Satellite

Chapter 34 - Tension

        He snapped out of it and gave her an apologetic smile. "Oh! Sorry... I um, you're okay, right?"

        (Y/N) could see just how stressed he really was. His movements were rapid as his mind jumped from one thing to another. Just like back at the hospital.

"Wes, I'm fine." She reassured but grimaced when another shot of pain hit her brain. More drops of blood fell from her nose that she quickly caught with the rag in her hands. "Well, sort of fine..."

"Your brain is still recovering. You should get some rest before we leave." He patted her shoulder gently.

       But she looked confused. Before they leave?

       The door to the radio room opened and in came Dell and Rockman who heard that she was awake.

        Dell raced into her arms and hugged her tightly which gave (Y/N) some whiplash. "God- don't ever do that again! You hear me?!"

"I-I won't..." The nurse dizzily said but extended an arm to pull Rockman into an embrace who chuckled in relief and hugged her close. He didn't want to believe the team's words, but she actually came back.

        (Y/N) leaned against the old hippie as he helped her walk out of the room. Wes kept a close eye on her and her recovery. Her brain was the primary injury she had. As it recovered, so did her senses and motor skills.

        As they walked, they made their way to the living room where Rose and the sergeants were standing around a map. The captain noticed them first and grinned at the sight of her. He couldn't hold back his chuckles as he turned to them and gave her an approving pat on the arm. "Hell of a thing you pulled, kid. But let's not do it again unless we have to."

"I'm not looking forward to repeating this again..." She groaned which earned a hefty chuckle from the captain.

"You sure you should be standing?" Cheng asked as she leaned against the wall holding the map. "No offense but you still look like a corpse."

       (Y/N) deadpanned at her. "Ya think?"

       Her eyes still had dark circles and she was just a little paler than normal. She could do with some rest though. Waking up from certain death felt worse than the first time. Maybe because the side of her head just had a large hole in it. At the mention of her not supposed to be standing, she felt a pair of arms loop under her legs and back and lift her up off her feet. She gasped at the sudden movement and turned to meet those hazel eyes that focused on hers.

       He hasn't said anything since she arrived.

        Drake pulled his eyes away from hers and carried her over to the couch. The way he moved and held her was like a porcelain doll at risk of shattering. As if any abrupt move from him could hurt her. It was the gentlest she'd ever seen him be...

        The sergeant sat her on the couch so that she didn't have to walk herself. Her hands were on his shoulders as he did so and a few seconds of physical touch between them occurred before they eventually separated. She pulled her hands away and he did the same.

        Only the fading feeling of each other remained.

        A deeper part of their minds didn't want to separate just yet.

"Now that she's awake, we can proceed with the plan." Rose spoke and turned back to the map. He pointed to a specific area on the map that was circled in marker. "We make the trip to Baxburry. Just a few miles from that military base but not too far off our route to the facility. We'll be able to scavenge that town for what we need."