Sometimes the person that you would take a bullet for was behind the trigger.
“You know I would never blame you for taking the shot,” Kyle said, opening his eyes to meet Jamie’s gaze.
“I blame myself.”
“Is that fucker dead?”
Jamie’s jaw twitched. “Yes.”
“Then you did the right thing.” The stricken, horrified look in Jamie’s eyes had Kyle leaning forward to kiss him. “Iheal, Jamie. Between the two of us, I have better survival odds.”
“You weredead, Kyle. Your heart wasn’t beating. Gracie had to put you in stasis in hopes of mitigating the effects of massive blood loss and no oxygen to the brain. She didn’t know if she could save you even with her powerandyours. I thought I would have toburyyou.”
Kyle could hear the frantic, soul-deep grief in Jamie’s voice and it just about broke him. Blinking back his own tears, Kyle kissed Jamie again, because he could.
Because he washere.
Alive.
“You’re not going to bury me,” Kyle whispered fiercely. “Not for years, not for decades. You’re going to walk down that aisle with me and you’re going to fuckingmarry me, do you hear me, Jamie Callahan? This isn’t our end. Stanislav never fucking saw our end. But we will. You and me, Jamie.We will.”
Jamie shuddered against him before wrapping him up in a tight embrace and kissing him until their lips were bruised.
“I love you,” Jamie told him, breathing the words into him. “I love you so fucking much.”
“Yeah,” Kyle said, feeling more than a little lightheaded. “I love you, too.”
Jamie wouldn’t let him go, and Kyle was all for that, but it took some maneuvering on his part to get them comfortable. Kyle slid as far over on the biobed as he could, making room for Jamie. Jamie climbed up to lie down beside him, adjusting the biobed back down to a more prone position. The biobed’s sensors beeped loudly a few times before separating out their heartbeats.
Kyle rested his head on Jamie’s chest, right over his heart, and closed his eyes. “Hold me as tight as you want, Jamie. You can’t hurt me.”
Jamie’s arms came around him, keeping him close, keeping him anchored as Kyle drifted off to sleep again.
He stayed asleep for hours this time, resting more comfortably than he had been. When Kyle finally drifted awake, it was with the slow glide into awareness that said he was being watched over by people he trusted. The quiet murmur of a multitude of voices registered in his ears right before careful fingers stroked through his hair.
“Hey,” Jamie said, the words rumbling in his chest. “You awake? Lyosha is going to break something if he doesn’t get to hug you soon.”
“Lyosha can get in line,” Valentina retorted.
Kyle cracked open one eye, half-listening to his sisters squabble where he couldn’t see them, and poked Jamie in the ribs. “Since when do you call him Lyosha?”
“Say he could,” Alexei said, bending down to catch Kyle’s eyes. “>”
“>” Kyle grumbled.
Alexei shook his head. “>”
Alexei waved his hand impatiently at Kyle, who sighed loudly before propping himself up on one elbow. Jamie hadn’t moved from the biobed Kyle had fallen asleep on, so he had to lean across him in order to hug Alexei. His brother’s warm arms enveloped him in a strong hug, heads tucked close together.
“>” Alexei murmured. “>”
Kyle didn’t have to ask who Alexei was talking about. “>”
When they separated, Jamie shifted out from underneath Kyle, sliding off the bed. His uniform was wrinkled from holding Kyle while he slept, but Jamie didn’t seem to care. Kyle stretched out on the biobed, reaching for Jamie’s hand, not willing to let him go far.
Kyle looked around the crowded medical room at his team and his family, noticing that while his mom, dad, and sisters were in regular civilian clothes, everyone else was in dress uniform.
“How long was I out? And why is everyone in uniform?” Kyle asked.
