Alexandria
RickyJo could hear the voices in the room start to come into focus. Panic started to rise up inside her but then she felt her son cuddling close next to her and relaxed. And all the voices she could hear were familiar. MJ climbed on top of her, yanking at her shirt and then she could hear Daryl's voice. Get that kid offa her, he is using her for a damn jungle gym. Mind ur own fucking business, thats what he always does. That sounded like Merle. Then a child's voice she guessed was Desiree. Uncle Merle, are you and Uncle Daryl going to fight again? God Willing! That one was Jessica and it was coming from a little futher away.
What RickyJo was trying to figure out now, was why everyone was gathered around her while she was sleeping. She wondered if she was hurt. She didn't feel hurt. Her head was pounding and her throat felt dry. And the toe she had broken kicking Jessie's husband in the ribs still felt a little sore. But other than that she felt fine. Rubbing at her eyes a little, she opened them and then used her hands to try and push herself up into a sitting position. Daryl reached under her arms, helping her to sit up and then handing her a glass of water. She gulped it down in a few big swigs and set the glass on the bedside table. Then she adjusted herself and MJ so he could nurse. Her breasts felt full and heavy so it must have been longer than usual since she fed him last.
Now she just needed to figure out what happened to her. RickyJo tried to think of the last thing she could remember. An image of riding towards the front gate on her horse with Glen came to mind. And then it all came flooding back. Daryl watched her closely. She had seemed okay at first, but then he could see her face start to crumble. Then she closed her eyes, swallowing hard a few times. When she opened them, she only had one question for them.
"Did you get him?," she asked. Merle thought about lying to her, but he knew it would just make her angry. He shook his head.
"When we got back, that fucker was long gone. We tracked him to the spot where he pulled the arrrow out of his shoulder, but then they took to the road," Merle told her.
"How much blood was there?," she asked. She knew she had hit Derek but she didn't know how good of a shot it was. Maybe it was a bad enough wound that it might kill him.
"Not enough," Daryl said.
"Damn," RickyJo remarked, "I did get him though. Next one is going straight up his ass." Daryl and Merle both laughed.
"Maybe he won't come back?," Desiree commented hopefully. None of the adults had the heart to tell her, but a man like that. He would always come back. He wasn't going to stop until he killed them or they killed him.
"How long was I out?," RickyJo asked. She was starting to notice that she felt a little stiff, like she needed to have a good stretch.
"Since yesterday," Merle told her, "guess you needed the rest." RickyJo looked him over. He clearly had not had any rest. His eyes were red around the rims and he looked like a horse that had been rode hard and put away wet. They had been out looking for Derek the day before, probably until it got dark. And then he must have stayed up, keeping an eye on her. She patted the bed next to her.
"I think you need some," she told him. For a second it looked like he might fight her on it, but the truth was, he was so exhausted, he felt like he might be the next one to pass out of he didn't lay down. RickyJo hefted her son up into her arms and stood up. Everyone else took this as a sign to get out of the room and head downstairs. Desiree got a thin blanket off the chair and used it to cover Merle up, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek. She thought about going downstairs with everyone else, than changed her mind and climbed up into bed with her uncle. He pulled the blanket over both of them, his eyes so heavy he didn't even bother to open them. Jessica wore a soft wistful smile as she looked in at them from the hall. The old familiar thought that Desiree should have been his daughter came into her mind. She thought she had gotten over that years ago, but it was suddenly fresh and painful again. It always made her feel sad and filled her with regret. For years she pushed the guilt down by telling herself that Merle would have been a terrible father anyway, but seeing him with MJ and RickyJo, it was hard to keep believing that. People had a few moments in time, pivotal decisions to make that in their lives that set the course for a certain path. The problem was that you didn't always know you were making them until it was too late.
Beth and Rick woke up to the sound of screaming. It was loud and terrible and coming from downstairs inside their house. Rick bolted out of bed and grabbed his gun, running for the stairs in nothing but his boxer shorts. Beth leaped up and threw on one of his big t-shirts that covered her down to her thighs. She snatched her gun up and took off after him.
Rick bolted down the stairs, taking them three or four at a time. When he hit the landing, he could see that it was Sammie that was screaming, but he couldn't see why until he got all the way downstairs. Maggie was hanging by a rope from the ceiling fan, and Carl had her by the legs, trying to lift her up to keep her from strangling to death. Rick rushed in and grabbed her legs. Since he was taller and stronger, he could lift her easily.
"Cut the rope," he yelled to Carl, who was already righting the chair Maggie had used to hang the rope. It was a thick one, so instead of cutting it, he grabbed the knot and loosened it so he could slip it off from around her head. His father collapsed on the floor, with Maggie on top of him. Then he was rolling her over and Beth was running in to grab at her, shaking her to try and wake her up.
She knew her sister had been upset the night before. Glen's death had been devastating for all of them, but Maggie had to be dragged away from his dead body. Then she had grabbed her gun and tried to take off after the wolves by herself. Abraham and Rick had to hold her down in the street. When they brought her back to the house, she had been inconsolable. Beth guessed she had never really dealt with the death of their father, or many of the other people they had lost. Maggie had just kept telling herself that as long as Glen was alright, she would be alright. They had each other, and that was all they needed. And now she only had herself. Beth had tried to remember the things Maggie had said to her when she was ready to end her life, running her hands over the thin scars on her wrists. But none of it had helped.
Finally there had been a knock on the door. Daryl was on the porch and he had opened her hand and pressed two small blue football shaped pills into her hand. He had nodded towards Maggie, then walked down the steps without a word. Beth didn't know where he got them, or why they weren't in the infirmary with the rest of the medications where they were supposed to be, she had just been grateful. She had told Maggie they were for her shoulder, which she had hurt fighting with Abraham and Rick when she was trying to leave. Maggie had swallowed them down without question and twenty minutes later she had been sound asleep on the couch. Beth had covered her up and went to bed herself, falling asleep amost as soon as her head hit her pillow. She had thought she could get up and talk to Maggie some more in the morning. Never in a million years had she thought Maggie would do something like this.
Now Beth was shaking her and crying, yelling for Maggie to wake up, please wake up. She felt herself knocked out of the way, not with a forceful or hurtful blow, but with some urgency. Eugene was leaning over her sister, putting his fingers on her throat. Then he put his mouth over hers, breathing into it. He pumped up and down on her chest and then breathed into her mouth again, pinching her nose closed with one hand and tipping her chin back with the other. After the third breath, Maggie started coughing. Eugene turned her on her side and patted her back gently. He had not even know was he was going to do until he pushed Beth out of the way. Then instinct had kicked in. Once his younger brother had almost drown at the lake and a woman they didn't know had yanked him out and gived him mouth to mouth. It had saved his life that day. Eugene thought maybe that had just stuck in his mind, waiting for the moment when he could pay Maggie back for helping him the day that Abraham had beat him almost to death.
Beth was on the floor, hugging him and thanking him before she turned to help her sister. Rick patted him on the back and the kids were staring at him with wonder. In that moment, Eugene felt something he hadn't before. He couldn't fight or run, and he wasn't good at killing walkers, but he knew now he was a valued member of this group. Everyone else had panicked and he had been the one to do what needed to be done. He had saved Maggie. Tara reached down her hand and helped him up to his feet.
"Good job," she told him. Carl and Sammie echoed this statement. Then Tara sent the kids to go get Rosita, and she reminded them to take their guns with them, since the wolves were still out there. Maggie looked okay, but it wouldn't hurt to have someone check her over and make sure. Beth sat her up and Tara brought her a glass of water. There was an angry red ring of rope burn around her neck that was so raw it was bleeding in a few spots. Maggie took the water and sipped it.
"You should have let me die," she said quietly to her sister. Beth took her hand and held it. She knew words weren't going to make Maggie feel better, only time could do that. Out of the two of them, Beth had always considered Maggie the tough one. She had never been afraid to stand up to their father, who despite being fair and kind, had been a very intimidating man when it came to his ideals and rules for the girls. Now Beth understood that their roles had changed. Maggie had Glen to take care of her from the very beginning of the outbreak. She had never been on her own, surrounded by strange and dangerous people the way Beth had been. Beth was happy she had Rick to care for her, but she also knew that if she lost him, she was capable of looking out for herself. And Maggie wasn't even alone now, like Beth had been, she was in a safe place surrounded by people that loved and cared for her. Beth got up and then pulled her sister up to her feet. What Maggie needed now was a little tough love.
"Its time to go bury Glen," she told her. Maggie shook her head.
"I can't do it," Maggie told her.
"Yes," Beth told her, "you can, because I will be there with you." Maggie nodded.
"You might want to put some clothes on first," she suggested. Beth looked down at herself. She had forgotten she was wearing nothing but a tshirt and nothing underneath it. And she had been ready to walk right out of the house like that too. She felt so silly that Beth couldn't help but laugh. Maggie didn't laugh, but she did smile, which gave Beth hope that her sister might be able to find the strength she needed to get past her loss.
After people got done saying what they needed to say, Deanna said a few words and then they started shoveling the dirt in on another grave. Bob had not had anything to say, he had followed them out and then sat down by Sasha's grave and started in on another bottle. Maggie started to head back to the house and then changed her mind and sat down next to him, taking the bottle from his hand and getting a good long burning swallow.
"At least he went quick," Bob told her. Coming from anyone else, it would have been a terrible thing to say. But coming from Bob after what had just happened to Sasha, it actually made Maggie feel a little better. Beth wanted her to come back to the house with her, but Maggie waved her off. She just wanted to sit here with Bob a while.
"I will be fine," Maggie assured her sister. Beth didn't look so sure. Rick leaned in a whispered to her.
"We are going to the meeting at Deanna's house," he said quietly into her ear, "you can watch her from the window." Beth gave in and followed him. She would rather take Maggie home than leave her getting drunk by Glen's grave, but maybe she and Bob could console each other. It might be good for both of them.