"Do I even need to ask where David disappeared to?" Anna sighed, looking around the busy parking lot before focusing on Greenlee.
"He went up top." Greenlee confirmed, "Anna, David might be Leo's only hope now."
"Or he might be Leo's death sentence." Anna countered, putting an arm around the younger woman, "Either way, someone is going to get hurt. All we can do down here is hope that it's Wolfe and not David and/or Leo."
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"Just get out of here, man." Leo said, waving David off.
"No." David rejected, shaking his head, "I'm not going anywhere."
"David," Leo pleaded, sitting up, "please..."
"You heard me, Leo." David said firmly.
"Such dedication." Wolfe remarked, looking from David to Leo, "He doesn't want to leave you, even though he knows it will cost him his own life. Truly admirable!"
David was paying no attention to Wolfe, but was staring at Leo. The doctor could tell that Leo had a wound of some kind on his arm by the stained sleeve of his shirt. He also appeared to have some internal abdominal injuries, as he was wincing with every breath he took, and was holding his stomach with his uninjured arm. The real question is what sort of psychological injuries Leo had endured earlier. Although he was showing no signs of it, David knew that whatever had been said earlier had cut Leo deeply. Sighing quietly, he promised himself that whatever it had been, he would do his best to help Leo get over it. Of course, they both had to get out here alive first.
"Monsieur du Pres," Wolfe said, getting David's attention again, "what would you say if I offered you a way to not only save your own life, but that of your brother?"
"What?" Leo replied curiously.
"Come over here," Wolfe instructed with a wicked smile, "on your hands and knees, and beg, like the pathetic creature you are, for your right to live. Who knows? I may be sympathetic and only let you walk away with the few injuries you've already sustained. However, I would be the one walking away with your pride."
Silently, Leo glared at Wolfe. The mere thought of begging the elder man like that made him sick to his stomach. He closed his eyes, as images of his loved ones filled his mind. He could never face them if he did what Wolfe suggested, but if he didn't, he would never see them again. However, was it really worth it?
"Well, boy," Wolfe asked, "what's it going to be?"
"No way in hell am I begging you for anything!" Leo replied, shaking his head.
"Atta boy, Leo." David whispered to himself, looking at his younger brother with pride.
"Pity." Wolfe said, aiming his rifle at Leo, "I had hoped you would have been more sport than this, but c'est la vie."
"Wolfe," David interrupted as Leo swallowed hard, "wait."
"What is it, Dr. Hayward?" Wolfe asked, turning his head, "A final goodbye to your brother? Or perhaps, you would like to ask if you could go first?"
"Why are you doing this?" David wondered, "What in the world has he ever done to you?"
"Hmm." Wolfe answered, "Besides merely exist, Leo has done nothing to me."
Seeing that Wolfe's undivided attention was on David for the moment, Leo started reaching for Vanessa's rifle, which had been lying near him. He nodded slightly to David, who had noticed what was going on behind Wolfe. The older brother knew he had to keep Wolfe distracted for as long as he possibly could.
"Why?" David questioned, "Why kill Leo for merely living?"
"Your brother knows the painful answer to that question." Wolfe replied, "He is the only one who really needs to know."
"You can't do this!" David protested angrily, "I won't let you kill him!"
"To be quite frank, Dr. Hayward," Wolfe said with a smile, as Leo aimed the rifle, "there is nothing you can do, or say now that would change my mind. Now, say goodbye to your younger brother and silently await your turn."
As Wolfe turned his head again, he was surprised to see Leo fire at him at the same time he fired his own gun. It was a direct hit to the chest on both accounts. Crying out in anguish, Leo dropped his mother's rifle instantly, and rolled on his side. Incensed, David suddenly rushed forward and elbowed the staggering Wolfe. It just enough to knock the older man off the cliff and onto the sharp rocks below!
After watching Wolfe's body go limp as it hit the rocks, David knelt beside his younger brother. Putting a hand on Leo's shoulder, David turned him gently so that the younger man was now lying on his back. Blood was now seeping rapidly through the front of Leo's shirt.
"David." Leo said, obviously fighting to stay awake.
"You're going to be all right, Leo." David replied, putting his jacket on Leo's chest wound and applying pressure. He was alarmed at how much blood his brother appeared to be losing. "You're going to be all right."
"I know a con when I hear it, bro." Leo chuckled weakly, wincing as he took a breath.
"It's not a con." David said, trying to reassure himself as well as Leo, "We're going to get you to the hospital, and you're going to be just fine. Now, what I want you to do is be quiet, and think about your beautiful future with Greenlee, okay?"
"Okay." Leo agreed, still fighting the darkness.
"David!" Anna called from not far off, "Leo!"
"Thank God." David whispered, as Anna emerged from the woods. A look of fear intensified on her face as she spotted Leo. Stashing her gun away, she immediately ran over and knelt beside David.
"Oh God, David!" Anna exclaimed, looking at Leo, "What happened?"
"Wolfe shot him." David replied, not taking his eyes off Leo, "We need to get him to a hospital immediately!"
"I'll radio the medical helicopter." Anna said, pulling out her radio, "They're not too far off."
"Anna," Leo asked weakly, "where's Greenlee?"
"She was right behind me." Anna assured, "She should be here any moment, Leo. Just keep fighting."
As if on cue, Greenlee emerged from the woods. Her brown eyes went wide with fear as she caught sight of Leo.
"LEO!" she screamed as she ran over. Gently, Greenlee knelt down by her husband and cradled his head in her lap, "It's okay, Leo. You're going to be just fine."
"Greens, I…" Leo started before passing out.
"No." Greenlee gasped as David felt for a pulse.
"He's still got a pulse," David reported, "albeit a very weak one. His breathing is also rather shallow."
"What are you trying to say, David?" Anna asked, already knowing the answer.
"We're losing him." David said, his voice breaking.
"No." Greenlee whimpered, "No, Leo."
To be Continued...
"He went up top." Greenlee confirmed, "Anna, David might be Leo's only hope now."
"Or he might be Leo's death sentence." Anna countered, putting an arm around the younger woman, "Either way, someone is going to get hurt. All we can do down here is hope that it's Wolfe and not David and/or Leo."
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"Just get out of here, man." Leo said, waving David off.
"No." David rejected, shaking his head, "I'm not going anywhere."
"David," Leo pleaded, sitting up, "please..."
"You heard me, Leo." David said firmly.
"Such dedication." Wolfe remarked, looking from David to Leo, "He doesn't want to leave you, even though he knows it will cost him his own life. Truly admirable!"
David was paying no attention to Wolfe, but was staring at Leo. The doctor could tell that Leo had a wound of some kind on his arm by the stained sleeve of his shirt. He also appeared to have some internal abdominal injuries, as he was wincing with every breath he took, and was holding his stomach with his uninjured arm. The real question is what sort of psychological injuries Leo had endured earlier. Although he was showing no signs of it, David knew that whatever had been said earlier had cut Leo deeply. Sighing quietly, he promised himself that whatever it had been, he would do his best to help Leo get over it. Of course, they both had to get out here alive first.
"Monsieur du Pres," Wolfe said, getting David's attention again, "what would you say if I offered you a way to not only save your own life, but that of your brother?"
"What?" Leo replied curiously.
"Come over here," Wolfe instructed with a wicked smile, "on your hands and knees, and beg, like the pathetic creature you are, for your right to live. Who knows? I may be sympathetic and only let you walk away with the few injuries you've already sustained. However, I would be the one walking away with your pride."
Silently, Leo glared at Wolfe. The mere thought of begging the elder man like that made him sick to his stomach. He closed his eyes, as images of his loved ones filled his mind. He could never face them if he did what Wolfe suggested, but if he didn't, he would never see them again. However, was it really worth it?
"Well, boy," Wolfe asked, "what's it going to be?"
"No way in hell am I begging you for anything!" Leo replied, shaking his head.
"Atta boy, Leo." David whispered to himself, looking at his younger brother with pride.
"Pity." Wolfe said, aiming his rifle at Leo, "I had hoped you would have been more sport than this, but c'est la vie."
"Wolfe," David interrupted as Leo swallowed hard, "wait."
"What is it, Dr. Hayward?" Wolfe asked, turning his head, "A final goodbye to your brother? Or perhaps, you would like to ask if you could go first?"
"Why are you doing this?" David wondered, "What in the world has he ever done to you?"
"Hmm." Wolfe answered, "Besides merely exist, Leo has done nothing to me."
Seeing that Wolfe's undivided attention was on David for the moment, Leo started reaching for Vanessa's rifle, which had been lying near him. He nodded slightly to David, who had noticed what was going on behind Wolfe. The older brother knew he had to keep Wolfe distracted for as long as he possibly could.
"Why?" David questioned, "Why kill Leo for merely living?"
"Your brother knows the painful answer to that question." Wolfe replied, "He is the only one who really needs to know."
"You can't do this!" David protested angrily, "I won't let you kill him!"
"To be quite frank, Dr. Hayward," Wolfe said with a smile, as Leo aimed the rifle, "there is nothing you can do, or say now that would change my mind. Now, say goodbye to your younger brother and silently await your turn."
As Wolfe turned his head again, he was surprised to see Leo fire at him at the same time he fired his own gun. It was a direct hit to the chest on both accounts. Crying out in anguish, Leo dropped his mother's rifle instantly, and rolled on his side. Incensed, David suddenly rushed forward and elbowed the staggering Wolfe. It just enough to knock the older man off the cliff and onto the sharp rocks below!
After watching Wolfe's body go limp as it hit the rocks, David knelt beside his younger brother. Putting a hand on Leo's shoulder, David turned him gently so that the younger man was now lying on his back. Blood was now seeping rapidly through the front of Leo's shirt.
"David." Leo said, obviously fighting to stay awake.
"You're going to be all right, Leo." David replied, putting his jacket on Leo's chest wound and applying pressure. He was alarmed at how much blood his brother appeared to be losing. "You're going to be all right."
"I know a con when I hear it, bro." Leo chuckled weakly, wincing as he took a breath.
"It's not a con." David said, trying to reassure himself as well as Leo, "We're going to get you to the hospital, and you're going to be just fine. Now, what I want you to do is be quiet, and think about your beautiful future with Greenlee, okay?"
"Okay." Leo agreed, still fighting the darkness.
"David!" Anna called from not far off, "Leo!"
"Thank God." David whispered, as Anna emerged from the woods. A look of fear intensified on her face as she spotted Leo. Stashing her gun away, she immediately ran over and knelt beside David.
"Oh God, David!" Anna exclaimed, looking at Leo, "What happened?"
"Wolfe shot him." David replied, not taking his eyes off Leo, "We need to get him to a hospital immediately!"
"I'll radio the medical helicopter." Anna said, pulling out her radio, "They're not too far off."
"Anna," Leo asked weakly, "where's Greenlee?"
"She was right behind me." Anna assured, "She should be here any moment, Leo. Just keep fighting."
As if on cue, Greenlee emerged from the woods. Her brown eyes went wide with fear as she caught sight of Leo.
"LEO!" she screamed as she ran over. Gently, Greenlee knelt down by her husband and cradled his head in her lap, "It's okay, Leo. You're going to be just fine."
"Greens, I…" Leo started before passing out.
"No." Greenlee gasped as David felt for a pulse.
"He's still got a pulse," David reported, "albeit a very weak one. His breathing is also rather shallow."
"What are you trying to say, David?" Anna asked, already knowing the answer.
"We're losing him." David said, his voice breaking.
"No." Greenlee whimpered, "No, Leo."
To be Continued...