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Shepard is sure she is going to die. Utterly convinced of it in fact.
The Citadel is falling to pieces around her, everything is going to shit. She whispers an apology to Garrus before she blacks out.
I’m sorry. I love you. I will always love you.
-
The Normandy crashes and burns, but somehow they all make it.
Garrus is pretty sure his wounds will never heal properly. Something in the way Dr. Chakwas looked at his leg and the...sparse amount of medical equipment they have left. But he has far bigger concerns.
“You get anywhere with communications yet?”
“Not any more since the last time you asked”, Tali snaps, but her anger deflates when she looks at him. “Sorry Garrus, but...we just don’t have a lot of working tech left. I’m trying.”
“No need to apologize...It’s just…”, he sighs, a human peculiarity he picked up from Shepard “I need to know. If she’s okay, if she’s...either way. I need to.”
“I know”, Tali gives him a hug “We all do.”
-
Tali eventually does manage to open a way of communication. Enough to get a nearby alliance ship to pick them up.
Garrus seems to have picked up more than just sighing from Shepard, because within a few hours he is talking to Hacket.
“Vakarian, good to see you alive.”
“Sir”, Garrus has no time for pleasantries “I have a one question.”
Hacket seems to be stifling a laugh. “You can tell the crew of the Normandy their Commander is alive.”
-
Consciousness comes. First in drips, then in waves. She picks up smells, sounds, the voices of her friends.
Feeling comes next, pain, a lot of pain, but also Tali’s gloves and Garrus’ talons around her hand.
Taste is the third to come and it’s disgusting.
Finally she manages to open her eyes. She can’t turn her head. Liara’s face appears in her view. “Hey there.” She sounds strange. “You are not wearing a translator so I have to try to speak your language.” She holds a screen with Asari writing on it over Shepard’s head so she can see. “How do you make these sounds?”
Shepard tries to tell her she is doing well but she can’t speak yet so she settles for a smile. “And she’s already smirking again, I’m getting a nurse”, Liara walks off and Shepard slides back into unconsciousness.
-
Turian sure sounds...interesting. Garrus is talking to her and Shepard doesn’t understand a word. She doesn’t even know if those are words.
She uses every muscle she can access again to turn her head and raise an eyebrow. Garrus stops and punches something into his omnitool.
A robotic voice sounds out of it. “Sorry. I can not even remotely try to imitate human sounds.”
She nods weakly. That much was obvious. He types another phrase. “I love you.”
Shepard smiles and Garrus leans in to give her a soft kiss on the forehead. That’s one thing she can pick up without a translator.