After the End

Chapter Twenty-Two

Dean woke up earlier than normal, the sun just beginning to rise outside through the window of the medical building. He had managed to catch at least two hours of sleep, but he couldn't force himself back to bed if he tried. His arm was aching far more than usual, his neck stiff, and his back felt like it had been twisted in about ten different directions. He could hear Kaia's shallow breathing from the bed next to his own, so he knew she was still alive at least. He had no idea how bad the damage was. When he found her last night, it was too dark to tell for sure and he was a little out of it on top of that. He carefully readjusted himself to sit up against the wall, the pillow behind his aching back as he looked over at Kaia.

    He thought Kaia was sound asleep, from the way she looked at least. Her eyes were closed, arms wrapped around herself the same way they were when Dean found her. From the way she breathed, Dean could tell she was in a lot of pain, but he still didn't expect her to say anything.

    "Creep," she mumbled, cracking one eye open to look at Dean. "I promise I'm still breathing." Dean let out a small breath of relief after hearing her talk, but his ears burned with embarrassment. Kaia smiled softly, slowly letting her eyes adjust to the light spilling through the window.

    Dean winced quietly as he shifted in his bed to face Kaia better, his arm throbbing painfully in the sling. "Sorry, I was just worried," he admitted. He tossed and turned all night, too afraid to fall asleep in case Kaia stopped breathing, or something else happened to her. He even worried that whatever took her, whoever helped his father hurt her, would come back to take her again.

    Kaia struggled to sit up, taking a pause to breathe before finally settling back against the wall in the same position as Dean. She rested her head against the wall, dragging her knees to her chest with a shuddering breath. Dean wished he could help her, but he wasn't in the best state himself.

    "You saved my life, Dean," she said quietly, glancing at him for a moment before looking away again, staring at her fingers. "Thank you."

    "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time," Dean answered with a small shrug. He knew it was more than that. He carried Kaia back to town with an injured arm and a bleeding hand. There was something out there, something Dean wanted to look into on his own. That man he saw, the one in the suit who stared at him from a distance, he had to be connected to Kaia's disappearance somehow. "Do you remember anything about what happened to you?" he wondered, trying to keep it light in case Kaia didn't want to relive it.

    Kaia frowned, shaking her head. "Now that you mention it, I don't remember anything. The last thing I really remember was coming home from work and- and then it's blank."

Dean sighed, but he didn't get his hopes up. He figured this would happen. The mysterious man in the woods didn't seem human, so there was a good chance Kaia got her memories wiped on purpose. Dean just had to figure out why. "Well, I'm glad you're okay. Claire was worried sick," Dean added, their eyes meeting.

    Kaia seemed to panic for a moment, her eyes wide. "Yeah, she was probably freaking out. She cares about her friends a lot," she said, her face red as she went back to staring at her hands.

    "It's more than that," Dean replied, hoping to convey his support so Kaia didn't feel cornered. "She loves you. She was a mess."

    Dean watched her carefully, deciphering the range of emotions that washed over Kaia's face before she looked up at him. "She told you about us?" she asked, looking a little worried. Dean nodded, offering a small smile to reassure her. "But why would she-" Kaia started to ask, but she didn't get to finish her sentence, interrupted by someone bursting through the front door. Kaia looked towards the entrance, startled by the sudden intrusion.