Look out for the <>!

My grandmother smiled slightly as if she had some great news to share. She cupped my cheek in her hand and said, "Annalise, he's alive. That was why I was trying to get a hold of you."

I felt like someone punched me in the gut. I couldn't breathe. How was that possible? "I saw him die," I spit out, trying to figure out if this was a dream.

She smiled again then stepped out of the car and I followed her lead. I suddenly wanted to be here. Even if this was a dream, it was welcomed. I wanted to see him even if it was for just one last time.

I quickly ran my hands through my hair as if that would help me look more presentable. I pulled on my shirt and tucked it into my jeans. I wish she would have told me this information before we left. Then I would have looked better.

By time we walked into the hospital, every part of my body was rejoicing. I felt like my heart was going to race out of my chest from excitement. With those small words that my grandmother shared, I slowly started to feel alive again.

"The doctors saved him. But we have been keeping his status as top level clearance because we still are not sure what happened in Florida. But I had to let you know. I hate to see you like this. I know how close you and him are," she explained as she walked down a bright and busy hospital hall away.

I nodded to her, even though I wasn't paying much attention to her words. All I could think of was what to say to Auggie when I saw him. I was joyous that he was alive, but hurt that my plan landed him here. I should be in his place. I was digging into MIA. I was trusting the wrong people. Auggie didn't do anything wrong but I on the other hand, did everything wrong.

<>

"Two surgeries later and here he is," she said and stopped in front of a closed door. A guard stood by to protect whatever was in the next room. My grandmother flashed her badge at him then with a nod, the guard opened the door for her. She walked in as if she had done this so many times before.

But I froze in front of the doorway. I turned on my heals, refusing to look into the room. Once again, I couldn't find my breath. Fear once again shook me as I realized that maybe he wouldn't want to see me. I frowned. What if he never wanted to be my friend again? I was clearly dangerous. I would stay away from me too.

"Annalise, He's still asleep," she said and pulled me into the room as if not willing to hear any excuse that I was about to make up. "Has been since he arrived. The doctors put him in a coma to help the healing process. They just took it off of him early this morning." She gave me a little push again. She was always good at pushing me to do things I didn't want to.

I nodded at her and took a deep breath. There was no way of going around this. If he didn't want to see me again, at least I would know. But it wouldn't mean it wouldn't hurt. I had hurt so much in my life, I wasn't sure if I could stomach more. I turned to face his room again and walked in.

I looked up and inside of the sun lit room was Auggie, lying down with a few medical devices around him. The heart monitor was the only thing that beeped a study rhythm. His face was bruised slightly and I wondered if he got that in the base.

I forced myself to take slow steps until I saw sitting in a chair beside him. Unsure what to do next, I hesitantly brushed some of his brown hair out of his face. He looked so peaceful. If there wasn't any of these tubes and machines around us, I would think that I was just watching him sleep on my couch like he had done time and time again.

I was overcome with emotion as I stared at him. I did this. This was my fault. "Auggie" I whispered. "I'm sorry." I grabbed a hold of his limp warm hand and rubbed it with my thumb.

Gram smiled at me then turned on her heals to leave again. I wondered where she was going but didn't care to ask.

I sat back in the uncomfortable chair and watched him for a while as the machines helped him breath and heal. Minutes ticked by and I started to get comfortable with him, I started talking to him as if he heard me. I told him stories as if it would cheer both of us up. I laughed at my own jokes and smiled at the memories I had of us. I was so sure that I would never see him again so I counted every minute I had with him now.

As I was neck deep in a story about how Auggie pulled me out of a burning house, a nurse walked into the room and smiled at me. "How are you dear?" she asked kindly as if I was her patient.

I smiled at her as I tried to fix my hair. I slicked it back in a pony tail and hoped it was good enough. But by now it was a little too greasy to make it look normal. "Good," I said plainly, after all no one really wanted to hear a full answer to that question.

"We're about to take out his breathing tube so I'm going to ask you to leave and come back in a few minutes. Is that ok?"

I frowned at her, not wanting to leave his side but I knew I could argue. "Ok," I said and stood up from my chair. I felt my stomach rumble realized that I didn't really eat anything at all today. I turned to sleeping Auggie and said, "I'll be back" then walked out of the room and down to the cafeteria to grab some late lunch.

I quickly picked the first thing I saw at the cafeteria and found a place to sit and eat at. All I could think about was getting back to Auggie so I didn't pay attention to how good the food actually was. I took another bite and forced the food down my throat.

From across the hall my eyes fell on my grandmother. She sipped on a drink then smiled at me. She stood up gracefully from her seat then walked over to me.

I was surprised that she hadn't left yet. "Hi," I said with a mouth full of food.

"Hi. You look..... happier," she said and sat next to me.

I shrugged as I wiped my mouth. "Yeah," I said with a small smile. Auggie wasn't even up and he was already working his magic to cheer me up. Auggie held a part of my heart and I needed him to know that without him, I was nothing. He needed to know what I wanted to be with him and date him. I loved him.

She frowned at looked at my food on my plate. "You find jello and chicken a good combo?" she asked, confused with my choices.

I looked at my food with a frown. Oh, so that was what I was eating. I chuckled, finding humor in this. "I guess so."

She shook her head at me and gave a little laugh. I haven't heard her laugh in a while. In fact I hardly ever heard her laugh. She always looked tired or upset. She must have been in a good mood too. "I want to brief you tomorrow."

"Ok, I'll be there. At 7:30?" I asked as I took a bite of chicken. As hard as it was to reply the events that happened in Florida, she had to know what happened. She needed to know that the CIA was under attack. MIA was going to take them down and she had to be ready for that.

"See you then," she said with a smile that made her green eyes glitter. She took the last drink of her soda then left the small cafeteria.

By time I made it back to Auggie's room, I saw that he had less machines around him. It looked positive. He was getting better and that made me feel better. In silence, I sat in the same spot as the last time to watch him again.

I expected it to be silent in here all night long but my thoughts changed when he groaned lightly. I wasn't expecting that and it caused me to jump slightly. In fact, I fell off my chair but quickly recovered to sit back in it again. "Auggie?" I asked as I felt my heart race in my chest.

"Annalise?" he breathed as he opened his eyes to look at me.

I smiled brightly at him. My heart soared to new heights as I looked at his brown eyes. "Yeah Auggie, it's me," I said scooting the chair closer to the bed. I had Butterflies in my stomach, like the first time I kissed someone. "Auggie I missed you, so much," I said and held his hand in mine.

He intertwined his fingers with mine as if they belonged there and for a minute, everything was perfect. "I miss you too," he said finally and smiled weakly.

I chuckled. He just woke up and he was trying to tell jokes, that was when I knew he would be ok. We both would be. "Auggie how could you have missed me? You were a sleep."

He shrugged. "I could still miss you."

I brushed some of his hair out of his face and smiled. "Ok. If you say so." I paused for a minute, my mind was swimming with things I wanted to say. Finally I spoke up again, "I thought I lost you for good. I'm sorry," I said holding back tears.

He reached up to cup my cheek with a frown. "What are you sorry for?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"It's my fault you're in here," I said, letting a tear fall down my face.

He stopped it with his thumb and frowned deeper. "No, don't blame yourself. We were trapped. You didn't even want to go in that base so we should have listened to you," he said then winced. I watched as his heart monitor shot up then sank down again. He was in pain.

I frowned at him. It was killing me to see him in pain. I wanted to be in his spot, why could have this been me? Why did it have to be Auggie?

As if reading my thoughts he went on to say, "Annalise stop that. I'm ok. It's not your fault and I'm going to ram that though your head until you get It."

I would like to see him try. "Ok."

"Anyhow what have you been up to?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Nothing." which was painfully true. Since coming back, I have done pretty much nothing, I didn't feel like doing anything. But now, that was starting to change. The color in the world was slowly coming back and I was slowly feeling more and more like myself. 

"So you didn't have a party while I was gone?"  he asked and smirked. "I always seem to miss the best parties."

I shook my head with a small smile. "pssh, hardly," I said remembering what I've done. I brushed my hair out of my face and tucked it behind my ear.

He frowned as he looked at me as if he saw something he didn't like. "Did you hit your head?" he asked. I frowned, he must have seen the butterflies on my forehead.

I untucked my hair and let it fall into my face again, hiding my forehead from view. "Oh it's nothing. I'm fine," I said as I looked at the ground. It was nothing compared to what he got.

His warm hands pushed my chin up to look at him again. "It doesn't look like nothing," he said as he brushed the cut lightly with his hand.

I blushed. Once again, I longed for this simple human interaction, touch. His hand was soft and warm. I wanted to tell him right then and there that I liked him. But what if he didn't like me back? What if he moved on and just wanted to be friends?

Time moved like waves as we talked until the sun went down. I enjoyed talking about nothing important to him. It made me feel like things were going back to normal before Toby came into our lives and before I started talking to B26. 

Breaking us from our conversation was a call to my phone. "Hello?" I asked into the phone.

"Hey, well I was wondering if you still wanted company tonight," Carter said.

I frowned. I forgot about him completely. "Um....yeah, please," I said. I didn't want to say no but after all he did for me I couldn't just dump him and let things go back to me not liking him. I owed him and I have grown to like him as a friend. I looked at Auggie with a frown, I rather stay here. But I knew visiting hours would soon be over and I would have to leave anyhow.

"Ok, well I'll come by in an hour."

I nodded as if he could see. "Sounds good. Bye," I said and hung up the phone.

"Got to go?"

I nodded as I packed up my purse.

He went on to say  "are you stopping by tomorrow?"

I got up from my chair and nodded at him. "Of course I will!" How could he think that I wouldn't?  "I will visit as much as you want me."

"I'll always want you..." he paused for a second, coughed then continued "...here."

I smiled as hope filled me. Maybe it wasn't too late for us. "Good." He wanted me! "Ok. Well, I'll be back tomorrow."

"Don't take too long," he said with a weak smile then winced.