Chapter 26
"We're gonna be stuck here for a while" Rick says moving away from the window
"How much snow you think is out there?" Carol asks
"At least a foot. And its steadily falling" Herschel says
"Can we play in the snow mama?" Penny asks
"No honey"
"Why not?"
"Because we don't have coats or hats and we would get too cold"
"I think we should take our chances with the storage lockers" Rick says
"They're probably overrun" Maggie protests
"I don't think it's a good idea" Carol says
"Well, what would you have us do?" Rick asks, "Continue to sleep in a different house every other night?" he retorts
"It's worked so far" she defends
"There's only so many houses" Daryl says
"You think the storage lockers are a good idea?" Maggie asks him
"Could lock 'em, most don't have windows so walkers can't break them and most have a fence all the way round the property" Daryl says
"I don't think it's a good idea either" Lori says
"Fine, fine we'll find a house for tonight and debate this tomorrow." Rick huffs
I find him later that night in the kitchen after I've settled a fussy, teething Anneliese
"What're you doing up?" I ask
"Couldn't sleep"
"Wanna share?" I offer
"I just – I'm trying so damn hard and nothing I do seems to be right" he admits after a moment
"I trust you, Rick. What you think is best is what we should do" I tell him honestly
A week after the initial storage locker arguments we do end up in them. All of us divided between 4 of them.
Anneliese is not settling for anything; I can tell her mouth hurts but if her cries get any louder, she's gonna bring a whole herd of walkers down on us and wouldn't that just be great I think getting frustrated
"Come on darling, work with me here" I murmur offering her the teething ring Glenn found months ago
"Why's she crying?" Penny asks
"Her mouth hurts"
"Why?"
"Because she's got teeth trying to come in" I answer just as Anneliese grabs the teether and pitches it onto the floor
"Try this Genevieve" Herschel says handing me a wooden spoon and I eye it skeptically for a moment before offering it to Anneliese, who promptly crams it in her mouth and starts gumming on it.
Closing my eyes, I sigh out a thank you to Herschel
"Want me to try?" Lori offers over Anneliese's screeching cries
"If you want" I answer letting her take Anneliese from my arms
She cradles her against her chest, resting on top of her baby bump and starts rocking her. By some miracle Anneliese calms down and slowly falls asleep
"God bless you Lori" I whisper
"I think she just likes the bump" she whispers back making me laugh
"Gen! wake up" Rick says
"What's wrong"
"Walkers we gotta go!" he urges, and I hurriedly push to my feet
"I'll take the baby. It's hailing so be careful" He says scooping Anneliese up and tucking her into his jacket
The kids get up and out the door in record time and before I know it, I'm settling behind Daryl on the motorcycle glancing behind me at the shed that we had taken shelter in
We're only about a mile down the road when a piece of freezing rain catches my cheek at just the right angle causing me to jump and hiss in pain
"You okay?" Daryl calls over the wind "Eve?" he prompts a second later
"Yeah, hail caught me in the cheek." I yell back, carefully reaching a hand up to feel my stinging cheek and pulling it away to revel blood
"Ya bleeding?" he asks
"Little bit, it's not bad"
"Here" he says handing me a bandana he's pulled from somewhere and I quickly place it on my cheek before leaning my forehead against his back
"Need anything?" Glenn asks as he prepares to go on a run with Maggie
"Formula and diapers of course. I don't think I'll ever not need those" I joke
"Already on the list, has a permanent spot right under canned food" he jokes back
"Hey, I noticed you and Daryl seem closer lately" he states after a second
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you ride on the bike with him, he helps with the baby a lot and the other night y'all were cuddling on the floor"
"Okay first, if someone else had volunteered I wouldn't have been on the bike, second everyone helps with the baby even you, and third I was cold, he was keeping me warm"
"I'm just saying if you need condoms-"
"Glenn Rhee!" I scold swatting at him
"I'm joking I'm joking" he laughs moving out of range "But if you do, you know where to find me" he says darting out of the room
A yelp escapes me when instead of my foot meeting a step, it slides right off and sends me slamming into the staircase
"Christ! Are you okay?!" Rick exclaims running over
"Yeah. Just slipped" I answer him turning to sit on the step instead of laying on it
"Anything hurt?" Herschel asks coming up beside Rick, Anneliese still sound asleep in his arms
"I think I'm okay" I say grabbing Rick's outstretched hand and let him pull me to my feet only to falter as soon as I go to put weight on my right foot
"Alright, might have twisted my ankle a little"
"Rick help her to the couch" Hershel instructs
"Its fine, no need to fuss" I protest as Rick practically carries me over to the couch
"I'd like to make sure that it is just twisted Genevieve" Herschel says handing the baby off to Rick as soon as I'm seated and sitting himself on the coffee table in front of me
He quickly slips my shoe and sock off before prodding around my ankle. It only hurts when he moves it or applies pressure in one specific spot
"It's just twisted, at most a slight sprain. You should try to keep off of it" He instructs, and I nod while internally rolling my eyes
"Keep an eye on it and watch it doesn't get too swollen" He says placing my foot where he had been seated before taking Anneliese from Rick and placing her in my arms, effectively gluing me to the couch, everyone knows my golden rule: unless we're about to die don't move from under the sleeping baby.
"What happened?" Glenn asks coming in from walking a perimeter with Daryl
"I slipped on the steps and twisted my ankle" I tell him
"How'd you manage that?" Daryl asks titling his head at me
"I don't know I went to walk up them, and my foot just slid right off"
"How though? We walked up them when we cleared the house" Glenn says with a laugh
"Look, I don't know can we just move on" I huff gaining a few more laughs
"I'm gonna laugh at them when they fall" I mock whisper to Anneliese
*Sniff. Sniff*
"Are you sick?" Glenn asks
"No" I huff
"What's wrong then?" he questioned
"Allergies"
"You have allergies"
"Apparently"
"Well. At least we know spring is here"
"I'm glad my misery could serve a purpose"
"Let's start with the red car" I tell Jackson and Carl leading the way to the car and letting them search around the car for any dangers
"All clear" Jackson and Carl echo
"Alright, go ahead and start going through it" I instruct
Today I have Carl and Jackson with me going through cars. I left the girls with Lori and while I don't like the idea of any of the kids being on their own, I think they should know how to look for what they need. Something Rick, Daryl and surprisingly Lori all agree on. Which is why Daryl has taken them out to look for berries and firewood. Tomorrow Daryl is taking Penny with them to look for berries. I will say they're all picking up things very quickly.
"There's a hairbrush and some blankets" Carl announces pulling me from my thoughts
"Great pack it up and we'll move onto the grey car"
"How're you doing?" I ask Lori lowly as I make a bottle for Anneliese
"I'm okay, tired but who isn't?" she jokes
"Are you sure?" I ask, I had noticed she seemed to be struggling more moving around, which wasn't that uncommon seeing as how we figure she's about 6 months pregnant
"Yeah, I'm okay. Listen I do have a question for you."
"Alright"
"If-If something happens to me, you'll take care of them, right?" she asks, and I don't say anything just stare at her
"I mean you're practically raising Carl, but I just need to know" she whispers
"Lori. Nothing is going to happen to you. You will take care of your baby. Okay? And Carl's just an angsty pre-teen he only likes me right now because I'm not his parent. You'll both come through this, okay?" I tell her peering at her face in the dim lighting of the rising sun
"Yeah, yeah okay just for me though? If I'm not?" she asks again staring into my eyes and I can see her eyes filling with tears
"If for whatever reason you cannot care for your children. I promise I will love and care for them as if they were mine" I tell her grabbing her hand
"Thank you" she whispers
"How'd it go?" I ask as Carl, Jackson and Daryl rejoin us where we've set up camp
"Good. We found some firewood" Carl answers
"And some berries but they weren't ripe yet" Jackson adds
"Good! I'm glad you found – where's your shoe?!" I ask noticing Jackson is missing a shoe
"A giant mud puddle demanded it as sacrifice" he deadpans, and I just blink at him before turning to Daryl
"He's right. We couldn't get it back"
"Alright." I say pursing my lips "Glenn! Add shoes for Jack to the list" I call over my shoulder
"Ouch!" I hiss pulling my hand back from where I was feeding Anneliese a piece of mushed peach
"What happened?" Jackson asks
"She bit me" I say in shock pulling her onto my lap to feel around for the tooth that wasn't there yesterday. And low and behold there's a little tooth in the middle of her bottom gum
"There it is" I gasp "You have a tooth! Way to go baby girl! I bet that feels better huh?" I ask tickling her ribs and getting a giggle in response
"And what is the cause of that beautiful sound this morning?" Herschel asks joining us on the couch
"Her tooth finally broke through" I answer offering her to him
"I bet that feels much better" he says taking her from me and getting a slobbery smile in return
I walk through the aisles as quiet as possible, beelining straight for the pharmacy as my portion of the list is all medicines
Seeing that the immediate area is clear I hop over the counter and start going through medicines, my flashlight held tight in my teeth
Throwing a few of them into my bag I move around the corner and crouch low to peer at the bottles lined up on the bottom shelf
Only to jerk upwards when a hand wraps itself into my hair and pulls
Dropping the bag and the flashlight I struggle against the walker's strong grip and slam into the shelves trying to push it away and let go at the same time
Pushing its head away with one hand, I fumble my knife out of its sheath with the other and start sawing at my hair, faltering only when the walker twists and manages to slam us both into the shelves again
But I quickly regain my footing and keep sawing at my hair and when the last strand breaks off, I plunge the knife into its eye socket and for a brief moment neither of us move
And then it jerks forward with a final gurgle and I push it off to the side
I brace my hands on my knees, knife still gripped tight and fight to catch my breath
"Fuck! What happened?1" Daryl asks running up to the counter with Glenn and Maggie
I watch as he jumps over the counter before grabbing my arms and looking me all over
"Did it bite or scratch ya?" He asks
"No" I rasp out as he stops frantically looking me over and pulls me into his arms instead
"We would've been back here sooner, but the racket raised other ones from their hiding places" Glenn explains but I pay him no mind, instead burrowing my head into Daryl's chest and catching my breath
"You're okay" he whispers against my hair before pressing a kiss to my temple
"Well. I found the antibiotics" I weakly joke gesturing behind Daryl
"And you've managed to get around to cutting your hair" Maggie adds, and I laugh with her although mine is close to a sob as I look down at my hair laying on the ground
Once Daryl is sure that I'm fine we finish up our run quickly and get back to the house
I barely acknowledge anyone as I make my way to an upstairs bathroom and I can faintly hear Rick asking Daryl what happened as I shut the door behind me
It's only a few minutes before Daryl joins me with a pair of scissors that he's acquired from…somewhere.
I'm already sitting on the closed toilet, so he just moves around me and starts cutting
Once he's finished, I reach my hand up and run my fingers through it. It's nowhere near perfect but it's as straight and as neat as can be with my hack job acting as the guide
I don't realize I'm crying until Daryl crouches in front of me and wipes at my tears with his thumbs
"It'll grow back. All that matters is that you're safe" he tries to reassure me but a sob breaks through anyway
"Hey. It's okay" he says standing and pulling me into his arms
"But it almost wasn't" I gasp between sobs
"You're right. But you're here. You're fine"
"Fuck, Daryl. What bout the kids? I can't leave them. I can't do that to them. I'm all they have left. I could've not come back to them all cause I was stupid and didn't look round every corner and my hair was too long and –" He cuts my almost incoherent babbling off with a kiss
"Was your hair too long? Yes. Should you have looked everywhere? Yes. But you didn't and you'll learn from this. Nothing will take you from them kids so long as I am alive" he promises
"But what if something does happen?"
"Then if I'm alive I got 'em Eve. I got you" he murmurs into my hair and I nod wrapping my arms tighter around his waist content to breathe him in and try to calm down.
"Mama?" Penny asks
"Yeah, Penny?"
"Are we ever gonna not have to leave?"
"One day Penny. We just have to find somewhere safe first and then we won't have to leave" I tell her
"When will that be?"
"Soon, darling, soon"
"Where are you going little miss?" I ask Anneliese
"Ayahyah" she babbles back at me slamming her hands onto the floor and dragging herself across it
"Oh yeah?" I ask and get a screech back
"She's not crawling, is she?" Daryl asks walking into the room
"No" I laugh "She's doing a butchered version of an army crawl"
"Aw well it's much easier if I just do this" he says picking her up "And hand you this" he continues giving her the toy she was reaching for
"Daryl!" I scold
"What?"
"She was fine"
"And now she's even better"
"She's never gonna crawl"
"Gen!" Rick calls from the living room
"What?" I ask from the kitchen where I'm washing dishes
"Just come look" he yells back. Shaking my head, I grab the dish towel and dry my hands walking to the living room
"Look" Rick says as soon as he sees me in the doorway
"Oh my god" I gasp when I see Anneliese sitting completely on her own
"I know" Rick agrees and neither of us move until she decides she's done playing with her teether and starts to topple over before Rick grabs her and tosses her in the air earning a squeal and a giggle as he hands her to me
"Look at my big girl! Sitting all on your own" I coo covering her face in kisses making her squeal and grab at my face
"Oh, wow that was a strong one" I say staring at my hand on Lori's belly where the baby is kicking and moving up a storm
"What was?" Penny asks climbing onto the couch next to Lori
"Ms. Lori's baby is moving a lot in her belly" I answer
"Do you want to feel?" Lori offers and Penny eagerly nods and puts her hand on Lori's belly
Lori moves her hand and holds it there for a second before Penny squeals
"That feels weird" she giggles
"A little bit" I agree
"The baby likes you" Lori tells her causing her to smile and laugh
"How much formula she got left?" Daryl asks
"Enough for 3 or 4 bottles if I stretch it. Add more water"
"I'll go on a run tomorrow" he says
"No, you should try to hunt if you can. We need the meat more. She's old enough I can mash some of the fruit we have"
"She still needs formula Gen"
"I know Daryl" I snap
"I'm sorry" I apologize after a moment
"It's okay, let me take her for a bit" he says holding his hands out to Anneliese who leans towards him
"Thank you" I murmur moving off to find something that needs to be done
Starting a relationship is hard work but even harder in the middle of the apocalypse…but somehow Daryl and I make it work. There's lots of late moments and stolen kisses. Our relationship is purely private and not shown to anyone except maybe the kids when they're present.
We don't have a label for what we are, but he is mine and I am his.
Every moment we get together I treasure. From just riding on the motorcycle together to laying under the stars. And he's great with the kids, they all love him but especially Penny and Anneliese.
I could literally not ask for a better person to be my better half.
Penny's scream hasn't even stopped before I'm on my feet and sprinting out the back door to where the kids were outside playing. My dead sprint slows to a run when I clock no visible danger, just Penny sitting on the ground crying
"What happened?" I ask kneeling down next to her
"She tripped, it's just a scraped knee" Rick says from her other side
"Let me see Pen" I tell her pulling her hands off her knee and yep, she hit hard enough for her jeans to tear and her knee to bleed
"It hurts Mama" she whines
"It'll be okay. Let's go clean it up and you'll be as good as new" I tell her hefting her up into my arms and moving back inside
Lori is reseated on the couch with Anneliese when I move through the living room and up the stairs to settle Penny on the bathroom counter.
This house thankfully still has running water, although its ice cold so after removing the ruined jeans I get a rag wet and set about cleaning her knee
I'm rinsing out the rag when there's a knock on the door
"Don't move" I tell Penny before turning to pull the door open
Standing on the other side is Daryl holding a first aid kit and Penny's spare pair of jeans from our bag
"Thought you might need these" he says holding them out
"Thanks" I reply taking them from him and turning back to Penny
"You okay Pen?" he asks leaning against the doorframe and she nods with a sniffle and hiccup
"Ow" she whines as I dab antiseptic ointment on her knee
"You're okay" I murmur smoothing a bandied over it before helping her put on her fresh jeans
"Why don't you go on downstairs while I wash these out" I tell her with a gentle nudge towards the door
"C'mon" Daryl says picking her up when she lifts her arms to him
"I'll be down in a few".
"Got something for you – well you and Anneliese" Maggie announces presenting me with a box
"What is it?" I ask glancing at it in the dim lighting
"A new carrier. I don't know how long you can use the wrap sling but this one said it can be used until they're two and it can go on your back!" she tells me
"Oh wow! Thank you!"
"Of course, and like this one will make it easier if anyone else needs or wants to carry her"
"That's true the sling definitely takes practice"
"No, it's a form of witchcraft" she jokes
"Ah! Fucking shit!" I curse when the ground slips out from under me, and I start sliding
Luckily the embankment is only about 4 feet, so my slip is a short one, but I still land on my ass at the bottom
"Gen! You okay?" Daryl calls down to me
"Yeah, I'm good. Scraped my leg a little but I'm good" I call back poking my leg where a branch seems to have caught it
"Need a hand up?" he asks
"No, I'll walk around" I tell him not wanting to press my luck by climbing up the embankment.
We meet up where the embankment levels off and continue on our walk in search of berries.
Wiping a hand across my brow I shift slightly in my spot behind Daryl
"You okay?" he asks turning his head towards me a little
"Hot"
He nods back at me and that's the end of the conversation until we pull off to the side of the road
"Looking a little pink there Gen" Glenn jokes and I try not to scowl at him
"Thanks, I was going for lobster. Guess I gotta work harder?" I joke back
"What you need is sunscreen" Herschel says from where he's leaning against the car
"You find me some and I'll put it on, trust me" I tell him
"The real question is how are you all pink and Daryl just isn't" Glenn asks
"Oh, piss off Glenn" I huff hopping into the back of the SUV to sit in shade for a moment
"I'm just asking"
"He's got more melatonin or something I don't know"
"Should we put aloe on the list"
"You're walking a thin line Glenn Rhee" I jokingly snap wagging a finger in his direction
"Why are we coming down here?" Penny asks
"Well, there's a pond and Mr. Daryl said its clean enough for us to take a bath" I answer
"What if a monster comes?'
"That's why Mr. Daryl is coming with us. He's gonna stand watch" I explain leading the way down the narrow path
At the bottom of the path, it's about 20 ft before the edge of the pond and we waste no time walking to the log laying there
I nod at Daryl as he moves back up the path to stand watch and then I go about unwrapping Anneliese from the sling and undressing her before undressing Penny. I let Penny splash in the shallow part while I wash Anneliese and dress her in a new onesie before laying her on a blanket as she doses.
I undress quickly and lead Penny further into the water. It gets fairly deep; high enough to cover me from the chest down and Penny has to perch on my hip.
I've just helped her get her hair wet when rustling on the path pulls my attention. Only a second later Beth, Maggie and Lori emerge from the bath
"We've come to join your bath party" Maggie says coming up to the log and dropping her things next to ours
"Great can you hand me the soap?"
I wash Penny quickly before letting her play in the knee deeps water with a cup while I clean myself up. The other women have joined me at this point so, I take advantage of them being present to hold my nose and dunk my whole head under water.
I take care to work soap into my hair and rinse it all out. Washing my hair has been at the bottom of my very long priority list, so I take full advantage of the opportunity
After my hair is clean, I clean the rest of my body fairly quickly before making my way to shore. I put on clean underclothes and a pair of jeans but forgo the top content to wash laundry and get Penny dressed in my sports bra with how warm it is
By the time I've washed mine, Penny's and the other ladies' clothes, gotten Penny dressed and resecured Anneliese in her sling; Maggie, Beth, and Lori are done and dressed so we all start making our way up to the path. Beth takes the basket of clothes from me and Maggie picks up Penny, so I offer an increasingly pregnant Lori a hand as we move up the slightly steep incline
"Lose your shirt?" Daryl asks as I walk past him at the top of the path
"Yep. Nessie ate it" I retort turning to meet his eyes with a smirk as he trails behind me
"Ain't that a damn shame".