How to Love the Stars | Ghost (Simon Riley)

Scrapped Chapter

A/N: Hey everybody! So, I wrote this short chapter a while ago as an ending and was planning to use it, but I decided to change the story's path. However, I loved how this one was written, and I thought it would be a shame if it never left my Google Docs drafts, so I'm going to leave it here. I hope you like it! (btw, I wrote this as a first kiss so this was a while ago. I hope you like it!)

ALTERNATE ENDING:

Ghost groaned, pressing a hand to his abdomen, and his hand came back soaked in blood. Althea's eyes widened. He tried to get up, but Althea pressed him back down. Her brain was simply refusing to process what was happening in front of her. Had he really... taken a bullet for her?

"No. No, no, no, no, no." Althea's breathing quickened, panic underlining each of her words. "You fucking idiot." Her voice was soft. Her whole world shattered in an instant as she realized the gravity of the situation. Panic and despair clawed at her chest, threatening to consume her, but she fought against it with every fiber of her being. She fumbled for her radio, speaking into it with urgency and desperation. 

"Actual, this is agent Althea, Bravo 6 is down. He's bleeding out-" She bit down on her hand, trying to stop the shaking. "Send a medic. Please come quick."

She dropped to her knees beside him, adrenaline coursing through her veins. Her hands trembled as she kept him still, trying desperately to apply pressure to stop the bleeding. Her dark eyes scanned the surrounding area, searching for any sign of assistance. With each passing second, the dread in her heart grew, fueling her determination to save him. Without warning, tears pooled in her eyes, big fat drops dripping down onto the ground, soaking into the grey soil. "This can't-" A sob left her throat as Ghost coughed up blood, nobody nearby to help her tend to the wound.

"This can't be happening. Stay with me. Simon! Don't leave me!" She whispered, her voice filled with desperation. "Just hold on a little longer!" Her heart clenched with every ragged breath she took, the darkness threatening to overtake her. But she refused to let him die. She couldn't lose him. The sharp smell of blood in the air only added to her panic.

She reached up and tore off his mask, trying to let him get more oxygen into his body. Gritting her teeth, Althea continued to apply pressure, her gaze on the gaping wound in his abdomen.

"Stop. Don't cry." His voice comes out as a grunt. Althea doesn't stop, tears dripping down her face and wetting his gear. He reached up and brushed his fingers against her cheek, making her finally look at him. Her eyes were so wide and glassy that he swore he could see his own reflection in them. 

Her beautiful, long hair was tousled by the wind, flew wildly around her. It reminded him of the time he had found her on that rooftop, asleep, deciding to move her to the cot. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. "I'm sorry. For everything."

"No. no. no. Don't say that." She let out a choked sob. "Please don't say that." At this moment, there's a feeling in her chest she hadn't felt in years. She felt like someone was squeezing her heart, trying to rip it out of her chest. Her own blood turned to poison as fat tears rolled down her cheeks. "We're going to get through this. Promise me you won't give up. Please. Please."

He laughed; a beautiful sound amidst all this chaos. His laugh was like hearing wind chimes on a breezy day. It was feeling the sun on her face and listening to the bright songs of birds. It twisted her heart, breaking it into a million pieces that she would never be able to fix. She felt regret for not being able to hear that sound enough. "Althea. Don't make me make another promise I can't keep."

She touched the hand that he had on her face, pressing it against her mouth. Tears were now flowing uncontrollably from her eyes. "Just wait a little while longer. The medics will be here soon. You're going to be fine!" 

She wished time would stop for a moment, that they could stay like this forever, and he could stay here with her. Her voice came out as a desperate whisper. "Don't leave me. I'll hate you forever if you leave me here." 

But she couldn't do anything as he closed his eyes, the life slowly seeping from his body. She couldn't do anything when the medics came and took him away. She couldn't do anything when the medics wrestled her out of the car, away from his side. He was the only ray of light in her life. He was everything to her. He was the moon, the sky, the stars. Her voice dropped to a whisper as she stood there, amidst all the destruction and wreckage. "I love you."

She thought of Missy, back at the base, waiting for him to come back. She thought of the rooms at the base, now with one empty. She thought of going home to Belgium, or even going on another mission without him. She thought most of the sky, which would now never look the same again, now that he wasn't there to watch it with her. She thought of the universe laughing at her, talking amongst each other about the stupid human who thought she could deserve someone like him. 

He must have loved her truly deeply, and truly very much to go to his grave without telling her how he truly felt, just for her benefit. But I know he would have been glad to hear those words. He would have been very glad to witness her kissing him before the medics took him away, the warmth already seeping from his body. I just know he would have loved it.

A/N again: You should thank me that I changed the ending. You really dodged a bullet there (haha get it? I'm so funny please laugh) but fr though I have to resist the urge to just kill them off and write the most gut-wrenching depression-inducing ending ever. But for real though, I hope you liked this chapter! AGAIN, THIS IS NOT THE REAL ENDING, but it could have been! Tell me what you think of this, if I should have kept it or changed it. Have a wonderful day/night everyone!