Reapers End

Respite

The glare of the morning sun was peaking through the window but Garrus had been awake for hours. He hadn't lied when explaining that Turian's needed less sleep in order to function compared to humans, or any of the other races for that matter. It was just another thing that made their race optimal as soldiers. As he looked over toward the hospital bed, the machines monitoring Shepard's vital signs quietly beeped while she slept and Kaidan, who was slumped forward beside her, still clutching onto her hand, also asleep. He turned away to watch the sunrise when a subtle shuffling caught his attention. As he turned, he couldn't help but smile as Shepard's eyes fluttered open.

"There she is." He said softly, moving closer and smiling.

"Garrus? Am I dead?" She asked, her voice hoarse and quiet.

"Not even close. You've been a lot more dead in the past. I guess you'll need to try harder next time." He said with a soft laugh, which in turn made her smile. As she tried to move her hand, she looked down and noticed Kaidan sleeping beside her and seemed to relax a little.

"How long?" She asked, looking back at Garrus.

"Just under 4 days." He replied, his heart hammering with joy.

"Wow, I really am slacking, I made it 2 years last time." She joked, her voice still strained but Garrus still had to stifle his laughter. Slowly, he shook Kaidan's shoulder, rousing him from his slumber. Groaning, Kaidan first looked toward Garrus with an expression of confusion, tried to suss out what had happened before feeling a gentle squeeze on his hand. His vision shot straight to Shepard and when he noticed her eyes open, he sat bolt upright and cupped her face with his free hand.

"Am I dreaming?" He asked desperately, praying he wasn't still asleep. She exhaled a short breath and smiled, clasping his hand tighter as a tear cascaded down her cheek.

"It'd be a bit strange if you were dreaming and I was here. Awkward threesomes really aren't my thing." Chimed Garrus who couldn't resist throwing in a cheeky quip. Kaidan and Shepard both looked toward him and laughed before their eyes were drawn back to one-another. "I'll go tell Dr Michel and the rest of the crew you're awake. It's good to have you back Shepard." He said with genuine delight before departing. Alone in the hospital room, Kaidan wiped Shepard's tear away as she nuzzled into his hand.

"What happened Kaidan? How did I get here?" She asked.

"I don't know exactly, but you did it. You defeated the Reapers. Once the threat was over, it was feared you were dead too, but I made you a promise and the entire crew helped me keep it." He replied.

"You found me?" She asked incredulously. He nodded while gently running his fingers through her hair, caressing her face. With the weight of uncertainty lifted from his shoulders, he basked in every second, every word and every touch she made.

"Do you remember what happened to you? Anything at all?" He said, eager to know what she'd been through. She'd achieved what seemed impossible and lived to tell the tale.

"I... I think so, it's all a bit of a blur." She replied.

"We don't have to talk about it now..." He began but she raised a finger to his lips to hush him.

"It's okay. I remember reaching the Citadel through the beam. There were dead bodies everywhere, some recent, some that looked to have been processed by the Reapers. Then Anderson contacted me, he'd followed me through the beam but we weren't together." She paused, instinctively touching her side before continuing. "Everything hurt and my side was bleeding but eventually I made to a central platform. I could see the Crucible and some kind of terminal. Anderson was already there, pressing a series of command codes. As we spoke, all of a sudden there was a sharp pain in my head and everything went foggy. What happened next is a blur but I remember the Illusive Man being there, arguing with him... and a gun shot. Oh my god, Anderson! Did you find Anderson?" She asked distressed.