Beca gazed out the window as the sound of the machines around her filled the silence with its uniquely musical quality, almost like a symphony. It was weird in a way, maybe Beca had been around them too long, or maybe it was just convenient to focus in on those mechanical, methodical sounds than the noise inside her own head.

She watched as sun dawned on a new day, wondering how the outside world was coping, how it was rebuilding. She'd heard various different reports from friends and family, but a part of her needed to see it with her own eyes.

From what she could decipher, it seemed like everyone was doing their best to move on, to forget. But she couldn't, she would never be able to. Not with the physical reminders of what she had sacrificed for the safety of others.

She swallowed thickly as her eyes navigated towards the sleeping form of her wife in the recliner arm chair in the corner of the room, her throat still sore from the tube that had been lodged there in order to help pump oxygen into her lungs.

It was the first time since she'd woken up that she had seen Chloe look remotely peaceful. Ever since that dark, horrific day, the redhead seemed to carry around a weight of chaos on her shoulders.

Chloe had taken it upon herself to converse with medical staff, taking in every single piece of information she could. She was juggling caring for their daughters with trying to navigate the countless family and friends who seemed to appear in their droves.

She was exhausted, and Beca could see it so clearly on her wife's face. She may still have been on some heavy drugs, but her mind was less foggy than it had been when she first came around. And if there was one thing Beca had always been attuned to, it was her wife.

Beca could see and read all the little things most people missed because they were so wrapped in the warm sunny disposition that Chloe carried like a blanket. It fooled people into believing things were okay when the reality may have been far different.

It was this ability to see past Chloe's happy demeanour that had made the redhead realise Beca was the one for her. Because she was the only person who had ever noticed the little things.

Beca watched as Chloe's brow creased, the tell tale sign that she was rousing from her deep sleep. She watched as her wife began to shift under the blanket she had draped over herself and raised a hand to wipe at her eyes.

Eventually, they flickered open and gazed across the room to find Beca staring back at her. Chloe grinned, a real genuine grin, in acknowledgement of the fact that this was the first time she had woken up to find her wife watching over her.

"You're exhausted," Beca mumbled, her voice still gravelly and hoarse but improving every day. The oxygen mask had since been replaced with a nasal cannula, a small sign that she was improving little by little.

Chloe rolled her eyes and moved the blanket aside, kicking the recliner back into place as she stood up and crossed the room, taking a seat in the side of the bed.

"I'm fine. I actually got a good nights sleep last night," Chloe replied, keeping her tone light and airy to try and promote a sense of positivity. Beca's brow furrowed as she reached for Chloe's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Chlo, you need to go home. Have a shower, eat a proper meal, get a decent nights sleep in a real bed," Beca stressed watching as Chloe's eyes dipped down as if trying to ignore the situation.

"That's what I keep telling her," came the voice of Aubrey as she stepped into the room, a large handbag hanging from her shoulder that seemed full to the brim.

"Hey Aubrey," Beca said as she pressed the button on her bed that allowed her to be elevated slightly. Chloe keeping watch to make sure she didn't over elevate the bed.

Having finally been deemed fit enough to undergo another surgery, the doctors had implanted the ICD and were confident that it would ensure Beca a better quality of life. They couldn't account for what might happen down the road, but considering how dire the situation seemed when she had initially been brought in, anything was better than hovering at deaths door.

That had been three days ago, and while all signs were good that the brunette was healing well, she still had to be careful. With her lack of mobility and the various surgeries she'd had, blood clots were a threat, they needed to make sure that Beca was properly situated at all times until she recovered enough from her surgeries so that they could start working on getting her up and about again.

While that was still a little bit away, they had the peace of mind of knowing that if Beca continued to improve, then in a couple of days they would move her from the ICU to the high dependency ward. From there, if the signs indicated that she was no longer in need of intense treatment, there was talk of her being moved to a state of the art rehabilitation centre across town.

Chloe's dad had pulled some strings with a friend who worked for the centre. Since John Beale was a regular donator to the hospital, they were working on allocating Beca a spot at the facility so she could receive the best care.

She would have her own private room, access to the best physios and rehab teams, and above all else, it would give her more freedom to spend time with her family as she recovered.

No one had mentioned this to Beca yet, they needed to be sure of her place there before they shared the news, but it was moving towards positive steps and Chloe was more than happy to settle for that for the time being.

Her house was still another issue, something that needed addressing if Beca were to move home. Chloe had brought it up a couple of times, about needing to get things in order, however each time she mentioned it, John Beale would simply wave off her comments and assure her that he had it covered.

It was difficult for Chloe not to worry when she didn't see anything happening with her house, but she trusted that her Dad was doing what needed to be done. She just wasn't quite sure what that was yet.

Beca turned her attention back to her wife and watched as Chloe picked at a stray thread on the bed cover while holding the brunettes hand. Beca squeezed it and gave it a tug, pulling it up towards her chest so that Chloe's eyes would follow.

"Chlo, go home. Get some rest, spend time with the girls and come back later," Beca said, her tone giving no room for argument though Chloe's mouth opened in an attempt to try. But Beca wasn't prepared to listen.

"I'm not taking no for an answer. You've been cooped up in here for weeks you need a break. Besides, Aubrey's here to keep an eye on me, both sets of parents are floating around and Jesse is gonna be stopping by later. I'll be fine."

Chloe gazed up at Beca's face, looking rather sceptical about the whole thing. Beca had been making improvements sure but things could still go wrong. She didn't want to be miles away in the event that something did happen.

But she couldn't fight the exhaustion in her body much longer and she missed spending quality time with her daughters. It was an internal battle she was struggling with. The fear of losing her wife still holding her in a voice like grip. Then she turned to Aubrey who stared back at her with a warm smile, arms crossed and her head cocked slightly to the side.

"Chlo, go home. Beca's right you need the rest, you'll be no good to anyone if you run yourself into the ground. I'll be here until Jesse arrives and your mom said she's gonna be by later with some of that home made soup Beca loves."

Beca's ears perked up at this as she turned her attention to Aubrey.

"With her homemade rolls?" She asked, actually feeling a distant calling of an appetite for the first time in weeks. Aubrey rolled her eyes.

"Yes she's bringing homemade rolls."

Chloe chuckled at this, the sight of Beca getting excited about food doing wonders to elevate her mood. It had been difficult for her wife to eat. The various drugs she was on disrupting her appetite and causing her nausea.

But this, this was progress, and it was enough to lift the weight of the anchor of dread lodged in Chloe's chest. With one more glance between the pleading eyes of her wife and her best friend, Chloe relaxed her shoulders and nodded her okay.

"Alright, I'll go home. But once I've had a shower, a nap and spent some time with the girls I'm coming back."

A small smile crossed Beca's lips and she squeezed Chloe's hand. She knew better than to try and push for more than that. She needed to accept the small steps and works towards Chloe getting back into the old routine.

"As long as you get some rest, that's fine by me," Beca replied, tugging on Chloe's hand for her to get closer. Once the redhead was perched right next to her, Beca tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"We promised we would get through this together. I know you want me to get better but no matter what my situation is, I'm always gonna wanna make sure that you're okay too. Now go home before I have Aubrey physically remove you."

Chloe chuckled at this as Aubrey stood with her arms crossed, eyebrows arched, daring Chloe to try her. Aubrey was ridiculously strong and Beca could actual recall early on in her relationship with Chloe, seeing the former roommates wrestling over something to do with acapella in the middle of rehearsal.

Beca had to admit that she had been impressed to see Aubrey wrangle several Bella's all on her own, including Chloe. Though Aubrey's strength had been no match for Beca's precision and hand to hand combat training. Something her father had instilled in her growing up.

She was always the smallest kid, so he had taught her a couple of things to give her the upper hand when the bigger kids picked on her. Needless to say when Beca had been hauled into the principals office one day for beating up on one of the older kids, Jack had played the part of the disapproving father, before fist bumping his little girl as they left the school.

Those skills had played a big part in Beca acing her military training and helped her climb the ranks, and Jack couldn't have been more proud.

Now though, those skills were stored away, Beca's lack of mobility impacting on a lot of the skills she once had. But who knew what lay down the road, maybe one day she'd learn a new way to use them.

"Alright, I'm going, I'll be back soon," Chloe whispered as she leaned in and pressed a long languid kiss on her wife's lips.

"I love you," she whispered, before finally pulling herself away from the bed and gathering up her things.

As she walked around the bed she placed a hand on Aubrey's arm and gave it a squeeze, shooting a small closed mouth smile, silently thanking her for looking out for her wife and then exited the room.

Chloe slung the strap of her handbag across her chest and folded her jacket over her arms as she walked the short distance down the corridor to the family waiting room. Stepping inside she smiled at the sight of her father and Jack Mitchell talking about some football game that was playing on the tv while Peter scrolled through his phone.

"Hey," she greeted, gaining the attention of all three men.

"I'm gonna go home for a couple of hours, get some sleep, spend time with the girls. Could one of you give me a ride?" She asked.

John Beale went to stand up but was halted by Jack who reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys.

"I could do with breath of fresh air," he said, smiling at his daughter and law and giving John the universal hand gesture of 'I got this'.

Chloe thanked him and waved at her father and brother as they left the room, her anxiety rising the closer they got to exit. Jack seemed to sense this and placed a comforting hand on Chloe's back.

"Hey, Beca's gonna be fine. She's got an army in their to keep her company," Jack said with a reassuring smile.

Chloe grimaced at the comment, hating the sound of anything remotely linked to the military being used in the same conversation as her wife.

Part of her hated that she resent the military, after all it wasn't their fault, they were simply following orders and serving their country. But she also couldn't shake the thought that had Beca chosen some other career, she wouldn't be in that hospital bed.

The men and women who had stood on the frontlines with Beca were like brothers and sisters, they shared experiences no one outside the military would ever understand. It was for that reason, Chloe hoped her resentment would fade with time.

The car journey home had been relatively quick. The house had remained in tact, something that was questionable after all the bombings that had occurred. Chloe was grateful. The house was home to so many memories, so many keepsakes that Chloe treasured, or at least used to.

Chloe had been so fiercely protective of so many things in that house for so many years because they were directed links to her wife when Beca was away on tour.

But everything that had happened she realised, as long as her daughters and wife were okay, then Chloe had everything she could ever need.

Homes could be rebuilt. New memories and keepsakes could be gathered over time. Belongings could be replaced. But she could never replace her family, and that was when Chloe realised she was blessed.

Some families hadn't been so lucky. She'd been to enough funerals to know that. It was the main reason she counted her blessings every day.

Stepping inside the house for the first time in what felt like forever Chloe very quickly came to realise that, the house was just it, a house. Brinks and water. Without Beca, without Riley and Charlie, it wasn't home.

There was no pitter patter of Riley's feet running around the house, no boisterous laughter from Charlie, no strumming of a melody from Beca's guitar. It was vacant of anything resembling a home. Except for the contents and material objects.

Jack must have sensed Chloe's unease as she suddenly felt a hand resting on her shoulder and giving it a gentle, comforting squeeze.

"Don't worry, this place will be bustling like a crazy house again before you know."

Chloe placed her hand over the one on her shoulder and turned her head to smile up at her father in law, silently thanking him for his reassurances before she walked further into the house and deposited her bag and coat onto the couch in the living room.

"I'm gonna go take a nap and grab a shower," Chloe started to day and Jack instantly waved off any need for her to continue.

"Don't worry, I'll make myself at home here. I'm no Masterchef but I make a mean grilled cheese sandwich. You go on upstairs and I'll rustle some up and bring em on up. Diane will be with the girls by about 3, I'm sure she can make a proper dinner when she gets here."

Chloe nodded her head and thanked him, slowly ascending the stairs as Jack made his way into the kitchen, happy to see that the cabinets and fridge had been kept replenished over the weeks when it had been vacant.

He quickly put together some grilled cheese sandwiches and made up a nice pot of tea and placed them on a tray. He carried them upstairs and knocked on the bedroom door, finding Chloe sitting at her vanity mirror brushing out her now wet hair from her shower.

"Like I said, I'm no Masterchef but it should fill a hole in the appetite for a little while."

Chloe grinned at him and looked at the sandwiches, her stomach instantly reacting to the sight of the food.

"This is great Jack, I really appreciate it, thank you," she replied smiling at the man who was standing with his hands in his trouser pockets.

Jack lifted his hand and hiked his thumb over his shoulder indicating that he would leave and give her space. Chloe returned her attention to the food in front of her and poured herself some tea, placing some milk and a little sugar in the cup.

Picking up one of the sandwiches, she took a bite and almost moaned. It felt good to be eating something that wasn't from a hospital canteen or from a takeaway container.

After finishing up one sandwich, half of the other and a glorious cup of tea, she made her way to the bed and pulled back the cover, climbing in and setting her alarm before allowing the exhaustion she had been fighting off to consume her.

Back at the hospital, Beca and Aubrey debated their way through multiple episodes of the The Bachelor, the brunette actually finding joy in being able to get outside her own head for a while.

She had spent so much time consumed by medical information and ruminating over the event that had led her to where she was, that she felt suffocated by her own thoughts, but not like last time.

The last time PTSD had consumed her, Beca felt like she was in a battle against her own desire to die. This time, even with the circumstances she had survive and the cards she had been dealt, she found herself with an almost overwhelming will to live.

Seeing her family in a life or death situation, the scared little faces of her daughters, instilled in Beca this desire to never let that sense of fear ever penetrate her family's lives again.

She wanted to grow old with Chloe, she wanted to see her daughters grow up, graduate, get married, have families of their own. Or not if that's what they wanted. She wasn't too pushed either way as long as they were happy.

Beca just wanted to be there for it all. It was ironic. She was in a pretty tough situation, but never had she wanted to live more. Sure it was going to be tough, and there would be many challenges along the way.

She wasn't naive to her circumstances, but if the outcome was getting to be with her family, then she would take on all the hurdles. Because as difficult as she knew they would be, as much as she knew she would have to adjust and that it would be a process, she would have Chloe by her side. And that was all the strength she needed to get through it.

"Hey, you're doing an awful lot of thinking. The whole point of watching The Bachelor is that you don't actually need to engage your brain," Aubrey states as she muted the tv and turned in her seat.

Beca chuckled, they had often joked about the series being tailor made for the simple minded, in other words, no brain activity was really required. It was the main reason for choosing to binge the latest season from the beginning.

Suddenly she stopped, and she chewed on her bottom lip, looking at Aubrey inquisitively before shifting slightly in her position to get more comfortable.

"If I ask you something, can you keep it between us?" She asked and Aubrey narrowed her eyes in scepticism.

"It depends on what it is," she replied leaning back in her seat and folding her arms across her chest.

"I wanna renew my wedding vows, but I don't want Chloe to know. I want it to be a surprise," Beca said gazing at Aubrey who had a sweet smile on her face and the glistening of tears welling in her eyes.

"It won't be for a while. I still have a lot of rehab to get through. But hopefully, in the not to distant future, when I'm home and things are relatively back to normal, I'll need your help."

Aubrey placed a hand against her chest, clearly touched that Beca thought to ask her. With a tip of the head Aubrey beamed at the brunette.

"I would be honoured to help."

"Honoured to help with what?" Came the voice of Jesse as he came bounding into the room, a bag full of treats under one arm and another full of DVD's under the other.

Beca and Aubrey glanced at one another and then back at Jesse. Beca gestured for him to close the door.

"If I tell you, you can't tell anyone, it doesn't leave this room. Understood?".

Jesse zipped his lips and tossed away the key, earning an eye roll from his best friend before she filled him on her future plans.

3 Weeks Later...

Beca gazed at the new chair by her bed, the one with wheels that stared back at her mockingly. The one that had been custom fit to her size and needs. The seat was cushion padded, not too soft, but not too hard.

There were removable handles to the back of the chair and the back support came up just high enough to offer the right amount of support without feeling overbearing.

It was incredibly streamlined, not like the big clunky wheelchairs they kept in the hospital. There were removal arm rests too so Beca could choose whether or not she wanted the arm rest or if she wanted to keep the chair as neat and tidy as possible.

The chair was designed for ergonomic living. It was designed to make life easier. It could easily pass through regular sized doorways, which was never something Beca had ever had to think about before.

It made her realise all of the things she'd never had to think about before. Like how she would drive a car, where she would park, whether or not there were disabled facilities around.

Concessions would obviously be made in her own home, but that didn't mean the world around her would be readily adaptable to her needs. It was a lot, and something Beca had been able to ignore up until her wheelchair finally arrived.

She knew it would be hard, she never could've anticipated just how hard it would be. The sheer overwhelming feeling of helplessness. She had been a soldier. She had fought in wars, dodged her way across land mines and stared death in the face more times than anyone should ever be comfortable with.

But this, this was another level of feeling utterly useless. How was she supposed to help raise her kids from this contraption? How was she ever supposed to make love to her wife when she couldn't even help herself to the toilet?

It was pathetic. She was pathetic. She tried not to let it show but Chloe had picked up on her mood, could see the subtle signs, the little tells that gave away Beca's true feelings. This was where the real healing began.

"You ready for some rehab?" Came the voice of Dave, Beca's hospital acquired physical therapist.

She didn't know it yet, but the hospital physician was only temporary until the doctors deemed her heart well enough for her to be moved to the rehabilitation centre that was holding a space for her.

Chloe watched the man standing with his hands on his hips, Beca's chair next to him. The brunette glanced up at him briefly then down at her lap. Chloe reached down and grabbed a hold of her hand, squeezing it to get her attention.

"Hey, it's okay, day by day remember," she whispered, her wife meeting her gaze, the look of uncertainty piercing Chloe's heart. She'd never seen her wife look this uncertain about anything before. She was always so self assured.

Eventually Beca tipped her head and allowed herself to be lifted from the bed and into her chair, the physician making quick work of lifting her legs into the footrests and locking them in place.

It felt weird, not that she could feel anything from above the waist down anyways, but that in itself was where the weirdness came from. She was physically sat in the chair, but she had no mobility to move or adjust herself. She felt like she was the physical equivalent of a dead weight.

She could see her legs, she could hear her mind willing them to move, but there was nothing. Communication between the two was severed. She could feel a metaphorical weight settling in her stomach and she knew, reality was about to come crashing down.

Beca didn't notice the tears rolling down her her cheeks until she felt two soft gentle hands cupping her face and the pads of two thumbs wiping them away.

When she glanced up, she could see Chloe crouched down in front of her and only noticed that the PT had left the room. Her wife had obviously asked for a moment to themselves.

"Hey, look at me," Chloe whispered, her voice soft, gaze unwavering.

I'm with you okay. I'm not going anywhere. If it gets to be too much just ask them to stop and we'll go again the next day, we'll keep going until we get the hang of it, okay?" She said wiping another tear from her wife's cheek.

Beca took a couple of deep breaths to stop the stuttering, shaky, panicked ones she had been taking before. She needed to calm herself down before the ache in her chest returned and Chloe knew that as she coached her wife through her breathing.

With as much courage as she could muster to face the challenges ahead of her, Beca jerkily nodded her head, gripping the hands that still rested against her face.

Chloe smiled and pressed a kiss to her lips before standing up and taking her place behind Beca's chair, pushing her out of the room and meeting the PT outside. Chloe stepped aside to allow him to take over pushing her wife's chair.

Stepping to the side so that she was walking side by side with the wheelchair, Chloe reached down and took Beca's hand, lacing their fingers together and shooting her wife what she hoped was an optimistic smile.

All Beca could think about was how she would never be able to hold Chloe's hand while strolled down the street again. Her own hands would be too busy pushing her chair. She would never be able to surprise her with spontaneous dancing around the living room.

As they got closer to the rehabilitation room all she could think of where all the things she would never be able to do and it began to gnaw at the little optimism she was holding onto.

Then, as the reached the door, she saw Chloe reach out a hand to pull it open, the light in the hallway catching the gleam of her wedding and engagement rings and the reminder of Chloe's unwavering support settled the doubts in her head.

She needed to put her Captains badge on and think of the solutions instead of the problems, find a new way around the obstacles instead allowing them to intimidate her.

Once inside the room she looked around and was grateful that for her first few sessions she would be on her own. She couldn't handle watchful eyes just yet. She needed to gather her bearings and acclimate to her new routine.

"Okay, so I figure we'll just do some light upper body work to start building up your strength since that's going to be key to moving forward. After that I'll do some leg exercises with you since it's important to keep them stimulated. Chloe can help you with this."

Dave glanced at Chloe with a look of encouragement. The redhead seemed glad to hear that there would be something she could physically do to help. Beca knew her wife had been feeling a little useless with what she had been able to contribute.

Though Beca made it known that Chloe's love and support and just her mere presence was more helpful than anything any health professional could provide, she was aware of the fact that Chloe wanted to be hands on in Beca's recovery.

Knowing there was something that she could actually do, something she could get involved with besides being a sideline cheerleader was already doing wonders for her self esteem.

She didn't have to tell Beca for her to know that Chloe had been researching incessantly everything to do with paraplegia, even going so far as to take on board anything to do with heart related complications in the event something happened so she would know what to do.

It was the teacher in her, she needed to be informed and to feel like she had all the information so that she could proceed with whatever challenge lay ahead.

"You ready Beca?" Dave asked, his hands crossed in front of him, pointer finger extended towards the woman in question.

The brunette gazed up at him, then over at Chloe who was giving her an encouraging smile. She had to do this, for herself, for her wife, for her family. She needed to get over her own pride and pain and get to it.

"Yeah. Yeah okay, let's do this," she finally replied as her eyes lowered to her lap and around at her wheelchair wondering what was in store for her.

3 Hours Later...

Back in the moderate comfort of her hospital room, Beca lay watching as Chloe helped to bathe her from her bed. It should've been natural, it wasn't like Chloe was seeing anything she hadn't seen before, but it still somehow felt embarrassing.

Maybe it had something to do with the catheter removing waste from her body since Beca couldn't actually feel the urge to go anymore. Regardless the reason, none of it seemed to faze her wife.

Chloe simply carried out the routine, as instructed by the nurses, and never batted so much as an eyelid. While comforting in one way, Beca did have to question how anyone could find it remotely attractive. Maybe that was the problem, she was inserting her own doubts onto Chloe without talking to her about it.

"How are you okay with this?" She suddenly asked, as if her voice had jumped on the thought and blurted it out.

Chloe frowned as she glanced up, confused as to where the conversation was going as she continued gently caressing Beca's abdomen with the warm soapy sponge.

"Okay with what?" She asked, stepping away from the bed to deposit the sponge back in the bowl and dying her hands off. After making sure her wife was clean and dry, Chloe ensured Beca was covered up and resting comfortably on the bed.

"This! This mess!," Beca shouted gesturing down towards herself. Chloe's mouth bobbed up and down, momentarily taken aback by her wife's outburst.

"Bec's this is all just temporary. It's not always gonna be like this," Chloe tried to reassure, taking a few steps closer and grabbing a hold of the brunettes hand. Beca just shook her head, her voice wet with unshed tears.

"What if it's not?" She whispered as her voice cracked around her words.

"I can't walk, I can't get myself out of bed, I can't control my own bladder..." Beca uttered the last part through gritted teeth, her cheeks tinged red with embarrassment.

She'd had an accident a few days before, the incident still very raw and Chloe could understand the frustration. It wasn't easy to be young and have this level of independence stripped away from you. But she refused to allow her wife to feel embarrassed about it.

"Hey, none of this is okay, alright, but none of it is your fault and I'm not gonna stand by and let you beat yourself up over something you can't control," Chloe argued back, resting one hand against her wife's pillow so that she was practically learning over the brunette, putting herself in a position of authority.

"You think any of this bothers me? You think what happened the other day or any of the tubes and wires bother me? About having to help bathe you? You think I care? Because let me make one thing very clear I DON'T!"

Beca cast a glance up at Chloe, seeing the stern features of her wife looking down upon her, daring her to argue back, to try and place undue doubt in Chloe's mind in some feeble attempt at pushing her away.

"I almost lost you! I placed my hand over your heart to stop the blood from leaving your body and pleaded for your life! I lived with the fear of not knowing whether or not I would have to live without you and it killed me."

Chloe's voice began to waver as a strangled sob tried to wrench itself free from her throat. She didn't want to be forceful with Beca but part of her knew there were going to be many moments ahead where this may be the only way to get through to her.

"So if I have to "deal" with helping you out of bed, or helping you bathe or "deal" with the occasional accident then I will take it. I will take all of it because at least it means that you're here, and that I get to keep you with me."

Beca didn't miss the quotation marks, or the manic tone of her wife's voice. She could see the tensing of Chloe's muscles as she fought against her own frustration with Beca's weak attempts at pushing her away.

It wasn't fair, Beca wasn't being fair to her. All Chloe wanted to do was love her, help her, support her, but Beca's battered and bruised pride was seeping through to the surface like some toxic poison.

She actually felt ashamed when she finally looked up into her wife's eyes and saw the tell tale sign of tears. In that moment she felt worse than she ever had since she ended up in the hospital in the first place.

There were only two things that mattered most to Beca, making sure her girls were loved and that she lived every day in a way that they could be proud of her.

But it was hard to feel any sense of self pride when every day you were reminded of your new limitations. Hard not to get angry at her situation, and that sometimes manifested itself in heated arguments with her loved ones.

She didn't want to feel like a burden, she didn't want to feel so helpless all the time. Realistically she knew that time and hard work would play a big part in her recovery, in getting to a place where limitations wouldn't feel so debilitating. It was just hard to picture it when confined to the same four walls day in, day out.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, tears finally escaping her own eyes as her wounded pride was quickly replaced with overwhelming anguish over taking it out on her wife.

The redhead inhaled a deep breath through her nose and released it before taking a seat on the side of the bed.

"I get that this is hard for you, more than I think you realise. It's hard for me to see you like this. But trying to push me away, trying to push any of us away, it's not going to make this easier, it's going to make it so much harder," Chloe explained as she reached down for her wife's hand and laced their fingers together.

"I hate seeing you like this, not because of some selfish reasons but because I know you. I know how much your independence means to you. That's why I'm determined to help you get back to that place whatever way we can. But I need you to work with me."

Beca gazed down at their joined hands, listening to what Chloe was saying, trying to anchor herself to her words.

"I need you to find that strength, that courage you found that day when you risked everything for me and the girls. I need you to fight for us again. Because we love you and we need you."

There it was, the key that unlocked the chains that had been weighing Beca down. Shaking her head, she reached up her hand and wiped away her tears, fire beginning to burn in her stomach as the soldier in her seemed to be awakened.

"You're right. You're right, I'm sorry, it's just, this is harder than I thought it would be. I think today just really drove that home."

Chloe nodded her head in understanding, giving Beca's hand a squeeze to reinforce that feeling.

"I know," Chloe replied in a soothing tone as she gently stroke her wife's arm, "and it's going to be tough for a while but we'll get there. Together. Just remember what we talked about, communicate."

Beca tipped her head to signify that she understood and that the message had been received loud and clear. Chloe leaned down and gave her a soft languid kiss before resting their foreheads together.

"I'll fight for you too."

1 Month Later...

"You must be Beca," Dr. Carter announced as he welcomed her, Chloe and John Beale at the reception area of the rehabilitation centre they'd just arrived at.

Beca shook his outstretched hand, followed by Chloe who had been pushing her chair. John followed suit, smiling at his old friend.

"Bob, it's good to see you," John said, Beca glancing back and forth between the two. John turned to his daughter and her wife and gestured to the doctor standing across from them.

"This is Bob Carter, an old roommate from college, he specialises in physical rehabilitation."

Beca seemed to nod their head in understanding as Chloe gave him a look that suggested she was familiar with him.

"It's nice to meet you doctor, and I don't mean to be rude but, why are we here?" She asked. The man chuckled and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his white coat.

"Please, call me Bob. The reason you're here Beca, is because as of today, you are a patient here at the centre."

Beca's brow furrowed in confusion and she turned to her wife and father in law who were both smiling at her with this look that spoke of sheer optimism.

"It's true Bec's," Chloe beamed as she took her wife's hand and crouched down next to her chair. Beca didn't look as certain about the whole thing.

"Chlo, we can't afford this. The medical bills from the hospital are already high enough, our insurance is barely covering it," Beca worried, expressing for the first time her concern about matters other than her recovery.

John Beale stepped forward and turned to face Beca, one hand in his trouser pocket, the other waving off her concerns about finances.

"It's all taken care of, all you have to do is focus on getting home to your family."

Beca turned to Chloe for confirmation that what John was saying was true and when she saw the look on her wife's face she turned back to her father in law.

"John, that's really thoughtful but it's too much..." before Beca could finish what she was saying John interrupted her.

"Beca, I watched you put your life on the line for your family and for this country. The least I can do as a father and a grandfather is make sure that you have access to the best care to get you home. You've sacrificed enough, don't sacrifice or compromise your health."

Chloe could see the conflict in her wife's eyes, caught between wanting to get better and fighting against her pride. From her crouched position Chloe leaned in closer and gripped Beca's hand tightly.

"Babe, this place is a state of the art facility, they specialise in rehabilitating soldiers. The centre can give you the care and attention you can't get at a busy hospital. It'll help get you home to us sooner."

Beca gazed down into ocean blue eyes and she could see her wife practically pleading with her to just forget about the money and focus on her recovery. She couldn't deny that being in a place where the sole focus was rehabilitation would help.

Being around fellow soldiers who were in the same situation would make her physical journey feel a little less lonely. Seeing that Beca was on the precipice of making a decision Bob jumped in.

"Beca, we don't treat the centre like a medical facility. Our aim is to help our patients transition back into their daily lives. The facility has a much more family oriented vibe. Every patient has their own room, there are family rooms and facilities to accommodate partners and kids. Chloe and the girls will be able to spend much more time with you here until you're ready to leave."

Beca would readily admit that being in the hospital didn't afford her the same quality time with her family that she would like. In fact it was probably the main reason her mood was so up and down.

She desperately missed her girls, she missed the intimacy of being with Chloe, just the two of them, without doctors or nurses interrupting. She missed that unit and felt like if she could get it back, it would motivate her in a way nothing else could.

"Okay," Beca said nodding her head, earning smiles from John and Bob. Chloe beamed up at her as she leaned up and kissed her.

The redhead was practically bursting with joy as she stood up, shaking Bob's hand and thanking him as Beca placed her hands on her wheels.

"So, when do we start?" She asked and Bob grinned at her, hiking his thumb over his shoulder.

"How about I show you to your room and after that we talk about your programme. The hospital knows you're here, they'll send over the discharge papers for you to sign off on. Your cardiac doctor will be making routine visits to make sure everything is okay, other than that, you're good to go."

Within five minutes, Beca was wheeling herself into a room that instantly felt more homely than her hospital room. The bed still had all the mechanics of a hospital bed, but the bedding looked much more comfortable.

There was a large tv on the wall, an ensuite, a kitchenette and when she looked more closely, she realised that there were a lot of comforts from home.

There were picture frames dotted around of family and friends, the one right next to her bed housing the last picture that been taken of her with her wife and daughters, all of them smiling.

There was even a small portion of her wall where someone had hung up pieces of arts and crafts made by Riley, and some by Charlie with Chloe's help. In the corner of the room sitting on a stand sat her guitar. Chloe leaned down over the back of Beca's chair and whispered in her ear.

"I may or may not have been by a few times to get everything set up."

Beca laughed, reaching up to grab Chloe's hand and bring it down to her lips to press a kiss to it. After a moment she turned her chair around.

"Okay, lets get started."