Antonio tilted his head back as he clenched his jaw. He felt pinned down by the pain, like an insect with a needle driven through its chest, immobilized and defenseless. The drugs that coursed through his veins played with his mind, teasing and twisting his thoughts into dark, bloody images. He wanted to sleep. Fighting a relentless enemy had drained him, yet he was no closer to the surface. Pain, he decided, felt like drowning. There was no escaping. It stole his breath, and the deeper he sank, the more it pressed down on him, crushing his resolve, soaking into and softening what fight he had left in him.
He let the haze of morphine overwhelm him. Fear of the darkness wrapped its claws around his neck as he slipped into oblivion, and the dreams that accompanied it were vicious and grotesque.
Gabriella ran her hand through her brother's hair, setting her jaw against the waves of emotion that crashed over her. He trembled with fever beneath her touch, wracked by pain and violent dreams. She wanted to pull him back to her, but she wasn't ready to watch his eyes light up with agony, his fingers curl into the bed sheets as he fought against it, and the fear claw its way out of his chest as his instincts kicked in. The same instincts that had saved his life so many times.
He muttered under his breath, lines of pain creasing the space between his brows.
"Antonio," she cupped her hand over his. "C'mon."
He stirred, his breath growing shallow and fast.
"Antonio."
His lips parted as his lashes lifted. His face was ashen, and his body screamed its exhaustion. He swallowed hard, reaching for her. She caught his hand before it found her shoulder. His fingers curled tightly around hers.
"Hey, Gabby."
His voice was wrecked from the tubes they'd shoved down his throat to keep him alive.
"Hey, gallito," she smiled softly.
He watched her, his eyes blackening as pain latched onto his consciousness, and his jaw tightened until his teeth ground together. It continued to gather strength, and he drove the heel of his palm into the railing, fighting back. The noise made her flinch. His other hand strayed to his bandages, his fingertips curling into the pain that settled and spread, like an infection crawling through his veins. His hands trembled and he curled them into fists.
"Easy," she traced his hairline with her fingertips, pulling him back. He groaned, his breath becoming weak and shaky as he fought for air between waves of pain. "Toni, c'mon."
He forced himself to look at her. His eyes danced with agony.
"C'mon, tough guy. You can do this."
He steadied his breath, gathering strength from her words. His hand found hers once again as he settled into the pain, forcing his body to stop fighting.
"Gracias, 'manita," his voice grated, his throat raw. The corner of his mouth curled into a faint smile.
"I'm proud of you," she returned the smile, combing his hair back with her fingertips. He turned into her touch, his eyes drifting shut. "But don't ever take that many bullets again, gallito. You hear me?"
He nodded, his arm curling around his stomach instinctively.
"You think your police force can't live without you, I sure as hell can't." She choked on the last word, swallowing a sudden wave of emotion that pooled in her throat.
"Aye, sis." His lashes lifted, dark eyes sparking with confusion as he searched her face. He reached for her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, and she ducked her head, a sob shuddering through her chest.
"Gabby, stop," his voice caught, and she looked up to see a depth of sadness in his eyes that she had never seen before. His jaw tightened as tears gathered in his eyes. "Don't do that."
All that pain, and it was her tears that brought him to the end of his composure. She sank her teeth deep into her lip as she broke eye contact, trapping her breath because she didn't trust it to come out without bringing the sob with it.
"God, Antonio," she rested her head on his shoulder, the image of his blood pouring out into her hands filling her mind. She could feel it pooling in her palms, streaming down her wrists. He tightened his grip around her shoulders, drawing her closer. He was strong, even now. He always had been, through everything.
"Don't ever-," her voice broke. "-never again. Not you."
"Hey. Take it easy, chica." His voice was heavy with exhaustion, but strong with reassurance. "I love you," he reminded her.
"I love you too, hermano."
A\N: thanks guys, for catching that Gabby is younger than Antonio. I'm not actually in the fandom, so I have no idea what's canon and what's not (I've watched like, maybe fifteen episodes of the show total). I just deleted the reference to their relative ages though so it doesn't bother you :)