"G-Garrett?..." Claire muttered under her breath. She looked at him, at his body only to see patches of darkness where the dark, olive green once was.
Such a sight made her hitch a breath. "No..." she breathed out. "N-no... no, no..." she continued, shaking her head as she approached Garrett.
Tears welled in her eyes, they only accumulated and had no intention of stopping. Her sight switched between the face of her brother and the bullet holes that perforated his abdomen and chest.
"N-no... no!" Claire screamed aloud as she tried to rip the top in half. "I'm going to save you, Garrett..." she spoke out. "I'm going to save you, do you hear!?". At this point, the tears that have accumulated in her eyes spilt down her cheeks.
Garrett shook his head as tears accumulated in his eyes too. "No... listen to me, Claire... please listen...".
She stopped her actions before looking him in the eyes. A second passed before she looked over at Gabriel who'd taken a step back from the bed. "Call for someone, anyone. Please!!".
Immediately, Gabriel rushed out of the room, doing as he was told, leaving Claire and Garrett both alone in the room. "I-It's futile..." Garrett whispered under his breath before his gaze returned to Claire.
His eyes welled with more tears the more he looked at his young, beloved sister.
"Claire... please listen to me," Garrett repeated. "I want to tell you some things...". A pause followed. "Soon it'll be too late...".
Claire shook her head, her tears only spilling down her face. "Don't say that... Don't say that, Garrett!".
Seeing his sister cry. It made him sob just as hard. This was the first time he ever cried in front of his sister, and such a fact broke Claire's heart. "I-I apologise, Claire.".
Through her teary eyes, she furrowed her brows ever so slightly to his words. "W-what are you apologising for?...". Thinking over his words, his apology to her, it only broke her heart even more. It caused her to sob that bit harder. And through her sobs, she stuttered, "Y-you d-did nothing w-wrong...".
Garrett hitched a breath as his hand gently wrapped around Claire's arm. "I-I'm sorry if I was ever a bad brother to you, Claire..." he spoke out. He let out another sob before continuing, "I-I'm sorry I won't be able to age by your side, Claire... that I won't age with you, as an older brother should...".
Claire hitched a breath as she further broke down into more tears. "No..." she whispered under her breath, shaking her head. She closed her eyes, allowing even more tears to roll down her face, as she let her head drop, just slightly. Her hand landed on his, his that he kept wrapped around her arm. "Don't say that...".
Garrett lifted his head before looking down his body, at the wounds that scattered his body. "I thought I'd be able to live for longer... witness you get married... become an uncle to your kids," Garrett muttered out as his words left an effect even on him. Such an idea that he won't be a part of his sister's life... it broke him, it broke his heart into pieces.
A puddle of blood formed around his body as it only grew bigger until... Drip by drip, his blood made its way down to the ground.
Claire lowered her eyes and saw this, she saw the amount of blood on the table and all the droplets that fell to the ground. It only made her sobs more and more uncontrollable. "L-let me save you, Garrett...". A hitch interrupted her. "Let me save you, brother...".
"I-I've already lost too much blood, Claire, out there when they were carrying me here..." he spoke up. And then, looking her right in the eyes, his eyes teary as tears rolled down his face. "Believe me, I-I don't want to die, Claire... I don't want to die..." he whispered under his breath. "But... but it might be fate doing its works...".
Gabriel rushed back into the room, followed by three nurses and Lieutenant Doyle. Immediately, the nurses went to work.
"Seargent?..." inquired Doyle.
"Lieutenant?..." replied Garrett. Through his tears and pain, he sent a slight smile Doyle's way. A greeting. "H-how are you?...".
He shook his head, "Don't waste your energy. Lay, rest, you hear? Lay there and don't you give up on us. Don't you dare give up on your sister, Emerson. You hear?".
Garrett nodded as his eyes only filled with even more tears.
And then, he took in a deep breath. "Lieutenant?...".
"Yes, Emerson," Doyle responded.
"C-can you d-do me o-o-one... one l-last favour?".
To her brother's words, Claire turned away before she let out another sob or two. "We'll help you, Garrett... we'll get you out of here, you'll make it...". Then she turned back around and faced her brother. "Don't give up on us, you hear!?".
Garrett looked at Doyle. Opening his mouth ever so slightly, Garrett uttered a mere sentence. "The letters...". Doyle knew it would come, yet his heart still fell like a rock to his words.
"W-what letters?..." Claire intervened.
Garrett slowly switched his gaze to Claire before speaking up. "I-I wrote a letter... 2 actually... o-one for you... mom... dad. The other f-for M-Meghan.". He paused, hitching a breath. "I-I was hoping... I was hoping to burn them... set them on fire... by the end o-of all this shit...".
The three nurses stepped back, each having a frown on their face. "There's nothing that we can do. Seargent needs intensive care, which we don't have here..." spoke out one of the nurses. "The nearest hospital is too far from here for him to make it there alive..." added another nurse.
"So... you're telling me that nothing can be done?... absolutely nothing???" Claire gritted her question through her teeth. "Try something else! Anything!!...". She paused as another wave of tears rolled down her cheeks. "Please... save my brother!!... I can give my blood if needs to be. I-I-".
She was interrupted by Garrett. "C-Claire...".
"I-... Please-...".
"Claire," Garrett called out her name again. This time, she looked down at Garrett. "Listen to me..." he began. "W-when you go back h-home... Take c-care of our p-p-parents. You hear?".
His words only caused her to break into more sobs. And through her cries, she muttered, "I-I told mom and d-dad that I'd bring you back home... I told them we'll both c-come back... alive, Garrett...". A pause followed. "I can't lose you... I-I still need you in my l-life, Garrett... W-who'll take care of me... just like the way you do?... Huh?". A short pause. "Who'll protect mom... from all those drunkards back at home?... Huh?!". Claire hitched a breath. "Whose arrival from the military should I await every year, back at home... if not yours... tell me, whose!?". Another brief pause followed. "You said... you promised me you'll come back..." she whispered, but loud enough for Garrett to hear.
To all of this, Garrett closed his eyes as he let more tears run down his face. "Sorry..." he spoke out, sobbing. "I-I'm sorry... I'm sorry t-that t-this is how it'll end, C-Claire.". He took a breath as deep as he could. "T-this is n-not how I wanted it a-all to end..." he added through his tears and pain. And then, in a gentle whisper, he uttered once again, "I'm so sorry.".
To his words, Claire shook his head, repeating the words she said only seconds after entering the room. "N-no... no...".
Slowly, she approached her brother and gently, she wrapped her arms around him. The hug did not help her sobs as they only became harder.
Upon a moment where she managed to get herself somewhat together, she found it within her to say, "You're the best brother anyone could have ever asked for, wished for, Garrett.". A pause. "I love you.".
She heard his sobs moments before he replied. "I-I l-love you too... my d-dear sister...". A moment of silence. "I'll be w-watching you. L-l-looking o-over you...".
Claire only sobbed harder.
And then, in his last breath, he muttered, "Goodbye...".
And with that, slowly, she felt his head rest against hers as his grip upon Claire loosened. A shot of pain hit Claire right in her heart.
He was gone. Her beloved brother was gone.
One of the men who she trusted the most, loved the most. Yearned to meet again the most... that man was now gone.
And the thought of that furthermore broke her.
The room was silent except for Claire's sobs which filled the deafening muteness.
She slowly rose her head, her eyes meeting his face. His eyes were closed, his face still wet from his tears.
'He's gone... He-he's really gone...' Claire thought to herself, shaking her head, hoping to wake up from this nightmare. Hoping to wake up and see her brother right beside her.
When her knees were weak enough, she collapsed to the ground, right by his pool of blood. Further cries of grief were emitted by the hurting human.
Gabriel had his back turned, he didn't want to face the scene of pure devastation. It was something that he related all too much. It reminded him of the day he found out his brother passed away.
Then, turning around, looking at Claire, he thought to himself, 'A younger sibling should never watch their older sibling die, should never have their older sibling die right in their hands...'.
And then, regardless of all the people around him, regardless of the army personnel that surrounded him, he took a step towards Claire, before he kneeled down beside her and pulled her in for a hug. He allowed her to cry on his chest. He knew what she felt, he knew exactly the pain she sensed right in her chest.
And then, in his hug, he repeated the words he told her not so long ago. "I'm sorry...".