Always Go Back (Jack Reacher Fanfiction)

Chapter 9: The Locals

"Gunner, are you okay, my love?"

Gunner groaned as he opened his eyes. One of his eyes was pitch black, but the other was struggling to make out shapes. He felt the coolness of the cage all around him and it actually soothed his aching muscles and petrified nerves.

"Gunner, can you hear me?"

"Yeah, Sky, I can," he rasped as he felt the new surgery that they had preformed on him making his throat feel like sandpaper. his voice even sounded than his bark.

Skylar frowned from the cage that she was in. They always did more with Gunner than her and it made her heart ache. She couldn't do anything for him. She couldn't even curl around him when he would scream in agony. She felt useless, like she wasn't even there.

There was a small moan from Gunner as he laid on the side of his flank. He wanted water, or something to soothe his aching throat. It was starting to spread down into his chest. Just breathing was starting to become painful. All this so that he could talk to humans.

"Gunner, can I ask you something," Skylar barked as she rested her head on her paws and pressed her ear to the cage wall that blocked them from seeing each other.

The last thing Gunner wanted to do was speak at the moment, but he finally gave in and smiled. "Y-Yeah," he rasped as his dry tongue lolled around in his mouth.

"What would you've wanted to name pups," she asked.

That was not the question that Gunner thought she was going to ask. "Pups?"

"Theoretically," replied Skylar quickly; little too quickly for Gunner's liking.

He didn't question her as he tipped his head back and forth. "I guess for a she-pup I've always like the name Aiyana. It means 'eternal blossom' and I think it's pretty." He swallowed painfully as tears pricked at the corner of his eyes. "For a male I would've wanted Aspen or maybe Sloan. I don't know. I never thought that I'd have a son for some reason."

"Save your voice," Skylar suddenly whispered, cutting him off. "You deserve to rest."

Gunner sighed. "I want to feel your fur next to mine," he breathed, the closest thing to a whine that Skylar had ever heard coming from him.

Skylar let out a grunt as she pulled herself forward and draped her paw forward and through the cage bars. Gunner saw it and smiled as he clasped his paw against hers. He relaxed as he now felt her against him, even if it was just her paw.

"I love you," whispered Skylar hoarsely.

Gunner allowed a fear tears to fall down his face. "I love you too."

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Sage blinked his eyes as he awoke early the next morning in Lisa's quest bedroom with Reacher. His arm had been draped over Sage's side and Sage couldn't remember if they had fallen asleep like that or not. He didn't mind, though. He wanted to feel close to something.

However, after that he couldn't fall back asleep. His memory appeared to be coming back in pieces and he wasn't always liking what he saw. He felt the love that he had had for Skylar and the thought that he would never be able to see her again was like sending ice picks through his heart. He wanted to tell someone, but Reacher didn't understand. He had never been in love, at least not that Sage knew about.

Sage knew that he couldn't just lay there. He leaped down from the bed and felt his neck move a bit, but the stitches didn't tear. Sage let out a breath of relief and walked out of the room as silently as possible.