Brandy Creek (Book Two Completed)

Epilogue

Natalie - 2 weeks later

My head hangs back on the couch at an uncomfortable angle. I had only woken to the shifting of the couch at the other end. There are foot steps and I keep my eyes closed. A hand brushes the hair from my face and a kiss is placed on my forehead. Opening my eyes I meet Sebs calm, sad deep green eyes as he gives me a soft smile. "I'm going to make us some food."

I cringe but nod. I don't fight with him on the food, I had learned my lesson a little over a week ago. If I refused to eat, they had no problem forcing me, even if it made me angry with them.

Rubbing my face with my hands I lean forward, and scoot to the edge of the couch until my chest hits a plastic railing. Lifting my arms I grab the pale limp hand on the gray bed sheets, putting his hand between mine to warm it up. I look up to see a mass of wavy blond hair that had seen better days, we had tried to keep him clean but it was hard. At least we were able to take him off of the ventilator, the machine was large and scary because we had to keep enough electricity to keep it running.

Just thinking about it makes me pull his hand up and I press it to my face, tears gathering at the corner of my eyes. I had to think of something else, or I might cry again and I didn't want that. "I forgot to tell you about what happened yesterday."

I let out a deep breath and put our hands back down. "I told you that we had so many teens that we gave them their own duplex, girls on one side, boys on the other. Well that didn't last long. We found a few.. mingling. We had to pull them apart and give them a safe sex talk. You would have loved it."

A bitter laugh escapes me and I shake my head. "Anyway, I had also gave them a talk about consent. Then I made a new rule, if anyone was forcing anyone to do anything sexually they would be kicked out of camp. No exceptions."

My thumb runs over his knuckles again and I look down to our hands. The past two weeks have been horrible, for me at least. All I wanted to do is stick by Lex's side, to watch him like a hawk. But I couldn't. There are so many more people in camp, which meant more issues. There were a lot more kids, almost every adult was now responsible for at least a kid or two. Like Joe and his wife, they had taken in three of the kids themselves. And yes, we had considered taking the kids to Brandy, they were still fixing their sleeping arrangements whereas we had just enough housing to fit all these new people.

Construction on the big wall had been started, which is nice. I had also put together a team to take the locals out to gather some of their things from their houses. But, I hadn't left myself. Ever since we got back home, I hadn't left the settlement. I'd only leave the house because I had too.

Rubbing my face with my hand, trying to rub some of the sleep and unshed tears from my eyes, I let out a long sigh. My shoulders drop and I look to Lex, who's peacefully sleeping on the bed. His hair is a mess, so I lean over and brush it from his face, we'd need to brush it soon.

When my hand brushes over his forehead, his eyelashes flutter. I let out a loud gasp, that makes Seb drop whatever he had in the kitchen, making a clattering noise behind me. My heart gives a painful squeeze and I run the back of my hand from his temple to his cheek. "Wake up Lex."

His lashes flutter again, and so slowly, like everything's moving in slow motion I see his beautiful green eyes. I stand to get closer to him, his eye's are unfocused but move to me. "Lex?"

There's a small dreamy smile from him, and his lashes flutter again before they close. Seb, had made it just at the tail end of Lex's eyes being opened, and for the first time in the past few weeks, he looked hopeful. He moves to the other side of Lex's hospital bed, and smiles down at his brother. "If he's opening his eyes it means he's coming out of the coma, it may take a while but he will come out of it soon."

I look up and meet Sebs eyes, my cheeks hurting from the large smile on my face. My heart still hurt, but now it was a good hurt. Even though I didn't fully understand this feeling, I wasn't fighting it. Life had proved to be to short, and none of us knew how long we had left.