Riza was worried. Edward was a mess. He was freezing too. She would have assumed he was dead if he wasn't wheezing weakly.
She had to get him to the others. She had already radioed them.
The explosion really hadn't been expected. She had run as soon as it happened, knowing she wouldn't be able to get a shot off when the building collapsed. It wasn't clear enough. The cloud of dust was too thick to be certain of your target.
She could easily see that it hadn't been a large explosion, but it didn't have to be. The building was unsafe as it was, and with that explosion it was only sent closer to destruction.
And it had been close enough to bring the building down.
She was grateful to have found Edward alive but the blood that covered his chin and the front of his shirt was worrying.
She imagined that that was the reason his skin was so cool.
He groaned quietly in her arms.
"Almost out," She comforted him. She blinked dust out of her eyes. She breathed shallowly to avoid too much of the dust getting into her lungs.
She was trying to avoid a coughing fit that would rob her of the breaths she could manage.
As soon as they broke out of the thick dust cloud she coughed and gulped in cleaner air.
Havoc was running up to her, shouting when he saw Edward.
"Lieutenant! Take him! I'm going back in to get the Colonel."
"What happened to him?" Havoc asked, obviously having seen the blood that covered Edward's front.
"I don't know and there isn't time to explain anyway." She laid Edward in his outstretched arms.
She moved to pull away but a weak tug on her jacket stopped her. Edward's hand was still griping her sleeve.
When she had tried to pull away it had pulled at his wrist and hand.
He didn't really make a noise even though he was obviously in pain.
She could so easily pull his hand off but when Edward opened his eyelids to reveal glassy golden eyes, she froze.
His eyes slowly grew in pain. But she saw more than that. There was a whole plea in his eyes. They begged her, "Please don't leave me? Don't leave me."
"Edward, you need to let go."
Edward didn't move.
Riza peeled his wrist off and he whimpered. Something told Riza that it was only partially because of the pain. It made her stop. She sighed.
"Lieutenant Havoc, take care of him. He needs someone to keep him warm. He's freezing." She pulled off her jacket, draping it over Edward.
"I'm sorry, Edward. I can't stay."
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