Chapter 47 – Trust
As the door crept opened, the loudest sound was the squeaking protest of the hinge. My mind flashed back to the countless times we had gone through that very same door and how the noise always bothered Edward. "Damn, I need to fix that," I had heard him grumble every time. It was one of those little nuisances that would always get pushed behind the seemingly endless repairs the house needed that were always more vital. That squeak, however inconsequentially irritating it may have been in our daily lives there, now just sounded like home.
The slow movement of the door almost seemed to slow everything right down with it. Was the world even still spinning normally, or were we suddenly stuck in some strange time warp that pulled the entire universe to a near standstill?
Hours later, or days, or just mere seconds, the door was opened just wide enough for something to break through. Something small and black like a skinny cylinder. It took me another several beats to realize it was the barrel of a rifle.
"I don't know how you found us, but you're not coming into our home!" we heard a voice call from the obscurity of the cracked door. The voice was deep and gruff, and a tone I had never heard before, but it was still one I recognized.
"Emmett?" I called back, feeling a world of emotions all at the same time. He was there, that meant so was my baby!
When he heard his name, Emmett stepped out through the door, but when he saw me, he didn't flash his big happy dimples the way I was expecting. Instead, his eyes met mine with anger and distrust.
"Bella," he said coldly. "They said you were likely dead. What happened to…" He paused his comment when he saw Edward there as well. "You're both alive?" He kept his tone even, but there was a hint of panic just below the surface.
"Emmett, what's wrong?" Edward asked, clearly sensing the same unease I was.
Emmett glared at Edward, then looked around at the other faces standing with us. All of which seemed to make him that much more agitated. "Charlotte isn't here," he then said, making my stomach drop. "Rose took her somewhere. We got into a fight and they left. I don't know where. It's been over a week. Seth and the dogs went with them so I'm alone here."
I could feel myself beginning to spiral into a deep panic. I knew better than to let Edward give me false hope that we would find our baby there. Knowing they were out in the great unknown was absolutely excruciating. How would we ever find them?
Suddenly, I heard the sound of crying, and for a moment, I thought it was Charlotte, as if Emmett was only lying for some unknown reason. Perhaps they just loved Charlotte so much, they couldn't bear the thought of parting with her… but then I realized how stupid that was. The cries were from Claire, and I was left with even more heartache than I was a moment prior. How was I going to help care for that sweet little girl when I was missing my own baby so much?
I was vaguely aware when one of the soldiers got Claire out of the vehicle, but she continued to cry and reach for Edward, so he huffed and took her.
"Where did that kid come from?" Em asked with a mix of bitterness and curiosity.
"Bella had her. She's a science experiment, so grows at a rapid pace," Edward deadpanned.
Emmett cocked his head in bewilderment as if he took Edward's comment seriously. That's when I realized something more was going on. Emmett was the biggest goofball I knew. Why would he take Edward's ridiculous comment seriously?
"Look, as I already told you people, I'm here alone, and that's the way I want to stay. So, I would appreciate it if you all left," Em said loud enough for the entire convoy to hear.
"Can you at least point us in the right direction of where we could start our search for Charlotte?" I asked desperately.
"They went down that road, and that was the last I saw of them," he replied with irritation.
"Fine, we'll leave, but can I just go inside real quick to take Claire here to the bathroom?" Edward requested. "You know toddlers, they always have to go."
Claire was still in diapers and she was changed recently, so I immediately knew he was using it as an excuse to get into the house. I only wished I knew why.
Emmett considered it, but then he gestured to me. "Bella can take her in. You need to stay out here."
I turned to Edward questionably, unsure what I was really supposed to do once inside. He responded by nodding, but his nod was almost directional. I looked down where his chin was pointing and I saw it. A plate of fresh strawberries from the garden. A couple were chewed on already, which wouldn't have been telling had we not known Emmett was actually allergic to strawberries. I looked back at Edward with wide eyes, and he nodded again as if to answer my unspoken thought.
Charlotte was there.
Suddenly, I could feel my heart beating throughout my entire body. The pulsating was so loud that it made it hard to hear anything else. My baby was there, but there must have been some kind of danger for Emmett to act that way. Perhaps some evil stranger was holding them hostage. That was the most likely scenario in my mind, so when I took Claire from Edward, I also discreetly grabbed a small pistol that I could hide in my pant leg.
Claire was not happy to be leaving Edward, but she had also been trained since birth to be quiet when she was told. I felt bad for hushing her in that way, but in that situation, it was necessary.
Emmett glared at me as I passed him on the porch to walk inside. The look in his eyes was completely foreign to me. There was no warmth or the love that had always shone there for all of his family. It was just cold and distant, and it truly made me tremble. Whatever that was going on must have been brutal, but I had to get to the bottom of it.
Once inside, I looked around carefully, and nothing appeared to be out of place. The holes in the walls had been repaired, but other than that, it pretty much looked exactly as it did the last time I was there. There were no signs of struggle or distress, which only added to the eeriness. What the hell was going on?
"Okay sweetie, let's use the potty," I said loud enough for whoever was in there to hear. I took her into the bathroom, drained out the water from the toilet so she couldn't get hurt, then left her there to play with some of Charlotte's old bath toys that were still in there. I shut the door, hoping to shield her from whatever was about to go down in that house. Then I quietly looked around for signs of my baby.
I checked the kitchen and in the main bedroom that used to belong to Edward and me. Surprisingly, nothing had moved since the last night we had spent there, which told me that they weren't using that space for anything. I then went to the house addition where the other rooms were added. I looked in Seth's room first, then Emmett and Rosalie's, where I was met with a locked door.
I had no clue what kind of danger they could possibly be in, so rather than knock or call out, I took the pin out of my military issued utility belt that I was wearing, and attempted to pick the lock. It wasn't difficult. Those locks were never meant to be hard to get through, so when it clicked open, I took a deep breath and tightened my grip on the small pistol I brought.
I opened the door slowly, but before I could even look inside, I was met with the sound of a rifle being cocked in my direction.
"Whoever is there, I have a gun!" Rose warned.
"Rosalie, it's Bella," I said, trying to keep my tone gentle so whoever was in there threatening her wouldn't think I was hostile.
"Mama!" a little voice called out, and my heart nearly jumped out of my throat.
It had been almost two months since I saw her last, and a part of me worried she would need some time to warm up to me again. But hearing her, knowing she still recognized the sound of my voice, made something click in me that was impossible to control. I was physically incapable of staying where I was, and my body was automatically in motion. In that moment, I forgot there was potential danger and I should take it slow. In that moment, I could think of nothing else besides scooping up my daughter and never letting her go again.
"Charlotte," I cried. I was vaguely aware when a light clicked on, but light or dark didn't matter, all that mattered was the feeling of her little body in my arms. "Hi baby," I cooed while inhaling her deep into my lungs. She smelled so good, and clean, and her little giggles were music to my ears.
"You're back!" she squealed happily while patting my face. "Not on the phone anymore," she added, making me laugh through my happy tears.
"That's right. I'm back and I'm never leaving you again," I sang.
"They told us you didn't make it," Rose said, her tone was accusatory and cut through the joy I was feeling with my daughter.
I didn't want to take my eyes off of Charlotte, but I was abruptly reminded that we were smack dab in the middle of some kind of trouble. So, I stood, but kept her securely in my arms, and then I surveyed the room for danger.
"Rose, what's going on?" I asked quietly, wondering if an armed assailant was hiding in the closet, because as far as I could see, no one else was in the house with us.
"You tell me what's going on," she retorted coldly. "They told us… they told us some troubling things," she said carefully, clearly not trying to scare Charlotte.
"What did they tell you?" I asked distractedly as I took a step backwards to be at a better angle to peek into the closet. When I saw it was empty, I whispered – "Where are they? Under the bed?"
"Where's who?" Rose asked with no attempt to stay quiet. "What are you talking about?"
"Is someone in the house?" I mumbled discreetly.
"What? No."
I waited for her to wink or give me some other kind of signal that they were being held against their will, but there was nothing.
"No one is threatening you?" I asked confused. "Then, why are you acting this way? Why did Emmett tell us you guys left? Where is Seth and the dogs?"
She narrowed her eyes at me. "Why are you asking so many questions?"
Before I could answer, she deliberately moved in between me and the bedroom door so I couldn't leave even if I wanted to.
"What did they do to you out there?" she asked suspiciously.
"What did who do?" I asked, getting increasingly confused. "Wait, what is happening here?"
"You tell me," she retorted.
"I honestly don't know."
"Well, if your mind has been fucked with, I guess you wouldn't know," she mumbled, seemingly to herself.
"Rose, whatever you're thinking, just tell me so we can figure it out. Edward and I fought like hell to get back here to be with Charlotte and you guys, and I just want to understand what's going on. Why did Emmett say you left? Is someone else here that's threatening you?"
"Yeah, you!" she said strongly.
"Me? Rose, you're not making sense."
"Mama is sad, Auntie Wose is sad, Uncle Em is sad, Daddy missing his mind. Mama, did you find Daddy's mind?"
"Missing his mind?" I asked confused before looking at Rose questionably.
Rose looked horrified, but attempted to dismiss it. "Baby, I don't know what you heard Uncle say, but…"
"Why did Uncle Sef take doggies away?" she interrupted Rose.
"Rosalie, what is going on?" I asked again, desperate for some kind of understanding.
"Edward left you, Bella," she said with a huff. "He would have never done that if they didn't mess with his mind. Then you left with him."
"I explained that to you before I went," I reminded her. "They had him believing he was going to die. He wanted me to move on without him. I had to go to make sure he came home, and that's what I did. I don't understand why you're questioning it now. When we spoke on the satellite phone you guys believed us. Em even cried to Edward about how much he loves him."
"Emmett does love you guys, we both do, but… when we lost contact with you weeks ago, the people in Washington told us things," she said reluctantly. "Horrifying things about the place you went. They said if you survived, you would never be the same again. However bad we thought the Washington Boots were to Edward, the people in Chicago were a hundred times worse. They said they have ways to… manipulate people. To make people want to serve them. I'm sorry, but whatever you're planning to do with Charlotte, I can't allow it. The person you were before would have wanted us to protect her… even from you."
Her emotional words finally made sense. They didn't trust us, and as a sorrowful tear spilled over her cheek, I could only feel nothing but love and gratitude for her and Em both. There was no threat except for the one they feared we posed. They were protecting our baby from us, and now I needed to convince them that it was not necessary.
"There was a lot of messed up things that went on in those tunnels," I told her vaguely, not wanting to scare Charlotte. "But I promise you, we made it out of there with our minds intact. We aren't under the influence of anyone; in fact, Aro was permanently eliminated thanks to Edward's actions. No one wants to harm Charlotte, and even if they did, her cells aren't really usable. If she were a boy… like the one in my belly, there would be more danger."
"You're pregnant?" she asked with a glimmer of joy behind her hesitant eyes.
I nodded. "You're going to be a big sister," I told Charlotte with a smile. I really wanted to wait and tell her when Edward and I could do it together, but it just seemed necessary in that moment.
"You already know it's a boy?" Rose questioned softly.
"Yeah, it's a long story, but I promise you, we would never let anything happen to Charlotte or our son. We're home, Rose. We're home for good, and I really believe everything will only get better from here on out."
I wasn't sure if she could possibly believe me after all the shit she had seen and been through in her life, but as she mulled it over in her mind, I could see that sisterly love reemerge. She may have still had a hint of doubt, but she smiled and wrapped her arms around me and Charlotte securely. "Oh Bella, I've missed you so much," she cried. "We were so lost without you guys."
"You've done amazing without us," I disagreed wholeheartedly. "Look at all you guys have accomplished. You made the decision to leave a place you felt was unsafe…"
"Apparently that was the wrong decision," she said with a sad laugh.
"It wasn't. You did what you thought was best, and we couldn't ask for more. You fixed this place up and most importantly, kept our baby safe. Rose, we are forever in your debt."
"Well, if you can't count on family, who can you count on?" she said while attempting to dry her face with her sleeve.
"Rose, it's safe, they're not here to hand Charlotte over to the loonies!" we heard Em call from the other room, making us both laugh, which in turn, made Charlotte giggle. Whatever Edward told Em about our time away must have allowed him to trust us again. Em was always a big softy when it came to his surrogate little brother, Edward. They had a strong bond and I was glad it could be repaired.
"Let's go see daddy," I told Charlotte.
"Daddy!" she squealed excitedly.
I carried her out of the room to where Edward and Em were waiting for us in the living room. Edward lit up the moment he saw her, and she practically jumped out of my arms to greet him. I hated letting go of her so soon after just getting her back, but if I was going to surrender her to anyone, it was her daddy. They laughed and cooed at each other, and the happy tears streaming down Edward's cheeks as he kissed her hair made all of those horrible days without her worth it. I knew in my heart it wouldn't have happened if I stayed. We all made the best decisions we could, and we made it out on the other side.
"Sorry for the doubt," Em told me as we watched Charlotte's reunion with Edward. "Too much shit was going down for us to just take everything at face value. Ed explained everything to me, and I'm just glad you guys made it out of that place alive."
"You and me both," I agreed, as he gave me a loving bear squeeze. "I missed you, Sis."
"I missed you too, Em. Thank you so much for keeping Char safe."
"It's been the greatest honor of my life," he said sincerely. He let go of me, but looked around the room as if something was missing. "Speaking of keeping kids safe, where is the little one you had before?"
"Claire. Oh my God!" I nearly shouted realizing she was still locked in the bathroom. I raced over and opened the door, only to find her sleeping on the bathmat. "Oh sweetie, I'm sorry," I said as my sudden reappearance startled her awake. I picked her up and carried her back to the others. She and Charlotte looked at each other strangely, but Charlotte was much more interested in her daddy, and Claire too wanted Edward and began whimpering.
"Baby, can Mommy hold you again? I know she missed you so much," Edward said to Charlotte. She nodded and happily came back to me, but looked miffed by the way he took Claire from me. Lucky for her, Edward didn't plan on holding her for long.
"So, this is Claire," he said to Rosalie.
"Where did she come from?" Rose replied confused.
"She is the result of a horrible man doing horrible things to women who had their minds so twisted that they thought they were being honored. A messed-up way to come into this world, but I believe you can make her life so much more meaningful."
"Wait…" Rose's confusion doubled as Edward placed her in her arms. "She's an orphan?" she asked, looking at her like the sun was rising in her eyes.
"Not anymore," Edward said with a wink.
Rose's face was immediately covered in tears again, and her stunned eyes kept looking back and forth between Claire and Emmett. "Is this for real?" she asked Edward after Emmett started crying too.
"Yeah, she's yours… if you want her," Edward confirmed.
"How could anyone not want her? Oh, hi baby," she cooed at the very perplexed little girl in her arms.
Edward came over to wrap his arms around me and Charlotte, and we were all crying with gratitude of our family being whole again… well, almost whole.
"Hey, where's Seth?" I asked after a bit.
"Oh, I guess I should go fetch him," Emmett said with a huff, reluctant to leave his new daughter. "When we saw the convoy coming, I told him to take the dogs to the caves. I didn't think we would be able to keep them from barking. I would have sent Rose and Char too, but it's not safe enough out there."
"That was good thinking," Edward said, nodding supportively.
"You don't need to go after him," Rose disagreed with the notion. "I'm sure he will head back before dark."
We were soaking in every moment with our daughter, as did Em and Rose with theirs, but I also wanted Charlotte to meet her grandpa, so we brought her outside to where Charlie and the rest of the team were waiting patiently.
"Oh Bella, she is so beautiful," my dad gasped as he met his granddaughter for the first time. "She looks so much like you… and Edward. Well, I guess she is the perfect mix of you both." Charlie wasn't a crier, but the tears were definitely flowing then. Jasper and Alice came over to meet Charlotte as well, and we spent the next few hours being fully engrossed in that little girl.
As the sun began to lower in the sky, we realized we needed to make accommodations for the soldiers. It was a small team, but still more bodies than we had beds for.
Thankfully, they were prepared.
"Our trucks have cots inside. We should be well protected for the night," the commander assured us.
"I'm sure we can make room in the living room," I offered, but they all declined. All of them, except my father, who I insisted he stay on our couch.
As predicted, Seth returned just before dusk, and Sam and Wolfe couldn't have been happier to have us home. They both hovered around the little girls protectively, which was another sweet source of more joyful tears.
That evening, our entire family sat around the fireplace and exchanged stories from our time apart, while watching the girls play and begin to get to know each other. They both seemed to get jealous over Edward, but as much as he cared about Claire, he would clearly guide her back to Rose and Em every time she would reach for him. She was Charlotte's daddy, and that was something Claire would need time to understand.
When everyone turned in for the night, we settled into our old room and sunk into the familiar hard springy mattress like it was the most comfortable thing in the universe. We kept Charlotte between us, and Sam at our feet, and we fell asleep feeling the most serenely content I could ever remember feeling in my entire life – until, that is, we heard the screams.
My eyes snapped open so quickly that I briefly wondered if the sound was in life, or just the remnants of a recurring vivid nightmare.
I was frozen with the fear of which it could be. Sure, we were safe with the team outside and their incredible weapons, but there were no guarantees. I was still such a pessimist that I figured it was a very likely possibility that I'd have my happiness destroyed the moment I felt secure.
But thankfully, that wasn't the case…
"Everything is fine. Try to go back to sleep," Edward murmured. I could feel him caressing my arm where it was resting on Charlotte's back, and despite not knowing what was wrong, I felt safe.
Then I heard the screams again, only this time, now that I was awake enough to hear them clearly, I recognized them. It wasn't the screaming of the undead, it was the screaming of a toddler. A scared toddler, still unsure of the strangers caring for her.
"You should go to her," I told him softly. "She sounds terrified."
Without even taking a moment to consider it, Edward voiced his disagreement. "Em and Rose can handle it. She needs to learn to count on them."
"Edward, she doesn't know them," I pointed out.
"Not yet, and she certainly won't bond with them if I rush in to calm her every time."
"This is the most upset I've ever heard her before," I said, aching for her fears. "They're not going to get any sleep tonight."
"It'll pass," he replied unconcerned. "This is the newborn phase. It's good for them as parents," he added with a chuckle.
We could hear Claire crying off and on throughout the night, and by morning I was worried the poor thing would be traumatized. However, when Charlotte was finally ready to get up, we went into the kitchen to find a very content little girl clinging to an exhausted looking Rose.
"Are you okay?" I asked with a supportive smile. "That sounded rough."
"It was, and I'm sure it's just the beginning," she said as she put Claire down in Charlotte's old highchair. "She was just so scared; it broke my heart. I ended up rocking her most of the night. It seemed like she was having nightmares or something."
"She hardly made a sound on the entire trip here," I said, surprised she had such a drastically different night.
When Edward emerged from the bathroom, Claire reached for him again, but he responded by greeting her with a kiss to her head but then sitting next to Charlotte on the table bench seat. "What are we having for breakfast?" he asked casually.
"We have berries," Rose said with a smile. "You guys didn't happen to bring any chickens with you from the Washington compound, did you?"
"I wish," I told her. "We should have thought about that."
"I'll tell the commander to go fetch us some," Edward joked.
"So, that military team works for you now, huh?" Rose asked facetiously.
"Damn right. They want my blood to save the world, they better give me a few perks like round the clock bodyguards and farm animal delivery service."
"They're going to bring us farm animals?" Seth asked while exiting his bedroom with Wolfe.
"It's actually a good idea," Charlie mumbled from where he was still lying on the couch. "We could use some livestock here."
"We?" I questioned with a grin and a raised brow. Charlie was a soldier and felt a sense of duty to serve the rebuilding of our country and world, but his comment gave me hope that he wouldn't be so quick to leave.
"Well, I think I should hang around here for a while… at least until you kids get this place up and moving again."
"We've been working on the garden, and Seth has fished some, but we could really use some better sources of protein," Emmett said as he came to sit at the table. He picked up some of the blueberries on Claire's tray to try to encourage her to eat, but she just pressed her lips and turned away from him. "Aww, I'll get you to like me eventually," Em said undeterred. "Daddy loves you anyway," he added with a big fat kiss to her chubby cheek. She cracked a half smile, but still pulled away from him.
…
It was a solid week of crying and distrust with Claire. I felt horrible for her and was beginning to think we made a mistake. Was it worth all those tears and sleepless nights? Edward kept telling me to give it more time, but as a mother, it was so incredibly difficult sitting by knowing a little one was that upset. On the flipside, our little girl had welcomed us home with ease and nothing but love and affection. I felt guilty how simple and perfect it was with Charlotte, and how difficult it was with Claire. It just didn't seem fair to any of them.
Regardless of the rough nights, Rose and Em never complained or showed an ounce of regret. Their exhaustion didn't affect their hard work during the day and they never slacked on any of the necessary chores that we all did to ensure our survival. They just took it all in stride and were determined to make it work.
Surprisingly, the team commander agreed on fetching us some livestock, so he sent two men back to Washington to retrieve them for us. They returned within a few days with a truck full of chickens, cows, and goats. It was definitely going to be a life saver for us.
The following week brought more changes. The commander had seen enough and made the decision that we were safe there without them, so they set out to embark on a new mission elsewhere. Alice and Jasper decided their place was with the military, but promised to visit whenever they were in the area. They left us that day bickering like normal, but I could only smile knowing they had a deep love for each other under all that squabbling.
With everything finally beginning to settle into our new, calm life, Claire had a breakthrough. One afternoon, Em had her cracking up at the silliest thing, and from that moment on, she became just as enamored with him as she ever was with Edward, if not more. And when she called Rose "Mama" for the first time, I knew all those long sleepless nights were worth it for them.
"I want you to know, if you hadn't made it, I would have loved Charlotte as my own for the rest of my life," Rose told me. "But knowing Claire is ours," she shook her head, momentarily at a loss for words as she was overcome with emotions. "I really feel like a mother. Bella, I can't thank you enough for bringing her home to us."
"Well, that was all Edward, but I do believe it was meant to be," I told her sincerely.
Rose and I sat on the porch swing and watched our husbands with our daughters playing on the grass, and we both couldn't be more thankful for that moment. It truly was incredible.
…
A few more weeks passed, and although Charlie loved every moment with us, I began to sense his restlessness. He never did well sitting idle. He worried about the girls' future and the kind of world they would find as adults.
"Maybe it's time for you to go back to work," I suggested as I watched him wander aimlessly through the garden one afternoon. Edward and Em were always perfectly content at home, just doing what needed to be done to survive and watching our kids grow. Charlie was cut from a different cloth. He needed to be busy.
"I don't want to separate from you again," he disagreed. "And I sure as hell don't want to lose anymore time of my granddaughter growing up."
"So, come back and visit every couple of months," I told him encouragingly. As much as I would miss him, had the world not ended, we probably wouldn't be living together, so it didn't make sense for him to waste away here when he could be elsewhere doing so much more. "You know where to find us now. Go and fix the world."
"But what if there is an attack on the house? I don't want to leave you unprotected."
I laughed once. "Unprotected? Edward and I have plenty of experience with the infected. Having those weapons now, I think we are more than good. Even before the electric weapons, we survived her for quite some time. We will be fine, I promise."
Charlie nodded to himself. "Bella, we haven't spoken much about this, but I want you to know just how incredibly grateful I am that you discovered the value in that kid."
I laughed, thinking he was joking, but he kept his face serious. "What do you mean?"
"Edward," he clarified. "Now, I know he was somewhat of a goofball and you had your thing going with Jake at the time, but… I always knew Edward would be the one to take care of you."
"You did?" I asked surprised. "Like, before the outbreak?"
He nodded. "That boy was so in love with you, and it wasn't some puppy crush. The way he would look at you… it was fierce, like he was prepared to die for you. I saw it from the very beginning, and I knew if you were to ever give him a real chance, he'd never let you down."
"Oh, so that's why you taught him how to shoot and all those survival skills?" I said in a joking manner but serious.
"He needed a good male role model. God knows Carlisle was never around to show him anything… but yeah. I guess deep down I just always knew you two would be something someday. He's turned out to be a good man, Bella, and I'm so happy that you make each other happy. Without love, this world wouldn't be worth saving."
"That's very true," I agreed wholeheartedly.
It took a little more convincing, but a few days later, Charlie packed a truck to leave to rejoin the military. I didn't have a doubt it was the right decision, not only for him, but for Seth as well.
"I hate leaving you guys," Seth told us as he put his things into the truck next to my father's.
"We will always be your family, Kid," Edward assured him as they embraced. "We love you."
"Aw, I love you guys too," he replied emotionally.
When Charlie hugged Edward, it was the most genuine embrace I had ever seen my father give any man, and it brought a tear to my eye. Charlie sincerely loved my husband, and that was a beautiful thing, especially since there was a time when Edward worried Charlie would hate him for the way our relationship progressed. He couldn't have been more wrong back then, and I was so grateful.
After releasing Edward, Charlie took an extra minute with me, while Seth outright sobbed while saying goodbye to Wolfe.
"We'll take good care of him," I heard Emmett promise Seth.
It was tough seeing the two of them go, but the slow farm life just wasn't for either of them. We would miss them, but this wasn't goodbye forever, it was just a bittersweet "See ya later."
It was the first separation since the outbreak that I wasn't worried about. They would be okay, and I trusted that we would see them again. In the meantime, the six of us that remained were beyond excited to just live every moment of our simple lives together…
