All The Difference

[acts_of_gord]

Time passes, and the medics do their work, and so does the bug juice. Gordon's dimly aware of all of that, at best. He's had a long day. He's not trying particularly hard to wake up.

It happens eventually, though. It always happens. When it does, he notices a few things in no particular order: that the bed under him feels unfamiliar, that he's got a whole new set of aches and pains on top of the ones he's carried since Black Mesa, that he can smell the medications and antiseptics of the infirmary. That he's got what feels like Ace bandages, or some kind of bandages, anyway, wrapped around several still-raw-and-painful place.

That attempting to blink and open both eyes doesn't seem to be working quite as well as one might expect.

Well, he's awake, at least. Even if moving around seems like an utter waste of time and effort, he can at least try to get a better look around, and see who else is here.

Comments

[acts_of_gord]

Gordon nods as carefully as he can, so as not to dislodge Hope's grip on his beard. "I'm going to miss Barney," is all he says.

This is Gordon. More words than that would be unnecessary.

[vance_prime]

"Me too."

A brief lull.

"You killed the Overmind. The Vortigaunts confirmed it."

How the Vorts knew that, Alyx has no idea, but she doesn't question that they know. Vortigaunts don't lie. It just doesn't happen.

[acts_of_gord]

Gordon sags with relief; he knows what he felt happen, but hearing it confirmed is something else again. "Oh, good," he says, and closes his-

"Alyx?

[vance_prime]

"Hm?"

[acts_of_gord]

He shifts his grip on Hope so she's sitting a little more comfortably, and gestures awkwardly at the bandaged part of his head with his other hand. He can't quite get the words out, but the meaning is clear: how bad is it under there?

[vance_prime]

Alyx lets out a long, slow breath. She knew this was coming.

"Your helmet was breached by a piece of shrapnel. The medics patched you up as best they could, but... they couldn't save your eye. I'm sorry."

[acts_of_gord]

Gordon considers this for a while. Didn't Simo Hayha- no, no, he lost most of his jaw to that explosive round...

(Yes, it's a stupid thing to be thinking about when he's had such a huge loss, such a huge win. Some things are just much too much for him to grasp right now. He'll think about them later, he's good at thinking about things later, but right now, historical trivia is about as much as he can handle.)

"Good thing evolution gave us two," he says at last. And: "I'm going to have to learn to shoot all over again, aren't I."

[vance_prime]

She offers a faint smile.

"With any luck, you'll be doing as little shooting as possible from here on in."

[acts_of_gord]

"That would be really nice," Gordon says fervently, or at least as fervently as he can manage at the moment. Given his current condition, it sounds more like mild enthusiasm at best. "I finally get to stop."

[vance_prime]

"Yes, you do. We won, Gordon. You won."

[acts_of_gord]

He looks down at the baby, and then up again at Alyx with a very small smile.

"I could never have done it without you," he says, and he means every word.

[vance_prime]

Alyx leans over to give her husband a kiss on the forehead just above his unbandaged left eye.

"Love you, Gordon," she whispers into his ear.

[acts_of_gord]

He can live with that. He really can.

"Love you too, Alyx. Always."