Stranded [ 4 ]

>You woke up on the couch.
>Jennette was still in your arms, leaning against you as she slept.
>By the sound of the insects outside and the lack of ambient light, you could tell it was late at night.
>You needed to take a leak.
>But Jennette was in your lap.
>Fuck.

>She remained unaware as you lifted her up and laid her back down on the couch once you were standing.
>You quietly walked down the hallway to the bathroom.
>Slowly opened the door.
>You pissed and flushed the toilet.
>You washed your hands and looked in the mirror.
>You looked like shit.
>Your eyes were red from crying.
>But... you didn`t feel like shit.
>You felt better than you have in a long while.

>"Anon?"
>She called out to you from the living room, likely wondering where you went.

"Hang on."
>You walked back to the living room.
>She was sitting up, looking rather uncomfortable.
>An urgent expression on her face.
>"I need to, uhh... go."

"I`m not stopping you, bathroom`s down the hall."
>She looked at you with a bit of contempt.
>"I would love to be able to on my own, but there just so happens to be a hole in my leg."
>Right.
>Also, that reminded you; you needed to change the bandage.

"Alright, I`ll help you."
>She nodded and reached out an arm.
>You pulled her up and took her arm around the back of your neck to help her walk.
>She hopped down the hall with you bent over, trying to assist her.
>In hindsight, you could`ve carried her much more easily.

>You left her to do her business and stood outside the door.
>You heard the toilet flush, the faucet run, then the door creak open.
>You saw her leaning against the counter, injured leg off of the ground.
>"A little help?"
>She gave a little smile with this request.
>You once again braced her against yourself, helping her limp back to the couch.
>"Thanks."
>You assisted her with sitting down, then you went off to find your medical kit.
>"What are you doing?"

"We need to change that bandage, right? Now that the medicine`s working, it should be okay to do that.."
>She looked at the kit with a wary expression.
>"Okay, just get it over with."
>You prepared everything.
>Your hands were clean and were now equipped with latex gloves.
>You slowly pulled the bandage off, Jennette wincing as you went.
>Time to see the damage.

>Well, it was healing much faster than anything you`ve seen.
>From the way Jennette was shaking, it likely still hurt like a bitch though.
>She seemed to handle pain better than most.
>You looked up at her when you heard a slight whimper.
>"D-don`t worry, I`m fine. Just g-get it done."
>You did what you needed to and put a fresh bandage over it.
>She sighed, obviously relieved.

"Is that better?"
>She nodded, moving her leg a bit.
>"It itches less, but still hurts really f..."
>She caught herself.
>"Really bad."
>She appeared to be in less pain though.

"Well, at least it`s healing."
>You put the kit back in the closet.
>"Yeah..."
>She yawned, making a slight squeaking sound near the end.
>"I think I`ll go to sleep again."
>She curled up next to you.
>Sleeping on this couch always made your back hurt.
>You decided to pick her up once you were sure she was sound asleep, then take her upstairs.
>You had a big enough bed for the two of you.
>And at this point... it was comforting, having her near you.
>She was still wrapped up in the quilt.
>You laid down next to her, pulling up your blankets and shifting around a bit to get comfortable.

>Soon, you were just waiting to fall asleep.
>The window next to the bed always served a good purpose.
>You looked out there just to count the stars, to lose yourself in that infinite sky, to see something that would never change.
>It was a constant throughout your life.
>The faint points of light on the endless plane of midnight served as a beacon to you.
>The sky never changed, the stars always the same.
>Stability, order, continuation.

>You wanted to work for NASA.
>Astronomy was your favorite subject, as well as anything to do with space.
>The thought of discovering something so far out there, something entirely new, kept you going.
>Soon after... that day, things changed.
>You saw the world for what it was, a dark place covered up by those who refuse to acknowlege the problems.
>You were stripped of that child-like sense of wonder, of your innocence.

>This is likely why you had such odd feelings towards Jennette.
>In your mind, she seemed to represent everything you lost.
>From the desire to wonder and discover, to your shattered family.

>A slow melody awoke you.
>Jennette was sitting at the edge of the bed, quietly singing something.
>You could only see the outline of her body, the moonlight outside creating a bright backdrop to the situation.
>Her voice was actually... stunning.

~I see... the life, the movement, the actions of many~
~The night sky, lit with stars, streaking lights aplenty ~
~The moon peers down, over the star-struck oceans~
~As everything below the surface continues their motions...~
~Will family... only be~
~A distant memory...?~

>She continued on for a while before trailing off, beginning to hum gently.
>Then she suddenly ceased.
>"I know you`re awake."
>She turned around.
>"Sorry for waking you up."
>She averted any eye contact.
>"I know I`m not good at singing. I just... It`s been a goal of mine ever since I was younger to make music."

"Go for it then. You have a great voice, use it."
>She tilted her head.
>"I wanted to. I was in college so I could have something to fall back on. I just... don`t have the confidence."
>She quickly snapped her head back in your direction.
>"Wait... Did you say... you liked it?"

"Yeah. It was beautiful."
>She looked down.
>"Thanks..."
>Her face became flushed as she smiled a little.
>She looked at the bed for a moment.
>"Did you carry me up here?"

"I... well... nmm."
>You quickly trailed off, not wanting to seem weird, but... you were fucking this up.
>She laughed a bit.
>"You just didn`t want to be alone. Am I right?"
>Shit... yeah.
>You nodded and looked at the floor.
>She leaned over and grabbed your hand.
>"Don`t worry. I understand."
>Her eyes were clouded over a little with tears.
>But her voice did not waver.
>"You`re... the only person I have. And maybe... I`m the only one you have."
>That hit you like a train.
>But no tears came.
>It was the truth, and you knew it.

"You`re right. I`ve been alone for such a long time. And... I forgot what it was like to have someone here, someone next to me."
>You sat up and scooted closer to Jennette.
>She looked up at you.
>"Maybe... this wasn`t such a bad thing."
>Her head was leaning against your shoulder now.

"I`m glad you showed up last night."
>"I`m glad I did too."
>You laid back down.
>At this point, you were mentally and physically exhausted.
>With that last statement, you drifted off again.
>With one arm around Jennette.
>And with her arm around you.