Through Different Eyes
Prologue
"…Zane?"
"I'm right here, Jo," Her breathing was shallow, her voice was weak, and she sounded scared. He was scared too. Come on somebody, find us! He pressed a little harder against the wound, and prayed it was doing something. He couldn't tell anymore, there was so much blood. "Stay with me, Jo," and please don't lose consciousness again.
"…Zane…" He was fairly sure she had no idea anymore what was going on. She was drifting in and out so much now. "… it was awful…"
"What was awful?" Just keep her talking, he told himself.
"I…we… we got stuck in the past, and then everything was different when we came back…" Her words took him by surprise. He'd been trying to get her to explain that for weeks and she'd been avoiding him since that kiss in Carter's office. It scared him. If she was telling him this now it only emphasised how quickly she was fading on him. "I'm sorry…"
Zane could feel himself fighting back tears, "Don't be sorry" Come on Jo, just stay with me.
"…I … I'm sorry I didn't give you an answer… it was so awful. You were there, but it wasn't you…" Shit, he could feel her pulse was weakening and there was more halting in her speech. Come on people! Someone had to be looking for them. There was no way Jo could missing in a crisis and it go unnoticed. "…it wasn't you…" She was crying.
Zane took one hand from where he was holding the pressure and touched her cheek, not worrying that his fingers were wet with blood. "I'm here now, Jo-Jo," he whispered. He was losing her, the tears he'd been fighting broke free and slipped down his own cheeks. "Please stay with me."
"…I miss you so much, Zane… I wanted … wanted you back so bad…" He took her hand and squeezed it hard, while pressing the other one as firmly as he could into the blood soaked clothes on her abdomen. "… it hurt so much ... to see you…"
He kissed her forehead, "I'm not going anywhere now, just stay with me."
She coughed, then drew in a struggling breath. Shit. He squeezed tighter, pressed firmer, and closed his eyes as he rested his head against hers, lying down next to her and holding her against him. Come on, please!
Everything seemed to slow down. There was nothing else he could do. He felt her give a weak squeeze back on his hand, then she went still. "Jo?" No, no, no, no, no, no. "JO!"