ELBINA

Chapter 26

There's the sound of a lock sliding across, clunking into place and followed by the creaking of the hinges.

I opened my eyes, lying on my front with my cheek pressed into the pillow. Fallen steps over closer to me on the bed, glass in one hand and a strip of what I assume are pain killers in the other.

"Fallen?" He knelt down on the floor beside me, placing the water on the carpet before pushing out the tablets from the tin foil.

His name came out so scratchy and sore that I shut my eyes against the pain briefly, opening them again to see Fallen looking at me in sympathy. He dropped the tablets beside the water, standing up and helping me sit up in the bed.

"You're okay." He mumbled repetitively as I moaned in pain, every bone in my body was aching. My eyes catch sight of the grazes and cuts on my arms, still dirty with mud stains reaching up to my elbows.

"Take these." He handed me the tablets again and I threw them into my mouth, swallowing the water afterwards to wash them down. I looked over the room as I do, it's small, cosy and the window outside is still dark and empty.

"What time is it?"

"Around 6, I kept checking on you... but you seemed a little more awake this time." He paused, grabbing the glass from my hand now that I finished it.

"I've got some soup on the stove." Just the thought made me feel queasy. My head shook immediately.

"I'm not hungry,"

Fallen sighed, hardening his look. Like that big brother kind of look that I can barely remember when I was a little kid, but it was definitely one I had received from Jake on numerous occasions.

"Yes, you are. You just think you're not because of the pain. Trust me, I know. You need to eat something." He pulled back the covers and helped me out but the minute that I moved my left leg I gripped hard on Fallen's jumper, twisting it within my fingers waiting for the pain to subside.

"What's wrong?"

"Apart from everything?" He gave me that look again, and I let out the breath I was holding. "My knee."

Telling him didn't change anything though, he continued moving me out of the bed so my feet hit the ground. He pulled up the trouser leg and blew out a breath. I glanced down as well to see my knee swollen and bruised.

"That fall sure did a number on you."

"Yeah...It was going so well up till then." Sarcasm dripped from my tone, cursing when he yanked down the material. His smirk evident on his features when he stood back up before lifting me up and letting me use him as a crutch to hobble out of the room.

There was no sign of Lucas anywhere, it had me a little worried, but he continued to lead me to the table from last night again. It sat in the middle of the kitchen which was only separated from the living area by a long kitchen counter, I sat down on one of the wooden chairs. Keeping my leg as straight as possible to ease the throbbing pain, even then, the ache from my back is still there and if I breathe too deeply my rib hurts just as much too.

I'm just a big ball of injury at this point, I wasn't going to get anywhere quick that's for certain.

I was stuck here whether I liked it or not.

Fallen cracked an ice pack before wrapping it in a small towel, he handed it to me, gesturing to put it on my knee. I placed it on, gritting my teeth as I did.

I didn't know what to feel anymore. And even if I weren't injured, I wouldn't know what to feel about this situation.

How could anybody begin to know?