The next morning everyone was eating breakfast in silence. Carl barely touched his food because he was worried about his dad and sad about Lori's death, so everyone tried to give him the space he needed. Kayla was sitting with Alex near the steps where Daryl and Oscar were as they ate and Kayla kept looking at the baby as Beth held her. She was healthy and acting just like a baby. She slept a lot and ate a lot which was a good sign of health and Beth became her care taker with Rick gone.
"Everybody okay?" a familiar voice asked. Looking up, Kayla saw Rick coming out of the tombs. Everyone looked his direction and saw he was all cleaned up from the day before. "Yeah, we are." Maggie answered as everyone else put their food down and focused their attention on Rick. He walked over to the table where Carl was and looked around. "What about you?" Hershel asked.
"Cleared out the boiler block…" Rick told the group.
"How many were there?" Daryl asked.
"I don't know. A dozen. Two dozen." Rick answered. "I have to get back…just wanted to check on Carl." Rick patted his son's back who remained stoic as his father turned to go back into the tombs.
"Rick we can handle taking out the bodies." Glenn told Rick as he stood up from the table. "You don't have to-"
"No I have to." Rick cut him off. "I do." He walked over to Daryl and asked him if everyone had a gun and a knife.
"Yeah." Daryl answered. "A little low on ammo though."
"Maggie and me were planning on making a run this afternoon." Glenn told Rick. "Found a a phone book. There's some places we can hit for bullets and formula."
"We cleared out the generator room. Axel is there trying to fix it in case of an emergency. We're gonna sweep the lower levels as well." Daryl added.
"Good." Rick said. "Good." With that said, Rick left the group again and returned into the tombs despite Hershel's attempt to stop him.
"Just give him another day to grieve." Kayla said. "He needs it."
"Well we need him here." Glenn replied.
"Look we are perfectly capable of handling things here for a day or two."
"Did you forget the part where this isn't a democracy anymore? He is supposed to be our leader."
"No I did not forget Glenn. But right now he needs time to grieve. For right now we will handle things here. Look I know Rick and he'll come out of this quicker than you think. He might not be finished grieving, but he'll take his responsibility for this group again. Give it time."
"Time is something you can't get back and in this world every second counts."
"Look there's no point arguing." Hershel interjected. "You all saw how I grieved when I lost my wife and stepson. I needed time, too. Time to think and come to the realization that she was gone which is what Rick needs to do. I understand what he is going through and he does need some grieving time."
With that much said, the silence returned amongst the group and everyone finished their meal.
OOOOO
Kayla was sitting on the steps in Cell Block D which was clear of walkers. She liked the silence it offered and wanted to take a minute to gather her thoughts and everything that had happened. Carol, T-Dog, and Lori were dead because of some asshole, her dad was alive and here with her. And now they had a newborn baby while Rick remained in the tombs to take his frustrations out. She let out a breath and ran a hand through her knotty hair when she heard the door open. She picked her head up and reached for her gun, but it realized it was only Daryl. "What're you doin' in here?" he asked as he walked over to her.
"I just needed to take a minute…gather my thoughts." Kayla told him. Daryl sat down next to her and looked at her as she looked down. "You alright?" he asked her.
"As best as can be expected." Kayla replied. "These past few days have been rough…"
"I know. Oscar, Carl, and I are going to sweep the lower levels in a little while. Glenn and Maggie just left on their run."
"Anything I need to do?"
"Just make sure Little Asskicker is alright. And everyone else."
"No problem."
Kayla's eyes went to the floor again and Daryl kept his on her face. "Hey," he said. "Come here." Kayla looked at him and smiled before he wrapped his arms around her. She slipped his arms around him and buried her face in his chest. Daryl held her tight and kissed the top of her head. He hasn't been there for her lately and felt bad about it, but he was there now and there was no better feeling than having her in his arms. She pulled out of the hug and met his eyes with her warm brown ones. Daryl leaned in and kissed her before she could say anything and pulled her close again. She felt Kayla smile in the kiss and she slipped her arms around his neck as his went around her midsection. Kayla ran her hands through his hair as the kiss continued and felt Daryl grip the side of her shirt. She pulled away from him and let out a breath. "You should go see Oscar and Carl. See if they're ready." She told him.
"We aren't leaving for a while yet." Daryl replied. "Oscar is helping Axel with the generators." Kayla looked at him and thought about the situation. Even though they have been together for so long, they never reached that point in their relationship because of being on the run for so long and it never coming up since they got to the prison. Kayla leaned in and kissed him again, Daryl not hesitating to kiss her back. Daryl trailed his kisses down her jaw and to her neck, a smile on Kayla's face. They stood up together and Daryl led her back into one of the cells where she backed into the bunk bed, hitting her head in the process. "Ouch…" she laughed out, causing Daryl to smile. He kissed her again and slipped his hands under her dark grey tank top. He lifted it up and Kayla raised her arms in assistance so he could slip it off. Daryl broke off the kiss and pulled the shirt off of her, tossing it to the side before kissing her again. Kayla reached up and began unbuttoning his flannel as his hands ran over her bare skin. Once she got the last button she pushed the shirt off of him and put her hands on his shoulders. Daryl put his hands on the sides of her face and felt hers travel down his back. Before anything else could happen, they heard the door open. "Daryl you in here?" a familiar voice asked. It was Oscar. "Yeah." Daryl called back.
"We're ready to go when you are." Oscar told him.
"I'll be out in a few." Daryl replied.
They heard the door close, signaling that Oscar left. Daryl leaned in and kissed Kayla again, but she pulled back. "Go with Oscar." She told him. He pushed his eyebrows together. "You sure?" he asked.
"Yes." Kayla answered as she picked her shirt up. "We can continue this tonight here or in the guard tower if you'd like, but right now go do what you need to do."
Daryl grabbed his shirt off the floor and pulled it on, buttoning it up again. "Be safe." Kayla told him. "Always am." He reminded her, kissing her cheek once before taking off to find Oscar and Carl.
OOOOO
Kayla managed to get a nap in while Daryl was gone and Maggie and Glenn were on their run. When she awoke she heard the door in the other room open. She went out there to see Rick taking the baby from Hershel which would be the first time he has held her. She stopped in her tracks and looked at scene, a large smile forming on her face. He looked over at her and smiled which made Kayla smile a little more. She followed him, Carl, Hershel, and Beth outside where Rick said the baby looked like Carl. Kayla chuckled and then noticed Rick look out at the fences. He handed the baby to Carl and told Kayla to come with him.
The two walked into the field and Kayla noticed what Rick saw and unholstered her gun when he did. They went over to the fence and stopped in front of it, their eyes glued to the dark skinned woman on the other side of the fence who was covered in walker blood.
