Johanna paced the hall, debating on whether she should enter or not.
Soldiers passed, looking at her with a subtle curiosity. They were wondering why she was pacing outside the medical bay, covered in blood. Jo wondered the same thing.
He probably wouldn't even want to see her.
She knew he was probably furious with her for failing to have his back on their latest outing.
But was it her fault if that Mirelurk had come out of nowhere to attack him on what was supposed to be a secure island?
She had just turned away for a moment to watch a couple of children pass by, pointing at her and the other soldiers.
A high pitched scream alerted her to the danger before she saw it. She drew her weapon instinctively, suprised to find a huge Mirelurk barreling towards Murdoch from the nearby shore.
He wasn't aware of the creature yet, his back was turned to the shore line.
"At your six!" Vargas had screamed with poor timing. Just as Murdoch turned, the Mirelurk had reached him, gouging his light armor with razor sharp claws, twice in quick succession.
When Murdoch crumpled beneath the weight of the blows, the Mirelurk advanced, taking interest in the others.
Johanna fired her rifle, and she was not the only one who did so.
With a clear shot at the monster, no less than three different energy weapons lit up the Mirelurk while Murdoch grappled with bloody hands for his weapon.
It didn't occur to Johanna to be afraid at that moment, but now she was shaking with fear and adrenaline.
Logically, she knew the danger had passed and there was no reason to be afraid. Still, she stood in the hallway, trembling and covered in Murdoch's blood.
His wounds had been deep and had bled a lot, with Murdoch losing conciousness on the flight home. She had done what little she could to stem the flow of blood with a spare tank top from her pack pressed tightly to his abdomen, but it was soon dripping red while Vargas still readied her supplies.
After a few stims, the bleeding slowed but did not stop completely.
At first, she followed the Warren brothers as they hoisted Murdoch up and out of the vertibird with his weight on their shoulders.
Cade hurried everyone but Vargas out of the med bay when he saw the condition of his patient, and Jo was forced into the hallway where she remained, anxious and waiting for news.
"He'll be fine," one of the brothers had said, putting a hand in her shoulder. He didn't sound convinced.
A half hour passed before Vargas came out, clothes almost as bloody as Johanna's. She looked at the other woman curiously, obviously wondering why she was still there.
"You can go in now," she said quietly.
"I... I just wanted to know if he was okay."
"He's fine. Go in and see." Vargas wiped her hand across her face, smearing blood over her dusky skin. She didn't seem to notice.
When she gathered up the courage to walk into the med bay, she was suprised to find Murdoch awake and staring at the ceiling. There were deep creases in his forehead, like whatever they gave him for the pain didn't completely help.
"You're awake," she blurted out, startling the man.
"What are you doing here?" His voice was rough, but held no ill will. He did not blame her for his injury.
"I wanted to know that you were okay."
She took a few steps closer, despite the state of his undress. Cade had removed his shirt to stitch and bandage the wounds.
"It will take a lot more than some pussy Mirelurk to take me out," he declared, though his face colored slightly. Maybe at the realization of just how close that pussy Mirelurk had come.
His waist was wrapped with a white bandage that was spotted red in thin lines where the stitches lie underneath.
"It really got you," Jo whispered, eyeing the badages.
"I've had worse," he scoffed, then winced with pain. "Just not recently."
Jo was horrified to find that tears had started leaking from the corners of her eyes.
"Hey." His voice was soft as he took her hand in his. His skin was as cold as ice and it sent a shock through her.
He had lost a lot of blood, Jo reminded herself. It was to be expected.
"You almost died," she sniffed, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her jumpsuit.
He squeezed her hand tight as his limited strength would allow.
She noticed his attention was on her lips again, but she found she didn't care.
Murdoch was her only friend now that Danse was dead and she had almost lost him too.
"I hope you will decide to wear your power armor next time, Knight Murdoch."
They both jumped, startled, as a new voice entered the fray.
It was Arthur in the doorway, looking down at their joined hands with an unreadable expression. Both embarassed, they pulled apart quickly.
Her heart beat like a drum against her chest at the sight of him, but not like it used to.
This time every beat was a twinge of pain, that screamed Danse, Danse, Danse. She was looking into the eyes of his murderer, of the man she had trusted with her heart.
Jo suddenly wished for nothing more than an escape.
Cade gave her this opportunity as he made his way over to the Elder, clipboard in hand to brief him on Murdoch's condition.
Johanna gave Arthur one last glance before she fled the room.