Red. That was the first thing his mind registered. Rick froze, his heart pounding loudly in his ears. No, no, no. Numbly he felt TC and Nuzo push past him. Thomas was on his back facing Rick, head propped up on his backpack, eyes wide open, and covered in red. Nuzo dropped onto his knees next to him and rammed a hand into the pulse point in his neck.

"Tommy, tommy. Geez brother. Come on." His voice was deeper than normal, the tone that meant he was internally panicking.

Thomas's hand flopped on his chest in apparent response and Rick felt his knees sag in relief. He wasn't dead. Thank you, God. He wasn't dead.

"Ricky, call 911, now." Nuzo's voice was still low and he started running his hands down Thomas's torso.

"TC, help me with this. We gotta find the bleed. Tommy, where are you hurting, man?"

Rick fumbled for the phone in his pocket.

TC dropped down opposite Nuzo and helped him tear Thomas's shirt open. His torso was nearly clean under the material. No gushing wound to account for the gore that was soaking into Nuzo's pants.

Rick tore his eyes away and focused on dialing. What was the stupid number? Another moment passed before his mind would supply it. 911. That was it. He held the phone to his ear and looked up.

Nuzo had a hold of Thomas's wrist. Was he looking for a pulse? Please no.

"What did you do? Tommy, oh no, man. What did you do?" Nuzo's voice had risen, the false calm failing him.

"911, what is your emergency?" The phone. Right. 911. His friend was dying. Say something.

"We need a medic." Rick heard his own voice backfeed through the speaker against his ear.

"Sir, what is your location?"

Again it took Rick's mind a moment to catch up.

"We're under an overpass." He looked around for a landmark, "I think it's Route One. In Arlington, right by the river, across from a Porsche dealership."

The dispatcher was silent for a moment and Rick found himself stepping closer to Thomas. Nuzo was still holding onto his wrist, while TC had rocked back onto his heels, looking shell shocked. Thomas was pliant in Nuzo's grip, eyes open and drifting until they seemed to focus on the face above his. His free hand flopped loosely onto Nuzo's.

"Eso duele."

He pushed against Nuzo's grip on his arm.

"No." Nuzo's voice was hard. "Leave it alone, man."

At that moment the dispatcher came back on the line.

"Sir, I have dispatched units. Can you tell me what is happening?"

Rick didn't know. Wasn't sure how to interpret what his eyes were telling him. TC captured the free hand Thomas was using to push Nuzo, easily wrapping it in one gigantic hand and pulling back down to his side.

"Easy. Nuz is helping."

Thomas didn't seem to hear, eyes still loosely focused on Nuzo's face.

"Por favor, déjame ir."

"Damn you," Nuzo's voice was shockingly harsh. "Damn you, Thomas. You don't get to do this." the brittle tone broke on the last word.

Thomas stared back at Nuz, his eyes huge and dark against colorless skin and red blood and then with a sigh his eyes slid off Nuz's face and into some middle distance. Rick felt his heart rise to his throat to choke him even as TC released the hand and fumbled for a pulse. The 911 operator was speaking again, but Rick couldn't hear her over the roaring of his own blood in his ears. He felt like he was watching in slow motion as TC shook his head and then Nuzo was yelling and suddenly time sped up and Rick was on the ground next to them and Nuzo was handing him Thomas's arm and the phone was lost, he didn't know where he'd dropped it. There was a deep gash in the wrist running down the arm towards the elbow in Thomas's arm. That was where the blood must have been coming from, but now it was just a sluggish drip because Tommy's heart wasn't beating. Nuzo showed him where to pinch to keep the artery shut and then he was shoved to the side to give Nuzo room to do compressions. TC moved around to Thomas's head to give rescue breaths and Rick could see Thomas's eyes still wide open as TC leaned over him.