Bring Him Home

Joey's POV~

Everything had gone wrong.

Again.

Honestly, I was still in hysterics when everything took place. The ambulance arriving, the police cars... sirens on top of sirens, I was standing and then I was kneeling and then I was sitting somewhere with a blanket wrapped around me and a health care worker rubbing my back and asking what my name was. I was shaking (and bad, too) I didn't know what had happened. All I can remember was asking for Shane, Shane would know what to do, Shane could save me.

He had saved me.

I watched Sawyer get put in the back of a police car and I was crying just a little bit. I was more scared than anything else. I didn't want to be alone - what if I'd lost Shane? I didn't want to lose Sawyer too...

But sitting in that hospital waiting room, it all started to make sense. Once the shock had worn off, I could recall the smooth black of the gun in Sawyer's hand. His jealous rage was enough to threaten my life - to threaten Shane's life - at gunpoint. That wasn't love. Shane was right, I'd just been stupid again.

But I might've realized that too late.

No one would tell me what was going on; the health care worker who'd been with me back at our apartment had left me wrapped up in the waiting room and the last thing she'd told me was that they'd come and get me once Shane's condition was stable. He could've been dying in there, and I wouldn't know about it.

He'd been shot. He could've been dying.

I felt sick.

It took too long for me to get any news. All I could do was sit and shake and feel bad about the whole situation. But when a young nurse came towards me, my heartbeat picked up. I needed to know, whether it was good or bad. But she was smiling, so maybe this was a good sign? I still didn't want to get my hopes up, I couldn't handle another tragedy.

"You're Joey, right?" I gave a shaky nod, holding the blanket tighter around me. She smiled and continued, "you don't need to look so scared, your husband's doing fine. They just finished his stitches, so you can head in to see him for a little if you'd like."

I looked up, sure that what I'd heard couldn't be true. Everything she'd said went right over me. Husband? "... What?"

"You can see Shane now if you've like," the nurse repeated. "But just for a little while so if you want to... we should probably go now."

Realization came over me and I stumbled to my feet, uncurling my legs, "Y-yes, of course I want to!" So I followed her in, my heart pounding. If I could see him, then maybe he was okay.

But I wouldn't believe it until I saw him with my own eyes.

He wasn't that far down the hall, and he was awake in the hospital bed when I saw him. My stomach dropped and I just smiled, looking to the nurse for half a second before crossing the room and kneeling beside his bed. "Oh my god, Shane, I... I..." I couldn't think of anything to say: in fact, I felt like crying.

He smiled and met my eyes and that's when I knew for sure that he was going to be alright. I laughed at my own hysterics, wiping my eyes and grabbing his hand, and when I laughed, he laughed and said, "Jesus, Joey, I'm not dead yet."

"But you - you got shot," I was stunned, but the nurse left us for the time being. "Sawyer, he..." Shane's smile vanished as I brought up our newest enemy. Shane opened his mouth but I spoke before he could: "The cops got him. I-I'm glad, you were... you were right."

And he didn't say anything. He didn't laugh in my face. He just sat back in his hospital bed and sighed in a way that was much too serious for him. When I looked at him questioningly, he finally said, "I'm just happy that you're safe."

I was fully crying by now, it was all just too much for me and I put my face in his good shoulder as he stroked my hair. "But how did you survive?" was my main concern.

Shane scoffed, "Sawyer's a fucking terrible shot. He hit my shoulder and my side, nothing lethal. I just needed some stitches, I'll be fine before you know it."

It was shocking to me that he was alright. Back in the moment, I thought I'd be the one getting shot. It was all an emotional blur now, and my fears from before lessened and lessened.

After a tender moment of just the two of us happy to be together, he spoke again, softly: "I meant what I said."

It took me a second to find his eyes and struggle to remember. "... what? T-that I'm safe?"

"No," he smiled, looking down and interlacing his fingers with mine on the hospital bed. "What I said to the nurse. I was gonna ask you at dinner tomorrow, but, uh, I don't think I'll be able to make it."

"I don't...?" remember? What did he say to the nurse? What could he -... ask?

He smiled even bigger, rolling his thumb over my knuckles. "That we were husbands."

Oh.

I caught on but luckily, for my sake, he continued: "I know it's not proper yet but I made up my mind. I-I want to marry you, Joey, you're honestly more than I ever could've wanted, I have a ring for you back at our apartment if you want and I was so scared I was gonna lose you before I could - "

I cut him off by moving in to kiss him with renewed passion. I was laughing, beaming too much to kiss him properly but it was the thought that mattered. When I finally pulled back, he smirked.

"...so is that a yes?"

__A/N: Are you guys happy with that?! We're almost done, folks! Just a short epilogue and we're through! Ahh ;A;