SUNSHINE [Frank Castle]

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE - DECIDEDLY NOT DEAD

Charlotte jerked awake two hours after Madani's father finished patching up Frank. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and on an instinct she instantly woke and grabbed that hand and a knife from her belt and pressed it to the throat of whoever was there.

It was only Madani, though, with a cup of coffee she nearly spilled in her hand. "A little jumpy there, Romanoff?"

"Sorry, Madani," she muttered before sitting back down. She glanced to her left, at the bed where Frank lay sleeping. "Look, Dinah, I can't thank you enough—"

"Don't mention it." Dinah handed her the coffee and she murmured a 'thank you' as she brought it to her lips. "I mean, I can't say he was happy to do it, but—"

"I know."

"You can go, if you want. I'll sit with him for a while."

"No." She shook her head. "I'm here to stay." She meant until he woke up, but more than that, she meant that she was there to stay with him for as long as he'd have her.

Madani nodded and left the room, and Charlotte took one of Frank's hands, lacing their fingers together. She looked down at him, his facial expression one of tortured sadness, even when asleep.

"I'm sorry, Frank," she whispered to him. "I should've done better. I should have stopped him sooner. I can't believe you almost died because I wasn't good enough. I don't know what I would have done."

She brought their joined hands up to her lips, shut her eyes, and pressed a lingering kiss to the back of his hand. Against his skin, she whispered, "god, I love you, Frank Castle. You know how much that scares the shit out of me?"

For so, so many reasons. One being that she'd only ever loved one other person like that and he'd broken her heart. Two being that just being in love was scary— that feeling that you'd do anything for somebody, and that if you ever lost them you'd be shattered.

"I love you too," she heard him say, and she was certain he was dreaming, that he must have been dreaming, probably about Maria. But when she opened her eyes and looked at him, he was looking back at her.

"What?"

"I love you, Sunshine," he repeated, and she could tell the words felt strange on his tongue. Like he hadn't said them in a long, long time, and even when he had people to say them to, he had a hard time doing it.

"I thought you were asleep."

"What, and miss hearin' you pour your guts out? Never."