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court pressed a hand to your side, cursing under his breath. “damn it sweetheart. why’d you jump in the way of that asshole?” your eyes fluttered, the adrenaline mixing with the pain of being shot, making you loopy, “he was gonna kill you court. im not gonna let him do that.” court glared ruefully over to where lloyd lay in a crumpled heap, “sweetheart…you’re a civilian. you shouldn’t have to jump into my problems.” he frowned, a faint pout touching his lips as he pressed down on your wound with his jacket. you snorted, “im not doing it for shits and giggles, honey. im here because i love you. and your problems are my problems. so that's that.” you ended your statement with a proud little huff. court rolled his eyes, “we’ll talk when you’re not loopy with pain and adrenaline.”
you pouted, your eyes drifting to the blood soaked jacket court was pressing to your side and gagged, trying to squirm away. court pushed you down by the hip, keeping you pinned to the ground, "don't move. you'll make it worse. we need to get out of here so you gotta let me stop the bleeding." your breaths were shallow, "c-court-" you whimpered as he pressed harder. he visibly flinched at your whimper, deciding it was best to just have you hold down the jacket to your side. court gently guided your hands to the wound, forcing you to press down hard. you groaned in pain, your head lolling back as court scooped you up. he hissed slightly as your body got jostled, making you let out another whimper of pain before he adjusted you in his arms, whispering, "you're okay sweetheart. i got you. keep pressing that jacket down for me."
he tried his best not to jostle you as he jogged to the nearest car, yanking open the passenger door as best as he could while still supporting you, before sliding you gently into the seat. your head tipped back into the headrest with a whimper of pain, the ache spreading up your entire left side. court pushed your sweaty hair gently off your face, leaning down to kiss your temple before rushing to the driver's side and starting the car.
court's own adrenaline rush was beginning to fade, replaced by an overwhelming amount of concern for you. if you died- no. he cut off that train of thought. he wouldn't know what to do without you. from the moment you entered his life you made it better. if you left him it'd break his heart. so all he had to do was get you to a hospital.
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court's knee was bouncing anxiously as he sat in the hospital waiting room, claire sitting half-asleep in the next chair. she had insisted he bring her along when he had returned home to change out his bloodstained clothes. they had taken you into surgery two hours ago, the doctors telling him that the bullet had caused tissue damage and you had suffered severe blood loss. he had never felt this anxious in his life, his stomach roiling with nerves. if only he wasn't so dumb and hadn't stayed with you. you never would've been in danger if it weren't for him. court frowned at the floor, his guilt only rising in his chest. claire looked over at him and nudged his foot with her own, "it's not your fault y'know. she stepped in because she loves you." court didn't bother trying to argue. he'd learnt a long time ago that arguing with claire got you nowhere.
he just leaned back in the uncomfortable chair and sighed, claire had a point. you were stubborn. you wouldn't have stayed around if you didn't love court. he just hoped you were stubborn enough to stay alive. for him and for claire.
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you had finally been brought out of the operating room, though they weren't letting court in to see you. he was out of his mind with worry for you. claire had long since fallen asleep, stopping his shaking as she was tucked under his arm. he had only gotten up to check whether you were okay or not, the doctor assuring him that you were stable and out of the danger zone.
it took another hour for them to finally let court and claire see you. when they had told him he could go in he had leapt up, jostling claire awake. her irritation was short-lived when she found out that you were awake. the two of them rushed to your side, court desperately running through scenarios in his head. none of them matched reality.
in actuality, you were propped up on thick pillows, your face pale and drained, dark eye bags (matching court's) and a sickly complexion. court dropped to the chair closest to you, grabbing your hand and bringing it to his mouth. he dropped a careful kiss to your knuckles, making you smile sleepily at him. claire sat at your other side, resting her head on your thigh and letting you run your hand through her hair, "we were so worried about you. six was gonna leave a mark in the floor with how much he was pacing." you chuckled and then bit back a groan as your stitches stretched. court looked down at your hand, his guilt visible on his face.
you sighed softly and reached out to cup his face, tilting his head to look at you, "court, honey. it's not your fault i got hurt. it's mine. i got in the way on purpose, otheriwse you'd be dead by now." court's eyes have a sheen to them as he leans into your touch, "i'm supposed to protect you, not the other way around. if you hadn't-" he cuts himself off with a shake of his head, "you could've died. and where would that leave me? or claire?"
your expression softened, leaning down to kiss him carefully, "court i didn't die. i'm okay." he frowned, his eyebrow twitching, "but you could have."
"but i didn't."
"that doesn't remove the fact that you almost did. and it would have been my fault."
you grip his hand tightly, making him look back at you after his eyes had drifted off to the corner, clouded with guilt. "court. i'm okay." the statement seems to shatter something inside him and he just drops his face into your hand, "i'm sorry." you hear a quiet sniffle and you pull his face back up to see tears pooling in the corner of his eyes. your expression crumpled and you swiped your thumb over his cheek to wipe away the lone tear that had fallen, "honey… you have nothing to be sorry for. i jumped in the way. that's the end of the story." court stayed quiet for a moment before speaking up, "the last time someone this close to me almost died was my brother. i can't-" he cut himself off, looking off into the distance, melancholy seeping into his eyes.
you swallowed around the lump in your throat, tears springing up in your eyes. you reached out gingerly, pulling your boyfriend into a careful hug, letting him bury his face in your shoulder. claire was watching quietly from her place in your lap, her eyes suspiciously wet. she had never seen court get this emotional. ever. you glanced over at her and gestured for her to join the hug. she climbed up next to you, careful not to jostle you, and lay her head on your shoulder, her arm wrapping round your back. you kissed the top of her head, letting yourself relax into the hold of two of the best people in your life.