𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐑 ➪ 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐤²

|| 𝐀 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 ||

Hey readers! Putting the AN here because this is a really long chapter - so sorry if it drags! This is the last part of this storyline so I really hope you enjoy it and would love to hear your thoughts! Don't know how many of you watch Stranger Things but I'm still recovering from Vol 2 and using writing as a coping mechanism so the next story will probably be out soon aha. Much love to you all!

Waking up was a struggle for Jim, mostly because he was extremely comfortable, lying against something warm and cosy. For a moment, he thought he was in the Medbay, but the delightful sensation of someone continuously trailing their fingers along his bare back told him otherwise.

Then, everything came back to him. The pain in his chest as he struggled to breathe. The desperate, panicked plea for Samsa to help him. Had all of that been real? Jim didn't want to think about it, but his mind wouldn't shut off. He focussed on the heartbeat beneath him and the patterns being traced on his back. Somehow, they lulled him back to a sense of calm.  

"Jim?" That was Samsa's voice, quiet and soft. 

Jim forced his eyes open to see a dark room. His room. He also happened to be using Samsa as a pillow. "Hey, Dollface," he whispered back. "I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"Not at all."

Silence followed, during which Jim thought back to what had happened earlier. He gradually propped himself up and winced at the dull ache on both sides of his head before turning to face his girlfriend. "I'm so sorry-"

"Stop." Samsa shook her head and cupped his cheek, running her fingertips through the hair at the nape of his neck. "You have nothing to apologise for, okay?"

Jim wanted to protest but knew he wouldn't get anywhere. Instead, he sat up fully and instructed the lights to come on at low brightness. "I...I thought there was something wrong. Well, I guess there was in the end but I mean I thought...I thought I was having a heart attack."

"That's what panic attacks can feel like if you've never had one before."

Panic attacks. Hearing that aloud was terrifying but Jim couldn't ignore it. "Thank you for helping me," he managed to say despite the hoarseness of his voice.

"I didn't do much really. You're the one who got through it." Samsa reached out and took his hand in her own. "And I am so proud of you for doing so." 

Jim forced a smile, running a thumb along her knuckles. It was the only thing he could do to acknowledge her words. He didn't feel deserving of praise at all. If anything, he'd disrupted the crew. What if Samsa had been with a patient when he demanded her help? 

Samsa's movement distracted him from his thoughts as she shuffled closer to him on the bed, her eyes two glistening pools of concern and unease. "I was going to ask," she began, softly. "What do you think caused it, Jim? And we don't have to talk about it now if you don't want to. Only if you're comfortable." 

This time, there was no need to force the smile that graced his lips. "I'm always comfortable with you, Sam." That was the truth. However, his bright expression soon faded. The idea of talking through his feelings terrified him more than he liked to admit. Saying them out loud would make them real. "Maybe...maybe later. I just-" Jim cut himself off and released a shaky breath. 

"It's okay," Samsa said. "You don't have to explain. I'm here whenever you're ready, okay?" 

Ideally, he wanted to forget about everything. He wanted to lie with Samsa in his arms...and he wanted it to last forever. But Jim's mind still raced with the day's events, most notably the conversation with Luna in the Medbay. "There is something I need to talk to you about though," he began, hesitantly.