Red Horizon (The Martian Fanfiction)

Chapter 52

As the hum of Med Bay's systems filled the room, Beck quietly moved from Olivia's bedside to check on Mark. His practiced hands worked efficiently, but the weight of everything he had just seen—everything they had endured—still pressed heavily on his shoulders. Olivia remained unconscious, her breathing steady but shallow, her frail form barely a shadow of the woman they had once known.

Mark, exhausted but too wired to sleep, watched Beck with tired eyes. His body was a maze of aches and pains, his muscles protesting even the slightest movement after months of constant survival mode on Mars. Still, he was here—back with the crew. He was safe. Olivia was safe. That's all that mattered now.

Beck finished his checks and straightened, his eyes flicking between Mark and the sleeping figure of Olivia. There was something he had been holding back, a question gnawing at him ever since the comms had opened during the rescue. Clearing his throat softly, Beck met Mark's gaze.

"So," Beck started, his voice low, careful not to disturb Olivia. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you."

Mark raised an eyebrow, his tired expression slipping into a faint smirk. "What's that, Doc?"

Beck glanced toward Olivia again, making sure she was still out before he continued. "Back during the rescue... we all heard it, you know. Over the comms."

Mark's smirk faltered, and for a moment, the weight of the question settled between them, hanging in the sterile air of the Med Bay.

Beck hesitated for just a second, then pressed on, his tone gentle but curious. "The 'I love you.' From both of you."

Mark's jaw clenched slightly, his eyes drifting away from Beck and settling on Olivia's unconscious form. For a long moment, he didn't respond. His fingers absently tapped the edge of his bed, the rhythm slow, thoughtful.

"It wasn't exactly the plan to broadcast that," Mark admitted with a wry chuckle, though there was no real humor in his voice. "But yeah. You heard right."

Beck crossed his arms, his expression softening. "How long?"

Mark shifted slightly, grimacing as a sharp pain shot through his ribs. He waved Beck off before he could fuss, and settled back into the bed, staring up at the ceiling as if searching for the right words.

"Honestly? I don't know when it happened exactly," Mark said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "It just... crept up on us, I guess. Mars does that to you. Strips away all the bullshit. After everything we went through, it just became... obvious."

Beck nodded, understanding flashing in his eyes. He had seen the bond between Mark and Olivia before they had been stranded on Mars, the way they worked together, the camaraderie. But Mars had changed everything, sharpened every emotion into something raw, something undeniable.

Mark turned his head slightly to look at Olivia, his eyes softening. "We were just trying to survive, you know? But somewhere along the way... she became everything. The one constant I had. She kept me going when I wanted to give up. When we both wanted to give up."

Beck watched him in silence, absorbing the weight of Mark's words. There was no need for judgment, no need to pry. What had happened between them had grown naturally out of the impossible circumstances they had faced together.

"And when you're up there," Mark continued, his voice cracking slightly, "staring at an entire planet trying to kill you... the only thing that matters is the person beside you. Everything else just fades."

Beck glanced at Olivia, her fragile state still painfully evident. "She's tough. She'll get through this."

Mark's smile returned, faint but genuine. "Yeah, I know. She always does."