Finally, the last chapter! It took me a while to get this to a point where I'm satisfied, but I think I'm happy with it now. Or at least as happy as I can be. This could be read as slight Miggy...or not. Reader's choice! Gentle reminder that I am not an expert on anything medical or anything related to the U.S. military, so please forgive me any errors. And with that...thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this story! -abby


Three days after the rescue, Thomas opened his eyes to find only one person sitting at his bedside. Juliet smiled warmly at her partner, and something deep within his aching chest unclenched at the sight.

"Hey," she greeted, giving his arm a gentle squeeze. "Good to see you awake."

"Hi." The return smile was sincere, if tired. "Good to see you too," his voice was soft, but significantly stronger than the last time Juliet had heard him speak. He studied the yellowing bruises at her hairline, gathering his strength before speaking again. "How are you? Rick said you have a concussion."

"Bit of a headache, but not bad now. Probably because I slept for almost two days straight," There was a note of apology in her tone. "I had every intention of coming to visit before now, but Kumu let me sleep."

"Good. You needed it," he said.

Juliet shrugged dismissively. "I suppose. Either way, I'm fine and just worried about you. How are you feeling?" She gingerly traced the edges of his black eye with a sympathetic wince, then straightened the cannula under his nose.

He considered, then offered a faint grin. "They've still got me on the good drugs." There was a long pause, during which his features shifted into a thoughtful expression. "I'm…I think I'm actually okay," he said finally.

She lifted an eyebrow.

He chuckled slightly, then coughed. Higgins grimaced right alongside as his delicate ribs protested, and she offered a sip of water from a plastic cup sitting nearby.

"Better?" she asked, once he'd caught his breath.

He nodded. "Thanks," he rasped.

Juliet set the cup down and patted his hand. "You do seem in good spirits." She considered him deliberately. "Much better than I expected, to be honest."

"Yeah…TC and Rick reminded me…the only easy day was yesterday." Thomas smiled, recalling a thinly disguised pep talk he'd received from the former Marines. He'd awakened from a nap the previous afternoon, and desperation had reignited the instant he realized his situation was unchanged.

"I still can't feel them," Thomas whispered. "I can't even feel this." He had squeezed his thighs roughly, anger and fear lacing his words even as he fought for emotional control.

TC reached over and grabbed a hand, pulling it away from the injured man's leg as Rick did the same on the other side. "You've gotta cut it out, brother," the pilot said as he gripped the trembling fingers firmly. "Your body has been through a massive trauma and you need to give yourself time to heal."

Rick nodded his agreement. "You can't rush something like this."

"What if…it never gets better?" Thomas had asked.

"So what?" Rick had countered. "We'll deal. What's that thing you Teams guys always say?" He tilted his head, thinking.

"Something about yesterday," TC suggested.

Thomas could see what his brothers were doing. "The only easy day was yesterday," he informed them softly.

"Right, that's it," TC grumbled, shaking his head. "Frankly I've always preferred the Corps way of looking at it. Adapt, improvise and overcome." The sly grin that spread across TC's face made it clear he was trying to bait Thomas, and Rick smirked.

To their relief, the tactic had the desired effect and Thomas choked out a strained laugh. "I get it."

"Do you?" The smile dropped from TC's lips and he narrowed his eyes, pinning his friend to the bed with a look. "Because we'll have this conversation as often as we need to."

"Yeah. Yeah, I get it." Thomas took as deep a breath as his ribs allowed, then squeezed his buddies' hands gratefully as he nodded. "You're right. I can do this."

"Yes you can," Rick nodded. "And we'll be here every step of the way."

Magnum's mouth had quirked in amusement at the choice of words, and Rick laughed. "Sorry, man. You know what I mean," he said. "You knew we'd find you. You knew we wouldn't let you die in that storage room. So have faith in us now. Believe that we can help you get through this."

"Like you got us through the camp," TC added. "Just trust us, brother."

"You know I do," Thomas had told them, and that time his smile had been sincere.

Thomas dragged his attention back to the present, smiling both at the memory and at the puzzled look on Juliet's face. "Just something we said in the Teams," he elaborated.

"Ah," Higgins acknowledged, warmth and understanding in her tone.

"And Shammy stopped by to talk." The rest of her partner's explanation was a whisper. "It…helped."

"I'm very glad to hear that." She squeezed his fingers, and he responded in kind.

"I was right," he said suddenly.

Juliet blinked at the non sequitur. "What?"

"I knew they'd find us."

"So you did," she smiled faintly. "I guess Rick and TC told you what happened?"

The edges of his mouth tipped up in amusement. "Yeah. Kinda wild, right?"

She chuckled mirthlessly at the flippant reaction. "Wild. Sure." The smile dropped from her face.

Thomas lifted one shoulder in a slight shrug. "What would you call it?" he asked quietly.

"Unfair," Juliet responded after a long moment.

"I guess," Thomas allowed.

"You could have been killed."

"So could you," he shot back, a surprising strength behind his words.

"I'm not the one lying in hospital, potentially paralyzed from the waist down because some selfish teenage prat was out for a drunken joyride! Why aren't you bloody furious?!" Juliet blurted, gesturing angrily with her hands before abruptly deflating. "I'm sorry."

"What for?" Thomas eyed her curiously as she shrugged. "What difference does it make if I'm mad? That won't…change anything. Plus…I think you're furious enough for the both of us," he teased softly.

She didn't respond right away, and Thomas gently pushed a little further. "I'm just glad that you're okay. As long as you're okay, I can deal with everything else."

Juliet sniffled, managing a small nod.

He reached for her fingers and wrapped them in his own. "He was just a scared kid, Higgy. He made some bad choices, no doubt about that. But we survived. We both survived."

Suddenly a laugh bubbled up from somewhere deep inside, and Juliet was powerless to stop it. She pulled away from Thomas and covered her mouth with both hands, giggling helplessly. Her shoulders shook and she laughed until she cried.

"Juliet, what is going on?" Thomas asked, bewildered by the reaction. He was tiring rapidly, but concern was obvious even in what remained of his rough voice.

Finally, after a long moment, she was able to get herself under control. She wiped tears from her eyes as she sobered. "Oh, Thomas. Sometimes you're just so wonderfully…you."

Not quite sure how to react, he offered a dim but sincere version of his usual radiant grin. "Should I be offended?"

Higgins shook her head and without thinking, put a hand on his knee. "Of course not. You just…reacted exactly as I knew you would." She smiled. "And I love that about you."

At the lack of reply she realized he was no longer listening. "Thomas, what's wrong?"

Juliet followed her partner's gaze and realized he was staring at the hand that still rested on his leg. Hope began to swell in her heart, edging out the heavy weight that had settled there upon waking in that dark, cold storage room.

Cautiously, gently, she tightened her fingers while carefully watching his reaction. "Thomas, can you feel this?"

He looked at her, eyes sparkling as a broad grin split his bruised face. "Yes."