Ed dropped to his knees on the wiry and hard catwalk, reaching out to his friend quickly, needing to touch him, to show him physically that he was there. "You stay with me, buddy, buddy." He begged "You're alright." Ed completely focused on Parker not hearing as Sam said that the subject had been neutralized. It didn't matter, his whole world was here in front of him. His friend of more than twenty years was bleeding out right before his eyes. Ed placed a hand on Greg's clammy cheek and carefully pulled his SRU hat off, tossing it aside. He moved behind him to keep him up right and reassured him as he slid his hand under his arm and around his chest from the back, "Okay, I got ya." Ed saw more blood drip from the mouth of his boss, landing on the white of his uniform, the bright crimson standing out against the white word 'Police' emblazoned on his chest. He felt his own hand wet and warm. Looking down he saw a steady stream of blood rolling down over his own wrist and hand. He swallowed hard as the gravity of the situation continued to press into his mind. Ed heard Sam speak, calling for help and using words that he hated, "Officer down."
Ed only focused on trying to help his boss, his mentor, his friend. "You're gonna be okay." Ed assured. Panic welled inside of him as Greg's eyes dulled and Ed yelled helplessly, "Where's the medic?" He pulled Greg up so that he was leaning further onto his leg to support him. The movement caused Greg's eyes to widen in fear and pain. His body temporarily went rigid and then relaxed under Ed's arms which only caused Ed to want to shout out again for help. Sam, however, had also seen the change and Ed heard him yelling again for a medic. Not looking, Ed heard him taking off at a run going to get help, leaving Greg and Ed alone.
Ed tried to keep talking, to keep Greg focused on him. He could feel the breaths the man in his arms were taking getting shallower. Each time he took a breath in, Ed heard a cruel rasp in Greg's windpipe. He looked closer and saw more crimson escape Greg's lips. After Sam's outburst, Ed tried to comfort Greg again, to get him to relax, reassuring him, "Stay with me, I got ya." He knew if he was calm, it would be contagious, and that would be better for Greg.
They were both alerted to their headsets, still in their ears as a different voice rang through it. Dean had been at the SRU station and Ed realized he had been listening to everything. "Stay with us Dad, we're here." Ed wanted to shout to get Dean off line. He didn't want him to have to hear this. Ed knew Greg's protective streak for his son would extend to this. He wouldn't want him hearing his father in this situation. Ed didn't want to agitate Greg so he let it go. Ed needed to do something to help, to stop the bleeding. Fighting his panic to try and focus on what to do, he knew putting pressure on a wound would help. He slipped his arm under his friends, feeling the soaking wet side of his chest against his uniform. Pushing his forearm onto what he hoped was the source of the bleeding also helped him keep Greg upright and elevated. He leaned in and blinked to clear his vision so he could look into Greg's eyes only wishing he hadn't. The usually lively and soft brown eyes were filled with angst. Greg was scared and Ed knew he couldn't sugar coat anything. Greg would be able to read him, even in a situation like this. Just wanting to talk, needing to say something to break the silence, Ed started to ramble, "You did it buddy, you diffused the bomb." Pulling back he rested his cheek on Greg's forehead making contact and holding him close, trying to help reassure him. "You trying to put Spike out of a job?" He asked, attempting to be light and also helping Greg remember the others that loved him. His breathing changed and Ed used the hand on Greg's vest to shake him a little, trying to keep the sensation changing, keep Greg alert to the physical contact. "I got ya." Ed continued. Ed's heart broke as he saw Greg's features show panic and fear as he tried to breathe. "I got ya." He repeated, not knowing what else to say. Ed pulled Greg back a little further trying to do something, try anything to ease the breathing process. "They're on the way." As quickly as Ed blinked away the tears they continued to come, he wanted to wipe his running nose but couldn't take his hands of Greg. He sniffled, knowing the team would hear and looked up quickly to check for medics coming. He saw nothing and sighed, it felt like they had been there alone forever.
Looking back to his friend, he saw Greg starting to close his eyes, letting go. Ed wasn't going to let him give up without a fight. The medics had to be close and he shook him lightly as he called "Hey, hey." He kept his fingers moving on Greg's mid-section while he thought of the thing he had wanted to say for a long time. Something he could never seem to find the right time to say. The words 'now or never' floated mercilessly through his head. "You remember a couple years ago when I had to shoot Goran Tomacic?" Eddie had turned serious. He heard another ragged breath and willed him to just keep breathing, 'Keep going, Greg. One after another.' He wasn't sure he could continue, his voice starting to fail as emotions rolled over him, "How you said to me 'Buddy, you might wanna do the math on all the 'I'm fine's.'" Ed became painfully aware of how still Greg had gotten but then, thankfully, he nodded ever so slightly. Greg turned his head to the sound of his voice, but he didn't know if he could see him or was even hearing what he was saying. He had to finish, "I've never said thank you." Ed's heart broke when a small smile crossed his friends' features. Greg pulled another ragged, uncontrolled breath and whispered hoarsely, "You're more than fine, buddy. More than fine." His voice was weak but his words pounded Ed like they had been screamed. He felt like his own body had stopped responding as he soaked in the compliment from his friend. Greg had leaned in, letting his head fall towards him. Ed moved toward the contact, landing Greg's cold forehead on his chin. Feeling more energy drain out of his boss's body put Ed on the verge of losing control entirely. He begged "Stay with me." He continued to push on his friends chest, trying to keep him feeling, trying to keep the awareness. Each breath Greg took became more and more shallow. He choked in air and a look of panic crossed his eyes.
