So, I am extremely sorry it's taken me this long to get out the rest of these chapters. It has been an unbelievably challenging summer for me and it was just very difficult to write at all. I greatly appreciate the reviews, favs, and follows. I want you all to know that I really feel like crap for taking so long to finish this. In the future, I won't post anything until I've finished it to prevent this from happening again. Again, I'm very sorry for the delay and I hope you enjoy the rest of this ff.
Chapter 3
Somewhere safe
Cool soapy waves washed across Michonne's body and swirled her hair around her ears before receding back into the ocean. She squinted her face and groaned feeling a tightness in her chest. Her eyes peeled open as she enhaled a big breath of air. Her body felt like it'd been hit by a truck and there was a stinging pain her throat. Another swishing wave surged around her. She stared at the sun in the sky and slowly began to remember what happened the night before.
She recalled jumping from the ship, fighting to get air, and a burning sensation in her chest. Michonne sat up and clutched the top of her undershirt. She took another deep breath through clenched teeth. That's when she saw the belt still fastened to her wrist and recalled something else. Rick? She thought to herself, finally remembering seeing him before she passed out on the beach last night.
Her eyes darted around and found him a few feet away lying on his back with his mouth partially opened and surrounded by water. Quickly, she slid over to him through wet sand. Michonne called his name but her voice was raspy and barely over a whisper. Rick didn't move.
Michonne grabbed his shirt and strained her sore upper body to slide him out of the water. She took a hold of his chin and shook it causing Rick to jerk awake. Michonne, relieved he was alive, exhaustedly fell back on the sand beside him.
Rick groaned as he opened his eyes. His muscles ached and the wound on his shoulder throbbed as he looked over to see Michonne lying next to him. She's alive, he thought to himself. He closed his eye and remembered the way he felt when he thought he'd lost her. He went to sit up and felt a sharp pain rumage throughout his body.
"Oooh" He groaned, lying back down and finally understanding the extent of his condition.
"You okay?" She whispered, turning to see him taking deep breaths.
Rick smiled, trying to remember the last time he'd felt so spent.
"Yeah, you?" He asked, lifting an eyebrow.
Michonne took a deep breath and lifted her head before abandoning any hope of sitting up again.
"I can't move." She admitted and began to rub her aching chest.
He shook his head.
"Yeah, me either."
Michonne turned her head to either side of the beach. She looked over at Rick as her face took on a serious expression.
"I think we're stuck here." Her scraped voice announced.
Rick looked out at the waves.
"Yeah, for now. How long have you been up?"
"A couple of minutes." She answered and watched as he carefully slid his arm beneath the back of his head, wincing as he did.
"Rick, the ship is gone. I don't think anyone else made it. We're stuck here." Michonne repeated with a stern look of concern on her face.
Rick raised his eyebrows and continued to stare off at the ocean. Michonne waited for a reponse but there wasn't one.
"Are you sure you're okay?" She inquired again.
"Yeah." His face flinched as he moved his wounded arm.
"We'll figure out a way to get back but for now lets just, you know, take a minute." He implored.
Michonne stared at him for a moment then up at the sky. He seemed to be out of it and there wasn't the sense of urgency she'd expected him to have. The question of how they were going to get back was the only thing she could think about.
Rick understood her wanting to figure out a way to get back but there really wasn't anything they could do about it at the moment. The ship was burried beneath the ocean and there were bigger problems they needed to sort out. It'd been a while since they'd eaten and they needed food and fresh water. He could hear by the hoarseness in her voice and the heavy breaths she took that she was still in bad shape. He wasn't much better. The gnawing pain in his arm gave a sharp sting everytime he moved it and his body felt weak. They needed a safe place to rest for a while.
A low growling in the distance caught their attention. Down the beach, a lone sailor turned walker crept towards them. He was soaked from head to toe and had his sights set on them. Rick sighed and tilted his head as he watched the walker with water dropping down his clothes and stringy hair.
"He must've washed up down shore." Rick surmized.
Michonne used all of her energy to sit up and began to pull her katana from it's sheath.
"No, I'll get him." Rick offered as he stretched his sore shoulder and forced his body to stand.
He pulled his colt from its holster and stretched his tight neck. Slowly, Michonne stood and watched as Rick tiredly jogged toward the walker and bashed it's head in with the butt of his gun. Rick nearly fell with the sailor as it flopped to the ground. He straightened his stance and stood over the twice dead man to make sure he'd got him. Looking around for any signs of other walkers, he kneeled down to rid the walker of its knife and searched his pockets.
Rick started back towards Michonne while taking a look at the island which was much bigger than he remembered it looking from the ocean.
"We should take a look around just in case there are anymore. We need to find food, fresh water, and a place to hold up while we figure something out." He said with grimace on his face.
"How's your arm?" She asked seeing his mild discomfort.
"It's fine. It'll heal." He said looking down to check his gun.
They walked the perimeter of the island for a while and found no signs of anyone. The sun beat down on them as they treaded through the loose dry sand. Michonne's stomach grumbled as they sluggishly made their way towards the edge of trees that lined the inner portion of the island. Rick doubted they made it half way around but they were getting weaker and needed to look for sustinance.
"We need to find water." He stopped and looked over at her as sweat streamed down his face and curly dark hair.
Rick tiredly leaned back against a tree. Even with the cool wind, the heat from the sun penetrated their skin making their situation more diar. Michonne put her arm over her forehead and slumped forward against the same tree.
"In there?" She asked nodding towards the inner portion while taking heavy breaths.
"Yeah, let's check it out." He nodded.
They moved passed the barrier of tall palm trees and thick green bushes still on the look out for walkers or surviving sailors.
Right away they could feel the difference. The air was much cooler thanks to the abundant shade from the tall trees that allowed the cool wind to whip around without the heat from the sun. As they looked around they could see an erray of vibrant greens with splashes of yellow, red, and even purple flowers scattered around what looked to be a tropical forrest. Rick saw a cresent shaped rock wall adjacent to where they stood that was about thirty feet high. He smiled between heavy breaths knowing there had to be a steady source of water around for these plants to look so colorful and strong.
One plant in particular caught his eye.
"Over there!" He hurried toward the yellow and green hanging fruit.
"Bananas." He happily announced looking back at Michonne as she came up from behind him.
Rick snatched one of them from the bush, handed the fruit to her, and took another for himself. They peeled the fruit and began to eat.
"Mmmm... plantains." Michonne relished the bitter sweet taste in her mouth as the soft cool fruit gave much needed relief to her raw throat.
Rick squinted his face as he looked down at the fruit in his hand.
"Plantains?"
"Oh yeah." She asserted with a smile.
She immediately felt her energy start to return and watched as Rick bit into his. He held the meat of the plantain between his teeth as he grabbed three more off the tree and tried to stuff them in his tight pockets.
They continued further into the unfamiliar forestry searching for water. Rick and Michonne walked towards the stone wall covered in vines to get a closer look.
"Over there." Rick nodded his head to the side.
Michonne followed him over to a bush that had dark green oblong plants on the ground. He knelt down, picked it up, and snapped it half. Rick smelled it and took a bite. He grimaced and gave the other half to Michonne.
"Cucumbers." He said reaching beneath the bush and grabbing more of them.
Michonne took a bite of the juicy cucumber. She couldn't believe their luck at finding eatable vegetation on this deserted place. She wiped the moisture from her lips when a sound caught her attention.
"Rick." She called tracing the sound to a boulder near the wall that was masqued by more vines.
She pulled them back and felt cold smooth rock beneath her fingers. The boulder was very wide and almost tall as the wall. When she pulled enough of the vines away she could see holes with a green film of algae that covered the boulder. There was a steady stream of water seeping out of each of the fist sized holes.
Michonne looked up to the top of the boulder and back at Rick who stood up looking curiously at the wall as she touched it.
"I'm going up." Michonne decided.
"Yeah." He agreed.
He moved between her and the wall, knelt down, and locked his fingers together to give her a boost.
"Thanks." She said moving in front of him as he scooted back against the wall.
She slid her boot in his hand and held his uninjured shoulder to steady herself.
When she reached up to grab the nearest hole she felt Rick lift her. She quickly grabbed another higher hole and tried to pull herself up but the green film on the wall was much slimier than she expected. Michonne lost her grip and started to fall back when Rick quickly wrapped his arms around her legs holding her steady.
He quickly realized he'd misjudged the positioning of his face to the proximity of her crotch and his nose was pressed square against her pubic bone. He tried to turn his head and as he did she lost her grip again and slipped further. They ended up backed against the wall with the lower portion of her body still pressed against his face. Michonne looked down just as he looked up.
"I'm sorry." She heard Rick's muffled voice say from between her legs.
She could see by the vein popping out of his forehead and the redness on his face that he was just as embarrassed as she was.
She used her upper stregnth to grab on to another hole and tried lifting herself higher on the wall. She found a small notch in the boulder and steadied herself by digging her knee into the hole. Rick moved behind her and held her foot and boosted her higher.
Finally, she reached the top and laid back on the edge of the boulder. She took deep breaths as her muscles relaxed.
"Michonne?" Rick yelled unable to see anything but her dangling legs.
"I'm fine, I made it." She assured him.
Michonne could hear water. She turned to see a large deep crater in the boulder that was filled with crystal clear water and a few leaves floating on the surface. Michonne cupped her hands in the water and drank it.
Rick continued to look up watching for any signs of trouble when he saw her look over the edge.
"Can you climb?" She asked with a gleeful expression.
Whatever it was it must be good, he thought to himself. He hadn't seen her this excited in a while. It was a painful climb but he was determined to get to the top. Not just for the water but it would give him a better view of their was relieved they'd found a sufficient source of clean water and was grateful there was plenty of it. He stood a top the tall rock and spotted something he couldn't see from the ground.
"Michonne..." He called to her.
Michonne looked up and saw Rick glaring at something. She stood up beside him as the wind whipped her hair around her face. He pointed towards a shady area near the top of the large hill that was near the stone wall. She squinted her eyes but couldn't see anything but rocks, grass, and vines.
Rick looked at her and could see she didn't see it. He moved closer and stood behind her.
"There." He pointed again.
"What is it?" Michonne asked seeing a large shadow that looked like some sort of hole on the edge of the hills cliff.
"Somewhere safe, hidden."
They came down from the boulder and found a single rigid path up the hill. Michonne followed him to the edge and watched as he pulled the vines and tree roots back to reveal a large hollowed cave. It was the size of a small room with dry sand lining the ground. As they walked in, she noticed the cave walls had wavy patterns of rustic red and sandy browns. The walls were smooth with a calming embience etched by natures own hands. It faced the outter edge of the island and provided a view of the sun as it sat above the blue ocean.
Michonne walked to the center of the cave and looked around. She had to admit it was pretty nice for their situation.
Rick raised an eyebrow as he watched her.
"This will have to do until we can figure out a way back." He looked around and then back at her.
"Yeah, this will work." She nodded in agreement.
They spent the next few hours rigging the path to their refuge with whatever they could find. They brought in a sufficient amount of bananas, cucumbers, and large leaves for bedding in their new dwellings. Rick started a small fire near the center of the cave while Michonne arranged the large leaves she'd collected into a place for them to sleep.
When she finished she looked around the cave and was satisfied they'd done as much as they could to make their temperorary new quarters livable. Her attention turned toward Rick who had sat near the entrance of the cave and stared off the cliff towards the sunset.
He watched the sun begin its decent into the ocean. His mind drifted off to Carl who was probably worrying about them. They were due back yesterday. The group had probably found the empty truck by now and likely thought the worst. He thought to himself as he took a deep breath.
Rick felt Michonne hit him in the shoulder. He looked up to see her standing over him offering him a plantain.
"Eat." She insisted and extended the plantain to him.
Rick smiled and scoffed at her bossiness but took the banana as instructed. He began to peel it and curiously watched as Michonne went to the back of the cave and carefully picked up one of the large leaves. She returned with it and knelt beside him.
"What's this?" He asked looking down at the water she'd collected in the huge leaf.
"I wanna take a look at that shoulder." She said spreading the sand into a bowl shape and place the leaf in it.
Rick, unsure if she was asking or informing, nodded his head in approval. He grabbed the bottom of his t shirt and pulled it over his head. He winced feeling the sharp pain in his arm. Michonne watched as he took off his shirt and was instantly captivated by the movements of his mascular chest and chissled arms. A swollen vein lining his hardened bicep moved slightly and began to shutter. It suddenly dawned on her that she'd never seen him with his shirt off before. She tried to stop herself but before she could avert her eyes they'd roamed down his cut abs to the small indentation that ran over his side and down into his black jeans.
Rick took a deep breath after taking off his shirt. He closed his eyes and tried to stretched his shoulder again but this time the pain shot down his body. He looked over at Michonne who quickly shut her eyes and began to rub them.
"You okay?"
"Yeah." Michonne answered wiping the imaginary sand from her eyes.
She blinked, clenched her jaw and focused her attention on his shoulder. She gently tug at the blood stained wrapping and it quickly unraveled. Michonne took a close look at the hole and could see a quarter inch into his wound at the bloodied tissue but couldn't see anything beyond that. She looked at the back of Rick's shoulder and was relieved.
"Looks pretty good. It went straight through." She announced still examining the shoulder.
"Good." Rick said as Michonne began to wash the bandages.
"How does it feel?"
Rick raised his eyebrows looking over at his shoulder. "Like I've been shot." He said with a smirk before looking over at her.
"How are you feeling? Your voice sounds better." He asked her.
"I'm okay. My chest feels tight but I'll survive."
Rick felt a little twinge in his chest as he looked at her.
"Where the hell were they taking us?" Michonne asked as she began wrapping his arm again.
"I don't know, it doesn't make sense." Rick had no idea why they'd go through such lengths to transport them both.
"I mean if they killed me there on the docks and just took you that'd be one thing but them taking both of us is different."
Michonne furrowed her brow.
"What do you mean?"
Rick paused for a moment and shook his head.
"Nothing, I'm just thinking out loud." He asnwered.
He didn't want to say it but there was usually only one reason a group of men would take a woman and that asshole Mateus made it pretty clear what his intentions were. What didn't make sense was them bringing Rick along, he thought to himself feeling Michonne pat him on the arm when she finished.
"Thank you." Rick said looking down at the snug bandage.
She dumped the remaining water off the cliff, rolled up the large leaf, and sat it near the wall. Michonne sat down at the opening opposite Rick. The yellow sun hovered over rippling waves and she watched as the sky turned to soft hues of pink, yellow, and violet.
The costant gentle breeze that blew through the cave emphasized its soothing atmosphere. She couldn't help but admire the scenery.
"Wow, look at that." Rick said watching the sun set into the waves.
Michonne smiled. She was glad he too had taken notice of it.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" She asked captivated by the peaceful setting.
Rick looked over at the pale orange glow shinning on the soft features of her face. Her beautiful brown eyes glistened right back at the sun.
"Yeah." He answered and looked back towards the sunset.
There was a solemn quiet between the two as the night chased the sun below. They were lost in their seperate thoughts but secretly relieved that the other was there. They listened to the waves crash into the rocks beneath them and the wind as it howled through the hollow cave.
Michonne's eyes were heavy and she couldn't stop the sudden urge to yawn. When she did, she let out a little moan still feeling a tightness deep in her chest. Her face flinched as she rubbed it. Rick watched her squint as she looked at the bruises.
He gave a slight shake of the head and looked away.
"I'm sorry. I was trying to get you to breath and... I had to get pretty rough." Rick recalled with a disappointed look.
He closed his eyes and grabbed the bridge of his nose as a sickening feeling came over him. Michonne looked from the dark bruises on her chest to him and guessed what had happened. She never did swim to the beach, she thought to herself. She had flashes of darkness and Rick lying next to her before she passed out but couldn't remember how she'd got there.
It obviously bothered him, she imagined it wasn't easy seeing her like that.
"Well, I never was a strong swimmer." Michonne lightheartedly dismissed.
She rubbed her hands on the sides of her pants and stood up. Rick furrowed his brow and looked up at her.
"Michonne, you drowned. I couldn't get you to breathe. I thought..." Rick looked down at his hands hating how he felt in that moment.
Michonne tilted her head seeing the dejected look on his face. She gave a faint understanding smile finally getting it.
"You thought you were alone." She offered with a nod of the head.
No, I thought I lost you. Rick thought to himself but never uttered the words. Still, he felt better that she knew he needed her there. He didn't really understand it at first but her pressence had become so crucial to him. Not just as a friend or someone he could count on in a tight spot but something more, something different.
"Well, that's two for two. Not so bad Mr. Grimes." Michonne noted walking over toward the bed of leaves and sitting down to take her boots off.
Rick, shooken from his thoughts, shot a confused eye over at her.
"What do you mean?" He asked qetting a quick glance at her bent legs in those tight brown pants.
"That's twice you've saved my life. You keep it up and you'll catch up to the many, many times I've saved yours." Michonne said sarcastically with a smile as she neatly placed her shoes near the wall.
Rick jerked his head back in disbelief.
"What?" He almost laughed. "It's been more than twice. More like... eight times."
Michonne widened her eyes in astonishment.
"No, that's about how many times I've saved you." She said taking off her leather vest and rolling it up to rest her head on it. She threw a glance at the perplexed Rick.
He scoffed and shook his head.
"When? When did you save me eight times?"
"Remember the governor?"
"Yeah."
"And the train car..." Michonne smiled lying back and sliding her arm beneath her head.
Rick tilted his head and cut his eyes at her.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that was Carol." He asserted realizing that she was teasing.
Michonne let out a little laugh.
"I know, I just thought I'd slide that one in there."
Rick chuckled and shook his head. A few minutes passed and both their smiles faded away. He went back and forth between worrying about Carl and that urking feeling of him almost losing her. He found a strange looking pebble beside his boot. Rick picked it up and listlessly rolled it between his fingers.
Michonne had been quietly working out a way to get back.
"Maybe there's a life boat on that ship. If we can get to it..."
"That ship is gone, Michonne. Even if there was a preserver, we could spend months looking for it and never find it." Rick said throwing the pebble off the cliff. "It's too far out."
Michonne rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. There's got to be a way, she thought to herself as she clenched her jaw. Rick looked back at her sensing her frustration. He understood but they had to be smart and taking impractical risks was something he wouldn't even consider at the moment. They both needed rest and to come up with a viable solution tomorrow.
He looked over at her still lying there with her arm beneath her head. He watched the slopes of her chest rise and fall with each breath she took.
"Why don't you get some sleep. I'll stay up and keep a look out. I was thinkin we should try and get a look at the otherside of this island tomorrow."
"Do you think any of them made it?" She asked.
"Who knows... we did." He answered as they looked at each other.
He gave a half smile and nodded at her.
"Get some sleep."
Michonne nodded and turned her attention to the small fire dancing in the middle of the cave. Already, the temperture had dropped a few degrees and it was a noticeable change. She wished they could build a bigger fire but it was best to be cautious about the light it gave off. She watched the orange hot sticks burn until she drifted off to sleep.
Hours later she jerked awake hearing a soft snoring in her ear. She felt a warm pressure on her body and quickly looked back to see it was Rick. It was dark and she could barely see but his eyes were closed and he was very much asleep. Michonne looked down and was suprised to see his arm draped across her waist. Her eyebrow lifted as she looked at his face again.
She figured he probably turned over in his sleep and was completely unaware of his positioning. She wondered for a minute if she should move his arm but decided not to wake him. Besides, it was cold and the warmth of his body felt pretty nice. She cracked a smile imagining how red his face would get if she did wake him. Michonne turned back over and closed her eyes but couldn't seem to fall asleep.
Everything from the days before began to play out in her mind. One question kept coming up, how were they going to get back? Just then, she felt Rick begin to stir. He muttered something in his sleep and his arm tightened around her waist. It was obvious he was having a bad dream. His hand balled into a fist as it pressed against her stomach. Michonne hesitated for a second and then gently ran her hand down his arm, feeling it relax as she got to his hand. She slid her fingers into his fist and held it. She heard him take a deep breath and eventually go back to a light snore.
Feeling him begin to relax, Michonne felt a sense of relief herself. From the time she met him, he carried the stress of being responsible for everyone on him like an anchor he couldn't take a break from. And it wasn't some kind of massiah complex, she thought to herself. He would do whatever it took to make sure their group or family, as he called it, survived. Not out of some desperate need to feel that he was a good and righteous person but out of a genuine love for the family he faught for.
Michonne relaxed her arm on top of his and continued to hold his hand. She started to close her eyes when she felt him groan again. He was relaxed and didn't appear to be having a nightmare. He did it again, this time mumbling something.
"Love Chonne..." He grumbled in his sleep.
She sat up and looked back at his face. Rick quickly opened his eyes and sat up feeling movement. He grabbed his colt as his tired eyes shot toward the opening and around the cave. Eventually, his eyes found their way to hers.
"What?!" She asked still shocked by what she heard.
"What?" He asked wiping his face.
"Did you say something?" Michonne stared at him.
"No, did you hear something?" Rick asked looking toward the opening again and back at her.
They stared at each other for a moment before she shook her head.
"No." She said turning around and lying back down.
Rick watched her as she laid back down thinking she must've had a bad dream. He looked at the opening again before looking back at her wondering how they'd gotten so close to one another. He scooted back a little and laid down as he slid his colt beneath his butt. Michonne's heart pounded as she replayed what he said in his sleep. She wondered what he meant by it before sleep eventually found her.