I have to tell her about Daryl, thought Rick. He wasn't too sure how he was going to tell Carol about him, but it had to be done. She has to know what happened. She deserves that. After what she and Daryl have been through.
He walked up to her cell and noticed that she wasn't in there. He was about to leave when a small blanket caught his eye. It was pink and simple but the color had started to fade away, and there were small ribbons attached to the ends; some of them undone or completely missing. He walked towards the bunk and sat down on the bed. He picked it up and smelled it. It smelled like honey and strawberries; like her.
It was Lori's. He remembered her using it during the winter when the heater wasn't working, even if it was small for her height. She loved that blanket. She would fall asleep on the couch while watching tv with it and if she had to get up to get something out of the kitchen she still had that blanket wrapped around her. He didn't understand why she just couldn't put on a sweater like he and Carl did.
Rick found himself smiling when he picked up the blanket. It reminded him of the life he had before. The life where every Saturday he would wake up and make pancakes, eggs, and sausage for his family. Lori would wake into the kitchen with that blanket around her and she would kiss and say "Good morning," and Carl would run to the living room and call dibs on the tv so he could watch his Saturday cartoons.
Saturday mornings were always a piece of heaven.
"Rick?" he heard someone say. He turned around and saw that it was Carol.
"Carol," he said, "I need to talk to you."
"Is it about Daryl?" she asked. He looked up at her and said "Yes."
"I noticed that he didn't come back with you or with Maggie and Glenn and that woman. So, I figured that he was either left behind or dead," Carol said softly. He could hear the pain in her voice, even if it was just a whisper.
"Well," said Rick, "I don't believe that he's dead. He probably escaped and is looking for us right now. If there's one thing I know about Daryl is that he is one hell of a survivor. He will make it."
"How do you know for sure?" suddenly asked Carol, now with tears in her eyes and with a stronger tone. "How can you be so sure?" she asked again. "No one is safe, Rick," she continued, "I learned that the hard way when T-Dog and Lori died and so did you."
He nodded in approval and looked down at the floor while he gripped Lori's blanket around his hand. He didn't say anything else but he felt Carol's presence still there. She finally spoke up, "I"m sorry, Rick." A long pause ensued. "But I appreciate you trying to comfort me," she continued, "You're a good man."
He heard her walk away until her footsteps were distant...and then he didn't hear anything at all. After a moment, he let a deep sigh, got up, and dust himself when he noticed a figure standing in front of the cell. It was Michonne.
"Can I help you with something, Michonne?" he asked. A little more curtly than usual. He still didn't trust her and the rest of the group didn't either, even if she brought Glenn and Maggie back to the prison safely. "Who was T-Dog and Lori?" she asked. Rick was taken aback. "Why do you want to know?" he asked. "Just curious, " she said. He was slightly annoyed by the fact that Michonne always keeps a straight face. It was like she never knew any other emotion than to be cold and distant. She kinda reminded him of Daryl.
"T-Dog was my friend and he was a good man, all the way to the end. Lori was-" he stumbled here with his words, "-was my wife. She died giving birth to Judith."
There was a long moment of silence before either of them spoke up but it was Michonne who broke the ice first. "I'm sorry, " she said. "Me too, " he responded. He sat back down on the bunk bed. "The thing is-" he started to say, "I didn't have a chance to say how much I loved her and I didn't get to say goodbye."
"Why not?" Michonne asked, pressing forward.
"She slept with my best friend. She thought I was dead and she needed comfort, so my best friend...comforted her. She told me it was a mistake but...I think she...loved him too. And that's what kills me." Tears began to swell up in his eyes, but he continued nonetheless, "It kills me to know that whatever happened between her and Shane was real and that she loved him one time. I was mad at her and so I gave her the cold shoulder all through the winter and through her pregnancy."
He heard his voice starting to crack. "I shouldn't have done that to her. It was wrong of me," he said.
"Why am I even telling you this?" he said to Michonne. After all, she was a complete stranger. He got up to leave but Michonne held him back. She grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around so that he faced her. "Because you need comforting, " she said.
She placed her hand against his cheek and he was glad for the warmth. Despite her icy interior, he began to feel something warm radiating from her, and it wasn't her hand. He placed his hand against her hand, but he forced her to let down her hand. "I-I can't Michonne," he found himself saying. She shook her head and said, "I'm offering you my consolations. You need it."
This time she wrapped her hands around his face and leaned in to give him a kiss. Her lips were soft and the kiss itself was sweet and passionate. He pulled back and said, "Michonne...I can't do this. I'm a mess-"
"Shhhh," she said very quietly. She leaned in and kissed him again, but this time with more fury. Rick found himself wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer. He did need comfort, and he was glad that this woman was offering him consolation. So he gave in.