A/N: I'm sorry about the delay. I do have a couple chapters of this one done that I'll put up asap. If they're cheesy, I'm sorry in advance. :-\ Writing about a dying injured man is a little tough sometimes...oh well. I did do a search for symptoms of certain injuries too, so if it gets technical or too "ick", I apologize for that as well…lol I have a lot of apologies in here…

Anyway, this takes place right after Chapter 8 and is happening at the same time as Chapter 9.
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After leaving the other Turks, Tseng all but ran to the transport. Waiting until the medics had Rufus in the transport, he then entered and sat at the head of the stretcher, trying his best to stay out of the medics' way.

After securing him in the transport, the medics had secured a neck brace, removed unnecessary clothing and attached monitors to Rufus' injured frame. Tseng noted that Rufus' breathing was getting weaker, his blood pressure was steadily going down and the heart monitor was beeping angrily every few seconds. When the last beeping from the monitor was longer then rest, he looked up at the head medic. Seeing the worry in his face only increased his own anxiety. He didn't want to think that Rufus was dying in front of him.

Sighing, he took the opportunity to fully look over his charge and have a look at the injuries. Judging by the bump on the side of the blond's head, Rufus had a concussion and taking into consideration that he was now unconscious, Tseng assumed that it was a rather severe one. While it wasn't fully evident when he was clothed, it was clear from the bruising on his chest that Rufus had several broken ribs, and perhaps a collapsed lung.

The blood coming from the gash his back flowed freely forcing the medics to concentrate their efforts to stop it before he bled to death. He's bleeding internally too. Tseng thought grimly. His abdomen is too swollen for it to be anything else but that. Glancing at his legs, he couldn't help but sighing at the damage that had been hidden. I suppose it makes sense why he couldn't feel his leg when Reno touched it

You'll be fine, Rufus. Tseng sighed. It's just a few injuries, nothing serious. You'll be up and about, driving us all insane again in no time.

Tseng reached out and grabbed the other's limp hand, frowning when he felt how cold Rufus was. Hoping that it would help take his mind off of the medics and the machines around him, Tseng updated Rufus on his condition.

'The medics say that there's a good chance that you'll feel that leg again and you'll be able to walk. They don't know for sure if you'll have full use of it again of course, but they think that it's a good possibility.'

He looked up at Rufus' face, hoping to see a reaction to his voice, and frowned when he didn't receive one.

'I know you must be hurting right now but you're not as injured as you feel.' Tseng sighed, 'It's just that you're tired and you have some injuries. Give it a day or two, the pain will be gone.'

Who are you trying to fool? he thought to himself, You know he's dying. Quit living in denial and accept the fact that he might die before he even gets to the hospital.

'Excuse me, sir?'

Tseng looked away from Rufus and looked up at the medic, not bothering to ask him what he wanted.

'We need to insert a breathing tube, sir. If you would please sit at the far end of the stretcher so that we can move around more freely, it would be appreciated.'

Wordlessly, Tseng put down Rufus' hand and pushed himself down towards the end of the stretcher. He looked up as the medics inserted the tube into Rufus' throat, then immediately turned away, his stomach turning.

He can't even breathe on his own and you're telling him that he's going to be fine and that he doesn't have many injuries?? Damn Tseng, you are a good liar. You can keep telling him and yourself that but it still won't make it anymore truthful.

A pat on the back brought him out of his thoughts, 'Thank you, sir. You can go back to his side now if you wish.'

'Thank you.' was his only reply. He went back to Rufus' side, looking at the blond's face and turning away almost as quickly. The bright white of the tube made Rufus' skin look more pale and ashen then when Tseng had first seen him. For once, he noticed the bags under the blond's eyes and the bruises forming on the sides of his face.

Running a hand through his hair, Tseng sighed then rested his arms on his lap, hanging his head. The sound of a heart monitor rapidly beeping and medics shouting orders roused him from his silent vigil.

'What's going on?' He asked the head medic.

'His heart is failing, sir. His blood pressure just dropped significantly and his heart is having difficulty adjusting to the sudden change.'

Failing!? I told you he was dying but you just didn't want to accept it.

Shaking his head he grabbed Rufus' hand, trying to sound as comforting as possible and hide the worry in his voice.

'Just hang on a little longer Rufus, you're almost at the hospital.' He paused as he watched a medic insert another needle into Rufus' arm. 'You're going to have more holes in your arms then you'll know what to do with by the time they're done.' He joked, 'But don't worry, there are bruises on your arms from the needles, but there's nothing really on your face aside from a couple bruises and your hair is fine. It's just out of place.'

Moments after the medic injected him, the angry beep of the monitor slowly leveled out and his heart rate steadied. Tseng let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding. He'll be fine. Quit worrying, you know he's tough.

'Will he be alright?'

'He's seems stable for now sir, but he's not out of the woods yet. He still has a lot of injuries that need to be looked after.'

'But, do you think he's going to make it?'

His question went unanswered since the medic was busy preparing Rufus to exit the transport. As soon as the transport landed, its doors were opened and the medics rushed the President to the awaiting emergency team. Tseng was not far behind them, running as quickly as he could to keep up.