Chapter 26 #3
“You come back to me, and I swear to God, Zen, I’ll never make you wonder again.
I’ll tell you until you’re sick of hearing it.
I’ll tell you before every mission and after every firefight.
I’ll tell you when you’re being an asshole, which means you’ll hear it at least ten fucking times a day.
” Shaun gave a watery laugh, pressing Zenko’s hand more firmly against his mouth.
“You come back, and you never have to guess what you mean to me again.”
He lifted his head enough to look at Zenko’s face, anger joining the fear because anger was easier to carry and Zenko would understand it.
“You hear me, Marks? You do not get to drag me into this whole relationship thing, make me fall completely fucking stupid over you, then check out before I get to make you miserable for the next fifty years. That is bullshit, and I won’t accept it.”
Shaun leaned closer, his voice dropping again. “I love you. I choose you. So you fight, because I’m right here waiting for you.”
The hand beneath his remained still, but Shaun could have sworn the monitor changed for half a second, one number climbing before settling again. He stared at it, refusing to pretend he understood what it meant, until the nurse came back and checked Zenko’s face before giving Shaun a small nod.
“His pressure is holding better.”
“See?” Shaun dragged his thumb over Zenko’s hand again. “Bossy bastard heard me.”
“He usually does.” Noble’s voice came from somewhere close behind Shaun, thick enough to reveal that he hadn’t completely pulled himself together either. “Especially when somebody tells him something he wants to hear.”
Shaun finally looked back. Noble stood with Castiel and Reese near the doorway, while Cade remained closer, his expression carrying the same grief Shaun had seen before they left his room. The memory struck hard enough to make Shaun’s stomach clench.
We lost someone.
“Cade.” Shaun didn’t release Zenko’s hand as he met his teammate’s gaze. “You were telling me something before they came for me.”
Cade’s mouth tightened, and for a second Shaun thought he might finish the sentence right there. Instead, his eyes moved to Zenko before returning to Shaun. “It can wait.”
“You said we lost someone.”
“I know what I said.” Cade crossed the short distance and crouched beside the wheelchair, resting his forearm along Shaun’s. “The intel isn’t going anywhere, Shaw. Neither am I. Right now your place is here, and mine is making sure you don’t faceplant while you’re sitting beside your man.”
Shaun wanted to argue, but exhaustion hit him with enough force that his shoulders sagged before he could open his mouth. Cade noticed and gave him a look that dared him to pretend otherwise.
“Fine. Later.”
“Later,” Cade agreed, straightening again. “I promise.”
The five minutes Noble had negotiated became ten, then twenty, as Zenko’s numbers continued to stabilize and nobody came to throw Shaun out.
Eventually Reese disappeared to bring coffee, returning with enough cups for everyone and a bottle of water he pushed into Shaun’s free hand.
Castiel spoke quietly with one of the nurses, translating the occasional piece of medical jargon for Noble and Max when the commander’s patience started wearing thin, while Cade remained against the wall and watched Shaun with the same vigilance Shaun kept on Zenko.
Hours blurred into one another until the doctor returned and finally used the word stable without attaching a warning to it.
Shaun listened to every explanation about blood loss, cardiac arrest, pressure, and the need to keep Zenko sedated while his body recovered, but only one fact stayed with him after the doctor left.
He’s alive.
I’ll take it.
Eventually Noble ordered Reese and Castiel to get food and sleep, then he and Max disappeared with them after Shaun threatened to throw the water bottle at his head if he tried ordering him away from the bedside too.
Cade lasted another half hour before Shaun caught him yawning and pointed toward the door.
“Go. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Neither is he.” Cade glanced toward Zenko, then rested a hand briefly on Shaun’s shoulder. “Call if you need me. I mean it.”
“I know.” Shaun waited until Cade left before letting his head sink against the back of the chair.
The room settled around him, machines humming quietly while the ventilator kept its steady rhythm beside the bed. Shaun shifted closer until he could rest his forearm along the mattress without disturbing anything, Zenko’s hand still held securely inside his own.
“You heard me earlier, right?” Shaun murmured, his eyelids suddenly too heavy to keep open. “No pretending you didn’t when you wake up, because I’m only doing that giant romantic declaration once.”
His mouth curved when he imagined exactly what Zenko would say about that particular claim. Probably something about Shaun being full of shit, followed by an order to repeat every fucking word.
“Fine,” Shaun whispered, pressing one last kiss against Zenko’s fingers. “I’ll say it again when you wake up.” He watched the rise of Zenko’s chest until exhaustion finally won, his fingers still curled around the hand of the man he had almost lost as sleep dragged him under.