They Rely On Hope. What Do I Rely On? - Tommyinnit Adoption AU

Chapter 126

Drista POV:

"Don't let me die" "Don't let me die" "Don't let me die"

The last words Tommy had forced out before falling back into unconsciousness kept echoing painfully around Drista's head. "Don't let me die"

She didn't know what she was supposed to think about that. It was good, it meant Tommy didn't want to die, it meant he was fighting, but it also meant he was relying completely on her. It was all her. If he died, it would be her fault.

He had asked one thing, and Drista would do everything in her power to succeed. She would keep cleaning the wound twice a day, keep trying to get water down his parched throat, keep forcing down antibiotics. The next time he woke she would need to give him food. He hadn't had any ready this time, and she couldn't do that again. She would save the bread she was given at her next meal. She would get him food, she would do whatever it took to keep him alive. That was her job. That was her one job.

Days came and went, marked only my the meals delivered at her door, something she was plenty used to. Each meal time she kept the bread she had just been given and ate the bread she had kept for Tommy. That way when he woke he would have the freshest bread available. It was not remotely fresh, and fairly close to stale when Drista got it, but at least he would be able to chew it. That was important.

There wasn't a moment in those agonisingly long days where Drista wasn't thinking of Tommy. When she was awake she was watching him for any sign of consciousness, when she was asleep, her dreams were plagued with visions, visions of herself checking his vital signs like usual, only to find out they weren't there anymore. It wasn't real. It wasn't real and she knew that, but it was still there. It was still painfully, devastatingly there. It could be real. At any moment she could wake up and Tommy would no longer be here.

Still, Drista held onto what little hope she had left, and when Tommy's croaking voice snapped her awake, she rushed to his side, desperately trying to comprehend his words. Water. Water. He needed water.

"Tommy, I'm going to help you sit up ok? It might hurt to move, but I need you to sit up and drink some water ok?" Drista asked quickly, and when Tommy grunted in acknowledgement, she slowly dragged him into an upright sitting position. She did her best not to jostle his arm, but it didn't stop the screams. Even once he had stopped moving, his face was coated in agony.

"Tommy I'm so sorry, Tommy please, I'm sorry, I need you sitting up, please," Drista sobbed, wishing she could've done that without hurting him. She didn't want to bring him pain. She didn't want him to connect her with pain, but she had to. She had to get him to drink and eat if he could.

"It's- o...k," Tommy winced, clearly still in pain, but trying to hide it.

"I'm going to give you water now, ok? Don't drink it too fast, it needs to be taken in slowly," Drista murmured, collecting the water flask they had given her for Tommy's use. She lifted it to his lips and let the water dribble in. She knew he wanted more. Knew by the desperation in his eyes, knew by the way he tried to grab at the water with his tongue, trying to drag it in faster.

"Slow Tommy, slow," Drista whispered, letting a safe amount of water into his mouth. Too much would be dangerous. He needed more water, but much more then this and Tommy's body wouldn't be able to cope. He needed electrolytes too, and increased sodium. All she could do was train his body to accept water at a slow but regular pace. That being if Tommy stayed awake long enough to.

"That's enough for now."

"No- no-" Tommy begged, trying to reach out for the water with his tongue. He wasn't confident enough to move his arm, and Drista didn't even know if he could move it, but she wasn't going to push him to use it yet. Not while the burn was still healing.

"I'm sorry Tommy, it's not safe, I have food though, do you want food?" Drista offered and Tommy nodded frantically, clearly desperate. Drista had no idea when the kid last ate. It had been over a week since they left him here, and she had no clue if he had eaten in the days after his fight before they brought him here. Most likely he hadn't eaten anything in the last two weeks.

She pulled the bread apart, giving it to him in bite sized chunks, making sure he chewed it before swallowing. Tommy was desperate for it. Desperate for more. More food, more water, more life. Drista was ready to give that to him. Ready to do whatever it took to keep him here, but she knew she had to take her time with him. She knew she had to force him to be steady, to be slow. He needed it, but his body was not prepared for this. He had to take it slow. He had to be safe.

Once he had eaten, she gave him more water slowly, giving him the antibiotics and pain medicine now. Normally she would administer it in an hour or so, but for now it was easier while he was awake.

When he was breathing a little calmer, and the pure desperation had faded somewhat, Drista sat down in front of him, needing to get as much information as possible.

"Does anywhere other then your arm hurt?" She asked, her tone carefully balanced, the message important, but the words spoken softly. She did not want to scare him, but she needed to know this.

Words: 1000

A/N: Once again, I chose laziness, so u get an unedited chapter, let me know if u see any dumb mistakes lol, I haven't even checked this for typos XD