Dead Team Leader - Medics POV
Team leader had always been a self-sacrificial, stoic idiot who would go to any length to protect their team, but no one had expected them to go this far.
***
As the rain poured over a canopy of black umbrellas, forming a relief from the storm, Medic sat with her hands folded in her lap in order to keep them from shaking.
She blamed herself - of course. Who the hell wouldn't?
It was her responsibility to look after the team, be sure that they didn't come to any harm and to patch them right up and send them on their way with a (half joking, half serious) warning to never let it happen again when they were inevitably injured.
Predictably, however, they would always come crawling back with the same shit-eating grins and half-assed apologies to be stitched up and sent back out again. At least, that's how it usually went.
That night had been different, though.
Oh, so different.
As medic sat in a stupor of self loathing and blame, she felt a hand suddenly slither across her things and squeeze reassuringly before rubbing across her leg gently in order to ground her.
She knew what Rogue was trying to say with that one simple act - it's not her to be blamed, she did everything that she could, there was no hope from the start to save them.
Comforting? Yes.
True? Not so much.
That bullet had been meant for her. The mission was a rescue operation for her sake. She had failed to save team leader. She should've been the one that died - not him, not Rouge, not Right hand. Her.
However painful that may be, nothing could change that fact.
A ripple of unenthusiastic, depressive applause passed over the service as Right hand stepped down from the podium and headed back to her seat next to medic.
Finally, Funeral Director took over the stand and started an impersonal speech about the most basic of things about team leader like how they were selfless, and always put others first, and gentle to everyone around them (the last of which warranted a snort from Rogue, despite the bleak situation).
And just like that it was over.
The coffin lowered into the ground - Team Leaders remains inside - the congregation of people dividing to their respective cars or alternative modes of transportation and Medic, Rogue and Right hand stood in front of the freshly dug grave.
Sobbing, shaking, staring.
