The Ravaging

Chapter Thirty-Seven

A low moan coming from above me has be quickly sitting up, clutching the hand between mine tightly. Leaning closer, I brush the few strands out of his face, not minding the grittiness that comes from going unwashed for a while. Finn blinks open his eyes, the brown barely peeking out from the way he keeps them half-lidded.

"Thank god you're awake," I say, my throat becoming tight all of a sudden.

His mouth drops open, but all that comes out is a raspy cough. Sitting up, I grab the cup sitting on the nightstand, helping him to take a few sips before setting it back down. He clears his throat, giving my hand a weak squeeze.

"How long have I been out?" he asks, eyes flickering around the room as confusion sets in. "And how did I get back home?"

"You've been out for almost two weeks now. You would wake up for a little bit, only enough for us to give you something to eat or drink before you passed out again." My voice is slowly getting steadier, instead of being the warbled mess that it has been for a while now. "We came and got you, a bunch of you.

"I'm sorry that we took so long," I whisper, my eyes falling away from Finn's. "I can't even imagine what they did to you."

They really did a number on my boyfriend. Once we got back to our town, Alena and I had immediately started to patch him up while her boyfriend worked on Mary. He had looked terrible: his right arm broken in two places, deep lacerations on his legs and wrists, bruises up and down his body, and a few cracked ribs. We are just lucky that he did not have any internal damage, aside from him being unconscious for too many days.

Fingers tighten around mine, not letting up until I lift my eyes to meet Finn's again. "What they did to me wasn't your fault, and how could I be mad at you? You came and rescued me from that place."

A shaky smile spreads across my face. "Damn right I did. We need you here and I love you too much to let you go."

"Love you too," he says, pulling on my hand. Despite it being weak, I allow him to pull me closer, pressing my lips against his. The tension in my body starts to unwind, my shoulders slumping as utter exhaustion comes over me. "Now, get up here. You're too far away."

His words cause a low chuckle to fall out of me, but I climb on the bed nonetheless. He had spent the first few days at the clinic were Alena worked, but she had allowed me to take him home once she was sure that he would not flat line at any second. It had seemed wrong, though, to climb into the bed while he was practically in a coma. So, I had spent the past few days sleeping on the couch.

A knock comes from the door, just as I am resting my head on Finn's unbruised shoulder, his arm coming to wrap around my waist and pulling me closer. The door opens a few seconds later before either of us can respond, and Anna peeks her head in.

A smile spreads across her face when she sees us, her eyes settling on Finn before flicking back over to me. "I thought I heard you talking. There are some little ones out here who would like to see you."

She steps aside, and Remy shuffles into the room while Anna picks up a crawling Viola. Remy's eyes widen significantly when he sees Finn awake but then bursts into tears. The sudden crying has me pulling away from Finn and going over to pick up the little boy. He buries his face in my neck, tears rubbing into my skin.

Viola seems confused and alarmed, her bottom lip wobbling like it always does before she cries. Not wanting to have to deal with two crying children, I grab Viola from Anna, who steps out of the room with a concerned look on her face.

With both children in my arms, I make my way over to the bed, carefully lowering us down onto the mattress so that we do not jostle it too much.

Finn's eyebrows are crinkled in concern, and he raises a hand, brushing the back of Remy's head. The little boy lifts his face away from my neck, turning to look at Finn before crawling off my lap so that he can snuggle against Finn's chest.