Recovery

In about 15 minutes, the duo finished making dinner while I munched an apple in the corner. Jung joined us in a minute.

"You guys carry on; I will join you in a sec, after taking a quick shower," he muttered.

The plates were already laid by Ruby. I took Trouble's plate, stacked some food, and said, "I will join you guys in a bit; let me get the plate to her."

"No need," Lee replied, motioning me towards the stairs.

Our dinner table is placed in the middle of the hall, just a few steps from the stairs that lead to our rooms, and the kitchen is situated diagonally from the hallway. Beside the kitchen in the common area, where we sit and chat. The entire mansion was designed by our father. 

I looked up to see Trouble taking slow steps and coming down the stairs as her hand supported the railing. 

Jung rushed by her side.

"Why didn't you call me?" He hushed angrily.

"Its okay; I can manage; this way, I will recover faster."

With Jung's assistance, Trouble made it to the table, and we all sat down to have dinner. There was plenty, but none of us had an appetite, even though we had nothing for a whole day.

Finally, Ruby broke the silence.

"Guys, let's finish our dinner and head to bed; none of us had a proper rest. Even Florida needs some sleep."

None of us uttered a word. The only sound was from the cutlery that clinked in the glassware and the sound of us munching nonstop without giving each other a glance. I too ate in silence while stealing a glance or two at Trouble as she slowly nibbled the bread and drank the soup.

After 20 minutes or so, Jung helped her to her room, and we too made a bee line towards our own rooms. I wanted to tag along, but I didn't have the nerve. 

A week passed without a hitch. Trouble too got steady; the medications that Ruby gave and her powers too helped her heal fast. But that didn't dump her spirits; she regularly exercised and trained her soul out behind our backs, which I found out later when I followed her at night one day. Things were heading back to normal. Lee, Jung, and I took turns patrolling. Trouble was not allowed to step out because we feared she lacked the strength and her accident might trigger her fear of fighting. Although she reassured us constantly, Lee was neither ready to listen nor allowed her to speak regarding this. During our patrols, we killed a few ghouls. Hours went by, but we never found a flock or even more than five or six ghouls for days. Lee's theory was finally hitting me straight: 'it's the blood of Florida that attracts those creatures'.

Things were finally going back to normal when, one day, Florida dropped a bomb at the breakfast table.