Days of pitch black. Numbness. He knew his hands were moved, yet no sensation came to his fingertips. Murmurs of voices heard, but no faces to attach those words to. It had been days since I heard her voice: "I need you to wake up, alright?". She had been dead. Was there a point to fighting anymore? But there she was again: "I love you". Then she was gone, but it was her. The voices became a little clearer, the numbness faded. Moments later, the cool press of an object glided across his face.
"You're gonna need a clean shave for when you wake up."
The voice belonged to a man. Keep talking. I need something to grab onto. Flex anything you can, nothing followed. The man continued his task, many failed attempts of getting attention passed. The scratchy towel dabbed across his face. It had to be now. Flex. A limb jolted outward.
"Mr. McCormmick?"
Flex again. There was an increase amongst the frequency in the constant beeping he had sat with. Again, there was movement.
"Oh my God..." Radio static. "Paging Doctor Malcolm Wrede! Emergency with patient Daniel McCormick, room 327! Paging Doctor Malcolm Wrede!"
A second set of footsteps. Footsteps. I can hear footsteps.
"Connor, what's going on?"
"It's Daniel, I've never seen him do this. Maybe he's waking up? He's had a lot of stimulation, it's possible."
A clasped hand was felt. Feeling? Fingertips tingling? So close. Just open your eyes.
"Hey, Mr. Mccormick, come on. You can do it. Keep fighting."
The beeping intensified. What was that? It was a burning white color.
Then all of the raging light came rushing in. Shadows appeared, standing over him. Everything could be heard, the chaos of the hospital. Voices, clearer. Shadows with dimension. Hands. Faces. Expression. His nerves felt like they were catapulting into motion, zipping through his body as his senses came back. Mr. McCormick's legs kicked out, colliding it with the two men at his bedside as they held him down and used words of consolement. The beeping, God it was screaming at that point. The white light finally dissipated into color, bland yet crisp white walls. A man in a white doctor's coat and a second one dressed in a blue nurse's uniform. Their eyes were bulging out of their heads. Like they had seen a ghost. Had they?
"Hey, hey, hey, I need you to relax. You're gonna overwork yourself, okay?" The man in blue urged. "Mr. McCormick, you're at St. Olive's hospital. You encountered a shooting about a month back. You were shot in the head."
"Wh-" He tried to form words but they simply slurred upon his lips. He almost started to doze off again.
"Sir, I'm Doctor Wrede. I was your diagnostic doctor. Can you tell me where you are?"
"I-" Deep breath. He pushed his lips together slowly and took control of the muscles in his tongue. "I'm...at...Saint..."
"Saint what?"
"Saint...Saint Olive's."
"Very good. Can you tell me your full name?"
His brows came together as he concentrated. "D-Daniel...Daniel um, Daniel D-Dawson...McCormick."
"Very good," the nurse said softly.
The doctor patted the nurse's shoulder, saying as he left, "I gotta grab the stuff to run his tests."
And then he was gone. The male nurse still had his hand on Daniel's shoulder until he was calm enough to lay back down on the hospital bed.
"Can you tell me anything else? Your family?"
"Uh- Oh my God, my-my daughter. My daughter. Where is she?" He sat up more abruptly.
Connor forced him back down. "Listen to me. You can't overstimulate yourself."
"Where's my daughter?"
"Can you tell me your daughter's name?"
"Affinity," he said without hesitation. "Her name's Affinity. She's my baby girl. Please, where is she?"
"She's okay. She's home. Do you remember anything else?"
"I- Like what?"
Connor started getting nervous. "Can you tell me what St. Olive's is?"
"It-It's a hospital."
"Do you know why you're in the hospital?"
"Yeah, I-"
He stopped and tried to come up with an answer to that question, but nothing came to him.
"I...I'm not sure."
Connor's heart sank slightly. "You don't remember what happened on the airstrip a month ago?"
Daniel shook his head slowly. Connor moved his arm so that he reached to touch the bandage wrapped around his head. Mr. McCormick's eyes searched the nurse's face as fear, confusion, oblivion rushed through his head.
"Mr. McCormick...you were shot in the head. Your partner, Susan Peterkin, was killed."
"Susan?"
"Susan Peterkin. Do you remember her?"
Mr. McCormick sat there for a moment. "No...I don't. Why- Why don't I know any of these people you're talking about? Why can't I remember?!" He grabbed Connor's collar. "What's happening to me?!"
Connor locked eyes with Daniel's teary pair. He could see the pain, the confusion. Everything hurt him. Not just physically...his heart, his soul. Connor grabbed his hands, which caused Daniel's grip to release.
"Listen to me, I know you don't remember most of what has happened recently. I promise you that me and Doctor Wrede will do everything we can to help restore those memories, but overworking your mind is not going to help you at all. The most important thing I need you to remember, for your sake and her sake, is your daughter." He brought Daniel's hands down so they rested on his lap. "Can you tell me your daughter's name again?"
"Affinity. Oh my God..." Mr. McCormick breathed. His eyes looked empty. "I...your voice, I heard your voice. You told me she was dead. How- How is that possible?"
Connor thought hard about his answer. Did he not remember that he also told him that she was alive? "She and John B sailed into a hurricane. They were said to be lost at sea, pronounced dead."
Daniel swallowed hard, but then those empty eyes started to flicker with a little bit of energy, life. "But wait...you-you also said that..." The blue in his eyes became even more vibrant. "Oh my God, she's alive! You told me she was alive. My girl survived!"
Connor's lips graced into a smile. "Yes!" He said enthusiastically. "Oh thank God you remember! Affinity is going to be so thrilled."
"Affinity. Yes. Wait-" He started to push himself up from where he lay. "I have to find her. I have to get out of here. She needs me, I need to find her."
"Are you insane?! No way in hell is this happening!" Connor gently pushed his hands against Mr. McCormick's chest, urging him to lay back down. "Your memory is still failing. Doctor Wrede has to run tests for brain trauma, damage. If we push this recovery time, this could result in serious, permanent damage that could leave you mentally impaired, paralyzed, and many other things that will change your life completely."
"Please, you have to let me."
"Absolutely not! It's too dangerous and-and I could lose my job!"
"I'm begging you."
He locked his eyes with Connor. "I don't care, she's my daughter. She thinks I'm still gone. I have to find her. I have to see her. We need each other. Come on, you can't tell me that you've never had someone in your life that would risk everything for."
Connor felt himself stiffen slightly at Daniel's words. He understood the man completely. "We have to run tests first. I'm not promising anything. This is still a matter of life and death."
"Do what you must. I just need your help."
"I'll see what I can do."
<<<>>>
Connor burst through the door. He looked like a nervous wreck. "Okay, listen, we move quickly. You put on that change of clothes and keep your head down. We have to be back here before 10:30 because that's when the night shift nurses swap in and make the rotations through patients. I have another nurse covering for us but we have to be quick, understand?"
"Uh...yeah," Daniel answered slowly, slightly terrified. "Alright, help me up."
"Shit, I'm already regretting this."
Connor helped Daniel sit up and position his feet sturdily on the floor. With all the strength he could muster, Mr. McCormick pushed himself up. His knees buckled significantly but Connor kept him upright. Connor handed him the forearm crutches to stabilize Daniel. They couldn't take any risks of him falling and becoming subject to blunt trauma again. Daniel followed Connor's orders. Connor had changed out of his nurse uniform to become a little more inconspicuous. He helped Daniel into his car so they could exit the parking lot and drive towards where they might find Affinity as the Outer Banks sun set in the pink sky.
While darkness flooded across Figure 8, the house remained sufficiently lit with their privileged generators. Mr. McCormick rolled down his window and let his hand float in the wind. After a month of the sensations of nothing, this felt heavenly. He loved living in the Outer Banks. He had missed the salty smell and damp air. Daniel expected the gentle sound of the wind to fill his ears but, instead, he heard a scream rip through the air. He recognized that they were near the harbor, and that was where the sound came from.
"What the hell was that?" Connor asked, eyes wide.
"It came from the docks, pull over."
"What? Are you kidding? It sounds like bad trouble and we don't need you getting in the mix of it."
"It's Connor, right?"
Connor nodded.
"I used to be a cop. You should know that. I can't just ignore things like that."
"Yeah, it's also the reason why you ended up in a coma in the first place!"
"Connor. Pull. Over."
Connor groaned in submission and clicked his blinker to park the car on the side of the road. Daniel was out of the car before Connor could scramble to help him. Mr. McCormick felt himself stumble but with the aid of the crutches, he was able to fall into a swift gait, hobbling down the boardwalk.
"Daniel! Please slow down! You're gonna hurt yourself!"
Daniel didn't listen. He was focused on the screams, following them. But then they went silent, and so he began to sprint. The crutches had fallen from his grasp, clattering upon the wood. He turned a final corner to find a boy hunched over a girl with his hands gripping her throat. Then he saw the girl's eyes, her face, her dirty blonde hair strewn over the wood. It was Affinity. It was his daughter, and he could hear the life being stripped away from her desperate breaths. It was his daughter. His daughter. His everything.
Suddenly, his feet left the ground and his entire body was barreling towards the boy. His shoulder smashed into him, slamming him to the ground. Daniel's response to utilize his fists was immediate. One came right after another. Again. Again. Banging the boy's face into the wood behind his head. Just as he decided maybe it was time to let up, which granted him time to see his face. Then a flash of light. A memory, perhaps? It was the same face that stood before him, a gun pointed, before everything went black. His fists didn't let up but came down even harder. Over and over until the malicious boy became unconscious. That damn smirk.
Everything came back.
Peterkin.
Rafe.
Ward.
Even Rafe's unconscious state didn't stop him. It was Connor pulling him off. His world was spinning and the blood came rushing to his head. The ringing returned and every nerve in his body tingled, but everything seemed to halt when he found her hazel eyes. They were frightened but they both shared the same relief. Nothing else mattered. Just the sight of her masked any pain that he had felt.
He welcomed him into his arms as she jumped into them. He squeezed her tight, surprised that he didn't hear any bones cracking. The tears burned as they ran down their cheeks. Both their knees crumbled and they fell to the ground in their embrace, sobbing. The world stopped for them. That hadn't happened before. It had always been moving without them, leaving them in the dust to simply find a way to get by and cope. But time granted them this moment, this singular moment that healed the internal wounds both had been bearing for long enough for both of them held a miracle in their arms.
Daniel pulled away, cupping his daughter's face as he continued to sob. "Oh my God, are you okay?" He hugged her again. "Jesus Christ I'm so sorry, Peach. I'm so so sorry. I'm never going to leave you again."
"How- How are you here?" She cried as she pulled her tear stained face away from where it had been buried in her father's shoulder. "Dad- you were, oh my God..."
"Shh shh," He consoled his daughter. "No, no. Don't say it. I know, I know, but I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere ever again."
Affinity had so many questions, but none that she cared about enough to demand an answer immediately. She didn't care...at all. This is what she had wanted ever since she held his lifeless body in her arms on that airstrip.
"I missed you so much," she said softly while what seemed like the hundredth tear fell upon his shoulder.
He kissed the side of her head. "I missed you too."
And as the adrenaline started to dissipate amongst the comfort of his daughter, Mr. McCormick started to feel rather faint. He could now feel every angered nerve, especially the ones in his fist and head, of course. His weight began to slouch over Affinity's shoulders. Affinity, feeling the sudden change, tried to help him sit up.
"Are you okay?" She asked, worry straining her voice. Everything she ever feared suddenly returned.
Connor stepped in. "He's gonna be okay. He's just really overworked. In all honesty, he should've never left the hospital." He anxiously checked his watch.
"I-I'm sorry I didn't mean to cause trouble," Affinity stammered.
"Oh, hun, no no that's not what I meant," Connor insisted, realizing his insensitivity. "We just gotta get him back so we can keep him upright and going. On the bright side, we know that he's a lot stronger than we realized." Then Connor realized that they still had a whole other problem. "Wait, holy shit- Affinity." He looked at Rafe. "He-He just tried to kill you."
Daniel realized again and his fury returned. He stood, stumbling several times, before driving his foot into Rafe's gut. Connor grabbed him by the shoulders and moved him back. Daniel's excessive weakness forced him to practically fall into Connor's arms. Connor shifted so he could sling Daniel's arm over his shoulder.
"We gotta turn this bastard in," Connor said.
Affinity rolled her eyes. "The cops won't believe-" She paused, understanding that everything she and the pogues had been working towards. They had their witness. They had their proof. "Dad, we have to get you to the station now!"
"We do?" He asked, still a little disoriented. "Wait...yes, yes I remember everything!"
His expression almost reflected joy as he realized that maybe he wasn't as damaged as he thought, but his face quickly saddened when he recalled that it also entailed watching one of his closest people to him die.
"Susan," he muttered, and so his heart sank.
Affinity frowned. "I'm really sorry, Dad."
He swallowed hard. "I need to testify."
<<<>>>
"Where is he?" Affinity demanded as she walked into the station. She approached the front desk. "We need to see Shoupe now."
"I'm sorry but he isn't here at the-" The woman at the desk picked up her head, struck speechless. "Officer McCormick, you're alive."
"I have a feeling I'm gonna get this a lot," he huffed.
She picked up the phone and called Officer Shoupe. "Hi, you need to get to the station immediately. Officer McCormick is alive, sir." Seconds later she hung up the phone. "There was a problem at the detention center, he'll be here momentarily."
Affinity's brows furrowed. "The detention center? What the hell happened?"
"It seems your boy John B quickly developed some enemies in there real quick," she snarked.
Affinity pointed a stiff finger at her. "You watch your mouth. He's innocent. I have fucking proof right here."
Daniel stared at her harshly. "Am I like- invisible to you? I was supposedly dead a month ago shot by a guy who, in fact, also tried to murder my daughter all of about 15 fucking minutes ago. I am still a goddamn officer here and my word should be enough to arrest him right now." He pointed to the bruising around Affinity's neck. "Is that enough fucking evidence for you?"
The woman at the desk seemed to cower. "Understood, Officer McCormick. We'll be sure to-"
"Don't worry about it, Lyn," a voice said from behind. "I got it from here."
The three turned to find Shoupe with the SBI agent that had been on this case ever since all hell broke loose. Shoupe held up a gun that was bagged for evidence.
"Don't worry, your little pogues prevailed and found something that can back you up." He shook the bag. "Rafe's fingerprints on the shells."
"And you wouldn't believe us," Affinity scoffed. "How does that feel now, huh? Salt in an open wound...hope it fucking burns."
Shoupe's eyes searched the ground as embarrassment flushed over him. He looked up at Daniel. "I'm glad to have you back, Danny."
Mr. McCormick glared back. "Fucking save it."
Affinity stepped forward. "What happened at the detention center?"
"John B, uh-" His feet shifted nervously below him. "His was attacked. Inside job we believe. Strung up by another prisoner."
"What?!" Affinity stomped towards Shoupe. "How could you let that happen?!"
Connor steadied Daniel up against the table before he corralled Affinity. He was really working past his pay grade.
"Affinity, I had no idea. It was out of my control-"
"Shut up!" She shouted. "I don't care! I'm tired of your excuses." She sent a look to the SBI agent. "You have your beloved evidence. At least one of you do your job right for once and actually arrest the correct son of a bitch."
The men didn't say anything, but simply left to make way for Figure 8.
"Oh," Affinity began. "And make sure that meathead Thomas treats these criminals just as horrific as he treated John B."
Affinity returned to her father and Connor. "Okay, let's get you back to the hospital. I'm sorry I drug you around longer than your body probably could've handled."
"That's okay, Fin." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry about me. We needed to right all the wrongs, and I believe we did a pretty good job of that today."
"I can't wait for you to come home," she sighed.
Connor rested a hand on her shoulder. "Soon enough, I promise, but you're right, we really need to get him back. I don't need to jeopardize him more than I've jeopardized myself," he chuckled quietly. "But it is likely that I've just lost my job."
"I'm really sorry if we've seriously messed things up for you," Affinity apologized.
Connor waved her away. "Don't worry about it. Hopefully, I can sweet-talk them into letting me stay." He looked at the father and his daughter. "I'm just glad I could help reunite you guys." He cleared his throat as soon as he felt tears emerge. "Anyway, let's get you to the car, skippy."
As Connor drove them back to the hospital, Daniel sat with his thoughts for a moment. Affinity had fallen asleep on his shoulder in the backseat. He didn't have the heart to wake her and ask about all he'd truly missed. He knew damn well that he missed a lot, but her peace was more valuable. What he couldn't get out of his head was anger he had just watched burst out of Affinity. Those minutes she raged in the station greatly surpassed any amount of anger or hate that had ever inhibited Affinity in any previous moment of her life combined.
She had changed and it scared him out of his mind. These past couple of months had traumatized her, and he hadn't been there to help her through any of it. He couldn't save her the tears, or even protect her from death...three times? What kind of father could ever let that happen. This world had a funny way of crushing the good. Affinity was the only good part he had ever experienced. She had always been joy, happiness, the light in his eyes that kept his heart alive. What if this light had been stripped from her?
No. I won't let that happen.
Never again. Never again would he let her endure such hardships. He wasn't going anywhere, and even if it was out of his control, he would find a way to control it. Never again would he let go. It would be a deadly grasp and it wouldn't ever release or let up. Any light she had left, he would foster, he would kindle it, for her light needed to set the world ablaze.
•••
a/n: heyyy sorry it's been so long and i feel like this chapter sucked. i don't know why i was stuck on it so long. i have a feeling the others we'll be better. sorry loves for the low quality :( shoutout to emmagen for sitting on the phone with me as i write. love you babes
thanks for being so patient 🥺
- ky <3