Author's Note: Sorry for such a late update! It was my birthday last week and then I got into a slump afterwards, but don't worry! I'm back and I'm feeling much better. This chapter is pure fluff. There are only two chapters left, so stay tuned. I appreciate all the feedback! Enjoy! :)

Denny was at a loss for words. When I look over at him, I couldn't figure out what he was really feeling. Relief? Fear? Happiness? I was sure that it was all of the above.

"We're scheduling you for the operation in three hours. I know you've waited a long time for this, Denny. I was going to tell you both yesterday, but I wanted to be sure," Dr. Burke says.

Denny squeezes my hand. I return the gesture almost instantly.

"I'll leave you two alone to talk," Dr. Burke added. He knew Denny more than I did, so I assumed he understood why Denny was so quiet.

When Dr. Burke leaves the room, I turn to Denny instantly. I cup his cheek, watching as he leans into my touch as if it was second nature. I had to wonder if our relationship would become stronger after he received this new heart – I hope it would.

"You okay?" I ask.

Denny looks up at me. There were tears pooling at his eyes.

"I'm getting a heart, Jess…"

"I know… I'm so happy for you," I tell him, leaning in to peck his lips. "You're getting a new heart."

"That means we can have all the sex," he comments.

I laugh quietly, shaking my head. I have had dreams about our sex life – or lack thereof – but, it was still something I was looking forward to. The fact that our relationship wasn't built off sex made me love him even more.

"We get news about a new heart and you're more excited about sex," I laugh.

Denny grins; I fell in love with him all over again at the sight of those dimples and hopeful eyes. We had a couple of rough weeks, but the news about a new heart made the arguments, heartache, and tears very much worth it.

There was hope. There was going to be a future with our relationship. Denny was going to have another chance at life.

"Don't tell me you're not thinking about it, Jess."

"… Okay, maybe, but it's not the center of my mind."

Denny smirks, "I always knew you wanted me for my body."

I laugh quietly, burying my face against his neck. Moments like this remind me how lucky I truly was to have Denny. He could make me laugh and his charm just heightened his humor.

"You want to try and get some sleep before the surgery?" I ask.

He shakes his head, "No. I don't mind just holding you before I have to go into that operating room."

"I don't mind either. Now, put your arms around me so I can get comfortable," I tease.

Denny chuckles, his arms wrapping around my frame. His grip was tighter than usual and when I look up at him, I notice that he was staring up at the ceiling. He looked pensive and slightly concerned.

I cup his cheek and he looks down at me.

"Talk to me," I whisper.

Denny sighs, looking into my eyes. He leans against my touch, gently kissing the inside of my wrist.

"I'm scared," he replies.

I bite my lower lip. If I was being honest, I was scared too. There were many things that could go wrong during surgery, but I couldn't dwell on that. He shouldn't dwell on that. What mattered was that he had the opportunity to live a better life with this new heart.

"I've waited five years for this, you know? I always imagined what I would feel like when I found out I was going to get a new heart. I was certainly not expecting fear to be one of those emotions," he continues.

"Denny…"

"There are countless things that could go wrong while I'm cut open, Jess. What if –"

"Don't finish that sentence. Dr. Burke is more than qualified. He won't let anything bad happen to you because if he does, he's going to get an earful out of me."

Denny cracks a smile. "Going to defend my honor, is that it?"

"Oh, that's definitely it," I respond. "Listen, I know I can't say that I understand and I know it is easier said than done, but… This is our hope. It's our sign. The past few weeks with you and I arguing, with Kate and my boss… Dr. Burke coming in here and saying that you're going to get a new heart has to account for something. You are getting a new heart, Denny. A new and better heart."

He stares directly into my eyes. The one thing I loved about him was that he always kept eye contact with me while we talked. Sometimes, they would naturally become glossy and a slight twinkle would appear. It made his brown eyes become almost green and hazel-like.

"It's going to be okay. I'll be right here when you come back," I say.

Denny smiles, "As long as you're the person I wake up to, I know it will be."

After an hour, a woman comes into the room with a clipboard. She walks to Denny's bedside and hands him the papers that he needed to sign. I glance over the form and furrow a brow: DNR.

When she leaves, Denny stares back up at the ceiling. It seemed as staring at the ceiling was calming his nerves.

"What's DNR?" I ask.

Denny bites his lower lip. I could tell he wasn't expecting me to find out or see the form that he was just signing.

"It's a Do Not Resuscitate form…"

"W – What?"

"I'm tired, Jess. It's just a precaution. I don't want to fight anymore after this heart. I don't want to spend the rest of my life waiting on this hospital bed with the same four walls hooked up to various machines. I've spent five years in and out of the hospital. I don't want to spend another five."

"But this heart will go through. You'll make it," I tell him.

"Jess… Think logically for a second, okay? I don't want to upset you. That's the last thing I want to do, especially before this surgery. If I make it through this surgery, great. There may be complications after it and if something happens, just let me go…" Denny says.

Tears begin to well up in my eyes. I knew he was tired of waiting. For the past few months, I come to realize that Denny was an impatient man. There have been days where he would be angry simply for lying in that hospital bed without being able to leave.

Denny was a man who was meant to be up and running about and being restricted to a hospital bed was taking a hit to his dignity. He never admitted it, but I could tell.

"I can't –"

Denny shakes his head and interrupts me.

"You're going to have to. I just want you to be prepared for the worst, okay? I'm not saying it's going to happen, but I want you to know where I stand with this. This is my last chance, Jess."

"I can't think of a life without you in it, Denny…"

"Let's not dwell on that, Jess."

"But we have to. If we're going to talk about thinking logically, then I think you should know where I stand in this entire situation."

He nods, gesturing for me to continue.

I shut my eyes for a moment, feeling a few tears trickle down my cheek. Denny brushes the tear away, then I feel his lips against my soft skin. He was reassuring me through his actions alone. I was taking care of him for the past few months that I didn't have an outlet to release all of my concerns and worries.

Right now, it was hitting me like a freight train.

The tears were slowly strolling down my face and Denny simply wraps his arms around me in attempt of comfort.

"When I met you, I didn't know how great this was going to be. I certainly took a leap of faith by giving you my number that night," I begin.

Denny smiles. I knew that talking about our good times, especially the first time we met, helped alleviate all worries, even if for a moment.

"I'm glad I didn't come off as creepy," he comments.

I laugh quietly, wiping my tears away with his help.

"Not even close. I remember looking up and thinking how handsome you were. Then you asked me for my number and I couldn't believe it."

"Why? You're beautiful, Jess."

"I was wearing my pajamas and carrying ice cream and chips."

"You don't have to be dressed up to be beautiful."

I feel the heat in my cheeks, burying my face against his neck. With the good memories come the lingering thoughts. In just two hours, Denny was going to be in surgery and there was a fifty-fifty chance of it being successful.

"I love you, Denny."

"And I love you too, Jess. I'm not leaving you without a fight, okay? I want you to know that."

"If – If you're sure about this do no resuscitate, then I'll respect that. I'd rather you be happy than miserable."

"I don't know how I got lucky with you. I know this isn't easy for you, but I am so thankful that you're by my side," he says.

I nod, resting my cheek against his chest. The sound of his irregular heartbeat is the only thing I focus my attention on. I shut my eyes and inhale his intoxicating scent. I rest my hand against his abdomen, running my thumb against the fabric of his hospital gown. I move closer when his arms tighten around me.

I'm scared, but this new heart was going to give Denny a better life.

We spent the remainder of the two hours in silence and in each other's arms. Nothing needed to be said. When Dr. Burke and a few nurses come in to retrieve Denny, I climb off his bed before his hand reaches out for mine.

I follow them to the elevators before I lean down to press my lips against his. I cry against him, but he moves a hand to my hip and squeezes it gently.

"This isn't goodbye, Jess." He mumbles, pulling back almost breathless.

"I know. I love you," I tell him, leaning down further to kiss his cheek.

Denny smiles, "I love you too."

"Hurry back to me so we can have all the sex," I whisper, repeating his words from earlier today.

Denny pulls back to look at me and grins. I take a moment to stare at him as if my mind was taking a picture to keep in my head.

"Oh, I'm definitely going to hurry back."

They enter the elevator and I stand on the other side of it. I wave in his direction before the doors close.

As I walk back to his hospital room, I find myself crawling back into the bed. I leave his spot untouched and shut my eyes. I was missing him already and it hadn't even been five minutes.

So, I try and force myself to sleep.

After a two-hour nap, I wake up in hopes for good news. I look around the empty room and sigh. It felt too quiet without Denny here. I reach for his sweater and pull it on. I felt closer to him now that I had this on.

I leave his room to find Dr. Karev at the nurse's station, overlooking a few binders. Quietly, I approach him.

"Hey, I was just –"

"I'm working," he says.

"I just want some news about Denny, Alex."

He looks down at me and sighs.

"He's doing fine. Usually heart transplant surgeries take four hours, so just hang in there. So far, I've heard that the surgery is going smoothly."

I sigh in relief. I had two more hours left.

"Thank you."

He simply nods, excusing himself to get back to work.

Two hours turn into four and I spend the remainder of the time sitting at the chair, staring absently at the empty hospital bed.

Dr. Burke quietly enters the room. "Jess?"

I instantly stand, walking towards him. I try and search for any signs that would let me know how the surgery went before he could even talk, but Dr. Burke had a good poker face. I couldn't read him.

"Is he –"

"The surgery took longer than expected, but Denny's okay. He made it. The heart is beating and it's normal. He's in another room on the ICU floor, so you're welcome to head up there."

Before he could continue, I wrap my arms around him and cry out of relief. I couldn't believe it.

"Thank you so much, Dr. Burke… I know I haven't been with him long, but you gave him another chance at life."

Dr. Burke smiles, pulling back. "I think you helped him fight the rest of the way, Jess. He would not stop talking about you while we were bringing him up to the O.R. I told him he got a good girl on his hands before I put him under."

I blush, biting my lower lip. I think back to Denny. I couldn't wait to see him.

"Thank you for giving us a chance at a future, Dr. Burke."

He nods, looking over his shoulder. "I'm just doing my job. Now, go on and see him. I'm sure he'll want you there when he wakes up. He's going to be asleep for the remainder of the night, but we will be monitoring him for the next month until he's well enough to be discharged. Dr. Stevens will also keep a close eye on him by checking in every night. He's prone to blood clots, so we have to be sure this heart is doing its job."

I nod in understanding. "I'll be right by his side just in case anything happens."

"I know you will, Jess. Now, I know Denny isn't a patient man and while he is asleep, I think he's also very intuitive. I think he'll know if you aren't there."

"Oh! Right. Let me get his th –"

Dr. Burke shakes his head, holding the door open for me.

"I'll have one of the attendants bring up both of your things."

I give him another hug and step out of the room. "Thank you so much, Dr. Burke."

I step into the empty elevator and bite my lower lip. A tear of relief strolls down my cheek and I bring Denny's sweater closer to my body.

Denny was going to be okay, and...

I couldn't wait to see him.