Age— 44 ( Dec 4 - Sagitterius) Originally from— Philadelphia , Pennsylvania community — arrived march 2043 Previous job— trauma surgeon - MSF volunteer Community job— surgeon / gardener Living Arrangements — bungalow near the community center/clinic Family — parents (dead) , Harry Thompson (husband)
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Frank is the oldest child of Angela and Jack Austing. They were a bit older when they got him, and cherished him to the point that his brat personality came out. The advantage of older parents however was that he got what he wanted, had a good education, did sports and extracurricular activities. His youth was quite uneventful and rhythmed by the usual up and downs of life. That was until his mom was killed in a hit and run. He was with her in the car and survived. They never really found the driver who had a stolen car. They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nonetheless, it changed his optic on life. He was only 14 and now alone with his father. His mom left a hole in the house and their life. Grief had a weird effect on Frank who suffered from survivor guilt for years. He just did not understand how he could survive and his mom not. When he got the reports of her care, he read them for hours. He would have the answer to it much later when entering the field, yet it did not make him feel better. Slowly, life came back with its discoveries and experiments. All while not being a burden to his father. He graduated but instead of starting college right away, he decided to become a butcher. His father and friends questioned his sanity for months as he pursued that career, they thought Frank was joking. He wasn’t. He did that for 3 months without giving any explanation then applied for a college to start his medical studies.
It became clear that he wanted to go into surgery yet gave himself the time to go through each service to see what was really interesting him. In the end it was between general and trauma. He decided by flipping a coin. Trauma it was. He finished his residency and went on a mission with Medecin sans Frontières. He realized just how spoiled they were in the US and learned to take care of people with nothing, not even lights. It humbled him. As he came back, fate would have him try a new place: a library-bar. That’s where he met Harry. They clicked and months later they would become a couple. After a third mission with MSF, when Frank almost did not make it because the notion of not attacking medical stations was a guideline not everyone was following, Harry proposed to Frank. That was 7 years ago. Their marriage was a Lego-themed. It wasn’t something big, but something that was worth it to be seen and witnessed. Frank promised to take a break from MSF missions, especially in the regions the next missions were heading, even if his heart wanted to go. He agreed to settle, not knowing what would be ahead.
He was on shift when the first injured came in. First, they thought it may be a terrorist attack, then they realized that people were panicking. It did not happen in a night; the world did catch fire over time. He knew something was wrong when he witnessed one of his nurses being bitten. Frank picked up a first response trauma bag and left the hospital straight for his husband. They’ve made a plan.
That plan lead them away from Philadelphia, they avoided big crowds, bunkered down in secure locations moved around. They met people, helped people, escaped from people, they survived, grieved people along the way. The bag was problematic and helpful. Eventually a year ago, they met a small mobile group. They were good people, and they also had some animals. Among them a donkey that would become the carrier of their belongings. The group explained that they were looking for a gated community rumored to be somewhere in West Virginia, but they did not know where. Timing would have it that they would first cross the Daybreakers path shortly after the Ranch attack. They were cut from that group, fled with the donkey, and randomly stumbled on Redwood. Was this the community their group was talking about? They did not know, but they seemed organized enough to join.
Headcanons:
• 2 years ago, as an anniversary gift, Frank found in a mall a box of Legos , and gave that to Harry
• The first responder trauma is not only heavy, but also truly a beacon and attracted people even if they wanted to remain discreet. Thus, Harry has put some dark bed sheet over it they found so his husband was safer during their travels
• While being snarky, Frank is never pushy with his patients and tries not to dismiss what they are saying because he knows that people know their bodies better than a doctor sometimes
• Frank sticks to triage, he will not waste resources on a lost cause, even if it means breaking his vow
• Frank likes to knit, according to him it’s a good gymnastic for his hands
• Frank grew up in a Christian household and while he was not the most active in his faith, he carries a medallion of Saints Cosmas and Damien, the patron saints of doctors and surgeons. He also found himself talking to God more these past years.
