The Hallway

The email came at 6:00 AM.

Elena stared at the screen through bleary eyes. Her fever had broken in the night. Her throat was still sore, but the body aches were gone.

**SARS-CoV-2 RNA: NOT DETECTED.**

Negative.

It was just a cold. Or exhaustion. Or strep. But it wasn't *It*.

Elena stared at the word. *Negative.*

She let out a breath that turned into a laugh. She wasn't poison.

She stood up. She felt weak, but light.

She needed to pack. She needed to leave. Not because she was sick, but because she couldn't do this again. The fear of killing him was too much. She needed to protect him from her reality.

She opened her apartment door, dragging her suitcase.

Jax was sitting in the hallway.

He was sitting on the floor, leaning against her doorframe. He was asleep. His guitar was in his lap. And sleeping on his chest, wrapped in a blanket, was Blitz.

The sound of the door opening woke him.

Jax blinked, straightening up. He saw the suitcase.

His expression hardened.

"Going somewhere?" he asked, his voice rough from sleep.

"I tested negative," Elena said softly.

"That's great," Jax said. He didn't smile. He looked at the suitcase. "So why are you packing?"

"Because it was negative *this* time," Elena said, tears pricking her eyes. "Jax, look at us. I’m a loaded gun. I work in a plague ward. You’re recovering. I can't... I can't live with the fear of hurting you."

Jax stood up. He winced, but he stood tall. He held Blitz in one hand and blocked her path with his body.

"So you're benching yourself?" he asked. "You're quitting the team?"

"I'm protecting the team!" Elena cried.

"I don't need protection," Jax roared. It echoed in the hallway. "I need *you*."

He stepped closer.

"Do you know what I realized when you locked that door?" Jax asked. "I realized that my knee doesn't matter. Football doesn't matter. Being 'The Cannon' doesn't matter. None of it matters if I can't walk across the hall to check on you."

"Jax, please..."

"No," he interrupted. "You think you're broken, El. You think you're just death and germs. But you're not. You're the one who saved the puppies. You're the one who saved *me*."

He held out the puppy. Blitz let out a sleepy yip.

"This is Blitz," Jax said. "He’s the runt. He’s scared of loud noises. He needs extra care. I can't keep him. He needs a doctor."

Elena looked at the puppy. She looked at Jax.

"You're giving me a dog?" she whispered.

"I'm giving us a mascot," Jax said. "I'm telling you that you don't get to run away. We navigate the risk. We wear the masks. We scrub the floors. But we do it together. I’m not letting you go back to that empty apartment, El. I refuse."

Elena looked at the suitcase. Then she looked at the warm, golden light spilling from Jax’s open door.

She dropped the suitcase handle.

"I'm really scared, Jax," she admitted.

"I know," Jax smiled, and it was the sunrise. "Me too. But we’ve got seven dogs and a lot of hand sanitizer. We’ll be okay."

He held out his free hand.

Elena took it.

\---

**Epilogue**

*May 2021.*

The snow was gone. The lake was a brilliant, glittering blue. The city was breathing again.

Elena sat on the grass in the park, watching the chaos.

Jax was running.

He wasn't sprinting—not yet—but he was jogging, his stride smooth and strong. He was throwing a tennis ball.

Seven Golden Retrievers were chasing it. Well, six were chasing it.

Blitz was sitting in Elena’s lap, chewing on a dandelion.

"Go get it, lazy," Elena whispered, scratching behind his ears. Blitz ignored her, perfectly content.

Jax jogged over. He was sweating, glowing with health. He dropped onto the grass beside her.

"How’s the knee?" Elena asked.

"Solid," Jax said. He leaned over and kissed her. He didn't pull away. There were no masks. Just sun and air. "How’s the heart?"

Elena looked at him. She looked at the dogs. She took a deep breath of the spring air. It didn't smell like bleach. It smelled like life.

"Healed," she said.

Jax smiled and put his arm around her. "Good. Because Goldie looks like she wants a second round of puppies."

Elena laughed, burying her face in his shoulder. "Don't you dare."

"Kidding," Jax kissed her temple. "Just us. And the pack."

"Just us," Elena agreed.

And for the first time in a long time, it was enough.