Michonne and Judith sat outside of the family's tents in the small corner of Washington Caverns that they called their temporary home. Kaleb and Akisho had gone off for a walk. Carl, Rick, Collin and Tabitha had gone out to hunt, allowing Tabitha to test her skills with controlling her daddy's hunting dogs. The women were keeping an eye on Selena who was trying to see how far she could throw rocks, while Michonne sharpened her katana and Judith cleaned the gun that she had inherited from Tony.
While Judith cleaned she kept sneaking glances over at her mother, whose eyes were glazed over as she distractedly rubbed a rock across the blade of her katana. Judith could tell something was troubling her mother. She had always been close to her mom, especially since they were the only females when she was growing up in the testosterone fueled Grimes household. Her mom had taught her everything she knew about being a woman, and she could sense the hurt in Michonne's eyes as she sharpened her weapon. Something had gone down, and she figured it had something to do with Double A. The way Michonne had reacted to the young man at dinner was not normal, and then the day after that Michonne had spent most of the afternoon inside of her tent with Rick.
Her father had told her that Michonne had another migraine and needed to be away from noise and light, but Judith could always tell when her dad was not telling the truth. Judith had asked him what was wrong, and Rick had insisted that Michonne was fine and just needed to lay down for a while. Judith gave her father a break and let Michonne rest, but she knew that there was something they were hiding. That morning, Michonne had once again confirmed to Judith that she was fine, but she was on the verge of tears right now which was in no way normal for Michonne.
"Mom?" Judith called.
Michonne didn't respond as she stared straight ahead, her right arm moving across her katana mindlessly as her brain had a conversation with itself.
"Mom!" Judith called again, and Michonne startled and turned in her direction.
"Yea" Michonne replied to her daughter.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Judith asked, peering at her mother's face, but Michonne was temporarily distracted when she saw Gabrielle making her way over to the two women. Judith turned to see who her mother was gazing at.
"Good morning" Gabrielle said cordially.
"Mornin'" Judith said, looking from Gabrielle to her mother who was silent.
"May I talk to you Michonne?" Gabrielle asked. "Please?"
Judith looked to her mother suspiciously and then back to Gabrielle.
"Uh... yea, okay" Michonne said, discreetly wiping an eye before placing her katana back in its scabbard. Judith stood up too, preparing to go with her mother and Gabrielle.
"No, it's ok" Michonne said to her daughter, "you stay here."
Judith squinted her eyes at her mother and tilted her head, stepping in close to Michonne's ear so that Gabrielle couldn't hear the conversation. "What is it? Why does she want you?" Judith asked.
"I don't know, but it's fine, I'll be back in a few" Michonne reassured her. Michonne walked over to the petite woman who was waiting patiently, her golden brown skin shining in the sun. She was very young, in her late teens if not in her early twenties. Michonne took in the knife she wore at her waist, and the gun strapped on her right side. She looked like she could handle herself.
"Hi" Michonne said with a nod.
"Is it true?" Gabrielle asked softly, peering into Michonne's eyes as if to ascertain the truth. "Are you his mother?"
Michonne nodded slightly. "Yes. I wouldn't lie about something like that."
"I don't really know you. I don't know that" Gabrielle said crossing her arms. "We've had to deal with a lot over the years, and we don't just trust people out of the blue. If you're lying about this... if you open up these doors in him and then we find out..."
"Why would I lie about this?" Michonne asked, her voice raising in pitch. "What do I possibly have to gain from this?"
"Well water is one thing" Gabrielle said quickly.
"Double A was letting us stay whether I said I was his mother or not. There is nothing my family or I will get out of this other than knowing Andre... Double A."
Gabrielle continued to look Michonne up and down while Michonne stared back.
"I have to admit, there is a family resemblance" she said as she visually inspected Michonne.
"How is he?" Michonne asked, the concern in her voice causing Gabrielle to halt her inspection.
"He's... upset" Gabrielle said. "He's trying to figure out your angle, why you'd say what you said. He's trying to come up with ways to not believe you. For a while he considered kicking you and your family out, but I know my husband. He wouldn't put those children in danger."
Gabrielle let out a breath and blinked her eyes rapidly. She gestured to a nearby picnic table that was barely standing due to twenty years of sun, rain, sleet, and snow. Michonne followed her over to it and the two women sat, the table creaking underneath them.
"Does he... does he know you're here?" Michonne asked softly, the news that Andre was just as upset as she was hitting her hard.
"No" Gabrielle said, shaking her head. "I just had to see if it was true. I had to know for me."
"And?" Michonne asked.
Gabrielle ignored her question. "Andre has been through a lot. He is still grieving over his mother. She died a year ago but it's still fresh in his mind. He's just gotten past it, and now you come claiming to possibly be his real mother, and... well he didn't handle it well. It's bringing up a lot of memories for him. Don't take it personally."
"So, you believe me?" Michonne asked Gabrielle.
Gabrielle tilted the side of her mouth as if she were contemplating. "I'd recognize those big ol' eyes anywhere. He does too, even if he doesn't want to admit it. When Monique was born that was the first thing we noticed about her. She had his eyes. Now I know where he got them from. I wouldn't be telling you all of this if I didn't believe you really were his mom."
Michonne let out a deep sigh and she smiled from ear to ear. Her eyes involuntary filled with tears. It felt good that Gabrielle believed her. It gave her hope that Andre would too.
"How did his... his mother die?" Michonne asked, now trying to get as much information as she could.
"It wasn't the dead" Gabrielle clarified. "She was the leader of this community. Everyone looked up to her, followed her without question. She was a great leader" Gabrielle said, wiping a tear from her eye. "In a matter of months that all changed. She started getting very tired, sick. We didn't know what was wrong until she found the lumps. All over her body. It was cancer. It spread so fast we weren't prepared. Within a few weeks she was gone."
Michonne could tell Gabrielle had loved her mother in law deeply. "We had just found out I was pregnant with Monique. I told her... it was the only thing that made her smile. Knowing she had a grandchild."
"I'm sorry" Michonne said softly.
"He went into a deep depression after her death. He's always had separation anxiety, since I met him. He always feels anxious when someone is leaving him, and it took months for him to get to a happy place again. Monique's birth helped a lot. And now I'm afraid..."
"That I'll ruin that" Michonne said, finishing Gabrielle's sentence.
"Yes" Gabrielle said frankly.
"I don't want to ruin that" Michonne said. "I don't want to hurt him. I just want to know my son."
Gabrielle nodded slowly. "I will talk to him. I'll try to ask him to at least hear you out."
"Thank you Gabrielle" Michonne said.
"But let's be clear about something. If you're lying, or you have some kind of hidden agenda, or you hurt my husband or my family, I will kill you Michonne" Gabrielle said, staring directly into Michonne's eyes.
Michonne nodded, proud of the young lady who obviously loved her son and had his best interests at heart.
"Okay, deal" Michonne said, sticking out her hand so that Gabrielle could shake it.
***can08writer***
"It's nice here" Akisho said to Kaleb as they walked hand in hand around the perimeter of WC. They walked past the fields where food was being grown and tended, and the many children who ran about playing games and chatting. "It kind of reminds me of home, except, without the walls. Y'know?" she asked.
"Yea, it is like home, but its not as safe. I haven't seen a Walker since we've been here, but what would they do if a herd shows up? They need walls. I should tell Double A when I see him" Kaleb said, ducking down to squeeze underneath a low hanging branch.
"Is he like your new best friend now?" Akisho asked, looking down at her feet as she walked, a hint of jealously creeping into her voice.
"No…" Kaleb said, scrunching up his face and turning to his girlfriend to study her face. "Double A is just cool. He treats me like a grown up and appreciates me for what I know."
"Yea? Well you've been spending a whole lot of time with him" Akisho commented before kicking a pinecone.
"Just when I'm in the fields" Kaleb said defensively. Akisho didn't say anything more, but she didn't look at Kaleb as they continued to walk. "You can come work in the fields too if you want" Kaleb offered.
Akisho still didn't answer, and Kaleb could tell she was upset, but he didn't understand why. He held her hand tighter and continued to walk.
"So, you do like it here, right?" Kaleb asked Akisho.
"Yea, I mean, obviously its better than being on the road. The people are nice but…" Akisho allowed the end of her sentence to fade off. Kaleb glanced at her again but she looked at the ground in front of her as she walked.
"Double A offered me a job" Kaleb said.
"Doing what?" Akisho mumbled, annoyed that they were once again talking about Double A.
"Being a manager. For agriculture I guess. He wants me to be in charge of how they grow things."
"For how long? We're leaving when it starts raining again. I don't think we'll be here that long Kaleb."
Now it was Kaleb's turn to bite his lip and avoid Akisho's eyes.
"You want to stay" she stated incredulously.
"Maybe. I mean, there isn't much back in Alexandria for us, at least not for a while. Just because it rains doesn't mean its gonna make up for months of drought. If everyone is still there, if they survived this long, one rainstorm is not gonna erase all the damage. Maybe we should stay here a little longer, until things are more settled, you know? I mean, if I stayed here for a while, would you?"
Akisho stopped walking and dropped Kaleb's hand, turning to face him.
"You may not have much back in Alexandria, but I have a family at home. I have to find out what happened to my dad. I want to know what happened to the town. I mean, I don't want to lose you. I want us to be together, but I have to go back to Alexandria and see what's left. I want to show my dad that I could take care of myself. I want to show him I'm a strong girl, even though he never wanted me to be. I know he might not be alive anymore, but I have to know. I… I miss him."
"I know you do, and I want you to find out what happened with your dad. One way or another" Kaleb said.
"Would you stay here? If I didn't?" Akisho asked softly.
"You left your family and your town to travel all the way out here with me. The least I can do is go back with you to look for your dad. I don't think my parents would want me to come back here after, but I might, even if Alexandria is okay. I like it here, and they need me here. In Alexandria I'm just a kid, but here I'm Kaleb. Double A respects me, and I like it."
Akisho sighed. "You know all you've been talking about since we got here? Double A. You've been spending all your time with him while I'm by myself or with your family. You still have family. As of right now, the only one I have left is you. I feel like I'm here all by myself. I feel like…" Akisho's voice cracked and she began to cry. Kaleb moved forward to give her a hug, but she stepped away from him.
"I'm sorry" Kaleb quickly apologized. He felt horrible that his girlfriend thought he was abandoning her. Akisho wiped her face quickly and ignored his apology.
"If you moved here for good after taking me back to Alexandria, we'd never see each other" she said softly.
Kaleb fiddled with his hands uncomfortably. "You could live here too. If… if there's nothing back at Alexandria."
"You mean if my dad is dead. If the whole town is dead. Well yea, then I'd have to live here. I'd have no choice. But either way, whether I stay or not, you're gonna stay here."
"I haven't decided yet!"
"But you didn't say no. You wouldn't say no."
"Akisho, I care about you a lot. You have been the best girlfriend ever… well, my only girlfriend… but I don't know how to answer that question. We're arguing about something that isn't even a problem yet. I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know what I'm going to decide. I'm just trying to see what you think."
"I think if you decide to stay here, don't bother to take me back home. I'll go back without you."
"Akisho!"
"Bye Kaleb" Akisho said, walking away and leaving him staring after her.
***can08writer***
Kaleb found a tree in the shade of the blistering sun and he leaned against it to think about his conversation with Akisho. There was no doubt that the girl felt alone here at Washington Caverns, and he couldn't help but take responsibility for some of that. He had been spending a lot of time in the fields with Double A, but he just wanted to keep busy. It was boring just staying in the tent all day, waiting and hoping for it to rain. At least there he could put his skills to work.
He tried to see things from Akisho's point of view. It had to be scary being in a whole new town with none of her family members, and only her boyfriend and her boyfriend's family to comfort her. And he hadn't even been a good boyfriend lately. He had been leaving her behind, and it wasn't right.
He sighed and rested the back of his head against the tree. He had never had to juggle so many things at once. His future residence, his girlfriend, a job offer…
'Is this what it's like to be an adult?' he asked himself. If so, it was stressful.
Double A's voice startled him out of his reflection.
"Hey Kaleb, you okay?" he asked, making a beeline to check on the boy who was leaning against a tree.
"Yea, hey Double A" Kaleb said, reaching out and shaking the man's hand. Double A looked Kaleb up and down silently, almost as if seeing the boy for the first time.
"Are you okay?" Kaleb asked, concerned by Double A's staring.
"Yea" Double A said softly. Kaleb was a little concerned by the way Double A was looking at him, as if he were trying to read his mind. "Uh… Kaleb, did you tell Michonne anything about me?" he asked.
"What? No", Kaleb said suspiciously.
"Not even my name?" Double A asked.
"No, I didn't tell her that. Why?" Kaleb asked, squinting at Double A.
"Did she tell you anything about me?" Double A asked, ignoring Kaleb's question.
"What? What do you mean man?" Kaleb asked, getting annoyed that Double A was asking so many questions and answering none.
"I mean... your mom, did she tell you that... that she knew me before all this?" Double A asked, taking a step forward and lowering his voice.
"Um... no. You knew my mom?" Kaleb asked, his eyes widening.
Double A scratched his head confused. If Michonne was running a scam, Kaleb didn't seem to be in on it. But if she was his mother, why did she never mention him to Kaleb?
"Hello? You knew my mom?" Kaleb asked again, becoming annoyed at Double A's lack of answers.
"No. I mean, she says she remembers me."
"From where?" Kaleb asked, trying to think of how Michonne could have known Double A.
"From before."
"Before what?"
"Um... before, when the dead stayed dead" Double A explained, scratching his afroed head. He was still trying to figure out Michonne's intentions.
"Wow, I didn't know you're that old" Kaleb laughed.
"Hey I'm... I'm not! I was a baby when all of that happened, I don't even remember" Double A said, defending himself against Kaleb's jab.
"So you're saying my mom remembers you from when you were a baby?" Kaleb asked, as confused as ever.
"Apparently" Double A said, trying to decide if he should tell the boy what his mother had told him.
"Wow, was she friends with your parents or something?"
Double A stared at the innocent look on Kaleb's face and decided that it wasn't his place to tell him what was going on.
"I um... I'm not sure. Look Kaleb... if I asked you something would you be honest with me?"
"Yea" Kaleb said with a shrug.
"Your mom and dad, can I trust them? I mean, have you ever known them to lie?" Double A asked, leaning forwards to read Kaleb's every emotion.
Kaleb stared at Double A for a moment to assess what the man was really asking. "So, you're asking me if my parents are liars?"
"When you ask it that way, yea", Double A honestly said to Kaleb.
Kaleb squinted his eyes at the older man. "No, they're not liars, but if they were I probably would be one too and you couldn't trust me anyway" Kaleb said as if he were speaking to a child.
Double A looked at Kaleb blankly. "Thanks man" he said in a sarcastic voice.
"No problem" Kaleb said with a shrug. "Now, you gonna tell me what this is really about?"
"Maybe you should ask your mom" Double A said.
"What is going on between you and my mom? The both of you were acting weird before" Kaleb said staring at Double A. "What is happening?"
"Kaleb, just ask your mom" Double A said, turning his back and stalking away, leaving a very confused Kaleb behind.
***can08writer***
Rick, Carl, Collin, and Tabitha had gone on a hunting trip in the morning, looking for any wild game they could find, to start smoking and preserving meat to prepare for their eventual journey back to Alexandria. To everyone's surprise, the group had returned with a buck, the first one seen in the area in months. Collin and Tabitha were smiling ear to ear as they triumphantly showed off their catch. The two of them had worked together as Rick and Carl looked on in complete awe. Carl had spotted the deer, Tabitha had sent the dogs after it, cornering it in, and Collin had taken the final shot. The team work displayed between his grandchildren warmed Rick's heart, and he had given both of them a hearty hug and kiss once the buck had been taken down. Carl had carried Collin on his shoulders all the way back to camp. Once the animal had been skinned and quartered, the family worked together to begin smoking the meat so that it would last.
The sun was beginning to set as Double A approached the area where the Grimes' were cutting up the deer carcass, with butterflies in his stomach. After talking to Gabrielle and Kaleb he could at least accept the possibility that Michonne really might be his mother. He had so many questions. There were so many things he didn't understand that he wanted her to answer.
He had always just assumed that his birth parents were dead. The whole world around him was dead, so it was a logical assumption that they would be too. Never did he believe that this day would come; that he would actually get to talk to the woman who gave birth to him. Gabrielle had told him that she'd gone to Michonne and talked to her to try to figure her out. Gabrielle was a better judge of character than he was, and if Gabrielle believed that Michonne's story held water, then he was willing to give this a shot.
He could see much of the Grimes family was outside, the adults preparing slabs of deer for drying over the fire, while the children were playing fetch with the hunting dogs. Double A felt like he was somehow intruding when he approached the busy family and awkwardly stood there until he was noticed. Rick saw him first and his entire body tensed. The patriarch's brow furrowed accusingly as he squinted in Double A's direction. Rick's eyes then flicked towards his wife who had noticed the visitor a few seconds after he did. Her eyes opened wide and Double A felt a stab in his heart when he saw the pain in her brown irises. He knew he had caused that, and he was sorry.
Michonne had mixed emotions about seeing Double A at her family's campsite. On the one hand she was happy that he wanted to communicate with her. Maybe he even would give her a chance to explain herself. On the other hand, she wasn't sure she could take another rejection from him. She had come back to her tent barely holding in the tears that were on the verge of rupturing from her eyes. As soon as she'd entered the tent she'd collapsed to the floor weeping, and she didn't have to say a word. Rick knew what happened, and he was angry at Double A for it. He was angry that this man had the ability to destroy his wife so thoroughly, and regardless of who he was, if he hurt his wife like that again, the two of them would have a show down. Rick had held Michonne to him and rocked her through the night, keeping his concerned children at bay so that she didn't have to explain to them why her world had fallen apart. And as much as Rick didn't want to dislike the young man that had essentially saved his family's life, he blamed Double A. Carl, who knew what was going on, anxiously looked back and forth between Double A and Michonne, ready to defend his mother if need be.
Double A stepped forward and nodded at the family in greeting. "Um, hi everyone" he said, nervously. "Michonne, may I?" he asked, gesturing for her to talk to him off to the side.
Rick took a step in front of Michonne in a protective gesture, but Michonne placed her hand on his shoulder to calm him. Michonne nodded at Rick and Carl, communicating with them that it was okay, and she nervously followed behind her son. When they'd walked a minute or so in silence, Double A stopped walking and turned towards her.
"I want to apologize. I… I realize I treated you unfairly and didn't let you finish what you were saying. So, if you still want to talk, I'm willing to listen."
Michonne paused, still mesmerized that she was really talking to Andre. The shock of that still hadn't worn off and she was barely listening to what he was saying. She did however understand that he was offering an olive branch. Michonne opened her mouth, but no words came out. She cleared her throat and tried again.
"Ahem…yes, yes I'd like that"
"So, how do you know you're my mom?" he asked. "There's no DNA tests, or… anything like that. Are you sure?"
"I'm sure" Michonne said quickly. "Believe me. I wouldn't… I wouldn't have said anything if I wasn't sure, Andre… I mean, Double A. Just ask me anything, anything that you want to know."
"Why? Why did you and… my father? Do I have a father? How did I end up all alone? What… what happened? Where am I from? What was my life like before?..."
"Okay. Okay" Michonne said, holding up her hands to stop the onslaught of questions that she knew Double A had for her. "I'll start from the beginning, and if you have a question, you just ask it then and there, alright? Is that okay?" Michonne asked.
Double A nodded and crossed his arms, leaning back on a tree and propping his foot up against it as if he were getting comfortable.
Michonne let out a long sigh as if mentally preparing herself for this trip down memory lane. She knew that she was about to dive back into her painful past, and bring up memories that she had tried to suppress for years, but it was worth it. Andre deserved to know it all.
"Your name is Andre Anthony Miller. Twenty three years and 5 months ago, give or take a few months, I gave birth to you at Grady Memorial Hospital in downtown Atlanta. You were seven pounds and 6 ounces, and labor with you took twenty hours because you were born face up. Just like your daughter. By the time I gave birth to you, I was exhausted. I couldn't have pain medication and I was delirious with lack of sleep, but the moment I saw your face…"
Michonne smiled as the memory of seeing her son for the first time flooded her brain. She felt the emotions she'd felt that day. Pride, wonder, and fierce, fierce love.
"I couldn't believe what a beautiful baby you were. Your eyes were wide open, and you just looked back at me, like you knew I was your mother. Like you knew everything would be okay because you were in my arms. And I cried, because you trusted me so much. You trusted me to take care of you. Your father and I, we were so proud to be your parents."
"What was he like?" Andre asked.
"Your father's name was Michael Anthony Miller, and he loved you. He had his faults, but he did love you. And we didn't abandon you Andre. I'm so sorry that was what you thought. I'm so sorry for everything. I went out on a run because our camp was running out of supplies. There was little food left, and I knew if I didn't go there would be nothing for you to eat, and I wouldn't stand for that. Mike, your father, he didn't want me to go. He figured other people should be going on runs. Not his girlfriend. Not him."
Michonne sniffled and wiped a wayward tear from her eye. Andre was staring at her with wide eyes, hanging on her every word.
"The morning of the run we got into an argument, and I told him I was going to do what I had to do so that you could eat. He said I was trying to be some warrior princess and I was going to get killed, and leave you without a mother. Looking back, I realize he was scared for me. He was scared for you too. I think he realized he couldn't protect you if something went down, but I could. Maybe that's why he didn't want me to leave. I don't know. But at the time I just thought he was a jerk. So, I kissed you goodbye, I promised I would be back by lunchtime, and I left you there with your father. In my heart I… I knew he couldn't protect you, but I ignored it. I didn't listen to my instincts. I hoped nothing would happen. But when I came back…"
Michonne turned away from Andre and shook her head, trying to shake away the vision that she was seeing. Andre stared at her, his eyes flicking back and forth, completely enraptured in what she was saying. Finally getting the answers to everything he'd always wondered.
"When I came back, it was over. Everything was gone. The camp was destroyed, and the walkers were just stomping through everything. Everyone who was alive was bitten, dying, or in the process of being eaten. It was sickening, but I ran through it all, and I found your father and Uncle Terry, his best friend. They reeked of weed. Your father was bitten in the back, and Terry was bitten on the shoulder. I begged them to tell me where you were, but by the time I arrived they couldn't talk. I guess they'd lost too much blood. They just grunted and moaned, and cried. I had no sympathy for them, I just thought they were useless. I let them bleed out while I went to look for you. I found your shoes on the edge of camp. One and then the other. It gave me hope that maybe you ran away. And then I found your jacket. It was torn and… it was covered in blood. So much blood, I thought you had bled out and turned, and then just walked away. I knew it was your jacket because when we went to the camp I put your name in all of your clothing because sometimes we did group laundry, and I didn't want your clothes to go to someone else. When I found that jacket I knew you were dead. But I still looked."
A single tear flowed down Double A's face as Michonne relived the horror of what she'd found.
"I couldn't leave you out there" Michonne cried. "I couldn't leave my baby out there wandering around in the dark. Even if you were… even if you were dead I couldn't leave you Andre."
Double A was crying now, completely moved by his mother's words.
"I looked for you for three days nonstop. Day and night. I looked for you until I physically couldn't anymore. I knew you weren't in the area because I looked everywhere, and if I didn't stop I was going to die. It was some type of basic self-preservation that made me stop and eat. And the night that I stopped looking… I cried myself to sleep and hoped that I wouldn't wake up the next day. But I did. And I came back for your father, and your Uncle Terry who to my surprise were still trapped in the tent. I mutilated them and took them with me, to make myself suffer more. I was a monster, Andre, and it took me a long time to heal from all the wounds. I'm glad you never saw me the way that I was. I'm glad I've healed before you met me, because I would be ashamed if you'd seen that me."
"You looked for me?" Double A asked, his voice small and childlike. It was a surprise that such a soft voice was coming from a man his age, but it sounded so much like the Andre Michonne knew. Michonne pressed her hand to her chest and took a step closer to her son.
"Of course I looked for you!" she articulated, her voice shaking with passion. "Andre, of course I did!"
Double A nodded his head, but he looked down at the ground. "I used to wonder what my real parents looked like, what they were like, if they were happy. I didn't understand why… why they left me. It was easier to think they were both dead. I thought maybe they died trying to save me. Or maybe…"
Double A wiped his face on his sleeve and looked at Michonne with watery eyes. "Or maybe it was my fault that they died. I couldn't remember. But sometimes, I had… well, I'm not sure if they were memories or nightmares. They were just sounds, and feelings, and flashes of things. But one thing I remember, one thing that always stayed in my mind, was the feeling of being in the air, like someone was carrying me. And then they dropped me and screamed 'Peanut, run!'. I don't know who or what Peanut is, but the voice sounded so… terrified. I'd always hear that scream before I woke up."
Michonne gasped and put her hand to her mouth. "Peanut. You're Peanut. It's what your father and I called you. It was our nickname for you since the first time we saw you on the ultrasound. That voice… it had to be Mike."
"My father?" Double A asked.
Michonne nodded.
"He was telling me to run" Double A stated.
Michonne nodded again. "He was… I think he was trying to save you" Michonne said, her voice shaking and her mind racing. She had always assumed Mike was so high he didn't do much while their son was torn apart. She was so angry at him when she got back to the camp, she had just presumed he got their son killed. But maybe he'd tried. Maybe he had saved their son. Andre was still alive, and maybe she had Mike to thank for that. Maybe she had gotten it wrong. Mike had been bitten on his back and was bleeding profusely, what if he was trying to shield Andre? What if he'd saved their son's life and she'd just left him to die?
Mike, I'm so sorry Michonne thought.
"He did. I mean… I don't remember, but he must've, right? I got out of there somehow and I was just a baby."
"Yea" Michonne agreed. "Yea, I think he did. I think he saved you."