He clung to her, nose pressed against the damp of her hair and hands tight against her body, rocking gently back and forth to stir her. Archie could feel her heart, a deep, slow thrum against his own chest, the only reassurance that she was alive to counter her otherwise still body. He could feel his own hands trembling from under her, the shaking traveling through her and back to him, quivering in cold and terror.

Removing a hand from beneath her body Archie grabbed his cellphone from his pocket, sighing in relief that where once there was no signal, he now had full bars. He placed a call to Jughead, hurriedly explaining that he had found her but that she wasn't in good shape, and that he should grab Reggie's car from his trailer and meet him at the mouth of the river.

He didn't know how long she had.

Placing his phone back in his pocket, Archie pulled Betty's limp body close to him and stood, tucking one of her arms over his shoulder and his other under her knees, cradling her to his chest as he navigated the dark forest path back to the road.

She smelled of the earth; damp leaves and copper blood.

Headlights beamed up ahead, gliding over the trees as the car descended the windy road to meet them, and casting elongated shadows over the thicket beneath them. He ran, Betty flush against his chest and tried to hold her still in case of injuring her further. As he rounded the final corner and into sight he could see them, the car drifting to a sharp stop as Veronica threw herself out of the passenger door and opened the door to the back seat for them.

Archie placed Betty against the back seat as gently as possible, climbing in after her and placing himself at her head, cradling it against his lap with his palms pressed to her face.

"Drive!" He commanded, more harsh than he intended.

"Archie," Veronica cried, sobs breaking her voice and tears streaming rivets down her cheeks as she took in the sight of her broken friend.

"She's going to be okay, Ronnie," Archie tried to reassure, reaching out to comfort her but stopping short as the car hit a bump and placing his hand back on the safety of stabilizing Betty.

"Talk to me," Jughead demanded. In the rear-view mirror Archie met his eyes, unable to keep them from her broken and quiet body.

Archie had to swallow the lump in his throat before he could speak, he knew what Jughead was asking for. "She has a head wound, it looks pretty bad; she's lost a lot of blood. And she's soaking wet like she was swimming or something. She's freezing."

"Here," Veronica said, removing her black cape from her shoulders and reaching back to drape it across Betty's body. Archie pulled it tight under her chin and tucked it around her, hoping the warmth would stir some life into her.

"We're almost there." The determination in Jughead's voice as he sped through the dark streets was the only thing keeping him from breaking down.

They slammed to a stop outside the emergency room doors, Veronica flinging open the car door and Archie pulling Betty back into his arms, the three yelling for help as they entered the quiet halls. She was removed from his arms in a hurry, placed against the stark white sheet of a gurney where the colour of her pale skin blended into the bed beneath her. A halo, blood red, spread out from her head and Archie, staring down at his arms realized that for the second time in a short period, he was wearing the blood of someone he loved.

Veronica's arms wrapped around him, sobbing into his torso. She flung out an arm and pulled Jughead to them, their heads pressed tight together as they all gasped in the events that had just taken place.

Time had no consequence. It drifted in waves like a passing train, loud and demanding at times, quiet and nonexistent at others. Jughead didn't know which he preferred. He could only see her face, bright eyes and smiling mouth, swimming before him like a dream just out of reach. He was aware of Veronica's hand tightly grasped within his own and he traced the line her arm made with his eyes, following it across her body to where her other hand held tight to Archie's.

At some point the Cooper's had arrived with Sheriff Keller and Kevin but their presence made no difference, had no impact on whether or not Betty would survive. Jughead only cared about Betty.

"We should do something," Veronica said as she stood for what felt like the first time in hours. Her legs were stiff.

"Do what, Ronnie?" Archie asked, running his messy hair through his fingers again.

"Anything," Veronica stated with conviction. "We can't just sit here."

"We're not leaving," Jughead and Archie answered back at the same time.

Veronica shook her head. "Of course not." Her voice was heavy with a sigh. "I just feel so helpless."

Archie reached out to her, pulling her back into the seat between him and Jughead and gently rubbed her back. "Me too," he stated. "But I think right now just being here for her is enough."

Through tears in her eyes, Veronica nodded in agreement.

As their defeated eyes sunk back down to their laps, a figure clad in white caught their attention on their peripherals and everyone's heads snapped up to look at him.

"I have an update on Betty Cooper if her family is here," announced the doctor.

Instantly they all stood and waited.