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Sean sagged into Clint’s touch, shaking his head but unable to muster the energy to fight what his friend was saying. Maybe Clint was right, and all this time, all his anger, frustration, and hate was because he’d been fighting the truth. To accept that his guilt was useless to him, meant letting go of Clint completely. Letting go meant Clint was gone for good, and there was nothing more he could do.

Clint smiled. “Now...wake up.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Wake up, Sean. You’re not done yet.”

“Clint.”

“Get up, Staff Sergeant!”

The final voice was different, not Clint’s, and not spoke gently either. The command jerked him up, and he looked around wildly, even as his head lolled. He stared in wonder at the foggy faces above him, Nick with the sharpest look of concern Sean had seen in months, Matt looking terrified, Ricardo looking downright frustrated, and Aidan, who looked at him with a mixture of relief and intense focus.

“He’s alive. But we need to get him warm. Go get the kindling,” Aidan ordered over his shoulder, reaching out to hold Sean by the neck.

“Aidan?” Sean whispered.

“Yeah, it’s me. We’ve got you, Sean, hang on.”

Sean looked around. “Clint?”

“Oh shit,” Nick murmured.

Aidan glanced over his shoulder. “Probably delirious, get the wood.”

That made sense, but Aidan was holding onto his neck and one of his shoulders, so why was his cheek still warm, as though a living hand had held it only seconds before?

It was his second to last thought as the darkness swam over his vision once more. The last thought was absolute awe at the fact that they had come for him and found him. At how determined and in control Aidan looked as he kept his hold on Sean, drawing him close as he kept the team in line.

AIDAN

Bending over, he checked the blankets wrapped around Sean. They were as snug as they’d been the last time he checked, but it helped to ease the jitteriness bouncing around inside him as he waited. Between the fire and the blankets, he knew there wasn’t much more he could do to keep Sean warm. They’d all taken turns huddling close to him, using their bodies as an extra source of warmth, but Sean had stayed out cold for hours.

“What are we going to do if he doesn't wake up?” Nick asked nervously.

Aidan looked up, frowning. “He’s going to wake up.”

“But what if he doesn’t?”

Seeing Sean so vulnerable had done something to unhinge Nick, and it was a little unnerving to watch. For the first time since he’d met Nick, there was something bright and attentive in the man’s eyes, though not altogether pleasant. It reminded him of the look some soldiers got when they were back stateside, home and safe, but their minds still wandered back to a battlefield they had never quite left behind.

“Nick,” Aidan began, leveling his gaze with Nick’s.

“Yeah?”

Aidan kept eye contact. “We found him, okay? We found him before it was too late, and he’s only slightly banged up. He’s too damn stubborn for anything to happen to him. He just needs to rest now that he’s safe and warm.”

Some of the erratic energy in Nick’s eyes faded, and he nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

It wasn’t a permanent solution, but it was better than the frantic energy Aidan had seen before. Matt was keeping watch near the mouth of the cave they’d wandered into before finding Sean huddled against a wall, muttering to himself. Aidan had been so sure where Sean had fallen, but he’d been less sure what state the man would be in when they’d found him. The others seemed content to let Aidan watch over Sean while busying themselves with something else.

That was, except for Nick.

Aidan smiled at him. “Why don’t you go see if Matt needs anything?”

“Should be checking on Ricardo. He’s been out there for a bit.”

Aidan shook his head. “Ricardo is used to this kind of stuff, he knows what he’s doing. Trust him.”