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He remembers the sound of the bullets shooting from his own gun, ripping through the ruins of their headquarters, landing in her body. He remembers watching her tumble backwards, her eyes wide, angry, confused. He remembers trying to follow Piper and Fitz into the pod. He remembers something grabbing him from behind, a blue flash surrounding him.
Then he remembers pain. Being strapped into a chair. Being beaten. Asked for intel. Her crazy eyes. The Russian’s accent. The threatening tone of his voice.
But most of all he remembers her. Her smile. Her smile when he first met her. Her smile when they first kissed. Her smile when he asked her to marry him. Her smile when she said yes. Her smile when she stood in front of him in her wedding dress. Her smile when she held a little plastic stick with a plus-sign in her hands as if it were the greatest treasure in the world. Her smile when they saw their baby on an ultrasound monitor for the first time. Her smile when they heard their baby’s heartbeat. He remembers the tears streaming down his face and how she’d teased him about it.
Zackary Davis, you old softie!
Every time the Russian hits him, every time AIDA slices his skin with a knife, every time the pain rushes through his body, every time he wants to give up, he remembers her.
He remembers that by saving Fitz, the one person who knows AIDA best and what she’s capable of, he’d given his team a chance to defeat AIDA.
He remembers that sacrificing himself means Mindy and their baby might just be safe.
And that gives him strength to endure torture a bit longer, to stall time. He almost takes pride in the fact that they’re getting frustrated.
It’s getting harder to stay awake though, to stay alive.
He’s not sure how much time has passed. How many hours or days it may have been. They hadn’t come back for a while now. He’s not sure if it’s a good sign or bad.
He tastes the blood in his mouth, and once again lets his mind turn to her and her growing belly for comfort.
Her eyes are warm and loving, and the palm of her hand feels so soft against his cheek.
Davis! Wake up! Her tone is strangely authoritative, like she’s giving him an order.
Fuck, get medical down here!
“When our baby’s born, you’re gonna have to watch your language, Mindy,” he teases her, not sure why his own voice sounds like a weak echo in his ears, not sure why his head starts spinning.
He closes his eyes.
Just for a moment, he thinks. Just until the spinning stops.
When he opens them again, he notices the warm sand below his naked feet. Hears the seagulls flying above them, the sound of the ocean waves.
She’s right in front of him, looking so beautiful, radiant, angelic, her wavy hair draping over her shoulders, a soft breeze blowing it up. There’s a glow around her, the sun behind her. Her dress is white and airy, flowing over her pregnant belly. And she smiles.
She smiles and he can’t help but do the same.
She takes his hand, squeezing it gently.
“Wake up, Zack. Please, wake up!”
She sounds so sad, her voice quiet, pained, pleading. It doesn’t match the beaming smile on her face.
“How did we end up on a beach?” he asks, confused.
“Zack?” There’s a sudden excitement in her tone.
But her lips aren’t moving.
Her voice is echoing around him. Rushing towards him from the bright blue sky above.
“Zack? He’s waking up. I think he’s waking up.”
He looks up at the sky.
And then someone opens his eye, shining a bright white light straight into his pupil.
There’s beeping and indistinct voices and bright, fluorescent lights.
It’s all rushing in at once like a tidal wave drowning his senses.
But through it all, he feels her hand holding his, hears her repeating his name.
And when he turns his head, he sees her.
He notices other people in the room, hands touching his face, his limbs. He notices pain in every bone and muscle of his body. But at the same time, everything but her and their unborn child disappears.
“Good,” he hears himself say weakly, his voice hoarse and barely there at all. “I didn’t miss it.”
She lets out a single laugh while tears stream down her face. Her hair is messy and tangled, dark circles framing her red puffy eyes. She’s wearing one of his hoodies, her belly stretching out the grey-heather fabric. She looks worried. And yet she smiles, wiping away her tears with the heel of her hand.
He’s not sure he’s ever seen her more beautiful than this.
“I knew you’d do almost anything to get out of changing diapers, Zackary Davis, but getting yourself almost killed is a step too far. Do you hear me?”
He feels his lips pull into a weak smile. “Loud and clear.”