Brea could hear her struggling to breathe, which brought a wave of panic surging through him as he quickly repeated the (seemingly) silly words she told him to say. He was seconds away from desperation and losing control, but everything he had been through back at Terranox kept him from losing himself to the panic and fear. If the words hadn’t worked, however…well. He wasn’t sure he would have been able to stop himself from losing it.
Shaking his head at Logan’s explanation, he managed a strained smile, his concern obvious. “Maybe you should fill me in on all these star benefits BEFORE the danger in the future,” he commented, wrapping an arm around her as relief nearly overpowered him. It was easy to get lost in the relief, to almost forget there was still a very real problem that they had no easy solution for to deal with. If Colt hadn’t spoken, his panic and desperation obvious, Brea might have allowed himself to get lost for longer than he should have all things considered. After reassuring Colt that it would be okay, he wouldn’t hurt her (though he refrained from adding that at this point she was already so badly hurt it likely wouldn’t matter), Brea turned back to Logan. He just needed to help her to her feet and then they could help Corey.
“I’m not really sure that’s a good idea, babe. You’re not exactly in top shape and it could really hurt you,” he cautioned, not sure this was a battle he was going to win. He didn’t notice Corey shifting as Colt hovered in front of her debating whether or not he should touch her, her good eye fluttering open as she heard his voice. “Colt,” she whispered, unable to do more than that. A rattling cough shook through her, and she tried to shake her head. “I’m sorry.” The rasp in her voice was weak, and the blood that came from her mouth was a clear indication that things were more severe than anyone might have realized. “I love you,” she managed, though it was more like an exhale as her eyes closed and her chest stilled. While her pulse was still there, a fact illustrated by the blood continuing to drip into the buckets, the slowness showed just how faint it was. Corey was definitely not breathing, however, not for several excruciatingly long moments. It wasn’t until he continued to plead with her, his touch growing more desperate, that a shaky gasp escaped her. As if she’d been pulled from underwater, or in this case the brink of oblivion, by some unseen force. Her eyes didn’t open, however, but at least the slow rise and fall of her chest had resumed in staggered and uneven rhythm.
Brea had caught Logan against his chest as this went on, and he shook his head at her. “Here,” he said, lifting her up into his arms without preamble. “This will be easier,” he added, starting to carry her over to the other two. He knew Logan wouldn’t allow herself to be looked at until Corey was saved, so he didn’t even bother trying.