When you lose don't lose the lesson

"Terry, put it back."

"No. You're joking right? We earned this."

"It could kill millions of innocent people," she said, the tears welling up in her eyes at the prospect of what she might have to do.

"Now you're being dramatic…"

"Put it back."

"NO!" His shout reverberated around the cave. He was tired of doing things for everyone else and not getting anything except a smile and a pat on the back.

"You have authorisation to kill me Croft. So do it," he said walking up to right in front of her.

"Because if you think that standing in front of me, is going to stop me…" he said moving inches away from her face. He was contemplating smacking her one good one to knock some sense into her but then decided against it and realised that only the lowest of the low would do something like that.

Lara could see that he was holding back a lot of rage. She could see that she was almost about to be hit but then saw himself fighting internally and obviously decided against it. Good… She didn't know if she could take him hitting her. After everything, she may be physically strong but she loved Terry and didn't know if she could process the fact that he hit her right now.

"Terry… think about this. You're about to do the very thing that we came here to stop," she said looking at him with large sad eyes. Goddamn that English accent and those eyes got him every time.

She could see his resolve breaking. She was getting there; she didn't want to shoot him. After all this time she was learning to love him again as much as she hated to admit it.

"Please Terry. Put it back. Not all the money in the world should make you want to destroy it," she said putting her hand on his arm. He looked sternly into her deep blue eyes and she saw his resolve crumble.

She smiled sadly and he walked away from her and began pacing. He couldn't believe that she was getting to him like this. It made him feel weak. A feeling he didn't like.

He stopped and looked at her standing in the exit. He sighed and threw the bag off his back and into the acid pool. Lara felt a smile break her lips. She walked forward to kiss him, because she couldn't resist. He'd changed his ways because she'd told him to.

But something stopped her in her tracks. She heard a gun shot. She stopped and looked at Terry and almost sighed in relief. He hadn't moved. But she waited, and still he didn't move. But his breathing became faster and then she saw the red blood pouring out of the hole in his stomach. She shook her. Not after all that… No he couldn't die now.

She spun to see a figure standing in the shadows. She reached for her pistol but the figure disappeared. She knew that it would not return anytime soon. And now she was more concerned for Terry.

She ran over to him. While she had turned her back he had collapsed to the floor. His eyes were glazed and his chest was rising and falling rapidly. She kneeled down beside him and pulled away his shirt. The wound was just beside his second rib from the bottom. She hoped it had missed his rib and any other vital organs.

She also hoped that there was an exit wound. At that range there might not be… That would mean that some painful surgery would be needed immediately.

"Okay Terry just stay still…"

"It was a lucky shot," he said between gasps.

She nodded and put finger on his lips.

"You'll be fine, just don't close your eyes, and keeping breathing. Don't talk save your strength…"

She flipped out her phone and shouted Bryce into the voice activated dialling.

"Bryce… get down here now! Call a Doctor we need one up there right now it's an emergency…. Hurry please…"

She put her phone back on her belt and saw Terry's eyes closing. She shook him roughly.

"TERRY! STAY AWAKE. YOU HAVE TO…"

She could see that he was struggling but he managed it. She saw Bryce's feet beside her.

"Jesus Christ what happened?" he asked kneeling down.

"Someone shot him and then ran off, Rice is gone though."

"Right lets get him up. Hillary has a Medical Degree you know."

"What? We're trusting his life to my butler?" she said staring at Bryce. It's the best we have.

"No wait it's not, lets get him up and then give me a second," somehow they managed to get Terry out of the Cradle of Life between them.

They lay him down on the grass because there was nowhere else. They didn't think that he really cared anyway. Lara stayed by his side as she rang an old friend.

"Hello? Feora? Is that you? This is Lara, do you still live in Africa. Good, can you coke to the Kilimijaro right now? I thought you lived close by, bring all your medical stuff. Quickly this is life or death here."

00

Terry woke up and looked about him. A blinding pain in his side hit him, and he quickly tensed up until it went away.

"TERRY? Thank god." He felt someone lean down and kiss him.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all…