Silver-Lining (Ghost Riley x Reader)

Chapter Thirty-Eight

A/n: Somewhat short chapter that I find shitty. SOTD (Song of the day): Call Me When You Get Home- The Red Skirts

"I knew I should've just gone with you." Ghost paced back and forth, not bothering to stay still once as the doctor stitched me up. "Does it really matter? I'm alive aren't I?" I kept my eyes on the wound that the doctor silently tended to. "Surprisingly. I'm surprised you even made it." The doctor chimed in.

"Wait- let me get this straight. You jumped into a fucking waterfall?" Gaz asked. He leaned against the wall beside the chair that Soap was seated in. His arms were crossed over his chest and his brown eyes looked me up and down. There was a mixture of disapproval and impressiveness in his tone. "I had no other choice. I'm not usually one to act like an idiot in missions." I grumbled, avoiding the disapproving stares. "No- you act like everything is a fucking game. You don't have more than one life, Knives!" Ghost spoke angrily, still pacing back and forth.

"I made it Ghost. Stop bitching." I inhaled sharply as the doctor tugged slightly. He finished with my stitches, placing a small bandage over it. "Your body is extremely overworked. Get food and water in your system and rest." The doctor told me, eventually dismissing me.

I stood up from the uncomfortable cot, trying to find my balance. Ghost kept a protective grip around my arm in case I were to fall. "I'll tell you this- you're one tough sonuvabitch." Soap patted my shoulder a little too harshly. I smiled weakly as I followed the trio out to the Jeep. Ghost opened the passenger side door for me, allowing me to get in.

Once I did, I immediately sank down into the seat. I let out a small sigh, feeling the exhaustion coursing through my entire sore body. I still had to take a shower and change into fresh clothes before I could even go to sleep. I was so tired that I felt as if I could sleep for months on end without ever waking up.

The drive was relaxing, feeling the soft wind blow against my skin. The feeling of the tires moving against the gravel roads added more to the comforting effect. Soap and Gaz engaged in conversation, talking about the new recruits that came in yesterday. Ghost stayed silent, keeping his gaze in front of him. He drove slowly and surprisingly didn't hit anything on the drive back home.

"What is this woman doing here again?" Ghost grumbled loud enough for us to hear. I sat up fully, looking straight ahead. A woman stood outside the house with an angry expression. She had tan skin and straight black hair that stopped just above her shoulders. She was pretty tall, looking as if she was five' eleven and had a strong build. Ghost parked the car and all of us stepped out. "What the fuck do you want?" Ghost asked angrily, storming over to the woman.

My brows furrowed in confusion and I knew that they must have had some sort of altercation yesterday while I was gone. "You told me you would contact me as soon as Javier got back." She turned her attention away from Ghost and looked straight at Soap. "I forgot. I'm sorry." Soap apologized quickly.

"He bled out! He didn't make it!" She shouted angrily. My eyes widened at the sudden news. Tears pricked her eyes as she flicked her eyes to look at all of us. "Look, I'm sorry- but that has nothing to do with any of us." Ghost told her.

Her face contorted in anger as she cocked her hand back, slapping Ghost harshly in the face.

Out of instinct, and before I could even think clearly, I threw a harsh punch at the strange woman. She stumbled down onto the ground from the impact of the harsh punch. A jolt of pain shot up my wrist from how hard I had punched the woman. "Hands to yourself, bitch." I spoke defensively.

She propped herself up on her elbows, her eyes meeting mine. "I'm sorry for your loss..." I raised an eyebrow, questioning what her name was. "Amelia." She told me, blood dripping from her nose where I had punched her. "I'm sorry, Amelia. I really am. I did everything I could to keep him alive." I spoke softer this time.

"You gonna also apologize for the bloody nose?" She asked, as she stood up and dusted herself off. "Hell no," I told her. Her eyes flickered to meet mine, the anger leaving her hazel eyes. She looked at me softer this time. "Yeah- I guess I deserved that. Shit- you have a strong arm." She told me.

I grabbed a clean rag from the car, holding it out to her. "We'll find the soldiers who did this. In the meantime- try hitting fewer people." I told her.

She gave me a weak smile as she placed the rag over her nose, groaning slightly in pain. I turned around, looking at the trio. Their eyes were on me, slight shock on Soap and Gaz's faces. Ghost, however, had a different look in his eyes. I couldn't piece together what that look meant, but I didn't seem to mind it.

We walked inside the home and I made a beeline straight to my room. I quickly grabbed my clothes and stepped into my bathroom. As soon as I stepped into the shower, I let out a sigh of relief. The hot water splashing against my body was incredibly relieving. It was a feeling that nothing could ever top. I lathered the soap over my aching muscles, groaning in slight pain.

I could've thought about Javier not making it. How he ended up being too far gone to even save. I couldn't even get a single thought into my tired mind. I didn't want to think about it. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't.

Once I finished with my shower I had quickly gotten ready for bed. Ghost was already lying down and I plopped down beside him. I snuggled in close to him, the heat of his body adding more to the comfort. "Good night." I heard him say softly. I murmured a soft, inaudible "Good night," also before eventually drifting.

I found myself back into that waterfall. Only this time, it was much more peaceful. My lungs didn't burn for oxygen. It was as if I didn't even need the air to breathe. The water felt nice against my skin and the waves didn't continue to pull me under. Instead, I floated there. The water was a clear blue and the sun reflecting into the ripples beamed brightly and soothingly.

Looking up, I could see a hand reaching down for me. Everything moved as if it were in slow motion. I looked at the same, seeing the familiar tattoo of a half-sleeve on the familiar, muscular forearm. I reached over to grab at the hand.

Suddenly, everything had changed. It was no longer peaceful. My lungs began to burn and the water began to pull me further down. I thrashed into the water, trying desperately to reach for the hand but the water kept me from grabbing at it.

I tried screaming out but the water drowned out my scream. The water filled my lungs causing my vision to get fuzzy until the darkness clouded my sight.

I woke up, my eyes shooting wide open. I gasped quickly for air as I sat up quickly. A jolt of pain shot up through my entire body as I sat up quickly. Simon reached for me, his hand gripping around my arm. "You alright?" He asked me. I looked down at him, my eyes meeting his brown ones. I nodded my head slowly.

He gently pulled me back down into the mattress with him. I sank down slowly into the comfortable mattress, letting out a soft sigh as I moved closer next to him.

For some reason, I could still feel that burning sensation. It was a feeling I couldn't get rid of.