Chapter 29 Wires

AquaTomato (I will. Besides I don't think Joel would outright tell her anything based on their relationship and how he normally deals with awkward things.), doomsta27 (I'm exciated to move on is all and I don't like hospitals), TheGunSlinger82 (of Course!), QuietSunlight (I'm so stealing that idea :). It is fine. I wondered where you were), Sarah H (THANK YOU! I will add that in somewhere.), KuroiHanabixShenny (Lol, an applesauce fan XD. I did forget that I named that woman earlier… I LMAOed so hard at the guitar one!), Sorry Guest I forgot… edgaryg (That would be cute with 50 shades and as far as Marlene goes I honestly think she would shoot him in the dick if she finds out. I'm on the fence about the cure...), MasterHollow (My bad. I named her like twenty chapters ago and forgot…), mckoy12345678910 (I could not pass up the flashbacks.)

A/N: Oh about the mom's name. I forgot what her name was, my bad. But now I like her name and I will update the old one eventually. Also the title comes from Athlete's song "Wires"

-...- (Ellie)

She winced as they took the needle out of her back. They got an sample from her spine and all they did was numb it a little. But she felt it all the way. Ever bit of it stuck in her back.

"Shit shit shit." She squeezed her eyes shut. It burned.

"Oh baby-girl." Joel took her hand.

"Shit shit shit."

"There, there." The nurse soothed. "Lie down on your side. It will feel better soon."

It was like fire going up and down her spine. She rolled over and cried like a baby. Oh Shit. That hurt. Joel rubbed his hands up and down her arm.

"I'm so sorry." He leaned down to kiss her temple.

It had been month there and it was bad. Really bad now. They had take more of the cut to the point it was gaping cut. Then they took marrow from that arm too. They knocked her out for that surgery and another scar ran down the back of her arm. Now, they wanted her spine. The back of her neck itched. Honestly, they would take her brain if Joel didn't have a gun.

He still pet her as she hugged her arm. "Oh baby." He sniffed.

"I gotta puke." The nurse had to get a bucket. and Ellie heaved air. They didn't feed her knowing they wanted to do this shit.

"Joel." She was crying. She was tired. Everything hurt and she was so nauseated. "Please. Joel." She didn't know what she was asking for, but anything to stop the pain. He climbed on the bed too holding her as best he could.

"Get Marlene." He barked at the woman. She looked uncertain. "Go. Get. Marlene."

The woman jumped.

"Don't get mad at her. Please." She didn't want him to get mad and hit her. She could see him beating the shit out of the woman in rage and Marlene wailing back. It would be bad.

"She needs to see this! I have watched you suffer for the last few weeks and she isn't here to see it."

"It's not her fault." She wiped the last of the tears from her eyes. Her nerves were still on fire. "Please."

"What is it?!" Marlene came rushing in and froze in the doorway at the scene.

"This. Look at the pain they put her through. We are stopping this!" Joel was yelling. He lifted off of her to fight Marlene down.

"It will be worth it when we have the vaccine-" She had put on a very logical no nonsense voice. She held the bridge of her nose, not looking at them.

"VACCINE! I don't give a SHIT about that vaccine. I don't buy any of that firefly crap. All I see is Ellie in pain and no one tells me anything anyway." He was off of the bed and was pacing the room like a animal.

"Let's step outside and talk about this." Marlene offered.

"Sure, let's. But I tell you now, we are leaving! Or so, help me!" Joel stomped toward the door.

"Joel! Please just stay." Ellie begged as she joined into the conversation. The room swam, but she couldn't let them kill each other for her.

"Ellie-"

"Ellie, we have to have a talk. We will be right back." Marlene cut in.

"This involves me too! Now for fuck's sake! I'm sick and I am tired and I don't want to be alone. So, fucking stay. If you two are going to yell, then yell; I can hear you down the hall. So, you aren't sparing me much. SO STAY!" She winced and rolled over.

Joel looked hard at the pair. "I'm stopping this. I can't watch this no anymore, unless this yields some progress that they tell us about they are not sticking another needle in her!"

"You have to give things time."

"We gave IT!" He towered over Marlene, who stuck up her chin. You could see the lightening in their eyes.

"It is hard on me too. She is like my own child! I raised her for her momma! You have no idea what I'm going through." Marlene hissed.

"You have no idea what I'm going through!" He pointed at the ground instead of pointing at her face. At least he didn't confess to anything because that would have made this situation way worse than it was. Ellie hated seeing two of the people she cared for fighting over her.

"You son of a bitch-"

"Stop it!" Ellie said. "You two don't need to make this worse." She sat up and shivered in the discomfort.

"Well, what do you want? Do you want them to continue to chop you up?" Joel bite out the words.

"NO! Look, I want an answer too. I want a vaccine. But…" She looked at the floor. She wanted answers, results for the doctors to treat her as a person not a labrat that they could do what they wanted too

"My point, Marlene." He turned back to the woman. "This has to stop! They need to have a plan and make some progress. It isn't that much to ask."

"I will bring them. But it is hard to make a vaccine with what we have. They will tell you the same thing."

"If they don't have the equipment then why bother trying…" Joel's voice got soft.

"We have to try." Marlene walked to Ellie and pet her hair. "It will bring them down right after lunch."

"Okay." Ellie muttered as she got hugged into Marlene's breasts. The woman squeezed her for a second before shaking her head at Joel. "You just want the world to burn because you aren't happy."

She let go and stormed out putting her hand in Joel's face.

Joel huffed and puffed and kicked the door shut. He growled like a dog.

After a long moment, his heckles lowered and she said,"You don't have to yell at her." Ellie turned away from Joel.

"Trust me, if you were seeing it my way you would get a little pissed too. They keep us in the dark and don't even try to explain."

"Whatever. I'm tired and cold. Just hug me, so I can sleep." She turned away to the wall.

Joel climbed on the hospital bed and wrapped his arm tightly around her waist.

-...- (Joel)

He knew he shouldn't have taken it out on Marlene, but who else could he catch and blame for putting Ellie up to this? She sent the damn girl on a trip across the country when she could have waited and took it with an army. But when it came down to it, he just couldn't watch another sample.

He took a calming breath and knew he had to settle up with Ellie. He didn't like her being mad at him because of that damn woman.

Joel kissed the back of her neck. "I'm sorry about everything." It was easier just to say the word sometimes. He shifted and started kissing her arms starting with the bruises and bandages. After kissing the darkened flesh he continued up her arm his teeth grazing tender skin.

Ellie giggled a little. "I don't think either of us is up for that."

He smiled and kissed another bruise. "Haven't you heard of kissing something better?"

"That sounds like a really scientifically sound cure."

"It is." He gently kissed a few more before she leaned back for a gentle mouth kiss. He looked down into her green eyes. He leaned up and kissed her forehead.

"I think I'm not infected anymore because of Joel's magic kiss."

He wished it could work like that. He gently nudged her. All he wanted to do was to tickle her like normal, but she was right. She wasn't up to that.

She gave him a small smirk, and this was the best five minutes they had at that hospital. They cuddled back up and he was glad to hold her.

-...-

The doctors did not come after dinner or that night. Thankfully, the nurse didn't come for anything either; so, they had a small reprieve from the process.

He awoke to a knock on the door. He rolled off the bed and was ready to face the next danger. It was the doctor. He looked as grim as ever and cleared his throat.

"Is she awake?"

Joel nudged Ellie. "Come on, baby."

"No, I don't want to go to school."

"Luckily, we aren't going there. Come on."

The teen slowly stirred and the doctor wait until she was fully awake. She sat beside him resting her head on Joel's shoulder. She looked so pale and sick. Don't they see what they are doing?

"Marlene said you needed to see our work. Would you like to go to the lab?" The pair nodded.

"This way."

Joel pulled her up to her feet and held onto her waist as they walked to the elevator. They went down a floor.

The lab was covered in green curtained walls and the other doctors were studying tubes and petri dishes. It was like seeing an csi lab in person.

The doctor went on about spinning this down and reducing the proteins on that. It was a bunch of mumbo jumbo, but at least it sounded like they were working on shit. Which put some of Joel's faith back in the doctor.

"How much longer will it take?"

"Six months. Or so. And then testing…" The doctor watched a spinning machine. "It could help with a sample of the polyps"

"Those are on the brain right?" Joel's eyebrows met. It was all fuzzy trying to remember the news reports from seventeen years ago when they first were able to explain the process. Ellie stepped up and he could feel her against his arm. She was lightly hovering close to him.

"Yes." The doctor nodded.

"Hell No."

"But."

"You got our answer. You guys got a ton of her in the lab. I think one more good shot of blood and we can walk out of here."

"Sir, it doesn't work like that."

"You ain't touching her brain. No discussion. Come on, Ellie. Let's go back to sleep cause this is a nightmare." He turned and caught her hand and led the way out.

"Joel." She pulled back on him. "Wait a second."

"Ellie. I can't watch that happen."

"You are being selfish." Ellie said pulling him back.

"Let's ask Marlene how they intend to make enough of it. Who gets the vaccine? There are a lot of questions and it becoming too big of a risk." Not that he trusted that woman. She lied about guns; Of course, she was going to lie to Ellie's face if it was in her interest.

Ellie gaped at him for a second. "Whatever."

He pulled her toward the door and she didn't look at the doctor. You honestly want them to cut out your brain?

The entered the room and he took a seat in his chair and let her have the bed. She snapped open a book, not talking to him and he knew he deserved some of this coldness, but if she wasn't going to stand up for herself he was going too.

-...-

It was two hours and seven puzzles before the nurse showed up with a tray with two bowls of steaming instant oatmeal on it. His stomach growled in anticipation. That was a new item on the menu.

Ellie wrinkled up her nose at the meal, but Joel didn't care if it was peaches. "I see you found something new." He said.

"Yes, Sir." The nurse smiled. "Your bowl."

She turned and placed Ellie's tray on the table. "Enjoy."

"Thank you." Ellie muttered and watched Joel dig in. The girl was warming back up.

The oatmeal was sickeningly sweet. At one point it was sugar cinnamon, but now it could be used to make a smoke bomb. But he ate it knowing they wouldn't bring anything else. At least it would stick to his ribs for a bit.

He scraped the bowl clean and finished Ellie's off when she pushed it away.

On his ninth puzzle, he had trouble finding any of the words… He took a deep breath but was too tired and his head ached. He dropped the book on the floor. "Man, I'm just tired and I think the oatmeal was way past its prime…" He unsteadily pulled out of the chair. Ellie watched him with a worried look crossing her face.

He joined her on the bed, curling up around her her legs and back. He felt sick enough that it didn't matter than she might be mad at him.

"Get some sleep." She still sat up in her bed and ran her fingers through his hair as she read on. "I'll keep watch."

"I love you." He muttered.

"You, too." They curled up together as he closed his eyes wishing away the headache.