Impregnable {A Walking Dead Fanfiction}

Twelve

    Andrea and Theo held me down as Dale unwrapped my gauze, wincing when he saw what was underneath. "I'm not sure if it's worth speculating, but that looks like rib fracture busing," Dale said, opening a small first aid kit. "Has she been vomiting?" "No," Andrea replied. "I don't see any bleeding, she should be okay as long as there's nothing internal." He said, running the back of his hand softly over my ribcage. His soft touch was excruciating. I bit down on my fingers and blinked tears out of my eyes. "I just don't know what to do about the pain," Dale said. "As long as it won't kill me, I can take it," I said through gritted teeth.

    Dale left after prescribing me one Tylenol a day and a big dose of 'suck it up, buttercup.' I'd been lying in the dark on the hard Winnebago bed when the door swung open. "Oh my God, Hollie..." Shane said, approaching me and leaning down at the bedside. "I should've listened to you," I said, feeling a lump forming in my throat. "I'm sorry." "Shh..." He said, reaching out and rubbing my arm. "You're back, you're all back, that's what matters. Daryl told me everything." He reached out and brushed a lock of hair out of my face. "Just try and rest."

    After restlessly trying to find a position that wasn't excruciating for some time, I finally relented and fell asleep. I woke up while it was pitch black outside. My entire body throbbed, even the most shallow breaths sent waves of pain shooting throughout my body. I moved and saw Shane still sitting next to me, snoring softly. Soft brown curls covered his face, his nose looked like it had been broken before. A thin gold chain hung around his neck, and a pendant with the number twenty-two hung at the base. As I lay there, taking him in, he took in a deep breath and his eyes opened suddenly, startling me. "Are you okay?" He asked as I looked away. "Rough, but better than I expected honestly," I said, touching the cloth bandage wrapped tightly around my torso.

    "You don't have to stay with me, you can go to bed if you want to," I said. "No, we took everything out of the wrangler and laid the seats down. Rick, Lori, Carl, and Mable are using it until you're on your feet again. I'm comfortable here." He said, flatly. "Rick," I repeated, after everything we'd just been through, I'd never gotten his name. Shane chuckled and put his head in his hands, "I can't believe it."

    "If I had to guess, a couple of days before you're walking, you should start to feel like yourself in two weeks...maybe a month," Dale said the next morning as he examined the large welt that had formed on my side. "I think it's a good idea to leave off the bandage unless it's helping with the pain." He continued. I agreed, not wanting to go through the pain of being wrapped again. We'd agreed not to let Mable see me unless she started asking, she didn't need to see me like this. I watched her from the small window running and playing in the sun. I wondered if she even really knew who I was, apart from one of the ladies who helped take care of her. I wonder how much she was affected by all of this. If this was just another day for her if she could understand the meaning behind all of the conversations around her. She seemed so peaceful.

    "Are you hungry?" Shane asked from the doorway, shaking me from my daydream. My stomach was empty and growling, but the idea of food wasn't appealing. He sat down a small plate in front of me that held a few saltine crackers and a spoonful of peanut butter. "Thank you," I said with the best smile I could muster.

    Days passed...maybe a week, it was starting to get hard to keep track. My bruises turned deep purple and yellow, beginning to slowly heal. I had to learn how to be again. Needing help with the most basic tasks was humiliating. Somehow, being surrounded by eager helping hands made me feel more helpless. I began having nightmares that the horde descended on the camp, killing everyone and surrounding Shane, Dale, and me in the Winnebago. The terror gave me the boost I needed to push through the pain towards recovery. Lori brought Mable to see me one evening after I'd cleaned myself up. She clung to her, watching me with big, anxious eyes. "Hi, Honey. I've missed you." I said with a smile. Lori sat softly on the edge of the bed, placing Mable next to her. "Gentle," Lori said as Mable began to crawl up the bed towards me. "What happened?" Mable asked curiously. "I fell and got a big boo-boo," I said, chuckling. "Don't worry, I'm okay. I'll be back out there playing with you in no time."