Never Give Up (On Each Other)"
Author: carmen_085
Disclaimer: I do not own any Walking Dead Characters. I do own all original characters.
Summary: In the months before the beginning of the apocalypse, Daryl finds himself homeless, alone, and with no direction. An adult Beth is struggling to balance her job, sick parents, and the farm. Feeling like the world is suffocating her, will taking a chance on a stranger change everything ? Can these two find what they need in each other before life as they know it ends and they must do anything to survive. AU but eventual ZA with full cast.
Chapter Twenty-One
Daryl didn't know a lick about fixing a kid who'd just been shot but he knew that this didn't look good. The amount of blood alone was more than alarming; soaked through the kid's red hoodie, and all over the front of his daddy's uniform. Daryl took quick note of that uniform….a Sheriff's uniform…and bristled slightly. He knew how cops worked better than anybody, showed up and tried to take over; tell you the way of things- their way. Except things were different now and and a cop was nothing more than an empty uniform, a badge that didn't mean a thing, and a gun that worked just like all the rest. He'd never seen this guy before and judging by the look on his face he he was in no position to dictate much of anything.
Keeping watch is what came natural to Daryl and with the influx of strangers to the farm he felt that pull more than ever wanting nothing more than to take up position on the porch and keep an eye on things. "Daryl ! I need your help." But of course Beth needed him. There was no one else here save for the old man passed out drunk in the basement. He didn't know anything medical but he knew she would need supplies and he was the only person to get them.
Letting out a grunt he shook himself away from the porch and followed the two of them inside. "I need sheets and towels- they're upstairs on my mama's bed. And my med kit from her room and the IV supplies too." Daryl quickly nodded knowing where each item was from helping care for Annette. Beth worked quickly, ripping the covers back on the guest bed downstairs and throwing them on floor. "In here…put him here."
Whether from exertion or sheer anxiety , the man, almost stumbled over himself getting the boy onto the bed and falling to his knees in the process. "His name ?" The man looked at her, stunned, his eyes wide and glassy. "Ca…Carl. His name's Carl. And I'm…I'm Rick."
Beth nodded turning her eyes back to the boy. Carl; looked like he was a boy of about eleven or twelve- and she was certainly not a Pediatric Nurse. However, she quickly reminded herself that her mama wasn't more than seventy pounds when she died and this boy already looked to be about sixty. She could do this. Peeling the layers of blood soaked clothing back she inhaled sharply. Grabbing the first thing she could find, a pillow case, she stuffed it into the wound holding firm pressure.
Oh Fuck
This was bad. Much worse than even she thought, and as Beth swallowed hard she wondered if there was a chance in hell she could save this boy. She paused, frozen for a moment as she blinked at a complete loss. Rick, watching her every move, immediately seized upon her hesitation. "You can help him…right ? Jimmy said you knew what you were doing…"
Fuck Jimmy. Fuck Jimmy. Fuck Jimmy.
When she got her hands on him she was going to literally strangle him. Biting down hard on her lip, she nodded quickly. "I'll do the best that I can. But he's very critical, Rick. He's lost a lot of blood."
Pushing himself to his feet, he shoved his arm toward her. "We have the same blood type." Beth bit her lip offering a forced smile. She'd never done a human to human transfusion before, the hospital obviously having very strict protocols concerning blood products, but she knew it was possible because her daddy used to do something similar on the animals. On the animals. It made her shudder just thinking about all the things that could go wrong; transfusion reactions, unexplained clotting, infection. She pinched her eyes shut for a moment, this was just the way things were. The new world.
"Alright. Let me stabilize him first." Daryl came around the corner with a crate full of supplies that he almost dropped when he saw Rick's arm extended toward Beth. If these people got any ideas he wouldn't hesitate to put a bolt in them, and the boy would just be shit out of luck. Dropping the crate next to her he saw that her face was set on the task at hand and that Rick meant no harm. Still…he shouldered his crossbow feeling almost naked without it. "Daryl…the lantern in the box, bring it here." He immediately did a he was told holding it over the boy's limp body so that Beth could see. Carefully, she peeled back the pillowcase hoping that her efforts had at least tempered the hemorrhage. For now she needed to assess vitals, set up an IV, and get the blood transfusion going. After that he would look into the wound and figure out what she had. There wasn't much she could do beyond that- as a nurse she just didn't have the training. But she couldn't tell Rick that, not yet anyway. Turning back to Daryl she nodded toward the barn. "I need a box of supplies from the tack room, it says transfusion on the front…."
"From the barn ?" Even he had to check that she said what she meant. Beth nodded. It was all they had. Daryl grunted his understanding. If Beth said she needed it then it was for a damn good reason.
He hesitated for a moment watching her as she placed a stethoscope to the boy's chest. "His pulse is weak but regular, I hear breath sounds on both sides." She looked up to Rick who was a mixture of hesitant relief and sheer terror. "That's good.." He straightened himself up with a puff of relief as he backed away from the bed. Beth secured a pressure dressing to the abdomen leaving her blood pressure cuff and stethoscope on the bed. She reached for the IV supplies next, he was small but no smaller than her mama and she was confident that she would find a vein quickly. Thankfully Rick had wandered away toward a commotion on the front porch that Beth didn't have the time to acknowledge let alone deal with.
Daryl tensed as he saw two more men running toward the house out of the west pasture. He immediately recognized Jimmy being drug along by a much larger, stronger man. "Keep your ass movin' man !" Daryl obviously didn't know but he had to assume that the man was with Rick and the boy. Descending the porch stairs he kept his crossbow low and ready, needing to put Beth's errand on hold for just a moment. If something tipped off here and the boy died, these two could easily put a bullet in Jimmy's head. They needed Beth right now but if she couldn't save him there was nothing to say that the same wouldn't apply to her as well. And that was not going to happen.
He could see the tension on Jimmy's face melt into disbelief as he laid eyes on Daryl. "What are you….?" He didn't finish his sentence before the larger man with dark hair and flattened nose pushed him roughly against the fence. Daryl was about to tell him that he could wait right there, no need for everyone to pile in on top of Beth when she was working. Also, this was easier to control…safer…keeping them separated. He turned away from Jimmy and his dark eyes met Daryl's for the first time.
"Carl ?" The way he said the boy's name was desperate, high and broken the two syllables coming out with a spike of emotion between them. Daryl gave him a slight nod.
"He's alive…Beth's working on him now." He saw the way his shoulders relaxed, his grip on Jimmy loosening slightly. Daryl had every intention of keeping him right there but as his gaze drifted to the porch he saw Rick come out of the house covered in blood stumbling down the stairs. Letting go of Jimmy, the larger man pushed past them both. As he went a flicker of recognition sparked inside of Daryl.
Hot, humid air. Close quarters. Smirking faces, bars and a cement bench.
"And I need to find his wife and his boy…they'll be with me now…"
The hair on the back of Daryl's neck stood up as he looked at the two men embracing. Shane taking a cloth and wiping the blood from his partner's face as Rick stared at him utterly dumbfounded, in shock. For his part, Shane approached him like a wild dog, speaking gently and softly corralling all the rawness of this situation back onto the porch.
"He's alive…alive.." Rick's face screwed up with emotion as Shane grabbed him roughly tucking his face against the muscle of his shoulder. Daryl exhaled, marginally, they weren't a threat…not right now anyway. Turning back to Jimmy he notched his head toward the house.
"See if Beth needs anything. Gotta get something from the barn for her."
Jimmy opened his mouth ready to say something regrettable that would make him look like even more of a fool before wisely shutting it and proceeding toward the house as Daryl had instructed. Keeping his eyes averted and his head down he slipped past Shane and Rick on the stairs, absentmindedly running a hand over Maize's head at the door. The German Shepherd kept a close eye on the new strangers, standing guard in place of Daryl.
"Beth?" Jimmy looked around the familiar farm house noting no sign of Hershel or Annette.
"In here !" The guest bedroom just off the living room, a space that was almost exclusively reserved for Beth's grandma in his memories. The old woman coming to live with them when she could no longer care for herself; she mostly stayed in her bed- her body wracked by arthritis and Parkinson's Disease. Jimmy took a deep breath, making a feeble attempt to prepare himself for what he was about to see
Beth looked up at his shaken, pale face in the doorway. He stood there frozen as he stared at the blood soaking through the sheets and the mattress beneath. Beth's hair fell from its braid around her face; messy and sweat beading up on her brow.
"I….I never saw him until he was on the ground." He slumped against the window, clearly not intending to be much help as Beth sighed with frustration. Carl squirmed right and left, half delirious as she attempted to probe the wound on his abdomen. He definitely had fragments embedded deep within his belly. Which was definitely something she could not deal with on her own. Biting down on her lower lip she pushed the uncertainty away. He still needed stabilized.
"The deer slowed the bullet down, fragmented it out." She looked up meeting Jimmy's gaze. "Only reason he's still alive." Jimmy pushed his baseball cap on his head as he looked between the boy and her, doubt written all over his face.
"Beth…can you ? Can you really help him ? You're just a nurse…he needs a surgeon." While Jimmy had said what she was thinking all along; it still pissed her off to hear it. Like really pissed her off. This wasn't even her mess and yet here she was trying to fix it- for him…because of him….in spite of him. Her silence was both an answer and a warning. Thankfully, Jimmy was smart enough to heed both.
Rick and Shane appeared in the doorway as Jimmy straightened himself up, hardening his face enough to not seem like a total pussy. Beth's eyes flicked to the two men noting the new arrival. He was big and muscular, much bigger than Rick and with dark eyes that clouded over the moment he laid eyes on Carl. "You….hold him down." Carl squirmed right and left yelling out for his daddy. While it took only a moment for Shane to react coming to lay his tanned, muscular forearm across Carl's small chest. He was gentle but firm; careful not to hurt the boy any more but also doing as Beth had asked. Rick, on the other hand, stood back his face screwed up with raw emotion torn between acting and reacting.
"Daddy ! Daddy ! Please…" That was all it took.
"STOP ! YOU'RE KILLING HIM…." Daryl heard the screaming as he stepped inside the house around Maize who was keeping steadfast watch at the front door. Heart squeezing painfully in his chest he crossed the living room in four steps ready to put a bolt in anyone who was even remotely close to Beth. It didn't take but a moment to realize that Rick was coming apart. Dropping the transfusion supplies at Beth's feet, Daryl was ready to take control however it needed to happen.
"If you want him to live he needs blood !" Rick didn't immediately do as she said, mumbling something incoherently. Daryl had every intention of making him sit but Shane beat him to it, dark eyes blazing and intense.
"DO IT NOW !" Carl continued to squirm as Beth notched her head toward Daryl.
"Hold pressure on this wound while I get the transfusion set up." He have her a clipped nod, immediately doing as she asked. Whatever Beth needed he knew it was damn important. Shedding the crossbow against the wall he noted Jimmy slumped against the window frame uselessly.
Figures
Beth's entire body prickled with anxiety. There was so much to do, if she were at work right now and entire trauma team would be here to help. Doctors, surgeons, respiratory therapists; herself and Rosita with her characteristic confident efficiency. Her eyes misted just thinking of her friend, God she missed her so much. What she wouldn't give to have her here right now, helping her figure this out.
Sliding an IV into Rick was easy, thank God, his sweaty skin soaking the tape on contact she opted for a thin roll of gauze. The connection between the transfusion components thankfully hooked onto both IVs without issue and as she watched Rick's blood slide down the tube she felt both relieved and intensely concerned. In no way was this how a human being received blood. So many safety protocols and procedures circumvented that it made her nauseous. Still…what other choice did they have ? Without the blood, Carl was going to die.
Might happen anyway
That thought was in the front of her mind as she bit her lip replacing Daryl and setting about retrieving the most superficial fragment. Beneath her hands Carl went slack as panic shot down her spine. Shane stared at her, the intensity he'd just used to command Rick dissolving into fear.
"Is he…?" The air in the room thickened, everyone bracing themselves for what they all knew might be inevitable. Beth immediately reached for her stethoscope wondering if she would be able to hear anything above the sound of blood rushing in her ears. She did though, a faint heart beat that caused her to relax and let out the air she'd been holding.
"He just passed out." A collective exhale.
Going back to extracting the fragment she was grateful that Carl was now holding still. A gentle probe with her index finger revealed four more fragments deeper, beneath the muscle. That was most certainly not in her scope of practice and she wouldn't even know where to begin.
"Lori…she doesn't know… my wife doesn't know." Rick dissolved into another round of crying and moaning as Shane's eyes flicked toward his partner. Daryl could see the gears turning and plans being made. Nobody was doing a damn thing until Beth said so and over his dead body would he leave her alone with these two. Rick seemed like an alright guy, albeit completely distraught. Shane was a different story, unpredictable and emotional he could imagine what might happen if things went sideways here. God knows Jimmy would be no help. Either way… no way was he leaving Beth alone here. The boy's mother would have to wait for now.
The fragment Beth was working on finally came loose we she dropped it onto a towel breathing her first sigh of relief. Replacing the bandage on Carl's belly she checked a pressure before standing and stretching her back. "He's stable for the now." Ricks lips twitched ever so slightly. "The blood really helped." It wasn't a complete lie. Either way she was glad she said it as both men shared a sigh of relief, the tension in the room slowly dissipating. Removing the transfusion tubing from Rick's arm she nodded toward the high back chair in the corner. "Relax, I'll get you some juice."
The kitchen was a welcome reprieve. The windows were all wide open and the curtains billowed a warm summer breeze. She didn't realize how much she'd been sweating until right then. Her shirt felt like it was stuck to her as the back of her neck was slick with moisture. "Did good in there…"
She inhaled sharply although she didn't know why. The only person who could move that silently was Daryl. Turning to face him she met his eyes as the wall she built began to crumble. "I can't fix him, Daryl. I just…I don't know how…" So much had happened in the lasts few days and they were both still so confused about how they should feel about it all. Still, Beth couldn't resist the comfort of Daryl as she closed the space between them putting her arms around him before he could stop her.
Daryl inhaled a shaky breath. Every inch of his body exploded with relief that he was still that guy who made her feel safe. Snaking his own arm around her shoulders his fingers came to rest against her back. He would feel the tension there; no doubt from bending over Carl awkwardly for the last hour but also from the gravity of the situation in general. Absentmindedly he kneaded her sore, tight muscles as she sagged against him. "You do what you can…that's all there is now." She was still for a moment, considering that before nodding against his chest.
"He's just a boy, though, a kid. It's not supposed to happen like this." Daryl sighed as he continued to rub circles into her shoulders.
"I know." What else could he say ? They stood there like that for another moment before Beth pulled away, starting to become anxious that she needed to see to Carl, check the bleeding, and get another set of vitals. She offered Daryl a small smile sad and exhausted but grateful for the moment they'd just shared. For his part, Daryl could only look at her for a split second before averting his eyes to the floor- the memory of a bolt in Annette's forehead still fresh in his mind. Running her delicate fingers down his bare forearm she lingered against the back of his hand for a moment. God did he miss her.
Beth could feel Daryl's eyes on her as she left the kitchen juice in hand. How everything got so mixed up between them she had no idea. Just a few days ago they were upstairs, laying almost naked together giving each other their most sensitive parts. Inhaling a shaky breath, Beth pushed it down as she walked back into the room. Rick was bent over Carl staring at him intensely, waiting for what he had no clue. Shane remained on his knees at the side of the bed, his head bent over into his hands and his eyes closed. Jimmy had slid out of the room was now sitting on the front porch with Maize knowing that his presence was clearly not welcome with these two men.
"Any change ?" Beth handed Rick the orange juice as she nodded toward Carl.
"He's still passed out." Looking to Beth he nodded his thanks. The obvious question hung in the air as Beth held her breath waiting for someone to ask it.
"What do we do now ? Can…Can this be fixed ?" Rick looked at her with a mix of hope and absolute fear as she leaned against the footboard biting her lip.
"I'm a nurse, Rick. I don't know how to do surgery…can't repair a nicked artery. I wouldn't even know where to start." Rick let out a distressed sound as he bent over, squeezing his eyes shut.
Shane stared at her intensely. Bringing the bow around the front , Daryl let it rest in his hands ready to act if need be. Pushing himself to his feet he shook his head, agitated where the boy's own father was consumed with despair, "See I don't believe that." Beth felt a bolt of anxiety shoot down her spine. "You already saved his life, stabilized him. Got that one fragment out. If you're not a doctor then you're one hell of a nurse. There has to be a way…something else we can do…"
Beth felt her cheeks burn with the compliment although she couldn't profess to have the same kind of faith in herself. Looking at Carl's pale, still form she exhaled slowly. Maybe there was one thing…
The basement smelled of stale air and whiskey as Beth descended the stairs into relative darkness. Sighing she ripped the curtains open letting the bright midday sunlight stream in.
"What in the hell ?" On the couch Hershel stirred, his eyes pinched closed against the intrusion as a hand came to cover his face. Taking the still half full bottle of booze from the coffee table Beth dumped it down the wash tub drain, the thick dark liquid glugging away as it went. "Put it down right now Beth ! I'm warning you. You don't run this farm!"
Throwing the empty bottle into the trash she turned and settled her eyes on him, "Shut up." It was sudden and matter of fact with absolutely no emotion behind it other than total resignation. Hershel stilled, his mouth dropped open slightly as he squinted his eyes getting his first good look at her.
"Is that blood ?" It was blood, all over the front of her shirt from Carl thrashing about. Nice of him to notice. Beth leaned against the washing machine crossing her arms over her chest.
"There's a boy upstairs…He's been shot. I stabilized him the best that I could but he's in bad shape and needs a surgeon."
Hershel leaned his elbows on his knees, rubbing his face and trying to process what was being asked of him. He was silent, not having a single rebuttal to her request that made a damn bit of sense.
"How drunk are you right now ?" Her voice was an octave lower while her stare notched up in intensity. She had to know. Him being a fumbling mess wasn't an option.
He sighed loudly and disapprovingly, clearly miffed that he had answer to his daughter like this. Nonetheless he eventually conceded. "I haven't had anything since last night."
She nodded slowly not giving him any other option but to agree. "Get yourself cleaned up. I'll have a cup of coffee ready upstairs and your full kit." Hershel watched her move toward the stairs. Pausing before she went she met his gaze, "He doesn't have much time."
Twenty minutes later when her daddy emerged from the basement dressed in a pressed white shirt and clean pair of pants, Beth breathed a sigh of relief. Handing him a cup of coffee she rested her hand lightly on his kit. She'd not seen her daddy touch any of his medical supplies since Shawn died. Still, they were kept clean and ready in case the need should ever arise. Gladly taking the coffee Hershel noted it was steaming hot. Opening his mouth Beth cut him off before he could ask.
"Daryl built an outdoor cooking area after the gas went down…" Hershel's eyes flicked to the door and Daryl sitting on the porch, gently stroking Maize on the head and keeping watch.
"He responsible for that boy in there ?" Beth looked at him, her face totally blank.
"No. Daryl would never do such a thing." Hershel looked at her expectantly, waiting to be provided concrete evidence that he was wrong. "Jimmy shot him. Hunting accident or something…" her eyes wandered to the table where a sandwich sat on freshly baked bread. "I made you an egg sandwich, it isn't much but we need to ration what we have." She then met his gaze, "Thought you should eat something, it's going to be a long night."
Beth walked away knowing that if her daddy made an excuse for Jimmy right now she would lose it entirely. This boy's blood was now on their hands because of Jimmy's careless mistake. Always know your target and what's beyond it. A basic of gun safety that even Beth knew. The sun had crossed into the western sky casting a warm glow in the bedroom. Despite the complementary lighting, Carl looked pale with a fine sheen of sweat covering his small body. Immediately coming to his bedside Beth checked his IV, reassessed his vitals, and inspected the wound. His pressure had dropped but the bleeding was controlled. He had to be bleeding internally, her daddy needed to get in here.
Right one cue Hershel appeared as Rick rose to his feet. "This is my father, Rick, he was veterinarian and did this kind of surgery on animals before." Rick and Shane shared a look before their eyes came to rest on Beth. Shrugging her shoulders she looked back down at Carl, "It's all we have right now." Wisely she left out the part about him being passed out drunk just thirty minutes ago in the basement.
Rick nodded hesitantly as he extended his hand to shake Hershel's. "I'm grateful for anything you can do." Beth began to busy herself with setting the transfusion supplies back up and her daddy rolled up his sleeves.
"What have we got here, Beth ?" For a moment she blinked, feeling like she was back at work, the doctor coming into the room and wanting report. Blinking again she came back to the present. That world was gone and no matter how much she missed it, it was never coming back. Calm order and quiet nights eating popcorn with Rosita and bitching about the patients were just a memory now.
"Twelve year old male, GSW to the RLQ, no exit wound. I controlled the bleeding- removing a superficial fragment. One blood transfusion already by his father, 500 cc fluid, and just a touch of Epi to even him out. His heart rate is back up to 140 and his BP is down to 75/50. I'm starting a second transfusion." Gently pushing Rick back into the chair her eyes flicked toward her daddy as his lips twitched up in the ghost of a smile.
"That's good work. Real good work." She nodded, her own lips curving slightly at the corners as she took the well deserved praise. The well deserved respect…for once.
Jimmy appeared in the doorway his arms crossed over his chest as he exhaled deeply. Hershel's eyes flicked to him but said nothing as he set about removing the dressing and probing the wound. Carl moaned in response, not awake but also not unconscious as he wavered in a painful delirium.
"Ohh…Uhhh." Shane rested his strong arm across Carl's chest doing his best to hold the boy down as Beth came to his legs holding those in place as her daddy assessed the situation. Daryl appeared and so had Maize as the dog trotted into the room and sat at the foot of the bed watching intently. With his arm tied up to the transfusion tubing, Rick could do nothing but huff with frustration as he looked away clearly tortured that he couldn't do more for his son right now.
After what felt like an eternity, Hershel replaced the dressing looking up. "He'll need surgery to removed the rest of the fragments."
Shane squinted his eyes trying to understand. "So do it…do the surgery !"
The old man looked back at him shaking his head, "It's not that simple. The fragments are deep, I need to suture an artery back to together, check for organ damage…"
Rick jumped to his feet nearly ripping the line from his arm. "Are you telling me that you can't do this ?..that my son is just going to die here without even a shot ?!"
Maize let out a low growl at the hostility in the room as Daryl notched the crossbow tighter into the crook his arm.
Hershel stood up to look Rick in the eye as Beth inhaled sharply. "I didn't say that. I said he needs surgery…a respirator, medications, a breathing tube. Things we don't have."
"Hospital's overrun, me and Beth barely made it out on our last run there…" Daryl contributed from his post.
"The high school." Jimmy whispered as Beth's head snapped in his direction. "FEMA trailers were still standing last I saw."
Shane let out an awkward laugh. "Give me a list, Beth. Draw me a map…I won't just sit here and wait when there's something I can do to help Carl."
Rick stared at him in silence for a moment. "I hate you doing this alone…"
"You won't need a map…I'll go with you." Beth saw Jimmy stand up sticking his chin out like he did when he wanted to look tougher than he really was. Daryl had to suppress the urge to snort. If Jimmy thought he was coming back here alive he was a damn fool. Daryl could read people better than most and he saw the way Shane was leering at him, watched the protective way he hovered over Carl, and certainly didn't miss the jealous look when Rick's wife came up.
They're with me now….
If something went down…anything at all….Daryl knew that Jimmy would easily be served up as collateral. Maybe he was wrong, maybe Shane was a stand up guy who would do anything for anyone. When it came to people though, especially bad people, Daryl was hardly ever mistaken.
It almost made him want to step into the middle of this transaction. Throw himself in the mix and see how things shook out from there. But then Beth met his eyes and he knew he only had one thing he needed to worry about and that was her. Keeping her safe and alive; it was the only reason he was living right now. Jimmy was on his own.
"I took the EMT class, I know what we need and where to get it. Make the whole ordeal a lot faster." Daryl almost cringed at the double down. No turning back now.
"Alright then….let's get loaded up." Rick nodded solemnly satisfied that the errand would get down and Shane wouldn't be going alone. Anything more wasn't even a blip on his radar right now as he knelt down next to the bed taking Carl's hand.
"Your wife ? Where is she ?" Daryl broke the silence. With Shane out of the house, Rick two pints down, and Hershel back on the scene he felt Beth was relatively safe. The boy's mother needed fetched before this got any worse and if it was between him and Beth doing it, he was going to take that risk on himself.
Rick explained the traffic jam on the highway, their larger group, and for the first time the missing girl. Beth's heart seized painfully thinking of a child lost in the woods with night coming quickly. It was decided right then that Daryl would take the bike and cut through the trails back toward the highway in search of Lori- a tall woman with dark brown hair and big brown eyes. It took two stumbling attempted for Rick to get that out, and Beth immediately went to get him another glass of juice and a sandwich of his own. They had no resources for another patient.
Everyone had a job to do right now. Knowing Carl's life hung in the balance they set to work quickly, everyone doing their part without complaint or hesitation. It was going to be a long night but without hope that they could save a child, what did they have ?
I struggled for this chapter as a bridge between the old and new. Next chapter I plan to expand on everyone mission so never fear you'll get the details.
Also you still want me to keep going with this ? I know I reached sort of a climax with Annette's death. The second half with the Quarry group is proving challenging to incorporate the canon story line and also keep it original
Let me know and please review. Also I would love to know where my readers are. IF you're comfortable telling me your City/State/Country I would love it hear it.
-Pittsburgh, PA