Dex's screams filled the living room of the safe house as Anna and Valentin carried him inside. The door slammed shut as the latter's foot kicked it closed. They scanned the space, noting the couch and coffee table in the middle of the otherwise-spacious living room.

"I got him," Anna remarked, holding Dex up with both of her arms, "Move the furniture."

Valentin did his best to shove the couch and coffee table aside, helping Dex down onto the rug when he finished. He removed the man's jacket, button-down, and undershirt, pulling the last off ever-so-gently as it was stuck to his skin.

"Oh God…" Dex gasped, watching blood leave the bullet wound in his side. Anna placed her soaked Pentonville shirt back against it as Valentin walked off, "Where…is…"

"He's finding a first aid kit," Anna answered, "and once he does, we're going to take care of you."

"Anna…"

"It'll be okay, Dex. I promise."

To him, she looked blurry. The room appeared to spin as his eyelids began to flutter. Anna raised an eyebrow at him, gripping his clammy hand tightly in hers.

"Dex?" she pokes at him gently, his head rolling to her left, "Dex?"

No response.

"Hey," she shook his shoulders, "stay with me. Dex, come on, stay with me."

"Mm…"

"Valentin?" Anna called, looking up towards the stairs, "Valentin?!"

"I'm coming!" the man raced down the steps and to her side, "What's going on?"

"We're losing him," she frowned, watching Dex slip into unconsciousness, "Did you find a first aid kit?"

"Unfortunately, no. Not upstairs, anyway."

"Check the kitchen or bathroom," Valentin did as he was told, returning empty-handed. Anna sighed in defeat as she looked to the young man's still form, his face still contorted in pain.

"I don't know what else to do," she said, running a hand through her hair, "We can't keep applying pressure and hope that he'll get better. This is all my fault."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is. If not for me, Dex wouldn't be in this position, injured and suffering."

"This is not on you," Valentin dropped to one knee, "this is on Victor. All of this happened because he wanted to get rid of you, so if there's anyone to blame for Dex's condition, it's him."

"Poor boy…" Anna watched Dex's head roll to her right, gently stirring as he came to.

"An…na…?" his voice was soft as she grazed his cheek with her knuckles, "Where…What…"

"You're in one of Sonny's safe houses. You were shot by a Pentonville guard."

"I…" the sound of a phone buzzing cut Dex off. Anna and Valentin looked around before realizing where the source of the noise was. Valentin reached down and gingerly pulled the phone out of Dex's back pocket, seeing a missed call and a text notification on the lock screen.

From: Kristina (10:23 PM)
Hey just checking in
Lmk that you're ok?
Love you!

"Who is it?" Anna asked.

"Kristina," Valentin peered down at Dex, "She wants to hear from him."

"She knows about the mission?"

"Not sure."

"K-Krissy…?" Dex raised an eyebrow ever-so-slowly.

"You can talk to her later," Valentin laid the phone by the young man's head.

"I'll call Sonny," Anna gestured out for Valentin's phone, which he gave her. She scrolled down until she landed on the kingpin's contact.

"Mm…" Dex's eyes fluttered shut yet again, the same painful look on his face. Valentin swapped places with Anna as she got to her feet, stepping off to the side as the phone rang.

It went to voicemail.

"Damnit," she hissed before the recording began, "Sonny, it's Anna. Valentin and I made it to the safe house, but there was…an incident," she looked at Dex's unmoving form, "Dex was shot. There's no first-aid kit here and he needs help. We're doing what we can to keep him afloat but…it won't be enough. Please get here with someone as soon as you get this message. Thank you."

"He didn't pick up? Seriously?" Valentin asked as Anna returned to the men.

"He didn't, but I left a voicemail with the information he needs. If he wants more, he can call."

"This is bad," the elder man ran a hand through his short hair, "We could be in bed right now, resting and planning the rest of our escape, but instead, we're dealing with this."

"I don't regret taking Dex along-"

"I know you don't. You want to help him after he helped you; it's noble. It's something I admire about you, darling."

"And I appreciate that," she flashes a smile before looking down, resting two fingers on Dex's wrist, "Thankfully he's still with us. I'll call Sonny again-"

The phone lit up with Sonny's contact, cutting her off. Valentin traded places with her again as she took the call.

"Sonny?" she asked.

"You guys made it to the safe house, right?"

"Yes. All three of us are here."

"Is Dex hanging in there?"

"I believe so. I just checked his pulse and it seems like he still has one. He's unconscious right now, but he's been going in and out, so he might wake back up soon."

"Okay. I'm on my way right now."

"Do you have someone who can help?"

"He's on his way as well."

"Is he not with you?" Valentin shot up and stood by Anna when he heard her question, their backs turned away from Dex. He stirred again, eyes slowly opening and vision still blurry. He turned to his right, shakily reaching to take his phone.

"No, uh, he's…elsewhere. He's trying to get here as soon as possible."

"What counts as 'as soon as possible'?"

"...At least an hour."

"Oh God," Anna slapped a hand against her forehead.

"Put him on speaker," Valentin said, and she obliged, "Sonny, what's going on?"

"The doctor is on the way."

"Is he?" Dex slowly but surely scrambled across the floor towards the kitchen, moving forward with his elbows under his chest. He bit his lip every time he felt a sharp jolt of pain, his moans almost entirely suffocated, "Because based on what I'm hearing, that's not the case."

"The doctor has other things going on," Sonny explained, "He had to drop everything to do this for me."

"I'm sorry, Sonny, but we can't afford to keep an eye on Dex for another hour."

Dex pulled himself up onto his feet the second his hands latched onto the doorknob. He took one last look at Anna and Valentin, their backs still turned, before stumbling out of the back door and into the woods.

"Look, I-I'm on my way right now, just about to turn onto the dirt roads to Pentonville."

"Be careful. I can guarantee you there's police on the road."

"How do you know?"

"Long story. I can explain when you get to the house."

"Okay, well, I'll see you both soon. Send me updates on Dex if there are any."

"Will do, see you then," Anna hung up the phone, giving it back to Valentin. They turned around and froze when they saw an open space at their feet.

"Oh no-"

"Where the hell did he go?!" Valentin raced upstairs.

"Dex?" Anna called out, her tone panicked, "Dex?!"

"He's not upstairs," Valentin came back down. Anna turned towards the kitchen and briskly walked over, noticing a few drops of blood leading to the slightly ajar back door.

"Oh God," Anna paced the floor when she rejoined Valentin in the living room, "he must've snuck off."

"How?"

"The back door is open and there's…blood leading up to it."

"That idiot," the man hissed, "He ran off into the woods with a bullet wound?!"

"Maybe? I mean, he couldn't have gotten far, right? He's in and out of consciousness so maybe he passed out after a mile or two. We can-"

"No, Anna, we can't go out there and get him."

"But-"

"Victor's probably aware of the police presence by your transport. He's bound to have men scoping the woods for you."

"I can't leave Dex out there to die, or to be taken by Victor!"

"Sonny should be here soon," Valentin gently rested his hands on Anna's arms, "Dex will be his concern, not yours. Plus, Dex chose to leave, so whatever happens out there is beyond our control."

"I can't-" Anna stopped herself when she heard a knock at the door. Valentin let her go and opened it, Sonny and another goon walking in. The kingpin stared at the open floor and moved furniture.

"Is he upstairs?" he asked.

"No," Valentin answered.

"Then where is he?"

"Sonny," Anna cleared her throat, guilt on her face, "I'm so sorry."

"What? Why?"

"Dex, uh, he left."

"Left? He was shot and dying and he just…left?"

"Apparently he snuck out while we were on the phone with you," Valentin said.

"Okay, what happened?"

"The officer who was with me ended up on the transport," Anna sighed.

"How did that happen?"

"A PCPD directive of some kind. He was on the transport with Dex and I, and somehow, he figured out Dex was a plant and brandished his firearm. They fought in the front, and I think the gun went off just as the transport crashed."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Where did the bullet hit Dex?"

"In his side. He was in a lot of pain when Valentin found us."

"How did you find them?"

"I had the police scanner set up in my car. Once they announced officers to the vehicle, I went towards the prison, found them, and Anna convinced me to take Dex here."

"And now he's gone."

"I feel awful, Sonny, I do," Anna rested a hand on her chest, "I wanted to go and find him but-"

"Don't worry about it," Sonny shook his head, pulling out his phone, "I'll send some guys out to look for him."

"Where do you think he could've gone?" Valentin questioned.

"I have no idea."

The sound of leaves being crushed under his feet is all Dex could hear. His hands gripped each and every tree he walked by, his palms scarred from the rough texture. He stumbled over rocks and branches scattered on the ground, occasionally brushing his hand past his wound, the November air nipping his bare skin.

"Uh…" he grunted as he kept going, "uh…"

His vision remained blurry the deeper into the woods he got. He could occasionally hear the roar of car engines speeding by, and as he moved up, he caught the smallest flashes of police lights to his distant right.

Find a house, he thought to himself, Find somewhere to hide. Find…a…

He tripped over a branch below, his knee slamming into the dirt. He held onto the nearby tree for dear life, his vision growing dark. His phone hit the ground, and he rummaged around for it. He sat down once he found it, taking a needed breather.

"K-Krissy…" he said to himself, voice barely audible. He swiped through his contacts until he found hers, pressing on the phone icon.

"We're sorry. Your call could not be completed."

"What…?" he looked at the device and tried again. No connection.

"Come…come on…" he pulled up their shared text thread, typing a message with the speed of a snail. He read the words out loud as he made them: "I…need…help…"

His hands ached, and he eventually stopped typing altogether. He pressed the 'Send' button, hoping that would work, but there was no indication of a delivery to her phone. He took a few deep breaths before forcing himself up, using the tree as help. He slowly lifted his head up and turned to his left, immediately noticing a yellow spot in the distance.

Light… he slowly gets up, It's…That's…

He forced himself to keep going, moving closer and closer until he saw more appear, and then some walls, and then a roof.

House…House! he smiled wide, picking up the pace as he ran around to the front, peering in through the window. He stopped immediately when he saw who sat on the sofa, the familiar blonde filling him with dread, Crap…no…

He turned to walk off, leaves breaking apart under his feet as the door opened behind him. He tried to stand upright, knees buckling beneath him.

"Hello?" Josslyn asked, arms crossed as she stared at his back, "Who are you and why are you on the Quartermaine property?"

Even better… he looked up at the sky, praying that the world would strike him down then and there.

"Excuse me?" Josslyn took a step closer, "Aren't you gonna say something?"

Dex doesn't move.

"I'm going to call the police."

"No…don't…please…"

Josslyn's eyebrows shot up when she registered the voice, moving towards him. He eventually turned to face her, disheveled and weak.

"Oh my God," she said softly, "What happened?"

"I…I need…"

"Let's get you inside," she grabbed his arm and dragged him into the house, resting him on the small gray sofa.

"Where…am I…?"

"You're at the Quartermaine gatehouse. What happened to you?"

"I…It's none of-"

"It kind of is my business? You stumbled onto the property. I found you injured."

"Joss…please…"

"I really should call someone. You should go to GH-"

"No."

Josslyn scowled at him, "Why not?"

"You…you can't…please…"

"...This has to do with Sonny, doesn't it? This is on him."

"No-"

"Of course," she shook her head, "You get hurt and he's nowhere to be found. Typical."

"Joss-"

"What did he have you do? Better yet, what did he do to you?"

"Just…help…"

"...I'll get a first aid kit," Josslyn sighed, running upstairs. Dex's eyes followed her up, his vision beginning to blur. He tried to look around, taking in everything he could see in the living room before black spots appeared in his line of sight.

"Please…" he whimpered as his eyes closed, "please…"

Josslyn walked back down with a large blue box in hand, setting it on the coffee table.

"I'm sure Willow won't mind me using this…" she said to herself, "Okay, Dex, we got some gauze and needles and-"

She cut herself off when she saw Dex's still form, chest barely moving and eyes sealed shut. She placed two fingers on his neck before snapping her fingers directly in his face. He didn't move.

"Okay," she inhaled, looking at the bright red spot on his side. She pulled out the needle and string, looking back at his injury.

"I can do this," she told herself, looking straight at Dex's pained face, "I'm gonna do this. You'll be better in no time, Dex. I promise."