SICK AND TIRED, Freja wasn't even surprised when she woke up in the hospital, her entire body feeling like it had been tied to a dozen anvils, although in reality she had been attached to several machines with tubes sticking out of her arms, and her leg had been hoisted above the bed with a tight package around her shin. For a moment, she wasn't sure if she was even alive, and the wonder if everything had only been a nightmare followed soon after, but when she tried to look around and every inch of her disagreed with a sharp jolt of pain, she winced and supposed that she couldn't escape reality.
"Hey", Ravi's breathless voice was like the song of an angel, making it easy to forget the beeping and her own heavy breaths, and when Freja managed to turn her stitched-up face over to where he had been before, too — a chair pluckily planted next to her bed with no intentions to walk out — the bud of fear and panic in her chest died away. Against all odds, her lips curled up, and no longer cowering from what her heart was telling her to do, Freja reached for his hand and he was quick to grasp hers while falling victim to her contagious smile.
"You're a sight for sore eyes", she whispered, her throat aching from all the screaming and crying she had done. "How long have I been here?
Reaching for the small table behind him, Ravi never let go of her hand, but his smile sure gained power when he proudly showed the bag of chips he had gotten for her. "Sore everything", he corrected while tearing the package open with his teeth. "You were awake here and there but almost a whole day. The surgery really took a toll on you." With narrowing eyes, Freja tried to recall being operated on, but with one glance at her patched leg, she guessed that she had been in the need of one, anyway.
"Pretty sure I shouldn't eat those, then", she croaked out with a weak nod at the chips, and with an agreeing nod, Ravi proceeded to munch on the salty potato slices by himself. Once the amusement was fading away, however, the dread of how things had been when she had passed out settled in and Freja's smile disintegrated on the spot. "Where's Major? Liv? Elliot?" she listed all the names she could think of with the memory of Major's blood on her hands sending shivers down her spine, and before any more could slip from her tongue, Ravi was putting the chips away and lifting a comforting hand.
"Elliot and his fiancé visited you earlier with your mothers who are still here. I just told them to go and get something to eat. Your brother, though, now that's what I call a hero. They both gave Blaine a taste of his own medicine. Before, um, Liv stabbed the jerk with the cure and made him human", Ravi elaborated, every sentence a new curve that Freja couldn't have possibly prepared for, her lips twisting into every possible direction from faint smiles to shocked frowns. She had been unconscious for a day — this time without a punch to the head — and she had missed far more than she had anticipated.
"You got the cure?" she picked out the one thing that poked at her heart without anything additional, her grip on Ravi's hand tightening as she eyed him with admiration and pride. He, on the other hand, didn't seem quite as delighted, even if he had achieved the impossible.
"I did. But only two of them", he began with an inhale, his courage faltering as he licked his lips, "the other went for Major. Liv had to turn him into a zombie to save his life. He knows about her now." That did manage to waver Freja's lovesick stare, the joy on her features merely fleeting as she swallowed thickly, as if trying to force all the information down. While Ravi remained quiet for a moment, he did note her dry lips, and without even having to be asked, he was standing up from the chair and letting go of Freja's hand to trek across the room and get her some water.
Unsure where to even begin, Freja dropped her attention to her own hands, staring at the fingers that had been tried to scrub of blood only for a faint layer of red to still remind her of everything that had gone down. It was enough confirmation that Major had been past saving with normal methods, and she certainly didn't blame Liv for taking drastic measures — but it was a lot, especially when Ravi added that he had been cured, too.
But, the whirlwind of emotions didn't push the trauma of last night away for now, snugly hidden away in the back of her mind until she would sit down at her therapist's office.
"Liv's here, too", Ravi piped up yet again, in the middle of a mellow walk from the nearby sink back to Freja's bed with a paper cup extended for her. "Uh, her brother... he was in the line of fire when Meat Cute exploded. It's not looking too good", he continued, just in time for Freja to cough on the water she had greedily drunk, her hand instinctively reaching her mouth as she choked. Well, that certainly took a step back in the direction she was trying so desperately to run from.
Freja didn't get to say anything, only glance at the hand Ravi gently rested on her thigh when there was a knock on the already open door of her room, and both of the two were looking over to the hallway. The view of Matilda and Clive peeking into the room with worried eyes was a welcome one, and immediately breaking into a delighted sigh, Freja pursed her lips in a faint smile, which encouraged Matilda to dash across the squeaky tiles with open arms.
"Oh, Freja. You were supposed to go on a date, not wind up in the middle of an explosion", Matilda cried out, not usually one to display the most fragile of emotions, but right there and then, she didn't hide the sniffle as she brutally shoved Ravi aside and wrapped her arms around Freja. The apologetic look that the Barrett gave him over Matilda's shoulder quickly turned into a confused one, but when the Chakrabarti met her eyes with a shy smile, her educated guess was that he had told everyone she had been in the explosion — not tortured by zombies.
"I'm still kicking, aren't I?" Freja reassured, her bad choice of words encouraging Matilda to step away only to give her a stern look. "Okay, well, maybe not literally, but you know", she added with an uncomfortable glance at her leg, the memory of Blaine crushing her having earned a permanent place in her head.
"I'm gonna be third-wheeling all your dates from now on", Matilda insisted, her mind impossible to sway as she pointed at both Freja and Ravi, the latter of which suppressed a chuckle but couldn't argue — he would have threatened to do the same in her position.
With Freja's gaze wandering from Matilda to Clive, who was wringing his hands as he stepped further into the room with awkward steps, she threatened to break into another smile. "I'm all about cooperation but fair warning, my head is a little fuzzy", Freja informed right away, expecting Clive to whip out his notepad any time now, but even then, she appreciated him stopping by — they hadn't gotten the chance to get to know each other very well, but from the look that Ravi gave him, she could tell that he was there for him as much as he was for her.
Chuckling, Clive planted himself next to Matilda by the bed and shook his head. "Don't worry, I'm not here for any of that. Just thought I should wish you a speedy recovery." He pursed his lips together with heartfelt sympathy, and although Freja didn't doubt his sincerity, she needed to only give him an insistent look when he was cracking under the pressure. "Alright, I will say this: if you can remember anything, don't hesitate to stop by the precinct or give me a call. We'll be working this case together", he cleared his throat with a curt wave towards Matilda, and with her face lighting up with joy, Freja reached for the Dean's hand in support. She knew that Matilda had been dying for more opportunities at work, and teaming up with Clive certainly sounded like that.
"Thank you", Freja agreed with a nod, but she didn't get to do much more than consider throwing Blaine to the wolves when Ravi had given her a pleading look, one that effectively silenced her on the matter. When she didn't give Clive anything more to go on but her gratitude, the man repeated her nod, and after a few more comforting words regarding her hospitalized state, he was striding out of the hospital room with the promise to wait for Matilda outside.
"So, uh", Freja cleared her throat, ready to poke at another subject as she looked back up at Matilda with a cautious smile even if her voice was loaded with something taunting, "how's Peyton?"
The pride on Matilda's face melted away within seconds and the same happened to Freja's smile as she glanced between her and Ravi, the latter of which looked like he knew exactly why Matty's lips fell into a disappointed frown. "She left town, I think. I don't know what happened but she just... disappeared. Won't answer my calls, just texted that she needs some time on her own", she explained meekly, her usual confidence nowhere to be seen as she fidgeted on the floor with her shoulders lifting in a meek shrug.
The knowing look that Freja found in Ravi's eyes suggested that maybe Peyton had found out the truth about her best friend and, understandably, fled in fear. When she turned back to Matilda, however, and spotted the shades of guilt in her aimless stare, Freja knew that she was still in the dark and left with no other choice but to think she had driven Peyton away.
"I'm so sorry, Matty", Freja sighed, her fingertips brushing over the back of her hand as she tried to find the right words to say — how was she supposed to comfort someone who believed her crush to have left to avoid her, when in reality she had discovered the existence of the undead?
"Hey, at least I still have my best friend", Matilda reminded, the forced smile on her lips gaining a hint of candor as she leaned down to give Freja another, gentler hug. Unable to stop her heart from swelling, Freja clutched onto her arm and closed her eyes for the moment that Matilda spent with her chin rested on top of her head, the two of them locked in a hug that they were both in the dire need of. Eventually, though, Matilda pulled away with a sniffle. "Okay, I think I should catch up with Clive now. But I'll be visiting you every day, alright?"
Happy to have a friend like her, Freja gave her hand one last squeeze, and after exchanging smiles, the Dean was stepping towards the door — though not before giving Ravi a look that, for once, didn't carry anything additional, just appreciation for being there for Freja. Neither of the two tore their stares away from Matilda until her blue Seattle PD coat was out of sight, her dark waves just a glimpse behind the corner and traces of her perfume still lingering in the air.
Once she was gone, though, her footsteps impossible to divide from the nurses' in the hallway, Freja was turning to Ravi with a quirked eyebrow. "I'm guessing I'm not allowed to pin the blame on Blaine?" she inquired, remembering the panic crossing his eyes when Clive had given Freja to the opportunity to speak up. Although the twitch of her mouth confirmed that she wasn't upset, Ravi was ready to react with a heavy sigh all the while inching closer on his chair, both hands reaching for Freja's with a delicate touch.
"I'm sorry. I can't even imagine how difficult it must be, knowing he'll walk free but even if he is human now, zombies rely on him to supply brains. We could be looking at an apocalyptic event, should the deliveries stop", he explained apologetically, the despair on his face evident as he tried to think of any ways to relieve Freja's distress, but already in the middle of a smile, she enveloped Ravi's hand between her own and nodded softly.
"Yeah, I understand", she promised, catching Ravi off-guard, "I'll sleep a little easier knowing Elliot and Jules kicked his ass at least. Not to mention Liv." It was no lie that Blaine still prancing around was a gut punch, but as far as punishments went, Freja didn't question that being stripped of his inhuman capabilities was quite solid. Prison wouldn't hold him back, but being forced to make something of himself as a human being with a fist-sized bruise around his eye probably, served as a satisfying ending for the villain of the story.
The held air that escaped Ravi's mouth in a huff was nothing short of amazed, his head shaking silently as he let his head hang for a second. Sooner rather than later, though, he was looking up at Freja with an entirely new shade of uncertainty lodged into him. "Listen, I need to tell you something. Something I should have said a long time ago, but it's clear to me now that I can't waste another second", he began uneasily, his eyebrows knitted together as he swallowed and rested his elbows against Freja's mattress.
"More bad news?" The Barrett hated that she had gone from a natural optimist to now expecting the worst, cold dread ducking into her heart as she readjusted her position on the bed. Luckily, the rushed stare that Ravi directed at her was comforting, in the sense that he wasn't going to announce someone's death, yet the gulp he pushed down his throat didn't do much in backing up his own words.
"I care about you, Freja", he blurted out, unwilling and incapable of holding the truth back any longer. "I truly do. And I don't want to push you, but I wish for you to know that I would love nothing more than to be with you", he kept going, every word adding more power to the grin that Freja broke into, even if the bruises on her face disagreed with the cheer. The smile was, however, enough for Ravi to mimic as he breathed out and leaned closer. "I simply can't imagine my life without you anymore."
Just because Freja had gone through something terrible, it didn't turn her into an expert in feelings. But knowing that there were far more terrifying things out in the world than taking a shot at love, it made the idea of a relationship more tolerable — and with the help of therapy, she hoped to one day be capable of one. So, rather than circling the topic or letting herself fall down the rabbit hole of wondering how terribly the tension between her and Ravi could end, she accepted with a nod and let out an incredulous chuckle.
"I can't imagine mine without you, either", she confessed quietly, honest and vulnerable as she looked into Ravi's eyes and watched them brighten with realization and affection.
Acting on instinct, Ravi pushed himself out of his seat eagerly, yet made sure to be soft and careful when he cupped both of Freja's cheeks and brought their lips together in a tender kiss. With her eyes falling shut, Freja found support in his arms, the entirely new experience fluttering her heart as she leaned in as much as she could and let all her worries drain from her. It wasn't flawless, by any means, not with their noses brushing and Ravi struggling to maintain his balance above her, but maybe all the imperfections were exactly what made it so perfect — it was more than Freja could have imagined, sweet and careful but charged with emotion they hadn't been too good at talking about until now.
When Ravi finally pulled away, he stayed close enough to keep his hands on Freja's face, his thumbs involuntarily sweeping across her cheekbones and his eyes darting between hers as he let go of an enchanted breath, and burst into an admiring smile. Easily mirroring the expression, Freja reached for his face, touching the soft skin like he was doing for her, almost struggling to comprehend that the moment was truly happening. After so much hesitance, she had finally achieved what she couldn't have possibly anticipated when they had bumped into each other that day in the morgue, and not even the bitter sting of her stitches could ruin that.
"I just wish our date hadn't gotten ruined", Freja whispered into the air, pulling a chuckle from Ravi.
"Same here. But I think we've now got lots and lots of time to make up for more than enough dates", he reassured before leaving a firm kiss on Freja's forehead.
They didn't get to utter out one more word when the peace in the room was split apart by what could have only been described as fussing — the kind that really only mothers knew how to do. Immediately, Ravi was withdrawing his hands from Freja, but rather than scrambling away to destroy any evidence of their first kiss, they both remained right where they were and watched Marian and Willa storm into the room with their hands full of pastries and coffee.
As they rambled about hearing from a nurse that Freja had woken up and began to shove the baked goods into their hands, she and Ravi beamed up at one another, hopeful that whatever wounds they had gained, both physical and mental, would gradually heal — that the worst was behind them now, and all that was left to do was eat donuts, hold hands and breathe.
And when Freja looked around her, seeing her mothers and Ravi right there and believed that Matilda, Liv, Major, Elliot, Julian, and Clive were just a call away, she knew that while the path to recovery was certainly going to be a bumpy one, at least she wouldn't have to walk it alone.
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Author's note
Love me some cheesy endgame goodness (':
Okay but on a less happy note, we only have the epilogue left! Even if I'm going to find ways to keep my girl alive, I'm so so sad about ending this book. But I hope you guys will like the ending!
Thank you for reading ❤️