I'm pretty proud of this one! I had a lot of fun writing it and hope you enjoy SailorMaya! Also, final page count: 20 + 1/4 pages
Ship: Francis x OC
Warnings: Violence, traumatic brain injury, memory loss
~~~
Francis sighed, fiddling with the clip of his gun, not paying attention to what Bill was saying. He couldn't stop thinking about Callie, about the hospital she was staying at, about the bar fight she got roped into. It wasn't either of their faults, not really. They'd just been relaxing, her after a long day at work as gymnastics instructor and him as a warehouse stocker. They'd been conversing about his bike, she was interested in learning how to ride after being with him for the last two and a half years.
All of a sudden, there was a crash on the other end of the bar, shouting followed. Callie immediately withdrew, becoming silent as the dead at the growing commotion. A crowd had begun to form and Francis knew better than to stay. He grabbed Callie and tried to leave, but there was no way out and he lost Callie for a moment among the throng of people. He heard her shout, swiveling his head to the sound. His voice left at the sight.
Callie was in the small pocket around the two fighting men, stumbling to stand up, her frame completely hidden by the man she was behind. She looked up- gaze meeting his own. One of the men raised a barstool, swinging it at his opponent with all his strength. The man hiding Callie ducked and she took the blow. The wooden stool shattered as it came into contact with her skull with a crack that silenced the whole building. Callie collapsed and Francis all but tore a path through the crowd to get to her.
A pool of red bloomed under her, staining her long, brown, hair dark. Without thinking, Francis screamed. That set the whole bar off, people rushing to the doors to leave the crime scene, including the cause of this mess in the first place. It took 30 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. 50 if you counted the 20 minutes of screaming and shouting from him it took for someone to actually call. Francis cradled her body, using a (once) grey hoodie to put pressure on the massive gash on her skull to hopefully quell the bleeding. The EMT's took her and his jacket away, telling him to follow them to the hospital.
For 2 months after the initial visit, he wasn't allowed to see her due to 'not being family'. When Francis was finally granted access to her room, she was comatose, her head wrapped in bandages. The staff barely let him see her- the room was always 'too crowded' with her parents. He asked, again and again, if she'd be okay, and every time he'd be brushed off and told it was medical information not of his concern. Francis hated their stupid rules, and their stupid coats, and their stupid attitudes. He wanted to punch every doctor in that goddamned hospital.
He sighed, running a hand down his face. Francis knew he wasn't helping anyone by reminiscing over his comatose girlfriend. Still, he couldn't keep her from his mind. In his heart, he prayed that she'd been able to wake up before the infection got too bad and get out with her family. But, his naturally pessimistic mind told him his hope was useless.
"Francis!" Bill called from inside.
Francis jolted up, "What do you want, old man?"
Bill crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe, "Have you even bothered to listen to a single thing I've said?"
Francis shrugged, a shit-eating grin on his face, "Can't say that I have."
Bill sighed, "Enjoy getting eaten out there, then. I ain't repeating myself."
Francis rolled his eyes, "Whatever."
"Can you give it a rest?" Louis shouted from inside, "Both of you need to calm down, this shit isn't helping anyone! All you're doing is hurting the group."
Bill scowled, shaking his head. He said nothing as he turned back inside, leaving Francis alone once more. A few minutes passed before another set of footsteps came from behind.
Francis sighed, "Yeah, yeah. Don't start your lecture, old man. I'm coming in."
"Francis, I'm not here to lecture you," Louis replied.
Francis raised an eyebrow, turning around to face Louis, "Well why are you here? Got nothing better to do than watch me mope about my girlfriend?"
Francis made the jab at his own expense, hoping to hide his insecurity about the subject and avoid talking about his feelings.
Louis shook his head, "No, I'm not here to watch you mope. We need to talk about what happened between you and your girl."
Francis groaned, "I already told you, I don't wanna talk about it. We got separated and I'm just trying to find her! What don't you people get?"
"What I don't get is why you're so hung up on what happened.You've been searching everywhere and slowing us down like hell. What makes you so desperate to find her? It's not like she couldn't have gotten herself to an evac, right?"
Francis' frown deepened, he didn't say anything for a moment, "She... couldn't have, actually. She was in a coma the last time I got news from her parents about her. I wasn't allowed in the room for a lot of reasons..."
Louis withered, "... Oh. I... I'm sorry, man."
Francis stood up fully, grabbing his gun, "Don't be, it isn't your fault. I just... I can't help but worry- who's to say the hospital she was at had an evac, what if she got sick?" Francis sighed, "I just can't stop thinking about her safety. I need to find her, make sure she's okay."
Louis nodded, "Yeah, no I get it now, I do. If you want I can ask Bill to maybe go easier on you."
"I'll tell him myself," Francis said, nudging past him to get inside, "I need to get my head in the right place anyways."
~
"Alright, I think this is a good place to split up and look for supplies," Bill said, reloading his gun, "Why don't you come with me, Francis?"
"Hang out with an old man, of my own free will? I would never," Francis joked.
"Well, if I leave you with Louis, you'll kill him, if I leave you with Zoey, she'll kill you. I'm your last option, son."
Francis huffed, feigning irritation, "Whatever."
Bill smirked, "Well suck it up buttercup, and follow me, we've got a lot to do before sundown so we'd better hurry up."
Francis smiled, picking up his shotgun and shooting a nod in Zoey and Louis' direction, "Watch yourselves out there you two, wouldn't want you getting hurt."
Zoey nodded back, "Will do."
"Ditto!" Louis called to them.
The two watched Francis and Bill's forms fade into the distance for a few moments longer before turning around and walking down the street.
Louis tilted his head, "You think we're gonna find anything interesting?"
Zoey shrugged, shooting a smoker from a rooftop, "Who knows? Anything can happen to us."
Louis laughed, "Yeah, I guess so."
~
Louis and Zoey had been exploring around for the past few hours. They, unfortunately, hadn't found much, only retrieving a couple of health packs for their efforts.
Zoey looked up at the sky and sighed, "I think we should head back, Louis, it's getting late and the sun is starting to set."
Louis frowned, "Well, so much for finding something interesting..."
Zoey looked at him, smiling, "We could still find something on the way back, aren't you supposed to be the positive one?"
Louis smirked back, "I guess you're right."
Zoey waved him over, "Come on then, we'd better get back before they start getting worried."
Louis nodded and they headed back the way they came. A few minutes went by as they passed empty apartments and warehouses. The duo walked, not speaking as they absorbed the silence of the world around them. Louis perked up, a sound catching his ear. He stuck his arm out, blocking Zoey's path.
Zoey looked at him, eyebrow raised, "What-?"
Louis shushed her, tilting his head to get a better listen to the sound. His eyes burst open when he heard it again and his head flung about to find the source.
Zoey blinked at him, "Louis, what the hell are you doing?"
"Don't you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"Listen."
Zoey blinked, standing silent for a moment. Distant gunshots. She heard distant gunshots. But, they weren't like any of the weapons Bill or Francis were using.
Zoey gasped, "Another survivor!"
Louis nodded, "We need to find them."
They both jerked their heads at the sound of shots. The sound was louder-closer than before. Louis and Zoey looked at each other before sprinting towards it. They turned a street corner to find a crowd of zombies, surrounding a pale brunette with nothing but a shotgun.
She glanced at them, terror in her eyes, "Help!"
Zoey and Louis raised their weapons and charged into battle.
~
Francis looked out the window, squinting down at the street below, "Where the hell are they? They should've been back by now."
Bill sighed, joining him by the window, "I'm starting to worry myself, son. Louis and Zoey can handle themselves, but..."
Francis huffed, pulling away from the window and grabbing his shotgun, "Then it's settled, we're going out to find them."
Bill nodded, "Yeah son, I think you're right for once-" he stopped, raising his arm, "Wait! I see them, out in the distance, look!"
Francis returned to the window, spotting the familiar silhouettes of Louis and Zoey. A third member, that Zoey seemed to be supporting on her shoulders, was between them. The third hit Francis with an unexplainable wave of deja vu.
Francis shook off the feeling, "Who do you think the other person is?"
Bill shrugged, "Couldn't tell you, son. At least we know they're safe."
"Yeah, guess we have that."
Francis made his way downstairs with Bill as the trio approached the door. He tossed his gun on the counter as Bill waved the three in, not paying much attention to the newest addition to their group. Zoey flew past him with the new member, into a separate room, setting the other person down on the couch gently. After a moment of hesitation, Francis followed her, holding out one of the medkits he'd found with Bill earlier. Zoey was leaning over the other person- a woman, from what Francis could tell from her shoes and pants. The items looked strikingly familiar, like he'd seen them a thousand times before. Francis tried to get a look at the girl's face.
"Back off Francis, I need room to patch her up," Zoey told him, not looking up from her work, "Go back and get me another medkit, this one doesn't have any suture thread."
Francis just nodded, sparing once glance back at the familiar legs of the woman before returning to the other room. He fished through a few different kits before finding what he wanted and went back into the room with the two women. He handed Zoey what she needed before being shooed off again. Francis threw his hands up, leaving the room with an angry grunt.
Louis laughed, "Being schooled by Zoey?"
"Whatever," Francis grumbled back, pulling himself up to sit on the counter.
Bill chuckled along with Louis. After a few minutes, Zoey left the room, closing the door behind her as quietly as she could. She wiped her hands on her pants with a sigh, before looking up.
"Nobody go in there," she ordered.
"Why?" Bill asked, "Was she bit?"
"No, but I don't think she'd be too comfortable with strangers being in the room with her while she's out."
Francis shrugged, "What, we can't even go change her bandages?"
Zoey shook her head, "I'll handle that."
Francis huffed, "If you say so..."
~
It took a week for the mystery woman to heal from her injuries. Though Bill wasn't too pleased with staying cooped up in the same area for so long, he relented from bitching at the request of the other three. Francis, Louis and Bill grew confused at the lack of a name from Zoey, until she admitted that she'd never asked the other woman. When she finally did, however, Zoey returned with an inconclusive answer. And so, the mystery grew.
"Alright," Zoey said, stretching, "I think she's finally healthy enough for you guys to meet, and for us to get back on the road."
"Thank god," Bill groaned, "I haven't felt this cooped up since the winter of '87."
"What happened in the winter '87?" Louis asked, sipping a cup of coffee.
"Snowstorm trapped me in my house for three weeks."
Francis whistled, "Damn, sucks to be you. Zoey, any news on the chick's name yet?"
Zoey shrugged, going to the room the mystery woman resided in, "Last time I asked she said it might be Kate. So I still don't know."
"Well, I hope she makes up her mind soon," Francis hummed, leaning against a wall.
All the names the woman had given sounded familiar. Holly, Kate, Jem, Jada, Tina. Francis recognized all the names and could even put a face to most of them, but he couldn't remember how he knew them.
The door creaked open and Zoey's voice floated into the room, "Alright, I'm bringing her in, don't barge her with questions, you hear?"
Francis nodded absentmindedly, still lost in his thoughts. He fiddled with his gun as he thought about Callie. The hospital she'd been staying at was only a town over from here. Maybe he could find something- anything to indicate her whereabouts. Francis scanned his brain for any nearby graffiti that stood out.
"Alright, guys, this is our new friend!" Zoey said, bringing the newest member into the room, "Still not sure on the name, but we're getting there!"
"Hello! I'm Louis! It's nice to meet you!"
"I'm Bill, the leader."
Zoey cleared her throat, attempting to get Francis' attention. When he didn't respond she coughed louder. Again, he didn't respond, so she resorted to tossing a medkit at his head.
"Ow! Hey, what the hell?" Francis asked, turning to glare at Zoey.
"Introduce yourself, asshole!" she hissed.
Francis shook his head, rolling his eyes, "Alright, fine..." Francis sighed, finally looking at the chick, "My name's-"
Francis' heart dropped. His jaw went slack as he stared at their newest member- Callie. In an instant relief swept over him- she was alive! That relief was tinged with horror as he gazed upon her half-shorn head, scalp bearing a massive scar with the stitches still visible. Francis realized how lucky they both were that Zoey and Louis had stumbled upon her. With Callie's memory gone and brain still in pieces, she probably struggled to care for herself. Francis looked back up at Callie, hoping to see something- any glimmer of recognition in her green eyes. A few moments passed and all he saw was confusion etched into her features.
Zoey opened her mouth to speak but Francis beat her words, "Holy shit... Callie... you're alive!"
Callie blinked up at him, confusion burrowing deeper into her brow for a moment before something clicked within her brain, "Callie... Callie... That- that's my name."
"Yeah, it is!" Francis said, a laugh at the edge of his voice, moving closer to her, "Do- do you know who I am? Or recognize me- at all?"
Callie stepped back, clearly a little intimidated by his size, "I'm sorry, no... but you know me, from before all of this. How?"
"I..." Francis paused, thinking through what he was about to do. He put himself in her shoes and thought about how he'd feel if he didn't even know who he was and just had it dumped on him that some rando had been his partner for years.
"You know what? I think we should focus on getting you back to your old self before we worry about that. Okay?"
Callie took a moment to think it over herself, "Okay."
"Now, what do you remember?"
~
Francis paced, hands pressed together in front of his lips like he was praying, "Okay, so you remember your parents-"
Callie nodded, "Correct."
He turned, pacing the other direction, hands now at an angle and pointing at the wall, "You remember how to shoot-"
She leaned back, "Uh-huh.'
Francis turned again, now facing Callie, separating his hands, "And you vaguely remember most of your medical expertise."
"Yuparoni"
"That's good!" Louis interjected, glancing at Francis, "That's good, right?"
Francis placed his hands on his hips, looking at Louis, "You know Louis, for once, I don't hate your positive attitude. You're still missing some lights up there, Cal, but we're off to a good start."
Zoey clapped, "Alright! So what should we work on first? Hobbies? Friends? Her job?"
Francis tilted his mouth, thinking, "Hobbies sound like a good place, since it looks like you aren't too far from remembering them. We need to take little steps with this and start with small victories before we get to the actual hard stuff."
Callie nodded, "It sounds like a good plan, where do we start?"
Francis straightened up, a smirk on his face, "Wanna go rock climbing?"
~
Callie trailed her eyes up the side of the apartment building she and Francis faced. It was old, a beaten down building that, in less than a year, would've surely gotten demolished and restored. The windows were all cracked, fire escape no longer there, and the bricks jutted out unevenly like a massive, five-story rock climbing wall. Without all the safety equipment, of course. Callie looked over at Francis, who grinned back at her.
"What the hell are we doing here?" she asked.
Francis pulled out a rope, tossing it from one hand to the other, "You're gonna rock climb!"
"Isn't this a little dangerous?" Callie asked, brow raised with a smirk as she tied one end of the rope about her waist, feeling a kick start of adrenaline in her veins.
"Oh, absolutely," Francis replied, handing her the other end of the rope, "Now, hold this, I'm gonna run up a few floors and you can just toss it to me."
Callie looked down at the rope, grinning, "Okay."
Francis did as he'd said, running up three stories before breaking a window and poking his head out. Callie tossed him the rope with an eager arm, accidentally knocking him in the head. Francis frowned, pouting in her direction as Callie bit back a giggle. He muttered something akin to 'I hate rope' as he vanished from the window, the rope slowly going taut by the sill. Callie watched in quiet awe, a rumble of familiarity buzzing around in her head.
"Alright!" Francis called, coming back to peer out the window, "You can start climbing!"
Callie didn't hesitate, "Okay!"
She tugged the rope and planted one foot on the side of the building. Callie lifted herself with the foot and her own arm strength, slipping her other foot up on the wall. She looked down at her feet and laughed. Callie felt around for the next jutting brick, gripping it and tugging herself up. Slowly, but surely, she continued climbing higher and higher as adrenaline pulsed through her veins. Muscle memory pushed her forward as her brain was flooded with the many years of rock climbing she danced through. With her confidence high, Callie paused to catch her breath. This was her highest climb yet and months in hospice didn't do her stamina any favors.
A brick under her foot gave out. Callie shouted in surprise and mild pain as she grabbed the rope on instinct, forgetting that she wasn't wearing any gloves, and received rope burn in its wake. Her free foot scrambled for another purchase, just barely finding one that forced her leg at an awkward angle.
"Callie!" Francis shouted, terror clear on his face, "Are you okay? Should I pull you up?"
Callie looked up at him, shaking her head, "No, Francis, I'm fine! Pull some rope up so it can catch me if I fall, okay?"
"Okay!"
Callie felt the rope pull up and grow taught again as she searched around the wall for a more stable area. She ended up having to move left, and do an odd spidermonkey bit to circle around and avoid a weak area of bricks before finding her way back under the window. By her estimate, she was two thirds of the way up. Another kick of adrenaline and confidence flooded her as she clambered up towards her goal. A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead as she pulled herself up another row of bricks. She was almost to the window, just a few feet!
The bricks collapsed again, this time giving way under both of her boots. Again, Callie shouted in surprise, losing her grip on her hand holds as well. She was dangling, and thought, for a moment, that the rope had caught her. Instead, she looked up to find Francis grinning down at her, gripping her upper arms in his big, gloved hands. Callie blinked up at him, before taking his upper arms in turn. She pressed her feet against the wall, supporting some of her weight against the bricks she'd gripped before. Slowly, Francis helped pull her up.
When they got close to the windowsill, Callie opened her mouth to tell him he could leg go. She was cut off when he let go of one arm and tucked his now free arm under her legs. He lifted her with ease and scrunched her a little to tug her through the window. He stepped back from the sill and Callie realized that it and the floor were covered in glass.
"So, how do you feel?" Francis asked, eager for her response.
Callie put a hand on his shoulder, grinning from ear to ear, "I feel amazing! Holy crap, I think that was the craziest thing I've done! And I think I broke my climbing record too!"
"Do you remember anything?"
"Yes! So much! It's a little overwhelming to be honest..." Callie laughed. "I remember the first time I went climbing, and when I did it with my sisters for the first time and when I won my first climbing competition! I remember all of it!"
"Wow, I can't believe that worked! Score one for us!"
Callie wrapped her arms around Francis, squeezing him as tight as she could, "Thank you, Francis. I couldn't have done it without you."
Francis laughed, heat crawling up his face, "Aw, shucks..."
Callie pulled away, "No, seriously, I owe you big time and... why are you still carrying me?"
Francis looked down then back up at Callie, "Huh? Oh! Uh... sorry, guess I didn't realize."
Callie folded her arms, smirking as he set her down with the utmost gentleness, "How do you not realize you're carrying an entire person?"
Francis huffed, "What, as opposed to half a person? Besides, you're not even that heavy, carrying you was like carrying a can of soda!"
Callie punched his arm lightly, "Was not!"
"Was too!" Francis retorted, laughing.
Callie joined him, clutching her stomach. She glanced at her rope-burned hand, making a mental note to put some ointment on it and get gloves. She straightened herself up and glanced up at Francis when he clapped her on the back.
"Thanks again, Francis."
Francis shrugged, "Hey, it's no trouble if it's for you."
Callie felt blush creep up her cheeks and laughed, "We should get back to the others..."
Francis looked away, scratching his neck and blushing himself "... Yeah, we should..."
Callie glanced at him before shoving him, "Last one there's a rotten egg!" she called, running off to find the stairwell.
Francis fell on his ass and took a second to process what she'd done.
"Hey!" he yelled, a smile creeping on his face and a stutter of love in his heart as he stood up to chase her down, "Get your ass back here!"
~~~
Please vote of you liked and comment. Even if you didn't like it, feel free to critique! It encourages me to write faster and publish more!