When the morning rose, I did not.

When the birds emerged from their trees to venture out for the day, I remained in bed, watching them fly past the window. My eyes were focused, clear, light. My mind was equally as clear, sharp and processing only one thought at a time. I wasn't sure how long I'd been awake, all I knew was that when I woke, there was no urge to fight for more sleep. I was rested, recovered. My stomach growled, but there was no rush for me to satisfy it. I felt calmer than I had in weeks.

The woman who had given Dawson the tablets to aid my sleep needed a certificate of appreciation, a chocolate bouquet, a dozen roses, all of the above. I had no idea who this woman was, but she had unknowingly made an enormous difference in my life. I celebrated the small things, if I could not celebrate the small things, I'd of had nothing.

Stretching my limbs out wide, pushing them to their ultimate limits, a small knock sounded on the door. Instead of panicking that I was untidy and unprepared for company, I called out "Yeah" as casually as my voice allowed, surprising myself

Slowly the door opened, Dawson's face appearing in the doorway. At first, he was unsure of how to react to my position, but when I smiled, lying on my side beneath the covers, ensuring my body was hidden, he relaxed slightly

"Just checking you're alright" He began "It's almost midday"

I was surprised, but I was relieved. The huge chunk of sleep was a success, it was a a victory

"That medication, it helped, a lot" I told him

"How many did you take?" He smirked

"Just one, promise" I lifted my head, noticing he was dressed in his usual work attire "You going out today?"

"Just for an hour or two, I wanted to make sure you were still alive before I left"

"I'm fine" I told him, sitting up

He was hesitant, his eyes narrow on me "You sure? Because last night.." He stopped himself, moving his eyes from me to the door handle he continued to hold "Never mind"

"Okay" I dragged out, watching him give me one last small smile before leaving, closing the door.

Taking my time, I appreciated the little things again. I spent more effort on my brunch, cooking a decent meal to begin my late day off. I filled a bottle with cold water and decided to make a bold and impulsive move. A small part of me that knew that Dawson would not approve, but I felt confident, energized, there was no way I was going to be able to sit on the porch, twiddling my thumbs until I found something practical to do within the radius of the home.

I dressed myself in black bike shorts, a singlet shirt and pulled on my slightly soggy shoes. Tying my hair up into a messy bun, I ensured it was tight, readying myself as I pulled a pen and piece of paper from the bookshelf.

Leaning down, I began to scrawl a note for Dawson to find had he returned before me.

Satisfied with my decision, I placed my water bottle back into the fridge, knowing it would only slow me down if I had taken it with me.

Taking a deep breath, I exited the house and aimed towards the thick brush of trees beside the house.

Pushing past trees and twigs, I moved further into the forestry, the light and sight of the home behind me disappearing. Leaves and branches crunched beneath my feet, the clearing space becoming dense and untouched. Soon I was climbing fallen trees and lifting my knees higher to avoid the sharpness of broken pine. Spiderwebs glowered in warning, knitted between trees, large colorful spiders motionless in the webbing, awaiting prey to fall victim. I avoided what I could, but to make it to the center of my journey without getting myself bitten, I had taken along a stick, waving it in front of myself as I went along.

It was quiet, more quiet than it was at the lake, or in the house. All that could be heard, was the sound of my footing on the ground and the occasional bird I frightened from the tree tops.

The air was nippy, my skin gaining goosebumps, so I picked up pace. If I was cold, I wasn't walking fast enough. I wished that I could have ventured into the forest at night, the desire to see the stars under complete darkness appealing to me more than it would a normal person.

With a firm routine at home, my home, the home I was banned from, I'd barely had time to do things like escape into a forest. If I was going to be here, then I was going to make the most of it, before I was to go back to normalcy. It was so easy to return to the mundane life we so desperately wanted to escape, I wanted to appreciate what I had before it was gone. I didn't want the people who were out to hurt me to think that I was sad, sulking, terrified of stepping foot outdoors in fear of them, then they were winning, in one way or another.

Without a phone, without a watch, I was unaware of how long I had been gone. Time seemed to melt away, it was non-existent, it was freeing to not know, yet in the back of my mind, I knew there was a chance Dawson would return home and find my note, panicking. I hoped that he would understand, but it was doubtful. Watching the sun, I paid attention to the position it sat above the trees, using it as a rough guide. I knew the direction it moved, I knew that it rose from the east and set in the west.

I wasn't sure where I was going, or what my purpose was, but when the sun reached the center of the sky, I knew that it was time to head back. I had limited time, no watch, no phone, no way of contacting anyone if by some miracle a wild bear found me.

Taking my time, yet aware that I'd been gone for at least an hour, I had turned around and begun making my way back toward the direction I'd come from. Slowly the trail became thinner, and as I took a further step forward, my leg unknowingly caught a sharp and rigid thick fallen tree branch. Hissing out, my skin slid along the rough edge with force, tearing at the layers of my lower leg, stinging. I pulled back and glanced down, blood drawing instantly from the wound.

"Dammit" I cursed, examining the dripping blood when a loud crunch snapped my attention upwards

My heart was racing, fear coursing through me. Surely my luck wasn't about to take another turn, there was no way that this was the way I was going to go out, not after everything. Staring forward, I could see twigs in the distance shift, the far shadow of an animal now alerted to my presence. Edging sideways, I became curious. I could see fur, light brown fur, and when I angled myself closer, I could identify the animal as a deer. It froze when it saw me, our eyes connecting. It's ears twitched, assessing whether or not I was a threat, and when my foot shuffled, she took the opportunity to run, turning on her tail and taking off over the logs and wood beneath her.

I paused for a moment, watching as she made her escape. I was sad for her, always having to be on edge, worried if the people she saw or mistakenly ran into would be her enemy, ready to take her life from her while she minded her own business. I could sympathize with her, I felt her fear on a familiar level.

Sighing, I took one last look in her lost direction, and then I continued on my way, grateful it hadn't been a hungry bear.

When I found light, I followed it, like a tunnel leading me home. Despite having walked nowhere, I felt that I had accomplished something, anything. I held my high, and then I saw Dawson's car parked beside the house, my chin falling a little. This was the moment of truth and I knew deep down it was going to be rough.

Instantly, I could see that he was angry at me and I partly understood why. Despite feeling uncomfortable and disheartened by his frustration, I did not regret doing what I did. I had needed it. I'd come to terms with the idea of not being found where we were, we were safe, and I'd been cooped up for far too long.

Moving to the fridge I pulled out my bottle of cold water, turning to face the wrath

"Leaving a note like this" He held my small piece of scrawled on paper up "Isn't good enough"

"I'm sorry" I shrugged "I just needed to get out for a bit" I tried to remain casual

He was shaking his head unsatisfied "Yeah, okay then" He scoffed, his hands on his hips on the other side of the island counter opposite me

I hadn't seen him this way before, this was a new side to Dawson, it was confrontational, uncomfortable to have him angry at me, I didn't like it and I sure as hell didn't want to argue with him. I wasn't going to make a big deal of it. I wouldn't do it again, just to save the fight.

Moving to the back open doors, I kicked my shoes off on the decking, sitting myself down outside in the sun.

Once still, the pumping blood within my body easing, stinging pain on my right leg caught my attention. I cringed and leaned over to examine what I'd earlier briefly noticed.

The twig I had tripped over had inflicted more damage than originally thought.

A long rigid cut traced from my ankle around 5 inches upwards. Blood smeared around the wound, unattended to, left to dry during my walk back.

I gave a sigh and sat back up, unbothered by the insignificant wound.

"You okay?" My inspection hadn't gone unnoticed, Dawson standing on the decking not too far from me, his eyes between my face and leg

"Yeah, it's fine, just caught a branch" I shrugged, brushing it off while I leaned back, soaking up the last of the sun

Momentarily, he had disappeared, and I assumed that it had been the end of our small confrontation, but he quickly returned with a small first aid kit. He walked toward me and sat on the edge of the table in front of me, opening the little red box beside him, slightly adjusting the holstered weapon and badge on his belt

I watched carefully, but attempted not to seem too interested in what I knew was about to occur. He clicked his fingers for my leg, patting his right knee. I hesitated, but when our eyes met, I lifted my leg to do as I was instructed.

"It's fine, really" I reassured him, the contact of my leg on his causing me to shift

"Until it gets infected and your leg needs to be amputated" He mumbled, shooting me a look before pressing tissue soaked in antiseptic against my open skin

"That was dramatic" I spoke back in between clenched teeth, the wound hurting more than it had in the first place

"Sorry" His hands pressed down, cleaning the blood and dirt debris

My toes clenched inside my socks, my hands gripping the side of the lounge chair. Silence threatened to suffocate the moment, and Dawson had probably felt it too when he spoke

"Did you achieve what you set out to achieve then?"

"My walk?" I watched him, his eyes on my leg, his fingers cautious

"Yes, your walk"

"In a sense, although it was a little hard to completely release the stress when I knew that upon my return you would be angry with me" I admitted

"Can you understand why?" He shot

I half nodded, half shrugged "I guess so"

Swiping the remainder of blood from my leg, he let out a lengthy sigh "I'm just trying to keep you alive, that's all"

"And I hope you know how grateful I am to you for that" I quickly told him, genuinely thankful

"I know" He began drying the wound, applying a cream to protect from further infection "And despite my disapproval for you having left without consulting me first, I do try to understand what it must be like to be in your position"

I couldn't help but smile "I know"

The silence had settled, instead, this time it hadn't been uncomfortable. The tension was gone, and I was relieved for that.

A few minutes later, he had successfully tended to my injury, slowly lifting my foot back down to the ground

"Will I live?" I asked, watching him organize the now in disarray med box

"Well it's no gunshot wound, so I think the odds are in your favor" He joked back, his eyes meeting mine

Curiosity struck me, and the words came out before I could stop them "Do you know what that feels like? I mean.. have you ever been shot?" I was stumbling