I'm back!!! Happy reading!!!

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Jo

I woke in bed alone and completely disoriented. I blinked groggily. It took me a moment to realize I was in Negan's bed instead of my own. The room was bright despite the curtains that had been pulled over the large bank of windows. I had never seen the curtains closed before and I wondered if Negan had done it so I could sleep.

The last thing I remembered was drifting off to sleep in the truck on the way back to the factory. Negan must have carried me up to his room. I must have been exhausted to have not woken when he moved me. Despite how sweet it was, it was a little disconcerting that I had slept through that all. It made me feel incredibly vulnerable.

I was still wearing my leather jacket, boots, and knives but he had tucked me into his bed regardless of the dirt, sweat and blood that still coated me. Negan could be such a cave man sometimes. Of course, as I lay there and thought about it, maybe it was more that he was a smidge overprotective, and instead of just dragging me back to his room he had put me in the room with guards outside of it when I was exhausted and vulnerable.

I needed to find Negan.

I pushed myself up and flinched as pain spread across my shoulder exactly where my stitches were. Not good. I climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom. I shrugged out of my jacket. I glanced down at my left arm and grimaced at the sight of the ugly blue-black bruise the covered my forearm. The arm was throbbing. I covered the spot with my hand. It was hot to the touch, but the skin hadn't been broken. A small price to pay for getting to keep my arm. Just thinking about what almost happened made me a little light headed.

I shifted my shoulder, and pain flared. I used my right arm to pull my shirt off, but it got stuck to my back. I gritted my teeth and steeled myself as I ripped the shirt free. Pain flared sharp enough to take my breath away and I leaned forward closing my eyes and breathing deeply as I waited for the pain to subside.

The shirt fell from my grip to the tile floor. I dropped my bra to the floor and turned my back to the mirror so I could see how much damage I had managed. I frowned at the sight of my ravaged back. I knew I had done some damage, but I hadn't anticipated that I had ripped through all of my stitches. I groaned. There was too much dried blood for me to know for sure, but I was fairly certain I had torn through both layers. I was never going to hear the end of it from Negan or Doctor Carson.

I let out a long suffering sigh and climbed into the shower. I took a longer shower than normal, letting the hot water run over my shoulder. Even the pressure of the water was almost unbearable, but it would clear away the dried blood and dirt so Carson would have an easier time re-stitching it. I gritted my teeth and rested my head against the cool tile wall. I had gotten a few hours of sleep, but I was still exhausted. My body was achy and felt strangely hollow. It had been a rough couple of days, but I should be stronger than this. Everyone was tired and hurt and if they could keep moving so could I.

Without thinking I reached for the shower nozzle with my left hand. Even that small movement made my breath catch as pain radiated all the way up my arm. I turned off the water with my right and stared down at my seemingly useless left arm. I had moved it and fought with it yesterday after the bite, so it was probably just that sore and not broken, but I couldn't take a chance. I hated to admit it but I was going to have to go see Doctor Carson.

I climbed out of the shower and dried myself off with a towel that smell like Negan. It was more comforting than I wanted to admit to be here, surrounded by things that reminded me of him.

Looking down at my clothes I sighed and pulled on my leather pants, my boots and my bra. I carried my leather jacket back out into Negan's room. I tossed my jacket on top of Negan's which was sitting at the foot of the bed. I went into his closest and pulled out one of his large white t-shirts. It was too big for me, but it was loose and wouldn't agitate my ravaged back on my way down to the infirmary.

Unwilling to move even around the factory unarmed I scooped my shoulder harness over my opposite shoulder and slipped out the door. The guards nodded to me as I passed them and I smiled politely.

I was exhausted, and really just wanted to climb back into bed and get some sleep, but there was a lot to do. I needed to pay Doctor Carson a visit and find Negan and figure out what was going on. Setting up the new outpost was a big job. I could sleep later.

I was halfway down to the infirmary when I heard the slap of feet behind me. I swung around and Kate came trotting up behind me.

"Jo!" She enthused and she grabbed me into a hug before I could stop her. "I've been looking everywhere for you! I heard you were back. Where have you been? Are you okay?"

My breath caught in my lungs and I closed my eyes against the sharp stab of pain. She pulled back and frowned down at me. She looked at her arm which was smeared with blood, and then forced me to spin around. She made a sound of disbelief and grabbed my arm. Thankfully it was my right.

"Why in the hell haven't you been to see Doctor Carson? Is Negan insane? He thinks it's okay to just make you keep working when you've been hurt? This is nuts. Why are you wearing that shirt? Where are your clothes? Where were you even going to anyway? This isn't the way to your room."

When Kate finally stopped to catch her breath I was finally able to speak. "Doctor Carson," I replied as I struggled to keep up with her long-legged strides. My throat felt strangely thick as I spoke.

"What?" She asked glancing over her shoulder at me.

I cleared my throat. "That's where I was headed," I told her a little breathlessly. I refused to jog to keep up with her and it frustrated her. She made a noise in the back of her throat and marched us the rest of the way.

"And I was sleeping. This is old I just-" my words cut off as she shoved me through the door. I nearly stumbled over my feet.

"Well," Carson's voice called from the other side of the room. "As I live and breathe. All the Dixon's. What could I have possibly done for such an honor?" The sarcasm was dripping from his voice and when I looked up and spotted him stitching Merle's leg I was betting Old Uncle Merle had not been a stellar patient.

"What seems to be the problem Miss Dixon?" Carson asked without taking his eyes off his work.

I opened my mouth to reply but Kate beat me to it. "My sister is bleeding she was clearly injured last night and needs to be seen to it's her shoulder and there's blood everywhere and if you don't treat her soon she will likely bleed out," Kate said it all without a single pause.

When I looked from her, back to Doctor Carson he was staring over the rim of his glasses at my sister like she was some kind of alien species he had never encountered before. I guess Doctor Carson hadn't had to deal with too many teenagers in his practice. And if so, none like Kate.

I was getting a pounding headache behind my eyes and it's name was Kate.

"Right..." he began and I knew he had been speaking to me.

"I tore some of my stitches," I supplied helpfully before Kate could get rolling again. "Nothing major."

Doctor Carson arched a brow at me, but said nothing as he resumed his work on Merle. He did two more stitches before he spoke in that quiet, matter-a-fact way of his. "You certainly seem to enjoy wasting my time and thread Miss Dixon," Carson said reproachfully.

"Sorry I messed up all your hard work," I said moving to the second exam table and hopping up. My head swam a little at the sudden motion and I frowned. I hadn't eaten anything in almost twenty- four hours. I really needed to get some food in my stomach.

Kate sucked in a breath and shifted her weight impatiently. She didn't like being disregarded as Carson had done and I had no doubt she would make us pay for it in some way or another.

Doctor Carson chuckled good-naturedly. "I'll be with you as soon as I am finished with your uncle."

I nodded and cut my eyes back to Kate who was hovering near my knee. She was practically vibrating and I knew it wouldn't be long before she laid into Carson again. Call me crazy but I really didn't want the man about to see my stitches to be aggravated. "So," I started hoping to distract her. "Why were you trying to find me?" I asked in a low voice. "Merle and Negan would have told you if something happened," I assured her.

She made a noise of disbelief and motioned towards my shoulder. "You don't consider this 'something happening'?" Her voice rose an octave and I grimaced as my head started pounding in earnest.

"Not really, no," I told her honestly with a small shrug. "I just pulled some stitches. Not a major crisis."

She made another noise of disbelief and shook her head. "This right here Jo," she said vehemently, pointing down at her feet. "This is the problem. Your attitude!"

I glanced towards Merle and Carson. Merle cast me a sympathetic look, he knew what Kate could be like when she went on a tear. Carson was steadfastly ignoring us. Smart man.

Kate set her jaw and crossed her arms over her chest. A sure sign she was about to dig in. I resisted the overwhelming urge to sigh. "You can't keep doing this. It's not safe and it's not fair to Merle and I."

"Hey," Merle called from the other side of the room. "Don't ya go dragging me into it. I ain't about to tell Barbie not to use her gifts. She fought for them. Don't do nobody any good to leave 'em on the shelf."

Kate scowled at Merle as though he had somehow betrayed her, but for his part he didn't wilt under her angry glower. Unsatisfied, Kate swung back around to look at me. She opened her mouth to continue yelling at me, but I interrupted before she could get rolling again.

"What was it you wanted to talk to me about?" I asked quickly.

Kate blinked for a second. I had thrown her off her tangent before she could really get rolling. She opened and closed her mouth silently before a deep blush colored her cheeks and she looked away, shifting her weight from foot to foot. Dread spread through me, and I was suddenly wondering if I should have waited to bring whatever it was up until we were in private.

The nervous expression on Kate's face made me shift uncomfortably as my mind went into overdrive running over every possible scenario. All were negative and all were no doubt blown completely out of proportion. But that was how my brain worked.

"So ah," Kate began shifting her feet uneasily.

I tensed even further leaning towards her. Kate was never hesitant, about anything. When she lifted her haze to meet mine she blanched. I forced my face into an expressionless mask but I think I was too late. She had seen the intensity and it made her uneasy.

"Have you talked to Negan?" She asked quickly.

I took an unconscious step towards her as something like fear wormed its way into my stomach. "No, not since I woke up," my eyes cut to where Merle was watching my face closely and fear hit me full force. Had something happened while I slept? I would never forgive myself if my falling asleep had left him on his own and something had happened.

Carson however didn't look upset and I felt like Merle would have told me. He wouldn't have left Kate to deliver bad news. Not something if that magnitude.

"Okay," she said nodding. "So ah, you just sit there. On your hands," she added hastily. "And I'm going to tell you something. You don't get to say anything back. You just need to think about it and not react."

She was acting strange, even for Kate. The headache I had earlier was getting worse. Her eyes cut to Merle and he nodded to her encouraging before he cringed and looked down to where Doctor Carson was still stitching his leg. So Merle knew. I tried not to let it hurt my feelings that she had gone to Merle before me. I looked back at Kate but she wouldn't meet my eyes. Sighing, I slid both hands under my thighs. It bothered me that she was this afraid of me, that she thought so little of me. Like I couldn't control myself. It hurt.

"Right," she said nodding. "So you guys took control of an outpost last night. And Negan named Tommy in charge so Tommy is moving," she lifted her eyes to meet mine. Her's widened and she took a measured step back but her mouth kept going. "I mean Tommy is there, Tommy is staying there, Tommy isn't leaving..." she dragged off and looked up at me through her eyelashes, trying to gauge my reaction.

I made a noise of impatience, I hadn't done anything. It didn't even feel like my expression had changed. So far she hadn't told me anything I didn't already know.

"Go on," I said and my voice came out more tightly than I had anticipated.

"Well that's it really. Tommy is in charge of the new outpost. Negan is sending men and we are going to get it cleaned up and be in charge. Families are going to come and live there."

I went very still as I replayed her words in my head. "'We'," I finally said. "You said 'we'."

Kate's lips flattened as she mashed them together. "Yes of course. That's what I'm trying to tell you. Tommy asked me to move to the outpost with him."

I was on my feet before I realized it. "The hell you are," I snarled. I was outraged. Tommy of all people knew how dangerous it could be out there, and he wanted to bring my sister into the middle of it? I was going to kill him.

I realized in the next second this decision wouldn't and in fact couldn't have been made without Negan's express approval. My hands tightened into fists.

Tommy was off the hook for now. I needed to find Negan. I shoved myself to my feet. The pain across my shoulder flared and my head spun but it didn't matter.

"Easy Barbie," Merle's voice was a cautious drawl from across the room. My head snapped towards him and I narrowed my eyes. He had known about this too. There was no way Kate would have come to me about it if Merle hadn't already agreed.

Kate took a step back towards Merle. "You promised to think about it and not react."

"No I didn't," I said shaking my head. "I never said that. You did. I need to go have a word with Negan."

"There!" Carson called out triumphantly.

I turned to face Doctor Carson and Kate used the moment to slip out the door. Coward.

I made another noise of impatience, but the two men in the room were ignoring me.

"Give that a try," Carson suggested.

Merle grunted and pushed himself to his feet. He held all of his weight on his right leg and when he started lowering it onto the left sweat broke out on his forehead. He put more weight on it and the leg buckled. Merle grunted angrily, but I could see the flashes of pain in his blue eyes. He was hurt more badly than I realized.

"Sit back down," Carson suggested. "I'll go see if I can find you some crutches or a cane. You did an awful lot of damage to the muscle. It'll take a long while to heal."

Merle sat back on the doctor's stool to catch his breath while Carson slipped out the door, leaving us alone.

I was staring at the floor for a few long moments before I finally spoke up. "So you knew about this?" I asked feeling not a little bit betrayed.

"Course," Merle hedged. "I was standing right beside you when Negan gave Tom the outpost."

I grunted in annoyance and lifted my eyes to glare at Merle. His lips twisted in a smirk and I realized he had done it on purpose.

I sighed and cupped my pounding head. I was so tired. I just wanted to sleep. I didn't want to deal with this. "So she talked to you about moving?" I asked, trying not to feel betrayed that my own sister had gone to Merle before me.

Merle chewed on his bottom lip. "She asked me to be there when she talked to you," he explained.

I sniffed. Merle was like family, but I didn't like the idea that my sister didn't feel like she could talk to me herself. I had a brief moment to wonder if it was because I truly scared her. Had I really changed that much? We used to be able to talk to each other about anything.

I pressed my lips together.

"Now don't go lookin like that," Merle said scooting the rolling stool towards me.

"Like what?" I snapped back, Merle had always had a way of riling me up and today was no exception.

"Like someone just ran over your favorite dog," Merle snapped slapping me affectionately on the thigh. "She wanted me to talk to you because she thought you might listen to me."

I didn't respond, just waited for him to continue.

"I told her you don't listen to anybody, but low and behold neither does she."

"Must be a Dixon family trait," I said tightly.

Merle sniffed and chuckled, running a hand over his mouth. "You know it just might be Barbie. Baby Brother never listened to nobody neither."

I nodded, thinking back to my time around Daryl. "Yeah, I seem to remember that about him..." I drug off. My time with Daryl and his group felt like a lifetime ago. Maybe I was a different person. "You know, she does listen to you," I pointed out.

Merle drew in a deep breath. "That she does Barbie, but it was a long time coming."

I nodded. I knew I would never be able to repay Merle for what he had done for us. Without him Kate would have died in Woodbury, I was sure of it. But Merle had not only gotten her to safety, but found a powerful group where they could live and he managed to manipulate the leader into rescuing me. I would owe Merle for the rest of my life.

Merle waited a few moments in silence licked his lips and pushed some more. "She loves him you know," he pointed out casually.

"She's not leaving," I was absolutely resolute. A new outpost was almost as dangerous as living on the road and Kate didn't know how to take care of herself.

"She's already living with him," Merle said.

I scowled at him, straightening. "She's living with you," I said firmly.

Merle snorted. "She ain't stayed in our apartment in months. You'd know that if ya ever bothered to visit," he pointed out.

Shame and guilt burned through me. I had been neglecting my sister, I knew I had. And it was selfish. I hadn't wanted to see what I had become through her eyes. I knew what she thought of me, but seeing it on the face of someone I loved made it that much worse.

"Look, I ain't gonna sugar coat things Barbie, but she loves him and he's a good cat. Works hard, loyal, and loves her back..." he shifted uncomfortably. "Love ain't something you spit on these days, and when you find it you hold onto it with both hands, tight as you can."

I stared at Merle. He always did surprise me. He could be such an abrasive asshole it was easy to forget there was intelligence behind the facade. I ran a hand through my hair. "I don't want her living in an outpost."

"It ain't that far," Merle argued gently. "Twenty miles."

"It takes more than a day to walk twenty miles," I informed him.

"Then jog," he snapped back. There was a mischievous glint in his blue eyes.

I scoffed and turned away from him, pacing. I scrubbed at my face. I didn't want Kate so far from me, with her moving to an outpost she was no longer here for me to protect. She would be on her own. I could always move to the outpost with her, I supposed.

I opened my mouth to say something but Merle held up his hand. "Look Barbie, little Katie is living her life and hard as that is, ya gotta let her. She ain't a little kid. She's an adult and she has to be able to make these choices herself," he clucked his tongue. "And maybe, if you let her go off and live her life ya might start living yours."

I scowled at him. He snorted and held up his hands in surrender. "I've said enough," he said.

"Yeah, I think you have," I agreed. "I could always-"

Merle stepped up to me. "Let her go Jo," his use of my name was so shocking it was almost disorienting. Merle never used my name.

I licked my lips and opened my mouth but I didn't know what to say. None of what he said was wrong. Kate was nineteen and in love. She would always feel like my kid sister, but what could I really do to stop her? Nothing. All I would do was alienate her. And really, this wasn't about me, it was about her and Tommy. The truth was, I liked Tommy and I trusted him. I ran a hand over my eyes and sighed.

"You're right," I agreed, nodding.

Merle cocked his head to the side. "Wait, what was that? I don't think I heard ya right. Cause there is no way apocalypse Barbie would ever admit old Merle was right about something."

I playfully shoved his shoulder and he laughed, his blue eyes twinkling. "Thanks Merle," I said seriously.

He nodded and looked uncomfortable.

"No really, you're always looking out for us."

Merle sniffed. "Well...that's just fine," he muttered uncomfortably. Merle would never talk about his feelings. It was one of the things I most appreciated about him, because he also wouldn't make me talk about mine.

"When you see her-" I started to say.

"I'll let her know," Merle agreed.

I nodded. "How's the leg?"

Merle looked down at his leg in a detached sort of way. "Hurts like a bitch."

I snorted and nodded as the door clicked open behind us. Doctor Carson came in with a cane in hand. He handed it to Merle.

He turned to me. "Alright, take off the shirt, let's see what kind of damage you've done this time."

Merle limped out the door as quickly as possible.

"Let's get you restitched and back to bed. You look terrible," Carson observed as he looked into my face.

"Thank you Doctor." I responded dryly. "Wonderful bedside manner."

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Negan

I had been up for over a day and my eyes were burning and my temper was gone. There were days when I would never understand what big babies these assholes could be. I had two teams of men already on the way back to the new Satellite outpost but getting some of the civilians to agree to bring supplies was like pulling teeth. Finally I ended up agreeing to giving the ones who volunteered double points for a week. It was a little painful but pain was good. It built character and shit.

I swung Lucille up over my shoulder and swaggered through the market. What I really wanted to do was go to goddamn bed but there was some last minute business I had to take care of.

Judy was at her stall, sorting through some of the new merchandise. The merch was ours but she got points based on how much she sold. We had brought her a bunch of new supplies to sell. When I approached her stall she dropped to a knee and lowered her head.

"Negan," she greeted politely.

I clearly my throat and lowered Lucille so I could lean against her casually. Judy peaked up at me and when I nodded she stood.

"What can I do for you?" She asked uncertainly. Her eyes ran over my chest and I was guessing she had noticed my lack of jacket. Probably thought I lost it.

"I'm here to find out what I can do for you," I said and I watched as confusion chased itself across her face.

She frowned and pinched her lips together, too intimidated to speak up. Some days I loved being me, other days it was just god damn exhausting. Today was shaping up to be one of those exhausting ones.

"You gave Jo a jacket yesterday," I said and then I waited for her to nod. "Last night that jacket saved Jo's arm if not her life. Ergo I'm here, asking what I can do for you?"

Judy shook her head in confusion. "I just wanted her to have it. I don't need anything in return," she added quickly. "You both already do so much for us. I'm glad Jo is safe. Is she okay?" She asked looking around us for Jo.

I nodded vaguely because I hadn't been able to get back up and check on her and it was goddamn killing me. I wondered if Judy could see how desperate I was to get out of there because she turned back to her box and continued to rifle through the merchandise as though she were dismissing me. I snorted and turned to leave.

"Give her my best," she called to me with a knowing smile.

I swiped a hand over my mouth, hating that my expression had betrayed me. I normally had better control than that. It wasn't that I didn't want people to know how I felt about Jo, I did. The monster I had created would help keep her safe just as much as it made her a target. I just didn't like not being able to control when people saw it.

I was making my way towards the hallway when I spotted Katie and Dixon. Dixon was limping badly and using a cane. He had taken a hell of a hit rescuing those two little girls. It was more than I expected from him. He always struck me as being too opportunistic to be so altruistic. Course he had gotten Jo and Kate out of Woodbury. I nodded to him and he nodded back.

Katie opened her mouth like she was going to say something to me but Dixon elbowed her in the ribs. She grunted and glared at him but didn't say whatever gave her that angry spark in her eyes. That exact expression was one she and Jo shared. On Jo it was sexy as hell, on Katie it as just exhausting.

"Trucks are headed out in..." I glanced down at my watch. "An hour Katie. What did your sister say? You going?"

She looked back up at Dixon for a moment and nodded her head resolutely. "Yep, I'll be there."

I frowned. I was betting that talk with Jo hadn't gone over very well. I needed to find Jo before she got too pissed at me. "Well, give 'me hell over there Katie," I said quickly, clapping her on the back. "And tell Tommy boy I'll be by next week to see how the progress is going."

She nodded pensively, chewing on her lip. "Keep an eye on her," she said severely. "She's terrible at looking after herself. She won't ever admit when it's too much."

I laughed. "You don't have to tell me that," I assured the young woman and I strolled into the hallway.

"She's still in the infirmary!" Katie called after me. I raised a hand in thanks and headed to find Jo.

When I got to the infirmary Carson was just fitting a homemade sling around Jo's neck. I leaned against the doorframe and watched while he made the adjustments.

"Now when I say rest this arm I'm serious," Carson was lecturing sternly. "We don't have x-rays, I have no way of telling if there's a hairline fracture or if you've bruised it down to the bone. So you are going to treat it like a fracture. I want you to go back, ice it and rest. Keep it elevated and iced as much as you can stand until the heat and swelling go down. It was stupid of you to wait so long before coming to see me. You also need to avoid doing anything that will risk those stitches. It wasn't easy finding pieces I could put back together and if you keep-"

"Rest got it," Jo agreed. She coughed, but sat placidly as Carson kept fussing around her. It wasn't like her to let him lecture her like that and it was even more odd for her to not notice me. She was normally much more aware of her surroundings. She looked exhausted. There were deep bags under her eyes and she was pale. She needed to get some food and rest. A possessive pride went through me when I recognized the shirt she wore as one of mine. It was a stupid thing to care about, but I was tired and when it came to Jo I was willing to indulge myself.

"What do ya think Doc?" I asked making both of them jump. "Were you able to put Humpty Dumpty together again?" I joked.

Carson swiveled around in his chair. He dropped his chin for a second as a token show of respect before he lifted it again and stared me down. "If you want to keep using her like this you need to let her rest before taking her back out. She isn't a weapon."

Jo shifted uncomfortably at his words. I saw red. Who in the hell did he think he was? Acting like it was me who did this, like I hadn't done everything I could to keep her safe. Like I was using her for what she could do. Like I was no goddamn better than that bastard who had done this to her.

My fist tightened around Lucille and I took an aggressive step towards him.

Jo jumped down off the exam table landing between us. She was facing me so I saw the tightness around her eyes and mouth that let me know it had hurt. "Thank you Doctor," she called over her shoulder. She turned back to me. She took a step toward me and rested her free hand on my chest. It mirrored what she did when she lost control. I wasn't losing control, I didn't do that. I was just going to teach this pompous asshole a lesson. The good Doctor was getting too big for his britches and needed to be taken down a peg and reminded how things worked around here.

"So if I'm Humpty Dumpty, does that make you the king?" Her tone was teasing, but it didn't reach her tired green eyes.

I snorted and pulled her into my chest, hugging her close. Her skin was clammy and the shirt was damp with sweat. He had stitched her up without drugs again. I lifted my eyes over her shoulder and leveled a look at Carson that promised we would be discussing this later and he would not enjoy it. Carson's eyes flickered with fear. He whipped around and hurriedly began cleaning up.

Goddamn right.

There was a fine tremble to Jo's muscles that I wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't been wrapped around me like she was. The fact that she let me hold her this long when someone else was in the room told me how exhausted she was.

I wanted to take her straight back up to bed, but she would never forgive me if I didn't give her the chance to say goodbye to Katie.

"Let's get you outta here," I said pushing her gently towards the door.

She nodded and let me lead her back through the factory without a single word of complaint. When we reach the courtyard she frowned like she was surprised to find us there and I began to worry.

There were three trucks being loaded down with supplies and gear. Dixon was standing with Katie near the back of one of the trucks. Jo stepped away from me, heading towards her sister. I stayed where I was, giving them privacy. A few short words were said between them before Katie launched herself at her sister, wrapping her arms around the smaller woman's neck. Jo stiffened in pain but still managed to pat Katie's back and then stepped away. Dixon dropped his cane and wrapped Katie up in a bear hug. He said something to her that had her laughing. before Katie climbed up into the truck.

Jo trudged back across the courtyard towards me. I slid an arm over her shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

She stood with my arm wrapped around her as she watched her sister go out the gates and disappear down the road. I could feel Jo's tension radiating through her body. I looked down at her and it took me a moment to recognize her expression as fear. It wasn't one she wore very often.

"The outpost will be safe," I reassured her. "You were there, it's highly defensible. Not just anyone can walk in."

Jo tore her eyes from the road to look up at me. "We did," she said and she turned and coughed once into her elbow.

When she looked back at me I made sure she couldn't see the concern I felt. "We ain't anyone," I said with a smirk.

She scowled up at me and I at her like an idiot.

"You haven't showered yet," she observed tiredly.

I snorted and gave her a squeeze. "You don't exactly smell like daisies either," I chuckled.

She sighed. "That's not what I meant, I meant you haven't rested yet."

I shook my head. "Too much goddamned work to be done. Not all of us can be like sleeping beauty. Sleeping the day away."

She grunted in annoyance and shook her head, but leaned into me all the same. "Let's get some food and rest," she suggested tiredly.

I nodded and kissed the top of her head before I pushed her ahead of me towards the door. Her back was to me, so she didn't see my scowl of concern. Carson hadn't said anything about an infection or a fever. Jo was burning up.

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I hope you enjoyed the update! I know it's been a while. Thank you all for your support! I love reading your comments and really appreciate your votes!