Page 78 of Secret Redemption

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The atmosphere in HELO was beyond intense as the two men fought to keep their friends and teammates alive. It was a fight they were losing.

“Liam, how long?” Daniel shouted over the sound of the engines.

“Fifteen minutes out,” the man said calmly. Liam was incredibly calm under pressure, and despite Daniels initial dislike of the man, he had been an asset today.

Daniel’s hands worked the IV into Zack’s arm, pushing fluids to try and counter-act the blood loss. His blood pressure was dangerously low, but at this point, he was faring better than Zin. Once the line was in, his BP started to stabilise.

“Shit, he’s crashing!” Kanan shouted. “I need some help!”

Daniel crawled in the small space so that he was next to Zin, who was a deathly shade of grey. Kanan started administering chest compressions as Daniel readied the defibrillator. He placed the device over Zin chest and called, “Clear.” Kanan moved back, and Daniel shocked him. Both men watched the trace for a flicker, Kanan continued chest compressions keeping the brain from shutting down from lack of blood.

“Charging 360,” Daniel called, and K moved again, exhaustion weighing heavy on them both. Shocking Zin again they watched as a rhythm registered on the machine. “We have an output, let’s get those fluids in him. “

“He’s bleeding internally, no doubt about it from that BP. ETA Liam?”

“Two minutes.”

“Let them know we have two unconscious males with gunshot wounds, one in the femoral artery the other Abdominal, possibly spleen. Also, a serious head wound and both have heavy blood loss.”

“Copy that,” Liam said as he got on the radio informing the hospital of what they should expect.

Daniel slumped against the seat as he thought about the operation he had run and whether he could have gotten there sooner. Every scenario he ran was different.

“Don't do that man, it’ll make you crazy. Zack couldn't have run that better and you know it.”

Daniel nodded in acknowledgement of the comment, “Maybe not, maybe so. I just know that I’m not ready to lose anyone else to these assholes.”

“I get that,” Kanan answered, and Daniel regarded the other man thoughtfully as he kept a close eye on Zack’s BP, which was, thank god, stable. K was a mystery to them all, but Daniel respected the way he had finally stepped up. Sure, he had fucked up in the biggest possible way with Noah, But, Dan was not stupid enough to think life was black and white. Hell, his own life was a fucked-up shade of grey.

His grief and anger at losing Claire was warring with feelings he shouldn't be having for another person, and that made him angry and the only to direct that anger was at the Watchers. They were to blame for every shitty thing that had happened to him in the last few years.

The only saving grace was Paige. She was simple. She was his everything, and his job was to protect her and keep her safe, and all she required in return was love and affection and that he could give her in spades. Just the thought of her made him smile. If his colleagues could see him when she had a tea-party, they would piss their pants, and he didn't give a shit.

He scrambled to his knees as Liam started the descent. He had marked all of the drugs and times Zack had received them on his arm in marker to speed things up for the A&E staff. K was doing the same thing next to him. He had the dubious task of making things right with the local PD, and that would take some finesse. Zack was excellent at this shit, while he hated it.

The doors opened, and they were hit with a barrage of questions as the two men were moved onto stretchers and wheeled into resuscitation, the room where all the emergency patients were sent. Daniel and Kanan answered them, then stood back as the Doctors and nurses took over.

~~~

Ava flew through the A&E doors as if the hounds of hell were on her heels. She needed an update on Zack. The sick dread in the pit of her stomach hadn't eased since they had parted. Lucy and Jace ran behind her with her parents, all of them struggling to keep up as she ran to the desk.

“My fiancé was brought about fifteen minutes ago by chopper. I need to see him.”

“Name?” the woman said as she peered down her nose at her.

Ava struggled to remain calm. “Zack, Zack Cunningham,” she stated quickly.

The woman typed on her computer, and it was like watching a sloth in action.

“Can we hurry this up please?” Ava implored in what she thought was a polite manner. The woman started muttering under her breath, and Ava struggled to focus. She was about to grab the silly Rottweiler with lipstick when she saw Doctor Turner walk past the door to her left. Abandoning the annoying woman, she walked towards the door pushing through it forcefully. She ran from cubicle to cubicle as the woman yelled from behind her about security, she could hear Jace trying to calm the angry woman, but she was on a mission.

Pushing open one door, she was confronted with a sight she wished she could un-see. Zin was unconscious on a gurney wires and lines coming out of him as they tried to resuscitate him. Bloody clothes were on the floor, and people were yelling out words she couldn't quite comprehend.

Her whole body went still as she watched in horror as they tried to save the man who had jumped in front of a bullet for her Zack. Hands on her shoulders jolted her from the scene in front of her.

“Ava.” she looked around and saw Kanan. He was covered in blood and looked almost as ravaged as her.