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Dead Men Walking
Topic Started: Nov 28 2014, 02:20 AM (71,012 Views)
DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Annie nodded back thoughtfully, taking in the information. It all reinforced what she already suspected.

“It sounds like she has a pneumothorax at the least,” Annie said. “She needs to be intubated, and will need to immediately undergo surgery to remove the bullets, if possible, and to repair the damaged lung -- or whatever else was injured.”

“And you’re a surgeon?” asked the Hispanic guy at the door. He managed to sound half-hopeful and half-skeptical.

“I’m a pediatrician,” Annie responded bluntly. “But I’ll have to do.”

She left unsaid that she had never done anything quite like this before. The closest she had come was seeing videos at school and then most recently at a conference in Phoenix. She also left unsaid that they were fortunate that one of the community’s supply runs had recently produced the necessary equipment. She had just enough bedside manner to know they probably weren’t in the mood to hear that any part of this was fortunate.

“Ajay, there’s a ventilator machine in the other exam room. Bring that, a laryngoscope and an endotracheal tube to start,” she said, turning to look her assistant in the eye. “And get ready for a long night.”

She turned back to the others – the blonde man, the bald one, and the composed older woman.

“One more question,” she added, knowing it would be important later. “Do you know if she has any allergies or pre-existing illnesses?”
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Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
"Absolutely." Ajay was gone in a flash to retrieve the necessary equipment.

Glenda frowned; she passed it off well, but it seemed the doctor wasn't experienced in this type of surgery. At least she didn't know any pediatricians that had done this. But she was better than anything else they had right now. She just had to steel herself and hope for the best.

Hope. Not something she usually let herself fall victim too. But whether or not Glenda had ever mentioned it, Willow was like a daughter to her now. She had to hope that she would pull through this.

"None that I am aware of." Glenda simply told the doctor.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
“Okay,” Annie said. “We’ll need the room. You can wait outside, or someone will come and get you if there’s anything to report.”

She braced herself for an objection. She wasn’t a surgeon but she had spent enough time in hospital settings to know that some loved ones had a problem with that.

The guy at the door looked like he wanted to protest, for example – but he refrained. Instead, he stood up straight and stared a hole through her head.

“Save our friend,” he said seriously, then turned around and walked out of view.

Again, Annie didn’t know if he was being menacing intentionally. The edge in his voice was undeniable, however, even if Annie was able to suppress an outward reaction. Staying cool was one of her specialties. It helped with the job.
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Strompy
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For some reason leaving Willow in the hands of people who could save her was harder than anything about the situation so far. Why did he feel a desire to stay? He'd only prove an obstacle to the people who were actually doing something. If Willow did die, why would he want to see it? He didn't say anything but his exit wasn't exactly brusque.

He seated himself outside and like the doctor had said, got ready for a long night.
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Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
"Thank you." Glenda nodded to the doctor one last time.

She had known this part was coming so she was ready. Glenda knew that she would only get in the way and that leaving was best for everyone. It didn't make it any easier, but it was hard to be mad at the best outcome. As soon as it was clear Brandon would put up no object, Glenda turned to leave.

"And don't worry about Eli. He always looks like that." Glenda decided to apologize for Eli before leaving the office and joining Brandon outside, where he sat in the parking lot.

"How does it look?" Randall appeared after a minute or two.

"Did Geraldine leave us on our own?" Glenda answered a question with a question.

"Yeah, she did. But she doesn't want us loitering around too much after the lights go off. She said that 'new faces might give everyone a scare before proper introductions'. I always used to hate politicians, but she tries to cover all her bases. Gotta respect that at least." Randall rambled a little more than he had probably intended.

It didn't take a rocket scientist for Glenda to figure out he was worried too.

"Everyone else started splitting themselves between our two new temp homes here. Enjoying warm water and everything. But I... I'm worried about her. I used to think she was worthless back when I first met her at Mount Kisco. Another body to carry around, so to speak. But she's really proven me wrong. I wish I had told her that. I don't want more deaths on my hands."

"Well, it's too late to go in there now and tell her now." Glenda informed Randall. "The doctor needs her space to work now. She says she will send someone for us if anything happens."

"Then why are you both sitting out here?"

Glenda shot Randall a look that said 'really?'.

"Ask a stupid question, I suppose..." Randall ran a hand across his head. "Look, wanna go back and get cleaned up? If we don't hear anything during the night, we can make a trip over here first thing in the morning. Even before Geraldine shows up."
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Jeff stuck around the entrance a little longer than the others, just taking the atmosphere in. He had spent so long in the squalor of Mount Kisco’s country club that he had grown accustomed to it. For weeks now, he was sure that was the best he could look forward to. This place – this was a revelation.

Jeez, maybe the world’s gonna go on after all. He felt guilty about the smile that slowly crept onto his face. Willow better be around to enjoy it too.

He resolved not to be the one to look the gift horse too closely in the mouth, and moved to follow in Maxwell and Julie’s footsteps once Randall had finished speaking with Geraldine. A few paces into his journey, though, he looked back and saw Emmett frozen in place. His face was the usual contradiction – soft eyes behind a flinty gaze – only more so. He seemed uncomfortable.

Jeff bit his lip. Should I say something? Dude did pull our ass outta the fire a couple times today.

“Y’okay, big guy?” he asked, going for it.

Emmett’s gaze settled on him, betraying just a hint of surprise at the concern. “Yes,” he said. “Just… surprised.”

“You an’ me both,” Jeff sympathized. “But these guys seem okay. An oasis in a desert of assholes, I’d say.”

“Maybe,” Emmett responded, breaking eye contact to stare at a house-light in the distance. “I don’t know.”

“Yeah, well – I’m gonna go claim a bed. I think you should too, you definitely earned it.”

“I’ll… catch up,” Emmett responded slowly, glancing back to Jeff.

He looked… appreciative, maybe? Guy could be hard to read sometimes. Jeff gave him one last awkward smile, then headed off. Behind him, he noticed Emmett heading off too, but in a totally different direction. In his all-black outfit, he quickly faded into the shadows.

* * *

Eli was a bundle of nerves and conflicting emotions as he approached the pair of houses on the corner, the ones Geraldine had marked as theirs for the night. Jeff was waiting outside, surveying both of them with a disbelieving smile on his face.

“Julie pick one already?” Eli interrupted his reverie. In the moment, he wasn’t even sure why he was asking.

“Sure, she and Maxwell,” Jeff looked back and responded, pointing to the house on the right.

“Thanks,” Eli said. He went with that one too.

“Is Willow gonna be okay?” Jeff called after him as he walked.

“She’s with a doctor now,” Eli said. “I hope so.”

“Yeah,” Jeff said softly. Just before Eli was through the door, he called out one last thing. “Crazy goddamn day, right?”

“You could say that,” Eli answered without looking back.

Inside, his surprise and confusion intensified. There were lights on. There was a shower running. This was a house – and there's no chance of a rotter jumping out at you. The surreal feeling Eli was getting wasn’t going away.

“Julie?” Eli called out as he started exploring the home. He wondered if it was her in the shower.

It wasn’t. He found her in one of the bedrooms, presumably she was claiming it as her own.

“Hey,” he said from the doorframe, getting her attention. “Someone just told me it was a crazy goddamn day. I think that’s underselling it.”

* * *

When the last of the newcomers was out the door, Annie once again turned to Willow. Her skin was ghostly white. Her clothes were stained with the reddish-brown of dried blood. She was barely breathing. There was a very good chance she wouldn’t make it.

A little bit of fear and doubt escaped from the bottle, and she allowed herself to frown and her eyebrows to narrow.

Then Ajay appeared at the door, wheeling in the ventilator. She screwed the lid of the bottle back on tight, and looked up at him with forced wryness.

Ajay had told her once that he was happy doing what he was doing – relatively, at least. He said he was glad he was a medical student and not a carpenter, because he didn’t want to work outside the walls. On a night like this, she wondered if he was feeling differently.

She gestured with her fingers for him to close the door behind him. They had worked together long enough that he understood, and he did it.

“Still glad you never learned how to swing a hammer?” she asked.
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Strompy
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Warm water. Now that was a thought. Brandon looked down at himself. His hands were filthy with dirt and blood. His face probably wasn't much better. Before he'd thought about getting himself cleaned up once they arrived, now he just wanted to stay right there even as it was getting uncomfortably cold.

It didn't make sense having a shower just then though. He'd wash off all the clotted blood from his scalp and that would just mean he'd bleed all over himself again without somebody to stitch it up. It was cold outside though so he made his way to where they'd be staying without saying a word. His jacket was still on the ground from when when they moved Willow. Brandon collected it and walked inside.

Somebody was already using the shower when he got there anyway, so he couldn't so much as wash his hands or face. That was fine. Being filthy wasn't unusual anymore. He opened the linen closet and grabbed a thick blanket. With that in hand he left the house, and went straight back the way he came. That night he would stay right there outside the clinic, right next to the door. It felt like the right place to be, he wouldn't have been able to sleep much anyway. He could have made himself more comfortable in the waiting area inside, but quite contrary to his desire to remain close he somehow also couldn't bring himself to go in and listen as they operated. Ambivalence was going to gaurantee another sleepless night, he thought.

That thought was proven wrong soon after as he finally succumbed to exhaustion.

...

Julie raised an eyebrow at Eli and a wry little smile came on. Wordlessly she sauntered over and kissed him. It was a short and innocent.

"That is for what you did today. You're a good person." she explained.

When Emmett had Kelsey and her there was every reason to believe he could have killed them. After the revelation that Eli had killed his brother, there was no reason to think he wouldn't kill Eli. Even so he'd given himself up to save them, essentially sacrificing himself. After only a second she pulled him to her by his shirt, kissing him again nowhere near as short or innocently.

"That is because it's been a really crazy goddamn day."

She heard the bathroom door open and watched as Max came out. She turned away from Eli and picked her towel up off the bed.

"If you want to help me make some sense of it you're going tohave to wait until we've both had a shower." she said walking past him.

"We could save some time there though." she called out from the door as she opened it.

She left the door open a crack invitingly and began undressing where Eli could see.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Eli blinked – it was a long blink, lasting seconds. When he opened his eyes, he saw Julie in the crack between the door. He exhaled.

In his mind, he had to concede this was what he was hoping for. A release. An opportunity to let go of all his conflicting feelings, even if just for a little while. A chance to feel normal at a time when normal seemed weird as hell.

And if he was being honest, he was also after forgiveness. He had gotten it from Emmett – or at least an approximation of it – but his actions had also had adverse consequences for Julie and Kelsey. And this felt like an awful lot like being forgiven.

He started unbuttoning his shirt as he followed Julie inside.
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Strompy
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Hot water!

No wonder Maxwell took his time. It was incredible. Adding another warm body with another set of very busy hands into the mix made it one of the best experiences Julie had had in a very long time. Another up was that that warm body happened to be one of the most gorgeous she'd had. She almost forgot about anyone else who might want to use the shower.

Despite their distracting antics they did manage to get themselves, or each other, clean. Miraculously they were done with the shower while they still had light also despite their antics and understandable indulgence. They dressed themselves just enough to keep their modesty and made a beeline for the bedroom to finish what they started.

"Fuuuuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Julie let out louder than she intended, this time Eli clapped a hand over her mouth.

Sex with the lights on, strangely kinky lately. Afterward Julie lay face up and panting, very pleased with the experience. The lights went out.

"Haha... timing." she observed breathlessly.

She was warm, comforted and lying next to someone.

Outside Brandon was huddled stubbornly against the cold.
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Is that so?
Ajay gave Annie a dry smile.

"A long night in the walls is better than a long night outside them." He replied and he pushed the necessary equipment beside the unconscious Willow. "Besides, I went to Med School. I'm used to all-nighters."

That last part was his attempt to lighten the mood a little. Annie looked heavy with this. Admittedly, he did too. It was enough that some new people found their way into the walls through Ms. Blackwell's good graces, but they bring in a woman who should, by all rights, be already dead. Four gunshot wounds like this would normally be fatal; she was either very tough or very lucky. Being just tough or just lucky wouldn't be enough to pull through the night though. She would need both. Annie was a miracle worker, he had seen it himself. For a pediatrician, she had adapted to this situation like few others could. She was an amazing doctor. And when he had learned about what she had endured in her personal life as well, he only grew to respect her more. How she managed to keep herself together as she did was something Ajay could never figure out.

"Don't worry." Ajay tried to reassure her. "We're gonna do everything we can for this woman."

**********

With Maxwell, Julie, Brandon, and Eli in one house, it was starting to look a little cramped. Randall, with Glenda and Kelsey in tow, went for the other house. As he opened the door front door, Randall paused. He slammed his fist on the door several times, waiting for the rotters to come shambling out of the bedrooms or, at the very least, hear their moans. But there was nothing. It was quiet.

He flipped the light switch, and the living room before him was illuminated. He felt stupid, but it was hard to wipe the grin off his face from just this simple experience.

"This is the first time I've seen a grown man so amused by a light switch." Glenda strode past him and teased gently. "First dibs on the shower."

They probably had about an hour of electricity left.

"Don't take too long. Leave some hot water for the rest of us." Randall was quick to follow up.

"No promises." She called back.

A few seconds later, Randall heard the swinging of a door close. Apparently she had found it. After more than a month of no electricity and no running water, this place... this place was something else. It was like a new home. When the shower turned on, he could hear the sound of water rushing through the pipes in the house. He never thought he would hear such an amazing sound again.

"I like it here." Kelsey mentioned.

"I... I think I do, too."

How could a place like this exist untouched by the assholes of the world for so long? And if this one existed... did that mean others did as well? Was this the future of humanity? For confirmation, Randall headed to the small kitchen and immediately started opening up the cupboards and drawers. Silverware. Plates. Dishes. Food! Even if the fridge was, understandably so, empty, just being able to see a pantry filled with food was amazing. Hell, they even had some cereal left. He didn't even care about not having milk at this point.

Immediately his mind shifted to logistics. To make this happen, their scavenging crew must have been busy. But with a community this size and their kind of resources, they probably had more than a few cars to use. Their hauls, especially next to a big city like Flint, could probably be impressive. In fact, the more Randall thought about it, the more he realized that Flint, of all places, was the perfect location for a community like this. The former car capital of the United States, despite having no jobs, had plenty of scrap metal and gasoline. Those would be the two big things that made this community possible. Or at least it made the walls and the generators possible. He actually found himself looking forward to see how Geraldine organized the workforce here. He wanted to know how she did all of this. Regardless, it was impressive to say the least.

A small sliver of doubt in the back of his mind made him realize that not everyone would probably want to leave this place. He didn't want to leave it already.

"Dad!" Kelsey came running into the kitchen. "They have a GameCube! Wanna play some games!?"

"Sorry, Kels. I don't think I'd be too good at that right now." He unconsciously looked down at his hand.

"O-oh... right... sorry..." Kelsey looked at the ground, obviously embarrassed.

"How about you ask Glenda when she gets out of the shower? I bet she'd love to play some games with you." Randall leaned in closer to her, as if there was a chance of Glenda hearing this conversation to begin with. "I bet you could kick her butt, too."

Kelsey grinned and ran off.

"Just don't forget that you have to shower too!" He called out to her.

**********

His suit had been filthy. It was kind of difficult to realize just how terrible one set of clothes looked while you were still wearing it. Or while you were as dirty as the suit itself. Maxwell hadn't been able to take a super hot shower, that would have burned at his injured leg too much, but he had wanted to. Now, inside of a small child's bedroom he had claimed for himself, and after changing into casual attire for the first time since the zombie apocalypse, as he had dubbed it, he laid on the bed. A collared shirt and jeans was casual attire to Maxwell. The bed was too small to accommodate his taller frame. But he didn't particularly care. He had the light on after taking a warm shower.

He reached into his bag and withdrew his notebook and pen. While he was alone, he figured he might as well write down a few thoughts of his. It was a good way for him to unwind before going to sleep. The first words he wrote down:

Water. Electricity. Awesome.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Annie wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her wrist. It was a cold night in Michigan, and the clinic did not have working heat, but she was boiling from the effort and stress both physical and mental.

Willow’s body lay before her, staring up at the ceiling through closed eyes. She and the room were a mess. In cutting Willow open, Annie had gotten blood – and other body fluids – all over her own gown, the table, and even the floor. Willow’s own clothes, meanwhile, had been stripped and placed in a bundle in the waiting room, replaced by one of the clinic’s precious few surgery gowns.

Willow’s was paler and her skin glistened with sweat despite the cold. But she was still breathing – which was an amazing victory. Annie couldn’t help but feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment, even as her patient’s future was still so uncertain.

There was still an endotracheal tube protruding from her mouth, for example, and the ventilator was still blowing oxygen into her airways to keep her alive.

She was now attached to a chest tube as well – another flexible plastic through Annie had inserted through Willow’s chest wall and slipped it into the space between the chest wall and lungs. It was attached to a suction device, and was evacuating air and any residual blood or body fluids from the chest cavity. The whole thing was hung from a hangar by the surgery table, and was a very recent addition to the clinic’s repertoire. Jimmy and the other supply runners had brought a truck-load of recovered items from the Hurley Medical Center just earlier this week, and it was among them.

And it was the least of her problems, but Willow also had a cut between two of her ribs, going from the front of her chest wall to the back, passing just underneath her armpit. It was stitched up tight now, but it would almost certainly leave a scar – maybe permanently.

The important thing was she was breathing. She had pulled through, somehow. If she could survive Annie’s inexpert surgery, she might just be able to keep surviving. Might. That was more than she had any realistic right to, given the condition she came in.

She had some other injuries too – but those were trivial, comparatively. Annie never thought removing a bullet from a person’s abdomen would be the simple part of a night’s work, but there it was, an excised slug in a metal tray next to the two slugs recovered from the lungs. Those two were the hard ones. A portion of the patient’s lung had to be removed with them.

The skin around the abdomen wound was slightly inflamed, but antibiotics would take care of that. And the leg wound might as well have been child’s play, given her other problems. That bullet had gone all the way through, missing any important tendons. All Annie and Ajay had to do was remove and redo the stitches that were already there.

Now it was a matter of waiting and seeing. In Annie’s experience, Willow would wake up or she would… do the opposite. It was still possible that she had just lost too much blood. Or any number of complications could arise in an instant, ending her before Annie could intervene. Life had always been like that. In this new world, it was like that even moreso.

Annie was considering how much of that to tell her friends as she peeled off her plastic gloves and undid her mask. Darkly, she was thankful that at least she could no longer be sued for saying the wrong thing.

“You did well,” Annie complimented Ajay without prompting. “And now we’ve done all we can. You should go home, get some rest. Get someone else – Jen, maybe – to come here and keep an eye on her, and come get me when she wakes up.”

When. That was uncharacteristically optimistic of her, given the professional company she was in.

“And while they’re here, get them to clean up,” Annie added, eyeing the mess once again. Her mind was already drifting to the future. She’d need to treat other patients in this room. “They might need a couple people, actually.”

She paused, and then gave Ajay a tired smile. She took a deep breath as she rose from her seat.

“I’ll see if the boyfriend’s still outside,” she said. “Give him the news.”

Over the course of the surgery – which lasted an exhausting six hours, according to the clock in the waiting room – she and Ajay had been in and out, retrieving and removing supplies. They had caught glimpses of that young blonde guy out there in the cold, wrapped in a blanket. He clearly had something of a self-flagellation thing going.

Annie removed her scrubs and replaced them with her white coat before exiting the lobby. She buried her pants in the pockets as she turned and addressed the blonde newcomer, who was waiting exactly where she last saw him. To the east, the sun had started to appear on the horizon.

“She’s still alive,” she jumped right into it, fighting through her tiredness. “The surgery went well.” She wanted to say surprisingly well but refrained. “We successfully removed the bullets, and we have a thoracotomy tube in place to keep the lung inflated. We’ll know more when she wakes up.”

Normally, she would have left it that. Maybe it was because her exhaustion had lowered her defences – or maybe she just felt sorry for the kid, having waited so long in the cold – but she decided to add one more thing.

“I can’t promise anything… but it’s good news.”
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Strompy
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Even exhausted as he was hyper-vigilance proved a harder habit to shake than to pick up. He had been stirring every now and then through the night at every little noise. The door opening woke him yet again. The doctor stood their and addressed him with good news. Achingly he git to his feet, legs stiff from keeping his huddled position and his head and abdomen causing as much discomfort as ever. He listened with restrained optimism as the doctor explained Willow's condition.

As soon as she finished Brandon felt light-headed with relief. He had to keep one arm on the wall for support. Cold, tired, relieved and profoundly grateful. He wanted to kiss her, he didn't imagine that would be welcome. Instead he opted for something a little more traditional.

"Thank you." he said groggily, wishing there were something more powerful he could say to convey that immense gratitude.

He would find a way show her later, for now he needed to see Willow.

"Is it okay if I see her?" he asked, his voice heavy with weariness.
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Every muscle in Ajay's body felt stiff and sore from the long night. Partially from his lack of sleep and partially from how tense he had been during the whole operation. He had seen procedures like that before; but this one had been particularly bad. A patient with multiple torso gunshots that must have been almost five hours old; all while he and Annie had no sleep. It sounded like one of those med school horror stories that his friends would pass around. Of course, the dead coming back to life and walking again trumped all of that. But still, the early signs of success were promising and lightened his heart. Even while he still smelt of blood and every bodily fluid imaginable. But there was one thing he had to do before he could go home and collapse.

He rapped his hand against a door.

He waited for a few long minutes; enough time for her to get out of bed. When the door finally opened, Ajay was looking into the tired eyes of none other than Candice, wearing a set of flannel pajamas.

"So, you really are back in town?" Ajay managed a smirk. "Look, I know you had a long day yesterday, but we really need a hand at the clinic today. Like now, actually."

Candice had been an occasional helper down there. She had been a nurse before hell broke loose, so she knew a lot of the general rules and regulations in running a clinic. She knew what she could and could not do. It seemed like a simple requirement, but Ajay had quickly learned that it was not as simple as he had been led to believe.

"Seriously?" She groaned.

"I know, I'm sorry. That woman you brought in yesterday though, Willow... She made it through the worst part and Annie seems to think she's gonna pull through. But we are both exhausted. We just need someone to keep an eye on her for a while. Nothing too hard, I promise."

Candice let out a long, tired sigh. "Okay, okay. I'll go get dressed into something proper and let Marcus know what's going on."

"Great! Great, thank you. I really appreciate it." Ajay wanted to hug the woman in gratitude, but refrained himself. "Also, uhh... if you could, I would also really appreciate it if you cleaned up a little bit."

"Of course there would be a catch." Candice replied. "I'll wake up Jennifer or Rosemary. Have one of them help me."

"You miiight want both of them..." Ajay tried to sound innocent.

"Oh, Jesus. That bad, huh?" Candice seemed conceded to her fate. "Go get some rest, Ajay. I'll handle it from here. You look terrible. And you smell just as bad."

"That was harsh..." Ajay frowned as she closed the door and disappeared from sight, leaving Ajay alone in the new morning light. He sniffed himself. "Not wrong, though."
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Annie hesitated at the question. She shifted a little in place as she weighed her answer.

“You can,” she said slowly. “She’s still out, like I said, and it’s a mess in there… But it’s up to you.”

She left it at that. She knew all too well what it was like to see a loved one hooked up to machines, not knowing if they would ever wake up again. It was like having a vice on your heart. But she also knew he had to make his own decisions.

“Someone will be here soon to watch her until I get back,” she added.

She left unsaid what they needed to watch for. If she woke up, then they'd just need to get her. If she didn't... Well, then they'd have to do something different.

She gave him a nod, then walked away. Truthfully, though, she didn’t intend to be gone long. As much as she wanted it – maybe even needed it – rest wasn’t going to come easy after tonight. All she really wanted was to be there when Connor woke up. Maybe have some breakfast with him.
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Brandon went inside without hesitation. He paused a moment before entering the operatimg room, not sure what he was going to see. His heart leapt into his throat at what he saw. It was painful seeing Willow that way, even more so because of something she did for him.

He found a chair in the corner and pulled it up beside her.

"Hey you." he whispered.

The sound of the machine that helped keep Willow breathing was cold and harsh to his ears. He recalled how he'd listened to her breathing as they slept beside each other. It was a small sweet sound. He didn't like this machine, even though it kept her alive. If she would ever take another breath herself again was in God's hands.

It might have seemed strange to trust anything to God lately, but Brandon had to wonder if maybe they weren't being helped. He came to Mt Kisco. He helped save a few lives there, and was able to help people in need with the supplies. Eli found a cure. When they were attacked on the Peace Bridge, he was shot and the SUV crashed. They made it out alive though. Max's death... that wasn't a matter of chance, he was murdered. Randall, Eli and Willow managed to walk in and out of that fort to reclaim the cure. Randall got bitten then had his hand cut off, and lived. The girl's were kidnapped and Eli was practically giving up his life, but Emmett happened to spare him and then go on to aid them. Willow was shot four times, but she held on and they freakishly ran into two people who brought them somewhere safe where Willow could get help.

There were plenty of reasons to think that God was there, and helping them. Maybe they'd been chosen like the heroes of the bible. Maybe this was all a test to prove humanity's worth and God was rooting for them. It was an insane line of thought but he was just too tired to think ckearly anx the thought brought him some comfort. He decided to do something, with this private moment that he hadn't done for years.

"God. I've always been told that you're everywhere and that I just have to speak and you'll hear me. I know I shouldn't ask for things, and that you've done a lot for us already, but please don't take Willow. If this is a test then I know she's passed it and deserves to rest, but we need her. Everyone needs her. You gave her a gift and she can use it to do good here. Protect people. We need her, but I want her as well. I'm probably not a favorite of yours; lustfulness displeases you and I've been lustful. You've seen how I've tried very hard to change that the last few months though, maybe you aren't sure why I want Willow here. I want her here because I'm falling in love with her. Please, please let her stay." he said with his head resting on his interlocked fingers.

He leaned back in his chair and sighed sliding his chair back. Prayer. The first recourse of the useless and the last of the powerless. Sleep came again quickly, there was no vigilance this time. If Willow turned while he slept then she'd kill him easily. He couldn't muster the effort to care.
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