Chapter 13

"Is there any way we can get Baylee and Ian their own room?" Kayden asked as we worked side by side in the garden, loosening the soil in preparation of the upcoming planting of our spring garden.

Looking over at him I couldn't help but grin at the guy before me. Ever since he had stepped foot on our property he had worked side by side with each of us to ensure our future and the future of his sisters. In the months that he and his kid sisters have been on the farm the man had yet to complain a single time and he shared the attic space with three young girls and a newborn baby. "I'll talk to everybody when they get back and see what we can do but with the wall spaces not yet finished I'm not going to make any promises. Okay?" I asked him as I paused in my hand cultivating of the garden bed I was working on. Instead of long rows with wasted space between to allow vines to grow I decided to grow the viney vegetables in plots instead of rows; pumpkins, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber, peas, and beans.

"Sounds great, Beth. Thanks for even considering it because as much as I love my sisters and my nephew, I need some sleep before gardening season really kicks off." He mumbled as he worked the soil over and over until it became loose and dark brown.

I laughed at his grumble because I could sometimes hear the baby crying in the quiet hours of the night or early morning but Baylee normally got him quiet fairly quickly but it had to be so much worse when sharing the same space that was only separated by sheets hanging from the rafters. "It's no big deal, Kayden. The rooms in the wall addition should be ready in the next few weeks and maybe then you can get your own space out there because with a newborn Baylee will be safer in the main house." I explained in case he had tuned out at the planning meetings we had had over the past few months.

"It's going to be even worse when Mrs. Lori has her baby any day now." He said with a shake of his head just as a piercing scream sounded from the direction of the house. "Seems like today may be the day." Kayden said as I dropped my rake as I raced towards the house. I had been researching which herbs would help out best with Lori's impending labor and surgery so it was my job to get the herbs ready for my Dad and Carol who were going to actually do the hard work of delivering Baby Grimes.

Lori had confided months ago that she required a c-section with Carl due to her labor not progressing so my Dad and Carol had been preparing to perform the operation when the time came. When I burst through the front door Patricia pointed me towards the garage space we had set up for the Grimes family even though Rick had taken to sleeping on the couch in the living room instead of sharing the bed with his wife. "She's in there. I'm heating up the water now."

"Thanks, Patricia. Are Dad and Carol in there yet?" I asked as I paused to grab the stack of sterile linens we had boiled just a few days ago in preparation for this exact moment.

She nodded with a smile. "They are."

"Good, I'll just take these to them then." I told her as I grabbed the stack of linens before heading through the door that led to the garage.

When I walked into the large open space I saw Carol helping Lori strip out of her pants and underwear that were soaked with amniotic fluid. "Bethie, I need you to go get your herbs ready quickly because we are going to have to operate soon."

"Okay." I said as I sat my stack of linens on the trunk at the end of the bed. "I'll be right back."

Once I was back in the kitchen I walked into what used to be a supply closet but was now full of everything we had scavenged from the apothecary shop in Denton. I grabbed the chamomile, peppermint, ginger, cats claw, and turmeric to begin mixing the recommended amounts into a cup that I then carried into the kitchen to fill with boiling water. "What's that sweetheart?" Patricia asked as I grabbed a spoon from the drawer to stir my concoction.

"My first major attempt at an herbal remedy. It's a bunch of herbs that are meant to promote relaxation and pain relief but also have antibacterial benefits." I explained as I mixed the dried herbs into the hot boiling water before grabbing a bit of mesh to strain the bits of dried leaves and roots from the drink. "The book I read a few days ago suggested we apply plantain leaves directly to open wounds to encourage new cell growth." I rambled as I slowly strained the mixture into a clean cup.

Patricia patted me encouragingly on the shoulder as I walked past her on my way back to the garage. Once I gave Lori the cup of bitter tasting drink I immediately began to worry that it wouldn't work. She was a trooper and downed the drink in one swallow before handing me back the cup as her face scrunched up in her dislike of the mixture. "I hope it helps, Lori. I'm sure it's not going to be as good as actual medication but it should ease the pain a little bit." I told her in an attempt to soothe her.

She looked over at me thankfully. "I'm sure it will be fine, Beth. Thanks for trying though I may suggest we find a way to take away the bitter taste next time." She said causing all four of us in the room to chuckle.

"Yeah, the bees ain't producing any honey yet or I would've added that to it." I told her with a shrug of my shoulders. "You want me to go get Rick from the fields?" I asked as I backed out of the room when my Dad pulled down the sheet to wash Lori's stomach with betadine while Carol wiped down the tools he would need to pull the baby from her stomach.

Lori looked at me with sad eyes before shaking her head. "No, he knows this is happening today. I've been in labor since last night."

"Oh okay. I'm gonna go prepare the leaves to apply after the surgery." I whispered before hightailing it out of the room. Rick, T-Dogg, Tyrese, and Dale were working on the fields outside the main fences that would house our wheat, corn, and alfalfa stock. The rest of our guys, except Rosita, Michonne, Carol, and Eric who were keeping watch, were out gathering more materials for the space between the two walls and scavenging whatever they can find.

Grabbing my book from the herb closet I headed outside to find the so called weed that I needed to apply to Lori's surgical incision after my Dad stitched her up. With Trouble spending the morning with the kids, I could concentrate on finding the plant I needed without being distracted. Within minutes I found the weed I was looking for and plucked several large leaves before rushing back inside with a bright smile on my face.

While I stood at the kitchen sink rinsing the leaves I had found I could hear Lori screaming from the other room. "Is she going to be okay?" I asked Patricia nervously as I shook the leaves to dry them the best I could.

Patricia chuckled but nodded. "She's in great hands, Bethie. Just do your best to make sure she doesn't get an infection afterwards. These days, infection is more dangerous that actually getting cut open." She explained as she stood at the counter next to me watching my movements.

Heaving a heavy worry laden sigh I pulled the bowl and masher from the cabinet to begin mashing the leaves up until they were similar to a spread that I could apply to Lori's incision for the next several days to ward off infection and promote healing. "It's things like this that make me scared to have kids in the world we live in now. That baby seems to be tearing their family apart."

"Oh honey, it's not the baby that is tearing them apart. It's personal problems that they were having before the world changed that have only gotten worse." Patricia explained as I tore the leaves up to put them in the wooden bowl so I could smash them into a poultice. "Babies are still blessings from God, Bethie. Little Ian has given Baylee a reason to smile again. Lori and Rick's baby won't fix their marital problems but it will bring a little bit of happiness to a sad situation."

With a heavy sigh I nodded. "I can see that but it's so dangerous to have a crying baby in this world. What if something ever happens to this place and we're out there with the walkers? I don't think I would survive if I had a baby and it got bit because it was crying."

"Well lets hope and pray that those walls hold up to whatever chooses to come knocking." She said as she pressed a kiss to the side of my head before walking out of the kitchen. "This old woman is going to relax for a little bit before it's time to get started on dinner."

Once the poultice was mixed up I carried it back into the garage apartment where Carol was holding the baby while my dad meticulously stitched up where he had cut open Lori's stomach. "Boy or girl?" I asked with a smile.

"Girl. I'm going to wait until Carl gets back to name her." Lori explained as she lay flat on her back while my Dad worked quickly but efficiently on her incision.

Smiling over at her I placed the bowl of green poultice next to my Dad. "This is plantain leaves with a little bit of chamomile and peppermint mixed in. It's supposed to encourage rapid healing and reduce the risk of infection. I put the chamomile and peppermint in to help with the pain." I explained to both my Dad and Lori.

"Thanks, Beth." Lori said as she reached a hand out to grasp mine. "I appreciate everything you guys have done for my family."

I squeezed her hand before laying a hand on my Dad's shoulder. "I'm certain you guys would have done it for our family too. I'm gonna get back to my gardening now." I said as I headed out the garage door and into the yard.

"Everything okay?" Kayden asked when I joined him back at the gardening spot.

"Yep, we've got a new baby girl added to the family." I told him with a bright smile. "And a happy momma too."

Kayden nodded as we began working in silence once again, the grueling work our main focus since it was imperative to our livelihood here at the farm. I'm not sure how long we worked in silence, side by side, before Michonne's whistle alerted us to our guys coming back from their scavenging trip. "Let's take a break for a few." I told Kayden as I tossed my cultivator to the side of the loose soil I had been working on, exchanging it for the bottle of water Patricia had brought out to us earlier.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Watching the three strangers sitting in the back of the truck that Abraham and Jesus were riding in caused me to smile at Daryl as he pulled his motorcycle up next to the house. "What's this? Rescuing people without my influence?" I teased him as he cut the engine of the motorcycle but stayed sitting on it.

He looked up at me with squinted eyes. "Found 'em in a barn a few miles from here. One of 'ems some kinda doctor and another's an army medic."

I smiled at that. "That's great! We could use someone around here with some actual human medical training because Lori had her baby today!" I told him excitedly.

"That baby's gonna be a lil' asskicker. Boy or girl?" He asked as he climbed off the motorcycle and only then did I realize that the whole front of him was covered in walker blood splatter.

"Girl." I said with a scowl on my face. "You need a shower."

With a raised eyebrow he stalked towards me with a smirk on his face. "You don't like me when I'm all dirty from a hard days work?"

I shook my head at him. "I've worked hard all day too and I don't look near as rough as you do."

"We ran into a small herd on the way home. Got a lil' dirty takin' care of 'em." He explained as he continued stalking towards me.

Giggling at his playfulness in a serious situation I attempted to spin around to run from him but he caught me before I even took a single step in the opposite direction. "Daryl!" I cried out as he wrapped his arm around my waist lifting me off my feet.

"Where you think you're goin', Lucky?" He chuckled into my ear as he held me firmly against his dirty chest.

Before I could reply my Dad was calling our names from behind us. "Beth! Daryl!"

"Busted." I giggled as Daryl loosened his hold on me as he turned us to face my father. "Hi, Daddy."

My Dad shook his head at our antics but the smile on his face told me that he was secretly happy with our actions. "We need to come together to find some room for our newcomers. Got any ideas?" He asked with a smile.

I looked back at Kayden who just sighed and shook his head, his request for a new space for his sister and baby nephew was going to have to wait. "Maybe Daryl and I can bunk together to free up a bedroom." I suggested as I looked up at Daryl who nodded at me but refused to meet my eyes. Reaching a hand out I gripped his hand in mine, tugging to get his eyes to meet mine. "Is that okay with you? If it's not, it's no big deal." I whispered quietly.

He leaned down to place a kiss against my forehead. "Just gonna make resistin' ya that much harder but it's fine." He explained with a groan before turning to face my father. "If it's okay with you, sir, I can move my things into Beth's room."

We both stood looking at my Dad as he rolled our suggestion over and over in his head. "Yeah, that's fine." He said before turning to face our newcomers. "We'll have a bedroom with a double bed in it and can scrounge some blankets for a pallet on the floor for the night. We will figure out better sleeping arrangements tomorrow but at least you will have a fully stomach, warm water to take a shower in, and fences to keep you safe."

One of the new women stepped forward. "That's more than we expected when your group found us in that barn. We appreciate every thing you are offering us and in return we will help out however we can. My name is Lucy." She said looking around at our group that had gathered in the front yard when the caravan of our people had come in. Lucy was a slender woman with a ponytail full of red curly hair, pale skin, and sparkling green eyes. "I'm not as skilled as these other two considering I was an architect before the turn but I'll pitch in wherever you need me to. I'm not afraid of hard work." She said as she shook all of our hands before stepping back between her two companions.

The other woman stepped forward next. "I used to be called Dr. Johnson but these days Dakota works just fine and I am a Native American healer." The dark skinned woman with board straight black hair that fell below her waistline said as she shook our hands. "I can help with herbal treatments and such but do not fear I was a licensed practicing doctor with a degree from University of Arizona."

I smiled at her from where I stood between my father and Daryl. "That's great! My dad just delivered a baby earlier today by cesarean section. I could use some help with treating her. I'm doing the best I can but I am dependent on the books we found at an apothecary shop a few towns over. Plus my dad's more comfortable operating on animals than humans." I said with a chuckle.

"I will gladly take a look at her but I'm sure you guys did just fine on your own." Dakota said with a chuckle of her own before motioning to the dark skinned black guy standing at the back of the threesome. "Bob has medical training too. He's probably better in an emergency than I am but I'm sure we'll be fine all combined."

The guy of the group stepped forward begrudgingly. "I was an army medic actually. The names Bob Stookey." The man said as he held a hand out towards my father. "Thanks for allowing us to stay at your place."

"It's our pleasure and we only have a few rules around here." My Dad said as he shook Bob's hand before pulling him closer so he could have a somewhat private conversation with him. "Young man, I don't know what all you've been through and seen out there but I can smell the alcohol on your breath and I see that your eyes are bloodshot but there is no drinking if you choose to stay here. We all have to be alert and able to act at any moment. Alcohol only impairs your ability to do that. Plus, I used to have a drinking problem and don't allow it in my house or around my family." My Dad said softly to the man as he held a tight grip on his hand. The only reason I heard what he had said was because I was standing right next to him. "If you can't leave the booze alone then I will have to ask you to leave come tomorrow morning. Understood?"

"Understood." Bob said with a firm nod of his head before reaching into his bag with a shake of his head. "Maybe this is for the best." He whispered as he handed a bottle of brown liquid to my father.
"I'll respect your home as long as you let the three of us stay here."

My Dad clapped Bob on the shoulder before handing me the bottle. "Take this in the kitchen to Patricia but do it discreetly. We don't need Bob's issues taking precedence over our more pressing issues." He told me as he nodded to Bob who smiled back gratefully.

"Okay."

~*~LUCKY~*~

Sitting on my twin size bed watching Daryl bring his ridiculously small amount of clothes into what was now our bedroom brought a smile to my face. "I think we may need to make a run for a bigger bed soon."

"Yeah, it's possible. I can always sleep on the floor though." He said softly as he placed his clothes in dresser drawer I had cleaned out for him while he had taken a shower.

I shook my head. "There is no way in hell you are sleeping on the floor in here. It may be a tight fit but we'll make it work until we can get us a bigger bed. Too bad we can just run to a furniture store and get a new one." I teased as he closed the dresser drawer.

He walked over to the bed until he towered over me. "I think ya just wanna tempt me." He growled as he leaned down to place a quick kiss to my lips. "Lucky, ya sure ya okay with this?" He whispered against my lips as his one hand came up to cradle the side of my face, his fingers stroking my cheek gently.

Nodding my head slightly I leaned up to take his lips with mine once again. "Yes. Go get the rest of your stuff."

With a chuckle he pecked my lips before pulling back from me. "Don't got much." He grumbled as he left the room for the one next door.

Trouble poked her head up onto the foot of my bed looking at me with her wide eyes and pointy ears perched on top of her head. Patting the blanket with a smile she climbed up onto the bed, crawling up it until she rested her head in my lap. "Are you ready for your bedtime bottle?" I asked her as I scratched underneath her chin softly. Having this bonding time with my pup was something I relished each and every day and I think Daryl did too but her need for supplements in a bottle was coming to an end quicker than I thought it would. It has been six weeks since we had found Trouble on the side of the road and she was at a healthy weight according to my Dad so we were in the process of weening her off the bottle and onto regular food. "We need to add dog food to our list when we go looking for a new bed." I told her as I grabbed the bottle off my nightstand. When she spotted the bottle her eyes almost lit up in excitement as she crawled up into my lap as I brought the bottle to her mouth. She brought her paws up to 'hold' the bottle as she relaxed into my chest. The suckling noises she made were just absolutely the best and nobody could stay mad or upset when they heard them.

I watched as Daryl brought his pack, vest, extra pair of shoes, crossbow, and extra arrows into the bedroom. "She stopped chasin' a rabbit the other day for a bottle." He said with a shake of his head as he deposited his pack into the bottom of my closet along with his shoes before toeing his own boots off next to the bedroom door. He then draped his angel wing vest over his jacket that he had hung on the chair at the desk earlier before propping his crossbow and extra arrows against the wall next to the bed. "It's my turn to take a watch tonight." He said as he stretched out next to me in the narrow bed. "Goin' tomorrow to get us a bigger bed."

"Sounds like a plant to me. I could use a break from preparing the garden beds or my arms could at least." I said with a chuckle as I stroked Trouble's ears as she sucked greedily at the milk in the bottle.

Daryl reached a hand over to rub the soft hair of Trouble's stomach. "We need to find this little girl some dog food along with us a bigger bed. Got any ideas?"

Leaning back against the headboard I held the bottle as Trouble chewed on the nipple of the bottle as if it was a chew toy. "We can check the feed store in town. Maybe we need to look for some chew toys too." I said as I tugged the bottle from her mouth to replace it with the rope Daryl tugged from his pocket.

"Nah, she'll just chew them up in no time. Rope or sticks work just fine." He said as he dangled the rope over the puppy as she tried to get it with her mouth and feet. "She's not meant to be a house dog, Lucky."

I laughed as I looked between him and the puppy. "Have you tried telling her that?"

He shook his head as he rested his head against my hip. "Maybe you're right."

Reaching over I ran my fingers through his hair as he played with the slowly tiring puppy. "Maybe I am."

We laid there in silence for a while with me running my fingers through his hair and over his shoulders and he played with the pup that was sprawled out in my lap. "Which shift you got?" I asked after a huge embarrassing yawn escaped me despite my efforts to keep it inside.

"Early mornin'. Rosita's gonna come get me." Daryl whispered as he sat up to scoop the sleeping pup from my lap to her bed in the floor.

Rolling over onto my side I scooted back against the wall so Daryl could have some room. "Can I come with you on watch? I want to take my turn on the wall. It's only fair."

Daryl nodded in understanding, like he usually did. "Of course but I guess it's time to call it a night then."

"Yeah." I mumbled already half asleep.

When the knock came knocking and it was still dark outside I pulled the blankets over my head as Daryl groaned beside me. "Come on, Lucky. It's our turn at watch." He grumbled as he climbed from the bed.

"Ugh why did I do this to myself?" I groaned as I tossed the blankets back on the bed.

"We're coming, Rosita." He called to the closed bedroom door as he began tugging on his layers of clothes meant to help ward off the chill of the day. "Come on, Lucky. No time to waste." He told me as he grabbed my foot tugging me from the bed.

Brushing my hair off my face I glared at Daryl as I placed my sock clad feet on the cold hardwood floor. "I'm up." I grumbled at him as I pushed myself up from the bed to grab my own layers of clothing.

Within minutes of waking up I was following Daryl down the stairs while loosely braiding my hair over my shoulder while our dog trailed behind us slowly. "I don't think Trouble likes you too well at the moment." I told him as we followed after him silently through the main floor of the house where most of our old common rooms were now makeshift bedrooms with curtains or blankets for doors.

Once Daryl helped me climb up onto the platform he lifted Trouble up to me before climbing up himself. After he settled himself into the chair he tugged me down into his lap so that I could rest my head on his shoulder with his crossbow resting across my lap and Trouble at his feet. "Let's signal the next platform." He whispered to my ear as he reached down to grasp the flashlight they kept there. We spent a few hours on the platform watching our side of the fence while Daryl told me the ins and outs of fence patrol. Once the second fence was completed and the rooms in between finished the platforms would be tore down since watch would be taken from the various rooftops.

"Are you going to take a space inside the walls?" I asked Daryl as the sky started to change colors. He was pacing back and forth on the platform while I sat in the chair we had both occupied when we first came out here. Trouble had long ago gotten bored with the monotony of sitting on the platform and abandoned us to chase frogs and grasshoppers in the grass.

He stopped his pacing to look over at me. "One night together and ya already tryin' ta git rid a me?"

I shook my head. "No but I know moving into my tiny childhood bedroom isn't your first option of a suitable space."

"Maybe we" he paused to point to me and then at himself before continuing "and Trouble can take a space in the wall. They will be bigger than our current space and more private." He said with an exaggerated wiggle of his eyebrows.

"That is an added bonus. The house is getting really crowded with the more people we find but we can't just leave them out there defenseless just because we are running out of room to put them." I said as I laid down on the platform with my eyes closed. "I think I'll just stick to gardening if that's okay with everybody." I said tiredly.

Daryl chuckled as he knelt beside me. "Gotta get up early with the gardenin' too, Lucky." He whispered as he reached out to tap the end of my nose. "But it's your lucky day because I see Tyrese heading for our post. Maybe we can start takin' the late evenin' spots instead of early mornin'."

"That may be a lil better." I grumbled as I reached up to stroke his cheek. "Or maybe you can just do watches by yourself while I sleep in a bit." I teased as I leaned up to press a quick kiss to his lips.

"Whatever ya want, Lucky." He whispered as he pulled back from our kiss. Public displays of affection weren't big on his list of ideal things so I wasn't going to push him. But, little did he know that he showed more affection than he thought he did.

Tyrese tugged on one of my feet that was dangling off the end of the platform. "You two lovebirds ready to go get some grub?"

"Yes!" I cheered playfully.

Daryl and Tyrese helped me off the platform where Trouble began whining at my feet. "Come on girl, we can get you some breakfast too." I said to soothe the pup who wanted her bottle.

Tyrese shook Daryl's hand as they swapped places on the platform before Daryl fell into step beside me as we headed for the house. "Was thinkin' that we could go for a run after breakfast."

"Sounds good. We going by ourselves or taking others with us?" I asked as Trouble danced around our feet in excitement the closer we got to the house.

Daryl tugged playfully on my braid that trailed down my back. "Just us and maybe Trouble today. We'll do a scavenging run later for extra supplies. Let evryone make a list of what they need." When we reached the front door he grabbed my hand suddenly to tug me against his chest. "That okay wit' you, Lucky?" He whispered softly as he reached a hand up to brush my hair off my face.

I nodded as I wrapped my arms around his waist as I leaned into his body. "Perfect. Kiss me before we go inside?" I whispered as I looked up into his face to find his eyes dark and hooded which let me know he was on the same wavelength as me. Without waiting for his response I stood up on my tiptoes to press my lips against his. "Mmm." I moaned when his tongue swiped against mine urgently.

Daryl's hands slid down my waist to grip my hips as he wrenched his lips away from mine. "Lucky…"

Fisting my hands in his shirt I leaned fully against him. "Can I read it now?" I asked with a crooked grin on my face. The page he had written in my notebook was still folded and now covered by several sheets of paper filled with my own handwriting. I asked randomly if I could read what he had written but he always told me no. Or at least so far he has.

Predictably his grip tightened on my hips. "Maybe." He said with a smirk on his face and a raised eyebrow. "That better than a no?"

I playfully shoved him away from me with a growl. "No."

Snagging me by the back of my hoodie he tugged me back against his chest. "When the times right, Lucky." He growled in my air before releasing me.

Trouble whined pitifully at our feet snatching my attention from the playful yet serious conversation I was having with Daryl to her and her hunger. "You act like you're starving, little girl." I teased her as I reached down to tickle her ears before looking back up at Daryl. "Time is fickle these days, Daryl."

He tucked my hair behind my ear as he locked eyes with me. "I know. Bring it with us today."

I smiled brightly as I popped up to place a quick kiss to his lips. "Okay!"

After Daryl, Trouble, and I ate our breakfast with Jesus, Rick, and Sasha who had been on watch with us we went upstairs to grab our packs that always held the basics in case of an emergency so we could get going. I grabbed the notebook from my nightstand, stuffing it into my backpack before grabbing an extra jacket from my closet. "Okay, I'm ready."

Daryl grabbed his extra quill of arrows and my hand before leading us out of the house. Knowing we had to get big items we took a chance and drove the truck into town instead of leaving it on the outskirts and walking in. "Maybe we should check the houses on this end of town for a new mattress, blankets, and clothes?" I suggested to Daryl as we climbed from the truck in front of the feet store that was on the outskirts of town instead of on the main strip.

"Is there not a furniture store somewhere in town?" Daryl asked as he surveyed the street with his bow raised and ready.

I shook my head as I flexed my fingers on my knife. "No. We were just a small southern town, just a blip on the map." I explained as I pecked my knife on the window of the feed store, holding my breath as I waited for the walkers inside to come to the new noise. After several minutes of anxious waiting nothing came to the window or door so Daryl tried the doorknob, finding it unlocked.

"Ridiculous." He muttered as he pushed the door open with his foot so his hands were free to support the crossbow. We quickly and efficiently cleared the entire building, finding no walkers or human signs within the musty building. The store had been looted before but there was still plenty for us to take back with us. While Daryl grabbed several large bags of dog food, I grabbed cans of soft dog food to help the transition for our pup that we had decided to leave at home since she was napping after her morning bottle. I also raided the old cooler that sat along the back wall. I didn't know much about animal vaccines and medications but I figured it couldn't hurt to take them back with us for my Dad to go through them. "Beth, we gotta go!" Daryl called from the front door. "Now!" He said urgently.

Grabbing the plastic bags that I had began to fill once my backpack was full I hurried to the front door where I heard the shuffling of a pretty good size herd. "Go!" I called to Daryl as I raced for the truck we had left parked in the middle of the street. He shook his head quickly before letting go of the front door he had been holding open for me and racing towards the truck so he could get it started up. Keys were usually a thing of the past and this truck was no different, it was hot-wired. Just as the truck roared to life I yanked open the passenger door to climb in.

"We're gonna have to hide out to keep from leading them back to the farm." Daryl explained as he roared down the highway, in the opposite direction of the farm.

I nodded nervously as I turned around to look out the back window to see the massive herd rambling behind us, attracted to the noise of the truck's engine. "Where?" I asked anxiously. "How long?"

He made several sharp turns into the residential part of our tiny town looking frantically from side to side. "Gotta find a house to hole up in until they pass. Two stories are better."

"Turn left up at the next street and immediately make another right." I said directing him to a house that I thought would hold up to the herd that was gaining distance between our truck and them. I gripped the dash as Daryl quickly followed my instructions before skidding to a stop at a house that sat on top of a hill with a wooden fence all around it. "It's the Irons's vacation house." I explained as he reached for his crossbow before launching himself from the truck with me following behind him with our packs in my hands because it contained our food and water supply as well as a blanket each.

Daryl quickly shut the gate behind me as his eyes scanned the area rapidly. "Eyes open." He growled lowly. "Stay with me."

I nodded as I shouldered our packs with one against my chest and the other against my back to free up my hands. "I'm with you. Always." I whispered as I heard the shuffling and growling closing in on us. "Let's go."

Without even knocking on the exterior of the house Daryl immediately kicked in the door. Once through the door I shoved the door shut behind me as Daryl went about clearing the space. "Push furniture against the windows and doors. I'll clear the place."

I nodded as I shifted our packs to the floor just inside the front door before looking around the room to see what I had to work with. There were only two windows and the door in this room to cover shouldn't be too bad.

There were two couches that I immediately began the struggle of flipping them on their end so I could push them against the windows to block them. Once the first couch was in place my arms were trembling and I still had so much to do. Shaking my arms out I walked to the second couch, another sturdy leather monstrosity that was bound to be as heavy as the one I had just struggled to lift up. "Come on, Bethie, you've got this." I whispered to myself as I bent down to grip the bottom edge of the couch. "Deep breath and just do it." I said through gritted teeth as I took my own advice and began to lift the couch.

Once I had struggled the couch onto it's end I quickly spun the legs off so it would go flush to the window like the other one. Just as I was shoving the couch against the window frame Daryl came back into the room with a frown on his face. "Let's get this door secured and we'll hide upstairs until they mostly pass. We'll raid the place tomorrow. We're staying here for the night."

I nodded with a sigh. "Good, I'm exhausted now."

We pushed a desk and entertainment center against the door before Daryl grabbed our packs and led me upstairs. "We've got to be quiet so they'll continue walking." He whispered as he led me through what must be the master bedroom of the house and into the closet before going back to snatch the blankets and pillows off the bed in the bedroom. "Here, get comfortable. It's going to be a while." He said as he pulled the bathroom door shut.

Looking around the room I sighed at all the pretty clothes and shoes that would be fairly useless today before making a makeshift pallet in the back corner of the closet with the blankets and pillows. "Why are we hiding in the closet?" I asked Daryl softly as I sat down softly on the blanket.

"No windows, less noise transfer." He explained as he sat our packs down next to the blanket. "Now." He whispered to me as he nodded to my pack.

With wide eyes and a gasp I grabbed my backpack and pulled it into my lap. "It's not a sad goodbye note is it?" I asked as I dug through all the stuff I had gotten from the feed store to grab the notebook and pen from the bottom of my bag.

He shook his head. "Nah, just read it." He said as he leaned back against the door of the closet. "Use our flashlight."

I nodded as I pulled it from his pack so I could read his written words. Placing the small flashlight between my teeth I flipped to the folded piece of paper that had been taunting me for the past few weeks.

Lucky,

I learned to survive a long time ago, younger than most. When I was a little boy I learned to survive my Pa by escaping to the woods. When I was a young man I learned to survive my brother's stupidity by doing the opposite of what he done. Then when the world fell I had to learn to survive all over again. Through all of that I never learned how to live.

You taught me that.

Your Pa gives me a fresh example of what a man is supposed to be like instead of the one I grew up with.

You gave me that.

I thought my heart was broken because all I've ever done is go through the motions of things. I've never been in a relationship because I thought I was a broken man. Now I am committed to you because my heart craves you.

You did that.

Love was never a good word I heard growing up. It's a word I've never uttered to another human being in my entire existence. Until now.

I love you, Lucky

"I love you too, Daryl." I whispered as I swiped the tears from my cheeks.