𝐈𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝

Chapter Four: A New Arrival

I turned my head when I saw Raine step out of the closet with some sleeping stuff. She waved me over to a secluded spot, and I followed her there. We placed the blankets and pillows down on the floor. I laid down next to Raine, pulling her closer and holding her tightly. We had a hell of a day and I needed a hug. And I knew she did too.

"It's gonna be alright, okay?" I whispered, just loud enough that she could hear. When I felt Raine silently nod, I closed my eyes.

"I love you, goodnight."

"I love you too, goodnight."

My eyes flew open and my heart hammered furiously in my chest. My heavy breathing refused to cease, even when I practiced the breathing exercises. I squeezed my eyes shut and focused on the daisy field that Dr. Murphy told me to think about whenever I couldn't steady my heart rate. Focus on the grass and the flowers. Think about the dew and the smell of freshness. Think about the Sun, and how it peeks through the leaves and branches of the trees. Think about the birds. Think about the feeling of the grass tickling your feet. Think about the humid air and the light breeze blowing your hair around. C'mon, Nora.

When I got the image in my mind and focused on the feelings, I felt my breathing start to slow. There we go. I kept my eyes closed until I was taking steady breaths. When I opened my eyes, I looked around the room to see everyone asleep. Silently, wiggling out of the blankets that were strangling my sweaty body, I checked my watch, ignoring the way my hands trembled as I lifted the watch up closer to my face. 2:42 am. Great. I carefully got up, trying not to wake Raine, and silently tip-toed around the sleeping people until I reached the bathroom. I shut the door behind me and turned the light on once it was completely closed so it didn't wake anyone up. I walked over to the sink and splashed some water on my face in a weak attempt to clear my head.

I always had a hard time sleeping through the night without jolting awake from nightmares. I don't even remember when they started; all I knew was that they kept coming back, and the countless strategies, prescriptions, and sleeping tactics never seemed to work. But I was used to getting up in the middle of the night so this was nothing new for me. Sometimes being awake so late or so early was nice. It calmed me, being able to look outside and see the world at peace. I whipped around at the sound of the door opening, but let out a breath when I recognized the figure stepping into the room as Charlie.

"Did I wake you up?" I whispered.

Charlie shook his head and shut the door behind him. I couldn't help my eyes from scanning over him. He had changed into one of the P.E. uniforms that the boarding school kept lying around and was wearing a baggy shirt, which probably belonged to one of the coaches. I hadn't been as lucky to find spare clothes, so I was still in her pajamas, which was a happy accident. I loved pajamas.

His light brown hair was ruffled from sleep, and a rush of guilt filled me. I definitely woke him up.

Before I could even start my rant of apologies, Charlie strode across the room and wrapped his arms around me tightly. I stood there for a moment at a loss of words before I got over my awkwardness and hugged him back. He was taller than me, about 6ft tall, while I stood at 5'8 which gave him enough room to lightly rest his chin on my head.

I would be lying if I wasn't surprised by the sudden demonstration of affection, but I buried my head into his shoulder and huddled into his warmth.

"Thank you," he whispered softly.

"For what?"

"For helping Sam. I almost lost him today, but you saved him. So, thank you," he said, pulling away to look me in the eyes. I smiled.