★ but I'm going to be okay as long as you're beside me along the way

[complexguy]

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[complexguy]

He can't do anything but kiss her back deeply, a low hum in the back of his throat. While she cradles his face, his hand comes to rest on the back of her head, pulling her closer before stroking her hair tenderly.

[dharmalady]

"Come on," she finally murmurs. "More food."

She feeds him a bite, then takes a bite of her own, alternating back and forth. Then, they share the six-pack, and God is she ecstatic to be in his arms.

When it's late and she's tired, she curls into his arms.

"Am I really going to sleep in your arms?"

[complexguy]

"Hard to believe any of this. Feels like a dream, it's so damn good," he admits softly, pressing his forehead to her temple and just breathing in slowly.

[dharmalady]

Juliet closes her eyes and then, slowly, she falls asleep. It's the best sleep she's ever had in her life.

They stay wrapped around one another the entire weekend, and God, Monday is hard. But they eventually part, and at lunch, eat together in the cafeteria. The day is going fine, Juliet working on a van. She's under the front, legs sticking out when someone--not an actual motor pool employee--accidentally hits the jack and the front of the van drops right on top of her.

Her scream alerts others right away and they scramble to try and get the van up, but it's taking time and she can't catch her breath, the van pinning her at the midsection.

[complexguy]

James is busy, of course, monitoring cameras and making sure everything's secure. So he doesn't know what's going on until Jin runs in to get him, having no idea what shape Juliet's even in.

His stomach twists in knots as he runs to the motor pool as quickly as he can. "Juliet!"

All he can see from a distance is the sight of this heavy van pinning her down, and for a split second, he thinks she has to be dead under there. The sheer weight of it crushing her; that thought actually stops his heart. For a moment, he doesn't want to take another step because he's not sure he can handle finding out she's just gone. But he takes a breath and closes the distance, calling for her again.

"Juliet, answer me!"

[dharmalady]

As soon as she hears him, Juliet starts crying again, just wanting him, terrified. She hurts, so badly, and she tries to reach out under the van for him, her fingers grasping.

"James, James get this off of me, please," she begs, sobbing. "James, please."

[complexguy]

He can't move fast enough now, knowing she's still with him. If he could, he'd lift and toss the whole damn van just to get to her. "Don't you go anywhere, you hear me? You stay with me, sweetheart," he begs her huskily. Without knowing how bad it is, he's just terrified about any internal injuries she might have, and he just needs her to keep talking to him.

The sound of her sobbing, though, is like a knife to the heart. "Stay with me. I'm gettin' you outta here, I promise," he breathes out, yelling at people around him to help. He barks out orders, quickly coming up with a plan to lift it up swiftly while James grabs Juliet. The minute she's in his arms, he cradles her protectively, still not breathing until he knows she's gonna be okay.

"I got you, baby. You're gonna be okay," he whispers just to her.

[dharmalady]

She cries out one more time in pain, one hand shakily pressing to his chest as she closes her eyes.

The doctor and his nurses are there already with a stretcher, ready to get her over to the infirmary.

"Don't leave me," she pleads, taking a fistful of his jumpsuit in her hand.

[complexguy]

James stares at her for a second, kissing her forehead before looking at the doctor. "No. I'm carryin' her," he insists, unwilling to let her out of his arms. He won't leave her, not for a moment.

[dharmalady]

There's a rush then, to get her to the infirmary and as one of the nurses tells him where to lay Juliet, she opens her eyes while he does so. There's no blood at least, but she's in obvious pain.

"It wasn't--" She doesn't want him to lose his mind at anyone, and now that she's free, she's calming down. "Was a freak--freak accident," Juliet murmurs, squeezing his hand.

[complexguy]

"You'd tell me if it wasn't?" He asks huskily, cradling that hand between both of his. Juliet tries to protect everyone, always, and that's why he asks to begin with.

[dharmalady]

She meets his gaze, but then a surge of pain ripples through her and she whimpers, closing her eyes.

The doctor gets x-rays taken and there are two broken ribs but no internal bleeding, luckily. She'll have a hell of a chest bruise but all in all, it's a miracle the damage isn't worse. They decide to drug her for now, get her sedated so they can wrap her ribs securely. When that's all done, they let James sit with her, assuring him she's fine.

Juliet's completely out of it for now, though she does mumble his name, fingers reaching for him.

[complexguy]

He's so damn relieved that he lets out an audible breath, clapping the doctor on the shoulder and nodding with a thanks to him. The minute he's able to just sit with her, he plants down next to her, taking that hand reaching for him and holding it between both of his.

"It's me, baby. I'm right here," he assures her, kissing her knuckles softly before moving one hand so he can stroke her hair back from her eyes.

[dharmalady]

Juliet's eyes open just a little and when she speaks, her words are slow, barely lucid.

"You came for me," she murmurs, only remembering that when she cried out for him, he was there.

[complexguy]

He's still stroking her hair back, letting his thumb move across her forehead now. "Always gonna come for ya, Blondie. I got your back, remember?"

[dharmalady]

She hums and then she's out for about an hour. When she wakes up, she's wrapped and able to go home when she's ready.

With James' help, Juliet sits up slowly, closing her eyes as she winces. "The next few weeks are gonna suck."

[complexguy]

"No doubt about that," he sighs a little in agreement, keeping one hand on her back as he helps her to stand. "But you ain't in this alone, Juliet."

[dharmalady]

Juliet holds onto him, offering a weak smile before they head home slowly. Getting in and out of a jeep would be worse than simply walking, so that's what they do. By the time they're home, breathing hurts, and she just wants to sit.

"Think I'll get worker's comp?" she jokes, trying to make him joke in return.

[complexguy]

In other circumstances, a responding joke would have been easy and automatic. But she's in pain, and he can see the tension in her face, how out of breath she is just from walking. It's all because it hurts like hell, and he's damn grateful she's alive, but that fear hasn't yet dissipated.

"Don't seem the type around here," he grunts back, getting her situated on their couch.

[dharmalady]

When he can't make a joke in return, she knows he's still terrified; truthfully, she was too. Now, she can assess herself medically but before, all she could think was that she had her one good thing, and of course, she would die for it.

Reaching out for him, she tugs so that he's kneeling by the couch, eye level with her. Then, she cradles his face with one hand.

"I'm okay, James," she whispers quietly, stroking his cheek. "Everything's okay now. I'll heal, fully."

[complexguy]

He does get down on one knee, right there beside her, leaning his cheek into her hand a little more. "When I got there and I saw you just layin' under that van..." His voice gets suspiciously shaky.

[dharmalady]

She reaches out, trying to pull him closer, wanting to kiss him. When she finds his lips with her own.

"I was terrified," Juliet admits. "I just wanted you."

[complexguy]

He doesn't hesitate to kiss her back, over and over. When he pulls back, his forehead comes to rest against hers. "I ain't used to feelin' this way, Juliet."

[dharmalady]

"Me either," she admits, closing her eyes and taking as deep a breath as she can without wincing.

"I hope I never make you feel like this again," Juliet says sincerely, lightly pressing her lips against his once more.

"Talk to me," she urges. "Are you okay?"

[complexguy]

He looks her over, eyes roaming the length of her body and focusing on her upper abdomen where her ribs are wrapped. She'd been so hurt, she could have been bleeding internally. It's only by pure luck that she's not.

He gives her question serious consideration for a minute, but then quickly diverts rather than answer her.

"Can I get ya anything?" As he asks, his hand comes to rest against her wrist, and it's almost as if he hasn't heard her at all.