Okay ya'll, next chapter! WHEEE! Okay, I'll shut up now…

--

The soft "pitter-patter" of rain hitting against the surface of a window reached Johnny's ears. He whimpered quietly as he gradually regained consciousness, beginning to feel the pain of his wounds. His head was hurting, worse than it had been before. He felt weak and sore all over, as if he had crashed into a brick wall. He shivered, still feeling cold and feverish. His eyes slid open, revealing cloudy, dark brown irises.

Johnny winced as the dim light of the morning poured into his eyes. The world was spinning around him, and everything seemed blurry and distorted. Through the haze, he realized he was laying on something warm and soft, and something equally soft covering most of his body. A bed, perhaps? He felt confusion and fear surge in his mind.

Wha… what happened...he wondered, almost too weak to think. Where am I? How did I get here…?

He let his eyes close again, trying to remember what had happened. Slowly, bits and fragments of what had happened became clearer. Rain, cold wind… Three attackers… pain… Devi…

Devi! Was she allright?

Johnny tried to sit up, but was a sudden pain erupted in his side. A scream sounded from his lips, and he sank back down onto the bed. His eyes clamped shut, and he gritted his teeth in agony.

Devi's eyes flew open. She had heard his screech of pain. Her body became ridged with fear.

Oh God, she thought. He's awake…

Devi sat up, and hauled herself onto her feet, feeling stiff from sleeping on the floor. She looked over to her bed. Johnny was writhing in pain, tangled up in the blankets. Cautiously, she reached out with her hand and felt his forehead. He still had a fever, but at least he was awake now.

"Johnny? Can you hear me?"

Johnny's eyes opened. Through his fuzzy vision, he could just make out the shape of someone standing over him.

"D…Devi…" he said weakly, his voice even more hoarse than it usually was. "Is… is that you? Where am I…?"

Devi frowned with worry as she watched him. His voice was so fragile that she could hardly believe it came from such a violent person.

"You're in my apartment," she answered. "I dragged you here after you passed out."

Johnny felt his eyes widen. Devi dragged him here? She had helped him? But…why? Didn't she hate him? Questions filled Johnny's mind, but he had to stop thinking about it. His head hurt too much. Wincing in pain, he tried to sit up again.

"Don't try to move. You're hurt, and you're burning up too. You need to rest."

"I…I'm fine," he said, coughing a bit. Devi rolled her eyes, annoyed at how stubborn he was.

"Oh yeah, sure," she said, sarcasm heavy in her voice. "You sound just fine. Hell, why don't you just leave right now? You don't need my help."

Johnny glared up at her, but his stare softened. With an exhausted sigh, he collapsed back onto the pillow. He knew he couldn't argue with her. "Fine," he whispered. "You win…"

Devi pulled the blankets over Johnny again, making sure he would be warm. Johnny felt uncomfortable with her being so close to him, but he kept silent. As Devi began walked to the door, he watched her, savoring every moment. He had missed her so much. Now, here she was, caring for him. Johnny could tell that she was still afraid of him, but it didn't really matter. At least he could talk to her now. Maybe… maybe he could patch things up with her.

"Try and get some sleep," Devi said as she walked out. "And if you need anything, just call."

Johnny lifted his head. "Wait, Devi…?"

She paused, and looked back.

"Umm…" Johnny wanted to thank her, but he just couldn't bring himself to say it. He sighed. "Never mind… forget it…"

Devi simply nodded and walked out of the room. Johnny sighed again as he watched her go.

"Damnit," he muttered to himself. Johnny settled back down, trying to fight off sleep. As the minutes passed, he felt more and more fatigued, and his eyelids felt heavier. Finally, he gave in. He let his body become limp, and his eyes closed as sleep took him.

But he couldn't help but wonder… Why did Devi want to help him?

--

Gyaaahhh! That came out terrible. Oh well, it's past midnight, and I'm tired. So, Nny's finally awake! Wheee! cough cough Shit, I need some sleep. I hope everybody had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

The next chapter will be better, I promise!