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CHAPTER TWELVE: LOOK AFTER YOU
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A WEEK HAD passed and Carl still hadn't shown any signs of waking up apart from when he had held Rick's hand the morning after. Rick, Melanie, and Michonne were sure that he would wake up after that but he didn't. Rick, Michonne, and Melanie had been taking turns sitting by his bedside as they waited for him to wake up from his coma. Melanie had visited a few times during the week and sat beside him, waiting for him to wake up as well. Denise had said there would be a possibility that he would never wake up or that he would wake up and have some brain damage. Melanie hoped that wasn't the case.
Melanie thought she had to be there for Carl. They had become close, they had become friends and friends look out for one another. When Melanie had first met Carl, she had been rude and distant. Despite that, Carl was always kind to her. He assured her that she could let her guard down around him and he wouldn't judge. When Melanie had finally started to let her guard down and let him in, he didn't judge and he let her take her time with it. Because of that, Melanie had to be there for Carl. She owed him that much.
Melanie sat in the chair next to Carl's bed in the infirmary. Denise had changed his bandage just before Melanie had arrived. The bandage was over his right eye and wrapped around his head. Melanie had yet to see what the wound looked like after it had been bandaged up. She wasn't going to try to look even when Denise was changing the bandage. Just like her own scars, she wanted Carl to show her when he was ready. Melanie still hadn't shown Carl her scars, so if Carl decided to never show her his, then so be it.
Carl's chest was moving up and down softly as he breathed. Melanie was reading a comic book beside him as she waited patiently for him to wake up. When Melanie sat with him, all she usually did was read or draw. Sometimes she would talk to him, informing him about any news that he was missing. She had explained to him the day before that the whole community was working to build the walls back up and clean up the streets. It had taken multiple days to clear out all the walkers, including the ones in the lake. The smoke still hadn't left the air and Melanie knew that was not good for them but it would leave eventually.
Margot had shown up a few times to sit with Melanie as she sat with Carl. Margot was happy that Melanie had finally opened up to someone but she was sad that the one person Melanie had opened up to was now in a coma and might not wake up. It all seemed like some kind of sick joke. Melanie was friends with Enid but she had never opened up to Enid like she had opened up with Carl. It was small things with Carl but it was more than she ever had with Enid. Melanie let herself get attached to both of them.
Thankfully, Enid was back. She had helped Margot and Glenn get back to Alexandria. Melanie had spent more time with her when she wasn't sitting with Carl. Melanie was allowing herself to get attached. She ran towards it instead of running away and it felt good. Melanie had forgotten how good it felt to have people. She had been alone for so long and even when she was surrounded by people, she still isolated herself until Carl Grimes.
