After Death

Chapter 5

Syringe

Jill feels she cannot breathe, feels like drowning, her chest refusing to inhale the much-needed air, and instead perceives a thick, bitter liquid filling up her lungs, preventing the entry of oxygen she so desperately craves, while dagger-like needles pierce her flesh, blades that are cruelly buried in each of her arms. Without being able to stop it, she feels an acid-like liquid entering her bloodstream, like a fire burning every inch of her veins.

Her throat burns too, but she doesn't know if it's because of the liquid that enters her windpipe, torturing her, or because of the heart-wrenching screams that come out from the depths of her being, even when she´s well aware that no one can hear her, at least not one who would help her.

But screaming is the only thing she can do to endure this torment and not go completely insane.

Within the torture she´s going through (days, weeks, months... she has already lost count), she suddenly feels calloused hands taking her burning wrist, and the next emotion that adds to her pain and anguish is disgust. She feels disgusted to know that, after the current torment, an even greater torment awaits her.

In the form of Wesker and his insatiable thirst for her body.

Jill screams even louder, and, managing to tear her arm from the restraints, extends it forward, fighting to grasp the light that wounds her retinas, trying with absolute desperation to reach it and pull herself away from those flames that consume her heart and brain, that burn her whole body down to mere ashes, while she feels her voice destroying her ears.

A hand takes hers and pulls it hard forward, pulling her out of the tank she´s been breathing in, from the fire that keeps drowning her, and Jill inhales forcefully the moment she opens her eyes, now facing a completely unknown and faintly lit room, when she feels a pair of powerful arms wrapping all over her.

"N-No... No!" Jill fights those arms for a couple of seconds, terrified to recognize Wesker under those muscles, but they refuse to recede. "Let me go! No!" Jill fights with everything she has, but she feels completely weakened, the pain in her shoulder raging, further limiting her defense. Before she can throw a punch, though, a familiar voice reaches her ears.

"It's me, Jill, calm down! Don't worry! It´s just me!"

For a moment, Jill forces her body to stay completely motionless, trying to understand, to orient herself, to recognize the owner of that voice, when her brain finally comes out of the haze it was shrouded in, and her memory remembers past events. Jill finally recalls her hospital room, also recognizing the huge back wrapping around her body, as well as blond bangs very close to her eyes.

"L-Leon...?"

Such is the tightness of their embrace, the strength with which he holds her, that the ex-S.T.A.R.S. feels the man's deep voice echo over her chest.

"Yes, don't worry, Jill, it's me. It's all right. Everything will be fine..."

Still feeling disoriented, she perceives how her whole body has a fine tremor, and doesn't know whether it's out of cold or hangover from the terror she has previously felt. Still struggling with disorientation, her mind suddenly registers the name that makes her feel safe.

"C-Chris... he... where's Chris?"

The blond responds without letting go, while gently caressing her bare back, since the hospital gown is practically opened up completely but for her shoulders, Leon taking advantage of it to reassure her, the warm and huge hands of his partner relaxing her with expertise.

"Chris had to go back to the office, and he asked me to stay with you. He ordered me to remain by your side, to not leave you alone for a moment. He asked me to apologize on his behalf, for not being able to be here as he had promised."

But Jill doesn´t register his words. Beginning to feel a little more awake, even though the delicious ministrations from the huge and calloused hands upon her skin are rather pleasant, the first intention of the former S.T.A.R.S. is to kick Leon´s ass for daring to touch her in such a way without her prior consent. But her body is completely trembling, refusing to obey her, and his warm caresses over her tense back finally break a fountain within her, producing tears that uncontrollably escape from her eyes. It's not her intention to do so, but her hand disobeys her, and instead of hitting him as hard as she can, she clings to his back as if it were her saving board, her fist clenching the jacket´s leather.

The former S.T.A.R.S. member, feeling tremendously vulnerable, wishes with all her heart the man who now holds her battered being could be Chris, her soul and mind screaming in disappointment she´s not holding her beloved companion´s back because Chris has always been an expert in comforting her, better than anyone else... but she feels so exhausted, so completely spent physically and emotionally, that she understands Leon will have to do. For now.

After several seconds of resisting this idea, Jill finally surrenders to her own needs and allows her cheek to rest upon her new partner's shoulder, letting out in torrents of tears, the anguish that rips apart her insides. She can no longer sustain so much fear, so much terror inside of her, accumulated for years, and all by herself.

Jill Valentine, the Super Cop, forces herself to remember that she's only a mere human after all.

Feeling her shoulders shaking from crying, Leon settles her a little more against his chest, molding himself to her soft body, and begins slowly rocking back and forth, as if he had become a human cradle.

"Shh... It's ok... you're fine, Jill... It was all a bad dream..."

Sobbing, her soft shoulders shaking, Jill shakes her head, while her healthy hand tightens the blonde's jacket tighter.

"It wasn't a dream, Leon... It was... A memory..."

"I know..."

She's surprised by the blonde's assertion and closes her eyes tightly, allowing her body to sink deeper into his. In response, he presses her firmly against his chest, trying his hardest to be gentle, to not hurt her, just seeking to make her feel certain that he won't let go.

Ever.

Both spend some time in the same position, even after she had managed to calm down, he letting her be, not caring that his arms begin to tremble from the effort of holding her tight against himself, until Jill takes a deep breath and manages to separate her forehead from his shoulder, although she remains bent over him, her fist clenched over the leather, her face barely inches from his already wet shoulder. Leon gently lets her go, slowly loosening the embrace.

"I'm sorry... I think I soaked your jacket."

He smiles softly while shaking his head.

"It´s okay, Jill. I get it. I've been through this myself."

Jill opens her eyes wide and separates herself a little more so she can observe him, see if he's not lying, and just speak for her sake. But she feels lost in the depth of those blue eyes that look at her with such intensity, that they seem to read every dark feeling inside her heart.

"Leon..."

He gently shakes his head.

"Really, Jill, it´s fine. I´ve, too, wake up screaming in the middle of the night, gripped by terrible nightmares, memories clinging to my head. I also know what it feels like to drown in a panic attack just like the one you just had." Jill lowers her head, feeling embarrassed, but he lifts her chin with two fingers, forcing her to look at him in the eye. "I know what I have gone through doesn't compare to all the shitty things you have suffered, not in a million years. But I've also needed a hug like this, just like you." For a few moments, Jill is stunned by his rant, and her lips tremble, trying to articulate words. But all that escapes her are a couple of mischievous tears that a huge, calloused thumb wipes off from her cheek. "I won't abandon you, Jill. I promise."

A soft smile escapes the ex-S.T.A.R.S., a smile that tries to be grateful because she feels she cannot speak any words lest she would lose her composure again.

For his part, Leon can't help but be very aware of the closeness of their faces, and his gaze inevitably turns to the red lips, even more aware that the distance separating him from those delicious lips is barely a couple of inches... such a short gap to overcome...

Seeing him looking down at her mouth, she guesses the intention, and she wants to separate, move away, but her body still doesn't obey her, and against her will, imitates the blonde´s action, her eyes now upon his mouth, which are already so close, that she licks her lips in anticipation...

When suddenly the door opens up, and a clueless Rebecca Chambers barks in without announcing herself.

"I hope you're ready by now, Jill, because guess what? I managed to get my sensei to authorize your early departure!" The girl looks up from her friend's file, to suddenly hesitate when she finds the agent lying on her bed, her head turned to the window and with her cheeks intensely flushed, while Leon is sitting in the chair farthest from the bed, turning to the wall and with a strange look in his eyes. "Emh... guys? Is everything all right?"

"Yes, Becca. Why shouldn't it be okay?"

Jill gives her a huge smile... one that doesn't reach her eyes, turning out to be quite a creepy gesture for Rebecca´s taste.

"O-okay... Well... if you say so..." The girl clears her throat, and, clueless as she´s always been, the short woman straightens herself up while raising the file, as she approaches her friend with a determined step. "The point is that I talked to my sensei, and he authorized me you could leave tomorrow."

"That easy?" Leon´s eyes widen, impressed by the young woman´s skill.

The green-eyed snorts.

"Obviously not! He made me sign a responsive paper and everything, but since he knows that I'm in the technological development department, it wasn´t quite difficult to convince him we were developing a drug to accelerate tissue regeneration. And voila! Your ticket out of here is ready!"

"Very nice!" The injured woman straightens up, excited, this time a huge and true smile drawn on her face.

The green-eyed raises a palm front.

"Not so fast, though! My sensei will allow it as long as you follow his instructions to the letter, and I have you under strict and daily surveillance. In addition, obviously, that you sign the papers needed."

Now it's Jill who's snorting.

"You know I'll obey everything without even a whisper."

Hearing them talking with such joy, Leon immediately rises from his seat and approaches the excited girlfriends to reprimand them.

"Wait just a moment, you two! Jill's injury was serious, drawing her to the point that she got emergency surgery, and the surgeon, your sensei, told us she almost didn´t make it. How is it that just one day later they agree to discharge her?!"

A delicate eyebrow is raised.

"I thought you'd be glad I get to be out of here."

"I couldn't be happier to see that you're getting better, Jill, that's why I'm worried: after what happened to you, you have to take it easy to prevent any relapse, and instead, they send you home, with no one to take care of you, knowing that you won't sit still." Rebecca moves to protest but Leon glares at her, "I mean, take care of her 24/7," Jill also opens her mouth to object, but now Leon points an accusing finger at her. "You can't deny it, Jill, neither do you, Becca. On one hand, I´m sure you´re a fantastic doctor, girl, but you can´t stay with her all the time, and Jill, I'm certain that as soon as you get out of here, you'll run immediately to the next mission, to the next danger. I can almost bet you'll start your own investigation to find the one who did this to you. And back at you, Becca," his accusing gaze returns at her shorter companion "I'm surprised that you lend yourself to this. Jill is your friend, and you decide to help her put her life even more at risk?"

Jill and Rebecca exchange a meaningful look, and after a couple of seconds, the blue-eyed closes her eyes and nods, giving her friend permission. Rebecca, without hesitation, turns to the worried officer.

"The point is, you don't have all the information, Leon." The little woman approaches him, taking his arm to reassure him. She has long noticed that female contact relaxes the belligerent blond. "But you have a background that might help you understand, and that can put you in context with Jill's situation. Remember Sherry's ability to immediately heal almost any wound?"

"Yes, of course, I remember, and I also remember that she is the only active agent registered with such ability."

Rebecca exchanges a glance with Jill again.

"Yes, well, while Jill can't heal herself with such astonishing speed, her cell regeneration is way faster than that of a normal person."

Leon turns to see the blue-eyed woman with a surprised look, feeling a tinge of anger growing inside his chest.

"Are you saying that Jill can almost come back from the dead, and then my concern for her well-being was not necessary? That's good news!"

Sighing at the sarcasm she´s still getting used to, the agent places a pair of fingers on the bridge of her nose, while feeling frustration mounting inside her chest. And exhaustion. Leon is definitely more temperamental than Chris, even when sometimes it would seem the opposite.

"I wouldn't say that. I can't regenerate anything, just my healing process is a little faster than yours. That's all."

"Like four times faster." Rebecca points out.

"If I don't receive adequate medical attention, I can die, like anyone, but once we are just waiting for me to get better..."

"That improvement translates into a couple of days, instead of a couple of weeks."

Despite feeling upset just a few moments ago, Leon smiles as he witnesses the close friend´s coordinated conversation as if they were more like sisters. Still, he's not entirely convinced, so, placing both hands on his hips, he raises an eyebrow in disbelief.

"I understand the idea, but still don't agree with what you´re doing: I think you should stay a little longer. Surely you would improve sooner because here you'll receive the care you need."

"Not necessarily." Rebecca insists again. "It's been proven that, if you stay in the hospital longer than you should, every day increases your risk of catching a hospital infection, and believe me, those are very difficult to treat; plus, given the weakened state of any patient, any hospital infection that any healthy body could easily defend against, a sick body is promptly attacked. And it can even become a deadly infection. Also, Jill is one of my dearest friends. Rest assured I'll personally see she gets better before she runs into any risk."

Leon snorts, crossing his arms and shaking his head, because he has realized that he's been left without many arguments.

"All right, all right. I guess you girls have thought this through, and I´m sure now you´ll tell me that you´ll feel better once you´re out of here, and that alone will be enough stimulus to improve faster. But I still see there's something you both have forgotten: you haven't figured out where you're going to live while we find the culprits, and I know you understand the risk on that, Jill."

Before Jill answers, Rebecca steps forward.

"Well, there would be no problem with that. I think we had already established that Jill will stay with me."

The two pairs of blue eyes turn to look at her in unison.

"No, we hadn't established it." Leon is the one who speaks, quick to read the look of concern of the former S.T.A.R.S.

The green-eyed snorts.

"Of course, I had already said it, Leon, and if, for some strange reason, I missed it to speak it out loud, it's more than obvious that Jill has to stay in my house if I'm to take care of her, according to the deal I made with my sensei."

Before Leon speaks again, Jill raises her hand to silence him and straightens up to correct her friend, trying not to make her feel bad.

"I thank you very much for your support, Becca. I really don't know how I'm ever going to repay you for all the things you´ve done for me. But I´m afraid Leon is right: I can´t stay at your house, even when I need your care."

The girl steps forward in obvious protest.

"Why? Wouldn't you like us to live together, like a family? It would be great if you stayed with me! I already feel like you're my sister!"

Jill smiles warmly at her but doesn't relent even a bit.

"I too feel like you and Claire are my sisters, but please understand, Becca. I already owe you a lot, but can you imagine what will happen if they attack me again? You too would be in grave danger."

"But Jill..."

But Jill won't let her speak.

"You have no idea how bad I would feel if, for taking care of me, the one who ends up in this bed is you. Or ends up worse..."

"But..."

"Please, Becca. Understand. If I could barely defend myself against those thugs, what do you think they'll do to you?"

The green-eyed woman remains silent, looking for a counterproposal, but finding none, she sighs heavily and crosses her arms when she accepts that, just like Leon, she has run out of arguments.

"Okay, fine, you're right, Jill, my fighting skills aren't as polished as yours. But then, what do you plan to do?"

"Chris said he would get me a safe place to live, and I'm confident he will. By the way, where is he?" Jill turns to see the blonde, remembering that he, in the middle of her panic attack, had told her something about his best friend.

"Chris asked me to replace him tonight because he received a call from the B.S.A.A. something about a missing report. But he promised he would accompany you tomorrow morning."

"Oh..." Jill looks down upon her hands, disappointment evident upon her pretty face, but she knows how endless the B.S.A.A.´s reports can be. "It´s okay. I understand."

"You can also live in my apartment if you allow me to invite you." Leon offers her, breaking the sad silence that has enveloped her, but before the woman also rejects him, he raises his palm, to appease her. "If you want, it can only be while Chris finds you a better place." Jill raises a delicate eyebrow, getting in response a mischievous smile. "Come on Jill! You really can´t refuse, because not only Chris made me promise to take care of you in his absence, but also my apartment is in the complexes that the D.S.O. built so that its members and their families can live safely, especially in cases similar to yours."

Jill raises another delicate eyebrow, but it's Rebecca who speaks, excited.

"Really? How generous of the D.S.O.! Terra Safe should build a few apartments for us. We are also exposed to our enemy's attacks!"

Leon raises an eyebrow, not wanting to emphasize Terra Safe´s economic situation for relying on donations.

"It wasn´t really out of generosity, but rather of great need, since there had already been deadly attacks against older members' families, so the D.S.O. began to lose valuable elements out of fear."

Jill ponders for a few moments.

"I agree with Becca, it should also be done by the B.S.A.A... Barry and other colleagues have had to move their family on several occasions precisely because of threats or attacks on them. Fortunately, Moira is already an adult and has already her own place, but still, his wife..."

Leon nods.

"That's right. In fact, the decision was made precisely after observing what was happening with your organization, and the D.S.O. tried to learn from the attacks against the B.S.A.A., and thus be proactive. Apparently, it's working. Anyway, the point is that in my apartment we have top security, and I don't just mean police. Nothing and no one can enter to attack us in our home."

"Sounds fantastic."

"And that's why it's the best place for you to hide."

But Jill hesitates, not entirely convinced by the offer. At the prospect of living with a man she is just beginning to trust.

"I'm sure you haven´t taken any girl to sleepovers, have you?"

He smiles charmingly at her.

"Are you kidding? I don't take girls to my place. You would be the first."

The two women raise an eyebrow at him in disbelief, but he stands up taller.

"I'm offended by the concept you two have about me. I'm not that kind of man."

Rebecca snorts, still incredulous, but smiles playfully at him.

"It's not what I´ve heard out there..."

Leon dismisses her words with a wave of his hand and imitates his friend's smile.

"I'm sorry to tell you that you won't get proof of those opinions, but anyway, we´re not talking about that. The point is, Jill, my home is your home, in case you want to take refuge there."

But Jill feels very uneasy about accepting his offer, thinking that she would be abusing him too much. But if everything he´s said is true and he has that much security... It would definitely be an excellent choice. If only Chris could offer her the same...

However, before she can answer, at that moment a male nurse she hasn´t seen before enters her room, a rather thin man, with a long face full of acne scars, and who walks rather shrunken.

A man and a face easy to forget.

"Good evening, Miss Valentine, good evening everyone." The man speaks in a shrill voice, which hurts the agent's ears and makes her almost immediately dislike him. "You'll have to excuse me. I'm very sorry to have to ask you all to leave, the third shift is going to start and we are not allowed late-night visits."

"Leave? I thought we could stay overnight to take care of her." Leon is surprised and a little worried at the man's order, given the promise he had made to Chris, but the nurse shakes his head.

"I'm sorry, handsome, orders are orders and I can't disobey. Not even for you."

Before Leon can continue protesting, Rebecca rests a hand on his shoulder, asking for patience and discretion, and, obedient to hospital regulations, accepts the nurse's request.

"Yes, of course, don't worry, we´ll take our leave. See you tomorrow then, Jill." Rebecca hugs her friend and gives her a kiss on the cheek.

"See you tomorrow, Becca, thank you very much for everything."

"Do not worry, girl. After all, that's what we friends are for. And sisters even more so." Rebecca winks at her to reinforce her words, making the blue-eyed woman smile.

As they say their goodbyes, the nurse prepares a syringe with a yellowish substance, which he begins to inject into Jill's venous line solutions, but Leon takes his hand, preventing him from finishing the work.

"What's that?"

The nurse hesitates for a moment, looking Leon up and down, while his eyes shine strangely, almost cheerfully, but he immediately recovers from his slip, drawing a smile on his face.

"It's the medicine before she sleeps... It's so she doesn't... hurt that much."

Rebecca was about to trespass the door, but the answer caught her ears and she turns to look at him, an eyebrow raised.

"But that medication was just administered about an hour ago... There must be an error."

"A-ah... Yes? A-an apology then... Surely it's not written on the card." The man looks Leon up and down again, and unable to help himself, blushes. "I'll take care of correcting that error. But I still have to ask you to leave. As I have told you, visits during the night shift are prohibited." The nurse leaves immediately, and Rebecca goes after him.

"Don't worry, Jill, I'll fix this. Surely the nurse was just looking for an excuse to approach Leon." Rebecca sends a meaningful wink to the blonde, but he just rolls his eyes. "Unfortunately it's a fairly common mistake in hospitals, I mean, confusion in medications during shift changes. Whatever it is, I'll bring it to the attention of the shift manager." With a last thumbs up, Rebecca leaves the room. Leon and Jill exchange a meaningful look but remain silent.

Without saying a word, Leon approaches the healing table the man had left inside and takes a sterile dressing as discreetly as possible. Without giving it much thought, he reaches out to give Jill a kiss on the forehead, while sneakily handing her the little bag in her free hand.

"Recover soon, Jill. I´ll be close by in case you need anything."

"Thank you, Leon... for everything."

He smiles warmly while winking at her.

"Don't even mention it. As Rebecca said, that's what friends are for."

The man leaves the room and directly approaches the nurse who entered, placing himself in front of the window of Jill's room, so that the nurse is showing her his back. As soon as his interlocutor is in that position, Leon sends Jill a small wink, while the blond talks to the man, what about, the woman can't really hear, but laughs quietly when he realizes that his new partner and friend deploys all his flirting arsenal towards the innocent male. It seems Leon had also noticed the nurse is gay, and had decided to offer himself as sacrifice on her behalf.

How considerate.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Jill frees her left shoulder from the sling, even though it still hurts, to close the dropper that is already administering her the medication, and tears the adhesive fabric off her skin, hissing from the burning feeling it produces. She immediately presses gauze over the broken vein, managing only a few blood drops to stain her bed, but no more. Once she´s certain there will be no more bleeding, she places the small catheter on top of her skin, using the little adhesive remaining in the fabric, and then turns her wrist down, seeking to hide the evidence against the bed´s surface, then regulates the drip to what she thinks is correct, and, not without difficulty, relocates her arm inside the sling, sometimes helping herself with her own teeth for the process. Once she finishes her work, Jill gently nods to Leon, who smiles at the nurse, pats him on the shoulder, and leaves, raising his hand in farewell to her and to Rebecca, who is already arguing with the shift manager.

Jill, feeling her hand now soaked, leans back on her pillow, and closes her eyes, feeling, at least for the moment, a little more confident, a little safer, though still determined to spend a sleepless night, just in case, and starts to make plans for the next day.

But the B.S.A.A. agent doesn't realize the moment she falls asleep, apparently the little medication that had passed into her system, still managed to sink her into a deep, dreamless sleep.

A couple of hours later, but feeling like after just a blink, the former S.T.A.R.S.'s senses slowly awaken, making her feel disoriented for a moment. She doesn't know how much time has passed, or if she actually fell asleep or just dozed off, but from the silence inside the hospital, and over the street, Jill assumes it's past midnight. She finds herself pondering about what woke her up when she hears someone sneak into her room. Jill doesn't open her eyes, forcing her breath to remain long and rhythmic, to imitate the breathing of deep sleep, but she opens all her senses, especially her hearing while listening to the rubbing of the clothes from the person who has entered on tiptoe, the tell-tale creaking of shoes approaching her, and she realizes that the burglar is male, but not the nurse with whom Leon flirted, because the intruder's steps are rather heavy, quite calculated for his liking.

Her heart starts beating fast.

The agent opens her eyes a little, just a little, to make them like slits and be able to see her attacker, thanking that the windows facing the street are rather wide and allow the entry of abundant moonlight. But the only thing she can see is a black suit in front of her, as immediately her sight turns completely white, and she feels a pillow covering her face, a sense of panic enveloping her whole.

They are trying to suffocate her!

ooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooo

A/N: An apology if you sense Jill quite O.O.C., a very fragile person, but I love Jill Valentine from the beginning because she´s shown herself in all her nuances, from fragile to empowered, from brave to fearful, from alethic to injured or ill, and she always shows herself as very human, much more so in the original RE 3. And, if we add to the mix, everything she should have gone through with Wesker (what is said and what is assumed), surely, she must have her psyche cracked. And don't get me wrong, I adored Jill from Death Island, the powerful Jill who controls and dominates the place, the partner that doesn´t stop fighting to protect, the Super Cop who made Carlos Oliveira fall in love. But at the same time, I miss the Jill who made him run because she was hurt, the one who leaned on Barry in order to survive, terrified (as anyone would be) of the horrors that they were finding at the Spencer mansion.

The human Jill.

So, I hope you like my own version of her or at least my journey into the psyche of this fantastic character that a lot of people love but that Capcom has relegated for so long. And I wish with all my heart that there be more of this ship! Because she and Leon are my two favorite characters in the whole saga.

See you around!