Chapter 29
Naomi woke up the next morning, she noticed a walkie talkie on the dresser just left of the door. She showered and dressed then went to head out to find something to eat. She turned the doorknob but it wouldn't open. She tried again, pulling harder but quickly realized the door was locked. The only way to open it would be with a key.
"Are you serious?" Frustrated Naomi grabbed the walkie talkie and keyed up the mic. "Phillip? Are you there?"
"Yes Naomi...I take it you are feeling better..."
"Why am I locked in this room?" Naomi snapped at him.
"I wanted to make sure you took it easy today...that no one bothered you."
"By treating me like a prisoner?"
"It's for your own good...Milton should be bringing you breakfast soon...if there's nothing else I need to get back to my men..."
Naomi didn't bother replying back. She was angry she didn't know what to say to him. "This is unbelievable..." She remarked to herself.
She walked over to the window and stared out. Children were running along the street laughing and playing. She wasn't sure how long she had been staring at them when someone at the door caught her attention. Milton opened the door and walked in with a tray of food.
"Good Morning..." Milton smiled as he walked over and rested the tray on the bed. She watched as he tucked the key in his hand into his pocket.
"You don't bother to knock?" Naomi crossed her arms over her chest irritated.
Milton looked as if she had slapped the smile right off his face. "I...I'm sorry..."
Naomi sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. "I didn't mean to snap at you...may I have the key to the room please?"
"I'm afraid I can't do that..." Milton told her as he sat opposite of her at the foot of the bed.
"Can't or won't..." She asked.
Milton removed his glasses and began cleaning the lenses with his shirt. "The Governor gave me clear orders...you'll have to discuss it with him later I'm afraid..."
"So you think it's perfectly alright for him to lock me in here for no reason?" Naomi questioned.
"Please...try and understand, he's trying to keep you safe...you've been through quite the ordeal...you must be hungry...please eat up..." Milton reached for the cover on the plate to reveal scrambled eggs and some fruit. "There's even orange juice in the bottle."
"Where did you get all this?" Naomi remarked in shock. "Fresh fruit?"
"We're working very hard to make things normal again...The Governor's been very resourceful in finding supplies." Milton told her.
"I think that's an understatement..." Naomi remarked as she unscrewed the bottle top and took a sip of the orange juice. It was ice cold and probably the best orange juice she had ever drank. She started eating the eggs as Milton began to speak.
"I have to apologize for your subjection to Merle...he's quite vulgar at times and certainly doesn't know how to act around a lady..."
"He may be rough around the edges but I'm starting to see he's not so bad...certainly not like I first thought." Naomi told him as she continued eating.
Milton looked somewhat disappointed in her response. "Oh don't get me wrong...he's good for...certain things...but certainly no one you would want to have to spend any real amount of time with..."
"He has some pretty amazing skills with that knife of his...seems fearless fighting those things out there...I don't know...I've never had to deal with those things one on one like that before until I was on my own...it was frightening and honestly I don't know how I managed to survive out there for as long as I did...might do me some good for Merle's fighting skills to rub off on me..." Naomi smiled at Milton but noticed his face turning red. "Are you alright?"
"Well...you're safe here now...last night was a fluke...you'll be protected here so you don't need to worry about it...besides, if Merle's not busy on guard duty or a supply run, he's busy worrying about finding his brother Daryl...doesn't have time for anything else." Milton told her.
Naomi gasped and began choking on her food.
"Oh dear...are you alright?" Milton moved close to her and gently patted her back.
Naomi leaned away from him, coughing hard then cleared her throat. "Orange juice..." She pointed to the bottle on the tray and Milton handed it to her. She took a few sips. Suddenly she felt very nauseous. "I think I'd like for you to leave now..."
"But you're not finished...I'll stay until you're done." Milton insisted.
Naomi stared at him for a moment then quickly ate the rest of her food and chugged down the juice. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve then pushed the tray towards Milton. "There...now you can go." She said sternly.
Milton looked down at the tray and Naomi could clearly see she had hurt his feelings. She felt a twinge of guilt since he had only tried to be nice to her but all she wanted at that moment was to be left alone.
"Alright then...I'll bring your lunch later...hope you get some more rest..." Milton stood up, grabbed the tray and left the room. Naomi could hear the clicking of the lock behind him.
She clutched her stomach then quickly ran to the bathroom, barely making it in time to vomit into the toilet. She leaned over the sink, turning it on to splash cold water on her face.
Could it be? Daryl wasn't necessarily an uncommon name...what were the odds of it being the same person? There was so much she didn't know about him. She could ask Merle but what if she was wrong? She couldn't imagine getting Merle's hopes up that she had in fact had contact with his brother only to have them deflated if it wasn't the same person. She wouldn't want someone to do that in regards to Caleb. Naomi stared at herself in the mirror debating what to do. The man Merle described didn't sound like the same man that had been so good with her son. He was quiet but anyone in that situation would've been. She had to find out more before she told Merle. But if he was Merle's brother, Merle would have just as much incentive to find him as she would. Maybe working together they could...
.
"After breakfast I want ya readin' in yer books a bit." Daryl told Caleb as he sat next to him as they finished eating.
"What are you gonna do? I want to stay with you." Caleb told him without even waiting for his reply.
"We need to worry 'bout yer schoolin'...we've slacked on that for too long." Daryl told him.
"But..."
Daryl shook his head. "Ain't no buts 'bout it...I ain't askin'...understand?"
Caleb started to pout but nodded his head.
"If ya do good maybe later ya can dig that baseball and glove outta yer backpack..but ya gotta tell me what ya learn." Daryl nudged him with his elbow.
Caleb looked up at Daryl and his eyes lit up. "We haven't done that in a long time...not since you were in the shed."
"Ya think that's a good idea?" Daryl asked him.
Caleb smiled and nodded then got up, running to his book bag and pulled out two of his books.
"What's he so excited about?" Carol asked as she walked up and took their plates.
"I bribed him to study..." Daryl smirked.
Carol laughed a little. "And you said you didn't know the first thing about being a parent."
Daryl got up and relieved Glenn from watch on the backside of the house. "See anything?"
"No but I miss the RV. Not having a high point to watch from puts us at a real disadvantage." Glenn remarked.
"Hell...I can fix that...here give me a boost." Daryl stated as he motioned for Glenn to follow him up against the house.
Glenn interlocked his fingers and bent over. Daryl stepped one foot into his hand. "On three..."
Glenn help hoist Daryl up high enough so he could pull himself up onto the roof. Daryl removed the crossbow strapped to his back and gripped it tightly. "Go get me some binoculars...got a good view from here of both sides of the house.
Glenn nodded and rushed off.
Daryl looked towards the west side of the property and thought it was clear until movement caught his eyes. He saw one walker gaining ground fairly close but then another was revealed and another.
"Shit..." Daryl remarked as he slug the crossbow back around and jumped down off the roof. He ran inside just as Glenn was coming back with binoculars.
"Get the others...we gotta go...herds close..." Daryl ran towards the living room and snatched the book from Caleb's hand and starting shoving his things into his backpack. Soon everyone flooded in and started to rush to grab their things.
"What's wrong?" Caleb asked surprised by Daryl.
"Time to go..." Daryl told him and noticed the panic wash over his face. He grabbed his chin pulling his face close to his. "Stay calm...I've got you...we've done this before...ya ain't got to be afraid...ya just gotta do what I tell ya and move fast ok?"
Caleb swallowed hard and nodded his head.
.
"What are you looking for?" Carol asked as they drove down the roadway, she, Caleb and Carl in the backseat of Lori and Rick's car.
Caleb didn't answer and just pulled out a book and started reading.
"Caleb?..." Carol grew a little concerned by his lack of response.
"I gotta study...Daryl told me to...he won't play catch with me later if I don't..." He told her then buried his face into the book.
Carl looked at Caleb. "Caleb he may not be able..."
"Carl..." Carol interrupted him and as he looked up at her she shook her head. She raised a finger to her lips and Carl nodded he understood. Caleb seemed to be tuning everyone else out.
Carol wrapped her arm around Caleb but reached and gently squeezed Carl's shoulder as she smiled at him. She looked back towards the front and noticed Rick glance back towards her as she sighed deeply.
