Hello there! It's been a hot minute, huh? After I stopped writing Leah and Daryl's story Infell in Love, got married and had a baby. Now I'm tired all the time! When season 9 started I got bit by the writing bug again and couldn't get this story out of my head. I got in touch with one of my old beta's and she encouraged me to write and post. So here we are! I hope you enjoy! It feels good to be back. -CJ
Chapter one
It was a literal blood bath. Hannah looked into the ashen white face of Kevin, who lay motionless on the cot in front of her, and took in a ragged breath. Earlier in the day she had amputated his right hand, her last one of the day. Hopefully the last one for the rest of her life. In the span of 12 hours, she had sewn up 20 wounds and amputated 4 limbs.
Her infirmary was a mess. Blood soaked towels lay in a large pile, dirty instruments piled in the sink, and her concrete floor was covered in bodily fluids. Clean up was going to be a bitch.
Kevin's chest rose and fell unsteadily, his breath shallow. But he was alive. She picked up his left wrist, checking his pulse. Slow. She would have to keep a close eye on him through the night.
She sighed deeply. A quick look around her was proof that the night was far from over. Besides the complete mess that was waiting to be cleaned up, all five of her beds were full. These five were the worst of them all. Jackson had taken a bullet to the shoulder. Marie lost her left arm from the elbow down. Axel and Jonah both lost hands. There would need to be someone on watch through the night, just in case one of them didn't make it through. The rest of the wounded had been sent to their quarters with nothing but a few Tylenol for their troubles, to show for it.
She had heard that there were more wounded saviors elsewhere, that Ricks crew had divided them up and sent some to be seen by Alexandria's doctor. And then there were those who hadn't made it back alive. Hannah's stomach churned at the thought. Who was among that group that she had grown to love during her time at the sanctuary?
She had been hiding in her room when the chaos started. She was expecting it, but not this soon and not like this. The day before she had been instructed to prepare the infirmary for possible multiple wounds. She didn't ask questions. She just obeyed. That's what she had been doing for the past two years. In exchange for a safe place to stay and food to eat, she kept her head down, healed people, stayed quiet, and obeyed.
When she heard yelling and horns honking from outside, she had run straight to the infirmary. She knew where she was needed. But, she hadn't expected what greeted her. Wounded saviors were coming in by the truck load, and she had felt her years as an ER nurse kick in. She assessed each patient as they passed by her, barking out orders to whoever was close by and sending the most severely wounded to the front of the line. There hadn't been time to ask questions about what had happened on that battlefield or why so many people had mangled hands. The clock was ticking and if she wanted to save these people she needed to act fast.
Now, her back and feet were killing her. She was exhausted. Starving. Thirsty. But the work was far from over. She walked over to the sink. She needed a shower, but this would do for now. Someone had put a fresh basin of water on the counter, and she was so thankful for whoever it was. She dunked her hands in, surprised that it was warm, and watched the blood from her skin dirty the clean water. She grabbed a bar of handmade soap and started scrubbing, up her arms and under her fingernails, scrubbing until her hands were red and raw.
Just a quick break, she thought while drying her hands on a nearby clean towel. Some fresh air would do her good.
Outside, the sun was bright and air was crisp. She took a deep breath, a feeble attempt to get the smell of flesh out of her nose. Closing her eyes, she leaned against the building and turned her face towards the sky, letting the sun warm her skin. They were well into fall and colder days were quickly approaching. Hannah felt her stomach tighten a little at the thought. The saviors weren't good people, not their leaders anyways, they survived by allowing others to perish. Food didn't grow in this concrete mess, and the only way they ate was by stealing. Or "trading" as Negan called it. Supplies for safely. Hannah wasn't dumb, Negan's ways were cruel, but it was survival. But now? How would they eat now? She knew about Alexandria, about The Kingdom, Hilltop. Being the resident nurse gave her ears everywhere. These places were their food source- would they be left to fend for themselves now?
Her fellow saviors had talked while Hannah stitched them up. She heard about the bad bullets, about the backfires, about Rick slicing Negan's throat. She had seen members of Alexandria patrolling the sanctuary- there were 4 of them stationed around the infirmary. But, she didn't know what they had in mind. Would they let them starve? Negan had done them dirty for so long, how would they retaliate?
A quiet set of footsteps made her reluctantly open her heavy eyes and turn to her left.
She immediately recognized the man who was approaching her: Daryl. She had taken care of him when he was held prisoner. Her stomach churned. The way Negan treated him had been disgusting. Hannah had tried to give him a small piece of hope, and treat him like the human he was, but she remembered him being combative and resistant to her help. She couldn't blame him.
"Hey, Doc," Daryl said to her. "Mandatory meeting. We're gonna need ya there."
"Can't."
Daryl raised an eyebrow. Hannah supposed that his stern blue eyes were meant to challenge her, but she wasn't fazed. She'd seen Daryl at his weakest, most vulnerable moments. She had treated his wounds, and had given him comfort when no one else would. Her heart was already soft towards him.
"I gotta stay," she explained. "In case someone doesn't make it. "
Daryl nodded at her, understanding. "We got someone covering for ya. Ten minutes, main entrance." He turned and began to walk away.
"I'm a nurse. Not a doctor." She said to his back.
She watched him pause before turning around. He looked at her, a slight frown in his forehead. "Don't be late."
Hannah watched him retreat, his gait confident. She wanted to call him back to apologize for what Negan had done to him, but decided against it. It just didn't feel like the right time or place. Daryl didn't look to be in any mood to chit chat.
A large group of saviors had already assembled when Hannah walked out to the main entrance of the factory. The tension and fear among her friends was thick. Their future was uncertain, and they no longer had the upper hand.
Hannah felt a hand grab her elbow and pull her close. She jumped and made a move to pull away.
"Shhh." The hand gripped harder.
She recognized the voice immediately. "Justin. What's going on?"
"Some kind of bullshit." He gently swiveled her body so she could see the outskirts of the crowd. They were surrounded. "They've got guns on us. Look up."
Sure enough. There were lookouts on top of the factory, too, guns at the ready.
For the first time since it all began, Hannah felt fear. "Are they just going to open fire on us or what?"
Behind her, Justin grumbled inaudibly, and then: "I don't like this shit one bit. They took our weapons. Stripped us one by one. Then herded us like cattle into an open field."
Hannah had no idea what had transpired while she has spent hours in the infirmary, but she knew it couldn't be good. The way Justin was grabbing her elbow scared her; it was as if he was trying to protect her and reassure himself at the same time. He was scared. He would never admit to it, but she could tell in the way he spoke, his words slightly shaken.
Her eyes darted around her surroundings, taking everything in. She saw a bearded man on top of a storage trailer, and although Hannah had never met the guy, she immediately knew it was The Famous Rick Grimes.
Before Hannah could respond to Justin, Rick's voice boomed over the crowd.
"We didn't bring you here to hurt you," he announced. "We're here for peace."
Hannah lifted an eyebrow,intrigued. If they were here for peace, why did they have guns on them?
"My son Carl wrote Negan a letter before he died. He begged him for a better way. He asked Negan to stop. He asked me to stop." Rick paused, choking on his words. He cleared his throat and closed his eyes. "Carl. He said the only way out of all of this is to work together. To forgive. He wanted me to offer you peace. He wanted you to take it."
Hannah heard small whispers spreading through the crowd. Beside her Justin bristled.
"I'm here. We're all here. Alexandria. Hilltop. The Kingdom. Oceanside." Rick continued. "To offer peace. It doesn't have to be a fight. I've made mistakes. But, Carl helped me realize that every life is worth something. We don't have to forget what happened, but we can move forward. Together. We can create a future."
Hannah found herself nodding along. Peace had been what she longed for all along. The fighting made her sick.
Justin, still holding her elbow, pulled her in closer. "I don't trust him."
"Something tells me that we don't have a choice," Hannah answered him.
Rick continued his speech, and Hannah felt herself buying even more into his vision. He was right. They could fight together. For a future. She wanted that. She looked around her to get a pulse on how everyone was reacting. Most of the crowd seemed favorable. Many of them were like Hannah- they kept their heads down and worked, but they were always in fear of their lives. Negan never felt safe. Rick was offering safety. Peace of mind. A reprieve from always being on guard, fearful of stepping out of line.
A select few of her fellow saviors were reacting like Justin. Unsure. Apprehensive. Even angry.
"I spared Negan," Rick continued. "Because the future has second chances and his life matters. He's locked up and isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Maybe one day he will have served his time and will rejoin our new world."
Hannah noticed movement beside Rick, and turned to see Daryl joining him.
"Daryl has agreed to stay here at the sanctuary." Rick clapped Daryl's shoulder. "He will be your leader, and your liaison between the communities."
"What the hell?!" Justin reacted.
So did many other saviors. Shouts of protest went up among the crowd. A new leader didn't set right with them.
Hannah looked at Justin. "Chill. It's cool."
"Seriously, Hannah? I don't like that guy."
Hannah shrugged. "I don't mind him."
Justin rolled his blue eyes at her. "You're always soft, and it's gonna get you killed one day."
"You always say that. But, I'm still here."
"Cause I'm looking out for your ass." He tapped her butt gently.
Rick gained control of the crowd. "I trust that you will show him respect!"
Hannah looked at Daryl. His face was stoic, and she wondered how he felt about the arrangement. She was sure he hated all of them for what he had been through at the sanctuary. Maybe now that Negan was gone, he would see the rest of them in a different light. They weren't all Negan, and the majority of them were relieved that he wouldn't be wreaking anymore havoc on their lives. She was sure that Daryl would be a much kinder leader, He for sure wouldn't require them to kneel in his presence. The new arrangements ignited a small spark of hope in her.
Later that evening, there was a soft knock at her door. Hannah groaned inwardly. She was exhausted, barely able to keep her eyes open, wanting nothing more than to collapse into bed. It had been a long 24 hours. After Rick's meeting, she had cleaned up the infirmary and made rounds, checking on everyone she had treated earlier in the day.
She hoped that knock didn't mean something had gone south at the infirmary.
"Hannah." It was Justin.
She frowned, totally not in the mood for a booty call, but opened the door. "Hey."
"You good?"
She didn't invite him in. "Exhausted. But yeah. Good. You?"
Justin leaned in, his body against the door frame. She knew he wanted to come in, but she was standing her ground. "I'm pissed as hell."
"I know. Just give it some time. Yeah?"
"Yeah." He stared at her lips. "Yeah."
She reached out and gave him a soft, friendly push. "I've been awake for 24 hours. I gotta sleep for a bit and get back to work."
Justin reached out and picked up a dark curl from her shoulder. "Message received, nurse. How about I just lend ya my body heat? I know how cold you get."
She raised an eyebrow. He slept in the common area and Hannah knew part of the reason he was in front of her was to escape the madness of the factory floor. If she hadn't had her nursing skills, she would also have been put in the workers quarters. But Negan saw her as a valuable asset.
"Body heat services only?"
"Scouts honor."
"Get in here."
It was still dark when Hannah woke up the next morning. Beside her, Justin snored quietly and his arm wound tightly around her. She sighed, contemplating the situation, wanting to get up and get into the infirmary to relieve whoever was on night duty, but not wanting to wake him. She wasn't in the mood to deal with his morning hard on.
She shifted slowly, and felt him stir. His arm tightened. Shit.
"Mmm." He nuzzled into her neck and she felt his hand creep slowly up to her breast. Double shit. One caress of her nipple and she knew she would be powerless to say no. He knew exactly how to turn her on.
His thumb ghosted over her nipple and she immediately felt her body respond. Maybe a quickie would be good for her. She WAS pretty tense.
She could feel his dick slowly rising and falling against her hip. He rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger and she let out a small sigh before she felt his lips descend onto her other breast. That was it. She felt her body relax and let him work her over. Damn. He knew how to make her feel good.
After sleepily getting each other off, Justin immediately fell back asleep allowing Hannah to make her exit. She grabbed a few toiletries on her way out of the room, planning to hit the common bathroom before checking into the infirmary. The factory was still quiet. She hadn't checked the time, but assumed it wasn't much later than 5am. The breakfast crew would be up, and anyone on watch, but other than that everyone else should still be sleeping.
The bathroom was just down the hall, and the infirmary a little further. Negan had made sure that she was living close by and she was on call 24/7.
She stepped in, cleaning herself up as best she could in the dim lights. Her hair needed a good wash, but for the time being she piled the mess of curls on top of her head and tied a bandanna around them. She stared in the mirror. She looked exhausted. Dark bags stood out prominently against her fair skin and her eyes were puffy.
She quickly splashed her face with cold water, dried it and stepped back out into the hallway.
Ahead of her, beside the infirmary doors, stood two men. She squinted to make out who they were, but couldn't. When they saw her approaching, their voices died down.
"Morning to you, Nurse Hannah," one of them greeted
She felt a small twinge of betrayal at the sound of the voice. "Eugene. Morning."
She had trusted Eugene. During his time here they had struck up a friendship. She understand why he did what he did. But he had hurt her friends in the process.
"I trust the night was good to you and you were able to find some respite," he said.
She walked closer, and saw it was Daryl with Eugene. "It was a short night. How is everyone?" Her question was directed to Daryl.
"Sleeping," Eugene answered "Made it through the night fine."
"Good. Were you both up all night?"
"I took it upon myself to keep watch over our friends in the infirmary alongside Samantha." Eugene said. "Daryl here was able to get some sleep."
Hannah nodded. Eugene was paying penance for his actions, and she imagined he was feeling some sort of guilt over their condition.
"Alright. I better get in there."
Daryl moved away from the door so Hannah could enter the room.
"Thank you."
He nodded and followed her in. She hadn't expected that, but whatever. She would put him to work. The room was quiet, but smelled like infection. Shit. She needed to get these dressings changed.
Sammie, one of her infirmary assistants, grabbed a notebook when Hannah entered, ready to relay the night watch information.
"How'd it go?" Hannah asked her.
Sammie nodded. "Not bad. I recorded temps and meds through the night." She handed over the notebook and Hannah glanced over the notes quickly.
"Everyone seems stable?"
Sammie bobbed her head, "Kinda. Jonah spiked a fever just a bit ago. I was getting ready to change his dressing."
"Thanks, Sammie. Why don't you head out? Get some rest. I can take it from here."
"Sounds good. Let me know if you need me."
Hannah reached out and gave the girls shoulder a comforting squeeze as she walked by. "Will do."
She turned to Daryl. "Feel like helping?"
He hesitated for a second, before answering. "Just tell me how."
She gave him a small smile.
"Thanks. I appreciate it." She moved to Jonah's bedside. "Hey kiddo. How'd ya sleep?"
Jonah stirred, and Hannah placed a hand on his forehead. He was burning up.
"Like shit," Jonah whispered. "Think I got a fever."
"Me too. Daryl can you grab the thermometer? It's in the left top cabinet."
"Yes ma'am."
Hannah and Daryl worked quietly alongside each other, Hannah pleasantly surprised at how much of a help he was. She didn't expect their new leader to be in the trenches with her. Medic duty wasn't exactly the most glamorous work. But here he was, grabbing bandages, ointment, anything she asked for, and not even flinching at the gnarly wounds that she unwrapped. It gave Hannah mad respect for the guy.
She sent 4 of her patients back to their own space by the end of the morning where they would be more comfortable. She promised to check on them every couple of hours. She wanted to keep Jonah in the infirmary until his fever broke.
"Thanks for your help," Hannah said quietly when Jonah had fallen asleep. "It was unexpected."
Daryl nodded. "Yeah. No problem." He looked into her eyes and she was taken aback by how blue they were. Last time they had been this close it had been in a dark cell. He chewed on his cheek in thought and Hannah waited for him to speak again.
"I remember how ya helped me."
"I'm sorry about what Negan did to you." Hannah continued to keep her voice low.
A muscle in his jaw twitched, and he nodded acknowledging the apology. "Ain't your fault."
Hannah shrugged. "Still. He's an awful man."
Daryl's eyebrow raised in interest. "Bold thing to say."
"I've always thought it. I feel safe to say it now."
Daryl continued to study her face closely. "He ain't gonna be a problem no more."
"Bout time. I liked what Rick said. All this fighting has always made me sick."
There was a quick knock on the door and Justin appeared on the other side, a cup of coffee in his hand. He walked into the room and over to where Hannah stood, handing her the cup before leaning against a counter. She gratefully took the warm mug, but wished he would stop bringing it to her every morning. It felt too coupley. Justin might have other ideas about what they were, but Hannah had made herself clear on many occasions. They were nothing more than friends. Friends who fucked. A lot.
She took a sip while the two men eyed each other. Justin was clearly puffing himself up, his biceps flexing under this t-shirt. Daryl either didn't notice or didn't care. Hannah suppressed a smile. She liked that he wasn't into dick measuring competitions.
"I'm Justin."
"Daryl."
Justin laughed a little. "Yeah. I remember."
"Why's that funny?" Daryl spoke with confidence, but was not threatening.
"Not funny, man." Justin spoke like an asshole.
There was a pause, that drew out awkwardly and Hannah started to shift uncomfortably.
"Alright then. Listen, we're gonna build this place back up." Daryl finally said, returning to the conversation they were having before Justin came in. "Gotta lot of work to do, but we're gonna do it."
"Who did you piss off to land here?" Justin asked.
"Didn't piss off no one. I'm here with Eugene and Rosita to help."
Hannah smiled widely at him. "I'm glad to have you. I hope the sanctuary is good to you