Spreading too fast.
Internal bleed, definitely.
“Damn it,” I breathe.
My hand presses more firmly against his ribs.
“Stay with me,” I say again, softer this time.
Because something inside me—
Something I don’t want to look at too closely—
Is starting to crack.
And I can’t let that happen.
Not now.
Not when he needs me steady.
Not when he needs me to fight for him the way he fought for us.
A flicker of memory hits—
Him turning back.
Again.
And again.
Even when he didn’t have to.
Even when he should’ve run.
My throat tightens.
I swallow it down hard.
“Why would you do that?” I whisper, almost to myself.
But I know the answer.
Because that’s who he is.
Because he doesn’t leave people behind.
Because—
“Doctor, we’re losing him—”
“No, we’re not.”
The words come out sharp. Absolute.
I look up then.
At the medic.
