Catching A Ghost | Simon 'GHOST' Riley

TEN

Five days.

That's how long you'd been stuck around the compound for since letting Hassan go, waiting for intel on the next steps. 

Things had gone completely tits-up in Urzikstan, with Laswell being kidnapped and the others having to fight to rescue her. From what Price had told you when he called, it was a miracle any of them were alive.

You'd tried to pass the time, of course. 

You did plenty of training, to the point where every Shadow Company soldier didn't dare come near you. A lot of the time, you could be found in the break area, playing various card games with Rudy. 

The two of you had developed quite the friendship, he was such a sweet man.

Graves had tried to visit your room a few more times, begging for second chances, but thankfully, both Alejandro and Soap had caught on, and from then, you were barely left on your own.

They had all become your brothers, and despite being in an off-the-grid compound in the middle-of-nowhere Mexico, you felt more and more at home. 

That was, until it came to Ghost. 

You weren't sure what was going on with him, but he'd began to distance himself from you. He no longer waited for you in the mornings for your runs. He'd started staying in his room to read, rather than sitting downstairs. He stopped eating breakfast with everyone. 

And it hurt.

Of course, you knew why. 

It was because you'd let your heart rule your head, and his cold, stoic demeanour did not deter you like he'd hoped, it only drew you in more.

Now, all of you were sat around the tv, laptop hooked up waiting for the video call from Laswell. You sat on the sofa, between Soap and Alejandro. 

Soap had his arm rested over you, and was in receipt of constant glares from Graves, who sat in the armchair across the room. The others were scattered around, Ghost lurking somewhere behind you. 

It was so quiet in the room; you could hear the clock ticking by agonisingly.

"Hello? You guys there?"

"Kate!" you yelled, leaning forward so much you almost fell, causing Soap to grab onto your waist, pulling you back to him, "Are you okay? Where's my brother?"

"Fear not, love, I'm right here."

"Thank God." You sighed, "I miss you."

"We miss you too, angel!" Alex yelled before he appeared on screen, arm wrapped tightly around Farah. It warmed your heart to see them back together.

"Hey my love! I missed you!"

"I missed you too." You laughed, sniffing a little as you felt yourself get emotional.

Soap gave you a comforting squeeze. 

You'd leaned to him more for comfort over the past days, especially given Ghost's sudden intolerance for you. He had become just as good of a best friend as Alex, and you cherished him.

Ghost had noticed this, though, and it was ripping him apart. 

He thought he was doing what was right. He knew you needed to heal and having your ex-fiancé around 24/7 was not helping you. 

Your nightmares had increased, so he knew you weren't sleeping. 

That meant he wasn't either. 

You clouded his mind daily, and he couldn't stand it. You were distracting him, and he needed to focus on being the best soldier he could be.