I wake up and see Flora

Flora’s eyes were puffy. In her hands was yours. After seeing such perfect happiness, you were shocked to see genuine sorrow being displayed in front of you. “Hey, kid.”

Flora’s eyes widen, bloodshot, and with tears, she let go of your hand and then wrapped herself around you… “You’re warm,” you thought to yourself as you felt her hot face pressed against yours. Her sweet and girlish scent was so opposite of Scarlets.

You shook yourself awake and looked at her, thinking maybe you were waking up from a dream. “Where’s Meredith?”

Flora blinked away the tears. “Meredith?”

“Scarlet, I mean.”

Flora’s eyes dripped with new tears. “I’m so sorry. She’s…she’s dead.”

You rested your head on the pillow supporting you. “Oh, fuck…”

“I’m sorry,” Flora said again. “Kenji…was out when he heard gunfire, and when he finally got to where everything happened, he only found you barely alive. I didn’t always get along with her, but I liked her despite our differences.”

You remembered what Scarlet said about you and Flora, and as you looked at her, you could feel the care and concern for her. “You don’t need to cry, Flora. She…she liked you, too. She was just difficult, sometimes.”

“I owe her a lot,” Flora says. “I never got to thank her for some of the small things she did for me.”

You wanted to tell Flora that she knew things about the relationship shared but decided against it. You were just happy to be alive and back with Flora. You had questions about Kenji, Amara, and Tiny’s Tavern but didn’t want to ruin the moment. You lingered in perfect silence that felt natural. Then she wipes her face finally. “You should get some more rest. It’s currently noon or something, I don’t know. I’ll come back later, though.”

“How…messed up am I?”

“3 bullet wounds,” Flora tells you. “Kenji and I did a pretty good job getting the leaks to stop, though. You scared me to death when you arrived.”

When you laughed, you felt your body protest. Flora looks at you with concern, but it only makes you laugh harder. “Stop it,” she says. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“I love you,” you sigh. “I missed you so much.”

Flora smiles but stifles it so it doesn’t distract her worry. “Get some rest, you idiot. I’ll check up on you with some food later in the evening.”