Ch.45
We've been on the road for about 9 months now. We've also gotten used to sleeping with one eye open at night. None of us have gotten much sleep, though. Not since everything that we've gone through.
I keep waking up in the middle of the night thinking someone or something is trying to get us. I've woken Daryl up several times, and some of the others a few times.
I stay behind with Lori and the others while the guys scope out this house we found along the way. "Hey. Still not sleeping very well?" Lori asks me staring at my exhausted face.
"No. Not really. Keep waking up every few hours. Daryl's gotten used to it enough that all he has to do is hold me." I sigh rubbing my face. "But enough about me. You should be more worried about yourself, mama." I emphasize her title turning it around on her and gesturing toward her extended belly.
We both laugh at each other as Lori looks down at her protruding stomach. "I wish I knew what you were going through. To have a new life grow and kick you all over the place." I pause to laugh referencing what my mother went through with my brother.
"It must be amazing." I continue saying while feeling the baby kick. "Yeah, it is." Lori smiles at her baby bump. "Oh, I can't wait to meet you, little baby. I'm gonna have to teach you to call me 'Aunty Maezy'." I say excitedly clapping my hands together.
Lori laughs at my excitement. "If this was the old world, I would say ' you'll get there someday', but this world is different. I don't want to force anything on you. Constant worry and running, hunger, no modern medicine. Boy do I miss epideurals." she laughs thinking back from when she had Carl.
"It would definitely be easier." I say laughing with Lori. "That's for sure." she huffs chuckling. "But anyways, you're not forcing anything on me. I would love to be a mother. Yea, this world is different and it would be a lot harder, but that just means more work. The world is better with children in it anyway." I say staring towards the house.
"So you and Daryl have been together for a while." Lori begins wriggling her eyebrows at me. "Yea, and...?" I look back at her furrowing my eyebrows. "Oh, come on. You had to have had a few scares. Especially if you haven't used protection." she says smirking at me.
I look at Lori stunned. "Lori!" I screech. "What?" she laughs at me. "And for the record we have been using protection. Not that you need to know, but we have." I chuckle looking away embaressed.
"Although, we had a few times where we didn't. I thought I might have been a couple times, but turns out I wasn't. I was really scared. After a while, I began to actually want to get pregnant. " I explain sheepishly.
"And there was that time that I actually was, or at least I was pretty sure." I confess. "Oh, yeah. I remember you saying something about that. You were afraid to tell Daryl. Did you ever tell him?" Lori says looking sadly at me.
"No, I didn't. I had lost it shortly after I found out. I don't know how Daryl would have handled it? I barely could handle it." I say sadly. "I've been thinking if we did have a baby, I believe he would do all right, I suppose." I say honestly.
"Just 'all right'? He cared about finding Sophia. And she wasn't even his. I think he would care a lot more if it was his kid. But if you did get pregnant, there's no way he would turn you away. He loves you too much." Lori says staring into my sad face.
"You really think so?" I ask with a faint smile. "Yea, of course. It may take some time for him to get used to it, but he wouldn't leave. I doubt anything could make him leave." Lori answers with a big smile causing a boost to my ego.
"Thank you, Lori. I needed that boost." I hug Lori and she hugs me back. "Oh. Someone's gonna need a playmate, aren't they?" I laugh poking her belly. "Better get started then." she says causing both of us to burst out laughing.
"What's going on over here?" Daryl walks up to us furrowing his brows. "Nothing. Girl talk." Lori tells him crossing her arms over her belly. "Uh-huh." he grunts staring at us. "It's fine. Just excited for the new baby." I say kissing his cheek before looking at Rick walking up behind him.
"Hey, Rick. What's up? I take it the house is clear now?" I ask looking past Daryl. "Yep. All clear. Grab everything and make your way inside." Rick says picking up a blanket and hauling it to the living room.
Once inside, I glance at the bird that Daryl is plucking in the living room. "Is that an owl?" I ask pointing at the dead bird in his hands. "Yeah. Gonna cook it tonight." he answers me still pulling feathers off.
"Where did you find that thing?" I ask stunned. "Upstairs. Why?" Daryl questions narrowing his eyes at me. "Just wondering. Do you think it was a pet?" I ask crossing my arms and staring straight at the dead animal.
"Don't matter. We eatin' it now." Daryl shrugs continuing to pluck the feathers from the bird. "I guess. At least it's better than nothing." I sigh scratching the side of my face.
Carl comes back from the kitchen with a can of dog food. I watch him open it with a look of disgust on my face. I really don't want to eat that. I'm not eating it either way. I don't care what he says. I'm not some mutt who will eat anything.
Noticing the can, Rick walks over to snatch it off the floor. He studies it for a while, then throws it across the room. "Nobody is eating dog food. You hear me? We're people." he gripes to all of us.
I jump when the can lands with a loud thud. I think the stress over the past several months has finally gotten to Rick. Being leader is hard work. Then T-dog grabs our attention to the walkers piling up around one side of the house. So, we pack up our stuff and head back on the road again.
We stop along the road several miles away. "We're going hunting. Wanna come?" Daryl asks me loading his crossbow. "You betcha." I say grabbing a gun just in case.
"Come on, then. Don't got all day." Daryl scowls at me. "Keep your shirt on will ya? I'm comin'." I huff letting out a chuckle. "Are you now?" he grins at me caressing the back of my thigh.
"Wipe that stupid grin off your face. Not that way." I scold jokingly while pulling on Daryl's jeans to get back at him. He smiles at me as I try to pull his pants down by his belt loops. "Hey now. Not here." Daryl swats my hands away as we laugh together.
"You guys aren't getting frisky back there are you?" Rick asks glancing behind him and chuckling at us. We continue our childish antics until Rick stops in front of us causing us to instantly separate.
Rick looks at me like I'm a child getting caught doing something suspicious. "Do I need to separate you two?" he asks staring between me and Daryl. "Um. No." I say blushing with my hands behind my back at being caught.
Rick just shakes his head at me as he turns back around leading the way again. "We can continue later." Daryl winks at me making me blush even more. He knows once I start blushing that I don't stop. So, he tries to make the most of me in that vulnerable state.
"Shut up. We should be on the lookout anyways." I blush stepping ahead of Daryl. "Yeah, I suppose. We had our fun." he says before quickly smacking me on the butt. I squeak as I feel him grab me and turn around to stare at him. "Well. Almost." he grins at me as I frown at him.
"Hey guys. Come take a look at this." Rick ushers us to take a look at what he found. "Is that a prison?" I ask him staring in awe. "Yea. Looks like it could be home." he replies with a smile. "Let's check it out, then. Go get the others first." Daryl pipes up walking back to get the others.
After we gather everyone we make our way to the prison. "It's definitely secure. But we'll have to clear it out first before we settle in." I say peeking through the fence at all the walkers on the inside.
Rick cuts the fence with a pair of pliers we found. The hole is only big enough to fit through crouching down. There's a little area separating the courtyard from the outside. Rick looks happy at his discovery.
"It's perfect. If we can shut that gate, prevent more from filling the yard, we can pick off these walkers. Take the field by tonight. What do you say?" Rick says explaining to us our options.
"Yeah. This could do well." I nod as I look around at the location. "How do you suppose we shut the gate?" Hershel asks staring at Rick. "I'll do it you guys cover me." Glenn speaks up ready to be the goafer again.
"Glenn, I thought you were done being zombie bait?" I mock laughing at him. Glenn sticks out his tongue at me. I'm not gonna stop him if he wants to do it. "Someone's gotta do it." he answers with a truth behind his voice.
"Alright. So here's what we're gonna do." Rick starts giving out orders to everyone. Glenn, Maggie, Beth, and Lori are going to draw as many walkers over to the fence as they can. Pick them off one at a time. Hershel and Carl are taking this tower while Daryl and Carol takes the other. Carol is going to snipe the walkers that get too close.
Wait. Where do I fit in? "I guess I'll stay by the fence?" I question Rick feeling left out. "No. Mae, you're with me. You're gonna help me close the gate." Rick says putting a hand on my shoulder.
"What?!" Daryl calls out to us pissy, and I turn around to stare at him for his opposing tone. "Babe, this is nothing compared to the farm. I'll be all right. Plus, I'll be with Rick. He won't let anything happen to me, right?" I look to Rick for support.
"Absolutely. She's in good hands. She can take care of herself." Rick comments backing me up. "I'll be back." I grab Daryl's face to make him look at me. "I love you." I say kissing him on the lips before walking away with Rick, ready to put our plan into action.
"Be careful." Lori says to both of us and we nod at her stepping through the gate. As we map out which way to go, we ready our weapons. "Give me those. I'll make my way to the gate. You back me up." I grab the clips from Ricks hands. "No. We stick together. Don't want anything going wrong." he says urging me forward.
