Chuck vs. The Courtyard Bench

Well, here's what happened in the previous chapter: Chief Softer allowed Chuck to have visitors with a stipulation and that was not to have any sort of strenuous activities that would end up putting a strain on his body. Fortunately, that didn't happen during Morgan's visit. However, when Carina and Zondra visited that was whole other story with the red headed vixen pulling her usual shenanigans. It was because of Carina's shenanigans that got Sarah in trouble with Chief Sofer to the point where Sarah got very emotional and needed space according to not only Chief Beckman, but Casey as well. After enough time passed, Carina checked on Sarah and the two C.A.T. squad sorority sisters ended up having a heart-to-heart talk after the blonde momentarily ignore the red head. So, what happens in this chapter? Here are the who, what, where, when, why, how's? Who took on Lizzie Shafai's case as her defense attorney? What type of defense was Lizzie's defense attorney seeking? Where did Lau speak with Lizzie 6 days after Chuck's attack? When did the situation go south as Lau was talking with Lizzie? Why did Lizzie refuse to speak with Lau and abruptly ended talking with the detective? How did Chuck feel about addressing the Bartowski Brigade 6 days after being attacked in the hospital courtyard? Read and find out! I hope you enjoyed the read and leave a comment to share your own thoughts on this particular chapters. As always, reviews are awesome.

Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment, I truly appreciate it. Please continue to do so as it gives me the incentive to write more chapters.

I don't own Chuck.

Breaking With Tradition

XXX

Bentley walked towards the camera as she started speaking. "The investigation into Lizzie Shafai with Detective Lau focused more on her personal and professional background. Before we get more information concerning the case," A few moments later she stopped with a full length shot of the host. "We had hoped to speak with Lizzie's parents. We requested an interview, but they unfortunately refused. Instead, I was able to interview her lawyer Mohammed Zamir, who spoke on their behalf." Afterwards, it cut from Bentley to the interview she had with Lizzie's defense attorney.

"Welcome Mr. Zamir," greeted Bentley. "First off, thank you for sitting with me for this interview." she added, expressing her thankfulness and appreciation. "I know you've been quite busy as of late dealing with not only your client's case but sorting out what's fact from fiction as well."

"My pleasure," nodded Zamir. "I've also been dealing with another case adding to my caseload."

"Is it anything serious?"

Zamir shook his head. "Simple malpractice lawsuit against a hospital. Not this hospital of course."

"Of course." acknowledged Bentley.

Zamir cleared his throat and pressed forward. "My client," He briefly paused before resuming what he was going to share. "I'll simply refer to him as "Harry Lime". It involves heart surgery he had and faulty equipment." he vaguely shared. "Anyways," The experienced defense attorney directed the focus back to the matter at hand. "And you're correct, Ms. Bentley. I'm simply here to provide answers to any questions concerning the facts that pertained to Ms. Shafai's case and not idol rumors or gossip that were spreading throughout social media." he firmly reiterated.

"About that," Bentley took note and zeroed in on the latter part of what Zamir uttered. "I can certainly sense and feel your lack of displeasure for social media. Why?"

"The overwhelming bias and mistreatment towards my client." answered Zamir, shaking his head. "We just want a fair trial and not have her be treated like an absolute pariah."

"It was of her own doing," pointed out the award-winning documentarian. "It's been 6 months since your client's attack on Chuck Bartowski who is considered a beloved pillar of the community. It's still fresh in people's hearts and minds so they have every right to speak their minds on social media." Bentley paused. "Free speech. You should know you're a lawyer and…"

"I'm fully aware of the 1st amendment, Ms. Bentley," interjected Lizzie's defense attorney. A hint of anger and frustration was expressed in Zamir's voice, which he suddenly became aware of. He took a moment while seated across from Bentley to not only compose himself but gather his thoughts as well. After he took a deep breath, he spoke up. "I apologize for my curtness towards you. It's unfortunate the court of public opinion has already found her guilty," Zamir uttered. "My client deserves the right to due process."

"The 5th Amendment." Bentley confidently noted.

Zamir nodded and expressed an impressive smile for her Amendment knowledge since she is considered a journalist in her own right. Afterwards, the determined defense attorney continued on. "What I want most out of the case is to provide some peace of mind," he conveyed. "Mostly for Lizzie's parents."

"How have they been coping with their daughter being arrested? Also, additional charges were added," Bentley briefly glanced down at her notecards. "Aggravated assault, assault with a deadly weapon, and 2nd degree murder." listed off the television host.

"Terribly," answered Zamir, shaking his head. "It's hard for them to understand why their daughter did this unspeakable act. What was even more surprising to them was the fact that she told them she fell in love, but never really shared the details with her parents."

"Her parents are of Indian descent, correct? Hindi, if I'm not mistaken," questioned Bentley. Zamir nodded and that led to the television host pressing forward with her questioning. "Oftentimes, parents from other countries such as India are very traditional. One such tradition is arranged marriages." she shared, noting the traditional Indian/Hindu culture.

"Are you implying my client was breaking with tradition, Ms. Bentley?" inquired Zamir. "And she wanted nothing to do with taking part in an arranged marriage?" the defense attorney firmly retorted.

"It seems like a plausible scenario when you take into account that Ms. Shafia had a seemingly active dating life," she softly fired back. "Of course, her parents didn't approve of any of the guys she was dating." Bentley shared.

After Zamir heard that piece of information, he arched his right brow. "If that were true, how would you know about that?"

"I have my sources." responded Bentley, expressing a faint grin. A few seconds later, she leaned forward and directed another question for him to answer. "Is it true that Ms. Shafai and her parents were always at odds about her future when it came to marrying a man from their own Hindu culture? A man who was already chosen for her by her parents. Of course, they waited patiently for their daughter to finally come to her senses and obey their wishes. Unfortunately, she didn't."

"I'd rather not comment on that," responded Zamir, shaking his head. "Besides, it's merely speculation and doesn't hold any significant weight in regard to the facts and truth, Ms. Bentley." he added, giving a firm nod towards her.

The award-winning documentarian stood her ground and firmly pressed further with Zamir. "What's your response that even though she did have a dating life, the guys she dated never truly measured up to her standards? Her one and only primary focus was on Chuck. I have verified proof of that through credible sources of mine."

The tension could absolutely be cut with a knife between both individuals as they momentarily stared each other down. Neither the host nor the defense attorney clearly were backing down as both individuals returned each other's powerful shots as if it was a challenging tennis match rather than an interview for a documentary. In any case, as much as Bentley wanted to personally challenge her guest and press him further on the issue of family turmoil because a cultural tradition was broken, she showed her professionalism by softening her whole attitude, as well as demeanor.

"I think it's best if we switched gears," insisted Bentley, leaning back. "Don't you think, Counselor?"

"Yes," nodded Zamir, in agreement. "It would be best if we did."

After a brief pause from Bentley, she changed the topic of discussion. 'From my understanding, Judge Clarence Stanfield is currently presiding over Lizzie's trial. He has the reputation for running his courtroom like a military general." she noted.

"You did your homework," responded Zamir. A slight nod was given in response by the documentarian. "He and I are very familiar with each other." he vaguely shared.

"I take it you've butted heads with Judge Stanfield in the past." Bentley saw the way Zamir slightly tilted his head, the tone in his voice, and how he arched his right brow. It told her all that she needed to know. Afterwards, she continued with her line of questioning. "Does the fact the trial is in recess right gives you an advantage or disadvantage, especially with Judge Stanfield on the bench?" she added.

"I think because of the break, there's an opportunity to gather our own medical and psychiatric witnesses that will focus on my client's mental health." the skilled defense attorney answered.

"So let me get this straight," Bentley furrowed her eyebrows. "Your defense hinges on basically having your client pleading insanity." she pointed out. "Isn't that considered a cop out to avoid a harsher sentence, Mr. Zamir?"

Zamir faintly chuckled with amusement after he heard what Bentley said. After briefly shaking his head, he gave his response. "Ms. Bentley, your singular focus was predicated on the assumption of solely going straight for the insanity defense. A cop out as you so eloquently put it."

"I call it as I see it." firmly retorted Bentley.

A tightlipped, but composed smile was expressed by Zamir after the comment was previously made by the very determined woman who was sitting across from him. Afterwards, he briefly looked down and took a moment to place his hands down on his lap. It wasn't long before he smoothed out his pants, which lasted for a few seconds. When it was over, he looked and leaned forward.

"All I'm going to say is," he calmly stated, locking eyes with Bentley. "My team and I are exploring all avenues when it comes to the best defense possible for Ms. Shafai. Of course," Zamir briefly paused before he pressed forward. "It's going to be a tremendous mountain to climb knowing the odds are truly stacked against us."

The interview Bentley had with Zamir cut to the award-winning documentarian back at the studio sitting behind the glass desk once again.

"That was quite the interview with Mohammed Zamir," stated Bentley, softly chuckling with amusement. "Ms. Shafia's lead defense counsel." She took a momentary pause and briefly glanced down before she looked back up into the camera. "After the break, we'll return with more from Detective Lau's investigation into Lizzie Shafia and finally delve into why Chuck became his own worst enemy to the point where it involved Sarah. Stay tuned." she added, pointing to the camera.

XXX

"Detective Lau," Bentley took a moment and shifted in her seat making herself more comfortable. Afterwards, she leaned forward a bit and continued her interview with the veteran LAPD detective assigned to Chuck's case. "You mentioned that she refused to cooperate after she was arrested and made the decision to not say anything at all. Has that changed and were you able to make any progress with Ms. Shafai?" she added, with genuine interest.

"We've managed to make some progress before she ended up asking for a lawyer," answered Lau. 'It happened 6 days after she was arrested."

"Mohammed Zamir."

Lau nodded. "It took some doing but I managed to establish an open dialogue with her." the veteran detective revealed.

"How?"

"Usually, through the traditional method of the Reid technique."

"Please," requested Bentley. "Expound on that, Detective."

"It's a technique that creates a high-pressure environment for the interviewee," shared Lau. "Followed by sympathy and offers of understanding and help, but only if a confession is forthcoming. It's been used since the 1970s and has been widely utilized by police departments in the United States." she further elaborated. "Unfortunately, the technique has been heavily criticized because of its unacceptably high rate of false confessions, especially from juveniles and the mentally impaired.

"Yet, when it's interrogation scenes that happen on television it's considered gripping," she pointed out. "At the same time over the top simply for drama and action." she added, noting the truth in her comment.

Lau agreed half-heartedly with what Bentley said. Afterwards, she gave her response. "As much as Hollywood gets it wrong most of the time, I can't help but be sucked in with shows like The Shield."

"Guilty pleasure?"

A slight grin was expressed by Lau. "One of the best interrogation scenes happened in season 1 of episode 10. The character Dutch went toe to toe with an arrogantly serial killer who thought he was the smartest person in the room. He wasn't. Dutch was able to get the serial killer to confess much to the surprise of everyone including the main character Vic Mackey, who was totally impressed." the veteran detective recalled, shaking her head.

Bentley politely nodded. "Circling back to the Reid Technique," At that point, she redirected the focus back to the topic in question before it got sidetracked by her own doing. "I take it wasn't used on Ms. Shafai?"

Detective Lau shook her head. "I went with a totally different approach altogether."

6 Months Ago
Thursday
LAPD Interrogation Room

Lau entered the interrogation with a file folder tucked underneath her right arm and holding a cup of coffee in her right hand. As for her other hand, she was holding a covered plate presumably filled with food. After she approached the table that Lizzie was sitting on the other side of, she placed the cup of coffee and plate of covered food down on top of the table in front of her. It wasn't long before she held the file that was tucked underneath her right arm in her left hand. The veteran detective reached down and pulled out the metal chair inevitably taking a seat. Before she opened the file, she picked up the cup of coffee and took a sip.

Both women sat in silence at the interrogation table. However, every so often the sound of coffee being sipped broke the silence, which came from Detective Lau. As she continued to sip her cup of coffee, Lau perused the contents of the file folder, which had a few crime scene photos of the courtyard. She purposefully placed them out in a way that Lizzie would focus her attention on the photos. A few seconds later, she reached over and uncovered the plate revealing what was on it. It wasn't long before she took a bite of what was on the plate without even saying a single word or even offering some to the woman sitting on the other side of the table. Apparently, Lizzie knew what it was because Lau noticed her reaction after revealing the food item in question.

A few more seconds went by before Lau spoke up. "Do you want some? They're delicious." she stated, taking another bite of the food item in question.

Lizzie didn't respond at first. She continued to sit there and just stared at her. Actually, she was staring more at the food item in question than Detective Lau. Speaking of Lau, she knew by doing that she instantly got her attention as she shrugged her shoulders. After taking another bite, her focus returned the paperwork in the file folder she brought in with her.

"Balushahi." softly uttered Lizzie.

Lau sat there for a few seconds until she looked up from the paperwork she was checking over in the file. "What was that? Did you say something?" asked Lau. She didn't get a response as Lizzie lowered her gaze and remained silent.

The Present

"I actually heard what she said," smirked Lau, with amusement. "I had her hooked. It was just a matter of time before I reeled her in."

"What is Balushahi by the way?" wondered Bentley.

"It's a Hindi donut dessert," answered Lau. "The one thing about me is I take thorough notes when I talk to people who knew or were close to the suspect." The 10 year veteran of the LAPD reached into her inside right pocket of her suit coat and took out her notepad. "When it came to her talking with Ms. Shafai's parents, I made sure to note certain things that would potentially help in my investigation." she added, proudly flipping through her notepad. "One thing I noted was Balushahi was one of her favorite childhood desserts when she was a kid that her mom made for her."

Bentley was impressed after she heard that. However, she arched her right brow out of genuine curiosity. "You actually had her mom make some for her?"

"Not exactly," Lau leaned forward and shook her head. You don't become a 10 year veteran detective without learning a few tricks here and there." she added, shrugging her shoulders. Afterwards, she leaned back expressing a proud smirk.

XXX

6 Months Ago
Thursday
LAPD Interrogation Room

Lau continued to sit quietly looking over the paperwork in the file folder she brought in with her. Among those files were bloody crime scene photos of the courtyard where Lizzie stabbed Chuck. As the veteran detective slowly sifted through the paperwork, she reached over to the plate of Balushahi and took a bite of it. After she did, she kept her peripheral view on not only the prime suspect's reaction in regard to her eyes, but her bodily language as well. From her observation, the woman who was also known as Pita Girl seemed shut down and distant. However, the suspect's eyes told a very different story as they were directly focused on the Hindi donut dessert that was sitting on the plate just a few inches away from her.

After a brief moment of reaching over and taking another bite of the Hindi donut dessert, Lau pushed the plate with the remaining Balushahi towards Lizzie. Once she did, the 10 year veteran of the LAPD spoke up.

"Those are good," Lau stopped for a second. She picked up her cup of coffee and took a quick sip before sitting back down. Before she resumed speaking to Lizzie, Lau cleared her throat. "Your mom told me those are your favorite."

Lizzie didn't respond right away. She just sat there in silence across from Lau. That didn't deter the detective at all. She continued to sift through the paperwork and made sure to emphasize crime scene photos that she purposely laid out in front of Chuck's attacker after she took her seat at the interrogation table. It wasn't long before Lau noticed Mr. Zamir's client snagged a couple of the desserts off the plate. The detective heard from where she was sitting the faint sound of enjoyment as she devoured the delectable dessert. A brief moment later, Lizzie reached up and wiped her mouth, which led to her finally speaking up.

"You talked to my mom?" she softly asked.

Detective Lau didn't look up as she kept her attention on her paperwork. All she did was respond with only two words. "She did."

There was another moment of silence shared between the two women before Lizzie spoke again. "Is she mad?" softly inquired.

This time, Lau slowly looked up and focused her full attention towards Lizzie. After she took a deep breath, she responded to the prime suspect of Chuck's brutal attack in the hospital courtyard.

"She is more confused and heartbroken than mad, Lizzie," responded Lau. "So is your father." she added. "I know why you did what you did. The question is," The detective leaned forward and placed both hands on the table, which were softly intertwined. "Do you realize what you did?"

Instead of answering Lau's question, Lizzie ignored it and asked a question of her own. "How is Chuck doing?"

"After what you did to him," Lau shook her head before she responded. "There is a possibility that he may never walk again." she firmly added.

"You're lying."

"I'm not." Lau shook her head again. "According to the doctor that performed emergency surgery on him," Lau took a moment and looked for the notes that related to Chuck's condition after his surgery. After she finally found it, she took out and shared the results, but in terms that Lizzie would hopefully understand. "You slightly lacerated part of his lower spine. His L5 to be exact."

"His doctor fixed him, right?"

Lau nodded. "She did. He's been recovering the past couple of days," Lau paused before resumed speaking. "However, it's too early to tell if the damage you inflicted is very serious because of all the significant swelling." she shared, trying to carefully observe Lizzie's overall demeanor.

"How long will it take for the swelling to go away?" Lizzie proclaimed, sounding innocent.

"Weeks," the detective answered. "Maybe months. It all depends on if Chuck listens to his doctor." she added.

"I hope Chuck listens to his doctor," At that point Lizzie suddenly expressed a soft smile. "He's a good listener. That's one of the reasons everybody loves him."

Lau politely nodded. "He's a beloved online personality and his fanbase reaches beyond the United States. What's not love?"

"I'm his biggest fan though. I'm the one who always gives him the pita gift basket. All made with love." she uttered, placing her right hand over her heart. Afterwards, she reaches for the two remaining Balushahi that were sitting on the plate. After she finished off one of the two treats that were left, Lizzie made a request. "Can I get something to drink?"

"Sure." nodded Lau. "I can make that happen."

The Present

"I knew at that point Lizzie was getting comfortable. That's when I had her reeled in," smiled Lau. "However, I didn't want to rush it. Unfortunately, I made a rookie mistake and by the time I realized it she already asked for a lawyer."

"What happened?" wondered Bentley.

6 Months Ago
Thursday
LAPD Interrogation Room

The bottle of water was considered absolutely refreshing to Lizzie, especially after eating the sweet donut treats. After taking one more sip from the water bottle, she set it aside and Lau sat there witnessing the entirety of it. Speaking of the 10-year veteran of the LAPD, she briefly assessed the situation because she didn't want to jump in and ask questions too early. So, she gave it a moment and once enough time passed, she pressed forward.

"What do you remember about the day in the courtyard?" Lau asked, trying to set the pace on her terms. "The day Chuck nearly lost his life." She worded what she wanted to say very carefully to avoid getting triggered.

Lizzie was momentarily silent as if she was gathering her thoughts on that particular day before she responded.

"It wasn't my fault."

"There were several witnesses who saw you holding the knife, Lizzie."

"That's not what I meant," Lizzie retorted, shaking her head. "You're confusing me."

Lau lifted both hands up in front of her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," she responded. Afterwards, she circled back to what she previously stated. "What do you mean it wasn't your fault?" she inquired, slowly placing her hands on the table.

"It was Sarah's fault."

"Why do you say that?"

"Chuck moved her away before I could…"

Lizzie stopped and didn't finish what she was going to say. At that point, Lau did her best in coaxing more out of her. "Lizzie, did you see an opportunity to get Sarah out of the way?" she softly asked, leaning forward. Her full attention on the woman sitting on the other side of the table who was the prime suspect of Chuck's attack. "With Sarah out of the way you two could be together." After she said that, Lizzie expressed a noticeable reaction that the 10-year veteran of the LAPD took note of. Unfortunately, the next thing she was going to say mistakenly ended the interrogation in an abrupt way. "Plus, with you and Chuck together your parent's no longer bothering you with getting married to someone they've chosen."

After she asked that question, Lizzie's whole demeanor suddenly changed. "What did my parents tell you?" The woman who also went by Pita Girl pushed herself out of her seat and stepped back a few feet from the interrogation table. "You're actually working for my parents aren't you! They paid you and are doing this to me because I'm not going with tradition." she angrily stated, definitely pointing at Lau.

"Ms. Shafai," Lau slowly and cautiously stood up from her seat. "I assure you I'm not working for your parents or being paid by them." she added, shaking her head.

"LIAR!" she shouted. "I want a lawyer!" Lizzie added. She was now back up against the interrogation room wall clearly angry, agitated, and completely working herself up into an erratic frenzy.

The Present

"I should have known better than to bring up that subject involving her parents." Lau uttered, thinking back on that moment.

"Parents can be considered a touchy subject, Detective." responded Bentley, shrugging her shoulders. "At least you were able to get her to talk."

Lau begrudgingly nodded. "Unfortunately, I wanted to tell me in her own words why she did it."

Bentley gave an understanding nod towards Lau. "I'm sure there's more than enough evidence to convict Lizzie." Afterwards, she expressed a brief smile towards the detective who was sitting across from her. "I know Chuck and Sarah truly appreciate what you've done for them throughout this whole ordeal."

XXX

"Chuck, you previously mentioned that you ended up becoming your own worst enemy." Bentley noted and circled back to what the nerdy online host said earlier in his interview with Sarah. "And how your wife didn't deserve it." she added, briefly glancing at the blonde. "Could you further elaborate on that?"

"I didn't turn to the dark side right away," Chuck stated. "Like Anakin did turning into Darth Vader in Revenge of the Sith." the nerd added, reference Episode 3 of the Star Wars prequels. "Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering."

A quizzical look was expressed on Bentley's face. "Okay…"

"It's a Star Wars reference," Chuck pointed out. "Yoda said it to a young Anakin Skywalker when he stood amongst the Jedi Council in the Phantom Menace."

Bentley shrugged her shoulders. "I'm more of a Star Trek fan myself." she confessed. "Or Trekkie as we refer to ourselves." she proudly proclaimed. "Yoda is that short, green looking alien right?"

Chuck's eyes widened. As much as he wanted to school Bentley on the awesomeness of Yoda, he took a deep breath and responded. "He lived to be 900 years olds before he became one with the force. One of the wisest Jedi Masters and strongest when it comes to using the force."

"He's like Spock," responded Bentley. "Only a taller and considerably more logical version of Yoda. Plus, Spock has the Vulcan nerve pinch which is much more effective than the force."

The way that Bentley responded concerning her comparison of Spock and Yoda caused Chuck's eyes to widen even more. Speaking of Chuck, he sat there staring wide eyed at the woman who was interviewing him. At that moment, he totally forgot he was currently being interviewed. Why? He couldn't help but think about the long-standing tradition of the Star Trek/Star Wars inter-fandom rivalry that will never be broken. A rivalry so intense that Star Trek: Generations actor Will Wheaton actually dressed up in a Starfleet Uniform to Star Wars movie premieres not only in real life, but in the series The Big Bang Theory. Meanwhile, Sarah instantly noticed the wide-eyed expression her nerdy husband was shooting towards Bentley after mentioning she was a Star Trek fan. In that instance, she chimed in before an all-out war between two passionate people who represented their fandoms occurred during their interview.

"I think what my husband is trying to say is," The beautiful blonde reached over with her right hand without even looking and lowered her husband's left hand. A left hand that she knew was about to force choke the award-winning documentarian before she intervened. "We don't keep secrets or lies from each other. If he needs to talk to me," Sarah briefly turned her head and faced Chuck. She shared a soft smile with her nerdy husband. "I'll listen. Just like he's there for me if I need to talk to him. It's a dynamic that has worked for us." she proudly proclaimed.

The shared smile between husband and wife was subsequently broken when they heard Bentley's voice.

"I assume the dynamic wasn't working after Chuck was attacked."

The nerdy married couple turned their attention back to Bentley. There was a moment of awkward silence before Chuck cleared his throat and spoke up.

"It initially started a couple hours before Friday's Bash At the Bench," Chuck paused thinking back on that moment. "I felt like I was letting everyone down by not being physically out there on stage."

"Did you tell that to Sarah?"

Instead of Chuck answering Bentley's question, Sarah answered it. "He didn't have to. I just knew."

"How?" wondered Bentley.

"He's my Chuck," responded Sarah. "I know him, especially when he thinks loudly." she added, tilting and motioning her head towards Chuck.

6 Months Ago
Friday - Bash At The Bench
Chuck's 5th Floor Private Room

"Everything is set, Morg," uttered Chuck, hitting the last configuration on the laptop. The remote for his room's television and his iPhone sitting right next to it. "Just hit the enter button and it's showtime."

Morgan was standing at the foot of his head when he heard his nerdy best friend. Afterwards, he made his way around to the right side and took a step forward. Before he picked up the laptop from the small rolling table, he turned and faced it towards him. "Awesome." he responded, with a smile. His attention on the laptop returned to his childhood best friend. "Don't worry dude, I got this."

"We got this."

Both men turned their heads in the direction of the source of the voice. That person was standing at the window. It was Sarah. Her arms were crossed expressing a soft smile towards the two men. Morgan mostly.

"It's a team effort, Morgan."

"You're right, Sarah. You, me, Laz…" nodded Morgan. "Everybody's pitching in. This is going to be a special day just for you, buddy." he added, pointing to Chuck.

"That's the thing," Chuck responded, shaking his head. "It shouldn't be. What it should and always will be," he briefly paused. "All about the kids."

Sarah walked towards and inevitably stood on the left side of Chuck's hospital bedside. Afterwards, she gently reached down and placed her right against his left cheek. "I know, babe." she softly uttered.

The Chief Operating Officer of Westside could see a mixture of sadness and disappointment expressed in his face, which caused him to lower his head. However, she wasn't going to allow her fiancée to feel sorry for himself. In a matter of seconds, she shifted her right hand placing it underneath Chuck's chin and lifted his head. Sarah moved it towards her and made sure their eyes locked on one another.

"You want to be out there for them, but at least they get the next best thing." Sarah leaned down and moved in closer to Chuck's face. "They'll be able to see and hear you. It will definitely bring a smile on everybody's faces, especially for the kids."

"You think so?" he breathed out.

"I know so." smiled Sarah. Afterwards, the nerdy couple shared a brief but tender kiss. A few seconds later, the oldest Walker daughter straightened up and proudly gazed at the man she loves laying in his hospital bed. "We'll give you some privacy before you personally address the Bartowski Brigade." Sarah picked and handed over his iPhone to him that was sitting on the rolling table.

Sarah leaned down again and gave one more tender kiss before she left with Morgan. However, before leaving Chuck posed a seemingly important question.

"What do I even say?"

Morgan and Sarah momentarily looked at each other before the beautiful blonde gave her nerdy fiancée the answer.

Sarah softly smiled. "Just speak from the heart." she answered, placing her right hand over her heart.

It wasn't long before Sarah and Morgan stepped out leaving him the only one left in his hospital room. As he sat there in his hospital bed, he took a moment and stared at his phone before his attention averted towards the window. For the first time in a long time, he actually felt nervous. Why? Although he addressed the Bartowski Brigade approximately 500 times, this was going to be the first time that he wasn't going to be physically out there. A tradition that was sadly broken due to unforeseen circumstances. After taking a deep breath, Chuck prepared to go live on the Nerdy Nerfherder and Fuzzball's YouTube channel 6 days after his horrific attack in the hospital courtyard.

XXX


NOTE: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. A number of familiar characters you recognized like General Stanfield from the Pilot episode of Chuck as a Judge Stanfield. Also, Mohammed Zamir as Lizzie's defense attorney who was Dr. Zamir in Chuck vs The Broken Heart. What did you think? Leave a comment and share your thoughts on this chapter! As I've said before, the comments we fanfic writers get are considered incentives to writer more. In any case, tip of the hat to you all and any grammatical mistakes are my own!