We Can Survive (Carl Grimes Fanfiction)

Chapter 6- A Very Worried Coma-Self

     Stay away from me.

     That was what Trinity said. Why had she said that?

     Stay away from me.

     Why would she want me to stay away from her? What had happened?

     Stay away from me.

     Had I done something to hurt her?

     Stay away from me.

     I thought hard to remember what had happened before I'd entered this sleep. It suddenly occurred to me. The bed. I'd fallen off the bed. As soon as I'd come to a conclusion as to what had happened (although still confused about why Trinity wanted me away from her) I wanted to get up. I wanted to assure everyone I was okay, then find out what the problem with Trinity was. When the pain hit a few seconds later, I decided I wasn't so eager to get up. My whole body seemed to tingle. It wasn't painful, other than in my shin and the back of my head. My shin felt like needles were doing far more than making it tingle. My head ached worse than I'd ever felt. There was something up against the back of my head that was incredibly uncomfortable. I was annoyed to think I'd have to open my eyes and get up to fix the position of my head.

     I'm not going to say that the realization that Trinity could be in danger was sudden. It didn't just come to me. I was wondering innocently why she had wanted me to stay away from her. I thought and thought, not being able to process what I had done. Then, it occurred to me that someone else might have offended her. I eventually thought, "Someone threatened her. That's why she wanted them to stay away from her." Content with my hypothesis, I relaxed, ready to go back to sleep again. 

     That's when it hit me. I opened my eyes in a panic, someone had threatened Trinity! I looked around. I was on a cot in a cell which looked a lot like mine, but definitely wasn't mine. There was only one bed, the one I was in, and it wasn't a bunk bed. I slowly looked over to my right. Harley, I thought that was his name anyway, looked up from a book. He was sitting on a chair in the corner of the cell. He smiled at me. I remembered that smile. His name was Hershel, not Harley.

     "You're awake!" he exclaimed, hobbling over to my bed on his prosthetic leg. I tried to speak, to scream. To ask where Trinity was and whether she was okay. I opened my mouth to find it was cottony and dry, along with my freshly burning throat. "You must be thirsty," Hershel said, concern in his eyes, "Carl, would you fetch some water for Nikki?" he asked, looking behind me. I turned my head gingerly to avoid pain to see Carl sitting in the corner opposite from Hershel's corner. I was surprised to see him there. He seemed like an odd candidate to help Hershel, but I mentally shrugged it off.

     I watched as Carl left the room. Hershel called for Trinity and I sighed with relief when she came in unharmed. She squealed with joy and ran over to me when she saw me, awake, bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed. Well, awake at least. 

     Trinity hugged me tight enough to make me cough into her shoulder. She promptly moved away when I coughed. She smiled down at me, tears in her eyes.

     "Thank God you're okay." she whispered.

     "You were out for two and a half days," Hershel informed me, "it's honestly kind of incredible that you woke up so soon. Do you remember what happened?" I nodded, which was very painful, and Hershel looked stunned. I just shrugged and looked back up at Trinity. Carl finally arrived with the water. He handed it to Trinity and quickly left the room. That was strange. Why was he so antsy to leave if he'd been helping Hershel before I woke up? What I found even more strange was the fact that I cared. I laughed hoarsely at myself, which burned my throat. Trinity raised the cup to my mouth after hearing my laugh. I gratefully chugged half of the cup.