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Dead Men Walking
Topic Started: Nov 28 2014, 02:20 AM (71,011 Views)
Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
On the roof of the custom's house on the U.S.-Canada border, Cory's 6'3'' frame stood like a statue. There was just enough hair on his head to prevent the sun's early morning rays from blinding anyone who saw him. His large brow was furled in confusion, but the fire in his eyes was undeniable. The events of last night flashed through his head like a nightmare.

They had been duped by a group of nobodies. Insulted. This rag tag band of survivors had lured most of their group out with such a disgustingly simple trap and then used the distraction to charge through their checkpoint. And to make matters worse, his own guys he had left behind to watch the place had gotten taken out by one man. They weren't even killed. There was no gun fight, no. His men were engaged by a man who didn't even have the stomach to kill. Humiliated and insulted were the words that Cory saw in his ind. And according to Garret, the black man and Asian from earlier were with them. He should have killed them. He thought it would be amusing to imagine them running through the city in horror, but they had bitten back.

In frustration he ground his teeth. This was not over. Not by a long shot. Once the others got back, he would make them pay.

He looked at the crumpled up piece of paper in his hand. It had been placed in the same booth that Ronald and Garret had been hogtied in. He had considered the possibility of this being an elaborate trap. But no matter how he looked at it, it made no sense for the message to be a lie. But if the contents of this paper were actually real... then they had all the reason in the world to go chase these people down. As if he needed another reason after the stunt they pulled last night. With a grimace, he looked to the west, towards his next target.

Flint, Michigan.

**********

Randall had woken up earlier than everyone else. The long month of little sleep seemed to weight everyone down in conjunction with the warm shower and safe bed. It was a luxury that none of them had seen for far too long. But Randall had left his young daughter alone in bed and made his way to the kitchen.

Dressed in a clean pair of jeans and a plain and a plain red shirt, Randall felt good. The revelation at seeing his face in the mirror last night had caused him to recoil at the barely recognizable man looking back at him, but a shave and a shower and a good night of rest had gotten him looking more like himself. A very careful shower; he had kept his amputated stub wrapped in its gauze and out of the water. Even slight temperature changes caused pain to roil up his arm, he didn't even want to think of what water would do. He made a mental note to talk to Annie about it though.

After a small amount of preparation, Randall did something he never thought he would get to experience again. He poured himself a hot cup of coffee, savored the sweet smell of it for just a few moments, and then brought the cup to his lips. The coffee was a little bland, but he didn't even care. To him, it was the best cup of coffee he'd had in his entire life, absolutely bar none. The smile he wore from ear to ear was unmistakable.

"You look like you're having the time of your life." Glenda mused as she entered the kitchen as well.

She had found herself a durable pair of jeans and purple blouse that had a bow tied on the chest. She looked... surprisingly good. With all the blood and guts wiped off her face and a nice blouse on, it really did change her image. She hardly looked like the same woman. Although judging by her cocked eyebrow, the same could probably be said of him as well. And everyone else. He found himself kind of excited to see how everyone else came out looking after a night here.

"Pour me a cup, too."

"You realize I have one hand over here, right?" Randall retorted with a sly grin.

Glenda gave him an amused look and poured the coffee herself.

"We should go see how Willow is doing." She said to him, mirroring his thoughts exactly.

"Geraldine said she would be here around 9 to show everyone around."

Randall glanced at the clock on the wall. A real life, working clock. 8:30 was the time it read.

"Well, we got 30 minutes." Randall chimed, taking another sip.

"Should we get Kelsey?" Glenda was quick to inquire.

Randall frowned. He had considered it, but... but a part of him wasn't sure what they would find over at Annie's clinic. Would she be awake and talking? Would she be hooked up to a machine, clinging to dear life still? Would she even still be alive at all? That uncertainty... although Randall had done his best not to shield her from the horrors of the world, this was something that brought him hesitation. Seeing a dead rotter was one thing. Seeing a dead friend... that was something else entirely. Randall had sent Kelsey away to see Glenda while he disposed of Elaine's body. Just so Kelsey wouldn't have to see. And now she had gone and gotten attached to Willow. As a father, he didn't want her to have to see that if it could be helped.

"No." He finally responded, but not without hesitation. "Let's see how Willow is looking first."

Glenda pursed her lips, but did not disagree. Worry was written on her face, too.

**********

Outside of Annie's house stood a man of average height. His slicked back black hair was beginning to show streaks of white, but the rest of his face did not easily show his age, even as clean shaven as he was. Today, he had brought out all the stops; he wore a gray, finely pressed three-piece suit with a red tie and carried with him two cups of freshly brewed coffee. Not the crappy stuff that they had given to everyone else in the city, but the best stuff. He had accrued it through Jimmy's last haul and was looking forward to this opportunity to use it.

Without an ounce of hesitation, Ethan Thompson walked up to Annie Berman's doorway and used his elbow to press down on the doorbell.

**********

Candice eyed Brandon as he slumbered uneasily. He'd been there for over two and a half hours already. Still, she couldn't help but smile at that level of dedication to someone. He hadn't showered; but the looks of it he had just slept outside all night. It gave her hope that there were still good people left in the world. After all the help that they had given to Marcus and herself last night, watching over their wounded seemed like a small way to pay them back.

The room was already clean. They had been able to work around Brandon and, true to Ajay's words, it had been filthy. Jen in particular had seemed a little shaken by all the blood they found, but they had gotten it done. Both of them had since returned home, leaving Candice as acting nurse.

Creeping into the room, she brushed some of Willow's pink hair out of her face and dabbed a damp towel on her, wiping up the sweat she had accumulated. As she did, however, the woman stirred ever so slightly

Oh shit!

"H-hey..." Candice whispered quietly as she gently placed the towel back on her face.

Again, she stirred. Her eyes fluttered open and Candice got the first glimpse of Willow's eyes. They were brown. For a few uncertain moments, they focused on Candice's face. She was confused. Then the confusion quickly turned into panic; a new face, in a new environment, with a breathing tube in her throat... who wouldn't panic?

"Shhh. It's okay, it's okay. You're safe." Candice whispered, she didn't want to wake up Brandon yet but pointed to him so she could see. "See, your boyfriend is here."

Willow's eyes darted over to the hunched over form sleeping beside her. They softened considerably. The panic faded. She relaxed.

"My name is Candice, and you are in our hospital right now." She explained quietly. "One second, let me get that breathing tube out. I just need you to relax for me... and..."

Candice placed both hands on the breathing tube and pulled it out as gently as she could. Willow's face scrunched up in discomfort, but the tube finally did slide all the way out. She tried to reach a hand up to clutch her throat, but the poor girl was so weak that she could barely even handle that motion.

"B-Bran... don..." Her first word came out as a quiet rasping sound.

At the same time she tried to reach out to touch him. Candice found the scene heart warming, but sad and solemn at the same time. She wakes up and the first thing she does is reach out to him. She was not proud of what she had to do next.

"Whoa there." Candice grabbed her arm as Willow tried to lean forward. "You should be dead right now. Don't push yourself. And don't breathe too deep yet."

It looks like she actually made it.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
“Is that… is that coffee?” Jeff asked before he even entered the kitchen. The smell of it was intoxicating. It was already displacing the bad memories rattling around in his head. “Boy, it’s good to be back in the ol’ US of A. Am I right?”

He marched past Glenda and Randall. They looked a little too glum, given the circumstances. He could guess why, and if he let himself go down that path, he’d be right there with them in a second. So he didn’t. He focused on the coffee, moving straight to the pot so he could pour himself a cup.

He deserved the reprieve, he figured. They all did. It had been four days since they’d hit the road from Mount Kisco, but it felt like four weeks. Yesterday alone had enough excitement to fill a lifetime.

“This – this and a cigarette, and I’d be in heaven,” he mused as he poured.

He knew he only had two cigarettes left, though. He’d been surreptitiously puffing at them every time their convoy had stopped, usually on the bathroom breaks. He’d also shared a few with Brandon. He had actually resolved to share one of these last two with him, given what he was going through over Willow.

No, depressing thought, he chastised himself. Think of something else.

He took a seat opposite Glenda, then gave Glenda an appreciative – and likely not subtle enough – once over. “You know, I saw myself in the mirror this morning and, uh, I look like a homeless person. Why hasn’t anyone told me I look like a homeless person?”

The door opened, and Jeff’s head swivelled. He was nervous for just a second, before he realized it was just Eli. Two months ago, he never would have thought seeing a big scary Hispanic-looking guy come through his front door would be a relief. The kind of stuff Jeff got up to, that kind of sight would have meant bad news.

“Hey neighbor,” Jeff raised his steaming cup after taking a sip. “Why hasn’t anyone told me I look like a homeless person?”

“You look like a homeless person,” Eli shot back dryly. “But isn’t that, like, your aesthetic? Y’know, homeless-hipster-chic?”

Hipster?” Jeff took mock offense. Mostly mock offence. “Dude, that hurts.”

Eli cracked a smile. Even he looked more relaxed than usual. The smile went away, though, when he turned to Randall and Glenda.

“We heard anything about Willow?” he asked.

* * *

Annie was biting gingerly at her toast. It would take her a while to regain her appetite after rooting around the insides of a human body. Mostly, she was staring at Connor, who was shovelling away his cereal. She was trying not to be obvious about it, but every once in a while he’d look up and catch her.

“Mom!” he chastised.

“What?” she played innocent.

“You know,” he said, and he went back to his food.

She smiled. He was oblivious, and she wanted it that way. At least, sometimes she did. After the night she just had, this was one of those times.

“I do,” she conceded. “I can’t help it. You’re just too…”

“Don’t say it!” Connor warned, looking up at her with his adorable brown eyes.

Annie broke out into a smile. “You’re too cute,” she teased.

Connor frowned, shaking his head as he picked up his spoon again. Annie’s smile widened. Then the door rang, and her smile faded. News from the clinic, she figured, and stood up.

DIIIIIIING

She answered the door before the bell finished its first ring. When she saw who it was, her frown deepened – but not for the reason she expected.

“Hi Ethan,” she said. She wrestled her lips into a tight, polite smile.
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Is that so?
"Don't worry, Jeff, Eli looked pretty homeless too." Glenda needled Eli with a smile as she took another sip of coffee.

"No news on the Willow side of things though." Randall confirmed dryly.

He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. If she woke up, they would probably be here in a heartbeat. But if something bad had happened... would they be as quick to come telling them about it? Maybe no news was good news. He simply didn't know. And that uncertainty ate at him more than anything else.

"Glenda and I were just talking about going to check up on her though. Got about thirty minutes before Geraldine gets here."

The coffee was perking him up a little bit. He probably didn't need the extra boost, he had gotten pretty adept at managing crises without it this past month. But he was by no means averse to it. After being addicted to the stuff since before he was 20, having a cup back after this long was like saying hello to a very old friend.

"I know Brandon will want to come with us, but he didn't sleep here last night. Was he with you guys?"

**********

"Good morning, Ms. Berman."

The way Ethan put the emphasis on miss proved it was no mistake. He didn't meet her eyes at first, his own gaze lingering a little too long in places that weren't her eyes. Only after did he raise his eyes to meet hers with a smile that could only be described as unnerving.

"Living alone with just a child must be difficult on you. I don't know where you find the energy for it."

Ethan didn't even wait for a response before continuing. As he did, he held his left hand out and offered her a cup of his special coffee: "Please have a cup. It'll help take the edge off. We no doubt have another busy day ahead of us, I would hate for you to meet it unprepared."
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More posts, more Busey.
Julie spread herself out on the bed and decided to just lay there a while longer now that Eli had gotten up. It was nice sleeping next to somebody and all, but now she had so much more space. A big bed all to herself.

Her stomach rumbled. Breakfast time. She stirred reluctantly. Her stomach wasn't feeling quite right, maybe breakfast could wait a little while after all. She slipped her clothes back on and made her way to the bathroom, she had to pee like crazy. She was washing her hands when a wave of nausea came out of nowhere. She made her way to the toilet in time thankfully.

She had barely eaten anything lately, what were the odds of food poisoning?

Oh shit.

A sudden anxiety filled her as another very real possibility came to mind. Julie could feel the color draining from her face as she stood up. She made her way back to the bedroom and retrieved her new toothbrush from her bag. Robotically she rinsed out her mouth and brushed her teeth. She needed to make some enquiries.
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
“That’s… kind of you,” Annie said patiently.

She didn’t know whether to accept the coffee or not. She didn’t want it, she knew that much, but she wasn’t sure how rude it would be to refuse. After an awkward beat – at least, she thought it was awkward, but Ethan seemed immune to it – she decided the path of least resistance would be to accept. So she did, and she took a quick sip.

It was good. Really good. She still wished she could just hand it back to him and close the door.

“Thank you,” she said. “I was just finishing up a quick breakfast with my son, though, and now I need to check on that girl Marcus brought in last night. It’s a busy day, like you said.”

* * *

Eli shook his head. “I didn’t see him. Emmett either.”

“Well I dunno about Grizzly Man, but Brandon – I got a guess where he’s been all night,” Jeff said from the table.

Eli didn’t respond – Jeff took to that to mean he had the same guess.
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Is that so?
The fact that Emmett hadn't shown up at all last night wasn't a surprise. He could have been sleeping in the truck. If he had slept at all. Emmett was... a strange man. Randall got the feeling he was a gentle giant at the end of the day, but he was surely one that was hard to understand.

"I doubt they let Brandon stay inside." Randall shifted his thoughts to Brandon.

Brandon would sleep outside like that. He should have gone back to check on him too, that can't have been healthy. It was starting to get pretty cold at night as winter approached, he couldn't let one of his best men freeze to death needlessly.

"I guess we'll end up checking on two people tonight."

**********

Ethan's smiled widened slightly as Annie accepted the coffee.

"Ah, yes. They caused quite the commotion last night. Geraldine wants me to help introduce them to our community and gauge their overall stability. The fact you are checking on her means that you were successful with the operation. That is good to hear! Your work as a doctor has already proven to be a strong bridge between us and this new group."

Ethan paused and took a sip of his own coffee. It was damn good coffee.

"But look at me, rambling away when you have work to do. I can look after Conner while you go check on the girl they brought in if you would like."
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Again, thanks – but I’ve got it sorted,” Annie said. She didn’t move from her spot in the doorway. “Besides, I’m sure it’s a busy day for you too.”

She took another sip of the coffee, a long one this time. Her lips and throat burned slightly from the gulp she took. When she was done, she handed him back the cup. It was close enough to empty and she didn’t want to take it inside and give him an excuse to come back.

Not that he’s ever needed an excuse, she thought, and fought back the frown that came with it.

She kept smiling tightly. “Thank you for the coffee.”

* * *

Eli rubbed a thoughtful over the stubble on his chin. Then Jeff followed his eyes to a clock on the wall.

“Guess we should get to it,” Eli said.
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More posts, more Busey.
"Bran... don..." Willow croaked feebly.

He opened his eyes to see her reaching weakly for him. Her face was red as a beetroot. She couldn't breath. That awful machine was choking her. The tube wrapped around her neck in knots. He leapt to his feet and drew his knife. It was infuriatingly blunt as he cut at the tubing Every time he managed to cut some free it just revealed more tubing knotted up behind it. After cutting through what seemed like fifty layers of tubing, with Willow frantically clawing at it to try and get some air, it finally came loose. Willow convulsed and began coughing uncontrollably, blood spatting all over Brandon's face... and then she was still. Dead.

Brandon woke up with a pained gasp. His heart was racing at a hundred miles an hour. The woman from Sarnia was there next to Willow. The tube was out of her and for a heartbreaking instant he thought she may have died while he slept. She blinked though. She was alive, and awake.

"Oh..." he let out a shuddering sigh of relief, and sank to his knees on the floor.

He rested his head against the edge of table Willow was still laid on. She needed to be moved to a proper bed. He wanted to to pick her up and take her there right now, sleep on the floor next to her like a wolf guarding its den.

...

Julie composed herself in front of the mirror. Everyone had shit to worry about right now, she needed to prioritize. This could be nothing. Willow was fighting for her life. She'd successfully killed that worry long enough to get a good night's sleep, but now she'd have to face what was coming with the others. If Willow died it'd kill Glenda, and Brandon would be a fucking mess. Julie's lip quivered at the thought of that possibility and her eyes stung as they watered up. She cleared her throat and reaffirmed her composure. Strength for her friends now.

She walked out the door and went to find the others at the other house.
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Is that so?
"No, I insist."

Ethan's voice gained a sharper edge and his gaze seemed to be trying to pierce Annie.

"These are dangerous times. We don't know what these new people are capable of. And surely you don't expect Chase to keep an eye on your child now, do you?"

**********

Candice had disappeared for a few seconds. She came back into the room with a small glass of water in her hands. She held it up for Willow.

"Here. Just a little bit."

Candice pressed the cup against her lips and carefully tipped some water into her mouth. Not a lot. Just enough for her to weakly swish in her mouth and swallow. Moisturize her aching throat after having a tube in it for so long.

"Th-thank you..." She managed weakly.

Willow was ghostly pale and covered in tubes. But she was alive. Normally, it would take months to fully recover from something like this; but sometimes only a few days to actually get released from the hospital. But how soon would she be able to leave the clinic and walk on her own? With their limited resources, Annie would probably want to release her as soon as it was safe to do so.

Annie!

In all the commotion, she'd completely forgotten! She needed to go tell Annie!

"I need to go get Annie. Don't go anywhere, guys." Candice was not at all sure why she added that last part. Where the hell would they even go?

**********

Glenda's heart was racing. She was worried. Of course she was worried. And now, getting ready to go check on her was the culmination of her fears. She would either walk into that clinic and find her clinging to life... or she would find that life had already lost. She took a deep breath to calm herself down and then downed the rest of her coffee, leaving the empty cup on the small kitchen table.

"I'll be outside when you guys are ready." She announced bluntly.

Everyone was already getting ready to head out, it was true, but she wanted to get out and find out now. The unknowing was the worst part of it. As she stepped outside the house, her hand unconsciously hovering over her knife out of habit, she was greeted by the morning sun. It bathed the land inside these tall walls in a warm light. It illuminated the well kept yards, the guards chatting by the gate, and the people on their morning walks through the small neighborhood. It felt like a real community. A little different from the ones before the outbreak, but definitely a community.

A glance to her side and Glenda noticed a weary looking Julie coming their way. She obviously had a lot on her mind right now; but they all did.

"Morning." Glenda greeted her. "We're about to go see Willow. Everyone else is on the way out."

She then saw a casually dressed Maxwell head out the door to the other house and head in their direction. It seemed like even Maxwell was coming to show his support. She was impressed.

**********

"I... don't want to sound like an idiot..." Willow's voice weakly spoke up.

She didn't really feel any pain right now, just discomfort and weakness. It had taken a few moments for her head to clear itself up, and she still wasn't all the way there yet. But her mind was a little sharper. She was obviously in some sort of hospital. With Brandon.

"I remember... I remember I got shot. Then Chris and Brooke left... but everything after that is... kind of a blur. We were in Emmett's van? What happened? Where are we now? Is everyone else okay?"

Willow listed off questions as they came to her mind. It was true; she had no recollection of what happened after Chris and Brooke left. She had a feeling she had done something really stupid, but nothing else. She tilted her head to look at Brandon for answers. She couldn't really tell from this angle, but it looked like... was he crying?

"H-hey..." A little bit of panic was reflected in her feeble voice. "What happened?"
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Annie’s patience came to a sudden end when Ethan dropped that name. She returned his piercing look in kind.

“I told you, I have it sorted,” she repeated. “Now, if you’ll please excuse me...”

She was about to grab the handle of her door and force the issue, when she saw Candice over Ethan’s shoulder. Annie knitted her eyebrows and stood on her toes to get a better look, and concluded she was heading towards her house.

This time it was almost news from the clinic, she figured. It came as a sick relief.

She ducked back inside to grab her coat, leaving Ethan at the door. She also poked her head back into the kitchen.

“Sweetie, I have to go, I’ll see you later,” she said. “Have fun at Millie’s. Try and learn something.”

Connor was on his feet, putting his now empty dishes into the sink. His back was to Annie, but she could tell from his slouch that he wasn’t a big fan of that idea. “I don’t want to go to Millie’s,” he whined.

“You’ve said,” Annie replied. “But you know what happens if you don’t."

"She'll find me?"

"She'll find you," Annie nodded.

“I know,” Connor said, turning around to reveal his pouting face.

Annie slung her coat on, giving him a smile. “I love you, sweetie.”

“Love you too, mom,” he said routinely.

She turned and headed out. Her smile faded again at Ethan’s continued presence, but she just slid past him before Candice could even say a word. She pulled the door closed behind him, and then drew her key. Connor had one of his own – he’d lock up again when he left in a little while.

After withdrawing the key to the lock, Annie turned to face Candice. “Something happen with the patient?”

Hopefully she woke up, Annie thought, although she knew there were many more unfortunate alternatives.
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"Cool. You know I'm sure she'll be okay. We've kind of got a track record of close calls."Julie advised the worried woman.

It was different for Glenda of course, she and Willow were tight. Optimism a luxury she couldn't really allow herself. What Julie said might even be unwelcome, some people prefer to worry themselves in situations like this and don't take well to positive outlooks. Her mom was the same way, a natural born stresser.

Julie saw Max coming and gave an impressed whistle.

"Wow, look at you. Am I the only one who didn't find something in my size? Everyone's looking so dapper." Julie complimented.

All the clothes she could find in there were for someone a little too skinny. Post-apocalypse fashion wasn't exactly a big priority, but they were in something of a civilised environment and she'd rather go bare bottomed than sport a pair of muffin pants in front of other people. At least now she could clean these filthy clothes. After having a shower she was reminded of just how filthy they were.

...

"I had a bad dream." Brandon admitted.

He raised his head and looked her in the eyes. They looked even more beautiful than before, considering he hadn't known if he'd ever seen them again.

"We ran into Candice and her guy Marcus on the way into Sarnia. They got robbed of literally everything they had by a bunch of skinheads at the border. Emmett suggested we distract them and sneak past so we set off an explosion and some fireworks to draw them out. Emmett did some Batman shit so we were able to get by the two guys they left behind without even firing a shot. Candice and Marcus brought us here and the doctor fixed you. Look." he explained and picked up the tray nearby that held the slugs removed from Willow, showing them to her.

"You actually got shot four time. I think I'll keep these." he declared.
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Is that so?
I suppose I might have stepped over the line this time.

Ethan let out a defeated sigh. It was easy to get frustrated over things like this. She still refused to look at herself as single. That was why he couldn't win her over. It was becoming increasingly obvious that as long as her vegetative husband was an issue, his chances were slim. He needed a new approach to this situation. Being gentlemanly simply was not enough. He needed to up his game. He needed to make a few calls.

Not at all undaunted by his failure, Ethan departed from Annie's house, but gave Annie's backside a good once over before turning around and heading for Geraldine's place.

**********

As Annie rushed over to meet her, Candice led Annie away from her house and towards the clinic. She wanted to be out of earshot of Ethan before she started explaining the situation.

"She just woke up." Candice explained in her usual meek manner. "I took out the breathing tube and gave her a little water, but nothing else. The boyfriend is with her now."

**********

"I appreciate the sentiment." Glenda nodded to Julie, even if she couldn't share in it.

"I admit..." Maxwell started as he reached the two women. "That a new change of clothes does feel good. That old suit was a little suffocating at times. It appears the entire house was inhabited by skinny people at one point, so I was fortuitous in that regard. Willow could probably benefit from some of those clothes as well."

"First we need to make sure she is okay." There was an undeniable edge of Glenda's voice as she said those words; she then changed the subject. "But pay attention to Randall when he comes out. He's wearing a belt to keep his pants up and his shirt is a little baggy. The clothes were a little large in our place."

She almost said 'Maybe you should look at the clothes in this house', but stopped herself. The last thing she needed was to talk about fat clothes and tell Julie she might be able to fit into some of them. Julie was a nice girl, Glenda liked her. But she didn't want to cross that bridge right now.

**********

As Brandon recalled the events of the previous night, a few of the concepts seemed vaguely familiar. Something about people... they met people. Stripped of their clothing. Kelsey had said something about that. And then something about condoms? There were too many unconnected words and ideas in her head that it seemed a little overwhelming. Even just trying made her feel dizzy. Although that was probably more due to the blood loss than anything else.

"Shot four times, huh?" Her voice was still hoarse, but at least she could speak now.

She would be lying if she said it came naturally though; in her current state everything felt a little... surreal. It was like she wasn't really here. Like she was dreaming.

Still, she was glad just to be able to see Brandon again. He looked haggard, but still as attractive as she remembered. It was easy to get lost in those beautiful blue eyes. No wonder he was a lady killer. It looked like he had slept outside. And then by her bedside. he was looking out for her. He had watched her play with Kelsey. Teach the others. He could be a little weird, but he was confident and capable. Maybe she had liked him even before his crazy confession. In fact, she realized she hadn't even stopped to think about taking those bullets for him. And despite the fact she was now bedridden because of it, she found she had no regrets. In fact, if she had it all to do over again, she would do it again. Her brain was led to one inevitable conclusion that she hadn't truly realized until now.

"I think I love you."
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More posts, more Busey.
Brandon's brain was doing somersaults as he grappled with what to say. He wanted to scream it as soon as he saw she was awake but held it in. There was a war inside him over it. They'd known each other for all of... even a week? How would she react to that? Would it scare her off? It was a ludicrous thing to say. But then, she just said it.

You could have heard a pin drop for a stunned moment. Brandon didn't break eye contact with her as he rolled the words she spoke around in his head. She loved him. She loved him. His heart felt full as it beat stronger but not faster. It was like a cartoon cliche but it really did feel like it was trying to beat its way to her.

"Do you remember what I said yesterday, about how it's unmistakable when you meet somebody special? I was talking about you. I know it's weird, since we only just met, but it doesn't feel weird. It feels right, it's the fact we only just met that's weird. I love you." he confessed.

"I love you." he reiterated simply to marvel at how easy it was to say.
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Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
At those three magic words, a smile crept across Willow's face. The first smile she'd given since waking up. She was too tired to even worry about being embarrassed or flustered. For once in her life, she was able to lay down and allow herself to be happy with no strings attached. It was a good feeling. A great feeling.

"Yeah... we only just met... guess that little detail had me in denial." There was a lot more she wanted to say, but all this talking was starting to wind her a little. "Really glad it wasn't just me feeling like that though."

No sooner had she finished than did the door to the clinic open and in filed a chorus of footsteps. She could hear talking among the group; a lot of familiar voices. Could it be...?

"How's she doing?" She heard Randall before she saw him.

Thankfully, with her head propped up on a pillow, she was able to see over the blanket draped over her as everyone brazenly entered the room she had been staying in. She gave them all a smile and weakly raised her right arm in greeting.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Annie arrived at the clinic to find it packed – almost every member of Willow’s entourage had come to check up on her, and seemed pleased to find her alive. After a shower and a nights rest, they all looked quite different in the light of day as they finally exchanged their introductions. Even Eli, as he called himself, seemed a little less intimidating. The relieving news probably helped.

Brandon – that was the name of the young blonde kid who had stuck around all night, she learned – was the exception. His attitude had taken a predictably good turn, but he hadn’t gotten a night’s sleep, and the light only better exposed his injuries. It turned out he had taken quite the beating over the last couple days. It was a marvel that he wasn’t the one on the surgical table.

She resolved to examine him later. Really, she ought to take a look at the whole group. Most of them apparently had stitches or other wounds that could use a professional’s opinion. Their leader Randall was even missing a hand – she had only barely noticed that when they briefly met last night. He could probably use some help with that.

“I had to perform a lobectomy – meaning I removed one of the lobes of the lung,” Annie explained. The exam room was small, only Brandon and Glenda and remained with Willow. The others were either in the door frame or listening in from the waiting room. “I’m confident the remaining healthy tissue is enough to maintain adequate lung function.”

She gestured to the suction device hanging off the wall, which the tube coming from Willow’s chest fed into.

“As you can tell, I also inserted a chest tube. Right now, that tube is keeping your lung inflated. Once your lung heals and can stay inflated on its own, we’ll pull it out. That could take a day, it could take a week – it’s highly variable. Until then, it may be painful when you move or cough. As soon as you’re feeling up to it, we’re going to move you from the bed to a chair. That’ll help prevent pneumonia, deep venous thrombosis, a pulmonary embolus…”

She cut herself off, remembering who her audience was.

“Just… as soon as you feel up to it,” she repeated. “We’re also going to start you on pain meds, of course, and antibiotics to prevent infection. I already see a little inflammation around one of wounds, and I’m a little concerned about that. Fortunately, we have a strong stock. It’s good that you arrived here when you did, and not a week sooner.”

She paused again, letting the room take all that in.

“There are some other things – you’re going to need to start respiratory therapy, for example, to help facilitation lung re-expansion,” she said. “But we can take that as it comes. The important thing is your blood pressure, pulse, and breathing are stable.”

There was an audible sigh of relief from behind her. She glanced over long enough to see it came from the skinny bearded guy – Jeff, his name was. She looked back to Willow and clasped her hands together, giving her a confident and professional look.

“Do you have any questions?”
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