15. Hallie

15

HALLIE

T he first moment Hallie becomes aware feels like kicking up from the murky depths of a deep ocean. The next thing she registers is a dull, throbbing ache behind her eyes, as if her skull is being squeezed in a vise. She tries to blink, but her eyelids are heavy and uncooperative, as a steady beeping filters in through the fringe of her awareness.

Where am I? What the fuck happened?

Fragments of memory flicker behind her closed lids—the gentle rocking of the train, the buzz of anticipation as she typed out a text to Kaia. And then... chaos. A searing pain exploding in her head before everything went black.

Hallie's eyes flutter open as she claws her way back to full consciousness, her heart monitor spiking with the sudden surge of adrenaline. She squints against harsh fluorescent lights, her surroundings gradually coming into focus. Sterile white walls, the sharp smell of antiseptic, a tangle of wires and tubes snaking from her arms.

The hospital. I must be in the hospital.

As Hallie is slowly piecing together her reality, she becomes aware of a warm pressure enveloping her hand. She glances down, her breath catching in her throat at the sight that greets her. Kaia is slumped in a chair beside the bed, her fingers wrapped around Hallie's, her head resting on the edge of the mattress as if she'd fallen asleep keeping vigil.

With her other, slightly trembling hand, Hallie reaches out to brush a stray curl from Kaia's forehead, instantly calmed by the familiar feel of her soft skin. Kaia stirs at the touch, her brow furrowing slightly before her eyes blink open. For a moment, she seems disoriented, head turning slowly as she takes in her surroundings. But then her gaze lands on Hallie, and her entire face transforms.

"Hallie," she breathes, her voice rough with sleep. "You're awake."

Tears are already welling in Kaia's eyes as she sits up, her grip tightening on Hallie's hand as if she's scared that Hallie will slip away again if she lets go. Hallie feels her own eyes start to burn, her throat constricting around the rising pressure of everything she wants to say.

"Kaia, I..." she starts, but her voice cracks, splintering around the rawness left by her ordeal. She swallows hard, trying again. "I'm so sorry, baby. I have some more groveling to do."

Kaia shakes her head, a watery smile tugging at her lips. "No, you don't. I'm the one who should be apologizing."

She leans in, pressing her forehead to Hallie's, and for a moment, the rest of the world falls away. There's no hospital, no beeping monitors, no aches or pains. There's just the two of them, breathing each other in, savoring the closeness they've gone without for too long.

When Kaia pulls back to wipe a stray tear from Hallie's cheek, the lieutenant notices the other figures sitting quietly on the other side of the room.

"Mom? Pop?" she croaks, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Gavin? What are you doing here?"

Her father steps forward, his weathered face etched with a mix of worry and relief. He looks like he hasn't slept in days, his usually tidy hair disheveled and his clothes rumpled. Gavin is still in his uniform; he must have come straight from a shift at his own station.

"We came as soon as we heard about the crash, Hallie-Pallie," Pop says, approaching her bed. "It was a little touch and go for a while there."

When he reaches her side, he raises a large hand to rest on Hallie's shoulder with a gentleness that belies his size. Hallie leans into the touch, feeling some of the tension drain from her body at the comforting warmth of her family's presence.

"Thank you for coming," she whispers, a single tear slipping down her cheek. "I'm sorry it had to be under such shitty circumstances, but I guess I should introduce you to Kaia."

Pop shakes his head, a smile tugging at his lips. "You have nothing to apologize for, my love. We're just grateful you're okay."

He glances at Kaia, his eyes twinkling with something that looks a little like mischief. "And we've already been getting to know this lovely young lady while we waited for you to wake up. She's been filling us in on all your heroic escapades together."

Hallie feels a blush creep up her neck, her gaze darting to Kaia, who is gazing back at Pop with warm affection.

"Oh really?" Hallie asks, a hint of playfulness creeping into her tone. "And what kind of tales has she been spinning? Did she tell you what a pain in the ass she can be?"

Kaia's dark eyes snap to Hallie's, glinting with humor. "I only told them the truth, Lieutenant. That you're the bravest, most badass firefighter this city has ever seen. I left out the parts where I wasn't on my best behavior."

Hallie chuckles, warmth blooming in her chest at the admiration in Kaia's voice. But the laughter quickly turns into a cough, her ribs soon aching with the effort. Kaia immediately reaches for the cup of water on the nightstand, guiding the straw to Hallie's lips with a tenderness that makes her heart clench.

As she sips the cool liquid, Hallie catches her mom's eye over the rim of the cup. Her mother gives her a small nod, a silent acknowledgment passing between them.

"We'll give the two of you a minute," she says softly, jerking his head towards the door. "Come on, Sandy, let's go see if we can track down Hallie's doctor. And maybe some coffee while we're at it."

Pop nods, giving Hallie's shoulder a gentle squeeze before following her mom and Gavin out of the room. As the door clicks shut behind them, Hallie turns back to Kaia, her heart racing with sudden nerves.

This is the moment she's been both dreading and longing for in equal measure. The chance to finally say the words that have been burning on the tip of her tongue for weeks.

But before she can even open her mouth, Kaia beats her to it.

"I thought I lost you," she whispers, her voice cracking as fresh tears spill down her cheeks. "When I heard about the crash, and then you weren't answering your phone... I've never been so scared in my life."

Hallie feels her own eyes well up, the raw anguish in Kaia's voice piercing her already struggling lungs. She brings their joined hands to her lips, pressing a kiss to Kaia's knuckles.

"I'm so sorry, baby," she murmurs. "It shouldn't have taken me so long to reach out to you. If I had come to my senses sooner, I wouldn't have even been on that train. I shouldn't have needed my parents to help me see…"

She trails off, suddenly unsure how to put into words everything that she feels for this remarkable woman. But Kaia just smiles, a soft, knowing smile that makes Hallie forget what she was trying to say.

"I know," Kaia breathes, her thumb stroking over the back of Hallie's hand. "Your dad kind of let it slip while we were sitting with you. He said you had gone to see them."

Hallie feels a blush creep across her cheeks, a sheepish grin tugging at her lips. "Ah, so he filled you in on all that, huh? I guess that saves me the trouble of trying to remember the speech I had all planned out."

Kaia leans in closer, her breath ghosting over Hallie's face as she asks, "And what exactly were you planning to say to me, Lieutenant Hunter?"

Hallie takes a deep inhale, her heart hammering against her ribcage as she gazes into Kaia's warm, expectant eyes.

"I was going to say that I'm sorry," she begins. "For being so stubborn, for pushing you away when all I wanted was to pull you closer. I thought I was protecting us both, but I was just afraid. Of how much you mean to me, of how badly I wanted to risk everything just to be with you."

Kaia's dark eyes widen, her lips parting in surprise as Hallie's words tumble out. But she doesn't interrupt, just squeezes Hallie's hand in silent encouragement to continue.

Emboldened by the feeling of finally laying out her true feelings, Hallie pushes on.

"I love you, Kaia. I'm so desperately, hopelessly in love with you. And I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that my career means nothing to me if I don't have you to come home to."

The tears are streaming freely down Kaia's face now, but she's smiling, a breathtaking, radiant smile that Hallie has missed so much.

"I love you too, Hallie," she whispers. "And I'm so sorry for being reckless, for putting you in a position where you felt like you couldn't count on me. I only ever wanted to make you proud, but I hid behind my own ego for way too long."

Hallie finds herself too overwhelmed with emotion to respond. She sighs, tilting her chin up to capture Kaia's lips in a soft, tender kiss. It's a kiss full of promises, of forgiveness, of a love that neither of them is holding back any longer.

When they finally part, both slightly breathless, Kaia rests her head on Hallie's shoulder, careful not to jostle any of the wires or tubes. For a long moment, they just breathe each other in, savoring the quiet intimacy they've gone too long without sharing.

Kaia is the one to eventually break the silence, raising her head with a slightly guilty expression. "Oh, I almost forgot. Captain Hewitt sends his well wishes. I think he's known about us for a while."

Hallie's eyes widen, a spark of anxiety igniting in her chest. "He has? What did he say to you?"

Kaia just shrugs, a small smirk playing at the corner of her mouth. "Nothing much. But when he gave me permission to leave the scene to be with you, he kinda implied that he thought something was going on between us. I don't think we're going to be fired the minute we walk back into the station."

Relief washes over Hallie like a cooling balm. "Well, that's one less thing to worry about, I guess. Can't wait to have that awkward chat with him."

Kaia giggles, the sound bright and soothing, and Hallie feels her own lips curve into a grin. God, she's missed that sound. Missed the way Kaia's whole face lights up when she laughs, when her eyes crinkle at the corners and her nose scrunches up in that adorable way.

A soft knock at the door distracts her from her smitten staring, and Hallie looks up to see her parents and brother poking their heads in, warm grins spreading across their faces as they take in the scene they've walked in on.

"Well, look what we have here," Mom chuckles, her eyes twinkling with mirth as she steps into the room. "Seems like you two have sorted a few things out."

Hallie feels a blush heat her face, but she can't help the smile that's starting to ache across her cheeks. "Yeah, Mom. I think we might have."

Gavin strides over to the bed, clapping Kaia on the shoulder. "Welcome to the family, Kaia. I hope you can handle a bunch more Hunters giving you grief. Though Hallie is definitely the difficult one, so I'm sure you'll put up with the rest of us just fine."

Kaia laughs, leaning into the touch with an ease that makes Hallie's heart swell. "Yeah, I think I can handle it."

As her family settles in around her, their chatter and laughter filling the sterile hospital room with warmth and love, Hallie catches Kaia's eye across the bed.

"I love you," she whispers, relishing the feeling of finally being able to share what took her so long to realize.

Kaia leans down to capture Hallie's lips with her own. "I love you too," she murmurs. "Now, tell your brother about that time I beat your ass at suicide sprints. He doesn't believe I outran you."