Thanks to everyone for your input! I've decided to just keep writing under Amelia's Choice; it's my preference and seems to be the more popular option among you readers as well. Just to warn you, there will be even more straying from Amelia and Daryl in the next few chapters. As one reader pointed out, they've taken a bit of a backseat in their own story, and truthfully - it's going to be like that for a bit. Their story isn't over (not with Merle thrown in the mix and Michael's feelings for Amelia) but I am going to be expanding on other characters within the story with special emphasis on Rick. For you diehard Daryl fans - I do hope you stick around, even if the focus isn't on him for awhile, but I'll understand if you choose not to. :) Thanks again everyone!
Chapter 50
"Maybe we should try and find another car to boost." Daryl stared critically at the two vehicles.
Rick shook his head, "No. We'll squeeze in."
After burying Irene and Ryan, the others had quickly packed up the small campsite. They had hauled the supplies to the edge of the woods and stashed their meagre possessions in the back of the truck.
Amelia stood next to Hannah, "How's your side?"
"It's okay. I think it's stopped bleeding." Hannah smiled at her. They watched as Rick and Daryl organized the group into the two vehicles.
Merle, sitting behind the wheel of the small car, honked the horn impatiently. "Move yer asses!" Sara, who was sitting beside him in the passenger seat, her walking stick planted firmly between her legs, patted his arm and he gave her a slightly sheepish grin.
Ethan squeezed into the back seat behind Sara, his long legs nearly at his chin. Jacob perched on his lap while Scott, leading his younger brother by the hand, slid into the car, pulling Jeremy in after him. Rick shut the door and brought Julie and Isaac to the truck.
Daryl approached Amelia and Melissa, "C'mon you." He winked at Amelia and she giggled, "We're about to get real cozy in the backseat." He took her hand and helped her into the back seat of the truck; Hannah smiled a little when he kept his hand on her backside a little longer than necessary and she slapped at his hand with a small grin. Isaac and Julie were already in their seats and Amelia ended up sitting mostly on Daryl's lap in order for all of them to fit in the seat.
T-Dog climbed in behind the wheel and Melissa crammed herself against him. Belatedly, Hannah realized she would be sitting in the front seat next to Rick and her face flushed. She thought briefly of asking Julie to switch with her, realized it would bring more curiosity than she wanted, and walked slowly to the passenger side of the truck.
"Ready?" Rick asked her. She saw none of the apprehension she felt in his eyes and she told herself she was being silly. She nodded as he opened the door for her. Before she could climb into the truck, Rick's hands were cupping both her elbows and he lifted her easily onto the running board of the truck.
"Thanks." She murmured. She slid across the seat and rested up against Melissa, craning her neck to see how much room she was leaving Rick. She realized quickly that there wasn't even close to enough room for him and she shifted onto her left hip, putting her arm on the seat behind Melissa and placing a careful hand on her right side. Rick squeezed in beside her and shut the door.
"Let's go T-Dog." Rick said, his breath hot on the back of her neck. She could feel his thigh against her ass, and his arm and shoulder resting against her back and she groaned to herself. It would be a long trip.
Hannah shifted uncomfortably on the seat. It had been close to an hour of driving and according to T-Dog they had at least another hour to go. She glanced around the cab of the truck. Melissa was resting against T-Dog, her red curls tangled around his arm. Hannah suspected that she was sleeping. Julie was leaning against the door, her forehead pressed to the window of the truck, staring silently at the landscape. Isaac was leaning against her, his head resting against her shoulder. He was snoring lightly, his head swaying gently with the rhythm of the truck. Amelia was sitting on Daryl's lap, their legs entwined. She had her arms wrapped around Daryl's shoulders and she was alternating between placing soft kisses on his cheek and nuzzling his throat. He had one arm wound firmly around her hips and the other on her thigh. His eyes were closed but the small smile that appeared on his face every time Amelia kissed him told Hannah he wasn't sleeping.
She shifted again. Her hip and entire left leg was completely numb and she wiggled her foot, trying to bring some feeling back into it. Her right side was burning miserably and she stretched her left arm above her head, trying to bring some relief to the numbness in it as well.
"Everything okay?" Rick asked quietly.
She nodded. "I'm fine. Just a little uncomfortable; it's no big deal."
He shook his head, "You look more than a little uncomfortable." He grabbed her around the hips and pulled her onto his lap so she was sitting sideways across his thighs.
She flushed a little and went to slide off his lap but Melissa had already shifted over, sighing in her sleep, and there was only a small chunk of space left on the seat.
Rick kept his hands casually at his sides as Hannah fidgeted nervously on his lap. "I'm too heavy to sit on your lap." She muttered.
He laughed, he couldn't help it, and she glared at him. "Nice try. You weigh what – a hundred pounds soaking wet?"
"A hundred and eight." She stared down at her hands. She knew saying she was too heavy was a stupid excuse but she was desperate to find a reason to get off of Rick's lap. It was unfortunate that everyone appeared more comfortable with her not on the seat. Melissa wasn't mashed up against T-Dog anymore and he seemed happier to have a bit more elbow room to drive. Even Rick had shifted so he wasn't pressed directly against the door. As the feeling started to come back to her leg and hip, her foot tingling unpleasantly with pins and needles, Hannah had to admit that sitting on Rick's lap was more comfortable than being crammed on her hip between him and Melissa.
She kept stealing small glances at Rick's face. She tried to stop but every few minutes she would find herself staring at him again, noticing how the sun turned his eyes a brilliant, clear green, and picked up the threads of grey starting in his beard. She forced herself to look away and realized that Amelia was watching her watch Rick, a small frown on her face. Hannah blushed and gave her a guilty grin. She turned on Rick's lap so that she was facing forward with her legs crammed between his long ones, and sat forward rigidly, staring out the windshield. It didn't take long before her back started to ache and she twitched and squirmed, leaning forward to rest her arms on the dashboard. She cursed softly when T-Dog hit a pothole and she bumped her head into the hard glass of the windshield.
"Sorry." He said, not without some amusement.
Rick tapped her on the shoulder, "Just lean back Hannah. It's no big deal – you're not too heavy."
"Right, no big deal." She thought to herself and tentatively leaned back into Rick. She realized almost immediately what a mistake it was. Rick's chest was warm and hard against her back, his breath tickled along her ear and the side of her cheek, and her ass was jammed directly on to his crotch. Rick didn't say anything and his body language suggested he was perfectly comfortable, but his hands were curled into tight fists on the seat and his breathing was perhaps a bit too rapid for someone who was completely at ease.
After only a few minutes, Hannah sat back up. Smiling weakly at Rick, she twisted again until she was back to sitting on his lap sideways and slid backwards until her back was against the door. She rested the back of her head on the cold glass and crossed her arms over her torso. The armrest was digging into her spine but she could tough it out for the next hour.
"Better?" Rick raised one eyebrow at her.
"Yes." She replied. She glanced back at Amelia but she was curled up on Daryl's lap, her head tucked into his neck and her eyes closed. His eyes were still closed as well but one rough hand rubbed her leg gently.
She sighed, closed her eyes, and tried to block out the feel of Rick's legs under her own.
Rick shifted in his seat, stretching his legs a bit, then grabbed for Hannah as she started to slide off his lap towards the dashboard. She had dozed off maybe 10 minutes ago and he was amused at how quickly and deeply she had fallen asleep. She couldn't be comfortable, he could see the armrest poking into her back and her head rocked back and forth against the glass of the window, but she evidently was exhausted enough to ignore it. He propped her back up against the door of the truck and T-Dog laughed quietly when Rick let go of her and she immediately started to slide back down his legs towards the dashboard again. He held her up for a moment and gave T-Dog a "now what?" look as Hannah frowned and shifted and started to wake.
He shrugged, "Don't look at me man." Sighing, Rick tugged her against him.
Still mostly asleep she came willingly enough, collapsing against him in a boneless little heap. He put his arm around her, placing his hand on her ribcage above the bulky bandage on her side and holding her steady. He didn't like how he could feel the bones so easily; she felt so tiny and fragile to him. Maybe not that fragile, he thought, his mind flashing back to the ferocity in which she had slammed the rock down on the Walker's head. Still, he made a mental note to make sure she ate enough at the camp. She needed more meat on her bones.
He glanced over at T-Dog. He was staring at the road ahead of him but he turned his head and regarded Rick solemnly for a moment. He didn't seem to find anything strange about Hannah using him as a pillow and Rick sighed a breath of relief. Even if his thoughts weren't exactly innocent about holding Hannah, at least it appeared that way.
Hannah sighed softly in her sleep and snuggled closer to him. Only half awake she shifted and squirmed until she was mostly straddling him. She slid her left arm between his arm and his body and tucked her hand between his back and the seat. He swallowed hard when she slipped her other hand into the opening at the neck of his shirt and curled her fingers into the hair on his chest. She sighed again and his entire body shuddered when she placed a soft kiss on the sensitive spot just behind his ear before dropping her head on to his shoulder. He was immediately thankful for two things – that no one had seen her kiss him and that her body was covering his crotch and hiding his erection.
T-Dog glanced over and his face split into a wide grin. "She seems comfortable. For such an itty bit of a thing, she sure takes up a lot of room when she sleeps." He chuckled.
Rick gave him what he hoped was a "what are you going to do?" shrug in response.
T-Dog laughed again, "I'll bet you ten bucks she's one of those women who sleeps in the middle of the bed, limbs everywhere and hogging the covers." He looked fondly at Melissa still dozing against him, "Seems like the littler they are the more bed space they like to have."
