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The stroke of a soft cheek.
A blush.

Bright… everything is too bright… every part of the body hurts… she tried to move, roll away from the light. Two things stopped her. One was the throbs of numbing pain in her back and chest. The other was two, warm and slightly damp hands, one cupping her face and the other gently gripping her shoulder to assist her in rolling onto her back. An annoyed and pain filled sigh leaked from her mouth while trying to force her eyes open. Her vision was blurred, having to shut her eyes tightly to attempt clearing it. Not only was her vision bad, her hearing was worse. All she heard were slurred, quiet noises, slowly becoming clearer as her mind began to awaken.

The noises became clearer, bit by bit. It was a voice… gentle, slightly panicked and thankfully, not robotic. "Ah, all right! You're awake now good! That's very good, so we don't have to call the morgue or that would have been bloody disastrous." The vision cleared and a man was looming over her, a little too close to her face and eyes wide with anticipation. It was… rather uncomfortable.

"Hello Chell!" he said very slowly, as if speaking to someone who didn't know English very well. "Are you," he pointed to her, "all right? Can you," he pointed to her again, "understand," he tapped his ear several times, "me?" She gave him an annoyed, quizzical look but managed to nod. He grinned, now not having to speak slowly anymore. "Ah, well good that's very good. So… you are currently in a hospital… took quite a nasty fall, complete accident with almost all your bones broken… but don't worry, we fixed most of them! Well, not most of them but the ones that could have possibly killed you if nothing was done like… ribs in your lungs and heart and spine almost shattered… but that's all right, that's fine! The others will heal on their own… well, not on their own completely since we have medicine and casts and such. But you'll be able to walk again in… several months, so until then you'll have to be bedridden… which isn't so bad… you got a telly… and books… and food… well, healthy food since you need to be fit for… being able to get out… not very good… ah, I probably should have said that, now you won't eat. I meant to say, only in my opinion, that it's not good but since you haven't tried it, it'll be very good… possibly." Does he even breathe from talking so much?

All this time, he had his hand on her face and throughout his rambling and waving the free hand around, he didn't remove the other hand. It was probably to prevent her from rolling over again. Despite this blabbering loud man, the slightly sweaty hand on her face was… nice. How long has it been since she saw a human… or been with one? Feeling a foreign skin against her own was… very comforting. She closed her eyes, drowning out his rambles and leaned against the hand, finding it more comfortable than the starchy pillow. "O-oh!" the man finally stopped talking, watching her nuzzle his hand slightly and felt all the blood rush into his cheeks. "A-ah… okay… m-may I have my hand back please…? I-I have to go… back to work now…" The look she gave him, pitiful and disappointed, made him frown and sigh. "W-well… five more minutes yes… that's fine… but promise if you fall asleep, don't drool on it."

The sound of another's heartbeat.
A gasp.

"And big breath in… and out… there we are!" He smiled happily, stethoscope pressed to her chest as he listened to her breathing. Her strength was slowly coming back and she was able to sit up without any help. It was a shame she was such a mute… talking to her was slightly awkward, so he had to judge from the looks she gave him and translate it into words, such as 'yes,' 'no,' or 'please shut up, I am trying to sleep.'

"You do know what this is for, right?" he asked, holding the stethoscope to her to have a look at it. "I can listen to your breathing and your heart… and both are sounding rather good I must say… it is also used to listen to intestines and blood flow in arteries and veins… we don't need to listen to those, they're fine… you can put that on if you want to! Just don't tap that end really hard… it makes sounds very sensitive and my one friend grabbed it from me once and shouted in it… bloody horrible, my ears were ringing for a very long time, but they're gone now!" She turned it over in her hands, examining it carefully before placing the plugs in her ears. "Here, watch… let me have this end." He took the diaphragm of the device and placed it onto her chest, watching for her reactions. Her eyebrows rose slightly, but it seemed she wasn't interested in the sounds of her vital organs. With her right arm still in a cast, she used her uninjured arm to pry the diaphragm from his hand and placed it on his chest, trying to listen. "Ah… well, the clothes sort of muffle the sound, but I can assure you, I do have a pulse and I am alive… I won't take my shirt off, it might be considered illegal if someone came in and saw me unbuttoning my-." While talking, she pulled the plugs from her ears, leant forward and pressed her ear to his chest, keeping him still by gripping his shirt. He gasped, completely speechless as he watched her, arms up and bent awkwardly to give her space. She kept still, eyes rolling to the side as if taking in mental notes, then sat back and let him go. He stared, blushing again and eyes wide as she tilted her head to the side. "R-right… that works too…"

The feeling of their hair in your hands.
A smile.

The woman hadn't bathed in a very long time. She was too weak to go into the shower, so a simple rag and a bar of soap were a decent replacement. One of the best things of the day was when her hair was washed. To feel fingers, massaging and gently scratching her scalp, the smell of the soap floating in the air and then have warm water flow along her head and trickle down her neck and shoulders… it was so wonderful. It was the one thing she looked forward to every day, happening right after lunch, and she would sit there, staring intensely at the door then grinning madly to see him walk in with the cleaning supplies in his arms.

Truth be told, this wasn't even part of his job. However, when others tried to wash her hair, she'd push them away and fight them off. It was decided he was the only one who could do it. He sat behind her, knees bracing her sides to keep her sitting up and smiling to see a warm, relaxed smile on her face as she leaned against his foam covered hands. This was also the one part of the day he greatly looked forward to… he rather liked her hair… it had a rich, natural color, was very soft and long… it was also the one time of the day he was actually silent, despite the occasional humming of a tune as he worked. Once finished, he'd wrap a towel around her head and collected the supplies. "Well, I'll see you in a bit! Remember, after ten minutes, take the towel off you you'll have messy hair all day!" He shook a finger at her then paused. "Well, I guess it's not so bad… you could pull off messy hair in a rather nice, very pretty way… oh! Ah, what's that Jerry? You need me!?! Okay, bye!" He fled out the door, face red by what he just said.

The brush of fingers against their back.
A shiver.

People were getting curious… he'd always make excuses to go and meet Chell. It would be a random checkup, serving lunch, watching late night shows with her at night… he even shooed away the cleaning lady just so he could clean her room. He sat in his chair, elbow propped onto the table and chin resting in his hand. He was lost in his own thoughts… he was constantly being yelled at for his behavior, getting clumsier than usual, turning in reports too late or too poorly… well, all reports but Chell's. Those were some of his best ones. What if he was getting too attached to this patient? He could get into a lot of trouble… they could remove him from her… give her another doctor… but they don't know how she likes her pillows fluffed or what cheese she wants on her sandwich or what-.

"GAH!" he yelped in shock, having felt a hand on his back that was placed on his shoulder lightly, then slowly slid down to his hip, making him wiggle and shiver before arching his back and yelping like an idiot. He snapped his head behind him, gripping his chest tightly to stare at Chell, who looked concerned. She wasn't used to him being so quiet and still for long periods of time. "Oh… s-sorry, you startled me," he gasped, calming down. "Been a bit of a long day, got lots of work to do!" He stood up and brushed his coat off. "I'll be back shortly for dinner, be well and have a good day!" He fixed her blankets stiffly and pushed his mouth against her cheek, like what a husband would do when leaving their wife behind to go to work. Once it clicked into both of their heads, they stared at each other, eyes wide and cheeks red. "… COMING JERRY!!!" He sped out of the room as fast as he could. Moment later, there was a loud crash and several cries of shock and pain. Chell stared at the door, hand on her cheek and blinking. Maybe she should have just let him sit there and keep quiet.

The telling of secrets and stories.
A laugh.

"Chell! Chell, come look at this, look!" he cried, pointing out the window. She sat up and leaned forward, blinking to see a bird's nest and little beaks poking out of the top and peeping as the mother fed them worms she caught that morning. "You see the babies… you see them?" He was grinning madly, still pointing as she smiled and nodded. "Ah, they're so cute… you know, when I was living at home in… well, you don't know the town, it's in England so it's all right… I had a bird's nest right over my door. I couldn't open it to get out so I climbed out of the window to get out every morning… but it was getting rather tiresome and I'd fall all the time… so I picked it up and tried to put it in a tree, but the bloody bird sees this and starts attacking me! The thing was pulling out my hair and scratching my face… it was a bloody nightmare, I fell over and almost broke my tailbone! That nest stayed on that door and I still had to… IT'S NOT THAT FUNNY!" Chell had her fingers pushed hard onto her mouth to keep the silent giggles in. She could picture that scene so vividly in her mind and it was the first time he had seen her laugh… he was still upset she was laughing at his pain, but he relaxed and smiled at her reddened face from laughing so hard. "You think that's funny? Well, have you heard the one where I was locked in my office and had to break the window to get out?"

The apology of a hidden lie.
A cry.

He wasn't himself today. He seemed… distracted and sad. He was busying himself, randomly picking at paint on the wall or pushing a finger into corners of the window sill to pull dirt out of them and finally sat down next to her bed, a cloud over his head. She tugged on his sleeve and he glanced at her. She frowned as he shook his head slowly and sighed. "They… lied to me… they told me I could take care of you… but… th-they told me n-not to… do it anymore… I asked them why… b-because th-they said I could b-but then they said that they never said such a thing b-but I remember them saying I-I could b-but they got mad a-and yelled at me for being a moron f-for not remembering what they said b-but I remembered a-and I'm not a moron a-and now I'm not going to s-see you every day a-and help you a-anymore a-and th-they said-."

Chell interrupted him by wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him close to her. She hated to see him so sad… yes, it was terrible that she couldn't see him as much anymore… he was her only friend in this place and now they were taking him from her. He sniffled and buried his fingers into her shirt to keep her close. "I-I'm sorry," he whimpered, trying to keep the tears in. "I-I really am sorry…" She didn't think he had to be sorry for anything… he was lied to… he didn't do anything wrong… she sighed and rubbed his back slowly to try and calm him. He kept apologizing over and over again until she pushed him back and grabbed his face, making him look her in the eye as she squished his face to purse his lips slightly. The look on her face pretty much told him to be quiet and that everything was all right. "Right," he mumbled, voice muffled from the heels of her hands pushing into his cheeks. "Sorry… OW!" She pinched his cheek. "Okay, I'll stop, leggo!"

The pair of lips pressed against a scar.
A tear.

He at least was allowed to check her injuries and change her bandages. "All right, let's take a look at your arm!" he cooed, unwrapping the bandages around her wrist and turning it over once it was naked. It seemed it was almost ripped off her arm, just hanging on by strands of muscle and skin. Skin had to be replaced and muscles had to be grown back, leaving an ugly scar around her arm. She frowned and turned her arm over to examine it. "Oh, don't be like that… it's like you got your own personal bracelet… that you can never take off… well, it does go with anything you wear… unless it doesn't, then it would clash very badly, won't it? I'm not helping, aren't I?" She shook her head, looking very sad as she rubbed her eye. Scars on guys made them look tough, handsome and heroic… scars on girls made them a tomboy and ugly.

"Well then, here!" he smiled, taking her arm and giving the white, jagged mark on her wrist several kisses. "There, now it's all better! I'll just keep doing this every day and it will all be gone and feel much better! Of course, there is scar cream that will make it look a lot better and it does need the bandages on it just a little longer, so it will be… oh! Dear, why are you crying?" He reached and wiped her tears with his thumb, frowning sadly. "I didn't mean to make you cry! Oh, I am a moron, aren't I? Kisses don't make things better at all, it's all in the mind and all a lie mothers tell, just like Santa. Oh God, I did it again! Please tell me you don't believe in-!" A light kiss on the cheek made his mouth shut tightly and Chell smile, wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. This time… he didn't use Jerry as an excuse to leave… he didn't want to leave this time.

The sight of watching them sleep.
A sigh.

Besides the checkups, he wasn't allowed to see her the rest of the day. However, they didn't say anything about night. He'd have the 'Mission Impossible," theme going on in his head as he crept in the halls, hid behind corners and dove under tables. All of this was completely unnecessary since hardly anyone was on that floor and no one would be walking around in the middle of the night. Still, it did make things more adventurous!

Peeking into the room, he sighed to see she was asleep. Oh well… he thought she was awake at this hour… they must have pushed her too hard on her physical therapy sessions. He closed the door silently and walked in, trying to be as quiet as possible as he slowly sat by her side. She looked so peaceful, curled up in a tight ball with part of the blanket in her fists. He smiled and pushed a strand of hair from her face to tuck behind her ear, then sighed as he stroked her cheek. Was it… wrong to imagine how wonderful it would be to sleep by her side every night and awaken to her peaceful face every morning? The thoughts of being in bed with her weren't… COMPLETELY naughty… but he did like the image of just holding her in his arms, letting her snuggle into his chest as they… kissed… made love… just embrace each other without the fear of being caught and taken away from the other. He looked away and rubbed the side of his head. These were sad, impossible thoughts. What were the chances of them being together when all this is through? He lowered his head, knowing they would be very low. He looked back at her sleeping form, trembled and covered his face with his hands. Why did things have to be so complicated?

The softness of their voice.
A song.

"No, don't make me do it," he whined as she tugged on the sleeve of his shirt, giving him those wide, needing eyes. "It's terrible, I honestly don't understand how you would like it! My throat is dry, I sound like a bloody frog after it's been run over!" She shook her head and smiled more, making him blush. "It's honestly terrible, I haven't warmed up, I got a slight cold, I can't think of any-." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and his face turned red. "Right, only one song though. Then you need to sleep… and it's gotta be quiet!" She nodded and sat back against her pillows, hugging her knees to her chest. He bit his lip, the look on her face was just too tempting and adorable.

Finally picking a song, he hummed the first several bars then turned the sounds into words, eyes looking at the ceiling and drumming his fingers against his knees to keep the beat. She smiled as she watched him, wishing she could speak herself, let alone sing along with him. She sat up and scooted to his side, reaching down to intertwine one of his drumming hands, smiling more when he stammered violently in the middle of his song, now forgetting the lyrics. "Wh-where was I?" he whimpered, glancing at her nervously while she shrugged simply and snuggled against his arm. "Y-you did that on purpose, didn't you? You're… evil." He didn't mean it, but he did rest his head on top of hers and sighed. He didn't even have to sing to her… his voice just made her happy.

The warmth of being held close
A dance.

"Chell!" he cried, grabbing her as she almost toppled to the ground. She had been pushing herself every day in physical therapy just so she could stand on her own two feet. She wasn't strong enough just yet, but she attempted to leave the room and try to find her very good friend, but her knees buckled and she started falling just as he opened the door. He kept her tight to his chest, letting her back onto her feet as he clutched tightly to his shirt. "H-heh, it looks like we're about to dance now, aren't we? Well, I don't know if you can dance and there is no music and I'm very sure I'm not a good dancer but… oh, don't you give me that look!" He pushed a finger against her lips as she tried to kiss his cheek again. She grinned and pushed her hand between her mouth and his finger, giving it a small squeeze and looking up at him with those big, beautiful eyes. "Oh, all right…"

It wasn't really dancing… she was actually standing on his feet as he did a little side step while humming a simple tune. She smiled and closed her eyes, nuzzling into his chest while pressing a gentle hand to his heart, feeling the pulse go faster as she let the hand glide to his side. "Ch-Chell what on earth are you doing?" he asked weakly, looking down at her with a red face. She looked up at him, hand now trailing up to his chest again. Granted, she did use touch as communication a lot but this was… rather different. "Ch-Chell, have they been giving you too many pain medications again? You're very… touchy right now and I suppose your brain might need a little rest… b-but of course I-I don't mind any of these… touches, I-I just wouldn't want you-." His mouth was covered… by her own. It was a simple and warm type of kiss, but something about it made them both blush. She gave his shirt a tug, directing him towards the one object in the room that he seemed to be terrified of at the moment… the bed. "A-ah well… I-I don't know if I can… oh." It seemed… she wanted to do another dance. He swallowed hard, unable to look away from the eyes that bore into his skull. "W-well…" He sighed and picked her up gently in his arms. "You're going to be the death of me one of these days." She kissed him again and he somehow managed to find his way to the bed. In the end, as he sat on the edge of the bed and stroking his hand down her bare stomach with a soft smile… he knew he was an excellent dancer.

The sharing of an ice cream cone.
A taste.

The coast was clear and Chell scurried ahead of him. He whined and followed after her, not even sure how she even convinced him to do this! Oh… wait, yeah that one… night when they… ah right, he remembered now. She crawled through the doors and to the narrow, metal doors, grinning at him madly with excitement. "All right, calm down!" he hissed, worried if they were going to be caught. He opened the doors and pulled the drawer out, taking out several cartons and handing them to her. She immediately sat down and yanked open the lids to reveal the frozen treat. She had a major sweet tooth and craved for this greatly, especially with her diet that was mainly fish, water, vitamins and vegetables.

"Here we are," he whispered, handing her a spoon as he took one carton for his own, him having strawberry and her having chocolate. She didn't hesitate and shoved the cold treat into her mouth while he watched, spoon hanging by his mouth as he stared in slight concern. "Don't eat too fast, you don't want to get a nasty headache… I had one so bad once, I thought I was going to die! Of course I didn't but I couldn't eat that stuff for so long because I HEY!" She had captured his spoon into her mouth and smirked, stealing his bite of ice cream from him. "That wasn't very nice of you," he huffed, seeing chocolate was all over her face. "Oh, keep still you messy little piggy." He wiped most of it off with his thumb until she grabbed his face and smashed her lips against his, spreading the mess to his own face but letting him taste the melted strawberry cream in her mouth. A moan escaped from him, especially to feel her lick the mess she gave him off his cheeks, very playful but obviously being… very evil. "I hope you get fat from this," he mumbled as he pushed his hands hard against his groin to hide his… problem, making her giggle.

The quilt around two cold bodies.
A touch.

It happened every other night. He would come into the room when no one was there and she'd be waiting. He could never sleep through the night… he had to leave before they were caught. But each time they made love, it always felt magical… exploring each other's bodies, discovering their weaknesses and longing to have the other pleased and pleasured. It was such a shame she couldn't talk… he longed to know if what he was doing was all right and babbling after sex wasn't quite a good way to end it all. He always took her warm, lazy and loving smile as a sign of him doing a good job… he always got that smile.

"Are you cold?" he asked, pulling the thin hospital quilt around them both after another breathless, romantic session. She cuddled to his chest and smiled up at him as he held her close, keeping her warm while toying with a lock of hair. "Ah… remember when I said… you'd be the death of me?" he murmured, looking out the window to see the moon shining through. "I… think I wouldn't mind… if that happened." He felt her chuckle and kiss the side of his nose. "Ah, you're a sweet girl… I'm making you happy… right? I hope I am you know, since you can't talk and I honestly hope I'm not pushing myself too much. Oh God, if I am I am so sorry, I-I just seem to lose my mind around you and I can't think straight, well I can if it's about you, but it seems all the blood going to my brain is just flowing right to my-." She always interrupted his rambling with a soft, deep kiss, pulling him close to her and pressing herself against his chest. His eyes fluttered open moments after she parted the kiss, staring at her weakly while she pushed his hair back. "I-I'll take it as… a yes."

The caring of their aching cough.
A fever.

Where was he? It had been several days and she hasn't seen him in almost a week. She couldn't ask any of the doctors, they'd never tell her even if she could speak. She snuck into his office late at night and found no signs of him being there. What if something happened!?! After very careful sneaking and breaking into filing cabinets, she discovered the information she needed and ran off.

He was lying in bed, trembling and sweating as he coughed into his pillow. It seemed a fellow worker had sneezed into his chowder during lunch and now he was terribly ill. Hopefully he didn't spread it to Chell… he missed her so much though. At this moment if he wasn't sick, he'd probably be grabbed by the tie and yanked to the bed… now, though he was in bed, he was alone and aching all over. Chell… he wanted Chell…

Something pushed his damp hair from his face as the feeling of a small kiss on his forehead. He opened his eyes slowly and saw the image before him. He must be hallucinating from the medication he swallowed hours ago. He shuddered and closed his eyes for a moment to have the image go away, then opened to see she was still there. "Ch-Chell?" he croaked, trying to sit up, only to have her gently push him back into bed. "Wh-what are you… h-how did you… y-you shouldn't be…" He groaned when she kissed his forehead again. It would be like what he does for her… stay for as long as she could and then leave before anyone noticed. She crawled into bed and held him tightly in his arms, his burning forehead pressed against her collarbone as his damp hands clung to her shirt. For the first time, while lying in bed together, he wasn't rambling or babbling nervously. The silence was comforting as he let her stroke his back, hair and cheeks. She didn't know much about medicine… but she learned from him about comfort. He mumbled his thanks several times and something else she couldn't catch… he'll tell her once he's better…

The confession of one's feelings.
A hug.

He knew about the cameras in the place and always avoided them when they would meet. She however, did not. The cameras caught her escaping to see him, then sneaking back into her room. The employees slowly put the pieces together, checking the sheets of the bed to find the signs of their relationship all over it. This had gone far enough.

He burst into the room, looking panicked as she gasped in shock. "Ch-Chell!" he cried, running to her and hugging her tightly. "Th-they found out, God they found out! I-it must have been my fault, I-I should have been so careless I-I'm such a moron! They're taking me away a-and they're going to make sure we can't see each other again! They told me Chell, so I punched the one in the face and ran!" Her eyes widened, trying to take it all in as she heard shouts and heavy footsteps running to their room. "I-I'll find a way Chell! I-I'll find a way, I promise! J-Just… G-God, I don't want to… I-I want to…" He held her tightly in his arms and shuddered as the noises got louder, calling for backup. "I-I love you… p-please know I love you o-or else I-I don't know wh-what I'd d-do since th-they'll come a-and take me away a-and probably have me a-arrested a-and th-then we'll never… gah!" He grabbed her and kissed her deeply, holding her tightly and not wanting to let go. She clung to him, tears running down her face and onto her cheeks. How can she say it back… how can she!?!

Hands grabbed at him and yanked him away from her violently. He kicked and tried to escape, reaching out to her as she tried to get out of bed, only to be grabbed by another employee and shoved hard onto the bed. "G-GET AWAY FROM HER!!! CHELL!!!" he cried as he was being dragged away, still kicking and lashing out at the men who held him. He snapped his head up to look at her once last time… and he swore, she was straining herself to say something… oh God, she loves him… she loves him back, she-.

A nightstick thumped against the back of his head… and everything went black.

The shakiness as they kneel.
A blink.

"A coma…?" he asked, feeling numb as he stared at Chell's new doctor. He was fired… he wasn't arrested… but now he could never see her again. "H-how… wh-why?"

"It's a medical coma," they explained, handing him the charts. "We need to do more testing on her."

"What's… going to happen to her?" he asked, swallowing hard.

"Depending on how she takes it… she'll forget mostly everything… have possible brain damage… she'll be out for months… possibly years." He trembled and dropped the chart, falling to his knees and covering his face as the employee blinked at him. "You know, it's your own personal fault… if you had just left her alone… maybe none of this would have happened." He didn't even look up as they walked away, leaving him alone in the hallway and sobbing softly as he hugged his sides.

"Ch-Chell… n-no, Chell…"

The box with the ring inside.
A kiss.

They gave him five minutes before he had to go. He sat by her bedside, holding her bandaged hand as he stroked it slowly and softly. She'll be out for months… years maybe… and once she wakes, they'll be testing her… pushing her physically and mentally… she won't make it alone… she'll die. He brought the hand up and pressed it to his tear stained cheek, taking in the feeling of her skin on his flesh. It wasn't fair… even if it was his fault, the time he was with her… were the best in his entire life.

"Mr. Wheatley… we're ready," someone called from the door and he nodded slowly while waving a hand to signal he'll be out in a moment. He pushed her hair from her face, having cut a lock to have with him, and bent down to kiss her softly on the lips. He was speechless… what could he say to her, she wouldn't remember… she probably couldn't hear him either. He stood up shakily, looked at every inch of her one last time and walked out of the room as the employee closed the door. "The core will be taking in your personality and will assist her in testing… Aperture needs a core like this for their program and we thank you greatly for participating." He only nodded as he was guided to the room.

Before he had left… he slipped something into Chell's pocket. It was a box… after getting the stitches removed from his head after being struck that horrid day, he ran to the jewelry store. He could never ask her now… ask her to be his and only his for the rest of their life… perhaps when she awakens, the core could remind her of him… perhaps it won't and be a babbling bloody moron… perhaps she will reach into her pocket, open the box and see the ring inside… perhaps then she'll remember him… perhaps she'll remember where he lived, how much he loved her and all of the memories they had together… perhaps she'll escape with the core's help and find him again… perhaps…

There was always hope.

Description
The stroke of a soft cheek.
A blush.

Bright… everything is too bright… every part of the body hurts… she tried to move, roll away from the light. Two things stopped her. One was the throbs of numbing pain in her back and chest. The other was two, warm and slightly damp hands, one cupping her face and the other gently gripping her shoulder to assist her in rolling onto her back. An annoyed and pain filled sigh leaked from her mouth while trying to force her eyes open. Her vision was blurred, having to shut her eyes tightly to attempt clearing it. Not only was her vision bad, her hearing was worse. All she heard were slurred, quiet noises, slowly becoming clearer as her mind began to awaken.

The noises became clearer, bit by bit. It was a voice… gentle, slightly panicked and thankfully, not robotic. "Ah, all right! You're awake now good! That's very good, so we don't have to call the morgue or that would have been bloody disastrous." The vision cleared and a man was looming over her, a little too close to her face and eyes wide with anticipation. It was… rather uncomfortable.

"Hello Chell!" he said very slowly, as if speaking to someone who didn't know English very well. "Are you," he pointed to her, "all right? Can you," he pointed to her again, "understand," he tapped his ear several times, "me?" She gave him an annoyed, quizzical look but managed to nod. He grinned, now not having to speak slowly anymore. "Ah, well good that's very good. So… you are currently in a hospital… took quite a nasty fall, complete accident with almost all your bones broken… but don't worry, we fixed most of them! Well, not most of them but the ones that could have possibly killed you if nothing was done like… ribs in your lungs and heart and spine almost shattered… but that's all right, that's fine! The others will heal on their own… well, not on their own completely since we have medicine and casts and such. But you'll be able to walk again in… several months, so until then you'll have to be bedridden… which isn't so bad… you got a telly… and books… and food… well, healthy food since you need to be fit for… being able to get out… not very good… ah, I probably should have said that, now you won't eat. I meant to say, only in my opinion, that it's not good but since you haven't tried it, it'll be very good… possibly." Does he even breathe from talking so much?

All this time, he had his hand on her face and throughout his rambling and waving the free hand around, he didn't remove the other hand. It was probably to prevent her from rolling over again. Despite this blabbering loud man, the slightly sweaty hand on her face was… nice. How long has it been since she saw a human… or been with one? Feeling a foreign skin against her own was… very comforting. She closed her eyes, drowning out his rambles and leaned against the hand, finding it more comfortable than the starchy pillow. "O-oh!" the man finally stopped talking, watching her nuzzle his hand slightly and felt all the blood rush into his cheeks. "A-ah… okay… m-may I have my hand back please…? I-I have to go… back to work now…" The look she gave him, pitiful and disappointed, made him frown and sigh. "W-well… five more minutes yes… that's fine… but promise if you fall asleep, don't drool on it."

The sound of another's heartbeat.
A gasp.

"And big breath in… and out… there we are!" He smiled happily, stethoscope pressed to her chest as he listened to her breathing. Her strength was slowly coming back and she was able to sit up without any help. It was a shame she was such a mute… talking to her was slightly awkward, so he had to judge from the looks she gave him and translate it into words, such as 'yes,' 'no,' or 'please shut up, I am trying to sleep.'

"You do know what this is for, right?" he asked, holding the stethoscope to her to have a look at it. "I can listen to your breathing and your heart… and both are sounding rather good I must say… it is also used to listen to intestines and blood flow in arteries and veins… we don't need to listen to those, they're fine… you can put that on if you want to! Just don't tap that end really hard… it makes sounds very sensitive and my one friend grabbed it from me once and shouted in it… bloody horrible, my ears were ringing for a very long time, but they're gone now!" She turned it over in her hands, examining it carefully before placing the plugs in her ears. "Here, watch… let me have this end." He took the diaphragm of the device and placed it onto her chest, watching for her reactions. Her eyebrows rose slightly, but it seemed she wasn't interested in the sounds of her vital organs. With her right arm still in a cast, she used her uninjured arm to pry the diaphragm from his hand and placed it on his chest, trying to listen. "Ah… well, the clothes sort of muffle the sound, but I can assure you, I do have a pulse and I am alive… I won't take my shirt off, it might be considered illegal if someone came in and saw me unbuttoning my-." While talking, she pulled the plugs from her ears, leant forward and pressed her ear to his chest, keeping him still by gripping his shirt. He gasped, completely speechless as he watched her, arms up and bent awkwardly to give her space. She kept still, eyes rolling to the side as if taking in mental notes, then sat back and let him go. He stared, blushing again and eyes wide as she tilted her head to the side. "R-right… that works too…"

The feeling of their hair in your hands.
A smile.

The woman hadn't bathed in a very long time. She was too weak to go into the shower, so a simple rag and a bar of soap were a decent replacement. One of the best things of the day was when her hair was washed. To feel fingers, massaging and gently scratching her scalp, the smell of the soap floating in the air and then have warm water flow along her head and trickle down her neck and shoulders… it was so wonderful. It was the one thing she looked forward to every day, happening right after lunch, and she would sit there, staring intensely at the door then grinning madly to see him walk in with the cleaning supplies in his arms.

Truth be told, this wasn't even part of his job. However, when others tried to wash her hair, she'd push them away and fight them off. It was decided he was the only one who could do it. He sat behind her, knees bracing her sides to keep her sitting up and smiling to see a warm, relaxed smile on her face as she leaned against his foam covered hands. This was also the one part of the day he greatly looked forward to… he rather liked her hair… it had a rich, natural color, was very soft and long… it was also the one time of the day he was actually silent, despite the occasional humming of a tune as he worked. Once finished, he'd wrap a towel around her head and collected the supplies. "Well, I'll see you in a bit! Remember, after ten minutes, take the towel off you you'll have messy hair all day!" He shook a finger at her then paused. "Well, I guess it's not so bad… you could pull off messy hair in a rather nice, very pretty way… oh! Ah, what's that Jerry? You need me!?! Okay, bye!" He fled out the door, face red by what he just said.

The brush of fingers against their back.
A shiver.

People were getting curious… he'd always make excuses to go and meet Chell. It would be a random checkup, serving lunch, watching late night shows with her at night… he even shooed away the cleaning lady just so he could clean her room. He sat in his chair, elbow propped onto the table and chin resting in his hand. He was lost in his own thoughts… he was constantly being yelled at for his behavior, getting clumsier than usual, turning in reports too late or too poorly… well, all reports but Chell's. Those were some of his best ones. What if he was getting too attached to this patient? He could get into a lot of trouble… they could remove him from her… give her another doctor… but they don't know how she likes her pillows fluffed or what cheese she wants on her sandwich or what-.

"GAH!" he yelped in shock, having felt a hand on his back that was placed on his shoulder lightly, then slowly slid down to his hip, making him wiggle and shiver before arching his back and yelping like an idiot. He snapped his head behind him, gripping his chest tightly to stare at Chell, who looked concerned. She wasn't used to him being so quiet and still for long periods of time. "Oh… s-sorry, you startled me," he gasped, calming down. "Been a bit of a long day, got lots of work to do!" He stood up and brushed his coat off. "I'll be back shortly for dinner, be well and have a good day!" He fixed her blankets stiffly and pushed his mouth against her cheek, like what a husband would do when leaving their wife behind to go to work. Once it clicked into both of their heads, they stared at each other, eyes wide and cheeks red. "… COMING JERRY!!!" He sped out of the room as fast as he could. Moment later, there was a loud crash and several cries of shock and pain. Chell stared at the door, hand on her cheek and blinking. Maybe she should have just let him sit there and keep quiet.

The telling of secrets and stories.
A laugh.

"Chell! Chell, come look at this, look!" he cried, pointing out the window. She sat up and leaned forward, blinking to see a bird's nest and little beaks poking out of the top and peeping as the mother fed them worms she caught that morning. "You see the babies… you see them?" He was grinning madly, still pointing as she smiled and nodded. "Ah, they're so cute… you know, when I was living at home in… well, you don't know the town, it's in England so it's all right… I had a bird's nest right over my door. I couldn't open it to get out so I climbed out of the window to get out every morning… but it was getting rather tiresome and I'd fall all the time… so I picked it up and tried to put it in a tree, but the bloody bird sees this and starts attacking me! The thing was pulling out my hair and scratching my face… it was a bloody nightmare, I fell over and almost broke my tailbone! That nest stayed on that door and I still had to… IT'S NOT THAT FUNNY!" Chell had her fingers pushed hard onto her mouth to keep the silent giggles in. She could picture that scene so vividly in her mind and it was the first time he had seen her laugh… he was still upset she was laughing at his pain, but he relaxed and smiled at her reddened face from laughing so hard. "You think that's funny? Well, have you heard the one where I was locked in my office and had to break the window to get out?"

The apology of a hidden lie.
A cry.

He wasn't himself today. He seemed… distracted and sad. He was busying himself, randomly picking at paint on the wall or pushing a finger into corners of the window sill to pull dirt out of them and finally sat down next to her bed, a cloud over his head. She tugged on his sleeve and he glanced at her. She frowned as he shook his head slowly and sighed. "They… lied to me… they told me I could take care of you… but… th-they told me n-not to… do it anymore… I asked them why… b-because th-they said I could b-but then they said that they never said such a thing b-but I remember them saying I-I could b-but they got mad a-and yelled at me for being a moron f-for not remembering what they said b-but I remembered a-and I'm not a moron a-and now I'm not going to s-see you every day a-and help you a-anymore a-and th-they said-."

Chell interrupted him by wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him close to her. She hated to see him so sad… yes, it was terrible that she couldn't see him as much anymore… he was her only friend in this place and now they were taking him from her. He sniffled and buried his fingers into her shirt to keep her close. "I-I'm sorry," he whimpered, trying to keep the tears in. "I-I really am sorry…" She didn't think he had to be sorry for anything… he was lied to… he didn't do anything wrong… she sighed and rubbed his back slowly to try and calm him. He kept apologizing over and over again until she pushed him back and grabbed his face, making him look her in the eye as she squished his face to purse his lips slightly. The look on her face pretty much told him to be quiet and that everything was all right. "Right," he mumbled, voice muffled from the heels of her hands pushing into his cheeks. "Sorry… OW!" She pinched his cheek. "Okay, I'll stop, leggo!"

The pair of lips pressed against a scar.
A tear.

He at least was allowed to check her injuries and change her bandages. "All right, let's take a look at your arm!" he cooed, unwrapping the bandages around her wrist and turning it over once it was naked. It seemed it was almost ripped off her arm, just hanging on by strands of muscle and skin. Skin had to be replaced and muscles had to be grown back, leaving an ugly scar around her arm. She frowned and turned her arm over to examine it. "Oh, don't be like that… it's like you got your own personal bracelet… that you can never take off… well, it does go with anything you wear… unless it doesn't, then it would clash very badly, won't it? I'm not helping, aren't I?" She shook her head, looking very sad as she rubbed her eye. Scars on guys made them look tough, handsome and heroic… scars on girls made them a tomboy and ugly.

"Well then, here!" he smiled, taking her arm and giving the white, jagged mark on her wrist several kisses. "There, now it's all better! I'll just keep doing this every day and it will all be gone and feel much better! Of course, there is scar cream that will make it look a lot better and it does need the bandages on it just a little longer, so it will be… oh! Dear, why are you crying?" He reached and wiped her tears with his thumb, frowning sadly. "I didn't mean to make you cry! Oh, I am a moron, aren't I? Kisses don't make things better at all, it's all in the mind and all a lie mothers tell, just like Santa. Oh God, I did it again! Please tell me you don't believe in-!" A light kiss on the cheek made his mouth shut tightly and Chell smile, wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. This time… he didn't use Jerry as an excuse to leave… he didn't want to leave this time.

The sight of watching them sleep.
A sigh.

Besides the checkups, he wasn't allowed to see her the rest of the day. However, they didn't say anything about night. He'd have the 'Mission Impossible," theme going on in his head as he crept in the halls, hid behind corners and dove under tables. All of this was completely unnecessary since hardly anyone was on that floor and no one would be walking around in the middle of the night. Still, it did make things more adventurous!

Peeking into the room, he sighed to see she was asleep. Oh well… he thought she was awake at this hour… they must have pushed her too hard on her physical therapy sessions. He closed the door silently and walked in, trying to be as quiet as possible as he slowly sat by her side. She looked so peaceful, curled up in a tight ball with part of the blanket in her fists. He smiled and pushed a strand of hair from her face to tuck behind her ear, then sighed as he stroked her cheek. Was it… wrong to imagine how wonderful it would be to sleep by her side every night and awaken to her peaceful face every morning? The thoughts of being in bed with her weren't… COMPLETELY naughty… but he did like the image of just holding her in his arms, letting her snuggle into his chest as they… kissed… made love… just embrace each other without the fear of being caught and taken away from the other. He looked away and rubbed the side of his head. These were sad, impossible thoughts. What were the chances of them being together when all this is through? He lowered his head, knowing they would be very low. He looked back at her sleeping form, trembled and covered his face with his hands. Why did things have to be so complicated?

The softness of their voice.
A song.

"No, don't make me do it," he whined as she tugged on the sleeve of his shirt, giving him those wide, needing eyes. "It's terrible, I honestly don't understand how you would like it! My throat is dry, I sound like a bloody frog after it's been run over!" She shook her head and smiled more, making him blush. "It's honestly terrible, I haven't warmed up, I got a slight cold, I can't think of any-." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and his face turned red. "Right, only one song though. Then you need to sleep… and it's gotta be quiet!" She nodded and sat back against her pillows, hugging her knees to her chest. He bit his lip, the look on her face was just too tempting and adorable.

Finally picking a song, he hummed the first several bars then turned the sounds into words, eyes looking at the ceiling and drumming his fingers against his knees to keep the beat. She smiled as she watched him, wishing she could speak herself, let alone sing along with him. She sat up and scooted to his side, reaching down to intertwine one of his drumming hands, smiling more when he stammered violently in the middle of his song, now forgetting the lyrics. "Wh-where was I?" he whimpered, glancing at her nervously while she shrugged simply and snuggled against his arm. "Y-you did that on purpose, didn't you? You're… evil." He didn't mean it, but he did rest his head on top of hers and sighed. He didn't even have to sing to her… his voice just made her happy.

The warmth of being held close
A dance.

"Chell!" he cried, grabbing her as she almost toppled to the ground. She had been pushing herself every day in physical therapy just so she could stand on her own two feet. She wasn't strong enough just yet, but she attempted to leave the room and try to find her very good friend, but her knees buckled and she started falling just as he opened the door. He kept her tight to his chest, letting her back onto her feet as he clutched tightly to his shirt. "H-heh, it looks like we're about to dance now, aren't we? Well, I don't know if you can dance and there is no music and I'm very sure I'm not a good dancer but… oh, don't you give me that look!" He pushed a finger against her lips as she tried to kiss his cheek again. She grinned and pushed her hand between her mouth and his finger, giving it a small squeeze and looking up at him with those big, beautiful eyes. "Oh, all right…"

It wasn't really dancing… she was actually standing on his feet as he did a little side step while humming a simple tune. She smiled and closed her eyes, nuzzling into his chest while pressing a gentle hand to his heart, feeling the pulse go faster as she let the hand glide to his side. "Ch-Chell what on earth are you doing?" he asked weakly, looking down at her with a red face. She looked up at him, hand now trailing up to his chest again. Granted, she did use touch as communication a lot but this was… rather different. "Ch-Chell, have they been giving you too many pain medications again? You're very… touchy right now and I suppose your brain might need a little rest… b-but of course I-I don't mind any of these… touches, I-I just wouldn't want you-." His mouth was covered… by her own. It was a simple and warm type of kiss, but something about it made them both blush. She gave his shirt a tug, directing him towards the one object in the room that he seemed to be terrified of at the moment… the bed. "A-ah well… I-I don't know if I can… oh." It seemed… she wanted to do another dance. He swallowed hard, unable to look away from the eyes that bore into his skull. "W-well…" He sighed and picked her up gently in his arms. "You're going to be the death of me one of these days." She kissed him again and he somehow managed to find his way to the bed. In the end, as he sat on the edge of the bed and stroking his hand down her bare stomach with a soft smile… he knew he was an excellent dancer.

The sharing of an ice cream cone.
A taste.

The coast was clear and Chell scurried ahead of him. He whined and followed after her, not even sure how she even convinced him to do this! Oh… wait, yeah that one… night when they… ah right, he remembered now. She crawled through the doors and to the narrow, metal doors, grinning at him madly with excitement. "All right, calm down!" he hissed, worried if they were going to be caught. He opened the doors and pulled the drawer out, taking out several cartons and handing them to her. She immediately sat down and yanked open the lids to reveal the frozen treat. She had a major sweet tooth and craved for this greatly, especially with her diet that was mainly fish, water, vitamins and vegetables.

"Here we are," he whispered, handing her a spoon as he took one carton for his own, him having strawberry and her having chocolate. She didn't hesitate and shoved the cold treat into her mouth while he watched, spoon hanging by his mouth as he stared in slight concern. "Don't eat too fast, you don't want to get a nasty headache… I had one so bad once, I thought I was going to die! Of course I didn't but I couldn't eat that stuff for so long because I HEY!" She had captured his spoon into her mouth and smirked, stealing his bite of ice cream from him. "That wasn't very nice of you," he huffed, seeing chocolate was all over her face. "Oh, keep still you messy little piggy." He wiped most of it off with his thumb until she grabbed his face and smashed her lips against his, spreading the mess to his own face but letting him taste the melted strawberry cream in her mouth. A moan escaped from him, especially to feel her lick the mess she gave him off his cheeks, very playful but obviously being… very evil. "I hope you get fat from this," he mumbled as he pushed his hands hard against his groin to hide his… problem, making her giggle.

The quilt around two cold bodies.
A touch.

It happened every other night. He would come into the room when no one was there and she'd be waiting. He could never sleep through the night… he had to leave before they were caught. But each time they made love, it always felt magical… exploring each other's bodies, discovering their weaknesses and longing to have the other pleased and pleasured. It was such a shame she couldn't talk… he longed to know if what he was doing was all right and babbling after sex wasn't quite a good way to end it all. He always took her warm, lazy and loving smile as a sign of him doing a good job… he always got that smile.

"Are you cold?" he asked, pulling the thin hospital quilt around them both after another breathless, romantic session. She cuddled to his chest and smiled up at him as he held her close, keeping her warm while toying with a lock of hair. "Ah… remember when I said… you'd be the death of me?" he murmured, looking out the window to see the moon shining through. "I… think I wouldn't mind… if that happened." He felt her chuckle and kiss the side of his nose. "Ah, you're a sweet girl… I'm making you happy… right? I hope I am you know, since you can't talk and I honestly hope I'm not pushing myself too much. Oh God, if I am I am so sorry, I-I just seem to lose my mind around you and I can't think straight, well I can if it's about you, but it seems all the blood going to my brain is just flowing right to my-." She always interrupted his rambling with a soft, deep kiss, pulling him close to her and pressing herself against his chest. His eyes fluttered open moments after she parted the kiss, staring at her weakly while she pushed his hair back. "I-I'll take it as… a yes."

The caring of their aching cough.
A fever.

Where was he? It had been several days and she hasn't seen him in almost a week. She couldn't ask any of the doctors, they'd never tell her even if she could speak. She snuck into his office late at night and found no signs of him being there. What if something happened!?! After very careful sneaking and breaking into filing cabinets, she discovered the information she needed and ran off.

He was lying in bed, trembling and sweating as he coughed into his pillow. It seemed a fellow worker had sneezed into his chowder during lunch and now he was terribly ill. Hopefully he didn't spread it to Chell… he missed her so much though. At this moment if he wasn't sick, he'd probably be grabbed by the tie and yanked to the bed… now, though he was in bed, he was alone and aching all over. Chell… he wanted Chell…

Something pushed his damp hair from his face as the feeling of a small kiss on his forehead. He opened his eyes slowly and saw the image before him. He must be hallucinating from the medication he swallowed hours ago. He shuddered and closed his eyes for a moment to have the image go away, then opened to see she was still there. "Ch-Chell?" he croaked, trying to sit up, only to have her gently push him back into bed. "Wh-what are you… h-how did you… y-you shouldn't be…" He groaned when she kissed his forehead again. It would be like what he does for her… stay for as long as she could and then leave before anyone noticed. She crawled into bed and held him tightly in his arms, his burning forehead pressed against her collarbone as his damp hands clung to her shirt. For the first time, while lying in bed together, he wasn't rambling or babbling nervously. The silence was comforting as he let her stroke his back, hair and cheeks. She didn't know much about medicine… but she learned from him about comfort. He mumbled his thanks several times and something else she couldn't catch… he'll tell her once he's better…

The confession of one's feelings.
A hug.

He knew about the cameras in the place and always avoided them when they would meet. She however, did not. The cameras caught her escaping to see him, then sneaking back into her room. The employees slowly put the pieces together, checking the sheets of the bed to find the signs of their relationship all over it. This had gone far enough.

He burst into the room, looking panicked as she gasped in shock. "Ch-Chell!" he cried, running to her and hugging her tightly. "Th-they found out, God they found out! I-it must have been my fault, I-I should have been so careless I-I'm such a moron! They're taking me away a-and they're going to make sure we can't see each other again! They told me Chell, so I punched the one in the face and ran!" Her eyes widened, trying to take it all in as she heard shouts and heavy footsteps running to their room. "I-I'll find a way Chell! I-I'll find a way, I promise! J-Just… G-God, I don't want to… I-I want to…" He held her tightly in his arms and shuddered as the noises got louder, calling for backup. "I-I love you… p-please know I love you o-or else I-I don't know wh-what I'd d-do since th-they'll come a-and take me away a-and probably have me a-arrested a-and th-then we'll never… gah!" He grabbed her and kissed her deeply, holding her tightly and not wanting to let go. She clung to him, tears running down her face and onto her cheeks. How can she say it back… how can she!?!

Hands grabbed at him and yanked him away from her violently. He kicked and tried to escape, reaching out to her as she tried to get out of bed, only to be grabbed by another employee and shoved hard onto the bed. "G-GET AWAY FROM HER!!! CHELL!!!" he cried as he was being dragged away, still kicking and lashing out at the men who held him. He snapped his head up to look at her once last time… and he swore, she was straining herself to say something… oh God, she loves him… she loves him back, she-.

A nightstick thumped against the back of his head… and everything went black.

The shakiness as they kneel.
A blink.

"A coma…?" he asked, feeling numb as he stared at Chell's new doctor. He was fired… he wasn't arrested… but now he could never see her again. "H-how… wh-why?"

"It's a medical coma," they explained, handing him the charts. "We need to do more testing on her."

"What's… going to happen to her?" he asked, swallowing hard.

"Depending on how she takes it… she'll forget mostly everything… have possible brain damage… she'll be out for months… possibly years." He trembled and dropped the chart, falling to his knees and covering his face as the employee blinked at him. "You know, it's your own personal fault… if you had just left her alone… maybe none of this would have happened." He didn't even look up as they walked away, leaving him alone in the hallway and sobbing softly as he hugged his sides.

"Ch-Chell… n-no, Chell…"

The box with the ring inside.
A kiss.

They gave him five minutes before he had to go. He sat by her bedside, holding her bandaged hand as he stroked it slowly and softly. She'll be out for months… years maybe… and once she wakes, they'll be testing her… pushing her physically and mentally… she won't make it alone… she'll die. He brought the hand up and pressed it to his tear stained cheek, taking in the feeling of her skin on his flesh. It wasn't fair… even if it was his fault, the time he was with her… were the best in his entire life.

"Mr. Wheatley… we're ready," someone called from the door and he nodded slowly while waving a hand to signal he'll be out in a moment. He pushed her hair from her face, having cut a lock to have with him, and bent down to kiss her softly on the lips. He was speechless… what could he say to her, she wouldn't remember… she probably couldn't hear him either. He stood up shakily, looked at every inch of her one last time and walked out of the room as the employee closed the door. "The core will be taking in your personality and will assist her in testing… Aperture needs a core like this for their program and we thank you greatly for participating." He only nodded as he was guided to the room.

Before he had left… he slipped something into Chell's pocket. It was a box… after getting the stitches removed from his head after being struck that horrid day, he ran to the jewelry store. He could never ask her now… ask her to be his and only his for the rest of their life… perhaps when she awakens, the core could remind her of him… perhaps it won't and be a babbling bloody moron… perhaps she will reach into her pocket, open the box and see the ring inside… perhaps then she'll remember him… perhaps she'll remember where he lived, how much he loved her and all of the memories they had together… perhaps she'll escape with the core's help and find him again… perhaps…

There was always hope.