In the Hands of Fate

Summary: Richie and Tessa's lives are slipping away, can they be saved or will Duncan be left alone?

5 Bullets and a Broken Heart

They weren't dead, at least not yet, but as the two ambulances raced down the road, Duncan couldn't help but think tonight he would lose a friend. The speeding vehicles couldn't get to the hospital fast enough. He was sure if they could just get to the hospital, the doctors would be able to save them, to save her. He'd give his immortality to her if it would save her.

God he couldn't lose her.

He looked at Tessa again, despite the efforts of the paramedic, the bullet wound in her stomach continued to bleed through the bandages. There was a chance she would make it the medic said, she could pull through and be just fine.

It was a small chance.

Duncan's eyes watered but steadily held Tessa's gaze, he knew right now she needed him to be her strength.

She opened her mouth and whispered his name, she wanted to tell him she loved him, that it was all going to be ok, but he put his hand on her check.

"You're going to be fine," he whispered. "I love you."

Tessa saw the tears fall down Duncan's face, she wanted to wipe them away but she couldn't find the strength to lift her arm. Instead he held her hand and stroked her face.

I close my eyes
Only for a moment and the moment's gone
All my dreams
Pass before my eyes a curiosity

In the second ambulance Richie was losing his fight with Death, it was tearing him apart with its icy claws and slowly claiming his soul. Mindlessly he stared at the roof of the ambulance, his eyes unblinking, unseeing, and uncaring.

"Richie, come on stay with me Richie" the paramedic yelled as he began compressions, "Joe step on it, I'm losing him!"

Vaguely, Richie could hear someone calling his name and pressing on his chest, but it meant nothing. Death stood before him and began to scrape what was left of his soul from his body. He tried to push the beast away, but its icy body couldn't be moved. Why weren't McLeod and Tessa here? Why did he have to be alone for this?

"I'm going as fast as I can Dylan, we'll be there in two minutes" The driver responded as he maneuvered through traffic.

"This kid doesn't have one" the paramedic whispered as he grabbed the paddles to the defibrillator. "He's going into cardiac arrest!"

The paramedic placed the cold paddles on either side of Richie's chest and pressed the buttons. Electricity flowed through his body, but it had no effect.

The paramedic pressed the buttons again, but there was still no pulse.

Richie exhaled for the last time as he gave up the final pieces of his soul; he let Death take its prize, leaving him cold and hollow. What else could he do? He had no way of fighting off something as strong as death by himself, if only he had McLeod's sword he could have stood a chance.

He shouldn't have been surprised, before meeting Duncan and Tessa he was on his own, after they took him in he thought that would have changed, that he wouldn't have to be alone.

Nothing had changed, nothing at all.

Dust in the wind
All they are is dust in the wind

The ambulances pulled up to the entrance of the ER, an awaiting doctor pulled open the doors and helped pull out Tessa. Duncan let go of her hand as they wheeled her into the hospital. He jumped out and began to follow but was cut off by another stretcher before he could get inside the building.

It was Richie; a paramedic was standing on the railing giving him CPR while a nurse put a mask over his face and began to squeeze an attached pump.

The two stretchers were rushed down the emergency room hallway. Duncan followed behind them, his eyes jumped from Tessa to Richie.

"Trauma rooms one and two" and nurse directed.

Doctors and nurses swarmed the stretchers gathering information and giving orders as they separated the two into different trauma rooms.

"We're going to need O negative blood in Trauma one and two!" A doctor called.

Same old song
Just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do
Crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see

"Clear!" The doctors shocked Richie's lifeless body.

It wasn't working.

Duncan stood in the hallway pacing from the window of Trauma One where they were working on Tessa to Trauma Two, where Richie was. He paused in front of the window of Trauma Two.

Richie had been shot three times, once in the head, chest, and stomach. His face was covered in blood as well as his shirt which had been torn down the middle to expose his chest. The doctors inserted a tube down his throat so they could breathe for him. They stuck him with a large needle to put adrenaline in his heart to get it pumping again.

It still wasn't working.

The flat line on the heart monitor sickened Duncan, he told the kid to stay put, he couldn't worry about keeping him out of danger and saving Tessa at the same it. If only he had listened, he wouldn't be lying on the table dying.

"How long has he been down?" The doctor asked.

'No, you can't give up' Duncan thought to himself.

"23 minutes" a young nurse with wavy brown hair answered.

'He can't die like this!' He screamed in his head.

"Call it."

'He's just a kid!'

"Time of death, 10:21 pm."

And just like that, it was over, the doctors pulled off their gloves and walked away. The young nurse eyed Duncan, she knew his pain all too well. Her dark brown eyes looked over the bloody young man on the table; she stepped out into the hallway with Duncan and gently laid a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll clean him up for you if you'd like to sit with him for a bit." She offered.

"Yeah," Duncan whispered as he numbly walked over to Trauma One, "that would be nice."

Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind

In Trauma One the doctors worked franticly to get the bleeding under control and to stabilize her heart rate.

Duncan closed his eyes and prayed, he was trying to barter with any god that would grant him his pleas. He wanted her to become immortal and they could spend the rest of eternity together.

"She's going into shock!" Someone yelled.

The heart rate monitor wailed as Tessa flat lined.

"Clear!"

"Hit her again!"

"Clear!"

"Still nothing."

'Come on Tessa, fight!' Duncan couldn't believe in one night he would lose both a lover and a friend.

And as the doctors call the time of death and walked away, Duncan had lost his ties to humanity.

As the doctors walked out of Trauma One they gave their sympathy to Duncan for his loss, one doctor tried to explain what happened but Duncan cut him off.

"Can I see her?" He asked hoarsely without ever taking his eyes off of her.

Now don't hang on
Nothing lasts forever but the Earth and Sky
It slips away
And all your money won't another minute buy

Duncan knew one day their youth would fade, they would grow old and die. He knew he would be left alone some day, but it how could it be this soon, there were still so many more years to live, to be together.

Though her hand was still warm, the trauma room seemed so cold as he sat next to Tessa. She looked as though she was sleeping. Duncan knew she was at peace but his heart was broken in a million pieces. He kissed her hand gently and with love like he'd never felt for anyone.

The young nurse stood beside Duncan, her delicate hand resting on his shoulder a moment before she spoke.

"I'm going to bring in your friend now ok?" She asked.

He nodded.

Quietly she left and wheeled Richie into the small room, the tube used to help him breathe was gone. The blood that once covered his face was now wiped clean; even his hair had been washed and combed back. A small bandage above his right eye covered the hole and most of the damage caused by the bullet. A thin blanket was neatly pulled up over his chest and tucked under his arms.

"Is there anyone we can call?" She asked in a hushed tone.

Duncan looked at her for a moment, her eyes and gentle features spoke to her sincerity.

"No, there is no one else."

"If you need anything at all, I'll be outside."

He nodded again. "Thanks."

Duncan reached out and held Richie's hand; it was cool to the touch. It unnerved the seasoned immortal; while he had seen many deaths of many friends and family members, this loss seemed harder than any other.

"I'm sorry" he whispered.

Duncan sat by their side in silence for a long while, he didn't want to leave them, but he knew he couldn't stay forever. Outside, the young nurse waited for the brokenhearted man to let her know he was ready.

Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind

Everything is dust in the wind

A/N: Well, the way everything is turning out looks as though there is going to be 2-3 more chapters, please please review and let me know what you think, good, bad or otherwise.