Ginoza hadn't been able to sit still at the desk, just waiting to get a call from Kogami to confirm if he'd gotten the medication. His anxiety had been too high - he'd been worried he'd put a hole through something. He'd checked in with the hostages, who were largely unhappy and somehow hungry again, but otherwise alright, and then he'd started filling out the paperwork that had been left out on one of their desks, hoping that at least when they got out of all this, they'd have less work to catch up on.

He hadn't realized how anxious he'd been until he heard the buzzing sound of an incoming call. At that point, his heart rate sky-rocketed, and for a single, horrifying instant, he thought he might be sick.

He sat back in the desk chair and answered the phone at the same time.

"Shinya," he said breathlessly. "Please tell me you got the medication you need. I've been-" He cut himself off. Kogami didn't need to know how worried he had been.

Kogami's breath was coming in heaving gasps. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…."

"Shinya, what…?"

Kogami was barely intelligible. "Didn't mean to. I…I…I-"

Everything felt very far away, like Ginoza was standing at the bottom of a well. "Shinya, what are you talking about?" he said faintly. "What do you mean? What are you apologizing for?"

"I…I'm sorry…god…."

"Did you get the medication?"

"Think so," Kogami gasped. "But it didn't go well. Couldn't…there was…."

"Can you talk more slowly?" Ginoza said. "I can barely understand you. Shinya, please-"

Ginoza knew that that was partially the fault of Kogami's trembling voice and rapid breathing, but Ginoza's pulse was also rushing so hard and fast in his ears that he rather doubted he would have been able to hear much of anything.

"Didn't want to give me the meds," Kogami finally managed. "Wasn't sure what to do."

"So…you didn't get the medication?" Ginoza asked, trying to speak slowly for Kogami's benefit, as well as his own. Even as he spoke, he thought that there had to be more to Kogami's story. For Kogami to sound this way, to apologize like this, something had gone very wrong.

"Nuh uh," Kogami mumbled, still breathing so heavily that Ginoza could barely make him out. "Got it. Had to…I pulled a gun."

Ginoza suddenly felt freezing cold, like he'd fallen through his seat only to find icy water waiting for him. "Did…did you shoot anyone?" He didn't want to hear the answer.

"No," Kogami whispered, then moaned softly. "Promise. I…Gino, I'm sorry…."

Kogami hadn't killed anyone, hadn't even shot anyone. For a moment, the rush of relief almost wiped away everything else. Ginoza remembered that the phrase he'd taught Kogami had translated to "Please give me this medication, thank you very much," followed by the specific drugs he'd needed, which Kogami had presumably said while holding the pharmacist at gunpoint. Ginoza almost laughed, a giddy, inappropriate reaction that was only cut off by Kogami's voice, apologizing again.

"I'm sorry. Fucked up…fucked up bad."

The fear was back, worse than before. The icy feeling seeped through Ginoza's body, all the way to his fingertips, making them feel numb and heavy. "Shinya, what are you apologizing for? What…what happened?"

Kogami wheezed past another breath, letting it out with a desperate sound that was half moan, half helpless laugh. "I…I got shot, Gino. Stupid."

Ginoza felt the world fall out from under him for what had to be the final time. He reached out to the edge of the desk, stopping himself from sliding out of his chair.

Kogami was talking again, mumbling half-formed, frantic apologies. He was almost hyperventilating now, tripping over his own words as he struggled to draw enough breath.

He knew he had to keep it together. Kogami was…possibly bleeding to death, on top of the infected stab wound and the fever he'd already been fighting. Kogami needed him to keep it together.

But Ginoza couldn't, not yet. He'd told Kogami to go to the pharmacy, and he'd promised him that it was safe, and he'd gotten Kogami shot and very possibly killed. Confronting that left him barely able to breathe, let alone come anywhere close to functioning.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, before he could stop himself. "I'm so sorry, Shinya."

Ginoza was an idiot. In Japan, reading a citizen's psycho pass served as virtually all the confirmation a pharmacist needed to give someone medication they asked for. But Ginoza knew that in many other countries - presumably most other countries, if they hadn't yet adopted SYBIL - paperwork from a doctor was required to access any sort of restricted drug. But it hadn't even occurred to Ginoza to look up if EENA was a country with a system like that. He'd had too much on his plate, and he'd simply…forgotten.

Not that there would have been much he could do, if EENA did require a prescription from a doctor. But that didn't make it better. He'd been lax in his research, and now Kogami was…he might be….

"Not your fault," Kogami said weakly. "Probably shoulda…I don' know…."

"Where are you shot?" Ginoza asked.

"Arm."

Arm. That wasn't…that wasn't too bad of a place to be shot, not usually. Ginoza himself had been shot in the arm before, and he was clearly still alive. Granted, he'd gotten medical attention promptly, and Kogami was at least twenty-four hours out from getting help in the best case, and already injured to boot. But at least Ginoza had a little time to work with.

"Where in the arm?" Ginoza asked. "Did it go through anything?"

"Um…near my shoulder," Kogami said. "B-below my shoulder. I dunno if it went through anything. Haven't really looked yet."

Ginoza blinked. Since he was talking to Kogami instead of actually looking at him, he'd kind of forgotten to picture Kogami in any sort of surroundings. The sound of Kogami's voice had completely driven those sorts of logistical thoughts from his brain.

"Wait, where are you right now?" Ginoza asked. "Are you…are you somewhere safe?"

"Yeah," Kogami whispered. "Well…kinda. I'm in a bathroom."

"What?"

"Public bathroom. First safe place I could find. Locked the door. Don't think I'll be bothered for a while."

"Al-alright," Ginoza said. "Now, the person who shot you. Are they coming after you, do you think? Did they see where you went? If they did, that should definitely be your first concern."

"I don't think so," Kogami said. "Yeah, I think I got away. Now I just need to…ah…."

"I'm so sorry, Shinya," Ginoza said wretchedly. "I'm so sorry."

Kogami was silent for a moment, and Ginoza could only hear his shaky breathing. "My arm really hurts," he finally said. Ginoza knew him well enough to know that this meant it was time for Ginoza to stop wallowing. Kogami needed help - the guilt could come later.

"Right. Your arm. Why don't you…take a look at that?" Ginoza suggested. His voice still sounded shaky, even to him, and Kogami could probably hear it too. "I'll…well, I think we're going to have to change our plan. You can't stay in EENA much longer."

Kogami laughed, a helpless, half-hysterical little giggle that tugged at Ginoza's heart. "Nope. Public enemy number one."

Ginoza bit back the urge to start apologizing all over again and cleared his throat. "Alright. You're going to focus on your arm, and I'm going to see what I can do about getting you out of EENA as soon as possible. Does that sound good?"

It didn't sound good, really, even Ginoza knew that. He was really asking if Kogami thought he could manage looking over his own injury, or if he would need Ginoza to talk him through that, too.

Kogami inhaled like he wanted to speak, then paused. "Are you…are you hanging up?"

"No," Ginoza said immediately.

Listening to Kogami's ragged breathing and pained movements would probably slow him down some, but there was no way he was going to disconnect the call. Kogami was self-possessed in the face of pain to an almost horrifying degree, which Ginoza knew was probably part of the reason he'd been sent on this mission in the first place. In order for him to sound like he did now, Ginoza knew that Kogami must have taken an atrocious amount of punishment. He didn't want to leave him alone.

Kogami's breathing eased, and Ginoza imagined him nodding to himself before he remembered that he had to speak. "Okay," he whispered, and he sounded grateful.

Ginoza tried to tune out the small grunts and whimpers from Kogami as he presumably started exploring whatever had happened with his arm.

Ginoza sat in front of the computer, scowling at it. Now that Kogami had been forced to rob a pharmacy, now that he'd been shot, there was no way he could take antibiotics and hole up for a few days. But he couldn't exactly make it onto a passenger plane, either, which left only Ginoza's discarded idea of stowing away.

Over the transponder, Kogami hissed with pain, and there was the wet tearing sound of blood-soaked cloth coming away from flesh. Ginoza winced in commiseration, and wondered exactly how he thought he was going to get them out of this.

Kogami's arm wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible. Not bad enough to kill him, or at least, it definitely wouldn't be under normal circumstances. As it was…it was harder to say. The adrenaline had made the fever feel less pressing, but he knew the infection in his stomach was far from gone. That would kill him on his own, unless he was very lucky or got help pretty damn soon. And now that he had another injury to contend with, now that he'd lost both blood and mobility, things were looking decidedly less optimistic.

Personally, Kogami was starting to feel that he wouldn't be making it out of this one. But if Ginoza managed to turn up a miracle for him somehow, Kogami didn't intend to complain. In fact, if he survived and made it back to Japan, he could probably keep from complaining about anything ever again as long as he lived.

Kogami had managed to get the bleeding stopped. Or mostly stopped, at least. He was pretty sure there was nothing broken in his arm, although once he'd stopped moving the pain had gotten pretty intense so it was kind of hard to tell. Bandaging his arm up with only his left hand and his teeth had been difficult, and honestly, he didn't think he'd done a very good job. The bandage was sloppy, and it slid a little when he shifted, and he wasn't sure if it was actually keeping the bleeding stopped very well at all. Kogami didn't think Ginoza would be very happy if he saw it. But luckily, Ginoza could only hear him, and not see him, so he wouldn't be able to either worry or judge.

"How is your shoulder now?" Ginoza asked anxiously. Apparently, Kogami had been silent for too long.

Kogami tried moving it experimentally. He immediately regretted it as the world swung around him.

"Kogami?"

"I thin' the bleeding's stopped. And the arm's not broken, probably." These were about the only positive things he could say. His tongue felt thick.

"I hate to ask you this," Ginoza said. He paused. The conversation felt very far away - he probably could have paused forever and Kogami never would have prompted him. "Do you think you could find somewhere to hole up for another night? I'm having a hard time figuring out how to…I'm not sure how to get you back to Japan. I know you're injured now, but you have the antibiotics. Do you think you would be…better by tomorrow? Do you think you could stay safe?"

"No," Kogami said immediately. He was too sick for anything but honesty. "I'll die."

He realized a second later that maybe he should have been embarrassed about that. But he wasn't. That felt far away too.

Ginoza inhaled over the phone, and the sound of air being sucked over his teeth told Kogami that he'd made Ginoza worry. He wanted to feel bad about that, but mostly he just felt exhausted.

"Okay. Hold on a moment, Kogami. I'm going to look for a way to get you out tonight."

That meant he didn't have a way to get Kogami out tonight, at least not yet. Kogami wondered if Ginoza would come up with anything, or if he was about to receive what would essentially be a death sentence.

He wished Ginoza hadn't gotten himself involved. Kogami didn't want to die, but he'd known there was at least a chance of that as soon as he'd been yanked into the van almost a week before. The part that made him angry was knowing that if he died, Ginoza's life would be over too.

"I'm looking into the first plan I had," Ginoza explained.

Kogami couldn't think of anything to say, and he didn't really remember the first plan Ginoza had made. He'd taken painkillers at some point before robbing the pharmacy, and he knew that it was too soon to take them again, but they didn't seem to be working very well anyway. His arm somehow felt like it was numb and on fire at the same time, and every time he so much as breathed, something in his body screamed at him.

"Kogami? Shinya?"

"Mmn," Kogami managed, rousing himself and hissing in pain as his arm throbbed, followed by his stomach.

"I was talking to you. You didn't hear me?"

"Nope," Kogami said quietly, unable to think of a lie that he could use to cover in time. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize," Ginoza said. He sounded so sad that Kogami almost did apologize, just on instinct. "I'm looking into the manifests for the cargo airplanes scheduled to leave for Japan. Just…to keep you updated."

"Alright," Kogami whispered. He looked over at his arm, which seemed to be lightly bleeding again. It was a bit hard to tell, since he was smeared with blood from shoulder to wrist, but he thought there was slightly more of it than before. "Cargo is…good. No one sh'd see me."

Ginoza's wince was audible. "Your arm looks bad?"

Kogami had to stop himself from laughing at the understatement. "Little bit."

Ginoza made a small, sympathetic sound, and then the transponder began to pick up the sound of a keyboard. Kogami closed his eyes and listened to his husband work, drifting on the sound.

"Let's see…. Yes, there's a plane leaving tonight, as I thought. A bit soon, perhaps. First, let's look into the security. If you could sneak on board…. Oh. OH!"

Kogami's eyes flew open. "What?" Kogami said. He hoped he sounded engaged enough. His tongue felt thick.

"Virtually all passenger planes still have a real person serving as the pilot, as well as a flight crew made up of actual airplane employees. People don't like getting in a metal tube knowing that an artificial intelligence is the only thing preventing them from colliding with another airplane in midair, even if theoretically they trust the same system every time they get in a car. I'm sure you know that."

"Go…go on," Kogami said. He did know this. He'd been on an airplane before - even if crises always made Ginoza forget stuff like that - and anyways, he knew that's why he hadn't been able to get on a passenger plane in the first place. He looked too sick, and he would have been stopped.

"Well, it looks like the same isn't true about cargo planes. They're virtually entirely automated. Someone will inspect the shipments in EENA, and again in Japan, but the rest is entirely automated. There are no real people on the flight at all. All you have to do is…I don't know, crawl into a box or something after the inspection has happened, and then we…I can pick you up in Japan."

"Will there be cameras?" Kogami asked. The last thing he wanted was to try holing up in a crate only to bring EENA's entire army down onto him.

"I don't know, I don't even know how I would find that out. You still have your gun, don't you? I can't predict every single aspect of this plan, but if there's a camera, you would be able to…take care of it, right?"

Kogami drew in a shaky breath. He wasn't sure if he could still shoot. He'd shot left-handed before, but not often outside of training, and never after losing this much blood.

But he had to try. It sounded like this was the only plan he was going to get.

"I c'n take care of it," he managed.

"Good," Ginoza said. "You'll need to…oh. Normally, cargo planes from EENA to Japan leave about every five hours. But because of the instability in EENA, our trade with them is currently reduced. There's only one plane leaving today, and if you can't get on it, the next plane doesn't depart until…next week."

"When does it leave?"

"Two hours."

Kogami took a moment to marvel at the irony - he had caused the political instability in EENA, and now he was being kept from leaving by his own hand. If his arm had hurt less, he might have even found it funny.

"Can you make it?" Ginoza asked, the barely pent-up nervousness creeping into his voice.

Kogami considered, although the delay was mostly just so he could talk without struggling for breath around the pain. Whether he could do it or not, he was going to try.

"Yeah," he said, struggling to his feet. He swayed against the metal wall of the bathroom, unable to swallow a small yelp as his injured arm connected with the hard surface.

"You'll have to leave immediately," Ginoza said. He still sounded worried, and Kogami could visualize his perturbed expression just from his tone of voice. "Are you alright? Will your arm be okay?"

Kogami looked down at his shoulder, which had definitely not quite stopped bleeding, and sighed. "Uh huh. Wish I had somethin' to burn it with, tho."

"Something to…. Kogami, are you suggesting burning your wound closed to stop it from bleeding?!"

"Yep." Kogami nodded as he stumbled towards the door, even though Ginoza couldn't see. "Sure am."

"That would kill you," Ginoza said bluntly. "It's a good thing you don't have the supplies."

Kogami coughed out a surprised laugh, feeling the sound vibrate through his various injuries. He'd never had the right tools or the right circumstances to warrant a field cauterization. While this was probably the closest he'd gotten to the right circumstances, he could admit at least to himself that it was something he'd always kind of wanted to try, and therefore probably shouldn't. "You're prob'ly right, Gino."

"I usually am," Ginoza said, sounding almost self-satisfied for a moment. "Can you find your way to the airport if I give you directions, Shinya?"

Kogami mumbled his assent. Privately, he didn't think he would be able to do much better than he had at finding the pharmacy, at least in terms of memorizing instructions. He knew well enough that the single dose of antibiotics he'd taken wouldn't have done anything for his fever yet, and if his head felt clearer, it was down to the adrenaline. But that could fade at any time, and he'd crash, worse than he'd been before. Unlike a pharmacy, however, an airport would be clearly marked on signs, complete with the plane icon that required no translation.

"Alright. I'm going to give you instructions now, based on a few different cross streets," Ginoza said nervously. "I assume you're still in a populated part of town, and I can't speak to you as you walk?"

Kogami winced slightly, remembering the people he'd pushed past before fleeing off the street and into the bathroom. "Better not."

"And you don't have any way to write these instructions down, do you?"

"Just start talking," Kogami said. At this point, if he couldn't follow Ginoza's instructions, he would simply die. He didn't have time to keep worrying about the little details - this would either work, or it wouldn't.

Ginoza took a deep, vaguely annoyed-sounding breath, and started rapidly describing to Kogami how to get to the airport from his current location. Kogami focused on picturing the map in his head as best he could. Once Ginoza was finished, Kogami asked a few follow-up questions. This was more to make Ginoza feel like he'd really been paying attention than any practical reason, but Ginoza seemed to buy it.

"Alrigh'," Kogami said once Ginoza was finished talking. "Gonna…gonna head out."

He was slurring again. Not good.

"You can call me back if you have any questions," Ginoza said. "It would be better to risk someone spotting you than to get yourself completely lost."

"I know."

"And please call me if you think you're not going to make it as well," Ginoza said. "I'm sure I can think of some other plan, if I have just a little time…."

"I will."

"And stay safe. Try to stay out of sight, and…and your arm-"

"I love you."

"Shinya-"

Kogami ended the call. His arm was bandaged - he'd spent enough time here. He needed to stop talking to Ginoza, and to instead move.