36

His heart pounded. His usually composed brow was furrowed with anxiety and sweat. He quickly rounded a corner and threw his jacket around his shoulders. An hour ago he had been casually lounging in his office, letting his mind wander over the earlier meeting he had with the financial department when the phone had rung. He almost didn't answer it: there were enough things that needed his attention; but he found himself drawn to the small sleek phone on his desk. After listening to a few clipped words he slammed the phone down, and ran out the office, grabbing his white suit coat off the back of his chair. Now he was walking rapidly down the empty corridor, snapping open his cell phone.

"I need the 'copter on the roof in two minutes!" He listened to the stumbling pilot on the other end. "Now!"

Rufus jammed the device back in his coat pocket and pressed the button for the elevator, which seemed to feel the President's sense of urgency, opening right away with a burst of stale air.

They were close. His heart pounded furiously in his chest. He wasn't sure what he would do once he saw Aeris again…his thoughts became jumbled when he touched on the subject, rather he pushed it out of his mind and drowned himself in paperwork. But the time had come: he had to find out what he would do with her. He gritted his teeth…he let that part of himself go already. If anything, he would have to send her back to the slums…back to her old life. The thought consoled him: he would throw his problem back where it belonged…far, far away from him.

"Shit. Please be okay."

Reno darted down another vacant street, a bundle of what used to be a woman in his arms. Her unanimated body bounced unceremoniously…so limp…so lifeless. His eyes scanned her body, stopping and concentrating on the now-growing sea of red that was spreading along her side. Ignoring his burning lungs and screaming wounds, the ex-Turk pressed on, looking for a safe place to hide and check on Aeris. Spotting a dilapidated church a little further up ahead, he rushed forward, pushing open the door and frantically searching around. He found a row of pews that seemed sturdy and gently placed her on top.

"Aeris." He brushed back the damp hair from her face, the pale coloring of her skin worrying him. "Fuck, what did I get you into?"

His gaze fell upon her now-bloodied shirt, concerned but afraid to look at the damage. Slowly, he peeled the end of it up to her belly button, taking a deep breath and revealing the wound. At first, the amount of blood upset him, but he was relieved to see that the bullet was off to the side and not directly in the abdomen; it had entered through the bottom of the first rib. He lightly pressed on it to see if the bullet was still lodged inside, which elicited a piercing scream from Aeris. At least you're still alive.

Her startling green eyes were now open and clumsily trying to assess her whereabouts. The world seemed to swim in pain and thundering heart beats. What had happened? Fire danced along her left side and she clutched at it, screaming at the warm contact. She heard Reno asking her to calm down, that she would go into shock if she didn't compose herself, but Aeris threw this comment aside: her body was an inferno of anguish. Stinging tears welled up, blurring her vision, adding to the chaos of her senses…this pain was unbearable. Her heart raced furiously in her chest, like a wild horse locked in a small pen, almost ready to burst.

Reno grew more worried as her breathing started to increase rapidly…she was going into shock. He sat beside her, lifting her shoulders to rest against his chest, wrapping his arms around her and rocking her gently back and forth. He mumbled reassuring words to her, not sure if she was listening or not, but hoping that the tone of his voice would help calm her. After a few minutes, she seemed to slow down, her breaths now coming steadily, her body now lost of its trembling. He apologized over and over again: he had brought her into this…he had gotten her hurt. Reno wasn't sure how long he had held her for and how many times he had muttered his apologies, he wasn't even sure when he had fallen asleep with her in his arms. All he knew was that when he awoke, his life had taken a turn for the worst.