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Description
Observations in Pink

Disclaimer: I do not own Left 4 Dead 2

--

Rochelle watched Nick sleep for the third time that day, thankful that he was getting the rest he deserved and needed. They all needed a good night's rest and relaxation away from the infected, but at the very least, she prayed that Nick was going to get better. She hadn't thought much of the conman when she first met him in the hotel, but then again, she hadn't thought much of the whole crew. Coach and Ellis were easier to get along with though.

Memories so clear that it hurt, she remembered eagerly jumping at the job to report on the infection in the south. Looking back on it now, she sighed and thought of the things she'd lost. A good friend, a crew, and more or less her job. But as Rochelle looked over at the crew gathered before her, she smiled, knowing that for all her losses, there was some gains as well. There was Ellis, the energetic mechanic who's goofy stories and bright smile always shined through the spray of blood. His voice had the power to make the others pick themselves back up again when it seemed as if they had lost their way.

Coach, the kinder, older man had always made her feel as if she was in the company of family, and the two had become very good friends. He was their leader, and he did his best in the role. She honestly didn't know where the rough-and-tumble crew would be without him. If she had to guess, Nick probably would have wandered off on his own, unable to deal with Ellis for extended periods of time. Ellis might have stuck by her side for a while, but a party of two doesn't live long. She was thankful that Coach was with them.

Nick was the hardest of them all to evaluate, even on a good day. Anytime before the infection, she would have passed him by on the streets and not gave him so much as a passing glance, or even a second thought. He was the kind of person who had cast a odd figure into the landscape. Fitting in nowhere, yet somehow everywhere. She suspected that he had come from another part of the country, seeking to sink his claws into some gullible fish in the nearby area, and had gotten caught up in all the mess. He was very open with his desire to leave the area and them behind, but forces beyond his control made him stay.

At first, she hadn't liked Nicolas much. His self contained attitude and cynical nature had effectively managed to make the whole group either dislike him or be wary, save for Ellis. Then again, Ellis tended to be oblivious to most things. But after time had passed, they had all grown used to each other. Nick and Coach only teased each other once in a while, and both had developed a tolerance for Ellis's wild stories. That or developed selective hearing. She was always amused by the stories, especially from the sheer level of energy that she saw Ellis putting into the story, a bright smile on his face as he would tell the tale of his friend being mauled by a lawnmower he somehow fell under.

Rochelle looked up when she heard Nick move, looking at the injured man with compassion. "How are you feeling, Nick?" Nick turned his head, giving her a look before grasping the side of the table, pushing himself up with a pained grunt. Rochelle bit her lip as she watched him before reaching out and placing both hands on his chest, easing him back down on the bed. " You're falling apart." she said softly. " You're not well enough to make it across the bridge."

Nick lowered his head onto the pillow that they made with a sigh, his green eyes sliding shut momentarily before opening as he rolled onto his uninjured side, uncomfortable. Rochelle watched him before toying with the hem of her shirt, listening to him. Over time, she had gotten very good at picking out their individual sounds, much like those of the infected. Ellis always was talking, an energetic, happy sound, while Coach always had an air of authority around him. Nick had a guarded voice, and emotions were hard to determine when he spoke. Sarcasm and anger were the easiest to pick out, but Rochelle could sometimes hear praise and concern, and sometimes even a contented voice. Right now, his voice was pained. She had no idea as to the extent of the damage concerning his wound, but it was enough to make him flinch when he pulled it, which spelled trouble.

Thinking on it, she brought him some more medicine, offering it to him with a tender smile. To her surprise, Nick gave her a soft expression when he accepted the medicine. Not long after he took the medicine, he drifted back to sleep, Rochelle looking at the others. " How much farther to the bridge?" she asked quietly.

Ellis looked up at her. " We just got through the cemetery, and that's only a little ways from the bridge... just gotta get through the Quarter and then we're there." the group had found a map a few days earlier, and had studied the routes and chose the fastest way on foot, having cut through the park and streets, only taking minor detours for food and rest. It had been a rough trip, since most of the fresher foods had spoiled since then and canned goods were left. Rochelle swore to herself that if she ever got some sort of normalcy back in her life, she was going to do two things. One; give a report about the benefits of canned goods, especially the shelf life, and two; go eat the biggest freshly made fruit salad she could find. Another hard thing to find was some damned privacy.

Rochelle looked over at Coach. " I need to go handle some business... take care of Nick for me, okay?"

Coach nodded and gave her a playful smile. " Don' take too long, y'hear?"

Rochelle walked over to the other side of the room, picking through their supplies to see what could be done with what they found. Right now, she was starting to get hungry, so she knew that Ellis and Coach were definitely hungry. But as it was, they had eaten the last of the snacks a while ago, and it would be a bit of a walk to find some more supplies. There was probably some small snacks somewhere in the safe house, and food could be found outside, in the Quarter, but she would have to take either Ellis or Coach with her.

Thinking on it, she looked around for a decent weapon, her trusty axe laying beside her as she looked for a suitable firearm. " Ellis, sweetie, I know you want to sit and watch for a little longer, but could you come with me? We're getting low on things to eat, and if we put this off any longer, things won't go well."

Ellis looked up, Coach holding out his hands. " I'll go, Ro'. Maybe we can find something to carry a lot of food back, and eat well tonight." his eyes took on a dreamy look at the thought of finding something good to eat. Rochelle laughed softly. " Okay, but make sure you save some for the rest of us!" she playfully poked Coach in the shoulder, earning a laugh from the oldest of their team. Settling for a submachine gun she found, Coach opened the door and held it open for her, Rochelle exiting and closing the door, looking back at Ellis inside. " Take good care of him, Ellis. We're counting on you." she said softly, giving him her warmest smile.

As she walked towards the quarter, she held her weapon tightly to her chest, offering a soft prayer to anyone listening before turning to Coach. " Let's make this quick."

–

Ellis gnawed on a cereal bar, eyes focused on the bars of the safehouse as well as Nick, who was slowly getting up, the mechanic grinning at him. " Hey, Nick! Got a extra cereal bar over here for ya, Coach and Ro' went to go find some food." he waved the snack in the air for emphasis, Nick giving him a look.

" Not hungry."

Ellis's smile faltered a bit as he heard those words, his mind instantly going over his memories as Nick took some more medicine before wandering over to the other side of the room, where it was cooler before lying down. Once he was done looking through his current memories, which took up to two minutes, he walked over to Nick. " But, ya haven't eaten anythin' since the Witch..." he reached down and tugged at Nick's sleeve, fully expecting a threat or a shove. What he did not expect was for Nick to push him away in favor of the cool floor. " C'mon, Nick. If ya don't eat it now, Coach'll get it when he gets back."

" Let 'em have it." Nick said, his tone of voice dangerous, but not nearly as strong as it usually was. He sounded exhausted and pained, and Ellis fell silent. He knew that if he tried to force Nick to do anything, the conman would react negatively. " Well, I'll hang onto it for ya..." Ellis said softly, putting the snack into his pocket, looking around the room nervously. With Nick in a bad mood, and the others out, Ellis was left feeling as if he was on thin ice. Anything could set the older man off, and Ellis dared not open his mouth, knowing his stories-hell, even basic conversation- could be the trigger.

His mood instantly turned sunny once more when Rochelle and Coach came back into the safehouse, carrying boxes. " How did it go?" he asked cheerfully, practically dancing over to the others.

–

Rochelle set down the box, smiling widely. " We found all sorts of things to eat, and it'll keep us for a while." She didn't want to say in case they weren't rescued, but the feeling was definitely there. " Plenty of good things to try." Ellis instantly jumped at some of the food, Rochelle having to reel the boy in before he could imitate a vacuum cleaner.

" Nick, you want some of this before Ellis and Coach get it?" she said cheerfully, her smile falling when she saw Nick on the floor, facing away from them and curled up. She left Coach and Ellis to raid the food and knelt beside him, touching his shoulder. " Nick... you okay?"

Nick lifted his head, his green eyes blank. " Fine. I'm doing fine."

Rochelle put one hand on her hip. " I don't think shrugging everyone off and starving yourself fits any definition of fine."

Nick looked away from her and rested his head on his arm. " Can't eat much." he said simply, Rochelle catching the implications. While the wound hadn't come close to his stomach, eating anything really heavy would make him uncomfortable.

" Still, a cereal bar won't be too bad." she said, offering one to him. Only when he lifted his head, did she notice his face. His eyes were dull and tired, instead of it's usual flame and aggressiveness, and his features showed that he wasn't feeling the greatest. If anything, he looked sick. Turning to locate Coach and Ellis, who were worshiping a box of cereal, she moved around to Nick's other side, kneeling. " You look like you're a bit on the ill side." she said, reaching one hand out to gently touch Nick's forehead.

Predictably, he leaned away from her touch, but her hand was placed against his skin long enough for her to confirm that his skin was feverish. " Nick..." she said softly, her voice gentle. " Please... let me see your wound. I need to make sure it's not infected."

Nick gave her a rather seductive look. " Any reason to get me undressed, eh?"

Rochelle resisted the urge to hit him. " No, I don't want you to die from something as stupid as a wound getting infected because it's gonna take all of us to get to the bridge." She didn't mind staving off his attempts at flirting, especially when his health was in the balance. Leave it to his mind to be in a flirting mood while his body was trying to heal and fight off illness.

She didn't feel the least bit threatened by his sarcastic remarks or snide comments, instead waiting for him to remove his suit jacket, watching as he slowly undid the buttons of his shirt. Normally, she'd follow this up with a comment about how she wasn't being turned on in the slightest about him taking his sweet time getting undressed, but she saw how focused he was. Having helped on the field so much, she recognized the signs of lacking motor skills, and no matter how much Nick could deny it, his fever had impaired his ability to do common things.

They weren't going anywhere until he shook that fever, which could take another day. She looked at him, sighing. " Just one thing after another with you, isn't it, Nick?"

Like she was one to talk, it had taken forever to get back on her feet again after the Spitter almost took her leg off. But still, she had to admire the whole group for one thing, especially Nick.

They never left.

Description
Observations in Pink

Disclaimer: I do not own Left 4 Dead 2

--

Rochelle watched Nick sleep for the third time that day, thankful that he was getting the rest he deserved and needed. They all needed a good night's rest and relaxation away from the infected, but at the very least, she prayed that Nick was going to get better. She hadn't thought much of the conman when she first met him in the hotel, but then again, she hadn't thought much of the whole crew. Coach and Ellis were easier to get along with though.

Memories so clear that it hurt, she remembered eagerly jumping at the job to report on the infection in the south. Looking back on it now, she sighed and thought of the things she'd lost. A good friend, a crew, and more or less her job. But as Rochelle looked over at the crew gathered before her, she smiled, knowing that for all her losses, there was some gains as well. There was Ellis, the energetic mechanic who's goofy stories and bright smile always shined through the spray of blood. His voice had the power to make the others pick themselves back up again when it seemed as if they had lost their way.

Coach, the kinder, older man had always made her feel as if she was in the company of family, and the two had become very good friends. He was their leader, and he did his best in the role. She honestly didn't know where the rough-and-tumble crew would be without him. If she had to guess, Nick probably would have wandered off on his own, unable to deal with Ellis for extended periods of time. Ellis might have stuck by her side for a while, but a party of two doesn't live long. She was thankful that Coach was with them.

Nick was the hardest of them all to evaluate, even on a good day. Anytime before the infection, she would have passed him by on the streets and not gave him so much as a passing glance, or even a second thought. He was the kind of person who had cast a odd figure into the landscape. Fitting in nowhere, yet somehow everywhere. She suspected that he had come from another part of the country, seeking to sink his claws into some gullible fish in the nearby area, and had gotten caught up in all the mess. He was very open with his desire to leave the area and them behind, but forces beyond his control made him stay.

At first, she hadn't liked Nicolas much. His self contained attitude and cynical nature had effectively managed to make the whole group either dislike him or be wary, save for Ellis. Then again, Ellis tended to be oblivious to most things. But after time had passed, they had all grown used to each other. Nick and Coach only teased each other once in a while, and both had developed a tolerance for Ellis's wild stories. That or developed selective hearing. She was always amused by the stories, especially from the sheer level of energy that she saw Ellis putting into the story, a bright smile on his face as he would tell the tale of his friend being mauled by a lawnmower he somehow fell under.

Rochelle looked up when she heard Nick move, looking at the injured man with compassion. "How are you feeling, Nick?" Nick turned his head, giving her a look before grasping the side of the table, pushing himself up with a pained grunt. Rochelle bit her lip as she watched him before reaching out and placing both hands on his chest, easing him back down on the bed. " You're falling apart." she said softly. " You're not well enough to make it across the bridge."

Nick lowered his head onto the pillow that they made with a sigh, his green eyes sliding shut momentarily before opening as he rolled onto his uninjured side, uncomfortable. Rochelle watched him before toying with the hem of her shirt, listening to him. Over time, she had gotten very good at picking out their individual sounds, much like those of the infected. Ellis always was talking, an energetic, happy sound, while Coach always had an air of authority around him. Nick had a guarded voice, and emotions were hard to determine when he spoke. Sarcasm and anger were the easiest to pick out, but Rochelle could sometimes hear praise and concern, and sometimes even a contented voice. Right now, his voice was pained. She had no idea as to the extent of the damage concerning his wound, but it was enough to make him flinch when he pulled it, which spelled trouble.

Thinking on it, she brought him some more medicine, offering it to him with a tender smile. To her surprise, Nick gave her a soft expression when he accepted the medicine. Not long after he took the medicine, he drifted back to sleep, Rochelle looking at the others. " How much farther to the bridge?" she asked quietly.

Ellis looked up at her. " We just got through the cemetery, and that's only a little ways from the bridge... just gotta get through the Quarter and then we're there." the group had found a map a few days earlier, and had studied the routes and chose the fastest way on foot, having cut through the park and streets, only taking minor detours for food and rest. It had been a rough trip, since most of the fresher foods had spoiled since then and canned goods were left. Rochelle swore to herself that if she ever got some sort of normalcy back in her life, she was going to do two things. One; give a report about the benefits of canned goods, especially the shelf life, and two; go eat the biggest freshly made fruit salad she could find. Another hard thing to find was some damned privacy.

Rochelle looked over at Coach. " I need to go handle some business... take care of Nick for me, okay?"

Coach nodded and gave her a playful smile. " Don' take too long, y'hear?"

Rochelle walked over to the other side of the room, picking through their supplies to see what could be done with what they found. Right now, she was starting to get hungry, so she knew that Ellis and Coach were definitely hungry. But as it was, they had eaten the last of the snacks a while ago, and it would be a bit of a walk to find some more supplies. There was probably some small snacks somewhere in the safe house, and food could be found outside, in the Quarter, but she would have to take either Ellis or Coach with her.

Thinking on it, she looked around for a decent weapon, her trusty axe laying beside her as she looked for a suitable firearm. " Ellis, sweetie, I know you want to sit and watch for a little longer, but could you come with me? We're getting low on things to eat, and if we put this off any longer, things won't go well."

Ellis looked up, Coach holding out his hands. " I'll go, Ro'. Maybe we can find something to carry a lot of food back, and eat well tonight." his eyes took on a dreamy look at the thought of finding something good to eat. Rochelle laughed softly. " Okay, but make sure you save some for the rest of us!" she playfully poked Coach in the shoulder, earning a laugh from the oldest of their team. Settling for a submachine gun she found, Coach opened the door and held it open for her, Rochelle exiting and closing the door, looking back at Ellis inside. " Take good care of him, Ellis. We're counting on you." she said softly, giving him her warmest smile.

As she walked towards the quarter, she held her weapon tightly to her chest, offering a soft prayer to anyone listening before turning to Coach. " Let's make this quick."

–

Ellis gnawed on a cereal bar, eyes focused on the bars of the safehouse as well as Nick, who was slowly getting up, the mechanic grinning at him. " Hey, Nick! Got a extra cereal bar over here for ya, Coach and Ro' went to go find some food." he waved the snack in the air for emphasis, Nick giving him a look.

" Not hungry."

Ellis's smile faltered a bit as he heard those words, his mind instantly going over his memories as Nick took some more medicine before wandering over to the other side of the room, where it was cooler before lying down. Once he was done looking through his current memories, which took up to two minutes, he walked over to Nick. " But, ya haven't eaten anythin' since the Witch..." he reached down and tugged at Nick's sleeve, fully expecting a threat or a shove. What he did not expect was for Nick to push him away in favor of the cool floor. " C'mon, Nick. If ya don't eat it now, Coach'll get it when he gets back."

" Let 'em have it." Nick said, his tone of voice dangerous, but not nearly as strong as it usually was. He sounded exhausted and pained, and Ellis fell silent. He knew that if he tried to force Nick to do anything, the conman would react negatively. " Well, I'll hang onto it for ya..." Ellis said softly, putting the snack into his pocket, looking around the room nervously. With Nick in a bad mood, and the others out, Ellis was left feeling as if he was on thin ice. Anything could set the older man off, and Ellis dared not open his mouth, knowing his stories-hell, even basic conversation- could be the trigger.

His mood instantly turned sunny once more when Rochelle and Coach came back into the safehouse, carrying boxes. " How did it go?" he asked cheerfully, practically dancing over to the others.

–

Rochelle set down the box, smiling widely. " We found all sorts of things to eat, and it'll keep us for a while." She didn't want to say in case they weren't rescued, but the feeling was definitely there. " Plenty of good things to try." Ellis instantly jumped at some of the food, Rochelle having to reel the boy in before he could imitate a vacuum cleaner.

" Nick, you want some of this before Ellis and Coach get it?" she said cheerfully, her smile falling when she saw Nick on the floor, facing away from them and curled up. She left Coach and Ellis to raid the food and knelt beside him, touching his shoulder. " Nick... you okay?"

Nick lifted his head, his green eyes blank. " Fine. I'm doing fine."

Rochelle put one hand on her hip. " I don't think shrugging everyone off and starving yourself fits any definition of fine."

Nick looked away from her and rested his head on his arm. " Can't eat much." he said simply, Rochelle catching the implications. While the wound hadn't come close to his stomach, eating anything really heavy would make him uncomfortable.

" Still, a cereal bar won't be too bad." she said, offering one to him. Only when he lifted his head, did she notice his face. His eyes were dull and tired, instead of it's usual flame and aggressiveness, and his features showed that he wasn't feeling the greatest. If anything, he looked sick. Turning to locate Coach and Ellis, who were worshiping a box of cereal, she moved around to Nick's other side, kneeling. " You look like you're a bit on the ill side." she said, reaching one hand out to gently touch Nick's forehead.

Predictably, he leaned away from her touch, but her hand was placed against his skin long enough for her to confirm that his skin was feverish. " Nick..." she said softly, her voice gentle. " Please... let me see your wound. I need to make sure it's not infected."

Nick gave her a rather seductive look. " Any reason to get me undressed, eh?"

Rochelle resisted the urge to hit him. " No, I don't want you to die from something as stupid as a wound getting infected because it's gonna take all of us to get to the bridge." She didn't mind staving off his attempts at flirting, especially when his health was in the balance. Leave it to his mind to be in a flirting mood while his body was trying to heal and fight off illness.

She didn't feel the least bit threatened by his sarcastic remarks or snide comments, instead waiting for him to remove his suit jacket, watching as he slowly undid the buttons of his shirt. Normally, she'd follow this up with a comment about how she wasn't being turned on in the slightest about him taking his sweet time getting undressed, but she saw how focused he was. Having helped on the field so much, she recognized the signs of lacking motor skills, and no matter how much Nick could deny it, his fever had impaired his ability to do common things.

They weren't going anywhere until he shook that fever, which could take another day. She looked at him, sighing. " Just one thing after another with you, isn't it, Nick?"

Like she was one to talk, it had taken forever to get back on her feet again after the Spitter almost took her leg off. But still, she had to admire the whole group for one thing, especially Nick.

They never left.