FIRE [FIRST DRAFT]

Chapter 20: That Weird Love Thing

Gavin's eyes opened slightly; the first thing they saw was Stefan, seated next to him. When his hazy vision cleared, he found Aimee and Celeste standing at one of the curtains that divided him and Dominick from their wounded neighbours.

"Hey, buddy," Stefan whispered. "How're you feeling?"

"Better actually – numb, with a few broken bones, but my face still seems to be a face, so I'll be alright."

"Actually, it's pretty busted," Stefan joked. "I think you'll have to go in for some major surgery. I mean, without your face, you'll just have your charm, your good sense of humour and your supernaturally selfless nature. That's worth nothing in the real world."

"Turd."

They laughed hard, at least until this look appeared on Stefan's face. He observed the people in the room, the nurses he relied on to make sure Gavin and Dominick would recover swiftly. They had not endured injuries like that before, not since Stefan had known them, and his faith in their medication wavered for the first time. He was sincerely heartbroken, torn by the fact that his friends were in there at all. He thought about what he had told Aimee: that they chose to go out into the field, they chose this mission. It was not that he did not understand her desire to keep her friends out of harm's way, but he had tried to stay strong, for them both. And he was honest; that was how they were trained. But now, such thinking seemed puerile and pointless.

"You and the guys came back for my sorry ass when you could've been here – safe," he breathed. "I can't thank you enough for that."

Gavin sighed, half smiling, "Your sorry ass is welcome."

"I also came to apologise. I shouldn't have left you behind; it was selfish and crass, it won't happen again. Except for now," he scratched his head with swift shame. "Aimee and I are going to look for Benjamin. We think he might be alive."

Gavin nodded, seemingly unsurprised. Maybe it was the drugs. "Apology accepted. Stefan, good luck."

Stefan smiled, and then looked back at the girls, at Aimee, "Ready?"

Aimee sucked in a breath and exhaled a request to talk to Gavin alone. She glanced between Celeste and Stefan, and they glanced between each other. Casually, Celeste pretended not to mind, said she was going to get Gavin something to eat anyway. When she and Stefan left, Aimee greeted Gavin in a whisper and sat down in the space between his arm and the edge of his bed.

"Also think I won't survive without a pretty face?"

"You wouldn't stand a chance."

"Damn," he chuckled.

"No, I just realised that I have a lot of things to thank you for, too. And now is as good a time as any –"

His eyes went big, "Hey, Aimee, I'm not dying, you don't need to do the whole heartfelt speech thing."

"Pssht, duh! You're gonna live forever," she smiled. "It's just that you've been kind to me from day one, and saved me and Stefan countless times. You were there when I found out about my parents and you even had to carry me into my home when we got back from AIM. You rescued me that morning I got shot, were there for me when I cried, and have been there for me and everyone I love every day since.
  "You've done a lot for me, even if you don't know it. You even fell for me – which may be the reason you did all those things, but I believe you're a good enough person to have done it for anyone. The point is, I may not be in love with you, but I do care about you. And I wanted to say this without it being awkward. I love you, Gavin."

Slowly, adoringly, Aimee leaned in and kissed Gavin's forehead. She had placed her hand on his chest, and he took it before she could turn away.

"You and Stefan are my best friends. But I'll always love you, too."