Wilted

e i g h t e e n

When Carl had finally awoken it was hard. He was pushing himself away from me and almost the entirety of Alexandria. It hurt. I couldn't help but feel like he thought he couldn't come to me. 

It had officially one week since the accident. Carl had barely spoken to me and after he had completely ignored me for the past two days I became frustrated with the boy. Only five minutes ago he had come into the room, and completely ignored everything I had said to him. Then he left without a word or even a glance in my direction

I heard the shower next to our room turn on. I knew it was him because we were the only ones to ever use that bathroom, and he had just left our room. Angrily, I threw my book onto the bed and knocked on the door. 

"I'm showering Cherokee." He snapped and I huffed in anger. 

"And frankly, I don't give a damn." I spoke opening the door to reveal Carl without a shirt or his bandage covering his eye. I watched as he attempted to cover his eye but I grabbed his arm stopping him, and shut the door behind us. He looked at me defeated and took a deep breath. "Stop."

"Stop what?" He asked and I scoffed. 

"Stop shutting me out Carl," I say, my voice breaking as I do. "please."

"I'm not." He tried to tell me but I shook my head. 

"Yes, you are." I told him with tears coming to my eyes. "Ever since you woke up-,"

"I thought you wouldn't love me anymore." He admitted cutting me off.

"What?" I ask my voice trembling as tears began to streak my face.

"After, I lost my eye. I couldn't help but think that you wouldn't want to be with me. A guy with one eye."

"Carl, you're so stupid!" I exclaimed grabbing onto his bare shoulders and clutching him tightly. "I've loved you since we were thirteen. I'm not going to stop loving you now just because you don't have an eye. If I didn't love you, I wouldn't have stayed by your side when I thought you were dying."

"I'm so sorry." He murmurs pulling me into his chest where I cry.

"When I thought you were dying, I thought that the world was trying to take one of the few things I actually love more than anything." 

"I won't shut you out anymore." He says kissing my temple. "I promise." 

____

In the day's following Alexandria seemed to recover, and so did Carl. I hadn't seen my parents together like I did since the night of the accident. It upset me just a sad, but I knew I couldn't force them together. 

Carl was recovering for the most part. Denise had given him some physical therapy to get used to the lack of depth perception. Still, losing an eye took a toll on him. Then again, it would do that to anybody. 

He was more standoffish now. Almost as if he needed more reassurance than ever that I still wanted him to be mine. 

Currently, I was changing into a short sleeve shirt, and throwing one of his flannels over it while he threw a ball at a marked spot on the wall. 

"Carl!" Michonne called and I laughed. 

"What? Denise says it's PT." He yelled back throwing the ball once more. 

"I can't hear you." Rick yells back. "Come on out." 

"What?" He repeats his previous statement as I walk out with him. 

"Denise says it's PT." Rick and Carl say simultaneously.

"You heard me." Carl states simply. 

"No duh." I say lightly punching his shoulder.