Logan

59. I Do Care

*Aeron's POV*

I woke up in the morning to sunshine in my face, it had been a few days since the sun came out, and I was not ready for it.

I'd gotten dressed quickly, and shuffled into the cafeteria to eat breakfast with Canyon and Frankie, and looked around for Natalie.

"Where's Natalie?" I asked, "Is she alright?"

Frankie looked down at her pancakes, "I think so."

I stared at her for a moment before she looked up again, "Oh, um...she had a nightmare again last night."

"How often does that happen?"

Frankie took a bite of pancake, mulling around until she swallowed it, "Almost every other night, her doctor has been changing her dose to see what works the best. Sometimes it's an intense dream, other times it's a passing moment. It's hard to tell sometimes, because she won't explain what she's seeing."

"Do you know what happened to her?" Canyon and Frankie both looked at me, then each other. "What?" I had a guess, based on her scars, but I wanted to hear it from someone else.

Frankie sighed, "She was shot, and it was bad. She can't even say it out loud, Aeron. So please, go easy and try not to scare her."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You tend to come on a little intensely, dude. She's just starting to confide in me, I don't want to ruin that. Just let her come to you, she will. I mean... it's obvious that you like her."

"Frankie."

"What? I'm telling the truth alright? We saw how you looked at her at dinner the other day. She's barely been here for two weeks, go easy."

"Frankie."

"What if she doesn't like you? Or she has a boyfriend? Or-"

"Francesca, that's enough!" She flinched at the sound of her name, and gathered her things, ready to leave.

"Frankie wait, please, I'm sorry." I put my hand on hers, and she wrenched it away, not saying anything "Frankie-"

Before I could say anything more, Canyon reached out and put his hands on ours. I stopped, flipping my hand over, and he placed her hand on mine. Frankie relaxed, sighing and turning to Canyon.

"You're lucky I love you. Aeron, please don't call me by that name again, and I won't bug you about Natalie."

I squeezed her hand, "I'm sorry I called you that, and I'm sorry I got so upset, I know you're only looking out for me."

We looked at Canyon with a smile, and he nodded, letting our hands go.

We had decided to sit out on the patio this morning, I had grabbed each of us a blanket. The morning dew had created moisture, so I put more blankets on the benches so we could all sit down. We sat for about twenty minutes looking out, before I heard the door open and a voice.

"What are-"

"Shh," I turned with a finger on my lips, it was Natalie. Canyon waved her over quietly.

We were watching a doe, quietly walking on the forest side of the property. Natalie sat next to me, clutching her arms. I looked over to see her rubbing her arms, and clenching her legs together the longer she was out here. I shuffled my blanket slightly, making it easier to roll onto her legs without touching her directly. She didn't notice me doing it, but a few moments later when I looked over, her breathing had relaxed. We watched the doe walk off, but then stop mid-stride and she looked over. I could make out a small fawn in the trees.