save me

CAUSE I KNEW THAT THAT WAS THE LAST TIME

"Who is she?" Ellie asks later on when they've both calmed down from their argument.

Joel looked down at the girl tucked into his side. "Sarah, my daughter," he said, blinking at how foreign it felt to say her name. He hadn't said it since she died.

"What happened to her?" Ellie asked, looking up at the older man.

Joel sighed, pulling Ellie closer. "She died. Tommy, Sarah, and I were on a roadtrip in Texas and one day, while we traveling on a highway, we were hit by a semi truck who lost control because he was going to fast. I lost concious but when I woke up, I immediately went to her. She had been stabbed by a piece of metal that went flying from the semi truck. By time medical help had arrived, she had passed."

Ellie was silent, letting the information sink in. "I'm sorry," was all she said once it did.

Joel hummed. "It's okay. It was twenty years ago and I've healed since then."

"I understand why you didn't want me going in there," she mumbled.

"It's hard for me to go in there. It's a painful reminder and I didn't want you to get sucked into it," he said. "It was nothing against you."

She nodded. "I know."

Joel looked at her. "Are we okay?"

Ellie looked up at him, meeting his gaze. "Yeah, I think so."

"Good," he said, pulling her into a hug. Ellie melted into the hug, tightening her grip on him. "It's late, you should probably try to get some sleep."

She clung to him, looking up at him. "Stay with me, please?"

And how could Joel say no? He nodded. "Of course, anything for you," he told her. She shuffled to the top of the bed, getting under the covers and laying down while Joel got out of the bed to turn the light off before he went over to the bed. He laid down beside her, staying over the covers.

"Thank you," She said, glancing up at him.

"Of course," he gave her a small smile. "Get some sleep, okay kiddo?"

She nodded and turned onto her side. After a few minutes Joel heard her soft snores and he closed his eyes, falling asleep.

He woke up to the sun blinding him. It flooded the room, causing him to blink. Ellie was still passed out beside him, snoring softly. He glanced fondly at her before he clambered out of the bed and headed downstairs. He went into the kitchen and pulled the pancake mix. He still felt bad about yesterday and wanted to cheer her up so he settled on making pancakes, remembering how she told him she always wanted to have some for breakfast. He made a few for her and a few for him before he went and got a cup and a mug. He filled his with coffee and filled Ellie's with orange juice. She seemed to drink it a lot so he figured it was a favorite drink. He hesitated, debating on bringing it up to her or if he should wait.

Luckily it was taken from his hands as he heard footsteps patter into the kitchen. He turned around and saw Ellie. "Morning kiddo," he greeted, moving to set her plate and cup in her unofficial designated spot.

Her eyes lit up at seeing the food and juice, a small smile gracing her lips as she slipped into her seat. "Morning Joel," she greeted back before she dug into her food, scarfing it down. It made Joel realize that she must being starving since she hardly ate dinner.

He grabbed his plate and mug before he sat beside her. "Slow down before you make yourself sick," he scolded slightly, seeing in the corner of his eye that she had listened. He started eating, letting the silence cover them like a blanket.