Hicks gave a start when the knock came at the door and he quickly stubbed out his cigarette. He hesitated for a moment at the door then opened it. And there she was. Alive and well. After what he'd seen, it almost felt like a punch to the gut... except in a good way. So maybe not a punch to the gut but he couldn't find another way to describe it.
"Hey, Ripley," he said. He hesitated for a moment then said, "Ellen. Come in."
He managed to not check the corridor out for any nasty alien surprises before waving her inside. That was pretty good for him really. The first week he'd been here he hadn't been able to sleep at night without doing a full check of the apartment and even then he'd had to sleep with the frigging lights on like a little kid. He'd forced himself to sleep without the lights being on after the first week. It hadn't made the nightmares any better but at least Drake and Vasquez' voices in his head had stopped mocking him for being a damn baby.
He glanced around the apartment after she came in and saw it with new eyes, like she might see it. It was... impersonal. Not that he'd ever been one to collect belongings but at least his room in the barracks back on Gateway had actually looked like someone with a personality lived there. He'd hardly bought anything other than clothes, food, booze and cigarettes since he'd got here. It was like he didn't want to put down any roots, get too attached. Just in case he had to escape. He really was frigged in the head, wasn't he? Between the scars and the mess in his head, why...
He didn't want to go there. "Want a drink?" he asked instead, heading for the glasses and booze.