A/N: It hit me while re-watching 'Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark' that Shawn had no way of knowing for certain if anyone knew he was in trouble. Until Henry and Lassiter show up at the gas station, he couldn't be sure that anyone was looking for him. This was my response to that particular plot bunny.
HUGE Thanks to my beta, DinerGuy! She's awesome!

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It's a Whole Different Thing All Together
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"I'm telling you, Gus, this is totally different."

"How, Shawn?" Gus grunted as he helped Shawn over a fallen tree. "You've been shot, and we're running through the forest trying to get away from two guys who want to finish the job." He wondered how much farther Shawn could go before they had to stop for a rest. "How is it different?"

When there was no response, Gus realized he had the answer to one of his questions: Shawn could go no farther. The weight his buddy was putting on him had increased dramatically, and he was breathing too hard to speak. "We're stopping here, Shawn." And he helped his best friend over to some rocks which, unfortunately, would provide almost no cover. There were some bushes growing against the rocks though, and together they managed to squeeze behind them. If they held perfectly still and their pursuers passed in exactly the right spot, the foliage would keep them from being seen. It was a long shot, but they had no choice.

"Shawn?" Gus whispered, wanting something – some kind of response that would tell him his partner was still hanging in there.

Shawn's eyes were scrunched shut as he pressed the heel of his hand against his wound and tried to catch his breath. "Good job zig-zagging, there, buddy," he managed to gasp out. "They'd have got us for sure otherwise." Then he slumped against Gus.

Gus was terrified both by Shawn's sudden collapse and because at that moment he heard crashing through the trees behind them. Their pursuers were almost upon them. He grabbed his now unconscious friend and held him close, holding them both perfectly still.

Gus watched, horrified, as the two men passed their hiding spot. He held his breath and prayed Shawn would stay quiet when one of them paused to look around. He could have reached out and touched the guy's leg.

"What're'ya waitin' for?" his partner called from a few yards ahead. "They're gettin' away!"

Then their would-be captors – 'killers?' Gus asked himself before quickly pushing that thought away – moved on through the forest.

When he was certain they were out of earshot he turned to Shawn. His best friend's pale face was slumped against his shoulder. But the way that Shawn was half turned towards him gave him a good view of the wound that bled freely now that the limp hand had fallen away.

Every cell in Gus's body was screaming at him to pass out or throw up, but he fought it - he had no choice.

Pushing the wounded man off of himself and back against the rock, he quickly pulled off his jacket and rolled it up. Bunching up the body of the jacket against the bullet wound, he tied the sleeves around Shawn's waist. It was all he had.

When he pulled the makeshift bandage tight, Shawn moaned and stirred.

"Shh!" Gus warned, looking around to make sure the bad guys hadn't returned. Shawn, of course, ignored him.

"Dude. No. Don't, Gus." The pained voice came out almost in a whine.

"Shawn, I have to stop the bleeding." Gus didn't say it, but there was one way the two situations were different: Shawn's wound was worse this time. Being gut-shot could bring on a whole host of problems besides blood loss, including infection or even septic shock. This was not 'just a flesh wound.'

"No, Gus – that's your new jacket."

Gus had to smile slightly. Only Shawn would be worried about fashion at a time like this.

Only Shawn would think to distract a squeamish friend from his own blood.

Barely conscious and gasping between words, he continued. "You were… were wearing it when… Bethany said you looked hot..."

Gus looked at him sharply when the last word faded into a breathy sigh. Shawn was losing consciousness again. "Shawn. Shawn!" Gus grabbed onto the only topic of conversation available. He had to keep Shawn awake. If those men doubled back, there was no way he could carry Shawn to safety. "How is it different? Shawn!"

With his eyes still closed, Shawn smiled slightly – or was it a grimace? "You're here."

Gus just scowled.

"I was alone… before."

Gus quickly lost his scowl. Heart aching at the thought of what his best friend had endured, he protested, "We were on our way."

But Shawn shook his head, once again bringing it to rest against Gus's shoulder. "Didn't know that. After I… called Gina, I had no bars. Sent… texts, but didn't know if they went through. Then I dropped it when I ran into the woods."

"But even if they didn't go through, you knew we'd come to the storage yard – we'd know you were missing – we'd find the… blood." He was thankful Shawn seemed to be able to keep up his end of the conversation, at least for now.

"Hoped… Didn't... know." And then he fell silent.

"Shawn?"

With a gasp (he'd nearly passed out again) Shawn continued. He was pretty sure they'd have to move soon, and he needed to gather his strength and get them both out of there. So he continued the argument. "Dude. I left you a message in the middle of the night. Fireman PJs… I knew you'd get it in the morning but by then…" He paused, listening, they were out of time. "They're coming."

Gus heard it too. "We gotta go."

They struggled once more to their feet. Gus saw Shawn pull the collar of his coat between his teeth so he had something on which to bite down. The pain must be excruciating. He pulled the wounded man's arm over his shoulder and the two moved off, looking for a better place to hide.

Too close behind them, they heard voices. "Look, Joe. Blood. That's where they hid. I told you…"

"You told me nothin'," came the retort. "This way!"

The two friends panicked until they heard the men move off in the wrong direction. They had nothing but a large tree trunk between them and their pursuers. As soon as they were gone, Shawn's knees buckled. Gus barely managed to keep his head from slamming into the side of the tree. He didn't know if the collapse was from pain, blood loss, or simple relief but either way, Shawn was once again unconscious.

Gus slid down next to him and decided a short rest was in order. He pulled Shawn's limp body against his own. That was when he noticed the heat. Shawn was way hotter than he was supposed to be. He was trembling slightly and sweating in spite of the cool evening.

Better not rest then. "Shawn. C'mon, Shawn, wake up. Don't leave me alone here." Gus nudged him. "I still say it's the same thing, Shawn."

'Wake up and argue with me,' Gus was thinking. "Shawn! You're not alone."

Without opening his eyes, Shawn spoke quietly into Gus's shoulder. "Nope. Thanks, buddy. Was then, though." He paused briefly as he swallowed and caught his breath, his eyes squeezed tight against the pain. It was a stupid argument, he knew, but it kept their minds on something other than their dire straits. "Now I want money… for nothing…"

Gus frowned.

"Nev'rmind…" He continued the argument as if his life depended on it, which was probably true. "I didn't know if anyone even knew I… was missing. No one knew where I was or what I found out. Left you… mystery message… no details. Stupid… Shot. Alone. Dying…" A pause as he realized just how much he'd admitted. He continued quickly, "Then they got me… Had... to... getoutonmyown-Gusss!" His hand fisted in Gus's shirt while he rode out a wave of pain, his jacket somehow back between his teeth.

"Keep talking, Shawn," Gus whispered, his throat tight. "We're gonna be okay."

"Called–" Shawn gasped out, grasping at Gus's words like a lifeline; if he did the first part, maybe the second would come true. "Called Jules. Tried t'tell her. Give clues. Couldn't tell if she got it. Dad 'n Lassie came." Tears dampened Gus's shoulder. "And then they walked away…"

Both men stopped talking then. It was too awful to contemplate. It was Gus's turn to close his eyes and drop his head back against the tree. He couldn't even imagine what Shawn had felt. He'd never faced anything difficult alone. His parents and Shawn had always been there for him. But he knew that wasn't the case for his best friend. Where Gus had always had his family, Shawn's family had too often been the cause of his distress.

Gus rallied, speaking before Shawn could drift off again, "You're right, Shawn. It is different now. I'm here. People know exactly what happened. We called for back-up this time, remember?" He felt rather than saw the slight nod against his shoulder. "Lassie and Jules and your dad are somewhere in this forest with us right now. They'll find us before the bad guys do." And he prayed his words were true.

He felt the nod against his shoulder again and wrapped an arm around his buddy. He accepted that they weren't moving again. Shawn was too weak. And even if he could carry him any meaningful distance, he wasn't sure Shawn's body could handle the stress.

He pulled Shawn closer. Whatever was coming, they would face it together.

Then he jumped and his arm reflexively tightened when he heard gunshots. They were close. There was crashing and shouting in the trees nearby. He could make out Lassiter's voice, and then Juliet's among all the yelling.

And suddenly Henry was on his knees in front of them.

"Where'd you…?" For a moment, Gus honestly believed the man had magically appeared.

Henry smirked, but had eyes only for his son. "It helps if you keep your eyes open, Gus... Shawn?" His gentle, experienced hands were travelling over his son's still form. "Shawn!"

"Shawn's been shot," Gus said weakly, feeling himself begin to tremble, his gut finally giving in to the typical response he'd been fighting.

Henry glanced once at his son's best friend. "I know, Gus. We've got you– both of you. Everything's going to be okay."

And then Henry was shouting. And there was a flurry of activity. And Gus was really having trouble keeping up with everything going on around him.

The next thing he knew, he was standing, wrapped in a blanket, with Juliet's small but surprisingly strong arm around him. He was standing next to an ambulance which looked really weird in the middle of the forest. Ambulances have four-wheel drive? He shook his head and looked some more. A few yards away he could see Lassiter's cruiser pulling out onto the narrow forest road, two heads in the back seat. There were two cop cars escorting him, one in front and one behind.

Then he saw Shawn. He was on a gurney about to be lifted inside the vehicle, his dad hovering protectively over him. And then he heard, "Gus?" The weak voice pulled at him like a string, and he was beside his best friend.

His eyes half open, he spoke through the oxygen mask, but Gus could make out the words. "I told you. This was totally different… This was way better. Thanks, buddy."

Gus held out his fist, and then had to help Shawn lift his to complete the bump. "You're not alone, Shawn. Not ever."

Shawn nodded once and then the ambulance swallowed him.

Henry paused beside Gus and Juliet as they watched the bus pull away. "He's going to be fine."

And Gus nodded. He already knew that.

END

Title is a quote from the movie 'Airplane' - which is why it's misspelled :-D
And bonus points if you got the Dire Straits reference!