Hatchetfield Stories

After All

I got a request for fluff, so here you go.

No trigger warnings just mentions of past injuries :)

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The two weeks Emma spent in the Clivesdale hospital went by fast. Not weird, considering she spent most of her time sleeping despite waking up screaming from yet another nightmare multiple times a day. There just wasn't much else to do, and the painkillers she was given made her absolutely exhausted, so she didn't have much of a choice.

When she got rescued, she was rushed into surgery immediately, and she spent the first few days recovering, occasionally having to answer some questions about the 'Hatchetfield Catastrophe', as they called it.

Two weeks later, she was able to walk out of the room by herself, despite the pain it caused. She didn't pay much attention to the Colonel as she talked, still too wrapped up in the memory of Paul.

"Goodbye, Kelly. Good luck with the pot farm."

"Thanks," Emma muttered, quite done with the fake positivity everyone seemed to give her, as if her life didn't get ruined.

"Oh!" the Colonel said, turning back to her. "You'll be escorted to Colorado by a Mr. Ben Bridges, he's waiting outside."

Emma's eyes narrowed. "I don't know any Ben Bridges." If she was given a fake name, could it be... no, the Colonel said he died. Don't hype yourself up too much.

"Well, according to our records, you two were very good friends. PEIP would like to see it become something more."

The Colonel winked, and for a brief moment, Emma was alone, left to think about the implications of her words.

Then he came in.

"Oh my God! Paul?!" Emma laughed, tears of joy threatening to roll down her cheeks. "You made it! We made it!" She ran as fast as she could with her aching leg, and threw herself into his arms.

"Emma, I'm sorry," he whispered as both of them held on tight. "I'm so sorry."

Emma pulled away, looking up at him. "You're alive?" she laughed, a tear rolling down her cheek, followed by many more. "You're alive!"

Paul nodded, a smile on his face. "I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"Now, let's get to that pot farm, shall we?" he asked, grabbing her arm.

*** *** ***

The journey to Colorado was a long one, but they had a lot to talk about, and eventually, Emma fell asleep with her head on Paul's shoulder.

When she woke up, they were there.

Paul helped her out of the car, her leg sore from sitting in the passenger seat for that long. She grabbed her bag, and took out a few pills and a bottle of water. "God, I'm never flying in a fucking helicopter again," she told him after taking the painkillers and putting the bottle back in her bag.

"Yeah..." Paul smiled at her, taking her hand. "I'm surprised you can even walk this soon after an injury like that, you almost died."

Emma chuckled. "Well, it hurts like a motherfucker, and walking for more than a few minutes becomes absolute agony, but the doctors said I could, so I guess it's cool."

"Let's explore our house, and then you can sit down, okay?"

"Our house?"

Paul's cheeks flushed, and he looked down. "Yeah, PEIP kind of wanted us to live together. They didn't think you could take care of yourself right now, considering you can barely walk, and it's easier for checkups and stuff. But I think there's something more."

'PEIP would like to see it become something more.' The words echoed through Emma's head, and she smiled.

He was taken away from her after only a day, but now she'd have all the time in the world to get to know him.

*** *** ***

The house wasn't very special; a living room with a kitchen, two bedrooms, an office, and a bathroom with beautiful tiles. But even after a day, Emma felt at home. Something she hadn't felt since she came back to Hatchetfield.

Paul sat down next to her, awkwardly putting an arm around her. She smiled. What a dork.

"I was thinking about heading downtown today," he said. "You know, get some groceries, maybe get you crutches so you can move around easier."

Emma nodded. "I might take a nap. You know, give this guy some rest." She patted her bandaged leg. "Oh, can you get some bandages? The doctors said I should change them once a week."

Paul grabbed the new phone PEIP had given him and started making a grocery list.

Emma smiled as they talked about what kinds of food they liked.

Maybe, they'd beokay, after all.