"No!" Paige screamed.

"Hurry they must have decided they couldn't flee with him and they didn't want him to talk." Toby scrambled to the front of the group.

"Stay behind us," Corbette ordered.

"If they shot their prisoner, it means they didn't want to use him to bargain. They know we are here and went on the run." Toby again tried to push through.

"If they shot to kill then we don't have to rush, stay behind or you're going to get killed too." Corbette said solemnly.

"I'm not giving up that easily. He's not dead till I see a body." Toby said but stayed just behind Corbette.

They cleared one empty room after another.

"Just ahead guys no one there."

They turned into the room and Toby felt all the strength in his body give way, but his brain refused to accept defeat. Walter's chest was covered with blood and numerous wounds, but it was the one near his heart that was gushing. But gushing was good, his brain told the panic in him. Gushing meant a beating heart.

"Oh my god." Cabe whispered.

"You're in charge Doc. My men will guard the door, tell us what you need." Corbette said.

"Get him down gently while I get stuff to pack the wound." Just think of the patient Toby, don't get emotional, you get emotional, he dies. Right now, just save him. Toby's inner monologue tried desperately to calm him.

From the other building Sly and Paige both felt faint and nauseous as they watched Toby furiously work on Walter's mutilated body.

"Cabe, Toby man talk to us." Happy screamed into the com. Watching the soldier's body cams was about the worst horror movie ever.

"He's out and bleeding out. But he's alive. We're gonna need that chopper as close as possible. If I can stop the bleeding, he might make it to a hospital."

"Toby?" a weak voice asked as Toby pushed hard into the wound on his chest.

"Hey, buddy. Sorry, it took us so long, but rescue crews come a lot faster if they don't think you've been dead for a month." Toby joked in a poor attempt to hide his panic.

"Sorry." Walter mumbled.

"Hey, hey it's okay. You can make it up to me by staying awake. I know it hurts but it makes me feel better, okay?" Toby pleaded.

Walter nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Walter, did you tell them anything?" Tim asked.

Corbette responded with the butt of his gun to Tim's stomach. "Sorry slipped." Corbette said with a shrug.

"If he dies, we have no idea what the terrorists know. It's for the greater good."

"Nothing." Walter said with a shudder that moved to a coughing fit. "Not even Irie." Walter coughed again.

Toby smiled. "Hey, don't talk buddy it's okay just keeping your eyes open for me is enough alright?"

"What does that even mean?" Tim asked.

"Remind me again why we all liked him? He means he told them nothing., even Irie, meaning Ireland, the country he's from because despite saving it on a regular basis Walter is not American. He's Irish." Toby's hands never stopped moving even as he talked. He was desperately trying to stop the bleeding. He found he also couldn't stop talking because it kept his mind off the fact that this was the closest Walter had come to death so far and this time it was all on him to save him. Although crashing the Lamborghini was a very close second place.

"If Military Mike says anything else I need you to shut him up. I need to focus on keeping 197 at 197. Remember buddy too much blood loss impairs function so keep it in, okay? The more you lose the closer you get to a measly 170. Then what would you do with that ego huh? Hey hey, Walter, the doctor needs your eyes open."

"He's losing it." Happy said pacing the room.

"He's not the only one. Come on Toby! You can do this." Paige shouted, trying to give Toby confidence even as her whole body was shaking. She was so close to getting to tell Walter all those things she needed to tell him when she thought she'd never get the chance again. Now her chance was slipping away again, and she was helpless.

"Walter!" Toby shouted as Walter's eyes closed again and his head turned. "Don't give up on me now. You've gotten too lucky this far. Guess terrorists are lousy shots in real life not just in movies. Missing the heart at point blank."

"Walter didn't open his eyes but whispered. "Turned. Math."

Toby nodded. "You did the math and turned at the right second huh? Good job now don't let it all go to waste. I've got it packed and the bleeding stopped for now. We need to get him on a stretcher without pulling on the wound. Everyone not guarding the door put your arms under him gently lift as one onto the stretcher and we move as smoothly as we can. Paige? You guys get the jeep. Sly where's my helicopter?"

"Katherine got a military transport just outside the city ready to head to a nearby base with a trauma unit on standby," Sly answered.

"Okay boys, we ready? Lift!"

Walter groaned as he was lifted, and Toby kept the pressure on the packing in his wound.

"There we go Walter just a walk through the maze and we'll have you home."

"Always knew you were a tough kid. Just be tough a little longer." Cabe said from beside the stretcher.

"Heading to the door. Guys, you got my jeep?"

"Got a whole caravan." Happy replied. "But get your ass going there are still people moving in those tunnels and looks like there's more coming."

"You heard the lady move it. We don't have time for slow and steady. Walter this isn't going to be comfortable." Toby said looking at the sweaty face of his friend whose eyes were closed in pain.

"Can't you give him something?" Paige asked, tearful at how much she knew Walter had to be hurting.

"No, anything strong enough would put him out and I need him awake as long as we can." Awake means alive, awake means he's strong enough to respond and keep his eyes open. Toby knew that half of his argument for keeping Walter semi-conscious was for his own sanity but as the person responsible for keeping Walter alive it was necessary for him to stay sane.

They reached a line of waiting jeeps and quickly Walter was lifted onto the back of one. Paige was waiting and draped a blanket over Walter's bloody frame, nearly losing her stomach at the sight of all that blood in person. Toby climbed in next to her.

"Paige" Walter mumbled as she took his hand.

"Yes, I'm here. It's really my hand this time. I'm here. Now if you're done saving the world, we're going to get to you home."

"Okay" Walter said as his eyes closed again, only to cough and sputter as the jeep hit a bump.

"Sorry buddy, little bumpy. Just like that time in Chinatown when you pulled me out of that rigged shell game and we got away on that chicken truck. Spent the whole ride covered in feathers and when we stopped you told the driver how to fix his shocks with random things on his farm. Come on buddy. All the best things in my life I owe to you…Scorpion, Happy. If you die, how can I ever pay you back?"

"Stop talking like that Toby." Cabe said from the front seat of the jeep. "We didn't come this far for him to die now. Do you hear me, Walter? I've buried one kid already I'm not burying another."

"Yeah, shut it Toby." Happy said.

"What's going on?" Paige asked. Toby was sharing a happy memory with Walter, she thought it was to cheer him up, and get his mind somewhere else but it seemed like everyone but her got an entirely different meaning from it.

They reached the chopper before anyone could explain how geniuses say goodbye.

Toby leapt from the jeep and directed the team to get Walter hooked up for the flight.

Corbette and his men stood by and Cabe walked up to him. "I can't thank you enough for volunteering for this. I know the risk you took and the leave days you had to give up."

"Worth it sir. When we were told the mission and who it was for, we all signed on immediately. He's as good a man as one will ever meet. If anyone deserves a rescue it's him. Godspeed getting him home. And sir? No matter what he knows there are people who care enough to do all this for him."

Cabe nodded understanding but hating what the young soldier was telling him.

Team Scorpion piled into the large military helicopter. The doors slid closed, and everyone strapped in.

"10 minutes to base." The pilot called over their headphones. Paige continued holding Walter's hand and he drifted in and out of consciousness. There was so much she wanted to say but there was no way he would hear her now or even remember it if he did.

Toby indicated for Cabe to keep pressure on the packing in Walter's wound while he hooked up the IV. Walter's heartrate was sluggish and the meds Toby had could only do so much as he injected them into the IV that was also giving Walter fluids.

"He needs blood." Toby muttered.

"Toby!" Paige cried as she felt Walter's hand go cold and slack.

"We can't do CPR with these wounds. He's getting weaker. His damn chest is more holes than body, bastards knew how to cause pain while missing organs."

"Hey doc," the pilot voiced over Toby's obvious panic." I've got base medics for you."

Paige held tighter to Walter's hand as she listened to Toby list wounds and blood and type and what they needed to even have a chance of Walter living through the night. She couldn't help it and started crying.

She looked at Happy and Sly who were equally miserable. But then the pressure on her hand increased and Walter squeezed twice. It was weak but he was trying to comfort her, fighting harder just so she wouldn't be sad.

"Sure, I pump him full of meds but I should have known the only person that could get Walter's heart beating faster was you." Toby said.