|| Miracles - IV ||

"You don't talk much, do you?"
"Hard."
"You were a part of Rick's group?"
Nod.
"That would make you Miss Maggie's younger sister then, wouldn't it?"
Another nod.
"You're quite the strong one, aren't you?"

Beth was a bit shocked when Maggie didn't stir. She was able to slip out of the bed completely unnoticed and remove an old blanket from the chair in the corner before sliding on her boots and vanishing from the room. She understood sleeping in a room while sick. That was tolerable. Sleeping in a room in a much larger house just because? That wasn't.

Her boots padded softly across the blacktop as she wandered down the street from their house. She couldn't stand being indoors while she slept. Something always felt wrong about it. She'd passed Morgan on her way out and somehow even he was in a deep sleep on the couch.

Her mind raced with faces and names of those she had met and seen today. There were still some blank spaces in her memory, of which, she assumed, belonged to those they had lost. Pulling the blanket around her tighter, she peered around quietly, keeping an eat out for her surroundings and listening intently on the insect songs that filled the night. It was all silenced at the sound of a garbage can getting knocked over though. She crouched next to another porch, keeping herself out of sight when a thin man stumbled out his side door groggily, cursing the raccoons around the neighborhood. Assessing this man as no threat to her, she stood again and stopped to watch him. He let out a string of curse words and ran a hand through his mess of ginger hair. He righted the garbage can and sighed, staring at the bits of waste that were strung about. Beth moved from her spot and picked up the pieces nearest to her. He jumped a bit and put his hand to his chest when she came into view, but he smiled. He opened the garbage for her, allowing her to drop the pieces in with the others. They gathered the rest together.

"Thank you." He said softly, dusting his hands off. "It was kind of you to stop. I'm Eric Raleigh."

"Beth." She replied with a smile.

"Whatcha doin' out this late, Beth?" He asked as he placed the lid back on the garbage. She shrugged and he laughed. "Couldn't sleep?" Beth shook her head. "Well, that's no good then. Why don't you come in?" He motioned for her to enter once the door was opened. She hesitated, but nodded and entered, Eric following behind.

"Good thing I cleaned!" He chuckled. "Aaron always makes a mess when he's here. I have to be the good house husband and have it clean for when he comes back." He rattled on. Beth watched him silently for a moment before her gaze shifted to the decor. "You must be the girl he had to rush to the clinic. Had to go back out though. Poor thing can be gone for weeks at a time." She nodded, listening to the way he said each word. Her brows furrowed at the sight of the license plates on the wall. She pointed to them and turned back to face him curiously.

"Oh, those?" She nodded. "Aaron and I collect them. We've been trying to collect all fifty states, but he keeps losing the ones we need." He sighed and laughed, moving to the kitchen space. "Would you like some water, Beth?" She nodded from the living room, examining all the walls. "Why don't you come over here? Have a seat?" She turned and complied, taking a seat at his kitchen table and sliding her fingers around the clear glass of water he'd set in front of her.

"You don't talk much, do you?" He questioned, looking over her scars sympathetically.

"Hard." She whispered, taking a sip of the clean water.

"You were a part of Rick's group?" She nodded again and set the glass down, adjusting the blanket around her. "That would make you Miss Maggie's younger sister then, wouldn't it?" Another nod. "You're quite the strong one, aren't you?" Beth flushed a light shade of pink and withdrew into the cocoon she'd built for herself.

Eric and Beth went back and forth with simple conversation. He did most of the talking while she'd giggle at something he said or throw in a few words here and there. They both jumped when there was a banging at his front door. The sun had begun to rise, so that meant the others were starting to wake up. Opening his front door, he revealed a very frantic looking Maggie who's hair was a mess and her clothes jumbled. When Beth came into view, the older Greene sister let out a sigh of relief and pulled her into her arms. Beth struggled a bit at first at the sudden contact, but relaxed after a few seconds. After Maggie released her, she and Eric exchanged smiles and the sisters were on their way, Eric waving them off.

Deanna was thrilled to meet her. She was a bit shocked at just how well she'd survived, but she said nothing more about it.

That night, Beth chose to sleep on the porch with her blanket wrapped around her and her knife close by. Maggie grew frustrated at the fact her sister refused to sleep in the house, but calmed as Glenn retold the tales that Noah had told them about the hospital. It wasn't the fact that she didn't want to be with the others, it was that she couldn't stay indoors. She was fully comfortable with those she'd designated her family and was wary of those she didn't know as well. Eric was the only exception.

Beth would wander to Eric's home just to visit and hear him talk. Listening to him helped her slowly regain her vocabulary. She began to speak more, but didn't push herself and Eric didn't either. It was obvious that her speech was was improving greatly. He enjoyed her company while Aaron was gone and definitely didn't complain when she'd hum or sing a few bars while they cooked together. His spaghetti was probably her favorite.

Beth began leaving Eric's home earlier as to allow him to rest. Each night she would end up on the porch of one of the two houses her group shared or in the back yard watching the wall. It was easier for her this way. Maggie stopped complaining about her leaving after the third night. As long as Beth was happy and safe, Maggie was happy too. Michonne joked that Beth was the indoor-outdoor cat that insisted on going out at night to do who knows what, yet always returned in the morning. Maggie would roll her eyes and make sure her sister was fed and had a blanket before she left. Morgan would meet her sometimes and stay with her, but he often chose to stay beyond the walls.

The community caught wind that the recruitment team would be returning in the morning of the eleventh day she was there. Eric Asked Beth if she would like to stay with him since he wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. She agreed instantly with a smile and stayed up with him while he danced around his home making sure everything was spotless for when Aaron returned. Beth didn't really know Aaron past the day he had saved her life, but from the stories Eric told, she liked him already.

The ginger haired man had offered her a bit of the wine he'd been drinking that evening. She had taken a few sips and cringed, passing the glass back to him. He laughed and took the glass back, shaking his head. A faint image crossed her mind of mason jars with clear liquid, a walker stuck to a tree, and an argument that had ensued. She shook her head in an attempt to clear up the image, but to no avail.

"Not a wine girl, huh?" Eric asked teasingly as he sipped on the crimson liquid. She stuck out her tongue with a smile and he laughed, setting the glass down. "It's not for everyone, I suppose. It is an acquired taste after all." She rolled her eyes and sat herself down on the couch, yawning. Eric took a seat next to her and leaned his head on her blanketed shoulder. She didn't flinch or pull away, but leaned her head against his and stared at the wall in silence as he finished his glass.

Somehow they had fallen asleep against one another and were awoken by a knock on Eric's door a little after sunrise. In a bit of a panic, Eric jumped up and straightened his clothing before opening the door for Deanna. She'd informed the two that their recruiters would be at the gate momentarily. Her eyes lingered in Beth momentarily with a smile before excusing herself and heading toward the gates. Eric ran his hands through his hair to de-mess it and gestured for her to leave her blanket and come with him. The blonde agreed and folded her blanket over the back of his couch before taking the hand he'd offered her and trailing behind him.

The gates were slowly opening as they arrived. Eric gave her a smile and let go of her hand to dart forward and wait at the front for his partner. Her eyes swept the small crowd of people while they waited. It was mostly members of the community but Rick, Michonne, and Glenn were there too. Her curiosity grew as the gates opened and Eric was reunited with Aaron. The two men embraced affectionately and kissed one another. The sight warmed Beth's heart and a small smile lifted the corners of her lips. She moved a bit closer, out from behind a few of the residents to see if anyone else came through the gates. Another man entered, a bag slung over his shoulder as he walked a motorcycle in. He was dirty and had a bit of gore splashed on him, but he looked to be in good health. Something in her mind triggered when Rick approached him.

"Ain't gonna have your first drink be no damn Peach Schnapps ."

The voice was gruff and echoed in her mind.

"I sure as hell never cut my wrists looking for attention!"

Her stomach turned and her head began to pound.

"Maybe we stick around here for a while."

She had to have known this man.

"Please stay with me. You can't go..."

The final words in her memory before Morgan played over and over in her mind as she walked away from the gate. Her arms wrapped around her body and her head stayed down. She retrieved her blanket from Eric's home and slipped out the back, heading anywhere away from everyone in order to think.

"I'm so sorry, Beth."