Chapter Text
Ghost is held captive for nearly four days.
He’s held as a captive instead of being killed because of information he has about military operations. There is no other reason. Save his captors want to see if they can break him.
The search for Ghost is desperate and panicked, headed by Price and Soap. They have no idea if he’s alive for the first day and a half. All they have is a general idea of where he’s being held and the sense that the time they have left to find him is ticking away.
Out of the blue, a video is sent to them, grainy and glitchy but nonetheless showing Simon alive. He’s maskless and bound, snidely cracking jokes about the situation, taunting his captors. Eventually, he’s shut up, beaten to all hell for an agonizingly long time until the video cuts off abruptly.
It’s enough evidence for Price to go ahead and launch a mission to get Ghost back.
They manage to track him down in a matter of days. The team is small but ready to put up a fight. However, they are fully prepared to pick up a corpse.
The building Ghost is held in, once it’s found, is dingy, but heavily armed, positioned on the outskirts of a small town. By a miracle, Soap manages to find Ghost in a matter of minutes, pushing through the building swiftly, near undetected while Price drags on fake negotiations outside.
After shooting down guards and practically tearing down a heavy metal door, Soap freezes at the scene waiting for him inside.
Simon’s off in the corner of a room, bound and covered in blood. His clothing is tattered, cut, and ripped away, leaving most of his torso bare. His hands are tied together in his lap with thick ropes that connect back to the wall. One of his eyes is nearly swollen shut, his lip busted open and bleeding. Cuts and scratches litter every inch of visible skin. He looks fucking awful, his eyes meeting Johnny’s in a desperate gaze, a silent plea for help.
The sight catches Soap so off guard that he freezes up.
Soap only gets to see Simon’s eyes widen. He barely registers Ghost yelling, “Behind you-!” before there’s a bullet in his leg.
Soap falls to the ground in a momentary panic, quickly collecting himself and grabbing his gun. He whips around and shoots wildly into the hallway he came from. His attacker falls dead before they can shoot again.
The air goes still.
Soap keeps his weapon trained on the hallway, scrambling back against the wall to meet Simon. He clicks his radio on, gathering his breath before speaking. “Price, come in.”
There’s a pause. “Go ahead,” Price says back.
Soap swallows. “Ghost’s been found, alive. I’ve been shot in the leg though. I can’t get us out of here alone, Captain.”
“Copy,” Price says, speaking over the distant sound of gunfire. “We’re making our way up to you now. Hold tight boys.”
“Copy that. Out.”
Johnny takes a moment to catch his breath, glancing at Ghost. “Long time no see, L.T.,” he says, checking the ropes around Ghost’s wrists.
“‘S been less than a week, Johnny,” Simon grumbles. His voice is hoarse and weak. He doesn’t meet Soap’s gaze, diligently watching the hallway.
Johnny sighs, grabbing a knife. “Felt like ages,” he says, sawing away at Ghost’s bonds. He winces at the sight of the ropes digging into Simon’s wrists. “Fuck, these look bad.”
“Someone’s coming down the hall,” Ghost mutters suddenly under his breath.
Immediately, Soap drops the knife and grabs his gun. The second someone’s head pokes into the hallway bearing a weapon, Soap fires. They fall dead at the end of the hall. Soap waits for a moment more before grabbing his knife again, quickly sawing through the ropes around Ghost’s wrists.
“You think you can hold a gun?” Soap asks, tucking his knife away.
Ghost shakes his head. “Think my wrist is broken,” he mutters. “And I can’t see shit. I’m not handling a gun with one hand, half-blind.”
Soap nods. “Yeah . . . They got you bad, huh, L.T.?”
“Been through worse,” Ghost assures. He swallows hard, panting for breath as his hands are freed. “This? This is nothing.”
Soap adjusts, moving in closer to Ghost, holding him ever so slightly. He doesn’t say anything, watching the hallway. They fall silent, pressed close to one another.
Soap has learned over the years that Ghost has very sensitive hearing. He warns Soap ahead of time as people are approaching, the two of them working as a team to keep themselves safe from enemy fire.
They’re all but silent.
Soap’s starting to get a bit lightheaded, taking a moment to tie a tourniquet around his leg. He was shot in the back of his thigh, blood still oozing from the wound as he does his best to secure it.
Ghost eases close to Soap as the tourniquet is tied off, knowing it’s painful. “Tight enough?” Ghost asks.
“Probably not,” Soap groans, twisting the tourniquet ever tighter. “Fuck me, mmm.” His hands tremble as he finally secures it. “Hurts worse than getting shot, doesn’t it?”
Ghost nods. With a broken hand, he reaches up to Soap, wrapping his arm over his shoulders. “Beats bleeding to death.”
Soap cracks a smile. “That’s for sure.” He sucks in a breath. “The hell’s taking Price so long?”
“Who else is with you two?” Ghost asks under his breath.
Soap swallows, shifting around. “Gaz. He’s on the roofs across the way, watching our exit. He’s supposed to be at least. Might’ve joined up with Price.”
“. . . And?”
There’s a pause. Ghost breathes deeply through his nose. “Johnny, you’re telling me you three decided to try and break me out of here alone? Do you even have a getaway vehicle?”
“Of course we fucking do.”
“Are you bleeding mad, Johnny?”
“We thought you were fucking dead, Simon,” Soap bites back. “We couldn’t exactly come in with an army for you. We didn’t have time to gather forces for a corpse.”
Simon pauses. He takes a slow breath, nodding slowly. He’s aware that had they waited even a few hours more he probably would’ve been dead. He’s damn lucky Price and Gaz even thought it was worth their while to try and find his body. They’re lucky he’s still breathing.
“Yeah,” he breathes. “. . . ‘Spose you’re right.” He rests back against the wall, leaning in closer to Soap. “For what it’s worth . . . thanks for coming for me.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” Soap says. “Wait until we’re actually outta here.”
Ghost rolls his eyes. He wants to shoot back with a snide remark until he hears footsteps approaching the hall. “Someone’s coming,” he warns.
Soap draws his weapon again, taking a steadying breath. He forces himself to ignore the throbbing pain in his leg, eyes sharp, gun aimed.
Soap’s radio clicks on, making him flinch ever so slightly.
“Soap, come in,” Price says.
“Go ahead,” Soap responds, his voice as low as possible.
“We’re on your floor. The building’s clear.”
Soap slumps against the wall, letting his weapon fall into his lap. “Oh, thank fuck.”
“We’re coming towards you now,” Gaz adds.
“Copy,” Soap says, shutting off his radio. He sighs, knocking his head against Ghost’s shoulder. “You can thank me now,” he murmurs.
Ghost cracks a smile, watching Price and Gaz run down the hallway toward them. “Thank you, Johnny.”
“Sure thing, Simon.”
When Price and Gaz get to Ghost and Soap, ensuring they're both stable enough to move, Gaz helps Soap down to their truck as quickly as he can. He ends up having to leave Soap alone in the vehicle to help Price drag Ghost out of the building.
The drive to a hospital is long and tense. Simon and Johnny just lay injured in the backseat, struggling to keep themselves together. Gaz does his best to keep them talking, tending to them when he can. Price doesn’t take his foot off the gas the entire drive.
They stop at a nearby hospital so Soap and Ghost can get stabilized. In the following whirlwind into the ICU, everyone is separated. Eventually, when they’re stable, Ghost and Soap are brought to the same room. Price and Gaz meet up with them soon after to get an update. They’ll have to be transferred to somewhere closer to home relatively soon to be taken care of. Price assures them that he’ll drop by eventually to make sure they’re both kicking. But until then, they’re on their own.
The transfer to a UK hospital is horribly anxiety-inducing, the subsequent hospital stays even more so. But at the end of it, after some reparative surgeries for Ghost that Soap has to sit through with his head held in his hands anxiously, they end up in a hospital room together, waiting for the go-ahead to go home.
Soap and Ghost sit in silence in separate hospital beds. Soap’s fine. In fact, he’s due to be released the next morning. And aside from the orders to spend a lot of time taking it easy, Ghost made it out relatively unscathed, also due to be released alongside Johnny.
The only issue is that Ghost is going to need help during recovery. His left wrist and most of his right hand were broken while he was being held hostage. As it stands, he can barely feed himself, much less take care of himself for up to two months alone.
Johnny has offered to help him out a little. Simon said he’d think about it. However, tomorrow, they’ll be discharged together. And a decision needs to be made.
“Simon,” Johnny mutters, shifting around in his bed.
Ghost is staring out the window, watching the sunset. He’s been unusually quiet the past few days that they’ve been together, more distant than usual. He looks over at Soap, eyes tired. He’s wearing a surgical mask over his face to hide as much of his face as he’s able. “Mmm?”
Soap smiles a little. “Do you want me to help you out when you get home?”
Ghost takes a deep breath, sighing heavily. “I’ll manage,” he mutters. “I’m sure you need to get home, Johnny.”
Soap shrugs. “Not really,” he says. “I don’t mind helping you, Simon." And then, feeling bold, he adds, "I don’t want you acting like you can manage just ‘cause you don’t wanna ask for help.”
Simon blinks, his expression shifting with surprise. He did not expect to hear his sergeant calling him out like that. Granted Johnny’s right. Simon doesn’t legitimately think he’ll be able to manage on his own. But he doesn’t want to ask Johnny for help. Asking for help isn’t something he’s used to. He’s managed fine on his own for years now. Well, ‘fine’ may be an overstatement. Suffice it to say he’s managed. He doesn’t want to have to ask for help. But he doesn’t have much of a choice.
“If you have something you need to take care of,” Simon begins, “that I’d be keeping you from-”
“I don’t have a single thing going on, Simon,” Johnny assures. “I can help you out.”
Simon sucks in a breath. “Johnny-”
His eyes flit up to the door just as the handle turns and Price steps in. Price gives a nod as he steps in, shutting the door behind himself. Ghost and Soap both nod back. “Captain,” Ghost says.
“Simon, Johnny,” Price says softly. “Good to see you both in one piece.”
“Any news?” Soap asks.
Price makes his way to the middle of the room, crossing his arms over his chest. He looks between Ghost and Soap for a second before taking a breath. “The boys at the base send you both their condolences. Aside from that, I’m just here to discuss your leaves with you both.” Soap and Ghost both sit up straighter at his words. “I assume you’ll both be wanting to return to service?”
“Yes, sir,” Ghost says.
Soap nods. “Same here.”
Price grins a little. “Good.” He inhales through his nose. “In that case, how long until we can expect you back?”
Soap glances at Ghost. Ghost clears his throat. “I’ll need about a month and a half,” he mutters. “Two tops, no more than that.”
Price nods. “Two months, Simon. Johnny?”
Soap pauses for a moment before saying, “About six weeks, I believe . . . Maybe eight but I’m not counting on that.”
Price nods again. “So about two months for you both then?”
“Yes sir,” Soap confirms.
“Affirmative,” Ghost adds quietly.
Price shrugs. “Well that works out rather well, doesn’t it?”
“Sure does,” Ghost says. “We’re getting discharged, what, tomorrow morning?”
“First thing,” Soap confirms. “About two months from tomorrow, we’ll be back.”
Price tries to hide his smile. “Sounds good,” he says. Silence falls. Price shifts around, dropping his gaze to the floor before looking back up at first Johnny, then Simon. “. . . Do either of you . . . need anything? Simon, you’ll be alright on your own with your hands like that?”
Ghost shoots Soap a quick look. Soap keeps his mouth shut. “I’ll be fine,” Ghost says. “I’ve managed worse before.”
“Good,” Price says, only half believing him. “Johnny?”
“I’ll be alright, Captain,” Soap says simply, smiling a bit.
“Right then.” Price uncrosses his arms, resting his hands on his hips. “I will see you both in two months then. Take care of yourselves, you hear?”
“Yes sir,” Ghost and Soap say almost together.
“‘Till then, boys.”
Soap watches Price turn and leave quietly. When he turns back to look at Ghost, he finds Simon staring out the window again. “Si?”
Simon turns his head to meet Johnny’s gaze. “Yeah?” he asks, his voice almost weak.
Johnny swallows down the question he was about to ask, instead asking, “Are you alright?”
Simon lowers his gaze. “I’m tired as all hell, Johnny,” he admits. “Didn’t sleep a wink last night.”
“Why?” Soap asks quietly.
Ghost shakes his head. Speaking under his breath, he mumbles, “I hate hospitals . . . They make me anxious.”
There’s a pause for a moment. Johnny tries to reckon with the fact that his lieutenant, the man who has not only saved his ass countless times but who he’s never seen waver, is made anxious by staying in a hospital.
The pause goes on for a moment too long and Simon suddenly feels a bit stupid for admitting that he’s scared of a hospital stay. “You know what?” he mutters, leaning back against his bed. “Forget about it.”
“Simon,” Johnny insists.
“Anxious isn’t the right word anyway.”
“It’s not that, I just . . . didn’t expect you to be scared of hospitals of all things.”
Simon turns to face the window again. “I’m not scared of hospitals,” he murmurs.
Soap rolls his eyes, trying to be patient. “Why’re you anxious then?” he decides to ask.
Ghost lowers his gaze. The sun’s gone down, but the sky is still pink and orange outside. “I’ve never gone into a hospital for a good reason,” he decides to say. “It’s never a good thing to be in one.”
Soap resists the urge to tell Ghost that no one ever wants to go into a hospital and that people do go out of hospitals better than they were going in. He knows that hospitals aren’t always places where people get better. He knows how bad things can go in a hospital. He’s sure Simon knows that too.
Instead of trying to oppose, Johnny just says, “I’m sorry.”
Simon adjusts his mask over his face, making sure it’s secure. “Thanks,” he mutters. “It’s stupid.”
“It’s not stupid, Si,” Johnny assures. “It’s fine.” He takes an anxious breath, debating on asking Ghost the question resting on his tongue. “Can I, uh, do anything for you?” he asks.
Ghost’s expression shifts a bit, softening. He blinks, considering the offer. “. . . Can you walk?”
“I can.”
“Can you come here then? Just for a minute.”
“Of course.”
Soap eases blankets off of himself. His right leg was the one that was damaged and though the wound was relatively surface level, he still limps as he makes his way across the room to Ghost.
Soap notices that Simon’s expression briefly flashes with disbelief as if he can’t fathom that Johnny would actually approach him, that he’d do what he asked. He stops just short of Simon’s bed, standing unsteadily.
“Christ, sit,” Ghost says, moving to the side. “You look like you’re about to fall over.”
Soap smiles, taking a careful seat beside Simon, easing his legs onto the mattress. There is barely enough room for them both, but after some careful adjusting, they end up side by side, pressed against each other.
“This all?” Soap asks, looking at Simon while Simon stares at his hands.
Ghost's hands are bandaged and splinted and wrapped in casts and gauze. After a moment too long, Simon finally breaks his gaze away from his hands to look at Soap. Soap’s smiling patiently. God dammit.
Ghost doesn’t want to ask Johnny for what Simon needs. But Simon’s been neglected for far too long, he decides. He’s supposed to be taking care of himself after all. He can ask for this.
Simon swallows hard, gathering breath. His voice breaks ever so slightly when he asks, “Can you wait with me? Just until I fall asleep?”
Johnny nods immediately. He’s a bit taken aback but he does his best not to show it. Ghost is his lieutenant, he knows that. But Simon is also his friend (and then some considering the shit they’ve been through together). This he can do.
“Of course,” Johnny says, still smiling patiently. “You need anything else?”
Simon shakes his head. “‘M alright.” He leans back against the bed. The back of the bed is raised so they can both essentially sit. Ghost pauses for a moment before pulling off his mask. Johnny doesn’t stare.
“Thanks for humoring me,” Ghost mutters.
“Anytime,” Soap assures, letting Simon curl up against his side. He can feel pure exhaustion radiating off Simon in waves. He wonders briefly, horribly, if Ghost has slept at all since they arrived here. He knows he must have, but then again Ghost has been awake when he’s fallen asleep and awake when he’s woken up. He’s caught him nodding off here and there, but the lack of sleep might partly explain why he’s seemed so out of it since they arrived. (That and his general anxiety about hospitals evidently).
Either way, at least now Simon will get to rest.
Johnny wants very badly to hold Simon until he falls asleep. He’d never admit it, but Simon wants Johnny to do the same.
But in the end, neither moves in to do it. Johnny doesn't offer and Simon doesn't ask.
Instead, Simon just lets his back rest against Soap’s side, enjoying the little bit of contact they’ve allowed themselves. For now, this will do. In the morning, they’ll have to discuss the living situation now that Simon’s agreed to have Johnny over. A plan will have to be made and sorted out. But for now, they can just rest together.
Simon falls asleep in a matter of minutes.
Despite himself, Johnny nods off as well soon after.
In the morning, when one of their nurses comes in to wake them, she leaves very excitedly to tell some of the staff that her patients finally got a full night’s sleep. She neglects to mention that they were sleeping together, wanting to keep them out of trouble for their last day, more elated that Simon managed to finally rest than she is preoccupied that they broke the rules.
When Simon wakes early in the morning out of habit (very much intending to go back to sleep), he finds Johnny beside him sleeping as well. His eyes go wide for a moment. He stares at Johnny for a moment, just listening to him breathe slowly and evenly, accepting the warmth of his sergeant. It’s been a long time since he’s had any kind of comfort of this kind. He’s aware it’s probably an accident, that Johnny just nodded off and fell asleep beside him.
Regardless, he takes in the comfort. Purposeful or not, it doesn’t matter. Simon allows himself to turn over and go back to sleep.
It’s a few more hours before they both wake together.
They don’t talk about sleeping in the same bed. They just get ready to leave quietly, letting their nurses give them their medications and instructions on what to do to recover.
Within a few hours, they’re out in front of the hospital together, waiting for a taxi to take them to a rental car store.
Simon leans against Johnny a bit. Johnny wraps an arm around Simon’s waist for support.
They’ll have plenty of time to talk on the car ride to Simon’s house. For now, they just let themselves have this.