Si Jin hated waking up in hospitals. It was something that happened to him way too often in his profession. He’d woken up in hospitals in countries all over the world; in places where there were people who spoke a language he also knew and places where he and the doctors didn’t have a single word in common. In places where it was a relief to see the friendly face of an ally and places where he had to wonder if they were keeping him alive just to kill him later. No matter where in the world though, there were some similarities. The medicinal smells. The sounds of machinery designed to monitor his life signs. The sounds of medical personnel and patients outside the walls of his room. And no matter where he was, he usually woke up alone.

Except for this morning.

The first thing Si Jin was aware of as he woke were the aches of his injuries. Nothing unusual there, it was part of the routine of waking up in a hospital. Not bothering to open his eyes, he debated moving and decided it wasn’t worth it if it was only going to aggravate his wounds. Besides, if he didn’t open his eyes nobody (especially his superior officers) would find out he was awake, and it would delay the expectation that he get up and do things, like report on what had happened the day before. Maybe if he lay here long enough he could think of a way for Seo Dae-young to write the report for him. Actually, he was injured, right? There was no way Si Jin could do the report himself. Obviously Sergeant Seo had to write it!

Pleased with himself, Si Jin stretched his arms and noticed three things.

One, his right arm was in a cast and it hurt.

Two, his left arm was asleep, and something was lying on top of it.

Three, the something on his left arm moved, which meant he wasn’t alone in the bed.

Opening his eyes, Si Jin cursed himself for keeping them closed for so long, because the sight in front of him was one he’d never experienced when waking up in a hospital before. But if he could wake up like this in them more often he’d gladly throw himself in front of another moving vehicle.

The morning light came in through the window behind him and spilled across the bed. It picked up glints in Mo Yeon’s hair, causing it to shine softly. She lay only inches away from him, her ponytail so close that all he had to do was reach forward and he could grab it with his teeth and give it a tug. It was tempting, and a smile crossed his face at the thought of the surprise she’d feel if he did it. The only thing that kept him in check was the fact that he’d wake her if he did. Well, that and she probably hadn’t washed her hair in days. No way was he sinking his teeth into that mess.

 Mostly the former though. Definitely the former. He was too comfortable the way he was right now, with his love in his arms. Well, maybe ‘comfortable’ wasn’t quite the right word. His one arm hurt in its cast and the other one was sound asleep from Mo Yeon lying on it, and the minute she moved it was going to wake up which definitely was going to be uncomfortable, but there wasn’t any amount of money in this world that could get him to move from this spot. Eventually Mo Yeon would wake up and she’d have to get on with her day, but for now she was quietly asleep beside him; Si Jin could just keep her all to himself, and enjoy their closeness here in this bed. If it wasn’t for the cast on his arm he would pull her closer, wrap his arms snug around her and fall back asleep. Sadly that wasn’t to be. But the imagination runs rampant, and Si Jin could picture other mornings, hopefully in the not too distant future? How sweet would it be to wake up like this every morning, in a bed that was theirs instead of in a hospital room. To watch the morning sun shine over Mo Yeon’s face, to watch her eyes open, sleepily at first, and then more increasingly aware. To fall asleep at night in the circle of her arms, smelling the sweet scent of hair that he knew was clean because he’d washed it himself.

It couldn’t be every night, or every morning. Their respective jobs created absences that were unavoidable. But the thought of a future where more often than not he could share this simple pleasure with her was unbearably sweet. It didn’t matter where they were; her bed, his bed, this hospital bed. If she was with him, then he was home. Si Jin wondered if she understood that, if she knew just how deep within his heart she’d buried herself. When she woke up he’d have to tell her. There were conversations they needed to have, a future he needed to share with her. But that could wait. For now all he wanted to do was lie here in peace and enjoy the sun that shone so brightly in his arms.