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Someone closes the door of the Ambluance with a lout bang and Jasons focus switches back to reality. His ears are still ringing and he can still hear Clay‘s pained scream, when Trent ties the bandage around the wound in his thigh.
He doesn’t hear much after, that besides the white noise in his ear. Clay passes out after that and he doesn‘t make a sound, no matter how many times Jason rubs his knuckles over Clays sternum, begging, praying for his youngest team member to open his eyes again.
Jason would give everything to see those blue eyes now.
When they hear the second bomb explode and they rush out to the street, seeing Clay lie in the ditch, hurt and broken, gets Jason almost to his knees but the team leader in him hast o get himself back to focus, quickly.
The rest of the team are right on his heels when they fall down on the concrete next to Clay, knees scraping on the hard cement.
Trent‘s immediately looking over the boy's injuries and telling the others how to help. Jason asks for a tourniquet but Trent declines, because the wound's too high. Jason kneels down next to the boys head. His hands lie unmoving next to him. Sonny grabs the kid's hand and trys to get him to breath.
Jason hovers his fingers over his team mates head. Clay‘s eyes are open, but he doesn’t seem to register anything. There’s this fog in his eyes and it scares Jason, that the kid isn’t reacting. Clays mouth opens and closes, like a fish on dry land, desperately needing water. There’s this awful rattling sound coming out of his mouth and for a second Jason thinks he stopped breathing.
He sees Trent rub hard at the boys chest and Clay sucks in a loud breath. He hears Sonny mumble words into Clay‘s ears, to beg him to hold on. To stay awake.
Jason’s not sure Clay even knows, that they’re there. There’s blood leaking out of his ears and a wound on his forehead makes the blood run down like a tiny river over his nose and lips.
Suddenly the kid‘s eyes roll around and threaten to close. Jason quickly grabs his hand and squeezes it tight. His other hand finds it’s way into Clays blonde curls, which are dirty and full of little pieces of debris.
He talks to him, repeats over and over again, that they’ve got him and he’ll be fine. That he’ll be back with the team in no time. Jason’s not sure he believes it himself.
Brock appears behind him with a backboard. Jason looks over to Trent, who’s finished the bandage around the kid‘s thigh.
Clay suddenly jerks and a heartbreaking scream escapes his mouth and his eyes roll back into his head and he goes limp. Jason panics for a second but calms down a bit when he can still see the rise and fall of the boys chest.
Together they quickly get Clay onto the backboard, secure his neck and tie him to the board, safely.
Sonny‘s still holding onto Clays hands. They’re shaking and Jason doesn’t know if Clays hand is shaking or Sonnys.
Ray gets hold of an Ambulance and all together they lift their youngest brother on the gurney. They Paramedics strap an oxygen mask on his face and Jason just wants this to stop. Wants to go back drinking with his team, laughing and mocking his youngest team member, like they always do.
Not just team member, friend, brother, family.
They can’t lose Clay. He can’t lose the kid. Can’t lose him, like he lost Nate, Alana, Adam.
He remembers it like yesterday when he first met the kid and thought, that the cocky little shit would never really fit into the team but he chose him anyway because he sensed something more in the kid. Not just his special skills, it was more than that. He’d choose Clay again, everytime. He might be the cockiest little shit Jason knows, but then again he reminds him of himself when he was younger. Clay formed the team and made it stronger. The thought of losing him causes this awful pain in his chest.
The Paramedics load Clay into the Ambulance and Jason immediately follows inside. He won’t leave the kid, ever.
What Jason learned earlier on about Clay is, that the kid‘s scared of being left alone. Like everyone in his life had done, his mother, his dad. They left him. He won’t leave him.
He looks over to his team and orders them to help the other victims. They nod in agreement and get to work, immediately. Of course they do. It’s his boys, they’d follow him anywhere and he knows how much that means.
Sonny grabs at his arm and Jason’s overwhelmed with the pain and fear he sees in the other mans eyes. It’s not like Sonny shows emotions a lot, but it’s clear to see in his eyes now, that he’s freaking scared to lose the kid.
Jason squeezes at his arm, to show him, that he’s got the kid. Sonny nods and Jason moves into the Ambulance, finding a place next to the gurney.
The Paramedics work on the kid, put all kinds of sensors on his body. They cut his shirt open and Jason swallows hard, when he see Clays bruised chest.
The kid suddenly moves his head and his eyes open, just a small slit of his blues eyes visible. Jason’s not sure how aware he is of things, but he moves forward to get his face closer to him. He notices that the kid‘s shaking and knows that shock is setting in. He puts his hand on the kids cheek and rubs at it gently. He whispers softly to him. He tells him it’s gonna be fine, that he’s got him.
The kids eyes suddenly focus on him and Jason hopes, that he knows he’s there and he won’t leave him.
The sudden jump of the heart monitor sound makes Jason hold his breath. One of the Paramedics pushes something into Clay‘s IV and the kid blinks one last time and his eyes close completely.
Jason panics but the Paramedic reasurres him, that his friend is fine. Jason wishes Trent was here, he knows Clay and he knows what’s right for him, how to treat him. But Trent‘s no doctor and Clays injuries are serious.
Jason grabs Clays hand again and gently runs his fingers over his knuckles. The heart monitor is back to it‘s normal rhythm.
A couple minutes later the Ambulance pulls up at the hospital and the Paramedics rush his boy into the hospital.
Jason‘s never leaving Clays side. Suddenly the gurney stops and Jason looks up in confusion. A nurse is talking to him but the noise in his ears is still too loud.
“Sir, you have to let him go, so we can help him.”
Jason looks at Clay. His face is slack and he actually looks peaceful, when you blank out the dirt and blood all over his battered body. He knows the medication is taking his pain away and he’s glad the kid‘s not in pain at the moment. His eyes stay on the kid‘s face for a bit longer and his gaze moves over to his chest, which is still rising and falling in a calming rhythm.
Jason gets his head down next to Clays ear.
“I got you kid. I won’t leave you. You’ll be fine ok, I promise. Just keep on fighting, like you always do.”
He gently strokes his hand over the boy‘s forehead and lets his hand go. It pains him to do so but he knows Clay needs help. With blurry eyes Jason watches the gurney with Clay disappear behind the emergency doors.
Jason stays, just standing in the hallway now, not hearing anything. His breathing gets faster and the room starts to spin.
“Sir? Are you alright sir, you’re bleeding?”
There’s a hand on his shoulder and he jerks back. He wants to know where Clay is. He needs to know he’s alright.
“Sir?”
The hands are back on his arm and he stumbles backwards pushing them away. His back connects with a wall and the force of it, makes him slide down on the floor, his legs to weak to hold him upright. When did he get so tired?
The voices are louder now but Jason doesn’t want to hear. He wants the kid.
He knows he’s losing it and he shouldn’t. He’s the team leader, he needs to be on focus, needs to be in control, but then the bleeding image of Clay appears in front of his eyes again and he closes them.
He moves his legs up to his chest and just sits there, with closed eyes ignoring everything around him.
Maybe it’s ok to lose it for a second, because he’s hurting. Not just his body but also his heart.
His mind drifts back to Clay and his heart hurts. He needs the kid to be ok, and he’ll will make damn sure that the he‘s going be.
He promised the kid.
And he’ll keep his promise.
He won’t leave him.