A/N: Whew... this one's angsty, guys. Like really, really, REALLY angsty. It is angsty to the point that I felt depressed writing it... :'(

...On that happy note, enjoy reading it! :D

Georgian-Russian Border

Mission: Loose Ends

August 15, 2016

Archer P.O.V

We had touched down not even an hour ago, and already everything was going to shit. First, we went through the minefield- which went pretty well for us... until one was triggered and Roach almost got blown to bits. Shortly after that, the Russians ambushed us and advanced on our position using a smokescreen for cover- which brings me to now.

We had been slowly making progress toward the safehouse, but these troops certainly didn't make it easy. In this area, trees were pretty much our only available option as far as cover went. And there were plenty of them, but they were fairly spread out, so breaking cover to move was risky. You had to time it just right or you'd be killed. Almost every time I moved from one tree to the next, one of those bastards would jump out of the smoke and attack. I came pretty damn close to being shot a few times.

But soon the smoke began to thin and it was easier to track their movements. They were flat out of luck when that happened. The only reason they'd slowed us down in the first place was because of their numbers and the smokescreen. But now the smokescreen was gone and because of that, their numbers were rapidly decreasing.

We quickly took out the rest of them and moved on.

When we reached the safehouse, there was far more resistance than we had expected. Russians were everywhere. As we fought our way toward the safehouse, I couldn't help but think, even for us, this is going to be a difficult mission...

I broke cover and took out several Russians, and out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw movement. I took aim and put a bullet through the skull of a soldier who was just standing there, his right arm coming down as if he had just thrown something.

As if he had just thrown something.

I heard a dull thud a few yards away from me. Only then did it register in my mind that he had thrown a grenade.

"Archer, move!" Toad screamed, but it was too late.

There was a click, and the grenade exploded. The force of it hit me like a wall, sending me flying back. Sharp pieces of shrapnel followed me, cutting right through my clothes and burying themselves in my skin. It was agonizing. Then I landed hard against the firm, unforgiving ground.

I blacked out.

Toad had started running for Archer before the grenade had even gone off, but by the time he reached him the damage was done. He was unconscious, blood staining his combat gear and the ground beneath him. His leg looked pretty bad- it had a piece of shrapnel the size of Toad's palm sticking out of it. Not a good thing. His right arm was twisted at an odd angle- most likely because he had landed about as wrong as it was possible to land.

Worst of all, he'd landed out in the open- just a few yards away from cover. Luckily his unconsciousness came in handy, because he looked dead. The enemy was too far away to be able to see him breathing- which he was.

Toad didn't hesitate to break cover and go get him- even with his friends yelling at him to stay behind cover until it was safer. He could tell just by looking that Archer might not last that long. He looked dead already- which scared him half to death despite the fact that it was the only reason Archer wasn't currently being shot at.

Bullets whizzed past him as he grabbed Archer's good arm and threw him over his shoulder. On his way back, one of the Russians managed to hit him. A bullet buried itself in his upper left arm and he groaned, biting the inside of his mouth to hold back a pained cry.

All he could think was- at least it wasn't Archer.

He finally made it back to cover and carefully set Archer down, grabbing his radio and calling for immediate med-evac. Then he pulled a roll of gauze from his bag and tied it firmly in place around his arm. It hurt like hell, but he knew that if he didn't stop- or at least slow- the bleeding, he wasn't going to be able to help Archer.

Doc's voice came in over the radio, asking, "What's the situation, Toad?"

"Archer got too close- fuck-...to a grenade and he's losing a lot of blood."

"Alright, and how are you doing? You don't sound so good."

"Hurry and head for the evac point. I'll meet you there." He replied, completely ignoring Doc's question.

"...See you there."

He felt bad about leaving the others behind, but he knew they could handle themselves. He tried not to think about how bad he'd feel if anything happened to them, but he pushed the thought aside and picked Archer up.

"You better get moving, Toad!" Scarecrow yelled over the gunfire.

"Yeah, man, we'll be fine. Take care of Archie for us!" Ozone said, waving to him before breaking cover to take out more Russians.

Had Archer been conscious, he probably would have whacked Ozone for calling him that (only Toad was allowed). The thought made him smile even though his arm felt like it was being dipped in acid.

He let out a shaky sigh and replied, "Alright, I'll see you guys back at base. But for fuck's sake, be careful!"

"Yeah, yeah, mom. Get moving while we're still willing to cover your scrawny arse." That was Ghost.

He rolled his eyes and made sure he had a good hold on Archer before he started moving. There was a large clearing roughly two miles west that would serve as the evac point. His arm burned like hell, but he did his best to ignore it and keep going. He had to if he wanted Archer to have any chance of surviving this.

He was absolutely terrified that if he didn't get there in time, the younger man would die. He wouldn't be able to cope with the guilt he would feel if that happened.

No, he thought stubbornly, Archer's gonna be fine.

...He quickened his pace.

It was freezing there, and despite the many layers he was wearing, when he reached the evac point he was shivering. Doc was already there, and he ran over when he saw them.

"Set him down over there." He said, and they moved to one side of the clearing so they wouldn't be in the way when their evac came.

Toad was covered in Archer's blood from carrying him, but some of it was his own. The bullet wound in his arm was still oozing blood, but it was less than before. He had bigger problems to worry about anyways. He was pulled from his thoughts when Doc spoke.

"Your arm- did the bullet go all the way through or is it still in there?"

His automatic reply was:

"I'm fine. Just take care of Archer."

Doc sighed and said, "As soon as we get Archer sorted out, I'm taking a look at it."

"As long as you take care of him first."

They carefully pulled off his combat gear, trying their best not to jostle him in fear of shifting the shrapnel in his wounds and causing more bleeding. After that, he checked his pulse and listened to his breathing- neither of which were good. His breathing was rapid and shallow, and his pulse was weak. He was so pale that his skin almost matched the flurries of snow that had begun to fall from the sky, and his lips and fingernails were tinted blue.

"Shit," Doc sighed, grabbing his bag and rummaging through it. "He's in hypovolemic shock."

Toad's stomach dropped. He felt like he was going to be sick.

"What does that mean?" He asked nervously.

"It means we need to get that big piece of shrapnel out of his leg and tie off the artery it severed before he bleeds out."

The words before he bleeds out rang in Toad's mind. The thought of losing Archer terrified him to the very core. He couldn't lose him. He wouldn't know what to do without Archer. The man was like his oxygen. Without him, he would suffocate. He could feel his panic rising like a tidal wave, threatening to overwhelm him. It took an enormous amount of effort for him to focus and take a deep breath.

He looked at Doc and asked, "...Here?"

"Yes, here. The evac could take up to twenty minutes to arrive, and the only way he'll survive that long is if we stop the bleeding. Now come here and help me."

He sat down on the ground beside Archer and looked at Doc, who was currently busy cutting a large hole in Archer's pants so he had room to work.

"Alright, I need you to keep his leg absolutely still while I work. It's not likely, but if he moves and I cut something... Let's just say it won't be good." He said as he examined the shrapnel in his leg.

He nodded and placed his hands on either side of Archer's leg, keeping it in place.

"It looks like this went straight in, which is good. You ready?"

He didn't trust himself to speak, so he just hummed in reply.

"Mhmmm."

Doc carefully pulled out the piece of shrapnel and put it aside. Archer didn't even react. Toad assumed he couldn't feel it, which he was glad for, but at the same time he wondered if it was a bad sign... Blood began pouring from the wound, but the medic was quick to mop it up. He then pulled a device from his bag that looked similar to scissors.

"This is a clamp. There's so much blood because his femoral artery was severed by the shrapnel. I need you to clamp it to stop the bleeding so I can tie it off." He explained, pushing the clamp into his hands.

He nodded and clamped the artery where Doc showed him to. The bleeding stopped after a few moments, but he was far from relieved. Archer was practically comatose, and his breathing was labored. His pulse was still weak, and that scared him. No, it terrified him. What if Archer died? What the hell would he do then? Archer was the best thing in his life. The only thing he cared about, when it came right down to it.

If he lost him, there wold be no point in living.

"-oad. Toad? Hey, you can release the clamp now. I've tied off the artery." Doc said quietly.

"Wha- oh. Sorry." He mumbled, releasing the clamp and handing it to him.

"That's alright, you did great. Now I just gotta disinfect the wound and sew him up. Do you know how to set a broken arm?"

"Uhh..."

"No? That's fine then, don't worry about it."

He went to work on cleaning out the wound and Toad held Archer's good hand while he watched. The medic was just about to start stitching up the wound when they heard helicopter rotors nearby.

"I'll stitch him up on the heli." He sighed, putting his supplies away and holding his bag out for Toad to take.

He raised an eyebrow in question, and Doc laughed.

"You really think I'm going to let you carry him with a bullet wound in your arm?"

"But I-"

"Hell no. Be glad I'm letting you carry anything." He said firmly as he examined Archer's dogtag.

"Why-"

"What's your blood type?"

"A Positive. Why?"

"Archer's going to need a blood transfusion when we get on the helicopter."

"I'll do it."

"I know you would. But with that bullet wound, it's more a question of if you can."

No. He wouldn't take that for an answer. If Archer needed blood and he could give it to him, no one was going to stop him from doing so. Even if it meant putting his own life in danger, he didn't care. As long as Archer was okay, his life didn't matter.

"I'll be fine."

"Yeah, well we'll see about that."

Their evac landed. Doc carefully picked up Archer and they got on the helicopter, Toad grumbling as he carried Doc's bag and Archer's blood-stained combat gear. They greeted the pilot and he told them how long the flight would be, then they settled in and Doc looked at Toad.

"Come here and let me see your arm." He ordered, patting the seat next to him.

Toad eyed him warily and said, "Only if you hook me up to him first. He needs blood."

He sighed and said, "There's nothing I could say or do to convince you to let me see that first, is there?"

"No."

"Fine. Come over here and lay down on the bed beside Archer's." He said, looking through a duffel bag of medical supplies that had been hanging on a hook.

He nodded and went to lay beside Archer without a word. Doc finally found what he needed- two sterilized needles and an empty blood bag with two long thin tubes coiled around it.

"Alright," he said, walking over and hanging the bag from the IV stand between the beds. "Give me your good arm."

He held it out and he cleaned the top of his hand with an alcohol swab before opening the package with the needle in it. Then he attached the needle to the tube on Toad's side. Doc examined his hand, poking around in certain places and looking at the veins for a minute or so before sliding the needle into one.

Toad did his best not to cringe, and Doc laughed.

"Not fond of needles?" He asked as blood flowed into the tube.

"...Not really."

"Just be glad I found the vein on my first try. And are you satisfied now?"

Toad glanced at Archer and shook his head.

"No... because there's no blood going into him."

"That's because I haven't put the needle in him yet, genius. And the bag needs to have a decent amount of blood in it before I hook him up anyways, so it'll be a few minutes."

"Oh..."

"And after I finish fixing Archer up, I'm taking a look at that arm."

"Mhmmm, whatever."

He rolled his eyes and got to work. First, he stitched up Archer's leg and wrapped it in bandages. Then he set his arm and strapped it into a splint. After that, he checked him all over- looking for more shrapnel wounds.

He found several, but they were minor compared to the one in his leg. He carefully removed the shrapnel, cleaned out the wounds, and stitched up the few that needed it.

All that took about 15 minutes, and by then the blood bag was over halfway full.

"Will you hook him up now?" Toad whined.

"I'm about to, so quit whining. He's going to be fine."

He watched intently as he hooked Archer up as well.

"Now I'm satisfied." He said, giving Doc a small smile.

"Good, because now it's your turn to get fixed up. Let's see what's going on with that arm of yours, huh?"

"Ugh."

"Don't you 'ugh' me." Doc laughed, cutting away his shirt and the bandages that had been hastily tied around the wound to slow the bleeding.

The sight beneath was not pretty. Dark bruises surrounded the bullet hole in his arm, which throbbed with pain even when he laid perfectly still. There was no exit wound, which meant the bullet was still in him. And his arm was covered in dried blood and mud. In other words, it was going to be a bitch to get cleaned up.

"...I was hoping there'd be an exit wound." Doc sighed, rummaging through his bag.

"And you think I wasn't? Now I have to lay here while you dig around in my arm with tweezers."

"You won't feel anything anyways. I'm going to give you a local anesthetic."

"Ugh."

"...Would you rather I not?"

"No... just thinking about needles."

"Well don't. You're going to freak yourself out. Listen to your radio or something- check on the team."

"Yeah... that's a good idea." He replied, pulling his radio from his pocket and turning the sound up.

There was a lot of static at first, but it gradually got clearer. They were in the safehouse now, defending it while Roach downloaded all the information they needed. He winced when he felt a sharp prick in his arm, but he tried his best to ignore it and focus on the team's progress. After a few minutes, he began to lose feeling in his arm- which was a nice break from the constant intense burn he had previously been feeling.

When Doc started working, he looked the other way, not wanting to see what he was doing. Besides, looking the other way included a nice view- Archer. Even as pale as a sheet of paper and half dead, he was still cute.

His attention was pulled back to the radio when he heard Chemo yell, "There's way more coming on the west side! Get over here before we're overw-"

He was interrupted by a very loud gunshot, and he said no more.

"-emo is KIA! I repeat, Chemo is KIA!" Ozone reported.

Toad's heart plummeted. Doc stopped working and sat very still, listening to make sure he'd heard correctly.

Ghost spat several curses and growled, "Roach, if you don't hurry the fuck up-"

"I'm almost done! I just need-"

The static returned and Toad turned the radio off. His stomach was in knots and the guilt he felt was suffocating. If he had been there, Chemo might have survived- which is why even though he had to, he hated himself for leaving. Chemo had always been a nice guy. Quiet, sure, but he was friendly nonetheless. Most importantly, he had a loving family back home.

...A family who would never get to see him again because Toad hadn't been there to help.

"Toad... it's not your fault. There wasn't anything you could've done." Doc finally said, continuing to work.

He vaguely heard a clink as the bullet was dropped into a tray.

"I should've been there to help..." He said quietly as tears gathered in his eyes.

"Archer got hurt and he needed you. You were there for him, and that's why he's still alive right now."

"But Chemo isn't."

"You can't save everybody, Toad. That's the hardest thing you'll ever learn in this line of work."

"I hate it."

"I know, and I do too. But it wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault."

"I know... I just... He had a family."

Doc sighed and said, "Just be glad you were lucky enough to save Archer. He's looking better now, isn't he?"

Toad glanced at him and allowed himself a small smile. He did look better- some color had returned to his cheeks and his lips and fingernails were no longer tinted blue. He didn't look dead anymore, which Toad was thankful for.

"Yeah... he looks much better."

"I knew he would. He just needed a little time... and blood. Oh, and I'm almost done stitching you up. You'll have to take painkillers and get plenty of rest for a week or two, but you'll live."

"Ugh."

"Don't whine about it, you'll be fine. Now, I suggest you get some rest. We've got a long ride ahead of us."

"Alright... thanks, Doc."

He patted his shoulder and smiled, saying, "Just doing my job."

Then he busied himself with cleaning and putting up the supplies he'd used.

Toad sighed and looked at Archer one last time before he closed his eyes... But he ended up laying there and thinking. His mind was full of thoughts on what had happened that day. He couldn't stop seeing that awful, horrifying moment when the grenade had gone off and sent Archer flying. He couldn't get the image of his bloody, shrapnel-riddled body lying motionless on the ground out of his mind.

The thought of losing Archer always had and always would scare him more than anything else ever could.

...He didn't get any sleep that day.

A/N: Omg this was so angsty... and that's why I love it! Angst is the best! Anyways, I'm going to start working on chapter two almost immediately, so it should be out soon!

Also, SpitfireUSN helped me a ton with this story! Without her help, I wouldn't have been able to publish it so soon (I literally started working on it last night, so this first chapter took less than 24 hours to finish, thanks to her)! She is awesome! :D

Thanks for reading! Please leave me some reviews! I'm not kidding when I say they make my day :3