He wasn't sure the team had ever been this quiet.

Walter found himself willing Toby to make an inappropriate quip. Waiting for Cabe's mumbled-under-his-breath complaints about the coffee. Hell, even Paige yelling at him would have made everything more bearable.

Instead, they'd been sitting in oppressive silence for nearly two hours, save for a few brief side conversations that faded out as quickly as they started. There was nothing to say. Occasionally Paige would close her eyes, opening them again a minute or two later. He wondered if she was praying.

In other circumstances, being around the team again would have made him secretly elated, or maybe furious. He wasn't sure. He didn't feel that way now, though. He didn't feel much of anything except the invisible hand pressing down on his chest. If they didn't receive news soon, Walter didn't think he could be held legally responsible for barging straight into the operating room and demanding an update.

"Do you know what Ralph would say if saw us right now?" Five heads shot up to see who had dared to break the stalemate. Sylvester cleared his throat, staring down at his hands clasped in his lap. "He would say that we're hypocrites. Because we can be here for him, but not for each other."

It didn't seem helpful to point out that Sylvester had been the first one to leave. Perhaps that was what made him most qualified to say it.

He always was the bravest among them.

"Ralph doesn't just deserve this when he's in danger. He deserves this all the time," the mathematician continued, twisting his hands together. There was a long pause before he met Walter's eyes, radiating nervous determination. "I broke Scorpion. I'm sorry."

The genius shook his head, his throat too tight to speak at first. Walter wondered how long Sly had been thinking that, waiting for the right opportunity. He'd wanted to be the bigger person and apologize for hurting his brother. He knew it would be important to Megan. But everything was just so broken he couldn't see where to start. "No," he managed. "I share the blame. I should have been more…aware. I d-didn't know."

"We all share the blame," Happy said flatly, exchanging a knowing glance with her husband. "I don't want to raise a kid who thinks you should just abandon your family when they disappoint you."

Cabe nodded and smiled kindly, patting the mechanic's knee. "When this is all over, it sounds like we could use a team dinner to hash some things out. Deal?"

Everyone murmured some form of agreement, looking to Paige, who hadn't spoken a word. Her hair was obscuring her face from Walter's view and he'd never been less certain of anything than her reaction.

"Miss Dineen?" They all scrambled to their feet at the unfamiliar voice. The surgeon took a few strides toward them, his face solemn but soft as he addressed Paige directly. "The operation was successful. Your son will need to stay in the hospital for a few more days, and he needs physical therapy for his leg injuries. But he will recover."

He continued to detail the results of the surgery, but Walter was only half paying attention. Mostly because Ralph was going to be okay. And partially because Paige was leaning against him for support as she finally let go of her sobs.

"He wants to see you next."

Paige looked utterly exhausted as she stood over him. He couldn't blame her. They'd been in the hospital for what felt like an ungodly amount of time and he was certainly in sore need of a shower and a nap.

She'd insisted the team didn't need to wait around for Ralph to wake up. They ignored her.

"Yeah. Sure." He rose, surprised when Paige walked side-by-side with him to the room. She hadn't said much at all, and it didn't feel right to press her. Anything not related to Ralph's physical wellbeing could wait.

Walter's breath caught when he saw the young genius. His small frame was practically swamped in bandages, and he was hooked up to an excessive number of monitors and IVs. Walter didn't know whether to be devastated or angry or relieved or…

"God, Ralph," he breathed, lowering gently onto the edge of the bed. "What were you thinking?"

The boy grinned, his eyes slightly glazed from the pain medication. "It's just a flesh wound."

Paige giggled softly behind him. Walter squinted; he was clearly missing something. Perhaps the morphine was making Ralph delirious. "Do you know how lucky you were? You scared the hell out of us."

He shrugged weakly. "I didn't go out of my way looking for a burning car. It was just there. What would you have done?"

"You can't…" You can't be like me. You can't risk yourself. Why would you want to be like me, anyway? I've lost everything I cared about.

But he hadn't lost Ralph. Not today.

His anger—if it could even be called that—dissipated in an instant and he leaned forward, sighing. "You have to be more careful," he said sternly, well aware that Ralph would forget most of this by morning but needing to say it anyway. "I'm serious, Ralph. It's one thing to use your brain to help with dangerous situations. But no more physical danger, got it?"

Ralph nodded with mock seriousness. "I would salute, but I can't lift my arm."

"This isn't—." Walter swallowed the lecture on his tongue. The young genius was clearly still drowsy, and Paige would surely ground him for life after this. Coming down hard was the definition of wasted effort. "I'm just glad you're okay," he said instead, returning Ralph's tired smile.

Paige stepped forward, stroking the corner of Ralph's forehead that wasn't bandaged. "Do you want to see everyone else really quick, and then get some more sleep?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

"Goodnight, kid," Walter murmured before joining Paige in the hallway. He started to head back toward the lobby, but her hand landed on his arm, stilling him.

"Walter, wait." He wasn't sure if he consciously complied with her request, or if his body just reacted instinctively, but he turned toward her, stepping to the side as a nurse rushed past him. She looked up at him – it felt like the first eye contact she'd made since he arrived at the hospital, and he was once again confounded by the difference between the anger and pain he knew he should feel in her presence, and the reality that all he still wanted was to hold her. "Thank you for being here."

"O-Of course." Walter frowned, unsure if it was wise to try to decipher the numerous emotions visible on her face. "I'll always be here for Ralph."

"I know. And I appreciate that." She crossed her ankles, resting her weight against the wall. "But I didn't just call you for Ralph."

Walter said nothing, certain that any way he could read the situation was probably wrong.

"I was scared," she admitted quietly, pressing her lips together into a tight line. "I didn't know…I d-didn't know if Ralph would be okay. And everyone was trying to comfort me. But I needed you." Paige met his gaze, her eyes damp and red, her words jumbled in Walter's head as he attempted to sort and process them. "You've always made me feel safe. I knew you would keep me from falling apart. A-And I didn't want to do this here. I don't want to do this here. But thank you for being there. For both of us."

"Paige." He'd meant to say more than her name, but that one syllable was all that came out. Communication never had been his strong suit.

Paige looked from one end of the hallway to the other, determining they were alone before she cupped his cheek and kissed him. The contact was brief, barely a second, just enough to make every nerve in Walter's body stand on edge as she pulled back to look at him. "I know I have so much to explain. And make up for. But I want to try." She brushed his temple with her thumb before dropping her hand. "Ralph is gonna need to stay home for a while. He'll be bored out of his mind. I would like it if you could come over and spend time with him. A-And…and with me."

The logical answer was probably no. But logic didn't account for the fact that Ralph had gotten a second chance, they were all getting a second chance, and whether it was logical or not, Walter couldn't imagine not taking it. "I would like that too."