Make My World Go Black

Chapter Eleven

The first thing he remembers was waking up to the high-pitched ringing in his right ear, his head automatically throbbing in pain. At first, he didn't dare open his eyes, thinking about what a nightmare it would be if he did. But when the ringing slowly died down to a numbing sound in the back of his head, he tries to open his eyes...

Only to find that he can't.

Dammit! Was he dead? Is he dying? The panic starts to set in and he realizes he could move his fingers. They automatically reach up to his face, palms touching the places his eyes were supposed to be only to find that one was swollen shut and the other was bandaged over his vision and his ear. He couldn't possibly see even if he tried. He tries to call out for help, only to find that his throat was dry and his lips were cracked and sore. The only possible sound he could make was a distressed moan, but all the same, the noise got someone's attention because now he felt a hand on his shoulder, and another was slowly unwrapping his non-swollen eye. 

He blinks rapidly when his sight wasn't at first accustomed to the blinding light of the sun coming through the window above his bed. When he reassures himself that he could see, he analyzes his situation and looks to the person who gifted him with sight. He recognizes the small body and long red hair, but his mind hasn't caught up to him quite yet, so, at first, he couldn't remember who this random woman was.

His ears begin to pick up other noises instead of ringing, such as voices. He knew he recognized the voices, but he couldn't pinpoint from where yet.

"Are you certain he's waking up?"

"I'm not deaf, Mr. Robicheaux! I know he made a sound! And he moved!"

"Christ, Emma, no need to shout. Faraday's hearing could be damaged badly."

Emma? Emma Cullen? Then that male voice that responded to her had to be Teddy. Did Emma say the name Robicheaux? So Goodnight's here, too? What is happening? What's going on? What happened to the battle? Did they win? What about the Gatling gun? He got it, right?

"Faraday?" Emma's voice comes back, hovering somewhere above him, "Faraday, can you hear me? Move the hand I'm holding if you can hear me."

It wasn't until she mentioned it did Faraday realize that someone was holding his hand. He barely felt the contact and it took all of his might to barely move a finger. But nonetheless, the young woman felt it.

"He's responding."

"Thank the Good Lord up above," Faraday nearly groaned to the sound of Jack Horne's praise coming from somewhere to the right of him. The Lord had nothing to do with this, god dammit. He's just lucky is all...

Very, VERY lucky.

"Faraday," Teddy's voice drew closer, most likely looming over him opposite of Emma, "Don't try to move too much yet. You're gonna need some time to heal fully and you've probably already exhausted yourself trying to move."

The young gentleman caller was right. Faraday already felt tired. But he couldn't afford to go back to sleep. He could argue that he's slept enough, but so far his mouth couldn't move and words couldn't form. He was trying to assess his situation. Obviously he couldn't move, so he must have been scrambled up bad from that terrible explosion...

The sudden thought of the explosion brought Faraday back to reality. He remembered fully now. He remembered riding to his death, riding to the end. He could have sworn he was dead...

Maybe he IS dead, and everyone talking around is either dead with him or coaxing him back to the living. He tried opening his good eye again, not remembering when he closed it. The sun shining through the window ignited Emma's flaming head of hair, that she had loosely braided and thrown over one shoulder. If he were dead than he should congratulate her husband for reeling in such a fine catch.