The Undead (Lauren/You)

Chapter 6

By the time we had reached the camp again, Y/N had fallen asleep in my arms. I clutched her closely to my chest as much as I could to try to savor the moment. I didn't know if I was ever going to be able to hold her in my arms again. I didn't know if what happened was going to change her views of me for the better, or ultimately cause her to hate me even more. I hoped she would finally allow me to help her, instead of always thinking I was the bad guy here. I just wanted her to trust me, and not only because I had this crush on her. I wanted her to trust me because she was so small and helpless, especially in my arms right now. I wanted her to trust me because I wanted to be the one by her side at all times. It was something I needed to do now that I was here. I had finally found my purpose in this shitty world. "Come on Lauren." I heard Daniel's voice which broke me out of my thoughts. I saw that the truck was parked in front of their makeshift infirmary.

I made sure I had a good hold on the girl in my arms as I climbed out of the truck. Several people offered to carry Y/N as I got out but I wanted to be the one to hold her; I didn't want to let her go any time soon. I followed Daniel into their medical unit where there was already a bed cleared for Y/N to stay. I laid her gently on the bed as her father went to get some necessary tools. I watched as he rummaged around. "Y/N usually does this stuff so I might be rusty, but there's no one else to do this. Can you get a wet wash cloth and hold it on her forehead?" The older man asked while he was preparing more of his tools. I nodded my head and obeyed his orders. I finished before he did so I took a seat next to the bed so that I could hold the wash cloth up to Y/N's forehead. I couldn't help but stare at her side profile.

Even while she was almost unconscious, she still managed to take my breath away. This was the first time I was this close to her and we weren't fighting for our lives, so I was actually able to study every feature my eyes landed on. Her face was contorted in pain, but only a tiny amount. You wouldn't be able to tell she was in pain unless you were up close and personal like I was. I heard Daniel curse to himself several times until he leaned down to look at the damage of the bullet wound in Y/N's ankle. He softly took off her boot and sock to reveal the damage that made the both of us grimace severely. The wound looked terrible, and I felt my heart drop to my stomach at the sight. Daniel's eyes started to water but he quickly wiped away the tears before they could fall so he could get to work as fast as possible. He needed to move quick to prevent as much blood loss as possible. I didn't know how this would affect Y/N, but I could make quite a guess that she would be down for a little while at least. It sucked even more because we didn't have the proper medical tools or practice needed to make sure she healed perfectly.

That was one of the things that pissed me off most about this apocalypse. I felt hopeless in my seat. I wanted to do everything I could to help but I couldn't do much other than sit and watch. Nausea continued to strike as Daniel pulled out both halves of the bullet that had managed to break apart at the point of impact. There was so much blood, I was becoming extremely worried for the smaller girl. I was thankful when Daniel was able to get the shattered pieces of the bullet out before he began to wrap the wound in gauze. Eventually he grabbed a couple extra pillows so that Y/N's leg would be elevated to slow the blood flow. I still sat there with the wash cloth held to her forehead like my life depended on it. I didn't want to leave for the world, and I wanted to be there for when she woke up.

There were extra people walking through the unit to put away the extra needs Y/N had managed to get while we were there. They talked very highly about her, and I could tell they admired their leader's daughter with everything in them. Now they were able to use what they needed to keep their sick members alive. I just hoped it was enough to keep Y/N alive as well. Daniel finished washing his hands and throwing everything away before he grabbed a seat on the opposite side of the bed. He leaned back with his arms crossed over his chest. I could tell he was upset but he couldn't quite find the words yet. I don't know how long had passed before he was finally able to speak up. "Do you know why she left?" He asked gravely. His voice clearly showed what he was feeling even though he wasn't a man to necessarily wear his heart on his sleeve. "And I know about you guys leaving to get more medical supplies." I sighed quietly to myself.