"You alright?" Evan questioned noticing her eyes drift off.
"Yeah," she replied shaking her eyes into focus. "Just thinking."
With a newly formed chin, Cammie was assured that this would help with her eating ability and take some pressure off her neck. What she wasn't warned about was the fact that Colton would be in her hospital bed when she got up. Colton smiled down at her when she woke up, she had to blink a dozen times to confirm what her eyes were seeing. Why was he here? Why was he looking at her like that? Where were her parents? Questions flooded through her mind, but she couldn't ask a single one. She felt exposed and vulnerable, more than usual.
"Look at you, no more double chin jokes for you," Colton joked and Cammie smiled slightly. What did she have to worry about, this was Colton after all. He liked her like this, he wasn't going to run away, at least she hoped he didn't.
"Ha, ha." She said dryly, but she as glad that he was there. She tried to open her mouth, her jaw tight and sore, her vision blurry, she clenched her teeth together keeping her jaw closed, it was more comfortable than talking.
"Your dad it just outside and your mom is in the bathroom." Colton informed her.
"Hello beautiful, how are you feeling?" Ethaline asked with a stunning smile.
"Well I feel high," Cammie said because the drugs they had given her were still running through her veins. "And achy, so nothing different from what I usually feel when I'm here." Cammie replied, her words came out muffled from the surgery and bandages.
"Cammie you're up!" Eliot announced when he was done washing his hands. Scarlett's parents, Lena and Brandon were watching Eliot while they were at the hospital but Eliot begged and begged to come. Said that he needed to see Cammie when she woke up, she needed to know he was there for her. He climbed up on her bed and hugged her. "You look very nice." He said robotically, Scarlett told him not to make fun of her face, not to say that she looked silly or funny, that she needed to be encouraged. Eliot didn't mean to be mean to his sister, but it was hard when she looked so strangely sometimes. When hospitals were supposed to fix her, but never did.
"Thank you El, you look very nice too." Cammie replied as he hugged her.
"I miss you when you're gone." He told her, Scarlett, Evan, Lena and Brandon stood at the door, they waved in at Cammie. She was surrounded by so many people that loved her so much, that didn't think she was a monster... that still thought of her as their little girl.
"Hi Gamma." Cammie said holding her hands out, Lena rushed over to her.
"How's my brave girl? I don't think I could do what you do." Lena told her once she released her from a hug. Cammie shrugged, she didn't have a choice. She could live and try to survive another day or she could give up... well she could do both, she did do both, but it was still nice to be recognized as surviving and not giving up.
*****
It's funny what sticks in your brain. Moments, sounds, smells, they can flood back at the most inappropriate of times, Cammie couldn't help but think as she lay in bed recovering from her chin reconstruction. Colton's face kept popping into her head which was fine, but then the image of Fiona sprinting out the door usually followed. Cammie wanted to cry thinking of all the friends she lost, all the people that just up and left her without a second thought. Tear pooled in her eyes she wiped at them, her tears refused to fall past her thick, swollen eye lids. There was a light knock at the door. Cammie cleared her throat and dried her eyes.
