Post-Scream VI

The soft click of the hospital room door pulled Gale out of her slumber to the pleasant surprise of a friendly face.

"Dewey." She gazed at him through hazy vision, watching the soft smile forming on his lips, the measured steps he took towards her.

"Hey." He leant in to cradle her face and press a kiss to her forehead before perching on the seat at her bedside. "It's okay. You're okay now."

"Okay?" With those kind eyes crinkling at the edges with worry, she wondered how he managed it, always getting better with age. "Look at the state of me."

The smile filled with pride, and her brow furrowed as she spotted that. "Yeah. You made it. Good job." Reaching for the limp hand at her side, he curled his fingers tightly around hers to squeeze them. "Still, I told you you should have come with me and Sid."

"How could I just leave those kids to deal with him alone?"

"Or at least let me stay so we could protect each other."

"It wasn't safe for you. You're not in any shape to fight anyone right now." Since the irony of saying that from a hospital bed wasn't lost on her, she gave him a weak smirk, but her head still said they'd made the right call.

Dewey offered her a sympathetic smile in return. "Anymore don't you mean?"

"I meant exactly what I said." She fixed him with as much of a look as she had the energy for. "You are still getting stronger. But we couldn't risk you staying… ending up in danger. I couldn't risk it."

Reminded just why he'd caved, realising that if he stayed by her stubborn side, worrying about him might be the reason she got hurt, worse than this, he squeezed her hand. "But you could risk your own life?… Risk me losing you?"

"I'm still here aren't I? They haven't got me yet."

"Thank god." Leaning in with a smile, he gave her a tender kiss. "But you know, you weren't actually supposed to nearly die this time, right? When it was Sid that got the call… you really scared me."

She knew that fear well. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "No, no, this isn't on you."

"I let you down."

"No." Dewey cupped her face to try and catch her as she crumbled. "Never."

"I wish he wasn't right but he was. I wasn't there for you, could have been there to stop what he did to you, or at least been there at your side so you weren't all alone, bleeding, dying."

"I didn't die. I'm right here. You might not have been there but you were here." He fished his phone out of his pocket to wave it at her, until he caught the deeper pain that flickered across her face. "And here." Then pressed the same hand over his heart. "Keeping me fighting. Anyway, this time I wasn't there for you so we're even."

"No we're not. I don't deserve you."

"Of course you do. Who was right? Who got this in your head?"

Gale dropped her gaze for just a moment, then forced herself to meet his once more. "Ghostface called me."

His expression shifted into pure concern, the underlying anger dissipating as he let out a long exhale and leant a little closer. "Come on now, I know that's a really sensitive spot, but you know better than to listen to one of those psychopaths."

"It's not just then. You needed me and I did nothing. Just let you go. I should have known you weren't yourself but I didn't follow, didn't hold on to you like I should, didn't even see just how much you were struggling. How stupid can you get?"

"And I freaked out and hid it and ran away instead of talking to you. Let you think I didn't love you anymore. So you were stupid. I was more stupid. What idiot does that to Gale Weathers? Leaves the love of his life because he thinks he's a burden and too much of a mess to hack the city life he now lives with her? What I actually couldn't hack was life without you. So you'd better not be thinking about making me."

She shook her head meekly, doing a miserable job at fighting back the tears.

"And you're not stupid. You're the brains of this whole operation."

A choked laugh burst out of her. "I love you."

Stroking his thumb against her cheek, he grinned. "I must be doing something right then. I love you too. And I'm really proud of you. You never stop amazing me with how strong you are, how much of a fighter. All these worries, the doubts, the fears, it's just that wild thing your brain does when you go through something scary like this. That doesn't make it real. I'm here and I'm sorry but you're stuck with me."

She bit back a sob. "I hope so."

"Come here." He squeezed onto the bed next to her, gently eased her into leaning against him so he could wrap her in his arms. "I'm not going anywhere. So just relax now, rest." Looking down, he pressed another kiss to her head, aiming for the temple this time, and waited to feel some of the tension leave her before he spoke again. "Sid said we could stay with her for a bit, while you recover, while we get the apartment sorted or decide where we want to go."

"Sounds good."

"She also filled me in on what Sam told her. I'm sorry about Brooks."

Gale sucked a breath in through her teeth. "He shouldn't have been there. Maybe I shouldn't have let him in at all but he wouldn't go home. Why didn't he just leave?"

"He was worried about you. He was a good friend."

"I told him I didn't need his help. I told him it wasn't safe to be around me. 'Cause it's not safe… You're not safe."

"Oh, because being with you is the reason I'd be in danger. Not being Dewey Riley."

She wondered how true that still was after the omissions at the end of her latest book. For once she'd been vague, purposefully so, in an attempt to protect him. One she'd worried was redundant if he'd just be seen at her side anyway and publicly confirmed as alive. But clearly it had worked on at least three of the maniacs she'd yearned to keep fooled.

"You're only reinforcing that we're made for each other."

The warmth welling in her chest reminded her just how strongly she felt that too and how they had long since accepted that it was likely neither of them would ever be particularly safe. At least they were safer together, and, she supposed more importantly, happy. Which was no small thing when she thought about what he'd been through, and the people he'd lost; his dear friend and deputy, his sister. And there she was almost literally crying on his shoulder about a colleague she'd known for a much shorter length of time. "Sorry. Just ignore me. This is nothing compared to—"

"No." He shook his head. Partly to avoid getting too deep into that memory. "This is fresh. Brooks deserved better. Just like Tatum."

Silent tears flooding her eyes, she nodded against his chest.

"I wish she could have known you, properly. Seen us together, see us now. Seen me grow… grown herself."

Without the energy to pull his hand up into a kiss, she settled for a squeeze. "She'd be as proud of you as I am."

Lip quivering, and breath shaking to match, he forced it to calm enough to manage a whisper. "Thank you." He pressed a lingering kiss to her head, and then again for good measure, and could have sworn she found a way to sink further into his embrace.

They stayed like that for a while, in comfortable silence. Long enough that he almost wondered if she was trying to sleep. Only her grip on his hand was as firm as ever. "Did the doctor speak to you?"

"Yeah, I told you, you're okay. You're gonna be okay. Better than I am."

"I mean about discharging me? Can we get out of here?"

"Not yet, they want to observe you for a few more hours, see how you are now you're awake, but if everything goes as they expect, and with me here to take care of you now, hopefully this evening."

"That long?"

He cocked a smile, even though she wouldn't see it. "That long. In the meantime, you need anything? Food? Something else to drink? Some painkillers? I can always go grab someone. I'm at your service."

"No." It didn't matter how long it had been since she'd eaten, or the way her body had gone into overdrive since, using up the energy reserves. "Stay. I just want you."

She made to pull his left arm tighter around her, but with little effect he took it upon himself to very carefully comply, avoiding her bandages in the process. "You've got it, whatever you need. Right now, that's mostly rest and food; so try to get some more sleep until the nurse comes back, when I will make sure you get something to eat and then tonight we can order some comfort food."

"Dewey…"

"Don't fight it." He applied another kiss as a gesture of reassurance. "Just let me return the favour for once. I've got you this time." As she finally began to let up on his hand, he curled his fingers tighter around the other one to compensate, whispering in her ear. "Anyway, you can't fight me on this; I love you too much."