Ronnie Masters | the MENTALIST (COMPLETE)

RED JOHN'S FRIENDS PT.I

After a brutal leg day in the gym, going down the stairs presented itself as a nearly impossible task. Having finished their sets only moments before, the only thing that stood between Cho and Ronnie and the fresh outdoors was the gym's steep staircase.

Why do they make these staircases so freaking steep.

Cho went down first, not voicing any of the complaints running through his young partner's head. He'd powered through their workout like it was nothing, while she'd panted and struggled all the way through hers.

Crying internally, Ronnie pinned her hip to the hand rail for support, clomping down the stairs on exhausted legs that felt like jelly. It seemed harder than the actual workout, but she enjoyed the way her quads were visibly pumped below the hem of her shorts.

Her CBI/gym partner had been teaching her how to eat to best optimize her muscle growth and she'd been seeing all kinds of progress.

"What do you think, Cho? Protein shakes or eggs?" Hitting the bottom of the steps couldn't have been more of a relief if she had been reaching the summit of Mt. Shasta. She hoped he'd say eggs. She desperately needed a good plate of savory food.

Cho lifted his water to his lips and drank deeply, shuffling around in his gym bag for his car keys. He thrived in the heat and duress that they so often found themselves in, and often poked fun at her for struggling to keep up. "Real food," He finally said, catching his breath. With a wince from exertion, he glanced at her drawn expression. "We both need real food. Save the shakes for later."

They often brought stuff to make protein shakes during the day, filling up the CBI fridge with frozen fruit and yogurt.

Too light headed to respond, Ronnie nodded and pulled her own bag over her shoulder.

Their normal two and a half hours in the gym hadn't had it's usual affect on her. Instead of feeling loose, warm, and powerful, she felt tight, hot, and too weak to stand. Her legs tripped along beneath her clumsily, causing her to cast a wary look towards her feet.

Come on, legs, don't fail me now.

Cho had already stepped out into the sunlight by the time she realized she actually couldn't stand. Stumbling out after him like her legs were unfeeling stilts, Ronnie lunged for the wall and threw her weight against it. Her hands and arms scuffed the jagged brick right before it all went dark.

Crap.

At the strange gasp of air behind him, the winded older man turned to see why his partner sounded like she was about to go deep diving. She always got so dramatic on leg days.

He didn't at all expect what he saw instead.

Blanched pale, shaking violently, and grasping the wall behind her like it was the only thing she could hold onto, Ronnie's condition had shifted drastically in seconds.

He watched her go green right before she completely blacked out.

"Jeez, Masters," Cho dropped his bottle and his bag, bolting to catch her as her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her legs buckled. He wrapped his hand around the back of her head, protecting her from a grisly concussion on the sidewalk. "Masters," Cho knelt next to the sickly-looking woman, feeling her pulse under her jaw.

The heartbeat he found there was weak and slow, but stabilizing. A breath of relief escaped his lips. Damn it, Ronnie. With the same hand, he peeled her eyelids back to check her eyes. She gave no response, and the skin of her cheek beneath the pad of his thumbs remained concave and discolored after he removed his hand.

It took over a second for the skin to bounce back.

Cho sighed heavily, staring down at her. "I told you to sleep more."