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It had been a long week. Training greenies was part of Ghost’s job description but that did not mean he liked it– There were some interesting prospects, but they were overall too enthusiastic and not disciplined enough for his liking. Gaz liked to say he was too tough on them sometimes. Ghost said that until they had the fear of death instilled in them that they were useless in the field.
That would have been exhausting enough, but on Wednesday they were whisked away to a mission deep in Central Europe, where they worked out of an abandoned base that did not have any cots. So, their only option was to sleep between the rubble, fighting off the mice that had taken over the building as their new home.
The mission had gone well enough– go in, eliminate the threats, gather as much intel as you can find, get out. As simple and as monotonous as missions go. Ghost had provided overwatch as Soap cleared one building, Gaz another. They hadn’t expected much resistance and that was exactly what they had found. By Friday morning, they were thankfully back in their home base, thankful to have actual meals to look forward to.
That’s when Johnny’s pain started.
They were lucky with their accommodations, as far as military quarters went. One of the perks of being married and having a good relationship with your commanding officer meant you got a double bed. The room was the same size as the rest, which made it a little cramped for two men, but they made do. Neither of them would complain since this meant waking up together even when they were not at home, and they very well knew that was a luxury in their line of work.
They squeezed in a small nap mid-morning to catch up on the sleep they hadn’t gotten while on the mission. As they woke up and started to get ready for afternoon activities, Ghost noticed something was wrong.
“Are you hurt?”
Johnny turned to him, his hand pressing down on his stomach, a confused frown on his face. “No, I don’t think so. I was cleared by medical. Might just be an upset stomach.”
Ghost nodded absentmindedly, watching the careful way Johnny was holding himself. “Promise me you’ll go back if it doesn’t go away?”
Johnny smiled at that, that beautiful grin that Ghost knew meant you sappy bastard. “I will. Dinnae worry about me, Si.”
“You don’t worry about yourself enough, Johnny. Got to do it for the both of us.”
By Saturday, the pain hadn’t gone away. Ghost could tell; he knew Johnny better than he knew himself, and even though the younger man was very clearly trying to hide it from him, he still walked funny, and shifted carefully when he was sitting, trying his best not to upset his stomach. Ghost bit down his own words and trusted Johnny to not be stupid and reach out if the pain became actually worrisome. It only drove him slightly insane.
That night, Ghost drifted off to sleep peacefully, as he usually did when he had Johnny in his arms. His limbs were usually cold and Johnny was a furnace, so between the warmth and the slow steady sound of Johnny’s breathing, Ghost no longer had trouble managing to turn his brain off. In the middle of the night, though, he unconsciously started to move, Johnny’s heat becoming too uncomfortable. After midnight, he finally opened his eyes, the heat becoming too much, Johnny’s skin feeling clammy against his.
He shifted to reach over Johnny, seeing him still asleep but clearly in distress. His face was contorted in pain, and his forehead was sweaty. Ghost pressed his palm against it and felt it burn.
“Johnny, baby, wake up.” Johnny stirred, mumbling incoherently, but did not open his eyes. “C’mon, love, open those eyes for me.”
Johnny finally did, looking up at him with confusion, his face turning into a grimace once again. “Ah, fuck, what– Simon, my belly hurts like a motherfucker.”
“You’re burning up, too. C’mon, I’m taking you to medical.”
It took the on-call army doctor two minutes of examination to figure out what was going on. “Your appendix burst, Sergeant. We need to get you to the hospital for surgery.”
Thankfully, the staff acted quickly and in less than half an hour, they were on a helo on their way to the nearest military hospital. Johnny was still burning up, his side hurting, but he was in good spirits, cracking jokes with the pilot. Ghost admired his spirit. Smiling through the pain was really the most Johnny thing to do.
They were admitted in a rush, and Ghost stood by silently as he watched the nurses prep Johnny for surgery. It only took a couple of hours of further examinations and IVs before Johnny was wheeled away, not before sneaking in a kiss over Ghost’s balaclava, for good luck.
An hour had gone by and here Ghost was, sitting by the hospital bed, waiting for them to bring Johnny back. He knew appendectomies were some of the safest surgeries, but it was in his nature to worry about the Scot. Loving Johnny meant having to deal with his recklessness on a daily basis, and even if this particular predicament was not of Johnny’s own doing, it still triggered the part of Ghost’s brain that told him he needed to act quickly and protect him. He wrung his hands together in worry, trying to distract himself with some inane TV show, but did not manage.
The door crashed open as they wheeled his husband in. Ghost stood immediately, moving out of the way so that the orderlies could have enough space to help Johnny back to his bed. As soon as his head hit the pillow, Johnny was looking around, his eyes wide and unfocused.
He was high as a kite.
A gentle looking nurse approached Ghost. He commended her silently for not being scared of him. “The surgery went well. He woke up as we were bringing him up, but he is still sedated, so he will be out of it for a little while. We will be back soon to monitor his vitals.”
Ghost waited until they were alone to move back into his seat, watching Johnny closely but afraid to touch him, as if he was made of glass. He was hooked up to an IV and a heart rate monitor on that side, and Ghost was too afraid of messing that up with Johnny fresh out of surgery. He took off his balaclava, holding it in his hands for easy access if someone else walked into the room.
“How are you feeling?”
Johnny looked up at him, regarding him with curious eyes. His lips part for a split second before they twist into a lascivious grin, his eyebrows shooting up. “Better now that yer here – didn’t know the hospital had such bonnie nurses. Did the doctor send ye?”
Ghost tilted his head, frowning in confusion. Was Johnny really so high that he didn’t recognize him? He opened his mouth to explain, but Johnny kept going.
“Ye are the most beautiful man Ah’ve ever seen. M’lord. Do ye like men at all? Hopefully? What’s yer name?”
The situation was so ridiculous that Ghost couldn’t help but to chuckle. “Simon.”
“ Simon ,” Johnny repeated softly. Ghost would never tire of the way his name sounded coming from the Scot. “Why are ye here, with that bonnie face of yers? Ye a doctor?”
“Not a doctor, Johnny. I’m your husband.”
Johnny’s eyes got wide as saucers. His mouth fell open as he regarded Simon as if he was an angel sent by God Himself. “Yer my husband ? Steamin’ Jesus! How did I get ye?”
“By never quitting, really.” Ghost was chuckling under his breath. Just when he’d thought that Johnny could not possibly be any more adorable.
“How long have ye been my husband? Are ye really my husband?”
“Just a little over two years. And yes, really.”
“Have we kissed?”
Ghost let out a snort at that. They had done much more than kissing.
“Yes, love. We’ve kissed.”
“Ah’m the luckiest man alive!” He raised his arms over his head, shaking his fists in celebration. Ghost stood up to grab his wrists and pull them down gently.
“Easy, love, you can’t be doing that. You just had surgery.”
“Ah need to celebrate! Ah have the hottest husband in the history of husbands. Celebration is needed.”
Ghost didn’t get a chance to answer as someone knocked on the door. He quickly slipped the balaclava back on as the same nurse that had talked to him walked in with an apologetic smile on her face.
“I’m sorry to interrupt. Sergeant MacTavish, my name is Nora, I’m the nurse on call and I will be taking care of you this evening. How are you feeling?”
“Nurse Nora! Ah’m feelin’ great! Did ye see my husband?” He gestured widely at Ghost, who hid his face in his hands, groaning softly. “He’s my husband, Nora. He married me! We’ve kissed .” Johnny added with a whisper, making the nurse chortle.
Ghost stood up and moved out of the way for the nurse to be able to get closer to the heart monitor. As he turned to head towards the wall, Johnny let out another excited yelp.
“A gorgeous ass, too! Ah won the husband lottery!”
Simon groaned again, embarrassed, even if Nora was still chuckling and very much not looking at him. “For fuck’s sake, Johnny. We’ve got company.”
“Ah just want the world to know.” Ghost risked a glance at Johnny and faltered as he saw the look of pure adoration in his eyes. “Do ye love me, husband?”
Ghost let out an exasperated sigh, before smiling gently. How could he ever say no to this man?
“I love you, husband.”