Nestled deep inside the brain fog brought on by his broken leg, Steve could sense Mike's overwhelming hesitation to leave him behind, a natural reaction for the caring Lieutenant under any normal circumstance, and completely understandable.
And yet, they'd already lost several minutes finding a thick enough underbrush he could hide next to while resting his upper body against a tree trunk, causing him to need Mike's help to move some fifteen feet over to the right, the sheer motion nearly robbing him of all clear thought.
Even by the time they got him settled down, it took several moments before the nausea from the pain was under control again and he had a chance to bid his farewell to Gifford, before facing his partner again.
"I still think you're making a big mistake in not taking the gun. And staying behind. All this…all of this is a big mistake."
Even though the logical, clear-as-day explanation for their change of plans was right in front of him, Mike's heart adamantly refused to acknowledge the need for them to separate, their bond so strong that the sheer thought of abandonment made the Lieutenant switch to complete fight or flight mode.
"My biggest mistake was getting stuck in that damn root.", Steve grunted in return, hoping to divert the conversation and get Mike moving again.
"We can sort all the blame out once we're safely back in San Francisco."
With his voice taking on a strange undertone, Mike glanced up for a brief moment, long enough for Steve to see the plethora of strong emotions circling around in that incredibly bright mind, before they were buried under a mile-wide professional façade once again.
"That's fine by me…", the young Inspector countered, flinching when the slightest movement set his leg on fire all over again.
"You're absolutely sure about this?"
The incessant fretting made him roll his eyes, before shaking his head.
"Michael, you guys gotta get moving. Chong could be here any second. I'll be fine. Just…just go."
Not gracing his urgent request with an answer, Mike reached forward, his warm hand caressing his scratched-up cheek for a brief moment, those bright blue eyes tearing up fleetingly before the Lieutenant spun around, disappearing back into the forest as fast as a deer on a run.
For a long time, Steve kept his ears tuned to the disappearing footfalls, until he could hear nothing but the light breeze flowing through the trees, along with the rushing of his own blood, each heartbeat feeling like a hammer being driven into his leg.
Sighing quietly, he leaned the back of his head against the tree, feeling the bark tucking on a few loose strands of his sweaty hair, then nestled in for the night of waiting.