Lieutenant and SSA (Emily Prentiss x Reader)

10. Make it out alive

Y/n pov - Five weeks since the crash, I think

The sound of a knife against rock ring a throughout the cave again. Signalling that another day has gone. Another day in this god damned cave. Almost thirty days since the entrance caved in on us. I think.

And even though a cave is better than the dessert to be stuck in, I don't know for how long we'll make it if we can't get out. The only marker we've been able to place is one of the trunks that were filled with rations. But it stands almost a full mile from here.

We have enough provisions left from the crash that we will make it a maybe five more weeks here. If we're smart.

But the problem won't be food. It'll be infection. Or we'll lose our minds. Cole still has shards stuck in his leg and if we don't get out, we'll be forced to cut it off. Without any sedative. And we would still need antibiotics. A lot of antibiotics.

And Nat, the burns are covering half her neck. Some nights it blocks her airway when we sleep. And watching their pain, when I myself got away so easily. Even though I'm sure that i have broken a rib that's starting to heal incorrectly. All because two of my men had protected me in the impact. And seeing them... gods, I had thought I'd seen the horrors of war. But that was on another level.

The missile came out of nowhere. It was supposed to be a simple thing. Just delivering some new provisions to a station not far from the enemy infested town. Now, I don't know if they sent a new shipment or if they're all dead.

It came out of nowhere. And I can't stop seeing it every time I close my eyes.

"Prentiss." Nat calls out from her and Cole's place by the fire. Soon the only things we'll have to burn are the letters and pictures of our loved ones. Unless we're burning clothes. But that will be the last resort.

I heave up from my place against the wall where I've been sleeping, or rather tried to sleep, to find her leaning over Cole. Who is bitting back pain.

"Get the belt, don't let him bite his tongue." I say at the same time as i rise, taking up the last of my bottle of water. It'll be the first to run out, though it won't be yet.

I bend down next to Cole as he arches his back in pain. "Come on Cole, you can do this." I whisper as I look at the shard in his leg. It's getting infected. Soon he'll burn up. We need to get out of here before then.

I almost force down the water into his throat while Nat comes up next to us with the belt. Then puts it in his mouth, making sure that he doesn't break his teeth or bite his tongue. His breathing is heavy before he passes out again.

"We have to do something." Nat says and I can see the stains of tears in the dirt of her face. I suspect we all look the came.

"There's nothing we can do until we get out of here." It's a truth we all know all to well. And try not to think about.

"We have rations for four weeks, water rationed for two. But that won't matter because Cole is probably going to die of infection while I'm going to get my airway cut off by this heat. And you, you will be living with two corpses."

"Nat, breath." I tell her as I meet her panicked gaze. "We will get out of here, all of us, alive."

"How can you know that?"

"Because they're looking for us, they'll find the boxes and do a grid search. We'll hear them once they're close enough and we can call out."

"Usually it's your wife that's the optimist." She jokes as she falls back on her own cot against the other wall.

I try to smile, but can barely even fake it. "Try to get some sleep, I'll watch Nate." I look at the man by the fire. We're the only ones alive. Three out of us.

"Why don't i instead, you need the sleep as well." But the truth is that I can't sleep. Barely been able to in these weeks. Only when it's gone long enough or I'm so exhausted that I lose consciousness have I slept.

"Natalie, sleep. You need it more than I do." She doesn't fight it again as she lays down. And I stay awake.

But instead of keeping my eyes on them, I have already gotten up and walked the short way up to the former opening as soon as I was sure they were both asleep. The cuts on my face hurts at its every movement.

The stone is cold and warm at the same time, the cold breeze comes in to hit my skin through every crack.

I push with all the powers that I don't have, the limp in my leg is no help, nor is whatever it is that feels like it's puncturing my lung. None of it helps as I slip and land hard on the ground. The air being hit out of me.

But I get up again, and do it again, and again, and again. I can't stop. I need to get out of here. I need to get back. I was supposed to be back around now. Or whenever now is. Truth be told, there has been times where we've all been knocked out cold. We could have missed days or a five days became two.

It's only one thing I can do to keep my mind straight. To keep myself from losing hope. It's Emily. She's my everything, my compass, my northern star. My only hope.

This was supposed to be the last one. We were supposed to start a family once I got back. To make that picture I drew true. I've looked forward to it for so long. So, so, so long.

A few months before deployment I'd gotten checked up to see if I could carry. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I'd never got around to telling her.

I just wanna go home. I want to go back to Emily. Sleep with her in our bed. Eat in our dinning room. Rest in our garden. Just be with Emily at all times.

My fists meet the stones so hard over and over again that they crack. Pain shots through my hands and up my arms. I hadn't even noticed I'd started crying until my sobs echoes back to me.

I fall against the rocks while sobbing, heaving breaths that hurt like burning fires.

"Emily." I breath out. "I'm gonna come home, I promise." I won't accept another outcome of this. "We will come home."