"Welcome to the Citadel News Net, I'm Emily Wong. Reports of Commander Shepard's return after officials pronounced her 'killed in action' two years ago have now been confirmed. Commander Shepard was spotted on the Citadel this morning docking on the Presidium on the presumed destroyed stealth ship 'Normandy', rushed from the Normandy's docking bay on a stretcher, heading for Huerta Memorial Hospital. She was trailed by the Normandy's head physician, Doctor Karin Chakwas, as well as notable ex-C-Sec officer, Garrus Vakarian. No details are known as to what injuries the Commander has suffered, as the hospital has refused interviews and has barred reporters from entering the hospital.

"Shortly after Commander Shepard's return, an unknown woman was also allowed into the hospital, and denied our request for an interview, curtly replying, 'If I stand here and answer your questions, I'd waste time I could be using helping Shepard'. We reached out to an Systems Alliance Admiral close to Commander Shepard, Steven Hackett, as well as Ambassador Anderson, but both have not responded to our requests.

"Until more information can be obtained, it is safe to assume that the Commander is in good hands for whatever may have brought her here to Huerta Memorial."

Miranda cursed as the story ran, shaking her head. They had hoped to avoid media attention, so Shepard could be taken care of in secret, but it seems it was impossible from the start. There had been countless requests for information and interviews, and she felt just a tad sorry for the security and doctors of the hospital who had to deal with the media storm outside their door for their high profile patient.

She looked to her left. Garrus had been silent in his chair ever since Shepard had been taken into her room, silent as the eye of the storm. She didn't know just how close the two were, but she knew from simple observations, reports, and such, that Garrus was much more attached. She had heard he looked up to her, but this silence, this desperation to keep her alive, she knew it was something deeper.

The hospital was silent save for doctors chatting away about patients and different treatments, and every Citadel space species moving and whining about wounds. A nurse brought them food from the nearby market, at least. Garrus silently took the meal, looked briefly at Miranda, and finally started eating.

It seemed like an eternity until the doors opened, revealing Dr. Chakwas as well as Dr. Michel. Nurses were still inside the room. Garrus stood immediately, blue eyes begging for good news. Chakwas hid her emotions well.

"We were able to get the bleeding to stop, thankfully, and reduce the swelling in her brain. It's looks like there's going to be no permanent damage."

Garrus and Miranda sighed in relief, though immediately Garrus stared her down. He couldn't tell if she was happy that the Commander survived or that her best work with Cerberus survived a deadly brain hemorrhage. Dr. Michel stepped out from behind Chakwas.

"However, she's in a coma now. We want to make sure she has time to recover from something like this."

Garrus stepped up. "Is that a good idea, Dr. Michel? With her hallucinations-"

"She should be fine, Garrus." Chakwas countered, "Whatever was causing those hallucinations was killing her, no thanks to the early 'wake up call', Miranda."

"We had no choice," Miranda countered, "It was either wake her up, or let her die again. I wasn't going to let two years of work be destroyed that easily."

"Perhaps if you kept a better handle on your operatives..." Chakwas mumbled darkly, before looking down at the datapad. Miranda frowned.

"She was lucky to come out of this without brain damage," Dr. Michel mentioned, "so a long rest in a coma could help her brain heal. There was a piece of her frontal lobe damaged, but thanks to Dr. Chakwas, it was fixed with minor cybernetics and medicine."

"It'll be about two week, according to our estimates." Chakwas finished up, setting her datapad down, "She could wake earlier, so Garrus, you'll need to stay close to the hospital, or be able to get here quickly if need be."

"No problem."

Chakwas nodded, and looked to Garrus, and then to the door leading to Shepard's room. The nurses came out and waved, smiling gently. Miranda followed them, and once she was gone, Chakwas finally showed her true emotions, the fear and relief.

"She's stable, but we don't know if this... if this will help or hurt. You can go in and see her, Garrus."

"Thank you, Chakwas."

She stepped aside as he moved to the door, watching it open and immediately looking to Shepard. Approaching her hospital bed, looking to the silently sounding moniters she was hooked up to, his subvocals expressed what he couldn't in real words. The fear, the sadness, the relief.

She looked almost peaceful, her hair undone from its normal ponytail, spilled out around her face and across her shoulders. She wasn't bound up in clothing, her chest covered enough for modesty, baring her scarred shoulders. Marks from various missions so far, most of them near their endgame, soon to fade away. He remembered when he would get a glimpse of her training in the cargo bay during the days of the SR-1, how she would always train in just a sports bra and shorts, if he remembered the terminology for the outfit she trained in. Scars danced across her shoulders then, marks from either Mindoir or Akuze, or both. She claimed to forget which ones came from where, with the exception of a miscolored patch of skin on her neck. She had been hit with acid residue on Akuze trying to pull a teammate from the sands, his legs half melted off. He didn't make it, and the wound was how she remembered it.

It wasn't there anymore. Nothing but flawless skin.

He brushed her hair from her cheeks, watching her chest rise and fall slowly. She was alive, the spirits perhaps heeding his wish to keep her alive. Perhaps it was because Katherine Shepard was strong, and would get through this.

Was it luck? Was it strength? Was it Cerberus?

Too many questions, too many unanswered, and never enough answers.

"Take as long as you need, Shepard. I'll be here for you, and so will the crew. We'll wait for you."

He knew she wouldn't answer, but the silence felt like a wound in his chest. He stood there at her bedside, just moving her hair, feeling the oddly silky texture between his fingers. She wasn't a vain woman, never concerned about her looks, but she seemed to pride herself on her indestructible hair. Even during the days of Saren, her hair had a knack of never looking 'fuzzy', or 'frizzy'. It always fell perfectly, always looked like she had spent hours ensuring its beauty.

"You won't have to worry about us. As much as I don't trust Miranda... she's proving herself capable, though I'm also right behind her, helping."

Silence rolled through once more, the silent beeps of the machines the mantra her body lived off of as she healed. Watching her chest rise, always watching and observing, keeping close to what was, at first, simply inspiration and the feeling of amazement. He looked up to the Commander in the early, learning for her and she from him when she could. They were close, he always on her six, never far behind. He had become her 'right hand man', if that was the correct.

And now stood he, with a heart harboring feelings of love. Many he could not speak of if she didn't wake.

"I'll be here if you need me, Shepard. I.. don't want to leave you alone after what happened."

Without hesitation, he took her resting right hand into his, squeezing it softly. He knew it would not squeeze back, but it made him feeling better knowing the warmth in her skin was still a moment, he let her go, and stepped away, his eyes on her until he had to turn to leave her room. The door opened to Chakwas waiting for him, looking at him with understanding. She could easily see what he felt.

"Don't worry yourself too much, Garrus," she reassured him, approaching him, "she'll need you when she wakes up."

"I don't know who'll need who more: me or her." he admitted, "It was horrific when she died, Chakwas..."

Her look softened, and she came closer, leading him out with a touch, toward the waiting room.

"I don't want to live through it again. Especially now that I have to watch her."

"She won't leave us again. If I have to use my own life, I will make sure she survives."

Garrus' mandibles fluttered once, the weakest thing to a smile he could give. "You wouldn't mind if I put my own life into the 'Keep Shepard Alive' fund?"

Chakwas chuckled ever so softly as they approached the doors to the outside of the hospital. They would have to be fielded through reporters and people asking questions. Luckily, they had some security to help them but would it be enough was a question she couldn't entirely answer.

"I would say something is wrong with you if you didn't, Garrus."

Garrus called in some favors from old contacts after they were able to flee from the hospital to find someplace to lay low so they weren't swarmed by reporters and officials looking for answers. It got better when they were approached by Bailey, somewhat freshly promoted, who helped he and Chakwas find a series apartments to camp out in for the time being. The crew weren't safe either from rabid news networks trying to get information on Shepard, the ship, her 'disappearance', and many other questions, so the ability to hide and relax without worry was a greatly needed commodity.

The crew didn't seem to mind the need for secrecy. Jack calmly took the advice of changing her look to keep herself hidden in the crowds, changing her outfit and getting a decent wig. She looked like an entirely different person overall, but her eyes gave away the pain. In the short amount of time they had been with Shepard, they were already close. Grunt kept to his apartment, and Miranda provided him food. Garrus didn't need to see him to know he was depressed about losing her. Mordin seemed somewhat down but buried his emotions and troubles in his work. He was the only one besides Joker and Kasumi who opted to stay on the Normandy.

Miranda had taken her own apartment, and Chakwas had opted to share one with Garrus as both would be constantly moving from their shared space to the hospital unless they needed time to themselves or supplies. There was enough room for him to have his own turian-style 'nest bed', as many humans called it. A half moon shaped bed with bedding and pillows that allowed for comfortable rest and relaxation without putting strain on his carapace, spurs, or fringe.

"The hospital is still getting people at their door for interviews and information." Chakwas chuckled softly, leafing through a physical book for a moment, "We're taking the back entrance again today."

"Sounds good." he muttered, sitting up and stretching. He had been wearing armor, but it was getting tiresome, and opted for turian attire. He didn't have anything with him, so a discreet shopping trip was arranged. He had his dress blues, and two different outfits. His blues didn't tell too much, and were near identical to normal clothing as he lacked the pomp of normal dress blues. He shrugged it on, carefully adjusting it before leaving with a wave.

A human woman was slumped against the wall directly across from his apartment, and his exit prompted her awake. She rubbed her eyes, and looked up at him.

Garrus recognized her immediately. Emily Wong, a human reporter Shepard had helped early on, and now a reporter for a news network on the Citadel. she looked exhausted but still smiled. She was alone, with only a small case. He assumed it had equipment of some sort for her job.

"Garrus Vakarian? I don't know if you remember me."

"You broke open Fist's crime ring, thanks to Shepard. Hard to forget since I helped with that case as well."

Emily wasn't a bad reporter, and had some tact in terms of when people could or could not be interviewed. She was among the few in his book that warranted approval in terms of being decent reporters. She sighed softly, looking relieved that she wasn't forgotten.

"I'm surprised you remember that, or me. I was given a tip from Bailey that you would be here, and I was.. well, I can understand if you don't want to do an interview."

"Depends on the interview, Ms. Wong. Shepard trusted you before, I don't see why I can't either."

Emily's face lit up, picking up her case and then ensuring she looked somewhat less unkempt. She stood proudly before him, smiling.

"Then, is it okay if I interview you and Dr. Chakwas in your apartment? I don't want to drag you out somewhere, and it would be a better place for you, I think."

Garrus took a moment to think, looking to his door. He gestured Emily to the door, and opened it once again, drawing Chakwas' eyes as the reporter was allowed inside. After a brief explanation, and some rearranging of chairs, they had a small setup for Emily to conduct her interview.

She sat in her chair, opening her case and revealed recording equipment, including a small hovering camera. She activated it with a flash of a program on her omni tool, the small ball powering up and fluttering around her head.

"This records video and audio, but I figured I won't be filming this and releasing it," Emily explained, taping her omni tool, and pulling up her question notes, "I'll be asking you a few questions, and you have every right to refuse to answer it if I'm pushing boundaries or something you can't reveal for your safety."

"But you'll be releasing the interview?" Chakwas asked. Emily lowered her omni tool.

"I'll be presenting it over the New Network here, so it'll be in pieces or I'll simply direct quote your answers. Think of it like a news broadcast without the live feeds, like old Earth news shows. They would cut away to a screen with just a quote on it."

Garrus and Chakwas exchanged a silent conversation before nodding and agreeing to the terms, settling in as Emily booted up her notes again, looking to Garrus.

"It's been two years since the Commander's 'funeral', two years after the Alliance closed her door, and two years after the Council covered the truth she unveiled about the Reapers. Where has she been for the last two years?"

Garrus cleared his throat, and Chakwas took the initiative, speaking first.

"I don't know if you've seen the symbols on the Normandy yet, but the rather notorious human terrorist group 'Cerberus' did something at first deemed impossible. They were able to get Shepard's body, and resurrect her. They spent billions of credits into bringing her back."

"So she did die when an unknown ship attacked and destroyed the Normanyd SR-1?"

"Yes," Chakwas grimly said, looking off. "I was onboard when the Collectors attacked the ship, and ripped it to pieces. I watched from the escape pod as the Commander sacrificed herself to save Joker..."

Emily didn't continue, reaching out to touch Chakwas' hands, folded in her lap. She smiled and nodded confirming that she was alright. Garrus offered his own hand and Chakwas took it for a moment.

"Thank you. It's just a hard memory."

"I understand that, Doctor. Forgive me for dragging bad memories up." Emily told her, "Want to continue the interview?"

"Yes, of course."

Emily redirected herself, moving notes around in her omni tool. "So Shepard was recovered after the attack and rebuilt by Cerberus. The ship you arrived in, isn't it the Normandy?"

"Likes Chakwas said," Garrus answered, "the original was destroyed in the Collector attack. Cerberus also built a new Normandy, and called it the Normandy SR-2. She's got a lot more mass, so we can't always land on planets. However, oddly enough, they focused on giving her crew a lot of civilian-grade accommodations."

"Cerberus put a lot into her, didn't they?" Emily commented. Garrus nodded gently.

"Well, if there's anyone in the galaxy that deserves that much time and work to bring back, it's her."

Emily looked at him quizzaly for a moment before smiling, shutting down her omni tool. She didn't need notes at this point.

"Now, are you working for Cerberus now?"

"No." Chakwas and Garrus spoke at the same time, exchanging looks. Emily did the same.

"Cerberus is a horrible group, and one I would never think of joining, but unfortunately the Illusive Man has her by the throat. She can't escape him or Cerberus yet." Garrus explained, "He's sent her on a suicide mission."

"Against the Collectors?"

"Exactly. The Illusive Man wants to stop the attacks on human colonies, so he put two years and billions of credits into bringing Shepard back to do it. Under no circumstances are we working for Cerberus. We're stuck under his flag thanks to circumstances."

Emily gently tapped away notes, looking between them for a moment. She powered off her omni tool, relaxing into the calm air of the apartment. She seemed to somber. She didn't need her notes, she didn't need to stay on a script.

"I guess this'll be my last question or two, then. What happened to Shepard? Will she be alright?"

Chakwas sighed softly. "When they 'woke' her up, she wasn't entirely put together, in a sense. Some places in her brain were exposed, unfinished, cracking. Through the few missions we've done, her mental state was deteriorating due to these issues, until it... until every came to a head."

Garrus picked up the blunt truth. "She suffered a hemorrhagic stroke, and started bleeding into her brain."

"My god..."

"She's stable now. We were able to stop the bleeding, reduce the swelling. We just can't tell if there will be lasting damage, or if we can fix it." Chakwas continued, "for now we have to hope she'll heal. She'll be in a coma for a week or so unless she wakes up."

"Well, it's good that she survived. Thank you so much for your time, Doctor, Vakarian. I'll start piecing together the report. I'll leave out most of the Cerberus things, of course."

Chakwas smiled. "Thank you. Of all the reporters to come find us, I'm glad it was you, Ms. Wong."

Garrus stood up slowly, offering his hand to the reporter, which was happily accepted into a handshake.

"Do your best to convince people that Shepard is still who she is, regardless of Cerberus if anyone catches on."

"I won't fail you." Emily firmly said, shutting down her recording bot.

Emiy's report went live on the air a week later, surprising the entire station as the news of Shepard's condition came to light. Every human nervously hummed about the Commander's ailment, knowing what it meant and what dangers is posed to bleed inside the brain. The Council got the news alright, confused as to why the Commander was back here when she could have gotten help elsewhere. They had agreed with her that she not move her operations out of the Terminus, and yet here she was. It was Tevos, however, that stopped Sparatus from visiting the hospital to demand answers, stating that the Commander had obvious reasons, growing angry as the turian Councilor demanded she be taken off the station to get medical help elsewhere. The Council squabbled in a surprise fissure until deciding to let Shepard heal and pass through the Citadel as she was entitled.

Of course, it was hidden from the public that the Council had almost decided to kick Shepard off the station, but Miranda had ways of finding out. That and Kasumi enjoyed using her cloak to investigate things and continue her underground career. Miranda tapped the green interface on the door, and returned to Shepard's bedside, moving her hair to view the healing scars on her head.

After deliberation, a few simulations, and consultations with Chakwas, Michel, and Garrus, they had gone ahead with adding in new cybernetics to stitch together the 'scar' left behind by Shepard's hemorrhagic stroke. It was her fault such a detail had been left untouched before she was awoken, and she hoped this would help her. She had expected some trouble after realizing what was left untouched due to the unscheduled awakening, but hallucinations combined with possible brain damaged? It was a worse case scenario she had tossed out as impossible.

She should have been smarter to think anything was impossible when it involved Commander Shepard.

The scar had healed well, and while she felt the scar shouldn't be there at all, she left it untouched. Perhaps to help the Commander, or to help herself. She glanced at the monitors. Steady heartbeat and pulse, her brain activity wasn't showing odd fluctuations now. She was stable and steady. She had recommended an earlier wake-up, but both Doctors shut her down quickly.

"Don't sleep too long, Commander. The Collectors-"

Did the Collectors matter more? Miranda stopped herself.

"...we're worried about you, Shepard. Prove us wrong."