"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."

-Lao Tuz

Dave raced down the street with Morgan hot on his heels. He could see the park bench from ten feet away.
When did ten feet become so far? His heart caught in his throat when Erin fell into Hotch's arms as he gently lowered her limp form to the ground, being careful of her head.

"What happened?" Dave demanded breathlessly, skidding to a halt.

"I don't know," Hotch replied. "She was stumbling around and collapsed in my arms. I think she's been drugged."

Helpless, Dave sat next to Erin and wrapped his arm around her holding her close; fire seemed to pulse from her skin. "She's burning up, Hotch; give me something to cool her down," he barked the order to his friends.

Hotch shook his head, "Dave, it won't do any good, you have to prepare yourself-"

"Don't tell me that, Hotch," he growled. "Fan her. We have to do something to cool her down. Where is the ambulance?" He looked around. A small crowd was gathering to watch the scene. "Don't just stand there! HELP!"

"It's coming; I can hear it," Morgan announced. The sound of sirens filled the air as if to confirm his statement. Taking off his jacket, he began to fan her. From the red color of her skin, he wasn't sure if they were doing any good, but he couldn't just let her die on the sidewalk in crowd of strangers.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry," Dave pleaded under his breath. He pressed two fingers to Erin 's carotid and waited. It was faint, but there was a pulse. Gripping her hot hand in his, he squeezed. "Don't you leave me, Erin! That's an order! You don't die until I tell you to!"

The look in Hotch's eyes let him know that all hope was slowly slipping away. They were going to lose her. And there was nothing any of them could do. But he had to try. A part of him knew that Hotch was right; she was so weak she couldn't even hold up her head. But he wasn't about to give up on her; not ever!

"Erin, look at me!" Dave said, slapping her cheek, "Look at me, Erin! Fight, damn it! Fight and let me win! For once, let me win!"

"David," she gasped, her whole body rattled with the effort it took to say his name. She had made it to him. She was going to die, but at least she had a chance to burn his beautiful brown eyes into her memory one last time.

"That's it, Erin I'm right here," he said running his thumb down her cheek, "stay with me, Erin; stay with me," he was begging, pleading with whatever deity that might be listening that she would make it out alive.

"I'm-sorry-" A single tear coursed down her cheek.

"No apologizes, Erin," he softly chastised. "Don't be sorry. Be alive, just stay alive. Just stay with me, that's all I ask." There were tears in his voice, but he wasn't going to cry. Tears wouldn't do anyone any good. Right now Erin needed all the strength they could give her.

He barely heard the ambulance pull up beside the curb and the clipped way Hotch quickly briefed the paramedics with Erin 's condition. His focus stayed on her. Even when the stretcher was placed beside them, Dave's eyes never moved.

"Sir?" A voice interrupted Dave's prayers. "Sir? You have to let her go."

"I'm going with her!" His tone was flat and left no room for argument.

"Dave-" Hotch began, but stopped as he caught the look in his best friend's eyes. He had seen that look only twice before, and neither time had ended well for the opponent.

"I'm going, Aaron. Don't try to stop me," Dave stated evenly, though his temper was threatening to break loose.

Hotch surrendered. "Okay."

"Sir?" The paramedic moved toward Erin.

"Be careful with her." Dave slowly loosened his grip. It was taking everything he had to let her go, but she was in good hands – at least he told himself that she was. He watched in slow motion as Erin was placed on the stretcher and buckled in before being loaded into the vehicle.

"We have to go," the lead EMT shouted to the driver while inserting the IV. Another EMT placed the blood pressure cuff around Erin 's arm and wrote down the results.

"We'll meet you at the hospital," Hotch said. "Go!"

Dave didn't think twice as he jumped inside. The doors closed with a slam behind him. Seconds later they were racing down the street, sirens blaring.

Taking Erin 's free hand in his, Dave looked down at her unresponsive form and tried to will his fight into her body. The ominous beeping of the heart monitor sent chills down his spine. What was taking the driver so long?

"Come on, Erin! I'll make you a deal: If you wake up, I promise to get the son of a bitch who did this, and I will make them pay!"

The ambulance came to a halt and the doors swung open: the paramedics unloaded the gurney and Dave kept his hand intertwined with Erin 's. The moment they entered the lobby of the ER, doctors swarmed around the gurney even as it careened down the hall, stopping at the double doors. Numbers regarding her temperature and blood pressure were called out.

Strong hands gripped Dave's shoulders. "Sir, you can't go back there-" Dave stared at the man dressed in surgical scrubs. "Let her go, we'll do everything we can."

"I can't lose her," Dave whispered hoarsely. His watery eyes caught one last glance of the woman he loved before the doors swung shut.

Unable to respond with something more than an empty promise, the doctor nodded knowingly, then turned on his heel to join his team.