Tough Lover(s)

Chapter 8

The world seemed to completely stop, your heart beating so fast in your chest that you were sure that you'd end up in the infirmary as well, the ringing in your ears so loud that your father's voice was drowned out. It couldn't be true, surely your dad was playing a very cruel joke on you, and any moment he'd say just kidding. But he didn't, instead, he pulled you into his chest, stroking your hair as he tried to console you. The waterworks had begun without you even noticing, your body convulsing with each sob that escaped from the very core of your soul.

"They-They're okay, though, right?" You hiccuped out, trying to pull yourself together.

"Both of them are still out cold, but they're still breathing. It seems they were shot a few times, luckily for them it wasn't anywhere vital, but a lot of blood was lost. That's all the information I have now, kiddo," Price told you, voice as soft and gentle as it could be to not further complicate your state.

"I need to see them, please, let me see them," you cried, gripping onto your father's vest.

"You'll be able to soon, but they're undergoing some surgery to remove the bullets and get stitched up, you have to give the nurses enough space so they can do so. As soon as they're done and ready for visitors, you'll be the first to know," he reassured.

"Everyone else is okay?"

"Soap got stabbed but is alive and well, it wasn't anything he couldn't handle, everyone else just got roughed up a bit."

With a shaky breath, you pulled away from your father, closing your eyes and allowing yourself to remain calm. They weren't dead, they were going to be fine and soon you'd be able to see them. You just had to keep your focus on the positives and in no time would be close to the two before you knew it.

"I'll take you to the infirmary waiting room and I'll let the nurses know you should be the first to be told when they're ready," he told you, grabbing your hand.

The walk to the room was silent, nothing else to be said about the news you had received. The rise of panic had been decreased to numbness, staring ahead of you with a blank face, unable to fully process if something had happened to them and they hadn't come back. Actually, you refused to even partake in the mere thought of that ever being a possibility.

"Here we go, take a seat," Price said to you, helping you sit in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs.

"Thanks, Dad," you mumbled.

"I'll be back soon, okay? I have to make some rounds and talk to Soap and the others to get debriefed on what happened, but I'll be back ASAP."

"It's okay, do what you have to do, I promise I'll be fine."

With that, he smiled at you, one of sadness to his child so distressed, before he walked away, footsteps echoing down the empty halls and bouncing off the sterile walls. It wasn't until he was gone that you took a deep breath as you stared down at your hands, unable to stay on one single thought.

None of this was fair, honestly. Two of the best men you ever met having to do this kind of work, risking their lives any time they step out of this building, targets on their covered foreheads. Here you were, living a normal life, well, mostly normal, and still complaining about everything. They'd never be able to do anything a normal couple does, it would always be a constant battlefield for them and eventually, you knew it would be the thing that killed them. Where would that leave you? Broken and sitting in an empty room that was once filled with snide remarks and laughter from the two men, unable to move on from it all.

It had only been a short amount of time you'd been here considering how long the others had been living here, but it felt like an eternity, a lifetime of emotions and heartbreak that shouldn't happen to anyone as young as you were. The despair that was seizing you and beating you down crawled up your throat, infecting any part of your body it could. You never knew how long you'd have with them. A few years, weeks, days? No one knew, so, with that newfound idea, you decided as soon as you saw them, you'd finally say something that you thought you'd never say to anyone other than friends and family.