𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐒 | 𝐭𝐰𝐝 ²

28.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT,
bone dry.

━━━━

There was a pregnant silence that surrounded the family as they stood in front of the door leading into A Block - death row. Nicole refused to admit that she was terrified, but it was apparent as she picked at her dainty nails. She pondered how long she’d had it - was her first telltale sign when she got dizzy out at Big Spot? Or was it when her head started to feel like a  cleaver constantly hammering away at her? Everything happened so fast that it hadn’t fully set in. She had the virus that killed Patrick. It could kill her.

Her shoulders trembled as her lungs struggled to take in any of the surrounding air. She kept using her bandana to wipe away any blood that may have found its way out of her nose or mouth. Nicole’s left hand rested on the steel door handle as she leaned her head onto the cool metal doorway. She could practically hear the worried breaths of her daughter, her brother, and her redneck. Nicole barely mustered up enough courage to turn around to face them; she was sure she looked like she was a ghost. “You guys should go,” she whispered out hoarsely.

“If you think I’m leaving you, Rei, you’re an idiot,” Nolan protested firmly, stepping sideways so he wouldn’t touch Cheyanne. “You and Nadia are about to be in there and I can’t lose either of you.” Normally, Nicole would have asked about that, but she was too tired to really care.

Daryl bit his thumbnail in anxiousness. He didn’t want to leave her here. “I know what you’re thinking, Daryl, and don’t,” Nicole snapped out raspily. Daryl was taken aback by the unfamiliar harshness in her usual soft voice. “You are going to get those meds, and you are going to save all of them.”

“He’s gonna save you, too, Mama,” Cheyanne’s watery voice muttered out. Her tearful brown eyes met her mother's - Nicole felt like God had just crushed her heart.

“I know he will, baby girl,” Nicole responded, trying her best to keep the young girl hopeful. Nicole hoped she’d make it, but a part of her didn’t think she could. For years, she’d pumped drugs into her system. Her immune system was nowhere near as strong as it should have been at thirty-two. The chances that she’d come out of this intact were slim.

Nicole lifted her bandana up to her mouth to cough into it and then removed it with a trail of blood. “Nolan, are you going with Daryl?” Her brother nodded. “Keep an eye on him for me, will ya?”

Nolan chuckled, “I won’t let him out of my sight.” Nicole offered a halfhearted smile to them. “I love you, Rei.”

The blonde woman sighed, meeting her brother’s eyes. “I love you, too,” she responded. “I love all of you.”

Chey choked on her tears. “You’re gonna be okay, right?” Nicole wiped her mouth again as she leaned back against the cool metal. “You have to promise me that you’re going to be okay.”

Nicole could feel her lip tremble. She was trying so hard not to burst into tears. “I-” she choked. “I promise.” Chey let out a happy sigh. “Nolan, can you make sure Chey gets something to eat before y’all leave?” Her brother nodded, nudging the little girl with the back of his hand, and motioned for her to follow him.

“I love you, Mama,” Cheyanne whispered before turning around and following her uncle. Once she heard the A-Block door slide shut, Nicole turned around toward the metal, staring in at the dying people, trying her best not to burst into tears.

“Yer gonna be okay, Nik,” Daryl stated.

Nicole felt a tear slip down her face, and she wiped it away quickly before she turned around. “You don’t know that, Dixon.”