Hey guys! Another chapter for this week. I'm actually working on a Daryl/Beth companion to this story, so stay tuned! I'm very excited for the coming chapters. Keep reading, keep reviewing, keep being awesome. I never expected such positive feedback. We're 3 days away from the wedding now, and things are getting real! Since my fiancee infected me with a nasty head cold, I've had time to write. Another chapter may be up by tomorrow! Much love!
-A
Chapter 10: Promises
Amanda awoke in a frenzy, sitting up quickly and looking around. She was in a panic, realizing she was somewhat connected to the hospital bed. She remembered the fight with the two men in her house, she remembered Rick going crazy...But she didn't remember what happened after that. Amanda realized she had an IV port in her arm, near the back of her hand. She also had oxygen tubes in her nose. She could barely see out of her right eye, and she thought she was alone. She began to breathe heavily, coughing slightly. Her left side was incredibly sore, and she had no idea why that was. She began to panic more, then she saw Merle sitting in the chair beside her.
"Whoa, Mandy, you need to calm down, honey." Merle said, trying to get her to sit back in the bed. She obeyed, still looking around.
"Merle, where am I? What happened?" She asked.
"You're at Atlanta Medical Center. Some Claimers broke into your place looking for Rick. You shot one of 'em, Rick killed the other after the guy beat ya senseless." Merle explained, "You have a cracked cheekbone, a fractured collar bone, four broke ribs, and a collapsed lung. You're lucky you're alive. You stopped breathin'."
"How long have I been here?" Amanda asked.
"A day and a half. When you're lung collapsed, they decided it'd be best to MedEvac you here." Merle said.
"Where's Rick?" Amanda asked. She hadn't seen him, but she wanted to know he was okay. She was still terrified as she remembered what he did, but she wanted to know he was okay.
"He gets discharged from the hospital today. Actually..." Merle checked his watch, "He should be on 'is way over."
"Why'd they go after me? I haven't done anything. I came home, they were in my house. They were gonna kill me!" Amanda exclaimed.
"They came after you 'cause they've been watchin' you and Rick. They've been watchin' anyone who was at the crime scene with Michonne. She's angry now, she wants them all in jail or dead. I got so scared I moved the girls in with Tyreese and his wife. I'm tryin' to keep 'em safe." Merle explained. Amanda began to panic: what about Carl?
"Where's Carl, Merle? Is he okay? Is he hurt? Please tell me he's somewhere safe!" Amanda exclaimed.
"Relax, honey. He's with Daryl and Beth. Ain't nothin' gonna happen to him." Merle said.
"What they did to Andre... They could do that to Carl." Amanda whispered. Merle frowned.
"As long as I live... I pray to God I never see anythin' like that again." Merle admitted.
"Merle... I need to know... What'd they do to Andre?" Amanda asked. Merle shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck.
"They beat that little boy until he stopped movin'. Wouldn'tve never happened had his daddy managed to stay off those damn drugs!" Merle spat.
"I hope y'all find them." Amanda said. Merle nodded.
"We will. And when we do...They'll wish that we sent 'em to prison." Merle said.
"Why?" Amanda asked.
"'Cause I won't be able to stop Rick. He'll kill 'em, every last one of 'em." Merle replied. Amanda shook, Rick was an animal, and she was terrified of him.
"When he saw what they did to you... How you looked, he lost it. He's a great guy, but there's a side of him that's pretty brutal. You and that boy mean everythin' to him. He ain't gonna let no one get to ya. He felt like he failed ya, and it ate him up." Merle said. Amanda knew Rick cared, but it still scared her. It was one thing for her to shoot a man in self defense; it was entirely another for Rick to strangle a man with his bandana.
As they talked, a knock on the door startled them. Merle opened it, and it was Rick, with peonies—Amanda's favorite—in his hand.
"You're awake!" Rick exclaimed. Amanda didn't reply; she was afraid of him.
"She woke up 'bout an hour ago. She ain't even eaten yet." Merle told Rick.
"I brought you some sweet tea. I didn't know if you'd be awake when I got here. They didn't really let me know how you were." Rick said. His arm was in a sling, he had a large bruise over the left side of his face, and there was still a lot of swelling. His right hand was bandaged, and he walked with a limp. He looked pretty rough, and it was unsettling to Amanda.
"I—I don't really remember what happened." Amanda said. She was unsure of what to say.
Merle exited the room, leaving Rick and Amanda alone. Amanda didn't really want him to do that, but she knew Rick wanted to be alone. That thought, however, scared Amanda.
"I thought I'd lost you." Rick said, tears springing to his eyes. He sat down next to Amanda, taking her hand.
"I don't remember much. They said my lung collapsed." Amanda said.
"You stopped breathin'. Started to choke on blood. I thought that was it. I thought you were gone. I was so scared." Rick said, beginning to sob. Amanda squeezed his hand.
"I'm here now." Amanda tried to reassure him. He smiled.
"I know. I am so happy you are." Rick said, smoothing the hair on the top of her head. He was so gentle with her, so kind. This was not the man she saw the other day. They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity, Amanda wasn't sure how long it really was. Rick finally broke the silence.
"I'm on desk duty for a while." Rick said. Amanda looked up.
"What does that mean?" She asked.
"Whenever somethin' like that happens...They put the officer on desk duty while there's an investigation." Rick explained.
"Are they gonna fire you?" Amanda asked, her voice filled with concern.
"No. They saw what that man did to me. They won't fire me." Rick said reassuringly. Amanda sighed, leaning back. Rick rubbed Amanda's arm gently, trying to be of comfort.
"How's Carl?" Amanda asked. They were both dancing around the elephant in the room.
"He's shook up. He's been beggin' Daryl and Beth to come see you. I think they did come by yesterday." Rick replied.
"How is Beth?" Amanda asked.
"She told Daryl yesterday. He came by, wringin' his hands. He's scared to death." Rick said.
"So is Beth." Amanda replied. She bit her lip, closing her eyes slightly. Rick panicked.
"Are you okay?!" He asked nervously.
"Yeah. I'm just...I don't know." Amanda admitted. She had no idea what she was feeling.
"You're afraid of me." Rick said flatly.
"No I'm not." Amanda argued.
"I see the look on your face. I saw it at your house. You're scared to death of me." Rick said, his voice laced with sadness.
"I don't know what to think, Rick. What if, one day you get mad at me..." Amanda began.
"You're scared I'll snap with you. You're scared I'll hurt you or Carl." Rick knew what she was thinking.
"Rick..." Amanda tried to explain, but the words wouldn't come out. Rick sat on the end of her bed. He began to rub her leg.
"Look at me, Amanda Magdalene." Rick commanded. She looked up. His face wasn't angry, but he wanted her to hear him.
"I love you, more than everything in this world. More than myself. You're my everything. My whole world. I would never, ever, ever hurt you." Rick promised. Amanda coughed slightly, wincing at the pain.
"You were somethin' I didn't recognize, Rick. I got so scared." Amanda admitted. She was tired, but she knew they needed to talk.
"I know. I saw you lyin' there, I thought you were dead, but you started spittin' blood on the floor. I couldn't even recognize your face. You weren't my Amanda, you looked dead. I lost it. I thought I'd lost my whole world." Rick said, sobbing. Amanda held his hand tightly. He shook.
"They did that to Mike and Andre, Amanda, I couldn't let them do that to you." He whispered.
"I love you, Rick. I do. You're my whole world. I just want this whole thing to be over." Amanda said.
"Me too. When I'm back on patrol, the Claimers aren't gonna last long. I won't let them hurt anyone else." Rick was serious. Amanda knew now that the Claimers were in for a lot of trouble.
"I don't wanna lose you, Rick." Amanda said.
"You won't." Rick replied. He kissed Amanda gently, as if he were afraid to break her.
"We're gonna be okay." Amanda said, more for herself than for Rick.
"Yes we are." Rick said, laying on his side next to her. Amanda smiled. They would be okay, and things would go back to normal. She knew it'd take time, but she loved Rick, and right now, that was all she needed.
Amanda was released from the hospital three days later, grateful that her semester was finished and she didn't miss any class. Her parents, brother and sister had come in when they found out, and they were all on edge. Her father and Daryl replaced the door, while her mother, Miranda, and Carol cleaned the house, making sure to get rid of the blood. Scout had been staying with Daryl and Beth, and Carl had made it his duty to take care of the dog. Amanda had to admit, Carl and Scout had a very special bond, and it made her smile. Amanda was on oxygen when she returned home, and Rick had gone far out of his way to make her comfortable. He'd brought a futon from his apartment over and put it in the living room so that it would be easy for Amanda to move around. He had already gotten the oxygen from the pharmacy, and had two extra tanks sitting by the bed. Everyone was there to welcome her when she arrived home, but all she really wanted to do was rest. When she arrived, her mother made her eat something. Amanda didn't have much of an appetite, but she knew Vivian wouldn't quit till she ate. Rick and Daryl put a new lock on the front door, making it harder for someone to break in. For the time being, Daryl and her brother, Steven, put bars on all of the windows, to prevent anyone from getting in through them. Amanda felt like a prisoner in her own home. The thought terrified her.
"Y'know it's only till Rick catches that guy." Steven said. Amanda nodded.
"I know. I just... I didn't think stuff like this could happen." Amanda said.
"A guy tried to kill you in our small town, Amanda. Stuff like this happens everywhere." Steven told her. She understood, but still didn't like it. Amanda wasn't used to this, and she really didn't like it. Carl designated himself as Amanda's nurse, getting her water and food, and even turning the channels on TV for her. She had watched nearly every episode of Parks and Recreation before she finally decided to walk.
"Hey, Amanda, I don't think you should do that, 'cause you're hurt." Carl said softly.
"Carl, I'm gonna be ok. You do know that, right?" Amanda asked. Carl sniffled slightly.
"Amanda, I don't want you to go to the hospital again. Miss Beth was so scared. And I was too." Carl admitted. Amanda wrapped the boy in a hug, grateful for his kindness. In truth, Amanda was glad it was just her and not Beth. If they'd beat Beth, she almost certainly would have miscarried, and though Beth was scared, Amanda knew she wanted that little baby.
"I love you, Carl. I'm not going anywhere." Amanda said. Carl smiled.
"I love you too, mom." He said. Amanda froze. He'd just called her mom. She wasn't ready for this, but she didn't want to correct him.
"What'd you say, Carl?" Amanda asked gently, trying not to panic.
"Oh, oh. I'm really sorry. It slipped out." Carl said. Amanda realized she'd hurt the boys feelings. She felt like a terrible person.
"Carl, it's okay. If you wanna call me that, go ahead. I won't stop you." Amanda replied. The boys face lit up. She was sure that this would be a fight with Rick later.
"Really? I have a mom!" The boy exclaimed. Amanda pinched the bridge of her nose as Carl ran in the other direction, sliding on his socks down the wood floor. He stopped, turning around to face Amanda.
"If you're my mom, does that make Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong my grandma and grandpa?" Carl asked. Amanda bit her lip. Oh boy, had she opened up a can of worms.
"Yeah, kinda. You can talk to 'em about it." Amanda said, trying to scoot away from the subject. Carl ran to the back porch, running outside to where Bernard, Rick and Daryl were. Vivian walked in to where Amanda was standing, leaning on the wall with her arms crossed.
"I messed up. Rick's gonna be pissed." Amanda said. Vivian laughed, shaking her head.
"No he's not." Vivian argued.
"How do you know?" Amanda asked, a snarky tone to her voice.
"Cause he asked your dad for permission to marry you." Vivian said flatly. Amanda's jaw dropped. Here Rick was, a young divorcee with a child, who had just killed a man in that house, asking for Amanda's hand in marriage, and Vivian was acting shockingly cavalier.
"We've only been together for three months, mom." Amanda said. Vivian laughed.
"I know. But he knew that he probably wouldn't get a lot of alone time with us, so he asked. He's not planning on proposing for a while, but he wanted our blessing." Vivian explained. How was her mother okay with this?
"Mom, you're okay with this? Since when did you get so chill?" Amanda asked. Her mother had a penchant for spazzing out. This was unlike her.
"Since he asked. Michael never did. Rick loves you, that is so obvious. When Daryl told us what happened, we knew you guys were supposed to be together. He loves you, sweetie." Vivian said. Amanda was unsure of what to do.
"I was afraid of him." Amanda whispered. Vivian hugged her daughter gently, kissing her cheek.
"Honey, he loves you. He'd never hurt you. Carl wants you to be his mom. If you're happy, if they make you happy, go for it. When you know, you know." Vivian said. It hit Amanda: her mother was right. She knew she wanted to be with Rick. She just didn't want to rush into anything.
Everyone finally left the next day, with the exception of Rick, Carl, Beth, and Daryl. Beth had finally begun announcing her pregnancy to everyone, though she'd recently gotten a round of morning sickness that knocked her for a loop. Amanda was slowly healing, and she was grateful. Daryl and Beth left the next evening, and Carl was asleep, with the movie "Finding Nemo" playing in the background. Rick approached Amanda, sitting down on the couch next to her.
"You're beautiful to me." Rick whispered, holding her hand. Rick had chosen to forgo the sling, though his shoulder was still very sore.
"You're pretty handsome yourself." Amanda replied. Rick smiled.
"So Carl's callin' ya mom now." Rick said. Amanda nodded.
"He is. I don't mind." Amanda said.
"You sure?" Rick asked.
"I'll be honest, he's been my son since we started dating." Amanda said. She finally admitted it. She loved Carl just as much as if she'd given birth to him. He was hers.
"You've been his mom since we started dating. He loves you more than anything." Rick said. He pulled her tight, hugging her. Amanda loved the way that Rick smelled; he reminded her of home. He was her home, even if there were parts of him that were broken. She loved him, and she accepted the parts of him that weren't perfect. She wasn't perfect either, and that worked for them. They loved each other, and that meant that they'd be willing to work through anything. Amanda knew that their wounds would heal, and that they would recover. The Claimers, whoever they were, could not take their love away. Their injuries were only temporary; Amanda and Rick were still alive. Amanda was happy, despite the fears she still had. No matter what, they would be together.
Rick was put back on patrol three weeks later, and had begun working to arrest the Claimers. He'd already arrested a dealer connected with the group named Martinez, who Merle apparently knew from his meth days. Martinez was already wanted in Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida, so Rick was able to arrest him easily. The next person to be arrested was a young woman named Alicia, who worked for Martinez. Rick had gotten death threats from the Claimers, but he didn't care. He, Merle, and Bob were on a mission. Daryl, too, was trying to find out any information he could after the Claimers had stolen nearly $10,000 worth of tools and parts from Dale, as well as ripping all of the copper out of his air conditioning unit. Beth, who was now nearly eleven weeks pregnant, was starting to show just a little. Amanda seemed to be the only one to notice, but she didn't care. Christmas was coming up, and Amanda was unsure if she'd be able to spend it with her family. She decided to ask Rick if he wanted to go to Augusta, because she knew he'd probably want to spend Christmas with his family. She sprung the question on him five days before Christmas, as they were eating dinner.
"Hey Rick, Christmas is in five days." Amanda said.
"Yep. I know." He said quietly, focused on eating a Hungarian dish Amanda had made.
"I figured I'd stay here instead of goin' to Alabama. You haven't mentioned anything about goin' to see your parents." Amanda was quietly studying Rick.
"That's cause I'm not goin' to." Rick said flatly.
"Why not?" Amanda asked.
"'Cause I'm not goin' to Augusta." Rick repeated, his tone more sharp.
"You don't wanna go see your family?" Amanda asked.
"No, Amanda, I don't. Please quit askin'." Rick said. Amanda sat back. Why was he acting like that?
Amanda put her and Carl's plates in the sink, taking him to the back yard to practice his baseball technique. He planned to play baseball in the spring, and so Amanda offered to help him with his curve ball. It was cold, but she felt that Rick had been acting pretty ridiculous. Once Carl had decided his fingers were too cold to throw, they came back inside. Rick was sitting on the couch, pouring over papers and intently studying case files from the Claimers and anyone related to them. He looked up to see Amanda throwing her catcher's mitt on the table, and Carl ran down the hall.
"Carl, you need to get a bath. Or a shower. Either way, you need to get cleaned up before bedtime." Amanda yelled.
"Yes ma'am!" He said, scooting down the hall in his socks. Amanda sat down in the chair across from the couch, and continued to knit on a baby blanket she was making for Beth.
"You think it'll be a boy, or a girl?" Amanda asked. Rick didn't reply.
"Fine." Amanda muttered under her breath. Rick was still intently studying the files.
"You know, Carl's baseball sign ups are the first week in January." Amanda said, trying to make conversation. Still no reply came from Rick. Amanda was growing agitated.
"He's gotten really good with his pitching. He could be one of the best on the team." Amanda said, trying to encourage conversation. Rick was ignoring her, and Amanda was now angry.
She got up, grabbing the case file he was studying, and threw it across the room.
"What the heck was that for?" Rick asked angrily.
"For ignoring me, and being a jerk." Amanda said. He stood up.
"What are you talking about?" Rick asked.
"You ignored me, three times, and you were a jerk at dinner. I don't know what's up with you, but it's gotta stop now." Amanda said. Rick stood up, picking up the case file.
"I don't know what you're problem is. I'm tryin' to find the group who attacked you, who beat you, and you're pissed at me 'cause I'm workin'?" Rick asked angrily. He wasn't getting it. Amanda didn't get angry often, but Rick was managing to push every button she had.
"I'm not pissed at you for that, Rick. You just ignored me three times! And, when I suggested we go see your family, you got pissed at me for it! Y'know, I don't understand why you're so pissy with me lately. But if this is how it's gonna be, you just need to leave." Amanda said flatly. Rick looked at her with surprise, as if her behavior had some from nowhere.
"You just can't not pry into stuff that doesn't concern you, can you?" Rick asked.
"What?" Amanda replied.
"I said I didn't wanna talk about it, and here you are pitchin' a royal fit about it!" Rick began to raise his voice.
"I asked because you haven't mentioned your family, like at all. I don't why you've been so short with me, but I'm tired of it." Amanda said.
"Quit askin' me questions! You don't seem to appreciate what I'm trying to do at all!" Rick shouted.
"Don't appreciate it?" Amanda asked, "I appreciate what you do, but you spend more time with those files than me or Carl!"
"Don't you dare bring my son into this." Rick growled.
"Who was out practicing with him tonight? Who helped him with his science project? You've been so wrapped up in this that you haven't focused on anything else!" Amanda shouted. Rick wanted to play this game, she could play too.
"You don't get it at all." Rick said, "I've been trying to find these guys while all you've been doing is playing house."
"You're the one over here. I don't see you complaining." Amanda snapped.
"You seem to be good at makin' up problems where there is none." Rick replied.
"You need to be there for Carl. We haven't spent any time with you, and it's almost Christmas." Amanda said, trying to be gentle.
"Don't tell me how to raise my son!" Rick yelled.
"I'm not! But you've been so obsessed with this crap that you haven't paid any attention to him!" Amanda was getting angrier; she could feel it rising from her feet.
"I've paid plenty of attention to him! You can't make that call, he's not your son!" Rick yelled. That was a low blow, and he knew it.
"Excuse me?" Amanda asked. Wasn't this the guy that had said she was Carl's mother a few weeks ago.
"You heard me. You're not his mother, you can't tell me how to raise him." Rick snapped. Amanda looked at him, walking over to the door. She opened it.
"Get out of my house." Amanda demanded. He looked at her, unsure if he'd heard her correctly.
"What about Carl?" He asked.
"He's your son, you decide what you do with him." Amanda replied. If he wanted to play this game, she'd beat him at it.
"You're not serious." Rick said.
"As a freakin' heart attack." Amanda replied.
"You don't understand what I'm doing, at all! You're only thinkin' 'bout yourself!" Rick yelled.
"Get out." Amanda whispered.
"What?" Rick asked.
"I said get out. Leave. I don't care if you leave Carl or take Carl, since I'm not his mother I can't make that call. Just leave." Amanda said. She was beginning to cry. Rick realized what he'd done, but it seemed like his pride wouldn't allow him to fix it.
"Whatever." He muttered, walking out and slamming the door behind him. Obviously, he was going to be back, as he'd left Carl in her care. Amanda called Beth, and asked her to come over. Beth came by, looking a little disheveled, and more than a little tired.
"Hey." Amanda greeted, letting her in.
"Rick's over at our house." Beth said, walking in, "What happened?"
"He's a jerk, that's what happened. For the past three weeks, he's been obsessed with those stupid case files. Yeah, I want him to find the Claimers, but I do not want him ignoring Carl, or me. Tonight, I asked him if he wanted to go see his family for Christmas and he snapped at me. Beth, I don't know why he's turned into such a jerk, but I don't like it." Amanda began to cry. Beth hugged her.
"His family situation is...Complicated. I'm not gonna say anything, he'll tell you when he's ready. As for the work stuff...I think he feels like he failed 'cause you got hurt so bad. He doesn't want that to happen again." Beth was always trying to find the best case scenario.
"I just want him to talk to me." Amanda sniffled.
"I think it's been really hard on him. He doesn't know how to deal with this." Beth said.
"Neither do I." Amanda replied. Beth took a sip of water, setting it down.
"Look, I'm not taking sides, but I don't think either of you handled this well. You gotta talk if you're gonna move forward." Beth said. Amanda knew she was right; she had the wisdom of an 80-year-old.
"He won't talk." Amanda said.
"Doesn't mean you don't have to clam up." Beth replied. Amanda hadn't exactly been chatty about what she'd felt. She just thought there was nothing to talk about.
"I didn't think there was much to say." Amanda said softly.
"You could start with telling him that you're still jumpy, or that you're afraid to shower with the door closed. Or that you haven't really eaten in a few weeks." Beth suggested. Beth knew all of these things; Rick didn't.
"It's hard, Beth." Amanda said.
"You're still afraid of him." Beth said. She was so blasé about this.
"Yeah." Amanda admitted. She was still terrified, and it drove a wedge between them.
"He wouldn't hurt you. Why is that hard to understand?" Beth asked.
"Because I watched him strangle the life out of someone, Beth. What if he did that to me?!" Amanda asked. Beth's jaw dropped. Amanda had finally admitted her worst fear.
Beth stood up, going to the door.
"Where are you going?" Amanda asked.
"I'm telling Rick to get his butt back here. He needs to talk to you. Now." Beth said, closing the door. Amanda sat in silence; Carl was already asleep, and she was slightly afraid of being alone. Rick knocked on the door and she opened, both looked sheepish as Rick walked in.
"Beth told me to come talk to you." Rick said.
"She told me the same thing." Amanda replied.
"I'm sorry I said that stuff..." Rick began.
"I know." Amanda said, "I'm sorry too."
"What's goin' on with us?" Rick asked.
"We haven't really talked about what happened." Amanda said, "To be honest, Rick, I'm still afraid. I can't take a shower without someone home, I haven't really eaten or slept. I'm afraid all the time, and part of me, yeah, part of me is still scared of what you did. That image... It's burned into my brain."
Rick sat quietly, rubbing his face. He sighed heavily. "I was so angry, Amanda. Walkin' in, I told you before, I couldn't recognize you. You were innocent, and they tried to kill you. I wanted 'em to pay. And they did. But you... No matter how angry I get, I couldn't bring myself to hurt you like that." Rick said.
"It's just scary. This whole thing... I'm still scared they'll find me." Amanda admitted.
"That's why I'm tyrin' to find 'em first." Rick replied.
"I know. It's just frustrating. I know why you're doing it, I just... I don't know. I guess I just want it to be over." Amanda said. Rick nodded.
"Me too, babe. Me too." He said.
"I wanted Christmas to be special... And I guess I shouldn't have pried, but I just wanted to know why you were so against it. You haven't mentioned your family at all, and with everythin' going on, I thought you might wanna go see 'em." Amanda said.
"There's a reason I don't talk about 'em, I guess you should probably know...My dad was a druggie, and a drunk. He wasn't a good man, at least not when I was a kid. Growin' up was rough. He beat me, he beat my mom. But she was on drugs too, so it didn't really matter most of the time. Dad died of a drug overdose when I was 10. I was Carl's age. Mom didn't have a job, so we bounced around from house to house, any money we did have went to drugs. Some days, I wouldn't eat. I never had new clothes or shoes. I was pretty much raisin' myself until I was 13, then Hershel and Annette too me in. They bought me new clothes, fed me. They're my real parents. I was raised with Shawn, Maggie, and Beth. Dale gave me a job, too. Him and his wife, they took me in, too. They'd adopted Daryl and Merle, tried getting' Merle off drugs. My mom, she never did anything. Never cared. She ran off to Augusta with her boyfriend one day, and I heard from her sometimes. Last letter I got was about a year ago. She was askin' for money. She met Carl once, but she couldn't care less, really. Hershel and Annette are my mom and dad, as far as I'm concerned. I love 'em." Rick explained. He'd finally admitted it. He'd finally told her. Amanda sat down next to him, putting her arm around him. She kissed his cheek, and he smiled.
"Then, let's spend Christmas with your family." Amanda said. Rick smiled.
"I'm sorry I said that about you earlier...Not bein' Carl's mom. I shouldn't have." Rick said.
"I want you to know something, Rick. I love him. I love him like I'd given birth to him myself. He's my boy. Yeah, it hurt when you said that. I know I'm not your wife, but I love him." Amanda explained.
"We gotta talk if we're gonn make it." Rick said.
"I agree." Amanda replied. Rick picked up the case files and all the reports, putting them on the table. He sat down next to Amanda, and held her as tightly as he could without injuring her. She was still healing, and he didn't want to cause her pain.
"Those can wait till tomorrow." Rick said. Amanda kissed Rick, holding his face in her hands.
"I love you." Amanda whispered. "I love you, too." Rick replied.
"So does this mean we're good?" Rick asked. Amanda nodded.
"Yeah, it does." Amanda replied.
The two stayed up late, talking for the first time in weeks. They'd finally begun to move past the issues that had plagued them. Things weren't fixed overnight, but they knew talking would help them move forward. Amanda loved Rick, and she was willing to fight for their relationship to work. Despite the fight, despite how distant Rick had been, Amanda loved him. Rick was finally beginning to open up, and finally beginning to see how important it was to speak. The two knew they had a long road, but they were prepared for it. They wanted to be together, so they wanted to work it out. That night, for the first time in weeks, the two were able to just be together. Without fear, without anxiety, it was just them. Finally, Amanda could begin to enjoy the Christmas holidays, and what she hoped would be the first of many Christmases with Rick and Carl.