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Betrayal

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"Damn it, Hawkeye!" He yelled. "Didn't you promise me? God damn it…" He muttered. He rubbed her hand between his coarse gloves, willing warmth to go back into them. "Didn't you promise to protect me? Didn't you tell me you'd come to the top with me?" He was almost yelling now, his voice was frantic. He wiped the small amount of blood from his forehead that trickled down from his hair onto his face, sweat mingling with it. The rain was drenching them, diluting the seemingly never-ending stream of blood that was all around him. He couldn't tell which was his, and which was hers. He squeezed her hand desperately with one hand, supporting her broken body against him with his other arm. Her head lay limp against his chest, her normally bright brown eyes faded and nearly colorless.

The rain cried for him, the never ending torrent of water soaking his body, covering him with reminders that it was his fault, he was the useless one, he was the one who had allowed her to be hurt like this. "Lieutenant…" he whispered harshly, voice breaking. "You can't betray me now... you can't give up on me yet." Her breathing was shallow against him, the rise and fall of her chest barely noticeable. "Hawkeye…" He whispered again, tasting the blood in his own throat, his whole body burning with pain. His ribs were broken, but he still cradled her against him. "Damn it Hawkeye, you have to listen to me!" She coughed, and he felt more of her warm blood sink through his already soaking uniform.

She didn't say anything; her whole body shook with the effort of squeezing his hand back, a simple gesture of reassurance. He began to rock back and forth, trying to keep himself from going unconscious and drifting off into sleep. He hissed at the pain that it brought, but at the same time was thankful. Pain meant life; pain tied him to the word. "Lieutenant… stay with me, ok?" he begged. "You promised, if you… if something happens now, you'll be betraying me. You can't do that…" She shook her head softly, no words coming from her chapped lips. He dropped her hand and brushed some of the blood-matted hair from her face, wiping the blood from her cheeks. "Don't you dare leave me…" he mumbled.

Damn it, what the hell was taking the reinforcements so long to get here? It seemed they'd been sitting in the rain for hours, his pain steadily growing worse, and consciousness slowly slipping from him. He couldn't manage the pain she was in. She was in far worse condition than he was, life dripping from her body far faster than it left him. She slowly reached her hand out and captured his hand once more, clinging to him. He smiled sadistically, and cradled her closer. "I'm not leaving…" He reassured her. "Don't you dare leave me, ok?" He said. The rain dripped into his eyes, and he felt his lashes grow heavier with each drop that plastered itself upon him. He leaned forward and rested his head on hers. "Don't you dare betray me…" he whispered again. He was so tired. "That's insubordination… you wouldn't do that, right?" He tasted blood, and tried to force it down. He closed his eyes and relaxed his head against hers. He was dimly aware of people yelling in the distance, a siren wailing, and heavy footfalls.

There were people around him now, but he couldn't see. There were hands on his shoulders, people trying to pry him from her, lay him back on something pleasantly soft and warm. He felt her still close beside him, his hand still locked onto hers. It may have been his mind, but as he slipped into unconsciousness, he swore he heard something. I won't betray you. He felt her grip on his hand tighten and he grinned as much as his pain would allow. He relaxed against whatever pillow they had him on, and slept, his breathing evening out to match the slow tempo of the rain.