Hope
Shaw hears the payphone ringing, her heart squeezes, knowing who's on the other end of the line. Knowing it has her voice, but it isn't Root. Not really. Because her perky psycho is dead, and she wasn't coming back.
She blinked away tears threatening to drop, wiped her eyes with an angry fist; anger was the only emotion she could bear to have right now. Damn those feelings, feelings she never knew she had until she met the brunette.
Taking a deep breath, Shaw walked over and answered the phone.
'She is alive.' Came the machine's voice, root's voice.
'Go to 53.3942° N, 6.3277° W, now. I'm sorry I lied, Sameen.'
Shaw knew the last part was said by Root herself. It felt different. Real.
She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, Root was right after all. After everything did go to hell, the only thing left was hope.
With a huge smile Shaw didn't know she was capable of ever having again, she patted bear, 'Come on buddy, let's go find that psycho.'
Sameen arrived breathless at the place the machine sent her. She couldn't get there soon enough. She was seriously wondering whether she was going to punch Root for making her go through all that pain, or kiss her like there's no tomorrow.
The coordinates turned out to be an old, rather large house, in the middle of nowhere.
She stood there, at the front porch, wondering if she should knock, or just barge in.
But she didn't want to disturb Root, in case she was asleep, she smiled then cursed herself, when did she become such a sap?
She decided to just knock, as she stood there waiting, she heard someone move inside the house and her heart jumped. This is it. She never thought she'd see her safe place again...
The door opened, Shaw sucked in a deep breath and..
'May I help you?' a redheaded, short woman asked a shocked Sameen.
She stood there frozen, not knowing what to say.
Did the machine trick her? Why would she, it, do that?
'Are you miss Shaw?' The woman's sharp voice snapped her out of her consuming thoughts.
She barely managed a nod, not knowing how this stranger knew her name. Not really caring anymore.
'She said we might be expecting you. I barely managed to convince her to stay in bed today, she's been restless all morning waiting for you. What are you, her sister or somethin'?' The lady drawled, in a thick texan accent.
'No, I'm.. a good friend of hers,' she stammered, pushing the woman out of her way, inviting herself into the house, 'Now, where the hell is she?'
The woman led Sameen up the stairs, into a large room which has been turned into a makeshift hospital.
Noticing Shaw's stares, the woman said, 'Your.. friend was hurt pretty badly when she was brought here. She barely even made it, but once she did, she couldn't stop worrying about you, saying that you're going to end her once you find out the truth.' She chuckled lightly.
Shaw ignored the woman, she didn't need to hear about how Root almost died. She's had enough of misery these last weeks to last her a lifetime. There was another door in the room, Shaw walked past the woman, and opened it...
There, in a hospital bed, was Root. Beautiful, flawless Root, with her long, brown hair, in great condition even in her state.
And she was fast asleep.
Shaw couldn't stop staring at her. She looked so peaceful, so goddamn beautiful, Shaw missed her face so much she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. She focused on Root's steady breathing, one breath in, one breath out. She was really alive, alive and breathing. Sameen felt all the weight that's been on her shoulders, all the anxiety in her gut, disappear.
'I had to give her a mild sedative, because she was insisting on meeting you downstairs, and that would've torn out her stitches. She really cares for you, you know.'
Shaw smiled, she was doing a lot of that today, 'Yeah, I know.'
She sat on the chair beside Root's bed, and gently tugged at her hand, holding it between hers.
She wasn't going to wake Root, but when she does wake up, she'll be there, waiting for her.