A low moan coming from above me has be quickly sitting up, clutching the hand between mine tightly. Leaning closer, I brush the few strands out of his face, not minding the grittiness that comes from going unwashed for a while. Finn blinks open his eyes, the brown barely peeking out from the way he keeps them half-lidded.
"Thank god you're awake," I say, my throat becoming tight all of a sudden.
His mouth drops open, but all that comes out is a raspy cough. Sitting up, I grab the cup sitting on the nightstand, helping him to take a few sips before setting it back down. He clears his throat, giving my hand a weak squeeze.
"How long have I been out?" he asks, eyes flickering around the room as confusion sets in. "And how did I get back home?"
"You've been out for almost two weeks now. You would wake up for a little bit, only enough for us to give you something to eat or drink before you passed out again." My voice is slowly getting steadier, instead of being the warbled mess that it has been for a while now. "We came and got you, a bunch of you.
"I'm sorry that we took so long," I whisper, my eyes falling away from Finn's. "I can't even imagine what they did to you."
They really did a number on my boyfriend. Once we got back to our town, Alena and I had immediately started to patch him up while her boyfriend worked on Mary. He had looked terrible: his right arm broken in two places, deep lacerations on his legs and wrists, bruises up and down his body, and a few cracked ribs. We are just lucky that he did not have any internal damage, aside from him being unconscious for too many days.
Fingers tighten around mine, not letting up until I lift my eyes to meet Finn's again. "What they did to me wasn't your fault, and how could I be mad at you? You came and rescued me from that place."
A shaky smile spreads across my face. "Damn right I did. We need you here and I love you too much to let you go."
"Love you too," he says, pulling on my hand. Despite it being weak, I allow him to pull me closer, pressing my lips against his. The tension in my body starts to unwind, my shoulders slumping as utter exhaustion comes over me. "Now, get up here. You're too far away."
His words cause a low chuckle to fall out of me, but I climb on the bed nonetheless. He had spent the first few days at the clinic were Alena worked, but she had allowed me to take him home once she was sure that he would not flat line at any second. It had seemed wrong, though, to climb into the bed while he was practically in a coma. So, I had spent the past few days sleeping on the couch.
A knock comes from the door, just as I am resting my head on Finn's unbruised shoulder, his arm coming to wrap around my waist and pulling me closer. The door opens a few seconds later before either of us can respond, and Anna peeks her head in.
A smile spreads across her face when she sees us, her eyes settling on Finn before flicking back over to me. "I thought I heard you talking. There are some little ones out here who would like to see you."
She steps aside, and Remy shuffles into the room while Anna picks up a crawling Viola. Remy's eyes widen significantly when he sees Finn awake but then bursts into tears. The sudden crying has me pulling away from Finn and going over to pick up the little boy. He buries his face in my neck, tears rubbing into my skin.
Viola seems confused and alarmed, her bottom lip wobbling like it always does before she cries. Not wanting to have to deal with two crying children, I grab Viola from Anna, who steps out of the room with a concerned look on her face.
With both children in my arms, I make my way over to the bed, carefully lowering us down onto the mattress so that we do not jostle it too much.
Finn's eyebrows are crinkled in concern, and he raises a hand, brushing the back of Remy's head. The little boy lifts his face away from my neck, turning to look at Finn before crawling off my lap so that he can snuggle against Finn's chest.
His cries turn into sniffles until eventually, he has calmed down. Finn is rubbing his fingers through Remy's hair, murmuring to him in a soothing tone. Viola lays her head against my shoulder as I sit back against the headboard, her thumb coming up before she pops it in her mouth.
"Don't e'er go again, Papa," he says, the word catching me by surprise.
Even though I had begun to think of Remy and Viola as my children, I never wanted to pressure the little boy into calling us anything other than what he wanted. Finn seems just as surprised, meeting my eyes for a half a second before looking back down at the little boy. Remy doesn't make any indication that he didn't mean what he said, making my doubt slip away.
"Promise I won't," Finn says, kissing the top of Remy's head. He looks up at me then, hand reaching up to entwine with mine, bringing it up to his mouth so that he can press a kiss to the back before dropping both our hands back down onto the bed. "We're going to stay here, as a family."
A smile spreads across my face at his words, warmth spreading through me. For the first time, the future doesn't seem so dreadful. The scientists are gone and the cruel guards from here are gone. As long as we can continue to stay off the grid, the only threat will be those infected beasts. They don't seem nearly as terrifying as everything else we have faced over the last few months.
It is only when the little ones are fast asleep and I am on the verge as well, that Finn speaks. "How is Mary doing?" he asks, thumb caressing the back of my hand.
"She's doing fine," I say, cracking open an eye to peer down at my boyfriend. He is holding Remy close, the little boy not straying from his side. Viola is still pressed against my chest, her favorite place to sleep, with her thumb in her mouth. "I check on her every morning and she has stayed the same."
"And- and the baby?" Finn says, his voice taking on an edge of worry. "Is the baby alright?"
"Baby is fine," I say, giving his hand a soft squeeze. "Alena has been keeping a close eye on both of them. It was a little tricky at first because she had to wean Mary off the medication they were giving her to keep her unconscious. She woke up a few days ago, so Alena let her go back to her home where Margaret has been taking care of her.
"How is she handling it?"
"Physically, they are both fine. Mentally, though, it is still a bit of a challenge. She seems to be more distressed about the baby, about being pregnant, more than anything else. They must have done something awful to her in there. We think she'll get a lot better once the baby is born. Her and Margaret were even discussing moving to one of the other communities, to get a fresh start."
Finn gives a slight nod of his head. "That seems like it would be good for her, to get away from some of her stressors."
"Yeah," I say, readjusting my hold on Viola since my arm is starting to fall asleep. "I thought so too. We talked to Alena, and she said that she would set up something for the two of them in the nearest community, but she said that after having the baby, Mary would have to rest for a week before making the journey.
"I think the idea of getting away is the only thing keeping her calm anymore," I murmur, thinking back on how Mary had cringed at every appointment she had with Alena when the doctor would have to feel and measure her stomach. "And the baby is measuring big, so Alena thinks it would be a good idea for both of them to induce soon if she doesn't go into labor soon."
"How soon?" Finn says, looking up at me with a worried gaze. "I don't want to still be bedridden when the baby comes."
"Well, she's thirty-four weeks now, but baby is measuring around thirty-six weeks. Alena is going to let her go for another two weeks before inducing."
"There's no way I'll be completely healed by then," Finn murmurs, a frown marring his face.
"Finn, it'll be alright. We have everything set up anyways, so you can just focus on healing. And I'll do all the things that involve getting up for the first few weeks until you get better." His frown is still on his face, and I know he doesn't like the thought of being bedridden. He has always been active, managing multiple things at once. Hell, within the first week of meeting, he had taken care of both a newborn Viola and me while I recovered from that nasty infection.
"Besides, Anna will be here to help, too. We'll be fine. We have gotten through everything the world has thrown at us so far, we can handle a new baby."
He gives a small shake of his head. "I just don't like being useless."
I give his hand a tight squeeze, wanting him to look up at me. "You're not useless," I say, my words coming out harsher than I intended. "You were kidnapped and beaten by monsters. You need time to heal. Pushing yourself too soon will just extend your healing time, so you are going to rest here, goddammit, even if I have to tie you to the bed."
His frown finally lifts, his lips twitching up into a small smile. "We haven't tried that before, sounds kind of fun."
His words cause heat to curl inside me, and I lean over to flick his ear. "Yeah, and we won't be trying it until you're all better, so don't even think about it."
For the first time in weeks, I hear my boyfriend laugh. He winces at the movement, his laugh cutting off, but his smile still remains. I can't hold back my own smile at his happiness, and I let him tug me down so that I am laying on the bed, Remy and Viola tucked between us.
*****
The story is winding down, only a few more chapters to go!