Rick woke up alone, his head pounding. He looked over to the empty spot where Lori should be, then noticed Carl wasn't in his cot.
He pulled back the blankets and swung his legs over the edge of the thin mattress. I'll never drink that much again. Still dressed in his jeans he wore the night before, he slid on his shoes and walked down the hallway to the CDC's kitchen, making a stop first in the bathroom to answer the call of nature and throw up the remainder of the previous night's wine.
After washing up and splashing cold water on his face, he headed to where everyone else was.
xxxxx
"Are you hung over?" Carl smiled. "Mom said you'd be hung over."
"Mom is right." He replied as he sat down next to his wife.
He picked up a bottle of aspirin, Lori answering his question before he asked.
"From Doctor Jenner…he thought you could use it." She offered a small smile and reached out to rub his back.
After trying to open the bottle he handed it to Lori and asked for help.
T walked out of the kitchen, laughing and boasting about the scrambled eggs he made.
Lori opened the bottle for him and poured out a few.
"Thanks, baby." Rick said to his her.
"Protein. Best thing for a hangover." T said as he placed the pan in the middle of the table.
Glenn had his face in his hands and was moaning while being comforted by Jacqui. "Don't ever, ever, ever let me drink that much again."
The survivors were slowly gathering together, happy to have slept in a secure place for the first time in months.
Shane walked into the room, and Lori's body language instantly changed. She stared at her plate, and hunched her shoulders forward, trying to disappear. She willed the tears to stay away.
"What happened to your neck?" T asked.
"I dunno. Musta done it in my sleep."
Rick grimaced when he saw the raw, fresh scratches. "I've never seen you do that before." He told his lifelong friend.
"Me neither." He replied as he took a sip of coffee and defiantly glared at Lori. "Not like me at all."
She shifted in her seat, visibly uncomfortable. Rick took notice and tried to figure out why the tension in the room suddenly escalated.
xxxxx
It was hours later, after everyone ran for their lives, and after they were grieved for Jacqui, T, Dale and Glenn, the morning was still fresh in Rick's mind. The RV was parked in a small shopping center they stumbled upon, and while the others were catching their breath and happy to be alive, Sophia was on the vehicle's couch with her mom and Carl. Rick looked around and noticed his wife, standing by herself with her hand over her mouth, silently crying. He walked over and wrapped his arm around her waist, gently turning her toward him. They were together for twenty years, and he knew when she was upset. He had a hunch and hoped he was wrong. As everyone was collecting themselves and some went into the small grocery store, Rick reached for Lori's hand, lacing their fingers together as he took her into the RV and toward the back of the vehicle, where the small bedroom was.
Lori sat on the thin mattress, and her eyes were glued to the floor. Rick sat next to her, trying to be a calming presence to his obviously anxious wife. She began to shake uncontrollably, and the tears flowed.
He immediately wrapped her in his arms, feeling his shirt dampen with her tears. He rubbed her back, concerned when he could feel her ribs through the fabric of her shirt. He had to take care of her. She needed to eat more.
"Baby, what happened?" He asked, kissing her cheek and running his fingers through her hair.
Her breathing started to quicken as recounted the previous evening. Wordlessly she turned slightly and lifted up her shirt, showing her husband the fresh bruise on her back where Shane shoved her up against the pinball machine.
"That's why you were crying?"
Lori could barely talk, and could only shake her head "no" in response.
The back of the RV was stuffy and smell of stale beer and cigarette smoke, but Rick comforted Lori as the sweat poured down his back. She returned to his arms, embarrassed to look at him when she began tell him what happened.
"We took a shower. You and me. It was wonderful. I thought you were dead, and you came back to me and Carl. After the shower, you took me back to our room, and I loved being with you again. Three times in twelve hours. After we were done, we got dressed and walked down the hallway. I remember you holding my hand and raising it up to kiss it. Then you kissed me. I went to the game room and you said you were gonna talk to Jenner. I went into the room just as Carol left with Carl and Sophia. I was just looking at the books. That's it. I wasn't doing anything. I heard the door slam and he was standing there. He was drunk and I tried to leave, but he locked the door. I ran to the other door and he locked that too and grabbed my hair. He pulled me back and I landed on the machine. He was mad that I ignored him. He wanted sex at the quarry, like I owed him something. He turned me around and slammed my head against the machine. I tried to scream...I said no."
Rick understood, and gently told her she didn't have to continue. He knew.
It was almost as if she was reliving the incident in her mind, or she didn't hear him. She continued. "He held me down. I had some wine so I couldn't do the self-defence things you taught me. I could feel him behind me. He ripped my panties off. I tried, Rick. I tried. He was too strong. I tried. It hurt. When he was done I was mad and scratched his neck. When I did that he pulled up his pants and walked away. I tried. I said no."
In well over ten years on the force he dealt with dozens of rape victims. He held her tightly as she cried. He didn't know how long it took, but she eventually calmed down enough for him to lead her into the bathroom and stood by her as she turned on the faucet, cupping her hands as the cool water sputtered out. Rick took her by the hand and led her to where Carol and the children were still sitting.
"Just sit…try to relax." He said, as he kissed her forehead. "I love you. So much. I'll be right back."
He waited until she sat down, then started to walk out of the RV, his hand on his Colt, looking for Shane.