A/N: This ignores Mack being an android.
Lost
His heart stopped.
She seemed to fall in slow motion, her petite body hitting the ground and curling gracefully on impact.
"No," Mack said to himself. "Not her."
He didn't remember running to Rose's side, but suddenly he was lifting her into his arms. She let out a gasp of pain. "I'm sorry" he murmured.
Rose's morph had been lost. Mack powered down as well, carefully cradling her against him. He took out his Tracker and put in a distress call to the others, telling them to abandon their lead in Egypt and get to he and Rose.
"Mack, it hurts." Rose's voice was weak. He felt tears sting at his eyes.
"I know it does, baby. I know it does."
She gave him the faintest smile possible. "I always loved it when you called me 'baby.' It made me feel special."
"You are special," Mack assured her. He lifted a hand to her hair and ran his fingers through it. When he pulled his hand away he noticed that it was covered in Rose's blood. He looked back at her.
"Don't cry, Mack," Rose whispered. "Don't cry. It's not forever." She reached one of her tiny hands up and cupped his face in it. "I'm glad it's you that's here with me. I can tell you. I have to tell you. Mack, I love you. I always have."
"I love you too, Rose." It was easier than he had expected it to be.
Rose smiled at him again. "Really, Mack? You don't know what that means to me. I'm sorry I waited until it was too late. We could have been so happy, Mack…"
"We will be. The others are coming. We'll take you to the hospital and the doctors will make you better. And then, you and me, we'll be together. Always."
"It sounds so nice when you say it like that. Tell me more."
"We'll get married and we'll do some traveling. We'll have babies. And I will never, ever let anything hurt you like this ever again."
With a smile on her face and Mack's arms around her, Rose Ortiz stopped breathing.
--
He was dead inside.
She was gone, lost forever.
He had wanted so much with her. He had plans for the two of them. He'd known all along that they were meant to be.
Mack watched as Ronny sobbed into Will's shoulder. The black ranger cried with his girlfriend, holding her and whispering comforting words.
It wasn't going to bring Rose back.
Nothing was ever going to bring Rose back to his arms where she belonged.
He had wanted to hug her.
He had wanted to kiss her.
He had wanted to see his ring on her finger.
He had wanted to come home to see her with their baby in her arms.
He had wanted to grow old with her.
And now it was all gone.
Mrs. Ortiz and Rose's sister Lindsay were hugging and crying silently. Tyzonn and Dax had watery eyes. Even his father and Spencer were crying for the lost Rose.
He and Rose's father were the only ones with dry faces. He had done his crying in privacy, in the room that had been Rose's, a stuffed pink bear he had once won for her in his arms. But Mack could not imagine why Mr. Ortiz wasn't mourning with the others.
When the services were over, Timothy Ortiz approached the red ranger. "Mack, I don't know whether Rose ever told you, but she loved you very much. I know she did. I thought you should know."
"She did tell me, sir, and I love her, too. I love her, too."