She’d been bleeding for that long, yet she was still conscious? His mind was racing, doing calculations of how much blood she might’ve lost already. He wasn’t going to let this woman die. “I’ve got you, okay? I’ve got you. I’ll take care of you,” Tom’s voice was soft and caring, his words gentle as he tried to comfort the woman who was currently bleeding out. One of his hands kept pressure on her side, the other cradled her as he helped her lay on the sleeping bag. “Here. Hold this. Firm, okay? I know it hurts, but you need to hold it tight.” Tom nodded to the woman before turning and grabbing the lantern, turning it on as bright as possible. The bleeding wasn’t as bad as he originally thought, but it wasn’t great either. He pulled the duffel close and unzipped it, pulling items out until he found what he was looking for. First aid kit – a well stocked one, at that. “You know, you can drop the gun. I’m not going to run, I’m not letting you die.”
As he helped her to lay down on her sleeping bag, Cara couldn’t help but think that this was the man she had watched with Lilah. A man so focused on taking care of the girl, on putting her at ease, that when Cara realized she had no choice but to seek help, he seemed like the best option. And, as she grew more and more tired, as compartmentalizing her pain became near impossible, it would’ve been an easy trap to fall into. To just let go. To trust him. But she couldn’t. Not until she was sure he wouldn’t wait until her guard was down and then attempt to get cell service so he could dial 911. His instructions pulled her from her thoughts, and she pressed her hand to her side with a soft moan escaping her lips. She was about to explain to him where he could find her kit but, since he was one step ahead of her, she instead replied to his comment about her gun, “…Doesn’t mean you won’t try to call for help. And I can’t have that.”
“I doubt I’d even have service way out here, but okay,” Tom quipped, reaching for the first aid kit once more. When he looked back at the woman, his face was plastered in worry. “Hey, Hey! I need you to stay awake. Talk to me, about anything,” he suggested, knowing that if she fell unconscious that he might not get her back. Tom was worried for the woman that lay before him – she had lost a lot of blood, and with no IV fluids or transfusion to give her, there was no way to replenish what she’d lost. He gut turned at the thought of losing her. No. Not today. He wasn’t going to lose her. He was determined. Tom dug through the first aid kit, finding a pair of tweezers and found a bottle of water in the duffel. He stabbed a hole in the lid of the plastic water bottle, preparing to irrigate the wound. “This is going to hurt like hell, but I need you to keep talking to me, okay?”
Cisco backup 