Uncharted: Assassin's Heart

Resuscitation

They made it, they'd made it out alive. They were safe. Sam began laughing at how manic the situation had felt and sounded, but they were okay and they were together.

Finally ashore he looked to Cassius who also had a smile on his face mirroring his father's.

"We did it," Sam stated, touching the boy's shoulder. "Caeli we..." he trailed off as he looked over his shoulder for her but didn't see her brown hair. He searched the water but saw nothing, looked around the land they had pulled themselves onto and saw no evidence of her.

"Shit."

He realised then how tired she was, how exhausted Caeli was. Back on the ship, her eyes had been closing far too often, her hands absentmindedly touching anything solid around her to ground herself as her head must have been spinning...

Without a second thought, he jumped back into the water, looking for anything that could resemble a drowning human being beneath the surface. He came up to breath before ducking underneath again and saw a sinking shadow.

It was her.

He immediately began swimming towards her and linked his arms around her body, pulling her back to the surface. He swam sidestroke, pulling her along with him before Cassius helped pull her onto land. Once she was out of the water Sam jumped into action, listening to her chest for a heartbeat and finding none.

"You aren't dying on me, alright." He told her, opening her mouth before he locked his mouth onto hers, breathing into her in hopes he had reached her in time. He began chest compressions, counting to thirty before repeating rescue breaths.

Give her a reason.

A familiar voice echoed in his ears as he began compressions again.

"Mum?" He asked, Cassius looked at him in complete confusion but let it go. He would ask later.

Her body gave up on her, but her soul, who she is, found that as long as you and Cassius were safe that she didn't have to push on anymore. She doesn't just need CPR, she needs a reason to live.

There was no doubt that it was Cassandra Morgan that was speaking to him, he smiled a painful smile as he finished chest compressions and tried more rescue breaths.

"Fine, Caeli, you want a reason to live, I'll give you one. Hell, I'll give you a hundred if I had the time." He told her, beginning compressions once more. "But I'll start with some basic knowledge, this won't be the last time any of us are in danger and we'll need you. You have a son who needs you, a whole family that will kill me if you die on my watch if I don't get to myself first." He paused to give her more breaths, then went back to compressions.

"You want a reason to live, how about realising the fact that it's not fucking fair if you die on me. I did not get you back for just this hunt, okay? That's not fair on me, and it's not fair on Cassius either." Rescue breaths. Compressions. "Your son has had you for a fucking day and you decide it's okay to give up, no, not on my watch, Caeli Porter." Rescue breaths. Compressions.

"You want one more reason because those weren't good enough. Here's a really simple one... remember what you said to me during that fucking argument at Panama? You said you need me, well guess what Porter, I need you too." Rescue breaths. Compressions. "If you aren't here with me I won't be able to cope. You are the one thing I cannot live without, Caeli, and if I lose you I don't know what the hell I'm going to do."

Rescue breaths. Chest compressions.

"I need you, God damn it!"

Coughing.