. Kaidan's mind began reasoning, something it hadn't done in a while. It would be best to go toward life, at least if she was dead, I would know and then I could just die and be with her again. He doubted there would be any Cerberus miracle for him if he chose death instead. Rachel, I am fighting to get to you…Kaidan just didn't know if he had the strength to get escape from this dream world.
"Kaidan, please just wake up."
His hand twitched in hers. "He moved…he moved, Emily! I know he did," Shepard whispered excitedly. She turned back and spoke a little louder to him. "Kaidan, come home. We need you. It's me, Rachel. Your mom is here too. Wake up, baby."
A low noise emanated from his chest, and his lips moved. "Rach," his voice scratched.
"She's right here, dear. We both are," Emily pleaded tearfully.
Shepard could see that the left side of his body wasn't moving the same as the right. It seemed sluggish and awkward. His eyes opened and he saw Shepard leaning against his bed in a wheelchair. Her arms were covered in gauze, but she looked happy. "Hey…," he said, trying to reach out to her with his other arm. It moved jerkily and flopped back down. "I can't…" Kaidan's brow furrowed as he struggled to speak. Why can't I get these words out? Why can't I move my arm?
"It's ok, Kaidan," Shepard said, stroking his hand. "You've had a stroke. Some things won't come so easily, but now you're waking up, you can get better. I'm here, your mom is here." She looked down and patted her belly. "Kaidan, our baby is still here. We're all still here."
Kaidan slowly closed his eyes and let the words seep into his brain. She's here. They are here. We made it. Finally. He breathed a sigh of relief. He opened his eyes again and looked at Shepard. "Stay," he said weakly.
Shepard turned toward the nurse and spoke in the most authoritative tone she could muster. "You will move me into this room. We need each other to recover."
A/N: Enjoy this dramatic part. Happy days will come for these two, I promise!
