I gazed out the hospital window. The sky was clear, no trace of those nasty dark clouds. No rain either.

"How long have I been here?" I asked turning to Heather.

"24 hours."

Just 24 hours? If someone told me that everything I remembered had been nothing more than a nightmare, I might have believed them, there wasn't a single trace or hint of it left. Wild how quickly the weather could change.

"What happened with the fire?" I asked, trying to piece together the gaps in my memory after passing out.

"They managed to put it out once the storm passed." Heather said as she sat up in her bed, letting her left leg hang off the side, and then, with the help of her hands, she carefully moved her bandaged right leg to join it.

"Does it hurt?" I said looking at her leg.

She shook her head. "Not really. I can even walk if I don't push it too much."

She stood up and took a few steps toward me. She limped slightly, but otherwise, she seemed fine. When she reached my bed, she clutched the metal bar at the foot for support, and then with a small sigh, she eased herself in the edge of the bed, close to my feet.

"See?" She said with a grin. "It'll heal soon with the recovery treatment."

I sat up straighter, and even though I didn't have any bandages, my body still felt like a noodle. Still, I pushed through, and once I got past the initial discomfort of moving, I actually felt better, like my blood finally remembered how to circulate properly.

"It was amazing what you did up there in the tower, you know?" She said.

I shrugged. "I'm just glad I could help."

She shook her head. "You did more than that. You saved lives. My life, to begin with, and then, you prevented a massive disaster in the City. It was such a smart move to use the suit to isolate the Repeater."

"It was the only option I had."

Heather let out a sharp exhale and smiled briefly. "Interesting you see it that way."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing." She said. "Doesn't matter."

A silence.

Now that she was closer, I could see her turquoise eyes better. They were still framed by a faint red haze that seemed to have intensified since I last saw her in the electric towar. I leaned in toward her to get a better look, and she flinched.

"Oh, sorry," I said quickly returning to my place. "It's just... your eyes, they look..."

"Horrible, I know." She said gazing away from me.

"I wasn't going to say that."

"But you thought so."

"No..." Heather raised an eyebrow clearly not buying it and I felt I needed to justify. "Okay, first of all, I'm not used to seeing blue-eyed people, even less, blue eyes that seemed to have sunk into a pool of blood."

Heather raised her eyebrows in shock. "Sunk in a pool of blood?" Oh-oh. "And here I thought horrible was the worst thing you could be thinking of." She blinked slowly as if trying to digest the comment.

"Ok, maybe that was unfortunate." I said.

"Unfortunate?" She snorted. "Do you write all your compliments or they just come natural to you?"

"All natural. I'm just too creative." I said grinning. "But just for the record and if it makes you feel better, I'd still think your eyes are kind of...hypnotic."

Heather laughed. "I'm afraid to ask what hypnotic means to you. Now is when you'll say I look like a witch or a ghost."

"More like a wolf."

A pause.

She frowned and then slowly, smiled. "I'm confused. Should I be offended or flattered?"

"I'd say you feel however you want. But flattered seems like a good choice."

"You know you have a knack for doing and saying things others wouldn't dare, right?" She said.

"I know. It's a rare talent."

"More like a dangerous talent." She said.

"Well, I'm still here, so I guess... I'm doing something right?"

"Barely here." she remarked, gazing at the redness of my skin and the thousands of little red dots the acid rain had left behind. A nice little reminder, I guess. Heather gently took my arm, turning it over to examine the spread of marks. The warmth and softness of her hand surprised me like the day she grabbed me to show me Michael's footage from the border.

"How does it feel?" She asked.

"It feels soft."

"Soft?" She raised an eyebrow, confused.

Oops. Now I understood the question. Why was I so distracted by her touching my arm?

"Oh, uh, my skin. Of course, it hurts like hell."

There was a brief pause. Her eyes flickered for a split second as if she'd caught something in my reaction, but she didn't press it.

"The medical team here is really good. You'll recover in no time."

"Yeah...I... hope so." I said rolling my eyes.

"You don't want to?"

"I mean... do I want the pain to go away? Sure. But going back to classes and training? Not exactly thrilling."

Heather sent a mischievous grin. "And yet I've been told you look like a kid in a candy store every time you're in combat class."

"Who the hell told—" I trailed off. It only took me a second to imagine who could be behind spreading such a ridiculous, not-even-close-to-true, completely made-up rumor.

"First of all" I began taking a deep breath. "I've never even been in a candy store, so it's impossible I look like that," Heather tried to hold back a teasing smile.

"Second of all," I continued, "it's a little concerning that the only fun I have involves kicking other people's butts. No joke about it."

She looked up, considering my argument. "It's not a big deal. I can relate to that too."

"Ha! Of course, you can relate." I laughed. "What was I even thinking? Not sure you're the best person to have this conversation with."

"Actually I'm the best person. I know exactly what you are talking about."

I raised an eyebrow. "And the fact that you have this twisted love for violence doesn't exactly help my case."

"I wouldn't call it love. But I know what adrenaline can do to a person, get them violent? Sure. But it can also push them to rescue others."

· · ·

Sleeping in the hospital was strange. I had a hard time settling in. It felt odd having Heather right beside me, especially since we'd developed this quiet understanding between us that was... nice. I'd even say the days with her felt like a kind of truce I didn't know I needed.

Besides, when she slept, her usual authoritative presence faded almost entirely. Not that I was constantly watching her. But I mean we were next to each other... and I really liked her hair. Not in a weird way. But you know... the way her waves fell softly on the pillow... Besides, without her uniform, she seemed... almost normal, in the best way. She looked warmer, more approachable. Not that I was thinking about that, okay?

Besides, there was something that made me feel kind of sorry for her: she never seemed to actually get a good sleep. I noticed she shifted around a lot, as if there wasn't a single posture that fit well enough for her and sometimes she even mumbled in her sleep.

One night, after several whimpers I got up to check on her. She was doing her usual tossing and turning. I wasn't sure what to do, but since she seemed more agitated than usual, I leaned in to wake her up. Just as I was about to touch her, she opened her eyes and immediately startled, making me look like some kind of creepy stalker. Great timing. Thanks, universe.

"Oh. Sorry. I was... you were..." My words came in a mess as Heather looked at me frowning trying to puzzle the situation, her eyes trying to adjust to the dim light.

"Are you okay?" I finally said.

"I think so..." She said. "Are YOU okay?"

"Yes. yes, of course. I came because you seemed to be having a bad dream."

"Oh, again?" She said, sitting up a little straighter and leaning her back against the bed frame.

I nodded.

She closed her eyes frustrated, as if she was sick of that. "Sorry." She muttered.

"Not a problem."

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as if trying to slow down her probably hyperactive heart.

"I was just concerned you might need help on thoes dreams. What was this one about?" I asked sitting on the edge of her bed.

"I don't remember it well. Just some flashes of me trying to fight something, but I never know what." She said, rubbing her eyes.

"I see... So you fight in real life and also while dreaming. Have you considered taking a break from being so tough?"

"It's not like I can decide." She said. "Besides, you're not the chill, calm type of person either. You can't talk."

I laughed. "I'm too impulsive sometimes, that's true; it's one of my flaws."

"I don't think you are as impulsive as you think." She said while turning her gaze to the open window.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She didn't answer. Instead, her eyes remained fixed on the window, thoughtful. Golden light came from it cascading our shadows on the floor. The sun was about to rise. In the distance, birds glided over.

"It's been a while since I saw birds for the last time," She said. "With the drones, they barely come close to the border."

I gazed at them too. They were thin dark shadows dancing on the horizon.

"Funny how small things can remind us how much things have changed," I said. "It's like I can hear my mom's voice saying..." I tried to imitate her. "If the birds don't want to cross the wall, we shouldn't either."

Heather laughed at my tone. "Is she on the Other Side?" 

I shook my head. "Well... in a way..."

Heather frowned.

"She's dead. Both of my parents are."

"Oh." She placed a hand softly on my leg. "I'm sorry."

"Never mind. It was a long time ago," I said. "You know what's funny, though?"

She shook her head.

"Sometimes, I miss the most insignificant things about her. Like when my brother and I were sick, she'd bring us these mini apple pies with cinnamon. No idea where she got them. But she always managed to bring one or two. They were so delicious, and for a moment, we felt like the happiest kids on Earth. So many years have passed, but even now, whenever I feel weak or sick, that smell and taste bring my mother back."

Heather smiled kindly. "That's not insignificant at all," She said. "I think it's beautiful. It's like a small piece of her still lives on through those smells and tastes."

"Yeah, some people never really go away. The good thing about memories I guess, even if they are sad ones."

Heather looked at me thoughtfully, as if what I'd said needed a moment to sink in.

"How can you do that?" She asked.

"Do what?"

"Being always so... candid?"

I paused to give myself a minute to understand her and she looked as if trying to understand me. But... was that a spark of admiration in her eyes? The sun was already streaming and some rays bounced on her wavy strands. Her blue eyes seemed even more clear as if she could see right through me. I tried to answer but... what was the question again?

She smiled at my frozen state.

"See?" She said. "You are not that impulsive."

Right after, she leaned closer and captured my lips with hers in a kiss.

My heart raced, like, really raced. I mean it. I felt it pounding like drums, echoing through my entire body. Still, I managed to ignore it because, well, I was focused on something else.

Her lips were soft, even warmer than her hands. A couple of strands of her hair fell forward, brushing against my cheeks. I couldn't help but gently tuck them back, finally letting my fingers linger on them. Okay, I'll admit it, maybe I'd silently wished to touch her hair before. Okay, maybe more than once.

She slid her hands around my hips and closed the distance between us. All the pain and worry dissolved as if they had never existed. No acid rain carving wounds into my skin, no constructed lungs to remind me I almost choked a few hours ago, and not a single thought of Michael. Was this really happening?

A gentle touch on my shoulder snapped me back and Heather gradually moved me away.

"Someone is coming." She said gazing at the door.

Footsteps approached our room. She was right. I didn't have time to rush back to my bed before the door swung open and Kate burst in, full of energy.

"Morning!" She said loudly before realizing we were already awake; she was dragging a wheelchair. "I thought you two would be asleep. I wanted to wake you up in the most annoying way possible!"

"Sorry, next time maybe." Heather said.

I looked down, trying to avoid her gaze. My cheeks felt like they were on fire, I couldn't pretend everything was normal. I had just kissed Heather. Well, technically, she had kissed me, but either way, it had been a long time since my last kiss. Which made that one thousand times more difficult to digest. How the hell was Heather acting so normal?

"Hey girl, are you feeling okay?" Kate said concerned, and leaned close to me. "You are as red as a tomato; it looks like you have a fever."

Heather smirked at me.

"Let's check your stats." Kate came close, grabbed my hand, and checked on my Reg Bracelet. "Oh my god, your heart rate is high, it's like you've been sprinting."

I took my arm back hiding it. "I'm... I'm okay, Kate. Just a bit overwhelmed by everything that happened."

Heather chimed in. "Yeah, it's been a wild ride. Almost as if it's still going on. Right?"

She smiled. Was she throwing a hint at me?

"Well, let's wait for a while, and we'll check your stats again," Kate said. "By the way, why are you out of your bed, Grace?" She finally realized we were both sitting on Heather's bed and quite close...

"Well... I... wanted to move my legs a bit," I said, lying so badly. I'm not sure if Kate bought the excuse, but she just let it go.

"Okay, good to know because I'm here to take you with meeeee." She let the "me" sound as long as she turned around with the wheelchair. Did she ever run out of energy?

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To the lab; your recovery treatment is ready." Kate said.

"Do we have to go now, like right now?"

Kate frowned. "Yeah girl, or you prefer to spend more time here with the pain?"

"You'll feel much more relaxed after that." Heather said with a knowing glint in her eyes. Okay, stop it.

"Fine, let's go then." I said.

"And you, Lead, are looking extremely badass with these scars!" Kate said to Heather blinking at her.

"Thanks, I guess." She said "Someone even told me my eyes seemed to be sunk in a pool of blood."

Kate blinked twice as if she were visualizing that bloody pool. "Oh, that's a grim image... but quite powerful. I like it!"

I gazed at Heather with a satisfied smile, and she tried to look away, failing to hide her own.

· · ·

We strolled through the hospital hallway while Kate hummed a soft melody.

"Kate." I said. "Thanks for coming after me."

"You were really lucky, you know?"

"I know. For real, thank you."

"You should thank the Lead; she was the one who warned us that you had been left in the tower without a suit."

"She did?"

"Of course, and she also prevented the punishment you were going to receive. If that had happened, you wouldn't have woken up here, girl." Kate explained.

"I didn't know that."

So Heather had fought for me. Again. 

"Yep, she really sees something in you. Don't mess it up."

The irony of that sentence... I felt like I could choke again and this time without needing a real fire.

We turned right and got to a small white cubicle room with a stretcher in the middle and several medical machines around it.

"Okay, lay down and just relax." Kate said. "The medical team will be here in a minute. In the meantime, start breathing through this." She placed a soft mask over my mouth and nose.

As my eyelids grew heavy.

Dark.

A strong ray of sunlight woke me up, blinding me. I stood up and looked around; I was in the same medical room where I had woken up after the rescue. I turned my head, looking for Heather, but her bed was empty. Then, I glanced down and noticed a note and a small cardboard box placed on the night table next to my bed.

"I know it won't be as you remember it, but I hope this brings you a bit of comfort as you recover. See you, H."

I opened the box. It was a slice of apple pie.