The Girl He Forgot (Book 2)

Chapter 25 - You Want Some?

Eventually, after what felt like hours, Carl took his hands away and there was nothing but a sweet and peaceful silence surrounding us. The walkers, it seemed, had left; perhaps they'd given up, perhaps they'd found something else to chase after... I didn't care, as long as they'd gone...

I felt lighter. I looked up at Carl who was smiling down at me.

"We should get some sleep" he whispered, his voice sending shivers through me.

I nodded and began to shift off him.

"Can I borrow your torch?" Carl asked as I shuffled away.

"Mhm" I handed it over to him and he took it.

His belt had been digging into my back and I stretched out the kink it had caused. Suddenly, there was a clicking sound that caused me to turn round and face the hatch of the boot. Carl was opening it and climbing out with his pack in one hand and my torch in the other.

"Where are you skulking off to?" I asked, trying not to sound as clingy as I felt.

He looked back at me. "Bandage needs changing" he said, and I could have sworn there was a hint of embarrassment in his tone...

I didn't like it...

"Let me do it" I said, as I began crawling over to the door.

"It's alright, I can do my own" Carl said, defensively, backing away from me just as my boots hit the cold concrete floor of the garage.

"I know, but you always do it wonky" I countered, determined to get my own way. I stopped in front of the boy who was now half in the back room and reached to undo the bandage that was currently on his head.

"I said I can do my own!" he snapped as he recoiled from me.

I flinched then glared at him sternly, as if I were a nurse about to lecture a misbehaving patient, and he seemed to let his guard down a bit.

"It's just... it's still healing, it's kinda gross..." he said stiffly, his body language that of a coiled spring.

I frowned, it hurt to see just how uncomfortable he was about this... I gently took the torch from him and took a lose hold of the hand it had been in.

"No more pretending," I said softly, leading him back to the Rover.

He let me, but his guard was still up I could tell, I just didn't quite get why...

I sat on the edge of the open boot and gently pulled him down next to me. I reached for his bandage, but he recoiled again.

There was a silent challenge between the two of us then and after a minute or two Carl conceded, seeming to have to gear himself up to allow me to remove the bandage.

I began carefully unwrapping the linens around his head.

"I used to do this all the time, you know?" I said, as I unwound the old dressings.

He frowned, confusion tainting his eye.

"Well, who do you think changed them when you were in the infirmary?" I smiled.

Carl looked down, considering something. "Did you really stay all day, every day, like my dad said?" he asked.

I nodded, barely feeling embarrassed.

"Why?" he asked, simply.

"I uhmm...," I thought for a moment, pausing midway through unwrapping his bandage. "I suppose I just didn't want you to be alone... and, if I'm honest, I was kind of alone myself, so it made sense" I answered, truthfully.