Loose ｡ Henry Mills [2]

18 - STAINED RED

Killian Jones never had many friends before Storybrooke. Pirates normally don't. They have to keep their reputation so they are feared and respected. But the moment he met Emma Swan, all of that seemed to change. He loved her the moment he laid eyes upon her. And as he helped her save her son, he had gained friendships that he wouldn't trade for anything in the world. The people of Storybrooke, Maine, have become his family. And now, his family's blood stained his skin.

Bright flashes of blue and red reflected in his eyes as he sat in the back of an ambulance, his clothes and skin covered in blood. The paramedic was asking him questions, but his shock drowned everything out, her voice sounding far away. He tried to grasp it, to hold on to her voice and keep himself aware, but Killian Jones was in shock. He couldn't speak, couldn't move. All he could do was stare at her blood that stained a majority of his skin. Blood that belonged to someone he has always felt responsible for since saving her alongside Emma.

He could still see it; her laying there, unmoving, bathed in sunlight and surround by a heavy pool of blood.

In the full twenty minutes since Teresa Holmes stepped outside Granny's Diner, she had yet to return. With the Evil Queen's promise for the coming end of their happy endings still fresh in memory, their concern had grown tenfold. Not to mention the unexplainable pain Henry was feeling in his stomach.

While searching for the missing archer, Killian became sidetracked by Belle, who texted to remind him it was lunch and she needed food, especially now that she was eating for two. Though he was concerned for Teresa, he could not deny Belle and her child's need for food. So, the former pirate was left with no choice but to respond with an on my way as he made haste toward the Jolly Roger with a bag of takeout food from Granny's. The quicker he delivered Belle her food, the quicker he could return to his search for Teresa.

As he rounded the corner of a boathouse, the sight before him left Killian Jones paralyzed. Right before him, sprawled on the ground in a heavy puddle of blood and bathed in sunlight was none other than the very person he had been searching for. He suspected that Teresa Holmes had been harmed given the pain Henry felt, but as he peered down at her body that lay as still as the dead and white as the clouds on a clear day, he never expected to see so much of her blood. It encased her like a thick crimson blanket.

The bag of food clattered to his feet, the contents within spilling out from their wrappings, the sandwich likely ruined, and the milkshake splattered against his black leather boots, causing a mess. The lunch he spent wasted minutes retrieving had been ruined, and yet he did not care. Killian threw himself onto the ground and searched for a pulse. He placed his fingers to her neck and sucked in a sharp breath, listening with his ears while waiting to feel the thump of pulse against his fingers that would reassure him Teresa Holmes was alive.

One, two, three ─ seven long seconds passed by before Killian Jones felt the faintest of thumps against his fingertips, a sign that she was still alive. A breath of relief fell from his lips and he darted for his phone in a hurry, dialing the only number he could think of whenever trouble seemed to occur.

"Come on, Swan," he mumbled, biting his lip. Killian shoved his hand against what appeared to be a stab wound in an attempt to stop the seemingly endless flow of blood.

"Killian, hey. Did ─ "

Killian cut her off, his voice wavering. He was panicking. "Swan, get to the docks now! I've found the lass, but I think she's been stabbed."

"What? Killian just ─ don't move, okay? I'll call an ambulance. Just try to stop the bleeding. I'll be there soon." Emma hung up.

He threw his phone to the side and sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before reopening them and springing into action. Killian removed his jacket, rolled it up, and pressed it against Teresa's abdomen. With one hand, he applied pressure and with the other, he reached up to her face and brushed her hair away. Her skin was feverish, slick with sweat and deathly pale. He began slapping her cheek in an attempt to wake her. "Stay with me, lass. Open your eyes. Just... open your eyes. Please."