Just Imagine...

The Hero

Gwen and Ianto had been freed from the cells. Jack had been released from cold storage. Owen had teleported out of the nuclear power plant just in time using a piece of alien tech he'd stolen from the armoury. There was no sign of Gray or John. But Toshiko was bleeding out.
Zephyr was the one to find her, and let out a deafening roar to alert Sam and the others.
"NO!" Sam screamed when she saw Tosh lying limp in a puddle of blood. She vaulted over the railing around the autopsy bay, landing on her feet next to Tosh and grabbing one of her hands in both of hers. "No, Tosh, don't do this to me!" She exclaimed, tears springing to her eyes, "OWEN! HELP!"
The rest of the team was there in an instant, all reacting in horror and despair.
"Tosh, no!" Owen gasped, kneeling next to her.
"Can you save her?" Sam demanded, staring at him intently.
"I don't know," Owen stammered, "I don't know, I don't-"
"OWEN!" Sam roared, "ANSWER ME, CAN YOU SAVE HER?"
Owen took a deep breath.
"Yes," he said, "I think so, but I need-"
"I'm type O blood," Sam cut him off, rolling up her sleeves, "take my blood, save her with it."
"I can't do it, Sam!"
"Why not?"
"Because I'm afraid!"
Sam grabbed Owen's hands in hers, squeezing them as tightly as she could without hurting him.
"Owen," she said fiercely, "you can do this. You have to believe in yourself!"
"Why?" Owen asked.
"Because I do!" Sam exclaimed, "we all do! We always have! And Tosh needs you right now, you're the only one who can save her, and you're the best person for the job! Now DO IT, GODDAMNIT!"
Owen stared at her for a moment, then nodded slowly. He got up, pushing past Jack to grab his medical supplies. Jack took his place beside Tosh, just for a moment.
"Jack..." she croaked, smiling weakly, "I... I love you. You too, Sam."
"Don't you do that!" Sam snapped, jabbing a finger in her face, "don't you dare, Tosh! It ain't over! Stop that!"
"Get out of the way!" Owen hissed, shoving Jack aside, "if you wanna help, give us some space! Just get out!"
Jack nodded, lower lip quivering and eyes filled with unshed tears. He stood and gently ushered Gwen and Ianto into the hub, arms around their shoulders. The three of them stood in silence for a long time, staring into space, faces wet from crying.
They could hear Sam and Owen talking to each other, both sounding tense, angry, and afraid. They didn't dare speak, for they all silently shared the fear that making a sound would end in disaster. They choked their sobs back so they were barely as loud as whispers.
The silence and stillness dragged out for so long Ianto's legs began to cramp, but he didn't dare move a muscle. He tried to imagine a world without Tosh. He couldn't bear it. Tosh was his friend, if she died a part of himself would as well.
The sound of heavy pawsteps reached his ears and he felt a big wet nose brush his palm. He looked down to see Zephyr at his side, green eyes seeming to say "come with me". She turned and plodded back towards the autopsy bay. Ianto froze. Was it over? Was Tosh gone?
Jack gave him an encouraging nudge, looking just as afraid as Ianto felt. The two of them and Gwen slowly followed the tiger up to the railing.
Sam and Owen were in the corner, Sam holding Owen in her arms and gently rocking him back and forth. Tosh was still on the floor, bloody shirt covering her wounds. She wasn't moving.
"No," Gwen croaked, "no, please."
Then, Tosh's body gave a slight twitch. Ianto had to look closer to be able to see her clearly through his tears, but then he heard her sigh very quietly. And yes, now Ianto could see her chest and belly rising and falling. She was breathing. She was alive!
Sam looked up from holding Owen. Her face was streaked with tears but she was smiling radiantly.
"He did it," she murmured, "Owen did it. He saved her!" She looked back at Owen, leaning away so she could see his face and cupping his tear-stained cheek in her hand. "I knew you could!" She said to him, "I knew it!" Then she kissed his forehead. Owen let out a tiny sob and Sam wrapped him up in her arms again, stroking the hair on the back of his head.
Ianto felt Jack move behind him and turned his head to watch him rush to Tosh's side.
"I'm here, Toshiko," he murmured, clutching one of her hands, grinning ear to ear through a fresh wave of tears, "you're gonna be okay, you hear me? You're gonna be okay."
Gwen followed him, then Ianto, who crouched next to Sam. Sam put one of her arms around him, still holding Owen close as he cried into her shoulder.
"We're alright," she breathed with an unreadable expression as Zephyr sat down on Owen's other side and licked his hair, "we're alright." She repeated.

Tosh awoke to see Owen by her side. Sam, Jack, Ianto, and Gwen were standing a little ways away, all teary-eyed but smiling.
She was on a bed, with no idea how she'd got there.
"What happened?" She asked drowsily.
"You got shot." Gwen murmured.
"You almost died." Ianto added.
"But Owen saved you." Sam concluded, gazing proudly at Owen.
Tosh looked at him.
"You saved me?" She asked. Owen nodded slowly.
"I wouldn't say saved, though." He mumbled.
"Stop bein' modest." Sam murmured pointedly. Tosh giggled faintly.
"What is it?" Jack asked.
"I wish I didn't have to say this with so many eyes on me," Tosh sighed, "but I have to. Owen Harper, I love you."