The procedure seemed to take forever, but Jim knew from his talk with Garnier afterward that it had gone smoothly, as well as they could expect. Whether Bones would hear or not, they wouldn't know until he awoke. It was a tricky process, still untried enough that they couldn't predict success with a suitable degree of accuracy.
So Jim had waited. And finally, a nurse had come to lead him through the warren of surgical suites to the room Bones occupied. He'd settled in the chair beside the bed, pulling it close so he could keep hold of Bones' hand. And finally, an hour or so later, he heard that sigh, saw Bones blinking and slowly waking up.
"Hey yourself," Jim told him, squeezing back. He stood up, his other hand going to smooth Bones' hair back from his forehead.
Beeps, he could hear the beeps of the biobed he was hooked up to, but even better was Jim's voice, pitched low and rough. That hand on his head, Leonard rubbed into it, loving the feel of that light touch.
"Say something," he said to Jim, still very groggy, but unable to keep the little smile off his face.
Jim's smile broadened, his hand keeping up that gentle motion as he answered. "I love you," he replied, leaning over to touch his lips lightly to Bones', still smiling as he pulled back, so happy he could barely contain it. Jim wanted to laugh, to shout, to kiss Bones again... which he did right then, a deeper, lingering kiss that left them both a little breathless when he leaned back.
"It went well," he murmured. "We were just waiting for you to wake up..." Jim stopped, beaming down at Bones for a long moment, all of the words he'd thought about saying at this moment clamoring to get out. "You can hear," he finally said, his voice low and unsteady.
Leonard would go through almost anything to see that look on Jim's face, bright like the sunshine back home. He made a little noise when Jim kissed him, and again, deeper, feeling like he was falling backward, despite being in bed. "Everything good?" he asked, still a little worried.
It occurred to him that Jim was here, with him, but more than a friend visiting in a hospital. He'd come here as his partner, invested in Leonard's recovery in a way that went deeper than friendship. His kin, so to speak. Why that thought hadn't occurred to him until now surprised him. But the picture of Jim sitting there, waiting for him to wake up, being the one the physician would give the discharge instructions to, the one who would make sure Leonard got back to his room and rested appropriately...
Jim was so much more than his friend and lover. How on earth was he going to thank Jim for all this?
"I can hear you," he murmured, trying to scoot up in the bed. "That," he grimaced, his head aching a bit, "or this is the best dream I've had in a long
Comments 8
So Jim had waited. And finally, a nurse had come to lead him through the warren of surgical suites to the room Bones occupied. He'd settled in the chair beside the bed, pulling it close so he could keep hold of Bones' hand. And finally, an hour or so later, he heard that sigh, saw Bones blinking and slowly waking up.
"Hey yourself," Jim told him, squeezing back. He stood up, his other hand going to smooth Bones' hair back from his forehead.
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"Say something," he said to Jim, still very groggy, but unable to keep the little smile off his face.
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"It went well," he murmured. "We were just waiting for you to wake up..." Jim stopped, beaming down at Bones for a long moment, all of the words he'd thought about saying at this moment clamoring to get out. "You can hear," he finally said, his voice low and unsteady.
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It occurred to him that Jim was here, with him, but more than a friend visiting in a hospital. He'd come here as his partner, invested in Leonard's recovery in a way that went deeper than friendship. His kin, so to speak. Why that thought hadn't occurred to him until now surprised him. But the picture of Jim sitting there, waiting for him to wake up, being the one the physician would give the discharge instructions to, the one who would make sure Leonard got back to his room and rested appropriately...
Jim was so much more than his friend and lover. How on earth was he going to thank Jim for all this?
"I can hear you," he murmured, trying to scoot up in the bed. "That," he grimaced, his head aching a bit, "or this is the best dream I've had in a long
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