Dominika spent the next forty-eight hours almost solidly at the hospital, only leaving Gerard’s side to shower at the hotel and change into fresh clothes. Today was the day he was set to be discharged, and her excitement was in overdrive as she contemplated the fact they’d be on the plane back to D.C the very next morning.

His recovery had made leaps and bounds in the last few days, and he was beginning to look more like himself again. The swelling in his face had subsided enough that he could see out of both eyes now, and much of the bruising had faded from dark purple to paler shades of blue and yellow. He still looked like he’d been through the wars, but at least he was recognizable now. Dominika had spent several painstaking hours the day before carefully picking surgical glue out of his hair, remnants from having the small wounds on his head glued back together. He’d initially wanted to shave his entire head to get rid of it, but she’d insisted on at least trying to get it out herself and had succeeded, albeit a little smugly.

They had one more hurdle to leap before leaving the hospital however, and that was to make sure Gerard was physically able to get to his feet, even if he needed help. The hospital needed to be sure his injuries had begun to heal enough that he would be able to start physiotherapy when they returned to Washington. To begin with, they expected him to be totally reliant on a walking frame and wheelchair, but with therapy they were hoping to see him walking independently again in less than a month.

It was hard to see Gerard so helpless when he had always been such a pillar of strength in her life, especially in the last few months. Dominika had often pondered how it affected him in the last few days, the brave, strong soldier being doted on and fussed over by everyone. He seemed to take it wholly in his stride though, and he had a way of not allowing anyone to pity him. He appeared to view the whole incident as a necessary evil in his line of work, a temporary set-back. Although slightly perturbed by his nonchalance, Dominika admired his strength.

From the moment she had learnt of her parents deaths and it had dawned on her that she was an orphan, Gerard seemed to be the axis that her entire world spun on. He was her connection to her childhood, to her life in Russia. In that moment everything had crystalized and the looking glass through which she viewed the world was perfectly clear. Gerard risked his own life to save her from the estate. He could have fled to the base, raised the alarm and then waited for orders from there, but instead he had gone with his own instincts and rescued her. He’d led her through the forest for days, keeping her warm at night and lifting her spirits when she slipped back into the darkness and despair of her thoughts. And in the forest she realized it had always been this way, and she’d simply never noticed it before. Gerard had always been there, quietly, but always by her side, at every vital point in her life. And now she was going to be there for him, too.

Dominika could tell he was nervous when the physical therapist came by with the same kind of walking frame you saw in retirement homes and she was determined to make him feel supported. She leaned over to him and whispered in his ear.

“Now you really are an old man, what will people think?!”

He chuckled lowly and found her hand, squeezing it briefly before his lips were back at her ear.

“You just wait till I’m better, I’ll show you what this old man can do”

Dominika’s eyes shot to his and a jolt of nervous electricity passed between them. She knew things would be different when Gerard recovered. As soon as they’d declared their feelings, the dynamic between them changed again and she could sense his frustration at not being able to touch her or kiss her the way he wanted to. One part of her was filled with anxious trepidation at the thought of Gerard’s uninhibited affections, the other part burned with longing.

“Corporal? I’m Beth Howard, the hospital’s head physiotherapist. I’m just going to show you how to use this thing and then you can be on your way, okay?”

The woman peeled the sheet from Gerard’s lower body and pushed the metallic frame up the edge of the mattress. He eyed it cautiously for a moment before he shifted himself into an upright position, his legs laid out in front of him.

“Slowly swing your legs into the space here” she said, fluttering her hand in the empty space between the two cross-bars. Gerard complied carefully, sliding across till his bare feet touched the cold hospital floor.

“Put your hands here” she instructed, tapping the frame.

“Okay, when you’re ready, stand up and give it a whirl, go slowly, though”

Dominika held her breath subconsciously as Gerard slowly, carefully, bared his weight on the frame and stood upright, wincing. Both his parents and Dominika sighed collectively in relief as he pushed it in front of him and took his first step.

“That’s great, Corporal” Beth encouraged “go a little further if you can, but don’t push yourself too hard”

Gerard edged his way to the base of his bed and then dropped back down on it, his chest heaving enough to be noticeable.

“Good work!” she enthused “A few weeks of physio when you get home and you’ll be right as rain. I’ll go get your discharge paperwork and then you’re free, Corporal”

Dominika moved to sit next to him on the bed and patted his knee reassuringly.

“You did great” she whispered softly “I’m proud of you”

“You’re sweet, kid”

---

It was late that night as they returned to the hotel, Gerard in a wheelchair borrowed from the hospital. Donna suggested the two share a twin room so Dominika was nearby to help out, and both of them were eagerly in agreement with that idea.

They were on the same floor as Gerard’s parents, several doors down in a large twin suite that was closer to an apartment than a room. The furnishings were modern with clean lines and neutral colors, with lengthy glass windows displaying the New York skyline all around them.
Once Gerard had been settled into one of the two huge king-sized four-poster beds that dominated the suite, his parents left the two of them alone, and Dominika meandered about the apartment, re-arranging the things in her suitcase. Gerard watched her curiously.

“Aren’t you tired, Domi?” Gerard asked. He was bare-chested again, his least-injured arm stretched behind his head.

“Not yet” she replied, re-folding a fuzzy purple sweater and placing it with the other items in the case “I’m too wired too sleep”

“Come lay with me, then”

She paused in the middle of her work and turned slowly to face him. He patted the vast empty space beside him invitingly, and wiggled his eyebrows at her. She couldn’t help but laugh, and his face beamed as she approached the vacant side of the bed and slid onto it cautiously.

Gerard leant towards her suddenly and moved the arm behind his head to circle her shoulders, pulling her body against his. She stiffened for a moment and then relaxed, reaching her arm over to lay on his chest. She snuggled up against him gently and lay her head against his shoulder, sighing.

“I missed you when you were gone” she said in a small voice. He kissed the side of her head and pressed their bodies closer for a passing second.

“I’m here now”

“Don’t leave again”

He sighed quietly “I’ll have to again sometime, Domi, but didn’t I tell you? I’ll always come back for you. I mean it, kid”

The thought of being apart again for another extended period of time was too much to bare for Dominika at that moment, and she decided to change the subject instead.

“Tell me” she whispered “tell me what it was like back home when you left. I want to know everything”

“What do you want to know?”

“Well I guess the most pressing issue is whether or not we’re winning this war” she stated simply.

“Of course you picked the most complicated question first. It depends on how you look at it. We’ve won back control of a lot of key areas, but there’s still a lot of work to do and they seem to have one-up on us at the moment when it comes to weapons” he said, frowning. Dominika contemplated what he’d said before she asked the next question.

“And what about the people? Is there a lot of casualties?”

Gerard seemed stuck on his reply, struggling to find the words. She turned to look up at him under her eyelashes, her cheek still pressed against his bare chest.

“I don’t want to lie to you, kid, do you want me to?”

“No”

“Then I think you know the answer to that”

Tears prickled as images of her country in ruins flickered across her mind’s eye. She stared down at the ornate decoration on the bed base, trying to distract herself.

“Did I upset you?” he asked softly, pushing her chin up so their eyes met again. The pain in them was obvious and it hurt him to see her like that.

“Domi, I know the last few months have been hard on you, and I’m so sorry about that, but I want you to know that I’m here for you, even when I’m not here, and you can rely on me, kid. I won’t go anywhere, I promise. I’m yours now”

Dominika reached for his hand and kissed each of his fingers, one at a time.

“Moye serdtse tvoye” she murmured softly, her eyes closed.

“My heart has always been yours, kid”

Notes

So sorry about leaving you guys hanging without an update for four days! I am also a dancer (not a ballerina though) and this week was my end-of-level exam so I've been super busy! Its all over and done now (it went great!) so I'll be back to posting every day or second day from now on! Thanks for reading :)