The wounded warrior stirred on the small cot, before creeping her eyes open. Her left eye blared with pain, still sore, yet less swollen. She coughed from the dryness of her throat. Since entering the infirmary, she was ordered to sleep as much as she could to assist in the healing of her fractured ribs. Tara had to act as the makeshift doctor since Rosita was out of commission, and Rosita had been Michonne's temporary roommate yet was released to her own home only two days prior.
"Drink this," Michonne heard before turning her head towards the voice to see Rick holding a tall glass of water.
"How long were you here?" she questioned.
"All night," his voice rasped out.
"Rick, I told you, you don't have to watch me sleep. I'm fine."
"I like to be here in case you need something in the middle of the night. How are you really feeling?" he asked, smoothing back his messy curls.
"Surprisingly my eye hurts more than my ribs." Michonne shifted herself up to better drink from the glass.
"Tara left you some more aspirin, but the swellings gone down a bit." He reached over to hand her two large pills of acetaminophen. She quickly took them from him, swallowing them down. "According to Denise's book, the bruising on your ribs may be gone but it's going to take about six weeks to fully heal."
Michonne almost chucked out the water in her mouth. "I have to stay in this bed for six weeks?"
"Not exactly." He rubbed at his knees expecting her to dispute her projected healing regimen. "Tara says we need to get you out of bed and up and moving . . . but you can't do any lifting or put yourself in situations where there's going to be pressure on your ribs 'cause you could end up fracturing it more."
"That should be easy." Michonne gave him a look of hope. She was willing to do whatever it took to go home and be with her family.
"Michonne, you say that but I've known you too long to know that you have a tendency to overdo it sometimes."
"What?" She scoffed.
"Honey I'm not trying to start an argument but I have to be truthful. Carl and I are going to have to monitor you," Rick said.
She scowled, "So now I'm Judith #2?"
"It's only for a little while. The good thing is you've already got four days out of the way," he said attempting to reassure her.
Somewhat defeated, she carefully slouched her body back down onto the bed. "I guess. Speaking of Carl of Judith, what are they up to?"
"Carl's watching Judith at the house. They came by to see you earlier but you were asleep." Michonne slightly pouted, hating that she missed an opportunity to see them.
"When can I go home?" She picked dirt from under her fingernails, avoiding Rick's face, convinced that she would hear a number she did not want to hear.
"I was hoping you were up for leaving tonight." A grin slowly crept on his face.
She almost shot straight up before she remembered the whole reason she was in there. Instead her eyes opened wide, glittering in excitement. "Really?"
"Yea, Carl and I already have dinner waiting for you."
"Thank you baby." They shared a brief kiss. She missed that. The previous days were filled exclusively with his soft caresses as the cuts on her face still needed time to heal.
Rick carefully helped Michonne out of bed, gathered her bottle of aspirin, and walked her home. Michonne, eager to get beyond the four walls of the infirmary, she craved to quicken their pace, but Rick took her hand, warning her to slow down.
One they were in the house Carl was in the kitchen, preparing a plate of food for Judith. The toddler completely ignored him as she heard the door open, running to Michonne. "Mama, mama!" she exclaimed, holding her arms up in anticipation of being picked up.
"Hi baby," she grinned and stooped down to grab her until Rick interrupted her.
"Michonne, no lifting. I got her." Judith fussed and complained, not understanding why her mom wasn't able to hold her. Michonne felt an agonizing blow; this was going to be easier said than done.
"Judy, mommy has an ow-wee." Michonne pointed at her ribs. "Ouch, ouch."
"Ouch?" Judith repeated pointing to the same spot.
"That's right, I can't hold you but I can still give you kisses." Michonne attacked her chubby neck, gnawing at her with a pressed mouth causing the little one to giggle and scream uncontrollably. Rick held her as she squirmed, laughing at the two of them.
The four moved to sit at the table. Michonne was thrilled to be able to enjoy her first meal with her family in days. In between bites, Carl exuberantly recounted the aftermath of the battle that occurred right outside their home, imitating the sounds of guns and Shiva's mighty roar. Judith, completely enthused by his story telling felt the need to repeat every sound affect he made. Michonne could not help but notice that Rick stayed mum in his seat, not really caring to add anything.
"So then Ezekiel is all like, 'Alexandria will not fall, not on this-'"
"-Carl." Rick contested.
"Yea?"
"I think that's enough for today. Take Judith upstairs and get her ready for bed please."
"Sure dad." The teen lifted his sister from her high chair. "Judith one day you'll meet Shiva and. . ."
"Rooooaaarr!" Judith interrupted. She would make the noise every time she heard the tiger's name brought up. The two continued their conversation up the stairs as Michonne and Rick quietly finished their meals. But it was too quiet, Rick wasn't acting himself so Michonne had to ask, "Rick, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," he sighed.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. I'm just glad you're home." The corner of his mouth lifted in a tiny smile.
"I'm glad too." She would not press the issue any further.
A few moments later Rick was leading her up the stairs to help her get started on a shower. He motioned her to sit on the bed as he took her shoes and socks off. He entered the bathroom for a moment to get the shower running and when he came back he saw Michonne wrangling her shirt over her head with one arm.
"Michonne, what are you doing? I was coming back to help you."
"Rick, I can undress myself," she sighed, struggling to unhook her shirt from her ear.
"I know you can but let me help you. You're going to hurt yourself."
The shirt flung free over her head and she smiled in confidence. "I got it."
Rick sighed, slightly agitated with her persistence.
He folded his arms and leaned on the hinge of the bathroom door watching her struggle, yet prevail in fully undressing. She slid back the shower door and relished the heat of the water for a few minutes before asking Rick for a washcloth. Instead of handing it directly to her as she expected, he held it under the water to lather it with soap. Did her house transform into a nursing home while she was away?
"Babe, I can wash myself." With his dry hand he pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't have the energy to argue. "Here, knock yourself out."
The words left his mouth before he could even think about the parallelism of what happened to her. "I'm sor-"
"It's fine." Her mind automatically rewound to battling on that rooftop for her life, the woman almost succeeding in knocking her out, several times. It pissed her off that she allowed her to get the upper hand, the attack taking her by complete surprise.
"Michonne," he pleaded.
"I just want to take a shower alone, please." The fight wasn't his fault, yet she didn't need him going around taking pity on her.
Rick was sitting on their fairly new bed when she finished. Michonne had hoped that she would get to moisturize herself in peace, but Rick rarely abandoned unfinished thoughts, especially when he felt hurt Michonne's feelings.
"You seem on edge," Michonne said, standing close to the door, splitting her attention between him and rubbing the shea butter down her legs. "We won Rick. Of course this is only the beginning but how come you're not happy with this small victory?"
"Because I almost lost you Michonne." Rick stared at his hands in his lap. "I heard that scream and thought it was you."
Michonne stopped in her tracks. It was bad enough the bones protecting her delicate heart were fractured, but his words broke through all of that. When he hurt, she hurt. Their distress was never carried alone.
She walked over to sit next to Rick, stroking his face. He mirrored her with his own hand. Rick continued, "I know losing you is a possibility but it doesn't make it any less frightening. Michonne I care about you so much."
He gazed so deep into her eyes, he felt like he was about to fall. He was teetering on the highest platform of a diving board, his toes tingling, and all the reasons for him to jump were chanting, nudging him towards the edge. In the past couple weeks of them being together he would hesitantly look down, wanting to jump, knowing that it would feel so good once he took that dive but he was afraid. Once he stepped off, there was no taking it back; nothing would be able to save him. He was in love with her, saying it out loud would have him hopelessly floating in a pool of her love.
"I need you." He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers.
Her voice crept shakily out of her throat as she closed her eyes, "I need you too."
Michonne's towel slipped from her damp body. Her eyes opened only to be struck by his blue orbs. The brightness of them was nearly lightning, shocking her from the base of her spine and sending intense electrical currents to her brain. Her lips parted slightly from the sensation. Rick leaned forward to capture her lips in a tender kiss. Their embrace grew deeper and more passionate. Michonne's tongue brushed past Rick's lips seeking his warm tongue. Rick's hand glided from her face to cup her neck, his fingertips playing at her curly nape.
"Let me take care of you tonight," he whispered against her lips. Her eyes flickered from his pouty pink ones, to his half-opened eyes. Completely mesmerized, she nodded her head as response.
He instructed her to lie back on the bed so he could finish moisturizing her. His hands smoothed across her feet, her thighs, her taut stomach. He was especially attentive when he reached her chest, finishing with her arms and shoulders. The whole time she stared at him with those beautiful doe eyes. There it was again, he felt himself teetering, toes tingling.
She waited patiently as he went to turn off the lights. She held her breath as he removed his clothes. This somehow did not compare to the first time they made love, this was much deeper and he was not even inside her yet. He crawled up to her knees that were propped up together in front of her. He kissed the outside of each thigh, before spreading them apart. He ran his hands down from her hips to her knees as he hooked them over each shoulder. He gave her precious lips a kiss, similar to how he had with those on her face, sweet, delicate, tender. His kiss grew passionate as he began sucking and licking at her folds.
She winced from the pain at her ribs as she squirmed underneath him, but the pleasure he was giving her outweighed it. Her fingers grasped at his curls as he moaned into her dripping opening. In between her short breaths came whimpers, turning him on to no end. "Fuck," he growled, relocating his mouth to suck relentlessly on her clitoris, simultaneously plunging two fingers into her warmth.
"Ahhh," she breathed out. "Rick!" She cried out his name over and over until her release washed over her. Rick lapped up her juices, as her legs trembled beside his face. He finished kissing the inside of both her thighs.
"Lift up," he said. She carefully pulled up her bottom so that he could take the comforter and pull it up over her body. He climbed back in the bed, lying on his hip beside her as she lay on her back. Alternatively, she would not be able to lie on her sides for the next couple of weeks, not until her ribs had healed. Her breathing worked to resume its normal pace. "What about you?" She questioned, knowing he was harder than stone.
He smirked, "I can't do that to you right now."
"I'm sorry." She rubbed his cheek.
"Don't be. Once you're healed I plan to be anything but gentle." He kissed her temple, rubbing his feet against hers. He would not be able to the ignore the tingling in his toes for much longer. Rick stood on that diving board, ten toes down.