*Chapter Five: Processing
(October 4th, 2017, Wednesday Afternoon)
Natsu held out his arms as he turned around, letting the processor, Jellal, see every inch of his naked body. That was the normal routine for people coming back after being off base.
"Okay, you're good," the man with dark blue hair said, looking away. "Go take your rinse."
"Not a problem." Natsu walked over to the camping shower hanging on the wall. He flipped the switch, allowing water to flow through the nozzle and on to his aching body. It wasn't as good as a real shower, but he couldn't complain. It beat smelling like blood and dirt.
Fairy Tail was strict when it came to who they let in, even if the person was already living there. Strip checks ensured no one who was bitten or scratched made it beyond processing.
The guard outside was there to make sure everything checked out. If the processor suspected someone might be infected, the guard would take them to a quarantined zone to wait it out and see if the person turned or not.
If they were still human with no signs of changing after a few hours, they'd be released. If they turned, well, they'd be put down immediately. No exceptions.
The checks also helped to find ticks, but that wasn't as big of a deal as a zombie bite.
Usually, people coming from off base wouldn't get an extra shower unless they were covered in zombie blood. That happened a few times, but the person would always be quarantined afterwards. Natsu only got an extra shower because he had the favor from Freed. Being a runner had its advantages, even if it was a risky job.
Natsu took his rinse fast, wiping away the dried blood and grime off his body. Once he was done, he turned it off to conserve water. Since his towel was upstairs in his room, Natsu had to use the damp towel hanging on the opposite wall. It was reserved for people who forgot their towels or new arrivals, but they didn't get many of the latter.
"So, Erza said you were coming over tonight," Jellal said, making small talk while Natsu got dressed.
"Yeah," he shrugged. "But if you want I can say I'm busy. If you're wanting to have alone time with her."
Natsu put the adhesive bandage back on his face, covering the horrible stitch job he did to his cheek. Jellal already made fun of him for it, saying he looked like he was trying to be Frankenstein's monster.
Jellal's face burned a bright red, making the tattoo on his face fade a bit into his skin. "N-no, that's fine. We have enough... alone time already. I just wanted to know how many people were coming."
"Oh," Natsu said with a smile. "Can I bring Lucy?"
"I guess."
"Cool." Natsu figured having Lucy watch a movie would help her relax into Fairy Tail. It worked with Asuka when she was scared or sad, so it might work on Lucy. He hated comparing the girl to a small child, but he didn't have much else to go on.
Just as Natsu buttoned his cargo shorts, he heard the sound of a door opening behind him.
"Wh-what are you doing in here?" Jellal asked frantically.
Natsu glanced over his shoulder, seeing Yukino stand there with a hand over her eyes. "I needed to see if Natsu's done yet."
"Yes, he just finished," Jellal replied, looking over at Natsu. "Why?"
"It's Lucy," Yukino said, lowering her hand to see the two men. "She freaked out and I can't get her to calm down."
"What?" Natsu asked, quickly slipping on his shoes. "Is she okay?"
"Physically, well actually I don't know that either." Yukino frowned. "I told her to strip and she ran."
"She ran?" Natsu cocked his head. "Where?"
"Into the back of the locker room. The part that's not lit up. I just came to ask how to get her to stop crying."
"She's crying?" Natsu couldn't help but groan. All Lucy had to do was take off her clothes and get inspected. Why was she crying? It wasn't that bad! He was realizing more and more that he wasn't prepped to handle her.
He thought he would just bring her to Fairy Tail and things would magically work out, but it seemed like he would have to coax her through every step of the way. "Damn it."
"What?" Yukino saw the way his eyebrows darted in before he dragged a hand over his face. "What is it?"
"I don't know," he said honestly. "I have no idea what I'm doing. I didn't think this would be so hard."
"Well, I don't know what to do either." Yukino sighed. "Should I get a guard to go get her?"
"No!" Natsu shouted, alerting his friends. "Don't do that! they'll only scare her." If she felt threatened, she might try to attack. They would kick her off base if that happened. If she died out there, he would feel responsible. "I'll... I'll go get her."
Natsu left the locker room, Yukino following behind him. He passed by Elfman on his way to the girl locker rooms.
Once inside, he called out, "Lucy?!" He walked down the path that was lit up from the large window, wondering where she would have run off to. The closer he got to the back wall, the more he heard her faint sniffles. He had to dig out his headlamp, deciding to hold it instead of securing it around his head.
"Lucy?" he asked, voice quieter now as he stepped into the darkness. He passed changing stalls, peeking in each one until he made it to the last one. The girl he was trying to save was curled in a ball there, legs pulled up to her chest and face buried in her knees. She looked so small and frail.
"Hey," he whispered, sitting down next to her. She was fully clothed, or, as clothed as she was when she arrived. "What's wrong?"
She looked up when she heard Natsu's voice. He had the light shining against the wall to light up the area. Her face was stained with dirt and tears, her busted lip quivering as she shook her head. "D-d—"
"What is it? Why'd you run when Yukino asked you to undress?"
Her dirty nails dug into her legs, letting him know that was her problem. "You don't want to get undressed?"
Lucy shook her head, a sob racking her small frame. "N-n-no."
Natsu felt his heart drop. He wished he could help, but he couldn't change the rules. "I thought you understood. You have to strip so she can check you for bites or signs of infection."
He told Lucy he didn't want to strip in front of Yukino earlier. Was that not enough to get the message? "I guess it's my bad for assuming you understood, I should have been more clear."
When she said nothing, he sighed.
"It's honestly not that bad. I had to strip just now too. Yukino just needs to look over you. She won't even touch you." He saw Lucy jerk at that last part, frowning at her reaction. 'What the hell happened to her?'
"You just have to turn around until she says you're good. It's really easy."
Despite his words, Lucy shook her head. "No."
"Lucy..." Natsu didn't want to be harsh with her given her fragile state, but he knew there was no other way she could stay at Fairy Tail. "If you don't do this, you'll be kicked out. I don't want that to happen. Do you?"
Lucy glanced at him before looking at her knees again. "H-h-home..."
"Home?" Natsu asked, frowning when she nodded. "Where's home?"
When she shook her head, Natsu sighed. He really didn't know what to do. "Fairy Tail can be your home. You can live here with us. Plus, if you decide to work on base then you'll never have to get naked in front of anyone again after this. People only do this when they go outside the gates."
Lucy's brittle nails scratched at her knees, scraping up some dirt. "St...stay?"
Natsu's eyes softened. "You can stay. You just have to get past this."
She shook her head, looking at Natsu. She moved her shaky hand until she was pointing at him. "Stay, h-here."
"Oh..." Natsu paled. "You want me to stay?"
She nodded, gulping before scrubbing at her watery eyes.
"I guess I can try." Natsu wondered if Yukino would even allow that. "But I don't wanna see ya naked." Before Lucy could take that the wrong way, he added, "It's not you specifically. I don't wanna see anyone naked. But, I'll stay if it makes you feel better."
That was enough to earn a broken smile from her. Natsu stood up, offering her a hand. She refused it, standing up on her own. Her legs shook, but they weren't nearly as bad as earlier. He guessed getting her food and water helped give her some strength. It was a good sign. If she could improve that much over a few hours, he knew she would be better if she stayed at Fairy Tail.
Lucy followed Natsu as he walked back to the area where Yukino tried to inspect her the first time. She was already there, waiting for them. Natsu left no room in his tone for arguments when he said, "I'm gonna stay."
Natsu stood off to the side, staring at the camping showers hung on the wall with Yukino in his peripheral vision. He made sure Lucy was behind him, not wanting to accidentally see her naked.
He heard the sound of material scraping, guessing she was undressing. After a moment, he heard Lucy whimper, but he had no idea why.
"Can you take off your socks?"
Natsu didn't know what was going on, but he figured out quickly when Yukino asked, "What's under the bandages?"
Natsu decided to answer, seeing as it would be quicker than getting Lucy to speak. "The one on her leg is from a knife wound. The bandages on her feet are from cuts. I dunno what she stepped on to cut them up though."
He heard Yukino sigh before she said, "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to take them off."
Natsu frowned, but he understood. It was the same with his bandage and Jellal. The processors couldn't just take their word on it. They had to make sure it wasn't from a bite or scratch.
He heard Lucy whimpering, gasping a few times behind him. Yukino wasn't saying anything, so he guessed Lucy was doing as she was told. After a minute, Yukino said, "Turn around slowly."
Winces echoed in the room, along with the soft pattering of her feet as she moved. After a few seconds, Yukino nodded. "Alright, you're clear."
Natsu couldn't help but sigh in relief. He thought they were done, but he was surprised when Yukino added, "You need to take a shower. Your backpack with your supplies are right here. Turn the nozzle on to get wet, then turn it off while you wash yourself. Only turn the water on again when you're rinsing."
As Yukino began walking away, Natsu used his hand to shield part of his eyes. He shifted a little until he saw Lucy's face, her eyes watery as she looked at the ground. Natsu made sure he couldn't see anything below her neck, wanting to give her privacy.
"The water'll be lukewarm at best, but at least you'll get clean." He smiled at her, but it didn't seem to help. "I hope it makes you feel better." He turned, heading out of the locker room to leave her alone. He didn't want to be around when she washed herself. "I'll be outside when you're ready."
Lucy said nothing as he retreated, turning back to the camping shower. Natsu heard the water start spraying as he opened the door, silencing it when he closed it behind him. Yukino was talking to Elfman, telling him Lucy was clear, as well as Natsu. With the processor's confirmation, Elfman nodded, saying goodbye before heading back to his post.
Natsu sighed as he went to sit on the floor, back pressed against the wall. "This is weird."
Yukino moved to sit next to him, keeping a foot between them. "What's weird?"
He closed his eyes, thankful to finally be sitting. His legs were killing him. "This," he said, giving a vague gesture. "I thought for sure she'd feel more comfortable with you than me. I mean, you're both girls."
"That doesn't mean anything," she assured. "How was she when you found her?"
Natsu told her a quick version of his day, leaving out as many details as he could while still letting her know what happened. When he mentioned Max, she gave her condolences. He told her about finding Lucy in the basement. She was dirty and scared and couldn't form any words.
He left out the part where Lucy threw nails at his face, bit him, and cut his cheek. When he finished explaining, Yukino said, "Well, it's obvious why she wanted you in there."
"It is?" he asked, glancing at her.
"Yeah." Yukino smiled softly. "I'm not saying she trusts you or anything, but right now you're less of a stranger than we are. I asked her if you were nice to her and she nodded. That has to be worth something."
Natsu's heart warmed a bit. Maybe it wouldn't take so long for them to become friends. "Really? I was worried I made her upset."
"Why would she be upset?"
Natsu's lips twisted as he admitted, "I kinda dragged her here. I mean, I waited until she said 'yes', but I didn't give her much of a choice. I just didn't want her to die, ya know?"
"Seeing Max dead probably didn't help," Yukino commented, causing a silence to fall between them. They had seen too many deaths over the past three months.
Natsu sighed, trying to keep the new pain in his heart from spreading. "I'm tired of people dying, especially my roommates. First Warren, then Vijeteer, and now Max. It's like anyone who lives with me is cursed to die."
Every single roommate Natsu had died, leaving just him behind. At first he didn't think it was related, but now that Max was gone, he was wondering if he should live alone. Maybe he could give up his room and go live in a storage closet or something. People might stop dying.
"That's not true. Happy's still alive," she pointed out.
Natsu didn't bother fighting the smile that ghosted over his lips. "Yeah, but he doesn't leave the base." Natsu wouldn't dare take Happy past the gates. The cat was safe inside, only venturing outdoors to use the bathroom.
"True, but he's still technically a roommate."
"I guess." Natsu closed his eyes, trying to clear his head. After Lucy finished with her shower, he would need to take her to the doctor's office, which was where Fairy Tail's only legitimate doctor was. It was actually a nurse's office, but Grandeeney got upset when people tried calling her a nurse. She spent a lot of effort and money to earn her degree.
"Maybe your next roommate won't leave base," Yukino said, hoping it would lighten his mood.
"Yeah. Let's hope." Natsu was tempted to ask if Gray would move in with him, but it would only cause issues. They tended to fight when they were stuck together for too long, so living together was out of the question. He was still Natsu's best friend, but their personalities often had them butting heads.
Plus, Gray seemed content living with his siblings. It was better to keep them all together since family was a rare occurrence now. For all Natsu knew, his family members were already dead.
Natsu's teeth clenched, fighting off the stinging sensation he felt in the back of his eyes. He wouldn't cry, at least not now. He had to stay positive. There was a chance Igneel and Zeref were still alive, even if he might never see them again. He had to have hope.
"Speaking of roommates," Yukino started, pulling Natsu out of his darker thoughts. "Do you know where Lucy will be staying?"
Natsu shook his head. "I'm hoping Cana and Levy'll let her stay with them. I think it'd be good for her to be around other girls."
"I don't think Lucy has a preference over genders, but that's my opinion. Just make sure you introduce them to her before throwing her into their room."
He nodded, taking that advice to heart. He figured Lucy had a good chance of liking Levy. They were both quiet, even if Levy had quite a mouth on her when someone pissed her off. Cana on the other hand, would take some getting used to, but he was sure they could all get along if they got to know each other.
"Oh, shoot," Yukino said as she stood up.
"What?"
"I forgot to get Lucy some clean clothes." She grabbed a key from her necklace, using it to unlock the closet that stored gym equipment and the items from the souvenir shop.
"I assume she doesn't have anything?"
Natsu shook his head. "Just what she's wearing."
"Do you know her size?" she asked as she disappeared inside the large closet.
"Small?" Natsu guessed, finally standing to walk over to her. "She's way too thin."
"I saw that." Yukino frowned, shifting through some of the clothes to pull out two black shirts, both saying 'Magnolia High' in white letters on the front. "Did she tell you what those markings on her body are from?"
Natsu shook his head. "She hasn't told me much. I don't even know where she came from."
Yukino wasn't surprised. Lucy hadn't been very cooperative about her whereabouts with her either. "They're on her back too."
"Really?" Natsu asked, surprised. "How bad are they?"
Yukino stopped looking through the clothes to close her eyes, letting out a sigh. "Pretty bad. There's a nasty burn in the center of her back, then cuts all over her rib cage, back, stomach, basically everywhere... There's also a large scar forming on her stomach."
"Like a C-section scar?" Natsu asked, wondering if Lucy had any kids before the outbreak. He hated finding out parents lost their children to the infection.
Yukino shook her head. "No, it starts under her breasts and goes a little past her belly button." Yukino traced along her body to show Natsu where it was, starting at her chest. "C-section scars don't look like that. Besides, it looks like it's still healing."
"So, recently?" Natsu wondered if the other marks on her body were from before or post-outbreak.
"I think so. She doesn't look like she's been pregnant, at least not in the last few months. It has to be from something else."
"Maybe the cut was an accident?" He pointed to the stitches on his hip. "This was an accident, maybe she just fell?"
Yukino gave him a pointed look. "If there were only one or two, maybe... But there's no way all those are accidents, especially not the burns on her back. Whatever happened to her, it wasn't pretty."
Instead of dwelling on it, she looked through the clothes, pulling out a pair of basketball shorts that matched the shirts. She turned to leave the room, frowning when she realized something. "I'm out of underwear. I need you to run to my room and ask Sting for a pair of clean panties and bra for Lucy. He should be there right now."
Natsu raised a brow, barely holding back a chuckle. "And you think that'll go over well?"
"What do you mean?"
"You don't find anything wrong with that?" When she shook her head, he laughed, his voice sarcastic as he said, "Oh, hey Sting! Nice weather we're having. By the way, I just came up here to get a pair of your girlfriend's panties. Hope you don't mind." He scoffed, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "I'd rather not get punched today if that's okay with you."
"Then what do you want to do?" she asked, hugging the clothes she had for Lucy against her chest. "Have her walk around without any underwear? The commissary is closed already and won't reopen until next Monday."
Natsu groaned, placing his palm against his forehead. "Fine. Just, write a note or something. I don't wanna get punched in the throat." Sting was like Natsu, both temperamental.
"I can do that." Yukino went back into the locker room, returning a moment later with a pencil and paper. She jotted something down, then handed the paper and her room key to him. "If he's not there then help yourself. I'd rather you grab the white pairs though."
A blush spread over Yukino's cheeks when she added, "The other ones are special..."
"Gah!" Natsu snatched the note and key, marching away from Yukino. "I didn't need to hear that!"
He quickly left the arena, ignoring the arsenal as he made his way back inside the school. Yukino lived on the second floor, but it was on the other side of the school compared to where Natsu lived. He took the stairs two at a time, racing towards her room to get it over with.
Once Natsu located the room Yukino shared with three other people, he knocked. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, preparing himself for a fight if it came down to it. Sting and him were friends, but the request was weird even by Natsu's standards. He just hoped Sting understood.
The door opened a moment later, a dark haired guy raising a brow when he saw it was Natsu. "What are you doing here?" He lowered his gaze to Natsu's bare chest. "Shirtless?"
Natsu inwardly laughed, almost forgetting he was half naked. "Hey Rogue." He held out the note, hoping it would be good enough. "Yukino sent me to get some stuff for a new girl."
"Oh." Rogue stepped aside, holding the door open for Natsu. "Come in."
Natsu noted Rogue was the only one in the room. It was a double-sized classroom, so it could easily fit the four people who lived there. It was shared between Yukino, her boyfriend Sting, Rogue, and a girl named Minerva.
He smiled when he saw the two cats sleeping in the corner, resting on an old blanket. Natsu brought Happy over a few times so they could all play, but they usually ended up sleeping instead. It turned out cats weren't the biggest fan of company.
Rogue went to a bookcase with Yukino's name written on the top board, grabbing two pairs of white panties and a white sports bra. "Here."
"Thanks." Natsu turned to leave, pausing as he said, "Keep the note. Give it to Sting so he doesn't try to kick my ass later for stealing her clothes."
"Will do," Rogue called out before Natsu closed the door behind him.
He ran down the stairs, barely avoiding bumping into a few girls on his way back to the arena. He heard Nobarly call him a jerk on his way past the arsenal, but instead of responding, Natsu just held up his middle finger until he was no longer in sight.
When he finally made it to the locker room, he was a little winded. He needed rest badly.
"Got em," Natsu said, holding out the underwear, bra, and her key.
Yukino smiled, taking them and the clothes she gathered earlier back into the locker room for Lucy. She returned less than a minute later, her smile remaining. "She's almost done. She's brushing her hair now."
She took a seat on the floor again, Natsu plopping down next to her. "That's good."
"Yeah. I was a little surprised though."
Natsu raised a brow, glancing at Yukino without moving his head. "Why?"
"Her skin is so light. I guess the dirt made her look darker."
Natsu shrugged. He didn't have anything to say on the matter. He just hoped she was feeling better.
They waited in silence for a few more minutes, only looking up when the door to the locker room opened. Lucy shuffled out, feet back in her dingy slippers. Her lips were pulled into a frown as she pointed to her leg.
Natsu's eyes traveled down until he saw why she was frowning. The knife wound started bleeding again. Yukino rushed to grab some paper towels from the locker room, seeing blood on the floor from where Lucy stood while showering. She would have to get maintenance to clean it up.
When Yukino returned, she handed the paper towels to Lucy. "This should be good until you can get to Grandeeney."
Natsu grabbed Lucy's backpack, pulling out his old black shirt. Lucy flinched when he crouched in front of her, but didn't pull away when he carefully wrapped the shirt around her leg, keeping the paper towels in place after he tied the ends. "That should hold."
Now that she was mostly taken care of, Natsu stepped back, taking a better look at her. The first thing he noticed was her skin. Yukino was right. It was very pale, almost as light as Yukino's -which was saying something.
Her hair was dark from being wet, so it would be a while until Natsu figured out her real hair color. He was only interested because it was dirty before, hiding its true color. He was amazed by the length. With it wet and brushed, it went down to the middle of her back.
Natsu looked at her face, smiling when he saw the dirt was gone. With her washed up, her black eye didn't look nearly as bad. The same could be said about some of the bruises on her body, though some still looked terrible.
'And fresh.'
Natsu looked down, seeing she was wearing the clothes Yukino gave her. They fit her a lot better than Natsu's shirt did, the shorts even coming down to her knees. It was a relief to Natsu. He knew she had to be cold wearing short shorts all day that late in the year.
Overall, Lucy looked a lot better. She might not have been smiling, and her brown eyes were still dull, but she was clean. It was a start.
"Ready to go?" Natsu asked, taking her backpack to carry. Lucy nodded, keeping her head down. Before they left, he waved at Yukino. "Thanks! See you at dinner?"
"Yup." Yukino moved to go back inside the locker room, saying, "Welcome to Fairy Tail, Lucy!" before closing the door.
Natsu led Lucy out of the arena, shooting a glare towards the arsenal, only to see Nobarly was wasn't at the window. When Natsu stepped outside, he felt the cool breeze on his skin. Lucy shivered for a second, but said nothing.
He knew it would be warmer if they went inside and took the halls, but it was faster if they went around the building. Lucy didn't question him, which wasn't surprising. She said she wasn't from Magnolia. He wondered where she came from. The neighboring towns were Hargeon and Onibus, so he guessed she came from one of them.
A gust of wind brought a sweet scent to his nose. He looked in the direction it came from, seeing Lucy walking beside him. He didn't want to be a creeper and sniff her, but he was curious if the smell really came from her. If it did, that was good. It meant the foul odor she carried earlier was gone, just like the dirt.
"Grandeeney's really nice," Natsu said as they rounded the corner, close to the entrance of the school. He opened the door for her when they reached it, waiting for her to walk in first before following. The halls were dark, only dim lights coming from the windows let them navigate without bringing out his headlamp.
They passed by the office where the leader of Fairy Tail was, instead going to the door next to it marked 'Nurse's Office'.
Natsu knocked twice, waiting until a girl answered the door. "Hi Natsu!" she greeted, shifting out of the way to allow him to come in. "Oh! You brought a friend?"
"This is Lucy." Natsu gestured towards the survivor. "Lucy, this is Wendy, Grandeeney's daughter."
Lucy surprised Natsu when she lifted up a hand, offering the smallest wave he had ever seen. He grinned, realizing Lucy might be less scared around children. If that was the case, maybe being around Wendy would help soothe her.
Wendy was an adorable kid with long blue hair. Her brown eyes were usually bright, rarely getting upset despite the outbreak. She wasn't so cheerful when Natsu first met her, but every day she smiled a little more.
"Come in," Wendy said, pushing the door more open.
Natsu stepped in first before setting their stuff to the side. The 'doctor's office' was decently sized. It was lit up from the large window over the beds pushed against the back wall. Before the outbreak it was covered with curtains, but since there was no electricity in the main building, they were removed.
A large counter ran along one wall, containing an unusable sink and cabinets that held various medications. Most had locks on them so no one could try to steal any medicine, though there had been no incidents like that yet.
Grandeeney, the older women sitting in a rolling chair by the desk, was the only one who had keys to both the doctor's office and the cabinets. It was better that way, especially considering she spent most of her time there.
"What'd you do this time?" she asked, knowing she told Natsu to wait until tomorrow to get his stitches on his hip removed. "Did you rip them open?" She glanced up from her desk, seeing his exposed torso. Her eyes dropped to the 'X' mark on his body, seeing the stitches were still in place.
"No..." Natsu felt sweat build on the back of his neck. "But I do need stitches again."
Grandeeney watched as he pulled off the bandage on his face. She gasped, hand covering her mouth as she stared at his handy work. "What were you thinking?" she asked, standing up to get a better look. "That's terrible!"
"Hey!" Natsu's tone bordered on the defensive side. "I did my best! It was either this or bleed everywhere."
Grandeeney frowned, slowly reaching a finger out to touch the tip of his cut.
"Fuck!" Natsu flinched back, face throbbing once again. "That hurt!"
"It should!" she scolded, grabbing his shoulder to bring him towards one of the beds in the back. There were three total, but the last was usually reserved for her or Wendy when they napped between patients. Being on call 24/7 meant no guaranteed time to rest. "It's going to hurt a lot worse taking them out. You better hope it's not infected."
Natsu groaned, not ready to accept his pain. "Before you do that, can you take a look at Lucy's leg and feet?"
"Lucy?" Grandeeney looked over, finally noticing there was another girl in the room. "Oh! I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there." Away went her harsh tone, replaced by a much kinder one. "Take a seat," she pointed towards the middle bed, "and I'll see what I can do for you."
Lucy hesitated before walking over to the bed. Grandeeney took off her slippers to inspect her feet first, frowning when she saw the cuts. "Do you know what these are from?"
Lucy's bottom lip quivered as tears formed in her eyes. She nodded, barely holding back a sob. "W-w-wa—" She couldn't get anything out, coughing after her pitiful attempt.
"Would it help if I had you write it down?" Grandeeney asked, moving to grab a notebook and pen from her desk. She handed it to Lucy, watching as the girl's shaky hand wrote down a single word.
Walking
"Were you walking without shoes on?"
Lucy nodded, not bothering to write her answer.
"For how long?"
Pen pressed against paper as she wrote, jotting down a few words. Natsu watched, seeing her handwriting was pretty bad. He didn't know if it was naturally like that or because her hands trembled. It looked as shaky as when he tried to write with his left hand.
All night and this morning
"Where did you come from?" Grandeeney asked, whispering for Wendy to grab her some ointment and bandages.
Lucy tried to write her answer, but she couldn't move the pen. She shook her head, slamming her eyes shut as her tears fell down her cheeks.
"That's fine. You don't have to tell me." Grandeeney applied the ointment before wrapping her feet in fresh bandages.
When Grandeeney finished, she lightly patted the bed. "Lie on your stomach so I can look at your leg."
Lucy paused before doing as she was told, Grandeeney removing the shirt and paper towels from her leg as soon as she was situated. Lucy kept her eyes open and locked with Natsu. He kept her gaze, not knowing if it was helping or not. That thought soon died when Lucy finally let out a scream, voice cracking and body jerking to get away from Grandeeney's gloved hands.
"I'm sorry!" she said, pulling her hands away. "I didn't mean to hurt you, but I need to clean it. It's infected."
Natsu didn't think as he moved to the floor beside Lucy's bed. He brought his hand up, ready to rub her back if she needed it, but stopped when he remembered she didn't like being touched. He flinched in surprise when Lucy's hand darted out, grabbing his in a tight grip as she closed her eyes.
"G-go a-a-ahead..."
Grandeeney frowned, but proceeded to clean the wound. Lucy's grip tightened considerably, squeezing Natsu's hand every time the doctor touched the bloody flesh. She didn't want to hurt the girl, but cleaning it couldn't be rushed. Even after her shower, there was pus and small bits of dirt stuck in her wound, not to mention the blood. Even if she was back in a sterile hospital, she would want to take her time.
Natsu didn't say anything about the death grip Lucy had on his hand. He was just relieved she was toughing it out. He could imagine how painful it would feel getting that nasty wound cleaned out. He hoped she would stay strong for the stitches.
She did. Granted, there were tears streaming down her face while she kept her hold on Natsu's hand. She got through it, letting out whimpers every time the needle entered her tender skin.
"All done," Grandeeney said after she applied some ointment and covered the area with a fresh bandage.
Lucy slowly opened her watery eyes, then tried letting go of Natsu's hand. Her fingers were stuck from holding onto him so hard, Natsu having to help her peel her fingers off one by one. He shook his numb hand to increase the blood flow, surprised she could manage to do that.
"You did really great," Natsu praised, smiling at her.
She nodded despite the new tears flooding her eyes.
"Just rest child," Grandeeney said, grabbing a blanket to put over Lucy's body, leaving her head and shoulders uncovered. "You may remove the bandage after twenty-four to forty-eight hours. You can gently wash it, but do not scrub or soak it until two days have passed."
Natsu looked to Grandeeney. "That won't be a problem. She took her weekly shower today, so it won't get wet for a while."
"She should still clean it. Are you cleaning your stitches?"
"Umm... Yes?" Natsu gave her a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head. "I mean, it looks fine anyways."
She sighed. "Let me get a better look. I might be able to remove them now."
Natsu went to sit on his bed again, leaning back so Grandeeney could inspect his hip. "Yeah, they look healed enough. Wendy, could you grab me my scissors?"
"Yes, mom," she said, fetching the equipment.
"Thank you, dear," Grandeeney said, accepting them before turning back to Natsu. She cut away small pieces before pulling them through his skin. Natsu jerked a bit, finding the sensation weird every time it happened. It wasn't the first time he got stitches removed, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.
She finished, wiping over the area with a wet wipe to make sure it stayed clean. "Now, let's take care of your face."
Natsu sat up, wincing when she began cutting at those threads. They hurt a lot worse coming out than the real stitches, skin pulling and blood dripping. She handed him a towel to hold under his jaw, collecting the blood while she removed the rest of the sewing thread.
Trying to take his mind off the pain, Natsu glanced at Lucy. His lips quirked when he saw she was sleeping, but his smile vanished when Grandeeney scolded him for moving.
"Sorry."
"No talking either."
He thought the scolding was worth it. That was the first time he saw Lucy fully relaxed, actually looking kind of peaceful.
When Grandeeney removed all the thread, she had to clean up the wound since it had dirt and fuzz stuck it it. While she did that, she asked Natsu how he found the girl.
Natsu went through a shorter story than he had with Yukino. Grandeeney frowned when he told her Max died. Apparently she liked him, saying he was a good kid.
He told her about finding Lucy in the basement, but he didn't get much information out of her. He had no idea what happened to her before he found her, but now they had a small missing piece to the puzzle. She had been walking for a while before he found her.
"She probably went through something bad to end up like this. All those cuts weren't caused by walking alone, at least not the ones on her legs and arms."
"She's got burns too," Natsu said with a frown.
"I wonder what happened to her group."
Natsu shrugged. "She hasn't confirmed if she even had a group. For all I know she's been on her own since day one."
"Do you think she might have injured herself?"
He shook his head. "No, Yukino said there's marks on her back too. I don't think she could've made those, but I don't know."
"Let's hope whatever happened isn't as bad as I think it is." Grandeeney looked at Lucy, pain in her eyes. "People can be cruel."
"Yeah," Natsu whispered, tearing his eyes away from Lucy.
"I'm sure she'll warm up soon. She just needs to see we can be trusted."
"Fingers crossed, right?"
Grandeeney ignored his question, choosing instead to begin stitching his face. After she started, she asked, "Where's she going to stay?"
"I was thinking she could room with Cana and Levy."
"Nonsense. Their room isn't big enough for another person." She looked at Wendy, who was busy sorting medical supplies on the other side of the room. "She can stay with Wendy and me. I'm never in the room anyway. She can take my bed."
Natsu gave her a wary look, trying not to pull at his face too much. "That's... not a good idea."
"Why not?"
Natsu sighed, feeling his gut tighten. "Don't say anything to the others... But, Lucy's the one who gave me this cut."
Grandeeney's eyes widened. If she wasn't currently stitching him she would have smacked him upside the head. "She attacked you and you brought her here?" she angry-whispered at him, causing him to tense. "Isn't there a rule against that?"
"It wasn't all her fault. I think I scared her. I can handle it. I want to keep her—"
"She's not like Happy, Natsu. She's not a pet!"
"Oi! Happy ain't a pet! He's my friend!" Natsu groused, "And you didn't let me finish. I was gonna say I want to keep her safe. I can't do that if she's not on base."
Grandeeney's eyebrows were pinched together, her eyes narrowed. He needed to get through to her so she wouldn't tattle on him. He could get in a lot of trouble. "I think Lucy will fit in, she just needs time to adjust. I just don't want her around anyone who can't defend themselves in case she gets rattled again."
Natsu's eyes flashed over to Lucy, heart sinking in his chest when he saw her eyes were open. "Shit," he mumbled, wishing he wasn't getting stitches so he could properly face her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that, Lucy. I don't think you'd hurt anyone, but I gotta be careful."
Grandeeney looked over, seeing the girl was awake. She frowned as she said, "I don't know you, but you seem nice enough. Just don't hurt anyone and you'll be fine. Got it?" Her tone held a bite to it that made Lucy flinch.
Her eyes lined with tears again as she swallowed thickly. She nodded, whispering in a cracked voice, "I w-won't."
"Good."
Grandeeney turned her attention to Natsu's face again, finishing his stitches while he kept his eyes locked on Lucy. She wasn't looking at him anymore, eyes unfocused as she stared at the bed.
He felt like an ass, insinuating Lucy might harm someone, but he couldn't help it. She would easily be classified as hostile, but he doubted she understood that. He had no idea what she absorbed and what she didn't.
Grandeeney called Wendy over when she finished the stitches. "Apply some ointment, then bandage him up."
Wendy smiled as she nodded. "I can do that!"
Her mother was trying to teach her some basic first aid tips in case she needed more help. With the way the world was now, they never knew what might happen.
Grandeeney went to the cabinets, opening one that wasn't locked to pull out a small cup. "Lucy, do you need to use the bathroom?"
Lucy didn't look up, but she nodded.
"Okay, the bathroom is right here," Grandeeney said while opening a door, revealing a small bathroom. She lit a candle on the sink to give it some light. "Fill the cup to this line. I need it to do some tests."
Lucy slowly moved to stand, but she didn't take the cup. Shaking her head, Lucy put a hand on her stomach. "I'm n-not p—"
"You know for a fact that you're not pregnant?" When Lucy nodded, she said, "I still need to check if you have a UTI. With those injuries I'd be surprised if you didn't have some common infection going on as well."
Lucy didn't say anything as she took the cup, walking to the bathroom. Natsu watched as she closed the door. He wished his hearing wasn't so sensitive when he heard Lucy start to pee. Just as he went to cover his ears, he heard her whimper through the door.
Confused, Natsu kept his hands off his ears. Lucy came out a minute later, holding the cup of her urine. Natsu frowned when he saw it was red-orange instead of yellow.
While Grandeeney tested for a UTI, Natsu went to the bathroom to 'flush' the toilet since Wendy was done patching him up. He closed the door, deciding to use the bathroom himself before grabbing the bucket of water by the toilet, pouring some down the drain to force it to flush.
When he came back, he saw Grandeeney was holding up a test strip. "Yeah, you have a UTI." She threw away the test strip before walking to the cabinets. She had to unlock one of them, pulling out a bottle of pills. "Are you allergic to amoxicillin?"
Lucy shook her head, but Grandeeney couldn't see. "She said no," Natsu answered for her, causing Lucy to jerk her head to see him standing behind her. He thought she would move away, but she only dropped her head. He didn't know which was worse.
Grandeeney put some pills into a plastic bag, handing it to Lucy. "There's ten pills here, enough for five days. Take one at breakfast and one at dinner. Keep taking them even if you start to feel better. If you stop too quickly the infection might stick around. Better to be safe than sorry."
Lucy nodded, stuffing the pills into her pocket.
"I wish I could spare more, but this will have to do until someone finds more." She shot Natsu a look. He immediately grumbled, saying she should talk to the higher ups. It wasn't his fault they wouldn't let him go to section two where the hospital was located. They were still clearing section five, but it took a while because of the zombie population. The lower the section number, the more supplies and zombies they were bound to find.
"Also, make sure you drink plenty of fluids. It will help flush out the UTI." Grandeeney grabbed the cup of pee, moving to the bathroom to pour it down the drain. She would have to sterilize it later.
"Come over here and step on this scale," she said, leading Lucy to the scale near her desk.
Lucy walked over, slowly stepping on. The doctor frowned when she saw the number that popped up. She measured her height to be sure, but the outcome wasn't any better.
"You're underweight. When you get your meals, make sure you eat every bite. Lick the plate if you have to."
Lucy nodded as she stepped off the scale, arms coming up to wrap around her thin stomach. If Natsu had to guess, she was self-conscious about her lack of weight.
Grandeeney grabbed a different notebook from her desk, one filled with her 'patients' information. She handed Lucy the notebook she held earlier, along with the pen. "I'm going to ask you some questions. Just write your answer."
They moved so Lucy could sit on the middle bed again, Grandeeney on the last while Natsu sat at the edge of the middle.
"Blood type."
Lucy scribbled something down, showing Grandeeney.
O-negative
Grandeeney's eyes widened for a moment before smiling. "A universal donor. If you wouldn't mind when you get a bit more healthy, would you be able to donate some blood? We might not need it, but it would help in case of an emergency."
Lucy nodded, not meeting anyone's gaze.
"When was the last day of your period?"
Natsu flinched, abruptly standing up. "And this is where I check out." He walked over to Wendy, not wanting to hear about menstrual cycles. He wasn't gone for a whole minute before Grandeeney called him back.
"She won't talk," she said, looking at Lucy's notebook.
He frowned, trying to meet Lucy's gaze, failing since her head was down. "Oh... Well, she didn't even know it was October, so I doubt she kept track of her cycle."
"In that case, do you remember about how long ago it was? A week? Two weeks?"
Lucy's hand shook as she wrote her answer.
Months. Don't get it often. BC.
Natsu raised a brow. "What's bc?"
"Birth control," Grandeeney answered, then looked at Lucy. "What kind?"
IUD
"Which one?"
Mirena
Grandeeney smiled at the answer. "That's a good one. When did you get it put in?"
Lucy paused, frowning as she closed her eyes. Her body shook as she failed to hold back her tears. Natsu gently patted her back, jerking his hand away when she flinched hard.
"Lucy?" He worried she was getting overwhelmed. It was a simple question, but she seemed to be taking it hard. He wondered if she forgot. It would explain why she looked upset at the question.
He was proven wrong when Lucy drew in a shaky breath, slowly opening her eyes. Tears dripped down her cheeks before she rubbed her face. She touched pen to paper, handwriting far worse than before.
May 5, 2017
"So, fairly recently," Grandeeney said, writing it down on her own paper for her records.
"How long's the thing good for?" Natsu asked, surprised when Grandeeney told him five years. He did the math in his head. "So, she's only had it in five months?"
"That's correct." Grandeeney tilted her head to try to meet Lucy's gaze. "You should count yourself lucky. Most women would love to be on a long-term birth control like that right now."
Natsu could understand the benefit. The world might have ended, but that didn't stop people from fucking. He couldn't count how many times he heard people complaining about the lack of condoms Fairy Tail had. It was as if they had to ration sex because they could only give out so many condoms at the commissary per week.
Lucy sat still, not looking up from her paper. It was silent for a moment, until Lucy felt something bump against her leg. She jumped to the side, uncaring that she pushed back against Natsu in the process.
Natsu caught her before either of them could fall backwards, eyes flashing down just in time to see a ball of white fur. "Oh, it's just Carla."
Lucy jerked away from Natsu's grasp, hands coming up to hug herself as she looked at the little cat walking around the room. It meowed, causing Lucy to relax. It wasn't a threat.
"Carla's Wendy's cat," Natsu explained, watching as Lucy held herself protectively. "Are you okay?" he asked, seeing her nod in response. "Did Carla startle you?"
Lucy nodded again, taking a deep breath before letting herself go.
"Lucy, I have a few more questions to ask you before you can go." Grandeeney waited until Lucy was looking at her before starting. "About your IUD, have you been doing your monthly checks?"
Lucy's eyes dropped a bit before she shook her head. "N-no..."
"Can you do that soon and get back with me?"
"Y-y-yes."
"Good. Now, are you allergic to any food?" Grandeeney wrote down 'no' when Lucy shook her head. "What about any medications that you know of?"
Once again, the answer was no.
"Can you tell me your birthday?"
Lucy scribbled the answer down, but the way she held her paper prevented Natsu from reading it. She showed Grandeeney before hugging the notebook to her stomach.
"I think that's enough questions for today. Natsu, you need to come back in five days to get those new stitches removed. Lucy, you need to come back in a week and I'll see if yours can be taken out yet. If not we'll keep checking until it's healed. I'll ask you some more questions the next time you come in after you've gotten some rest."
Grandeeney gathered Lucy's notebook, closing it before she set it on her desk. She ripped a piece of paper out of her own notebook before writing something down on it. "Give this to Makarov. I don't want Lucy working for three days so she can have some time to heal. With this, she'll still be able to eat every day, but she'll need a job after."
Natsu nodded, accepting the paper. "Should I go to Gramps now?"
Before Grandeeney could say anything, Lucy's head snapped to look at Natsu. "Th-the p-p—" She furrowed her brows, unable to get the words out.
"You okay?" Natsu asked, wondering what she was trying to say. Whatever it was, she was struggling.
"Pr-pal..." She coughed. "Princ—"
"Principal?" Grandeeney guessed, earning an eager nod from Lucy.
That liveliness should have eased Natsu, but he only felt tension grip his muscles. He stared at Lucy as his eyes widened. He hadn't told Lucy about Gramps, or that he was the principal before the outbreak. If she wasn't from Magnolia, how did she know that?
He narrowed his eyes, feeling wary as he looked over Lucy. He didn't think she would answer, but he asked anyway. "How did you know that?"
She stared at him straight in the eye before saying, "Y-you."
Natsu felt a chill run down his back. He wanted to call her a liar. He hadn't breathed a word about Makarov to her. 'Is this some type of set up? Is she a spy? How did she know?' He had to force himself to think straight, not wanting his imagination to get the better of him.
"You must have mentioned him," Grandeeney said with a shrug as she tidied up her desk. "You two are free to go, by the way."
Natsu frowned, mind racing as he tried replaying their conversations. He was sure he never mentioned Gramps to her. But... maybe he had? He was exhausted. 'It must have slipped my mind,' he tried convincing himself, but he still worried he was missing something.
Something that wouldn't stop nagging him.
"What are you still doing here?" Grandeeney asked, snapping in front of Natsu's unfocused eyes to tear him away from his thoughts.
He jolted, quickly motioning for Lucy to follow him. "Thanks for the stitches!" he called out, voice strained as he tried to act normal. He grabbed their belongings, heart pounding faster than usual.
They stepped out into the hallway, Natsu waiting until the door to the nurse's office closed before sighing. He opened his mouth to ask her if he was the one who actually told her about Makarov, but stopped when he saw Lucy opening her mouth.
"I w-won't... h-hurt y... you..."
Natsu blinked, remembering he upset her with his words earlier. "I'm sorry for what I said in there. I'm not really worried you'll hurt me. I was worried you'd hurt someone else... I didn't mean to hurt your feelings though."
Lucy's lower lip quivered as she closed her eyes to hide her tears. Natsu couldn't help but think, 'Damn... She cries a lot.' He knew today was probably overwhelming, but did she have to cry that much? What happened to her to make her so... damaged?
Natsu ran a hand through his pink hair, feeling a few tangles. "Just don't hurt anyone. I mean, unless they hurt you first, but that shouldn't happen here."
Lucy nodded, locking eyes with him before scrubbing away her tears with the back of her hand. "Th-th—" She swallowed thickly. "Thanks."
Natsu cocked his head. "For what?"
"For n-not... For not hurting m-me..."
His green eyes softened. 'Did she honestly think I was gonna hurt her?' He gave her a small smile, but he knew it wasn't enough to calm her down. "I promise I won't hurt you. I said I'd keep you safe, and I don't break my promises."
Lucy took a deep breath. She looked as if she wanted to say something else, but she dropped her head instead, letting him know she was done 'talking'.
"Let's go meet the leader," Natsu said as he walked to the room next to the nurse's office. He grabbed the door handle, making sure Lucy was following him before he jerked it open.
As he stepped in, he wondered how long it would take before him and Lucy could become friends.
It seemed like she could really use one.
.
.
.
Can anyone guess how Lucy knew Gramps was the principal? Also, if you don't know what a camping shower is, I suggest you google it. Search for "5 gallon camping shower" to find it. Let me know what you thought of this chapter! Or, of the sneak peek that's below! :D
Up next, Chapter Six: Her last name
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