Hi! I've loved this show for four years, and there's a particular character that I've gotten to like more and more as the show's gone on. I think you'll able to guess by the end of the chapter, it's pretty obvious, so not gonna say now. Hope you like this, sorry about editing,

Chapter One – Drumming Sound

"… There's a drumming noise inside my head

That starts when you're around

I swear that you could hear it

It makes such an all mighty sound…"

– Florence and the Machine

Ellie could see the heat, but that smell is what she remembered. Kentucky… bourbon and grease and heat. Even in the hospital 'Especially here…' the woman with light brown hair, rolled her shoulders as she finished filling out her chart. She had been back for about six months, but this time it hadn't just been for a visit. Her Grandpa Josiah had gotten older and he needed help to get around… and she needed… Ellie shook her head 'He needs help…'

He had been a three star lieutenant general in the Marine Corps, a title that only a select few could boast. Now, he was forgetting things and living at the Lexington Garden Care Community for Retired Seniors. They were all that was left of the family so Ellie had moved closer so that he wouldn't be alone.

"Penelope" she was drawn out her thoughts by the charge nurse, Maybel Brooks, an elderly woman, who looked warm and cuddly around the middle but had a hard tone of voice and disapproving eyes.

She had repeatedly asked Maybel to call her Ellie, but the hard-bitten nurse insisted on using her full name. There were only two names that Ellie had ever responded well to, and Penelope wasn't one of them, it reminded the twenty-eight year old of every school teacher she had ever clashed with. If it hadn't been her grandmother's namesake she would have legally changed it years ago.

"Yes." Ellie gave her most polite smile to the woman before her. It was five minutes before she could go home to Beau, but she could tell by the chart in Maybel's hand she was going to get pulled into doing a favour. It was the danger of working in the ER, especially on a Friday night.

"Guy in curtain 3 needs sutures…"

'Crap…' Ellie clicked her tongue against the back of her teeth. After what had been an exhausting day of running around she just wanted to go home. However, Ellie knew that she would do it, that was pretty mcuh how she had gotten roped into covering this shift in the ER in the first place. By title Ellie was a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, but because she had gotten her Masters in Nursing Science and had a few years of experience she was able to cover shifts pretty much all over with ease… and she was able to suture someone without the potential risk of getting hassled by the hospitals lawyers and management, which was why Maybel was holding the chart out to her.

Ellie was probably one of the more qualified for management of the nurses in Lexington State hospital, but in terms of her position she was lower on the ladder than she would have been had she stayed in California. She had done everything she could to fit in and get on the staffs' good side, but she still missed her friends from her old job, Gina and Mitch… Dr. Cooper they had all helped her along and encouraged her and she was hoping that in time the same relationships would develop in Lexington.

But staring at the impatient brown eyes of Maybel Brooks, Ellie could tell it wouldn't be easy.

"Well, I'll get right on that…" Ellie continued to smile, while taking the chart and internally cringing at how long the extra task might take.

"Ain't that good o' you" the older woman said in her heavy Kentucky accent, rolling her eyes and walking away before Ellie could respond.

'Yeah sure, no thanks needed… not like I'm staying late or anything…' Ellie acerbically thought to herself at Maybel's obvious sarcasm.

Blowing a few strands of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail out of her light blue eyes, Ellie put the chart she'd finished working on the rack at the admin desk, before wearily giving a quick glance at the wound rundown on the chart Maybel had given her.

'Argh! Just wanna go home…' Ellie huffed, hastily grabbing everything she needed to clean and stitch up the gash on the person's forearm from the supply rack in the dimly lit store room.

On her way to curtain 3 though, Ellie was sidetracked a patient in curtain 6. 'What the hell?'

"Ms. Dieter?" Ellie walked picked up the woman chart. She was in her late-40s and had gall stones. Ellie had been there when she had come in about 11 hours ago, at one in the afternoon.

"Hello there sweetheart." The woman tried to smile but cringed instead, she was clearly in pain, covered in sweat and her hands gripping on to her pillow and the sheet beneath her as she spoke.

"What are you still doing here?" Ellie frowned, putting back the woman's chart, placing the supplies and curtain 3's chart on the empty chair beside Ms. Dieter's bed. Moving closer to the head of the bed, Ellie checked the monitor and Ms. Dieter's drip.

"I'm waitin'…" the blond woman gritted out, her clammy hand reaching to squeeze Ellie's for support through the pain.

"You should have gone up by now." Ellie gave Ms. Dieter's hand squeeze back, turning her head to look out at the masses of people walking by the curtain that she had just opened further.

"I didn' wanna disturb… I can wait my turn."

The brown haired woman, looked down at this poor lady. If anything her surgery had been delayed by at least a day, pushing her in hospital recovery time of one or two days back as well. For some it might not have been too bad, but Ms. Dieter was suffering and even a day was a long time to be away from home.

"Where are your kids?" Ellie asked.

"You remember?" Ms. Dieter stare up at the young woman, clearly surprised.

Ellie nodded "Sally and Daisy… still in grade school aren't they?"

"Yes…" the woman nodded into her pillow "my sister's lookin' after 'em while my husband's out o' town."

"That's good." Ellie nodded, with a warm smile, "Let me go and see where they're at with your schedule, kay?"

"Thanks, sweetie" the older woman gave Ellie's hand a pat before letting go.

Taking Ms. Dieter's chart with her, Ellie made her way back to the admin's desk on a mission to straighten this out.

'Finally.' Ellie slammed down the receiver, she had just gotten off the phone with the clerks who somehow had no idea about Ms. Dieter at all. She talked to them for twenty minutes, feeling utterly annoyed, trying her best not to yell while figuring out the situation and relaying Ms. Dieter's information.

Now she really was tired, but she had to finish up with her patient. She notified Norma, the nurse on shift, gave Ms. Dieter the dosage of Demerol that Dr. Ferguson had prescribed and told the woman that her surgery would happen first thing in the morning.

"Thank you so much." The blond lady had slurred, the drugs and the tiredness of pain kicking in. "Why don't you just sit talk with me?"

Giving her a genuine grin Ellie began to speak "I would, but I gotta go home. I have…" something clicked in Ellie's mind. 'Sit?' her light blue eyes fell to the seat by the already snoring Ms. Dieter's bed.

"Damn" she mumbled under her breath, realizing that she still had curtain 3's chart, which meant that it was likely no one had seen the guy. 'Maybe he's on the board?' she chewed her lip, hoping that someone might have checked on him if he had been marked up there. 'Then I could go home too…' she added as a selfish after thought.

In any case she picked up the supplies and the chart that she'd left on the chair and made her way down a few beds to the closed curtains of bed 3.

"Hey!" Ellie heard the sound of Dr. Howe's voice. He had just come on about an hour ago and though she hadn't known him long it was important to learn and recognize the sound of the voices of the doctors that you were working with fast. She had pulled open the green curtain an inch or two, before she had turned see the grey haired Dr. Howe a few feet away. "Good catch with 6" he smiled kindly.

Ellie returned the gesture, "Thanks." She replied softly, not wanting to wake any of the patients that might have been sleeping.

Dr. Howe gave her short nod in farewell, before carrying on with his work.

Grinning widely, Ellie wanted to do a happy dance, but restrained herself she felt as though she had finally gained some distance with making a good impression. She held on to the curtain again but before she could open she heard another voice, one that made her smile melt away, her ears fill with thudding and skin turn to goose flesh.

"Poppy?"

Before she even knew what she was doing she had stepped through small gap between the curtains of the space, dropped the supplies she was carrying and pushed herself up against him. Her eyes falling closed as her mouth devoured his hungrily, his tongue deliciously found its way into hers, he seemed just as eager to meet her force and consume her. Ellie didn't know what she was doing… her heart was racing, her head was pounding, her skin was on fire, one of her hands had gotten stuck between them, she wrenched it up, sliding it over his chest, up his neck and before her fingers were buried in his sun blenched hair. Pulling him closer, she could feel his calloused touch through the back of her scrubs, moving down, squeezing her backside. She moaned against his lips, her knees weakening as he let out a growl at the sound.

'Oh god…' was all she could think, drinking him in. Letting him hold her up as her mind and body turned into mush. She just wanted to be as close to his body, to him, as possible. She could taste the whiskey on his tongue, but under that he still tasted like him, like home. For the first time in a long while she felt really, truly safe again.

Somewhere out there in the fog, she could hear the small sound of something, as it became louder she realized that it was the sound of someone clearing their throat. Her eyes popped open, she jerked away, her body protested immediately missing his heat and closeness.

"Ottie… I…" She couldn't bring herself to say anymore, her face was filled with an embarrassed flush, she hadn't even looked at the man sitting on the bed since she had pulled away. Not knowing what else to do, she turned to where the throat clearing had come from, a tall man wearing a cowboy hat and an amused expression on his face was staring at her. She could feel herself cracking under the pressure of her humiliation, "Excuse me" she muttered, keeping her head down and practically sprinting out of the cubicle. She swore she could hear his heartbeat with each step she took further away.

"Who was that?" Raylan asked watching the girl, as frightened as rabbit, run away. He turned back to look at his workmate, still bandage and waiting to be sewn up.

The former soldier had gotten into a little scuffle at the bar, a few jackasses who didn't know when to shut up about veterans and their rights to government services.

Long story short the assholes got their asses hand to them, it was a win… even though Tim got sliced with a switchblade.

Tim had been in a good mood when Raylan had gone to the bathroom, still riding his high from the drinks and the win. But after that girl… the man looked like was chewing glass. His gaze distractedly stuck to where the girl had disappeared to behind the curtain just passed Raylan.

"What?" He suddenly snapped, as if he'd only just realized Raylan had said anything, accusingly staring the tall man down.

"I asked who that was?" Raylan questioned again, in his line of work it was hard for him to be offended by blunt mood changes. Plus, in his time working with Tim, Raylan had never seen or heard tell of anything remotely to do with the women in the marksman's life… so he was curious.

"No one" Tim averted his eyes, looking down at the red stain seeping through the gauze on his left forearm.

Raylan's chin pebbled, as he nodded appreciatively "Just go around kissing girls you don't hardly know, do yah… 'Ottie'?"

"I didn't say I didn't know her, I said she's no one." He answered sharply, using a tone of voice and giving Raylan a stare that told the U. S. Marshall he had better just drop it… for now anyway.

"All right…" Raylan sighed looking down at the medical supplies and papers on the floor "… we'd better find someone to stitch you up… don't reckon she'll be back in hurry." He looked off to where the girl had run.

As he stepped back out into the hall, Raylan could hear Tim's bitter scoff, "Not likely…"

Hope you find it ok. Really can't wait for the next season! Let me know what you think!