Clementine watched as A.J. exited the dorm building, Rosie in tow. She smiled at him as he approached her.
"Put my...your hat in a good spot, kiddo?" she asked.
A.J. sat next to her. "You mean our hat," he said with a playful wink. "I set it on the big table thing in between our beds, right where everyone can see."
Clem laughed. "Nuh uh. Don't you start winking at me, too. Louis already does that enough." She looked down, her smile quickly fading.
"What's wrong?" A.J. asked concerningly.
She let out a sigh. "I'm just... please be careful tomorrow, okay? We don't know how dangerous these people are." She looked at him and grinned. "And I need you to protect Louis for me. Think you can handle that?"
A look of determination swept across A.J.'s face. "Protect Louis. Check," he said. "Don't worry, Clem. I won't let anyone hurt him."
Clem nodded and gazed across the courtyard at Louis. He caught her staring and winked at her. She playfully rolled her eyes and picked up her crutches. "Come on, A.J. Let's go up to the office. I have another little surprise for you," she called as she slowly ascended the Admin building's front steps.
When they reached the main staircase, Clem stopped and looked up at it. "Woah. Until now, I never realized how many steps there were. Guess having to use crutches to walk does that to ya," she said.
"It's okay," A.J. replied. "I'll be here to help you. Just go slow."
Clem slowly began traversing the seemingly impossible terrain that was the massive staircase. She was about a fourth of the way up when she miscalculated a crutch placement and slipped, tumbling backwards. A.J. reached out to catch her, but he was too slow. She continued to roll down the steps until she reached the floor below.
A.J. scrambled after her. "Clem! Are you okay? Your leg, it's bleeding!" he exclaimed.
Clem slowly sat up and examined her bandages. Blood had begun to seep through the wrap. "Great. Damn. A.J., can you go get Louis and Ruby? She's going to need to look at this," she said with a grimace.
A.J. bolted out the front door. He returned shortly, accompanied by Louis and Ruby. They knelt beside Clem.
"What happened, Clem? You all right?" Ruby questioned.
"I think so. Might have some bruises. I was trying to get up to the office and I misstepped. But I'm okay. I just opened the wound back up, stings a little," Clem answered.
Ruby motioned to Louis. "Lou, pick 'er up, carry her to the nurse's office for me. We need to make sure Clem here didn't do any major damage," she said.
"Sure thing, Ruby. All right, Clem. I gotcha," Louis said, followed by a kiss on Clem's cheek. She felt her face run hot, her cheeks bright red.
The four of them made their way to the nurse's office. Louis gently lowered Clem onto the medical cot, and Ruby began to unwrap the bloody bandage. Clem winced from the tinge of pain.
"Hmm. It looks all right. Just a slight bit open. I'll clean and rewrap it and you'll be all set," Ruby said. "Louis, would ya hand me the peroxide from the cabinet there?" she asked.
Louis fetched the peroxide, and Ruby proceeded to gently clean the wound. After she was satisfied with the cleanliness, she wrapped Clem's leg in fresh bandages, stepping back to admire her handiwork.
"There. All better. Lou, help me prop her leg up to slow the bleeding... That's good. Now, you need to not be tryin' any more stairs anytime soon, hun. I'd suggest keepin' your leg like this for tonight. Maybe tomorrow, dependin' on the flow. We don't want ya bleedin' out on us."
Clem sighed. "Okay. I understand, Doctor Ruby. Thanks," she said.
Ruby smiled. "I'll be back to check on ya in the morning," she said as she left the room.
Clem looked up at Louis. He was staring down at her, a genuine look of care on his face. "You gotta stop being so clumsy, Clem," he joked. "Those stairs will get ya before the Walkers do." He leaned in and kissed her nose.
She blushed again. "Wouldn't that be something? People will ask 'did a Walker kill her?' and you'll say 'No. It was those damn stairs.'," she laughed. "Louis, can you run up to the office for me? There's a book on the desk. Can you bring it down here?"
Louis nodded and left. He returned shortly, book in hand. "Here ya go," he said as he handed her the book.
She waved A.J. over. "Here, this was the surprise I had for you. It's a book about firefighters and policemen," she said, opening the childrens' picture book to the first page.
A.J., beaming from excitement, climbed onto the cot and leaned against her. Louis took a seat at the end of the cot.
"Firefighters have a very, very important job," Clem read. "They have to risk their lives to save others every day." She turned the page. "They know it's dangerous, but they are heroes. And that's what heroes do."
"Clem? I think your friend Lee would've been a great firefighter," A.J. said.
She smiled. "You're right, A.J. He would've been a great firefighter. Just like you. Always willing to put those he cared about above himself..." she said, tearing up. She felt Louis' hand on her right leg. She looked at him, his deep brown eyes looking back at her, a smile on his face.
"Come on, A.J. It's getting late. Let's let Clem rest. Here." He picked up the book. "You can spend the night with me. We'll read some more, if you want," he said.
"Cool! Clem, is it okay if I stay with Louis?" A.J. asked, a glimmer in his eyes.
Clem nodded approval. "Of course. But go to bed soon. You two have a long day tomorrow. Come here, give me a hug."
A.J. hugged her, and Louis gave her a kiss. As they were walking through the door, Louis turned back to her. "Good night, Clem. Sleep well. I'll come check in before we leave in the morning," he said before pulling the door closed behind him.
Clem closed her eyes and laid her head on the pillow. "How did I get so lucky?" she thought. Before long, she was fast asleep.
*The following morning*
Clem slowly opened her eyes. The sun shone bright through the infirmary window. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. It wasn't long before Ruby came into the room.
"Here ya go, Clem. Got ya some water and a painkiller, in case you have anymore spells. Ya doin' all right?" she asked, visually examining the bandage on Clem's leg.
"Yeah, actually. No pain right now. I think I'm good," Clem responded.
Violet appeared in the doorway. "Hey, Clem. Just wanted to see how you were doing. Louis told us about your fall," she said.
Clem looked at what was left of her leg. "Yeah, I'd say I'm doing as okay as I can right now, considering. Thanks, Vi."
Violet smiled and nodded before walking away. Ruby followed. Louis and A.J. entered moments later.
"Okay, Clem. We're about to head out and scout this caravan. See if we can get a gauge on what kind of people we're dealing with," Louis said.
"Yep. Focus on their numbers, and if they seem approachable. But don't engage them yet. I want to be present when that happens, if it happens," she replied, pulling the map out of her jacket pocket. "Take this. It has their general location circled. And Louis, be careful. Don't do anything stupid. I don't want to lose the two most important people in my life."
"Recon and report. Got it. See ya when we get back. Come on, A.J. Let's go take care of business," Louis said with a chuckle.
A few hours passed. Ruby stopped by to check on her every half hour or so. She was beginning to get worried. She was about to try and get up when Ruby burst in.
"Clem! Come on, you need to come out here. Some guy is with Louis and A.J. He says he knows you."
Clem felt a shiver trickle down her spine. "Who could it be?" she thought.
Ruby helped her get supported on her crutches. "You feel okay to walk?" she asked.
Clem looked down at her leg. "Yeah, think so. Let's go."
They slowly made their way out of the Admin building and to the courtyard. At first, Clem couldn't make out the figure with Louis and A.J. But as she got closer, she recognized the glasses. The brown hair. Another shiver rushed through her body as they spoke in an unmistakeable Russian accent.
"Hello, Clementine."
ClementineMyDarling