Wishes (Ellie Williams)

Chapter 6- I'm sorry

The five of them had made it to a small motel just far enough away from the neighborhood to where they knew they would at least be safe till the morning.

All silent on the way there, regrouping with themselves as they replayed the nights events in their own heads. All of them stayed on edge for a good while even when they got to the motel.

Ellie and Sam had wandered into a room and were reading, or acting out, one of Ellie's comic books. Lily sat in the living room with Joel and Henry reloading her guns and making sure she still had all, or most of her knives and arrows.

She made sure sage was okay, taking the orange tabby from the bag and inspecting him to make sure she hadn't hurt him or cut him in any way when she fell, he seemed okay, so she stroked his back and let him jump from her lap and sniff around the new room.

"You think they'll be okay?" Henry asked quietly, Lily assumed the question was more directed at Joel then her so she glanced over to the room Sam and Ellie were in, watching them and they played quietly.

"Yeah I think. Well, it's easier when you're a kid anyway" Joel paused a moment, looking away from the kids and to Henry, as did Lily, she averted her eyes and drew her attention to the boys in the room.

"You don't have anybody else relying on you. That's the hard part" he finished, Henry nodded at him, "well I guess we're doing a good job then" he responded.

"What's that comic book say? Endure and survive?" Joel asked, "endure and survive, that shits redundant" Henry chuckled a little. "Yeah it's not great" Joel agreed.

Lily smiled along with them, still keeping quiet and letting the two older boys bond slightly, even after the night they had, it was good there was a little softness between them now.

"Look I don't know how I'm getting to Wyoming. I'm probably walking. But, ya know if you want to"

"Yeah, yeah, um. Yeah I think it'd be nice for Sam to have a friend. I'll tell him in the morning, new day new start" Henry nodded, Lily noticed he was trying to hold a smile back.

She hummed slightly as the conversation between them died, "like Ellie said huh? Just gotta keep asking you and you'll cave" Lily teased Joel slightly sending a smirk his way. He only rolled his eyes in response at the girl before coming to sit next to her at the table.

Henry walked over to Sam and Ellie and spoke to them for a minute.

"Are you okay?" Joel asked, refusing to meet her eyes.

She lightly put a hand on his shoulder, "I'm okay"

"I, fuck, I thought you were gonna die Lily. The gun, the gun got stuck, I was trying so hard to get it to reload so I could help. I thought you were gonna die and it would've been my fault" he whispered.

"Joel no" she turned her body so she could be fully facing him, "it would not have been your fault, not at all. I should've been looking around me but I was preoccupied with making sure Ellie got into the car. Do not put that on yourself, okay? Plus see" she paused and motioned towards herself, "I'm okay, I didn't die so we don't have to worry about the could haves okay, it didn't happen, you still saved me. So thank you" she smiled at him. Like a real smile. He looked up and nodded, averting his eyes again.

"I would have never forgiven myself" he said so quiet to where she almost didn't hear him.

She huffed quietly, before choosing her next words carefully, afraid he would shoot her for asking but she did anyways.

"Can I hug you?"

He looked taken aback, she wasn't shocked by his response. What she was shocked at was the fact that he wrapped his arms around her and let out a shaky sigh as he whispered an apology again.