Safer With A Ghost | Simon "Ghost" Riley

Chapter 16 - Part 1

Ghost looked around quickly for Ivy when he saw Valeria fall to the floor, grabbing her stomach and yelling out in pain. He rushed to Valeria and kneeled beside her as his voice yelled and echoed throughout the house, "GET DOWN! ALEJANDRO, RUDY!" He grabbed Valeria as he looked around and dragged her back into the kitchen, her body leaving a scarlet trail on the floor. "Where are you hit?!" Valeria spoke through groans, "My stomach." She lifted her hands, causing the red spot on her torso to spread. There were loud shots flying through the air, causing the walls to explode around them and more glass spraying the house. Ghost yelled for Alejandro again before he appeared at the kitchen door with fear smeared across his face, "Valeria!" He shouted as he dropped to the floor and pulled himself next to her, placing his hand over hers. "Keep pressure on it!" Ghost crawled quickly to the living room where he saw splinters and glass flying around him from bullets that flew through the air. He saw Price covering Ivy as they crouched behind the couch. He didn't see Soap or Gaz and yelled for Rudy once more. As he got closer to Ivy and Price, he noticed Ivy's arm was scarlet. Grabbing her from Price he pulled her towards him as Price yelled, "Get her somewhere safe and get your ass back here!" Ghost nodded quickly. Feeling her arm, he saw she was grazed pretty deeply, but not fatally injured. He put his face next to her ear and shouted, "Follow me and don't stand up!" Ivy nodded her head as tears streamed down her face. He led Ivy to the bathroom and made her sit in the bathtub. Handing her his pistol, he shouted again, "Shoot anyone you don't know!" he left the bathroom by slamming the door and covered his head as he ran to back to his room for his gun. Getting to his room he saw Soap had already been loading his. "Where's Gaz and Rudy?" he asked Soap, his voice full of panic. "Gaz is getting his gun. I don't know where Rudy is." "Fuck! Valeria's hit pretty badly." As he finished loading his gun and grabbing another for Price, Soap and Ghost quickly and stealthily made their way to the living room. Ghost and Soap positioned themselves by the windows. After throwing a gun to Price, Ghost and Soap ducked down until they waited for the gunshots to slow down, signaling whoever was firing at them were reloading. They returned fire as they scanned the tree lines for hostiles. Price was at the front door doing the same, hiding behind the arch of the door. Once they were spotted, Price, Ghost and Soap shot them down. Ghost looked into the kitchen as he reloaded, trying to assess the situation with Valeria. The pool of blood around her was getting bigger, and her movements were slower. "RUDY!" He shouted one last time as he appeared from upstairs and rushed into the kitchen with Valeria and Alejandro.

Rudy's POV

Hearing gunshots, Rudy hit the floor. Crawling on the floor to the stairs, he heard shouting. Trying to safely make it down the stairs seemed impossible. Covering his head as he ran down the stairs, he was met with the sight of Alejandro kneeling over Valeria who was on the floor covered in blood. His eyes went wide as he rushed to her side. Pushing Alejandro off of Valeria, he yelled, "Go help them! I'll take care of her." Rudy replaced Alejandro's that was pushing on her wound. Before leaving her, Alejandro kissed her forehead, "se fuerte mi amor." Valeria blinked quickly, trying to catch her breath. Valeria's color in her face was fading, and her breathing was scattered. Ripping off his jacket, he pressed it against her trying to get the bleeding to stop.

Alejandro's POV

Alejandro ran to his room to grab his gun to return fire at whoever was outside. Rage filled him as he ran upstairs to position himself in the big window above the stairs. Returning fire, Alejandro's mind was on Valeria. His heart ached at the thought of losing her.

They served together before she made the mistake of choosing to kill a Las Almas Cartel lord and took his place. He was devastated she chose that path instead of staying with him. After she left, he was a cold man with a wall that no one was able to break through. Throughout the years, Valeria was the only thing he consistently thought about. When Price came to him to say that Valeria needed help, he was hesitant to trust her again, but she proved her loyalty. It took a while, but he began to let her through his wall. As time passed, they became inseparable just as they did when they served together. Always arguing and avoiding their feelings for each other. One day, Alejandro got too drunk and confessed to her. Her reaction wasn't rejection but more of "it's better we don't"; no matter how badly she wanted to. She said she didn't deserve him just as she thought she didn't deserve the forgiveness he gave her when she joined Ghost Team. They had a few slip ups here and there, small drunken kisses and getting too intimate, but they never gave in completely. Seeing Valeria covered in blood, possibly near death, changed his mind. If she pulled through he swore to himself she would be his until they were both buried. And if she didn't, he'd be alone forever... She was all he wanted from the time he met her until now. He never wanted to argue with anyone else or feel anyone punch him the way she did. She was his world for a better part of his life, and if she were to be gone, his soul would go with her.

Ghost's POV

After what seemed like hours, the shooting finally stopped. Lowering their guns, Gaz, Soap, Price and Ghost searched the tree line for movement, and when there was none, Price spoke quickly, "Gaz, Soap get the fuck out there. If there's anyone still breathing, bring them back." Ghost threw his empty gun on the couch and ran to Rudy and Valeria and Alejandro appeared from upstairs. Running to her, Alejandro put his hands under her head. "Valeria, you're fine, you're okay. I'm here." His voice was shaky, and a tear fell from his left eye. "Price, go get the med kit from upstairs." Rudy demanded as he still held pressure to the wound. Price ran up to retrieve the kit and made it back downstairs quickly. Price opened the kit, handing Rudy gauze and a clotting agent. As Rudy sprinkled the agent over the wound, his hands were shaking and bloody.

Rudy and Alejandro tended to Valeria, whose face was turning pale from blood loss. Rudy shouted, "We have to get her to a hospital." "We don't have time, do it now, Rudy!" Alejandro begged as more tears fell from his eyes.

Rudy sighed and quickly continued to work on Valeria, grabbing scissors and forceps from Price. He struggled to get the bleeding to stop every time it started again. As Rudy tried, Valeria would yell out in pain and try to move but she was held down by Alejandro and Price.

After a few minutes of trying to stop the bleeding well enough to transport her, Valeria slowly stopped fighting, and went limp. "Rudy she's unconscious!" Alejandro yelled as he dropped to the floor again, grabbing Valeria's hand and tried to wake her. Rudy checked her pulse but felt nothing. "Valeria, wake up!" Alejandro shook her hand quickly but there was no response from her. Rudy dropped the tools he was holding and told everyone to get back. He started to perform CPR on Valeria quickly as Alejandro stood up and put his hands on his head as he watched. With the wound so severe it was nearly pointless to perform CPR, but Rudy needed to try. He performed CPR for a while, until he gave up, exhausted and tears soaking his face. He checked her pulse again, "lo siento hermano." He fell back onto his backside, his hands supporting him up as he began to quietly sob with his head down. Alejandro stood and stepped back as he looked at Valeria's lifeless body. The blackness behind her once, in his eyes, bright eyes. Her lips were slightly parted with an empty look on her face. The tears that were caught in Alejandro's eyes finally fell as his knees buckled beneath him. He crawled to Valeria, taking her head into his hands and held it as he rocked gently back and forth, quietly weeping. "Vuelve a mi mi amor"