I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…
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"We need to stop," Jane said abruptly.
They'd left the falls just under an hour ago and stopping wasn't really an option and everyone knew it.
"Are you okay?" Kurt immediately demanded, his face creased in concern. His hand came up to her shoulder and she took a step closer to him. Not that there was much space there already. She'd been practically glued to him since they'd left the clearing where she'd patched up his shoulder.
"You lost a lot of blood and you're probably still in shock. We can't expect you just to keep walking like nothing happened." Jane insisted to him quietly.
Kurt was struggling, but in that moment where her concern for him overrode her years of training his fatigue gave way to utter love. The softening of his expression had Jane raising her hand up to cup his precious face.
"You know I'm right," She all but pleaded.
"I'm tired," he conceded, "But we can't stop this close to the site of the rebel assault. There are probably more out here."
"We drew too much attention to ourselves," Tasha told Jane in regret.
Jane knew everything they were saying was true, but Kurt's complexion was grey with pain and she knew pushing him like this now, when he was so vulnerable, could result in a situation that becomes much more difficult to manage. She wouldn't risk him any more than she already was.
"Then we need to at least rest for a moment," She insisted, "Give him something to eat. Let his body have a chance to rebound."
"I could use a break too," Rich admitted.
The jungle was humid, the air sticky with moisture and there was no air movement at all.
"We'll take ten," Patterson agreed, her worried eyes assessing Kurt.
Jane encouraged Kurt to sit down on a moss covered tree stump. She then dug out some food and water for him from their provisions.
"I'm okay," He told her as she leaned over him.
Jane couldn't speak so she just nodded.
When she stood back up she looked around the group.
"I'm going to scout around," She told them, "Make sure we're not being followed."
"You need to rest too," Kurt protested.
Reade looked over at Jane and knew she was too worried and agitated to simply sit down.
"She's right," Reade stood back up, "I'll go with her."
Jane looked over at him with gratitude.
The others watched them disappear into the tree line with worried expressions.
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"Kurt's never going to be able to walk out of here without doing himself serious damage," Jane told Reade.
"We need to keep moving," Reade insisted.
"Maybe we should split up," Jane suggested, "I'll stay with Kurt and you can take the others and keep moving."
"No," Reade denied, "We aren't leaving you."
"If we are being tracked," Jane argued, "They'll keep following after you and we'll be safe."
"Jane," Reade stopped to look at her, "They others will never agree to leaving you behind. That's not even taking into consideration what Kurt will say."
Jane fell silent again. She knew he was right, but Kurt's wound in this environment was just asking for trouble. There weren't enough antibiotics in the world to keep the infection away with him pushing himself like this. They were miles from any type of civilization and even when they got there it wasn't like there was a twenty-four hour pharmacy.
"Let's go up," Reade suggested quietly.
She looked up the gigantic tree he was indicating. It was a good idea. It would give them a great view of the surrounding area, as well as an overview of the valley.
Jane began to climb, Reade following behind her.
Reade was worried. He knew Jane's concern for Kurt was valid, but breaking up the team was not an option. Waiting wasn't one either.
Suddenly Jane stopped. He froze too.
"Reade…look," Jane's voice was excited.
Reade climbed up to join her and saw exactly what had her so excited.
"I don't remember any roads on the map," He said doubtfully.
"This has got to be used by the rebels to bring in supplies," Jane reasoned, "They wouldn't want that on the map."
"No," Reade agreed they certainly wouldn't.
Suddenly there was a flash in the distance. It lasted for just a moment and before Reade could figure it out Jane was already heading down the tree.
"There's a vehicle on the road." She explained as she descended with reckless speed.
"The roads got to be two miles away," Reade followed her down hastily, "We're never going to be able to get the team over there to intercept them before they're gone."
"I'm not getting the team," Jane denied as her feet touched the ground.
Watching her sprint in the direction of the road, Reade cursed under his breath. It was a good thing he kept in shape…
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"They should have been back by now," Tasha worried as she stood up and began to pace.
Kurt's worried eyes met Patterson's.
"She's right," Patterson admitted.
"Do you think they ran across some of the rebels?" Rich worried.
"We haven't heard any shooting," Tasha denied.
"We should probably move out of this clearing," Patterson suggested, "If there are other soldiers in the area, Reade and Jane might not be able to warn us if they're too close."
Kurt pushed himself upright. He felt a little better. The rest, food and water had bought him a little more time, but his missing wife was too high a price to pay.
Reade suddenly appeared.
"Where's Jane?" Kurt demanded in concern.
"She's a couple of miles from here," Reade said cryptically, "We need to move."
"You were supposed to stay together!" Rich hissed at him quietly.
"She's waiting with the car," Reade was clearly distracted.
"Did you say car?" Rich had perked up.
"Where'd she get a car?" Patterson demanded as they followed after him.
"We found a supply road," Reade explained, "She was able to subdue the driver."
"How'd she do that?" Tasha frowned. They hadn't heard any shots.
"You don't want to know," Reade insisted.
Jane had gotten to the road in time to intercept the driver. She'd done it by lying in the center of the road as the vehicle approached. He'd been worried they'd drive right over her, but she'd seem to know that an unaccompanied unconscious woman was too big a draw. When the driver bent over to see if she was alive she'd quickly rendered him unconscious. Reade had joined her and luckily the back of the vehicle only housed rations and other supplies. If they'd had recruits in the back it wouldn't have gone so well.
Kurt remained silent, but you could see the worry he wasn't even trying to hide.
"This is good," Rich insisted, "We can get out of here much faster."
"What else?" Kurt demanded to Reade. He knew there was more by the tension in Reade's face.
"She might have gotten cut a little," Reade admitted reluctantly.
"What?" Kurt stopped dead.
"The driver used his knife on her," Reade explained, "She said it was shallow and that's the reason she stayed with the truck and I came for the rest of you."
"She said it was shallow or you saw that it was shallow?" Tasha demanded.
"She said it," Reade admitted, "But there wasn't a lot of blood."
Kurt's speed picked up immediately.
"Kurt," Patterson worried.
"I can make it," he interrupted her.
They closed the distance quickly and when they came to the road the truck was there, but Jane was nowhere to be seen.
"It might be a trap," Rich worried.
"Jane!" Kurt called.
"Or maybe we should just call for her…" Rich said uncomfortably.
"I'm here," Jane came out of the woods on the other side of the road.
Kurt's face paled at the amount of blood that covered her.
"I thought you said there wasn't much blood!" Patterson worried as they all converged on Jane.
"There wasn't!" Reade insisted.
"It's worse than it looks," Jane insisted in an attempt to reassure Kurt.
"It would have to be," Rich argued, "Or you'd be unconscious."
"All of this isn't my blood," Jane was forced to admit.
"Who's is it?" Reade demanded.
Jane hadn't killed the driver, had she?
"The supply trucks travel in pairs," Jane explained.
Kurt reached her side and drew her in, "Let me see."
She lifted up her shirt and he winced at the shallow seeping wound that ran along her ribcage.
"I don't even need stitches," She assured him.
"Are you sure?" Rich asked skeptically.
"I'll clean it and apply some butterfly bandages once we get on the road." Jane insisted.
Kurt was unnaturally silent and everyone noticed.
"What'd you do with the other vehicle?" Reade worried, "They didn't get away did they?"
"No," Jane denied, "I stashed it in the woods."
"Let's go," Patterson headed to the cab of the truck, "Who's driving?"
"I'll drive," Reade offered.
Kurt helped Jane climb into the back of the truck before he followed after her. Patterson and Rich followed them into the back as Tasha climbed into the cab with Reade.
Jane was emotionally and physically depleted. She just wanted to lie down.
Kurt seemed to know without her saying anything because the moment the truck began to go he helped settle her flat and began cleaning her wound.
"Patterson can help me," Jane worried.
"I've got it," Kurt dismissed her suggestion.
She knew that look on his face. The concern he always had for her wellbeing so she fell silent and let him get her fixed up.
Once he'd done all he could she felt him gently pull her shirt back down and settle in beside her.
"Why don't you both lay down," Patterson shifted, "Rich and I will keep an eye out."
Kurt didn't protest. Moving to lay with his good arm acting as Jane's pillow he pulled her gently against him and closed his eyes. The swaying of the truck worked its magic and before long they were both asleep.
"I can't believe they can sleep in these conditions," Rich whispered to Patterson. The truck was old and obviously needed the tires balanced and the dirt road was loud and dusty. He figured when they climbed out there wouldn't be enough water in the world to get clean.
"Hmmm," Patterson made a noncommittal noise. Half her attention making sure they weren't being followed and the other half checking on the wounded members of her family.
"Are you even listening to me?" Rich asked suspiciously.
"It's not like I can just stop hearing you," Patterson said wearily.
"Ouch," Rich chided.
"They're sleeping because they've both been wounded and they're exhausted," Patterson reminded him.
"You aren't looking so hot yourself," He noted studying her.
"Well," Patterson leaned back against the truck and reminded him, "I did just kill like eight people."
"To save your friends," Rich reminded her.
"I know," She agreed immediately.
Her too fast acknowledgement gave her away.
"They were trying to kill us," He said practically.
"One of them looked like he was still a teenager," Patterson worried.
"Don't let them fool you," Rich denied, "Men in this country with grey hair look like teenagers."
Patterson really couldn't argue with him, because it was true. The harsh environment made even elderly men surprisingly fit. She'd even commented on how hard it was to tell any one's age.
"So you think he might have been older?" Patterson wanted that reassurance.
"I'm sure he was older," Rich insisted, "These fighters were seasoned. We weren't their first rodeo."
Patterson didn't know if he was being sincere or not, but suddenly she felt much better, as though a weight had been lifted off her heart.
"Thanks Rich," Patterson said sincerely.
"Not to mention that you looked like a total bad ass," Rich said affectionately.
Patterson just closed her eyes and shook her head.
Looking over at Jane and Kurt, Patterson was surprised to find Kurt studying her with concern.
"Are you okay?" Patterson worried as she scooted closer.
"We're good," Kurt assured her, "Are you?"
Patterson nodded her assurance.
Kurt reached out and placed his hand on her leg in understanding.
She felt tears fill her eyes at just how grateful she was to have this family in her life.
Her hand landed on the top of his and even as Kurt fell back asleep she took comfort in the warmth of his hand and on Rich's constant chatter. She would be okay, they all would.
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