Born of Chaos and Grace

Chapter Eleven: Wake - Part I

There is nothing but silence surrounding Laine as she begins to slip back into consciousness at a steady rate. If she strains her hearing enough, the faint sound of a radio playing and crickets chirping outside can be heard, but that is only if she concentrates. Her head feels heavy, her eyes heavier, and after much struggle, she manages to force them open.

Blinding light assaults her vision and she blinks away the dozens of silver and purple stars that appear before her eyes. A wood plank roof is the first sight that greets her sensitive eyes when her vision clears. Laine struggles to move herself into a sitting position, and when she does, waves of sickness sweep through her.

Fighting off the urge to lay back down, she slides her legs over to the edge of the bed until they're out from under the covers. Her eyes scan the room in search of something to quench her thirst, head throbbing with the action.

Every swallow scratches her throat, almost as if she hasn't drank anything in days, but that can't be possible; she's only been out for a couple of hours. Her gaze zeroes in on a couple water bottles placed on the other side of the room, her foggy mind focusing only on getting liquid into her body.

Laine rises from the bed to stand on wobbly legs and trudges over to the dresser. There's a slight gimp to her stride as she moves, pain tugging at her muscles – her leg must have gotten banged up and irritated.

Scooping up one of the bottles, she unscrews the cap and chugs back the liquid, gasping in relief as the water coats her throat and soothes her insides. In moments, she is finished the first bottle and already moving onto the next without pause. Instead of downing it in seconds as she had done with the first one, Laine sips at it and makes her way out of the room.

She takes in her surroundings, establishing that she is back at the cabin, as she shuffles along the cold floor and towards the front door. There is no one else in the cabin, yet she thinks she hears voices and possibly even the cackle of a fire burning outside.

The night air is brisk against her bare legs and arms, and Laine notices now that she is only in a pair of cotton shorts and a t-shirt that hangs off her shoulders. She walks along, soft grass tickling her toes, and follows the sounds coming from around the side of the house.

Sure enough, there are three men reclining in lawn chairs gathered around an open fire, talking softly amongst themselves with beers in hand. Her footsteps are muffled by the grass beneath her feet, but as she approaches them, Dean lifts his head and meets her gaze.

Before Zach or Jamie even look up, Dean is on his feet and rushing over. He grabs her by the shoulders and pulls her against his chest, his arms wrapped tight around her form and his head buried in her hair. When he lets her go, his hand remains on her arm as he begins looking over her with haste, eyes frantic.

"You shouldn't be out of bed. You're still healing from the poison and your injuries," he chastises, worry coating his voice.

Laine manages a weak smile, flinching when the action tugs at the skin on her left cheek. She looks away from Dean and over to Jamie and Zach as they make their way over to her.

"Dean's right, kiddo. You should be in bed," Jamie states and rests a comforting hand on her other cheek.

She nudges against his calloused palm, looking up at him with tired eyes. She can't describe how relieved she is to see familiar faces again, comforting warmth settling in her chest.

"No one was in there, so I came looking for you guys," Laine explains as they escort her back into the cabin and to the bed she previously occupied. It's Dean's bed, now that she takes the time to notice.