You Can't Cuddle With The Immune

Chapter 40: The End

When Shane woke up, the first thing he saw was white. White ceilings, white walls, white tiles. He blinked a couple of times and sat up, unaware of his surroundings, or the fact that there were needles inside his arm. A sharp pain brought his attention to the IV and when he reached for it, a voice stopped him.

"You're awake!"

Shane looked up, his heart still racing, his head still spinning, and his version still unfocused. He had to closed his eyes and reopen them before he finally noticed Ashley sitting on the chair.

"Ashley?" He said her name in a whisper. She sent him a smile, a soft, warm smile, that silenced the pounding against his ears and calmed his body's fight or flight response.

He reached for her and flinched. She jumped up and placed her hand on his chest.

"Lay back down," she suggested and Shane obeyed, but he never took his green eyes off her gray ones. "You've been in a coma for almost a month, your body's probably not use to moving."

Shane barely heard her. He gently placed his hand over her wrist and pulled her down until their lips were touching.

He kissed her softly at first, placing his hand on her cheek and his thumb caressed her, traced her features all the way down to her chin, as he took her all in.

He missed her.

He moved his hand from her wrist and placed it on her neck, deepening the kiss until he couldn't hold himself back anymore. Ashley must have been thinking the same thing because she threw her leg over his bed and lowered herself over him.

He placed both hands on her hips and pulled her closer.

And that's how they stayed, tangled together, saying things without words and making up for lost time.

Until Ashley pulled away, leaned her forehead against his, and tried to catch her breath.

"I really should tell them you're awake," Ashley whispered, but she didn't move and Shane didn't want to let her go. He couldn't find the words to express the feeling that tighten around his chest. He never wanted to let go. "You've been in a coma for a month," she said again, forcing herself to sit up. "They really need to know you're awake."

Shane looked up at her confused. "A month?"

Ashley nodded as she repositioned herself to be laying next to him. He hugged her close to him and she took his hand into hers. She played with his fingers and didn't look him in the eyes.

"You lost a lot of blood and you went into shock. We weren't sure if you were going to wake up."

Ashley wrapped her arm around his waist and pulled herself closer to him. Shane placed two fingers on her chin and made her look up.

"I'm here," he whispered, planting a small kiss on her lips.

"Thanks to Jeremy," she added and Shane raised an eyebrow. "You have the same blood type," she reminded him, "and you needed a transfusion. They think your body was trying to get rid of whatever was left of the parasite and, in theory, repairing itself, which is why you were in a coma."

"Who's they?" Shane asked, before pulling himself up in a sitting position. "Where am I?"

Ashley sat up next to him. "You, my friend, are in FBI's brand new, super-secret hospital wing," Ash smirked at his confusion.

"Last time I checked they wanted me dead," he reminded her. "What changed?"

"Jeremy, Ella, Alyssa, and Dominic," Ashley sung with a smile. "They saved the President's daughter during the attack in D.C. They were separated from her and her mother for awhile during the start of the breakout. She was stationed in D.C as a partnership with Storm until it was safe for the President to come get them." Her smile fell. "Storm had The First Lady killed when she found out there was going to be a hit at the school and ordered a few zombies to kill his daughter. Jeremy found her cornered with a couple of zombies at the dance and together, they saved her life and got out of the school and into safety. They didn't know who she was, of course. But when the President finally got to his daughter, she wouldn't stop talking about her heroes that saved her and how they were on their way to get the man that killed her mother."