Chapter Text
Of all the things Sherry hated most about hospitals, it was the smell that came top of the list. The too-clean chemical scent that stung the back of her throat and made her heart beat just a little too fast. Her breathing was shallow as she stepped from the elevator, her footsteps echoing through the long hallway until she reached the ward she was to report to.
As she pulled her phone from her pocket she knew she was just buying herself a few more seconds for her heart to stop thundering in her chest. She’d read the details in her email repeatedly from the moment she’d boarded the plane until she’d reached the hospital, she knew she was in the right place just as well as she knew what was waiting for her once she walked through those doors.
She could hardly believe that after two months of waiting, this was how she'd find him again.
As she approached the room Sherry felt her chest constrict as her nerves doubled, which didn’t really make sense at all since he was the one who disappeared without a word, going back on his agreement to stay within the United States until security concerns were under control... breaking his promise to her...
Anger began to uncoil within her, and Sherry was relieved. If she had no choice but to face him she wanted to be angry. Taking advantage of the heat in her blood that burned away those unwelcome nerves Sherry opened the door and stepped inside without so much as knocking.
Her presence went unnoticed as Jake hunched over on the edge of his bed lacing up his boots until Sherry cleared her throat loudly. He glanced up, his eyes alert and bright until he realised what was happening. Then his brow furrowed into a scowl and Sherry could almost hear the internal cursing he was surely spewing in his mind. Because Jake rarely swore in front of her once he’d unofficially moved in, he'd been surprisingly gentlemanly like that.
Sherry shook the thought from her mind as she made sure to keep her expression blank. She was here for work, she had a job to do. Nothing else.
So when Jake barely managed to hide the groan in his throat as he sat upright, one hand coming to his side to cradle what Sherry had read were cracked ribs, she wasn't sure if she felt sympathy or a sense of satisfaction. It would serve him right to learn the hard way. Jake Muller was not indestructible nor did he always know what was best.
"So what, am I under arrest or something?"
Jake kept his eyes fixed to the wall as he spoke, ignoring the way Sherry's eyes roamed over him. He was a mess. One side of his face was swollen and covered in stitches, his hands and knuckles were bruised and covered in scratches. He was glad she couldn't see what was beneath his shirt, although he imagined if she was here for work than she already knew what state he'd arrived in.
He'd taken for granted how quickly they'd send someone out to retrieve him. He also hadn't expected it to be her.
But of course no one knew that their partnership had ever been anything more than professional. At least that’s what they’d hoped.
"Or something," was Sherry's reply as she slid her hands into her jacket pockets, "So have you been discharged or were you planning on just disappearing."
The word again went unsaid but they both heard it clear as day. Jake let out a long hiss from between his teeth. He didn't want to admit that he'd planned on swiping some pain meds and getting the hell out of town before anyone could find him. Mission aborted, it seemed.
His silence answered Sherry's question. "Of course," she sighed. Jake braced himself and waited for it. The lecture. The questions. The fight he'd tried to avoid that night by simply leaving before it could be had. In a way he'd been trying to save them both the pain, but perhaps he'd just made it worse.
Instead Sherry picked up the paperwork at the end of his bed and flicked through, leaving Jake waiting for the inevitable explosion in the heavy silence.
Neither spoke until the folder was tossed back down and Sherry shrugged. "I don't see why we can't leave now. No point spending another night here." She turned to open the door, peering into the hallway before glancing over her shoulder to where Jake was still sitting. "Well?"
For a moment Jake was unsure of what to do next. He wasn't exactly desperate to spend another night on the cold hospital bed, but he also knew following Sherry out the door would lead to a conversation he did not want to have. And who knew what else was waiting for him. Technically, and not for the first time in his life, he was a wanted man. Would he end up swapping a hospital room for a cell?
Sherry fixed him with a stern look before rolling her eyes.
"It's just me. We've got a place to stay for the night and then I'm to escort you to the airport. As far as anyone knows you went missing after doing some reconnaissance following a tip from an old acquaintance, which your arrogant ass decided you could do alone."
Jake blinked. So... he wasn't a criminal?
Also Sherry had lied. For him. To protect him.
Now he felt all kinds of shit, none of which being caused by the mild concussion.
He stood, wavering a little on his feet. Either Sherry didn't notice or she didn't care since she pulled open the door and walked through. Jake followed, aware of the looks he was getting in his torn and bloodied clothes. He kept his eyes forward and avoided looking directly at Sherry. He'd almost forgotten how feisty she could be, the blonde hair and blue eyes hid one hell of a badass-
"What? What are you smiling at?" Sherry snapped.
Jake didn't realise his mouth had begun to turn upward into a wistful smile until he spotted the disapproving frown on her face. He didn't think she'd appreciate his reasons so he shook his head and shrugged instead.
Sherry could feel him getting under her skin already. Jake could be the epitome of boyish charm, he had a way about him that made his carelessness and sarcastic wit endearing. But he could also be just as infuriating. It had been his unpredictable mix of surprisingly gentle sweetness alongside his ability to radiate pure, unrestrained danger at the slightest hint of a threat that had broken through Sherry's attempts to keep her feelings platonic. As messy as it all was, Jake had become her safe place.
Until he’d left, and taken that feeling with him.
As they stepped back into the elevator she'd exited only ten minutes prior she couldn't help but remember the first time she'd let herself give in to how she’d felt. Oh, it had been a slippery slope right into trouble. But damn, she admitted silently, it had been worth it.
Sherry hadn't exactly had much experience with an intimate partner, and she'd guessed from Jake's age and lifestyle that perhaps he had hadn't either. That hadn't stopped their first time together being the most incredible experience she'd ever had. He had kissed her so fiercely she thought she would pass out from lack of breath. His hands had pressed her hips into the bed as he ground into her relentlessly, his mouth never leaving her skin as he licked and kissed her entire body...
The sound of the elevator doors opening brought her sharply back to reality. Sherry shivered as a blast of cool air hit them and was suddenly very aware of the fact that Jake was standing close enough she could feel the heat of his exposed skin. Skin now covered in fresh wounds that would no doubt add to the scars she used to run her fingers over at night.
Sherry didn't have much detail about how Jake had come to be in such a state and she resented the need to ask. For now it was a conversation for another time. Feeling a little unsteady Sherry led the way to where she'd left the car and mentally scolded herself for letting her thoughts wander back to memories she wishes she could forget.
Jake had always been her weak spot, it was why she'd hidden the truth about their relationship from just about everyone. Claire had her suspicions of course but she respected Sherry’s privacy. As for Leon… well, he had other problems far more pressing then Sherry’s choice of partner.
When the call had come in that he'd been found in a hospital on the outskirts of a country she'd never heard of it had been a relief and a concern. There would be consequences for him leaving the way he did, but as long as he pretended he'd always intended to come back hopefully it'd be little more than a slap on the wrist.
Sherry ignored the disapproving grumble from Jake when she pulled out the keys to unlock what was a decidedly boring, run-of-the-mill vehicle. Jake had a thing for the flashier models. Something fast and shiny.
The same old voice in her head piped up as she grabbed a duffel bag from the back seat, making her stomach churn as her eyes and throat began to sting.
It was no wonder he'd gotten so bored with his life in America so quickly. With her. Jake wasn’t made to settle for the boring or the ordinary. And for Sherry that was all she wanted, at least, she’d always thought so.
Sherry pulled the bag from the backseat and handed it to him with more force than was necessary. Jake swallowed the grunt in his throat as pain shot through him and instead glared silently.
So this was how it was going to be? He thought.
"Fresh clothes," Sherry nodded at the bag. "I'll wait for you to change, they'll charge extra if I get blood on the seats."
Jake's eyebrows shot up as Sherry slid into the drivers seat and shut the door noisily. There was no one around so it was easy enough for him to get changed. But still, this level of pettiness wasn't something he expected.
He unbuckled his belt and kicked off the boots, pulling out a pair of black jeans and a matching long-sleeve shirt with a button up V-neck. It reminded him of the clothes he'd found in the locker room in china. He wondered if her choice in style had been on purpose or perhaps a subconscious decision.
Jake threw the bag that now contained his old clothes onto the floor of the car and slid in beside her. Sherry started the engine and they drove from the hospital without a word. The town wasn't huge but the roads were still busy. Jake could feel fatigue settling upon him as the warmth from the heater filled the space around them. His eyes began to close as his head came to rest against the cool window. Sherry shot him a worried glance. He'd been concussed, was it a bad sign that he fell asleep so quickly?
She reached across and nudged his thigh with the back of her hand, feeling uncomfortable that this was the first touch between them since-
"Wha-?"
Sherry pulled her hand back as Jake slid one eye open, looking simultaneously confused and annoyed. She gave a shake of her head and fixed her eyes on the road, "Just making sure you don't die on me."
Maybe it was the result his tired weariness or the strange dullness that pain can often leave you with, but for a second Jake smiled. "Aw, you do still care super girl."
Sherry flinched at her old nickname. Two words could bring back so many feelings, stirring up what she'd been trying so hard to hide.
Loss, anger, frustration... sadness. She opened her mouth to tell him not to call her that anymore, not after he'd abandoned her they way he did. But when she caught sight of the hazy look in his eye and the hopeful half-smile she felt her words slip away. She was still pissed and hurt and all of the things a person could feel when they unexpectedly wake up to a cold, empty bed. But she was also, inexplicably, still in love with him.
"Go back to sleep," she told him flatly, unable to match his smile.
Jake did as he was told and was snoring softly within minutes. Sherry's hands gripped the wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white. She didn't want to fantasise about going back to life as it had been before. Their relationship had been as much a secret then as it still needed to be. In fact, Sherry wasn't so sure their partnership was such a good idea at all. She'd have to put in a request for a new partner, which would also mean explaining why.
If it got out that they were sleeping together, the daughter of William Birkin and Wesker's son, it would be a scandal. At best her reputation would be tarnished, at worst it might just be the evidence needed to show that the freedom she'd been granted had been a mistake. She was always walking on thin ice since Simmons’ betrayal had called into question her own loyalties. The man had been her guardian after all, as well as vouching for her to be given the role of Agent.
And she couldn't even imagine who else could handle working with Jake. Leon had been assigned to the new President's personal security team and Helena was just as headstrong and quick-tempered as the man beside her. And there was no way Jake would play well with the others, his disdain for the team had been obvious but overlooked considering his 'unique circumstances'.
No matter what, Sherry had to control herself. They just had to spend one night together and then take a flight home.
Sherry looked to the sleeping man and felt her stomach drop at the thought of only having another forty-eight hours in his company.
After that, she would just have to wait and see.