Liz looked over to where Brady was standing. A deep scowl was etched on his face. She suddenly felt afraid for Ressler and nudged herself even closer to him. If that was even possible. She found herself dug in between his shoulder and neck. The warmth of his body made her feel safe. She reminded herself that it wasn't her that needed to be safe in this moment; it was him. The thought of losing him was utterly and completely terrifying. She couldn't lose the last and only person that she trusted with her life. No. Not even over her dead body.
"Keen?" She heard him whisper through the beat of the music, his hot breath curling over her ear and down her neck. She tensed up her muscles in an attempt to avoid shivering.
"What?" She shut her eyes closed, still trying to rid the feeling away.
"He's gone." He whispered even lower. Her mind went blank and she opened her eyes again.
"Who?"
He pulled his face away from her ear and looked quizzically at her.
"Arrington?"
"Oh, yes. Sorry." She tried to discreetly make her way back into the crook of his neck.
"Liz, what's wrong?" He pulled farther away. She instantly missed his warmth but the sensation of the moment was over with. His question brought back the feeling of anger, and her blood boiled once more.
"Ressler, you're in danger. This whole mission is now down the drain. You shouldn't have come."
"Liz…" He started to protest, but she cut him off.
"No, Ressler, you really shouldn't have come." She was trying her hardest to keep quiet, but her anger almost always got the best of her. A few heads that were near turned to look at her. She didn't bother to acknowledge them.
"We need to go. Now." She abruptly let go of her grip on him.
It was a start of a new song, but they had no time for dancing. She grabbed his hand, firm and secure, and led him out the way they came.
"Liz, what's going on?"
"Res, just be quiet and follow me, okay?"
He stayed silent and did as he was told.
When they were out of the building, she started to run, and Ressler ran right along with her. The black cocktail dress that Red had given her earlier flowed whimsically behind her… it was like a dream; but what was about to happen was a nightmare.
A shot rippled through the air.
Liz's heart raced when she heard the sound. The sound of what could only be a gun. A gun with a bullet aimed for them. For Ressler.
She heard the thud of a body hitting the ground behind her and found that Ressler's large calloused hand was no longer in her smaller one.
Liz skitted to a halt and turned on heel. She found herself kneeling beside him, searching frantically for where the bullet hit. She found it almost immediately, looking at the blood already soaking his tux. He was shot to the far bottom right of his abdomen.
"NO!" She screamed.
Ressler's pants and grunts of pain where deafening already. She racked her brain for ideas. She had no extra clothing she could take off, so she pressed on the open wound with her own two hands. She looked over to his pale face and saw his eyes drooping lower and lower.
"No, Ressler! Keep your eyes open!" She wailed. As if her screams could keep him awake.
"Liz…. Lo…look…" He panted in between his words. She could tell he was struggling to keep his eyes open. She looked into his closing eyes, seeing distress and pain.
She heard the sound of footsteps coming towards them. But her focus was on Ressler and Ressler alone.
"Liz!" He groaned as he tried with all the strength he could muster to push her away. "Look out!"
She wouldn't even turn her head from Ressler. Every inch of her body was in lock down. She couldn't leave this person….She couldn't leave Donald Ressler. This wasn't how it was supposed to end. She didn't know what his fate was, but it couldn't be this. Please never this. Tears were cascading out of her red rimmed eyes.
His warnings to Liz looked as if it didn't even attain her. She was so focused on pressing on his wound, that she didn't even notice that Arrington was behind her. His gun just about to put a bullet straight through her head. Ressler struggled beneath her, and screamed her name over and over again. She wouldn't budge.
A shot rang out a second time that day.
"NO!" He grabbed at Liz and pulled her into him. In the background he could see Arrington drop to the ground with a bullet through his forehead. As he fell, Ressler could see Samar standing in a shooting stance, dropping her gun and started running towards them.
It wasn't Liz who was shot.
It was Brady.
Only Brady.
The relief he felt shouldn't have been there, considering he was the one bleeding out on the cool ground. The relief was there because Liz was safe. The only reason he was still awake was because of the adrenaline rush he got when he thought Liz was going to be shot. Yet, here Liz was, with her warm body against his colder one. His breath getting more shallow, and hers getting more frantic.
"Ressler!" her face was so close to his. Her hand on his clammy cheek.
Now his adrenaline was going farther and farther out of reach… Resulting to him going further and further into unconsciousness. Shouts and screams that now faded to whispers and murmurs surrounded him as he went into comatose.
Ressler had surgery to take the bullet fractures out. His hip had been fractured and amazingly, the bullet didn't hit any vital organs. Samar was currently being questioned on her decision to shoot Brady, and Liz was sure that it could be justified. Samar really was only protecting her coworkers. If she hadn't shot Brady dead, it would've been Ressler and Keen to take his place.
Liz watched his vitals closely with her hand outstretched on his larger one. She made soft small little circles with her thumb on the crease in between his thumb and pointer finger. Liz had been there for five hours. Three of those hours were when Ressler was under the knife. She was about to wander into the depths of sleep when she heard a door close behind her. Jerking herself upright and towards the noise, she saw Kimmy standing in the middle of the room. 'Can we ever have a moment alone…?'
Without moving her hand from Ressler's, Liz spoke.
"Kimmy, so sorry to see you in such bad circumstances. Don seems to be doing fine." She never called Ressler by his first name; but she was talking to Kimmy. Who was apparently up Ressler's ass all the time. Liz spoke all business, she just wanted to be alone. Leave dammit.
"Am I interrupting anything?" The blonde woman set aside what Liz had just said. Seems like Kimmy wasn't up for any nice chit chat either. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife.
A groan from Ressler caught both their attention and they turned towards his pale figure.
"Liz…" He puffed out. His eyes were still closed shut.
"Ressler… Hey." She replied soothingly while stroking his thumb with her own.
Kimberly just stood there watching, not believing that he said Liz's name instead of hers.
"Liz, are you okay?" He opened his eyes and didn't even notice Kimberly.
"The real question is, are you?" She said with a smile. Ressler's last concern was always himself.
"Do you need anything? Water? A nurse?"
"No... Please stay." He grumbled as he grabbed her arm in an attempt to make her stay put.
"I'm not going anywhere, Res." She said while putting her hand on his cool cheek. He uncharacteristically leaned into her touch. Beads of sweat were on his forehead and she wiped them away with her other hand. "I'll always be here." They were staring into each other eyes now, unable to break them away.
They heard the sound of someone clearing their throat.
"Don, it's me, Kimmy." She was done watching this ordeal. Ressler looked into Liz's eyes for a few more seconds before turning to the woman standing.
"Keen, can you give us a second?"
Liz swallowed and took her hand off his face. Did he just call her Keen? Did he just ask her to leave? She was dumbfounded. Just seconds ago, he was almost begging her not to leave. Nevertheless she got up and left the room. Hot tears were on her cheeks and she wasn't going to hold them back. She watched through a crack in the blinds of a window as Kimmy gratefully took her spot in the room. She really hated that bitch…
She wasn't there long though. Liz noticed that almost as soon as the blonde woman sat down, she got up. She also noted that Kimberly looked furious as she stomped out of the room, trying her hardest to slam the door shut; but failing because it was the kind of door that would slowly shut itself after you opened it.
Keen had to mentally scold herself for almost laughing. She was acting childish and she needed to stop. She realized Kimmy wasn't the only one who was angry with Ressler today. For the first time since she met the woman, they were on the same page. She didn't like it. Not one bit. She thought Ressler cared about her, but he just shrugged her off like she was nothing. Fool me once Ressler, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Without looking into Ressler's room again, she left. She wasn't going to let herself be used anymore….Not by anyone…. Not by Ressler.
Don't worry guys, our favorite pair will have a happy ending. I feel kinda bad for always ending it on a bad note! I hope you guys like my story so far. Please review, it would mean a lot!
