I've kinda been on fluff overload lately, so wanted to write some angst, and then I realized I could sneak an "I love you" prompt into this and kill two birds with one stone. so it's also posted in "All the Ways."
"Stay with me, doc. You aren't going anywhere. You hear me?"
His voice cracked. He pulled a bloody hand away from the stab wound on his chest. "Well, when you say it like that I don't really have a choice."
"Stop screwing around," she said. But he didn't sound playful, despite trying. He sounded scared. She didn't have much to command. She cradled his beaten body in her arms, viciously freeing her fingers when the tears overwhelmed her eyes to wipe them away.
"I'm lightening the mood," he replied, drawing a long breath. "At least I'm not punning."
She put a hand to her comm. "Walt. It doesn't take that long to get help. Move your ass."
"Happy…" he flipped his hand so the bloody side didn't touch her face, "it's not his fault. You know I would never say that unless I meant it."
"He's bleeding out!" she screamed.
He licked his lips. "Hey, hey, hey, I'm gonna be okay, baby. I'm gonna be okay."
"Just stay awake."
He brushed his knuckles over her cheek. "I'm here, Hap."
She pulled him closer, taking her fingers away from the comm. "You can't die on me. I won't let you."
He smiled. His breathing was staggered, making her nervous. "You're the one reason I'm alive, anyway."
She kept her eyes away from the blood. They steeled into his with a desperate plea, a desperate beg. She was trembling, eyes squinted and face flushed. She looked scared, like she was about to lose the whole world. But she also looked like she was about to destroy it. Her shoulders hunched as she moved him even closer to her. His head fell into the crook of her elbow.
"Damn Walter," she muttered.
"It's okay," he soothed. "Happy." She stared disapprovingly. The corners of his lips rose, reassuring. "Happy. It's okay."
"Can I perform some field surgery? You can give me a step-by-step."
He shook his head. "I've been running through possible solutions since that jerk cut me open like a pizza. But from what I can see, and the materials we have in the middle of the desert, it's not happening until Walt gets that doctor and the right supplies. ...Hopefully, my stabber doesn't come back in the meantime. Don't know where he headed after running off…"
She chewed tensely in her bottom lip. "Toby, there's gotta be something, right?"
"I don't think so, sweetheart."
"I can't-" her voice broke, "I can't just...sit here and watch you bleed out. There had to be something. You're the smartest damn doctor in the whole damn world, Toby! Figure it out!" She started screaming again.
"Happy, Happy, calm down, okay?" He ran his hand down her hair. "It's gonna be okay. Take a deep breathe. Just breathe. It's gonna be okay."
But it wasn't okay. She was never okay again.
