Chapter 10
Russ
There’s too much blood.
It soaks through Olivia’s jacket, through my hands, dripping dark against the rocks beneath us while Lucas and Clay secure the perimeter.
The sight hits harder than the gunfire did.
“Here,” Hannah says, dropping beside me. “Lay her down.”
I don’t move immediately.
My arms tighten around Olivia on instinct.
Like letting go of her is somehow a bad idea.
Like the second I do, something irreversible happens.
“Russ.”
Sharp this time.
I lower her carefully onto the blankets Hannah throws across the ground.
Too carefully.
Olivia winces anyway.
A weak sound slips past her lips, and my chest tightens hard enough to hurt.
“Stephen,” Hannah snaps. “Kit. Hurry.”
“I’m here.”
They move fast around her.
Hands.
Bandages.
Blood.
Medical terms thrown back and forth too quickly for me to care about.
I stay exactly where I am beside her.
Kneeling in the dirt.
Watching her face.
That’s the only thing that matters.
Her skin’s too pale now.
Lips losing color.
Breathing shallow enough it barely moves her chest.
I hate this.
Hate the waiting.
Hate standing by while someone else fixes what I can’t.
“Olivia.”
Her eyes shift toward me slowly.
Still focused.
Still fighting.
Relief punches through me so hard I almost feel dizzy from it.
“There you are,” I mutter.
Her mouth twitches faintly.
“Tired,” she whispers.
“No.”
The answer comes instantly.
Sharp enough that Hannah glances at me briefly before going back to work.
Olivia’s eyes drift halfway shut anyway.
“Hey.”
I lean closer immediately.
“Don’t do that.”
A weak breath leaves her. “Bossy…”
“Yeah.”
Her fingers twitch against the ground beside her.
Then pain suddenly hits her full force.
I see it happen.
Her body locks tight.
A broken sound catches in her throat.
And her hand grabs fistfuls of my shirt hard enough to wrinkle the fabric beneath my vest.
I still instantly.
Her fingers stay curled there like she’s anchoring herself.
“Easy,” I murmur.
She shakes her head once, barely. “Hurts…”
“I know.”
Blood coats Hannah’s gloves while she works near Olivia’s ribs.
“We need to remove the fragment,” Hannah says quietly. “It’s lodged deep enough we can’t leave it.”
Stephen grimaces. “No anesthetic.”
Of course not.
Olivia lets out a weak laugh that sounds more exhausted than amused. “Fantastic.”
I reach for her hand before she can start shaking again.
Her fingers lock around mine immediately.
Strong despite the blood loss.
Despite the pain.
“Look at me,” I tell her.
She does.
God.
That almost wrecks me.
Because she trusts me enough to look.
“Don’t look away,” I say quietly.
Her throat moves as she swallows. “Okay.”
Hannah glances up once. “Ready?”
No.
Not even close.
Olivia nods anyway. “Do it.”
The second Hannah starts digging for the fragment, Olivia’s entire body jerks.
Her grip crushes mine.
A sharp breath tears out of her like it physically hurt to make noise.
“Stay with me,” I say immediately.
Her nails bite into my skin.
“I hate you,” she whispers through clenched teeth.
Despite everything, a rough laugh escapes me.
“Yeah. Heard that before.”
Another wave of pain hits her.
I feel it in the violent tremor that runs through her body.
Feel it in the way her forehead presses briefly against my arm like she’s trying not to break apart in front of everyone.
“Almost there,” Hannah says.
Olivia shakes her head weakly. “You said that already.”
“Still true.”
Blood smears across Olivia’s side as Hannah works deeper.
I keep my eyes on Olivia’s face instead.
On her breathing.
On the way she keeps fighting to stay conscious.
“Stay with me,” I repeat.
Her eyes flutter hard.
“I’m trying…”
Fear crawls cold and vicious down my spine.
No.
Absolutely not.
I tighten my grip on her hand.
“Hey.”
Her gaze lifts again slowly.
“That’s it,” I murmur. “Right here.”
Another painful breath.
Another tremor.
Then finally—
“Got it,” Hannah says sharply.
The pressure releases all at once.
Olivia sags back against the blankets, exhausted beyond words.
Her hand loosens slightly in mine.
Not letting go.
Just… tired.
Stephen immediately moves in with fresh bandages while Hannah presses hard against the wound again.
“You did good,” I tell her quietly.
Her eyes barely stay open now.
“So tired…”
The words come slurred.
Weak.
My chest tightens painfully.
“I know.”
She shifts slightly toward me without thinking.
Head brushing against my shoulder.
Seeking warmth.
Safety.
Me.
“Stay,” she whispers.
Like she’s afraid I’ll disappear if she closes her eyes.
I brush dirt-damp hair back from her forehead carefully.
“Yeah,” I say softly. “I’m here.”
Her breathing slowly steadies beneath the chaos around us.
Still shallow.
Still fragile.
But there.
Alive.
For now, that’s enough.
I sit beside her while Hannah finishes wrapping the wound and the others keep watch around us.
Olivia stays leaned against me the entire time.
Like it’s natural.
Like she belongs there.
And maybe that’s the problem.
Because somewhere between carrying her through gunfire and hearing her say my name like I was the only thing keeping her conscious—
Something changed.
Something dangerous.
I look down at her pale face resting against my shoulder and realize one brutal truth.
If I’d lost her out there—
It would’ve destroyed me.