TRAPPED

46

Celine

I wake up when I feel the mattress dip beside me. My eyes peel open, and the first thing I register is the small burst of pain in my arm, signalling that my IV drip is back in. I internally groan and look up at my grandfather. I furrow my eyebrows.

     "Hi, Celine." He says. "How are you feeling?"

     "Fine." I whisper. I sit up, rubbing my eyes with the heels of my hands.

"Everyone else is getting here tomorrow. They're all excited to meet you."

"Who?"

"Your cousins and aunties and uncles." He tells me. "Did your dad not mention that?"

"I don't know." I say quietly.

"Do you wanna come sit downstairs?" He asks me gently.

I nod.

"Alright." He says. "Let me get your wheelchair."

"I can walk." I respond.

"It's best if you save your energy." He tells me. He opens up the wheelchair beside the bed and unfurls the covers. He lifts me up carefully, then sets me down in it. I frown as I look up at him. "Your grandma made some food."

"I'm not that hungry." I whisper.

"You can try eat what you can." He tells me, beginning to wheel me out of my room. I manage to grab my phone before we go.

I'm on the ground floor, so we don't have to go down any stairs. He takes me into the living room, which is small and cozy. The fire is on, and it warms me up immediately. I look over at one of the three little couches, where Julien is sleeping. Beside him is Zavian, who's got his head laying on my brothers lap.

Across from him is Nic and Scarlett. The former grins at me and says quietly, "hi, princess. Come and sit down here." My grandad takes me over to him, and Nic helps me sit in the spot beside him. He wraps his arm around my shoulders and kisses my cheek while simultaneously covering me with my blankets. "How are you feeling?"

     "Better." I lie. If anything I feel worse, but I don't wanna go back to sleep again.

     Mateo walks in, and he smiles when he sees me. His gaze softens when his eyes land on Zavian, and he leans down to lift him up. Zavian yawns.

     "Hey, CeCe." He whispers, ruffling my hair. "You alright?"

     I nod, wrapping my arms around myself. The TV is on, so I focus on that, forcing myself to catch onto every single word so I don't drift back off to sleep.

"Fuck's sake." Julien mumbles. "Turn that shit down."

"No." I say. "Cover your ears."

He groans and sits up properly. His eyes narrow as he looks at me, and I send him a sweet smile. He rolls his eyes and sits back, and for a moment I properly smile because everything feels normal again.

But then I catch sight of my wheelchair and the IV beside me and I frown. I lean my head on Nic's shoulder, and he looks down at me.