Liz looks around, hoping the doctor will come back in so she can ask if he can have water.
“No sweetie, you’re alive. Safe at home,” she tells him, wanting so badly to reach out and take his hand. “I’ll go get the doctor and let her know you’re awake.” The chair scrapes across the cheap tile floor as she pushes herself up.
“No,” he says with a groan. Liz is not proud of the flips her stomach does at the noise. “Stay.”
She lowers herself back into her seat, doing what he commands. Their eyes meet, sending her heart racing at the intensity in his gaze. Like when they first met, neither is willing to break that contact first, so they stay just like that, looking into each other’s eyes until Riley’s starts to drift closed. She doesn’t look away, she won’t, until she knows he is back asleep.
Back in the silence, she makes a group chat between herself, Mikey, Tyler, and Alex, shooting them a quick message to let them know the doctor won’t talk to her, but Riley woke up again. No more than thirty seconds after she hits send a response pops up. Awarning from Mikey. Dread consumes her. Matt is on his way, and he will be there any second.
Wishing she could pretend to be asleep, she slides her phone back into a pocket and listens for the right set of footsteps to echo through the empty hall. There is nothing she can do but brace herself as the heavy door is pushed open and Matt steps in, looking more smug than usual.
“He just couldn’t wait to send you to spy on us, could he?” Liz asks, making sure he can tell how annoyed she is by his presence.
“Aww. Don’t act like that. Maybe I was just excited to see you.”
“Well, be excited somewhere else. Riley doesn’t need strangers in his room,” Liz snaps, still watching his breathing, praying he doesn’t wake up again until Matt is long gone.
“No can do. While your besties are fighting with the boss man, I have the pleasure of keeping you company. Someone has to make sure you don’t plan on running again.”
“I didn’t run, dumbass. They got new information and didn’t have time to make a whole thing about it. If we didn’t go when we did, we wouldn’t have found Riley. And if he really wants to throw a fit, what I signed said I was to remain under Riley’s supervision at all times, so I was just trying to obey my orders.”
“You’re good. I didn’t know that little detail. You still should have let someone know.”
“It was either save him or stroke the general’s ego. Look me in the eyes and tell me I should have let him die just to follow protocol,” she snaps, glaring at him
“God, I hope you’re this committed to me when I take over.”
“What makes you think you will be taking over? Riley is back, and when he is cleared, he will step back into his position, until then, Alex is in charge,” she remarks.
“He wasn’t supposed to come back, and his position was meant to be mine,” he snaps, brows furrowed and jaw tense,glaring at Riley unconscious in the hospital bed. Before she is able to ask just what he meant by that, he changes the subject, “Now that he is back, are you going to let me take you to dinner? I know a great little place in town.”
“I told you, I’m seeing someone, and it’s insanely fucking rude to ask me on a date in front of him.” Her eyes snap to his, watching as his own hazel eyes dart between her and Riley.
“Alright, honey, it sounds like your three stooges are finally on their way so I’ll step out. I promise we will get dinner again soon,” he says, looking straight at Riley smirking in a way that makes her skin crawl before shuffling out the door. The tiny room is quickly replaced with three grown men in sour moods, bickering amongst themselves like their friend isn’t lying unconscious in a bed next to them.
They quickly remember the reason they are there and settle down. Emotions, high or not, a hospital is not the place to handle their problems. Mikey makes his way to Liz’s chair, dropping to his knees in front of her. She throws herself into his hug, needing it more than he could ever know.
“We’re here now. Why don’t you go shower and get some fresh clothes on before he wakes up for good.” His voice rumbles against her neck.
“I can’t leave him––” she protests.
“Do you want the first time he sees you to be when you smell like a wet sewer rat?” Mikey teases.
“You have my word, if he wakes before you get back I will personally put him back to sleep,” Alex intervenes.
He is right. Her hair is a tangled mess, grimy from the sweat her helmet caused. Her clothes are covered in dirt and blood, soaked with now dried river water. She pushes herself up, dragging her feet to the door, not ready or willing to leave his side yet.
“And take Mikey with you. When Ry wakes up, I give it threehours before he is fighting to go home, so you may want to have a room ready for him to go back to,” Alex adds as they walk out together.
After her steaming shower, Liz digs out her favorite, buttery soft black leggings and matching long sleeve top, slipping into them faster than she thought possible. Next she tackles the absolute mess of hair she has, getting it brushed and pulled up into a messy bun, letting some of her curls spring free.
While Mikey is in the shower, Liz packs all of her belongings, leaving the bags next to the door while she strips the bed sheets and puts a fresh set on. Hopefully, Riley won’t mind the white and black floral bedding she bought. The dresser is still filled with his neatly folded clothes, but she pulls a mask out and places it on the pillow, just in case.
Liz runs into the kitchen and takes an armful of bottled water and some of his favorite snacks, and displays them on the bedside table, trying to make sure he has whatever he could need. Her eyes linger on the photo, wondering if it’s too much, or if he will think she is weird for taking it, so she decides to hide it in the drawer. If things go well, and they pick up where they left off, she will take it out, but if not, she can return it to its rightful place in his room at the bunker.
“You arenotmoving in here,” Mikey shouts, catching her unpacking a bag into the second dresser in his room, parading in with just a towel wrapped around his waist.
“Yes I am, roomie.” She pays him no mind as she shoves handfuls of clothes into the overcrowded drawers.
