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November 23, 2023
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Simon had never felt more broken as he did when he saw Johnny’s limp body strewn across the concrete.
The worst had flooded his mind like a dam breaking apart.
Soap was gone. Dead. Fallen. Lifeless.
The second Ghost had seen what he could only assume was Soap’s corpse, he knelt beside him, scrambling to find any sign of life. As he cradled Soap in his arms and lifted his head to rest upon his lap, Ghost’s gloved fingers searched Soap for a pulse. Hope was beginning to drift out of Ghost’s body.
Until his hands came to rest on Soap’s wrist.
A faint pulse could be felt beneath Soap’s long sleeve shirt and gloves.
It was only then that Ghost felt his own breath return to his body. Gently, he lifted Soap’s head to listen to his breath. Soap’s breath was faint and shallow, but it was there. It proved life was still swimming in Johnny’s veins. Simon let out another exhale, and felt a tear drop from his eye. He watched as Johnny breathed slowly. In and out, in and out, confirming that there was life. It calmed Ghost.
Of course, Soap still looked as good as dead. His skin had paled from nearly dying, and his tac vest had started to tear from bullets. Blood covered a good part of his face and clothes, mainly from a couple of fresh gashes to the cheek.
“Johnny…” the faint, but loving, whisper slipped past Ghost’s lips, almost getting caught in his balaclava and outer skull mask. A small smile pricked at the corners of his mouth as he continued to support Soap in his arms.
“Ghost… Is he…?” Price’s gruff voice from behind Simon lingered on a question feared, but often heard, on the battlefield.
“He’s breathing. It’s quiet, and he’ll need medical, but he’s alive.” Ghost’s voice neutralized as he turned his head to face Price.
If Ghost saw Price stumble with relief, he said nothing about it to his Captain. He then turned to look at Gaz, who had the sense of relief they were all sharing surrounding him.
They were all exhausted. Instead of rushing to leave, everyone basked in this small moment of peace that covered them, knowing Johnny was still among the living. It was at least 10 minutes before Price mentioned anything about exfil.
“Simon, son, we need to move. Soap’s wounded badly and it’s time for exfil.” Price’s voice was calm but authoritative.
He then leaned away from Simon, hand coming up to his comm before muttering orders into it.
Ever so softly, Simon stood up from where he had been kneeling down next to Johnny. His hands worked to support Soap more, and shifted to bridal carry him.
“It’s alright, Johnny, we’re gonna get you home. Just hold on a little longer.” Ghost spoke delicately and lovingly into Soap’s ear.
Price led them to their exfil point, still brandishing his rifle in case of loose enemy stragglers. He moved swiftly and strategically as he walked. Ghost fell into step a few strides behind him. His eyes always glancing down to check the man that was silently resting in his arms. Gaz had reloaded his own rifle, and now covered both his superior’ sixes as they reached exfil. Ghost only spared him a quick look or two before they all reached the plane, checking that he was still stable. The mission had been quite the fire fight.
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December 10, 2023
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Soap had been lying in a hospital bed for almost three weeks. His breathing had evened out, and his wounds began to heal. The cuts along his face had been stitched and now began to scar and his bruises faded. All signs of a healthy recovery.
The last two and a half weeks had been petrifying for Ghost. He had watched as Soap had been wheeled into the room he was in now and stood by as doctors scurried around him. The worst had been when Soap crashed.
A few days after they had returned from the mission, Ghost had almost screamed when he heard the heart rate machine next to Johnny flatline. His eyes had teared up as he watched nurses and doctors had raced in and resuscitated him. Ghost had been shaking as he crumbled to his knees with relief.
Simon had felt useless in that moment. There was nothing he could do for Johnny, and he hated it. He despised not being able to bring Johnny relief or comfort when he needed it the most. He hated only being able to sit and watch as Johnny lay motionless in a bed, wires and machines hooked up to him, stabilizing him, keeping him alive. Simon hated all of it.
In the two weeks since Soap’s near death, Simon had only stepped out of Johnny’s hospital room a handful of times. Once to give a mission brief to Price, twice to shower, and the rest were to fetch food from the mess hall. Every time he had left it had been for barely 15 minutes. Simon needed to be there if Johhny woke up. When Johnny woke up.
Ghost lifted his head from his hands as he heard the door to Soap’s room creak open. Price entered quietly and remained silent for a few moments. He then walked over to Ghost and laid a hand upon his shoulder.
“Ghost, when was the last time you slept?” Price asked, worry haunting his voice.
Ghost thought for a minute before replying, knowing full well the last time he slept had been a 30-minute nap at Johnny’s bedside.
“I’m fine, Price, Johnny is more important right now anyway.” Simon huffed out, his voice coming across a tad more aggressive than he wanted it to.
“Right now, you’re just as important as him, Simon. Now, go eat something and get some rest on a proper bed. That’s an order.”
Simon frowned as he slowly stood, muscles groaning from the lack of movement recently. He stretched a few times, eyes never leaving Johnny.
“I’ll be out in a minute, Captain” Simon replied, despite wanting to do the very opposite.
Ghost wanted to spend every moment, awake or asleep, next to Soap. He wanted to be there for any small sign of him waking up soon. He wanted to be there if Johnny failed to cling to life. He couldn’t abandon Johnny. It would kill him.
Satisfied with his response, Price left the room. Before leaving the room, Simon bent down and kissed each one of Johnny’s knuckles. His lips pressed against the rough skin ever so gently, never for more than a second. Ghost then let his head rest in Soap’s palm for several beats. The dull warmth seeped through his balaclava and caressed Simon’s face. A smile made its way to sit upon Ghost’s face. Knowing he had to leave, even if it pained him, Simon let go of Johnny and made his way to the door.
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December 23, 2023
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It had been another quiet two weeks of Johnny lying silently in bed. The muscle definition on his body had started to fade gently. After all, it had been about a month since the mission. His body was almost fully healed. A couple of rugged scars sat on his left cheek, giving him an even more war-hardened look. His mohawk had grown long, falling on top of his eyes, and no longer complying with military standards. The shaved sides and beard had stayed clean and short thanks to Ghost, who knew that Johnny would have his head if it got too long and itchy.
Simon stayed with him less and less as the weeks continued. Daily tasks like training recruits, paperwork, and mission prep, had filled his time instead. Still, Simon spent most evenings with Soap. He watched over him carefully, kissing his hands every so often, or tracing nonsense patterns along the back of Soap’s hands and down his forearm.
Ghost had started losing hope. It was common for soldiers to be out of commission for a while after a bad mission, but after a certain point in recovery, it was hard to know when one would wake up.
This is what was happening to Johnny.
Ghost wanted to hold on to Johnny with every fibre of his being, but life had to keep moving. It wasn’t going to stand still for Simon. He knew that. But, God, he hated it.
Simon would stop the world for Johnny.
When Ghost came into Soap’s room that evening, he took his usual spot in the chair next to him. Simon sat there for a few minutes, before leaning over and picking up Johnny’s hand and lacing his fingers between his own. Sleep was settling over him and his eyelids grew heavy. Simon leaned into the warmth radiating from Soap’s hands. His nightly routine.
This time, however, Simon felt Johnny’s fingers twitch against his own.
Simon’s once heavy eyes snapped open. He watched, mouth open slightly in surprise, as Johnny continued to slowly caress Simon’s hand. Then, Ghost turned his head to see Soap’s face. Simon could see eyes moving beneath eyelids and brows furrowing.
“Johnny! Johnny, can you hear me?” Ghost couldn’t prevent the raw emotion that covered his face.
Johnny was waking up. He was here. He was next to Simon, and he was waking up.
Simon watched as Johnny’s eyes finally opened.
His heart jumped at the sight of warm grey eyes meeting his own. Tears began to run down both their cheeks. Simon crashed his face into Soap’s hand as he sobbed violently with relief, his heart beating so heavily he thought it might fall out of his chest.
“Simon…? What happened…?” Johhny croaked; voice hoarse from not being used in the past month.
“Johnny, I’m…I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault, I never should have…I tried to…I thought you were…” broken and unfinished sentences started flooding out of Simon as sobs continues to rack through his body.
He looked back up at Johnny and wept as he saw that same friendly smile he always had.
“I’m so sorry.” The apology felt almost pointless now, but Ghost felt it had to be said, nonetheless.
After drying his eyes a little, Simon stood and went to get Johnny some water. His hand shook lightly as he tilted Soap’s head back to help him drink. A sigh of relief escaping Soap as his thirst was quenched.
“Simon, what happened? Tell me, please.”
Ghost began a retelling of what had happened immediately after Soap had first fallen on the mission up until him waking up. Every last detail he could remember. Johnny was silent for most of it, apart from a small laugh at the occasional point Ghost made. The laugh Simon had longed so much to hear again. It warmed both their hearts.
Simon ended it with a gentle kiss to Johnny’s palm, the warmth steaming from it brought so much love to Ghost.
“I was so scared, Johnny. I didn’t know what would happen to you. I thought this was it. I thought that you were going to die in this bed. I thought…this might be it for us,” the last sentence had been more of a whisper from Simon, but Johnny still caught it “I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose you again.”
“You don’t have to worry, Simon, I won’t leave you again.” Johnny was letting his own tears fall. Neither one caring if the other cried.
“I love you, Johnny, I love you so much.” Simon had only wanted to say these words when he was sure Soap would hear them, and now there was no barrier between them. Any words could flow freely.
“I love you too, mo chridhe.”
Simon surged forward, crashing his lips into Johnny’s. The kiss was filled with raw, untouched emotions, spilling from both of them. Lips moved in sync, hands met arms, and faces, tears fell. But it was perfect.
Love interlocked the two of them and it wasn’t leaving anytime soon.
Simon would remain whole as long as Johnny stood safely at his side.
The next couple of days were filled with Christmas celebrations. Johnny still wasn’t healthy enough to be off bed rest, but that wasn’t going to stop anyone from enjoying the holiday with him. Instead, all the 141 piled into his cramped room and brought Christmas to Soap.
No gifts were exchanged, but that wasn’t important. Everyone there was just happy to see Soap awake and speaking as if he hadn’t woken up from a month-long coma two days ago. The small party carried well into the night and early morning. After it settled down, and those who had come to visit returned to their respectful rooms, Simon and Johnny enjoyed each others presence.
“Merry Christmas, Johnny.”
“Merry Christmas, Simon.”
Simon squished himself next to Johnny on the already too small hospital bed. He covered him with caring kisses as they both let sleep wash over them.
Simon would never stop loving Johnny, and Johnny would never stop loving Simon.