Better Days

Chapter 270

Author's Note: Thank you all for the love. I still can't believe when I get new reader's favoriting this story after all this time (not to mention chapters!) So I've updated the Alexandria Cast list and added a couple more OC's, who won't be introduced just yet. One is with Heath and his gang. Anyway, you know the drill, read and review please!

Ronnie's POV;

Ronnie walked into the infirmary and looked around. She glanced around and started looking around.

"Ronnie, hey, come in," Aaron told her as he came out of the other room. "Pete's looking over Eric right now, come on," he told her as he extended his hand. "Come on back. I know Eric's sister wants to thank you and I'll introduce you to Pete. He just stepped out for a minute," Aaron explained as he walked back to the room. "Emily, this is Ronnie, she's the one that helped bandage Eric up."

"I had help," Ronnie told them.

"Oh she's just being modest. She barked out orders, other people just followed them," Eric told his sister.

"Thank you for patching up my very clumsy brother," Emily told her. "I am real glad that you were out there. We need another doctor in Alexandria," she told her.

"Is there a reason that you're still in here? You should be able to be at home, resting. There's no reason for you to be still in here," Ronnie told him.

Before any one of them could say a word, a man came through the door. "This is my infirmary and I'm the doctor, and Eric will leave when I say he can and not before."

"Pete," Aaron said cautioning him.

"Our infirmary," Ronnie corrected him.

Pete shook his head. "Deanna's really trying to give me another helper? You another head shrinker? Someone who took a few first aid classes? You can go home and crawl up into bed with a book and if I need you I'll call you."

Eric and Aaron both exchanged glances. "Pete, Ronnie's the one who fixed my ankle out there," Eric said. "She's more then…" he started to say before Ronnie interrupted him.

"Dr. Veronica Washburne and you must be Dr. Pete Anderson," Ronnie answered. "I was practicing medicine in war zones while you still had pimples and probably braces. I take my orders from people in charge, always have. That's what happens when you spend more than half of your life in an Air Force uniform. Deanna assigned me as another Doctor in the safe zone, so you have a problem, you take it up with her. But right now, I need you to step away from my patient, and let me look over him so I can send him on his way home with Aaron and Emily."

"I don't know who you are, Veronica, but in here I'm in charge, so you take orders from me," Pete said.

"First, it's Doctor Washburne, or Doc, or even Major. Secondly, you're not the only doctor in town right now, so get used to it. Thirdly, you seem like a man who thinks women should be barefoot and pregnant and have no right in making decisions. Trust me, I had a lot better men than you think that and try to push me out. You know what usually happened? I usually wound up outranking them. Fourthly, and absolutely most important to me right at this moment, is that it's not even five o'clock and you reek of alcohol. So, as someone who took an oath to do no harm, just like you did, I'm going to insist on stepping away from my patient. File a complaint with Deanna if you want me out of here, but the only way I'm not going to be right here making sure you aren't drunk when patients come in, is being told by Deanna that she doesn't want me in here. I'm also going to take some supplies back to the house tonight because I need to check over Jewel and the baby, and she's fighting me on coming in here. Now, I'd hate to make a scene on my first day here, but let's get to an understanding right now and real quick, my first priority is going to be the patients here as yours should be. But you can't do that job drunk. Go, or I will have to throw you out myself," she warned.

Aaron took a step between Pete and Ronnie. "Pete just go home alright? She knows what she's doing. It'll take a lot of pressure off you," he told her.

Emily watched as he left. "His first stop is going to be to Deanna's," she told them.

"Deanna isn't going to listen to his complaints. We've needed another doctor here for a while," Eric said.

"That's what's going to make him more dangerous," Emily told them.

"That happen often?" Ronnie asked.

"More than it doesn't," Emily said. "He knew Deanna couldn't do a damn thing about it, either. He was the only Dr. here, Deanna overlooks everything he does. She should have exiled him a long time ago. She'll probably even over look it now, until she can trust you, until she knows you're staying," she said. "I should probably go over to there house tonight, stay around Sam."

Ronnie looked at her. "Sam?"

"His youngest son," Aaron answered.

"Are you telling me that he abuses him?" Ronnie asked.

"Mostly his wife, but his oldest gets it sometimes. Sam locks himself in the room. He won't do anything when someone else is around," Emily told her. "It's not your fault, he's been doing it without an excuse."

"There's going to be a lot of people in my group that's not going to stand for that," Ronnie said as she looked at them.

Daryl, Carol, Rick and Jewel's POV:

Jewel walked between Rick and Daryl in between two of the houses as Carol joined them.

"They're right next to each other but…" Carol told them.

"They took our weapons and now they're splitting us up," Rick told them.

"Yeah," Daryl said.

"I didn't really hear anyone say that we had to all sleep in different houses tonight, did you? No one insisted that we separate right?" Jewel asked.

Rick nodded as he squeezed her arm. "We'll all be staying in the same house tonight."

"In the living room and den, with the door opened between the two," Jewel stated. "God, I never thought I'd be using the word den."

Carol gave a false smile to anyone who may be passing. "You think anyone will object to be sleeping on floor and couches when they could be sleeping in real beds."

"No one's gonna complain, we're playing it safe," Daryl told her.

"First night in a new place after everything we've been through, I doubt anyone would want to split up," Jewel told her.

"It's the safe play, no one's going to mind," Rick told them.

Carol nodded. "They haven't slipped up."

"Yet," Jewel answered. "I think they've been holed up behind these walls so long that since what's out there hasn't bothered them, they are confident it won't. They are naïve, and that makes them dangerous in a whole different way. When something happens to this place, they aren't going to know how to defend it, they're going to be frightened and useless," Jewel told them.

"We watch them, we get a feel for the place," Rick told them.

The three of them nodded. "Hey Mar, you ready to go to the pantry?" Jewel asked as she went to the front porch.

"Yeah, I'll take Judith with us and you got Hope," Mar said.

"I'll go with the two of you," Carol told them. "We'll be back before dark," she told them.

"I'm still not apologizing Carol," Jewel said.

"That's why I'm coming with you," Carol told her.

Jewel rolled her eyes. "I don't need you to apologize for me either Carol," she told her as she stopped at the other house. "Carl, Lexi, time's up, get back to the other house."

"We're going to have to watch those two. I think Carl is realizing Lexi is a girl. Hormones at that age," Mar said.

"I wouldn't know," Jewel told her.

"We'll not only going to have to watch them, but Summer and Joey too," Carol told them.

Jewel glanced between the two women. "Alright, that's enough you two. I might start to think we're better off on the road," she told them as she walked with them and made sure Carl and Lexi came out of the other house.

Summer's POV:

Deanna smiled as Summer came in. "I wasn't going to interview any more of you tonight, let you all get settled but Michonne said that you'd rather get it over with. I can understand that," she told her. "Please sit down. Do you mind if I record this?"

Summer shook her head. "No it's fine," she answered as she immediately went over to the stacks of books and sat down on the floor.

Deanna smiled. "Well at least you sat down. I couldn't get your Uncle to stop pacing. You can look through the books, take whatever you like back with you. I can tell you and I are going to be good friends," she told her.

"Uncle Daryl doesn't like to feel caged. Even before all this, he'd rather be out in the woods then in a house. Don't take it personal," Summer told her as she looked through the titles.

"Oh I don't. I can't imagine how hard this must have been for you. Not quite a kid and not quite an adult. That's a hard place to be in normal times. I remember how my daughter rebelled when she got fifteen and sixteen," Deanna told her.

"My Uncle Merle said that rebelling was a sign of bad parenting. Kids don't rebel if they are happy and bein' listened too," Summer answered. "No offense," she quickly added.

"None taken. What you did out there offering to go with Jes if she went back out there, it took a lot of courage, especially for someone of your age. I know a lot of adults that wouldn't do that," Deanna told her.

Summer glanced up from the book she was looking at. "We don't do things alone anymore. That's what Dad and Mom taught us. You survive in this world, together. That's what makes us different from other groups we've met."

"How so?" Deanna asked.

"Because it takes more to just survive in this world. You can't just survive, you have to live. You have to cherish the small moments so when the bad happens, you have those to look back on. That's how we live, how we survive," Summer told her. "You have to trust that the person next to you will have your back, and that you have there's. Otherwise, you will die. When you lose people, you have to know that you did everything in your power to save them. That's what dad and mom did, they made this into the group that walked into the gates."

"You are a smart young woman. I don't know what job to give you," Deanna told her.

"I want to be a guard on the tower, or a supply runner," Summer told her.

"I'm not sure your parents would agree to either one of those," Deanna informed her.

"Yeah they would, because either way, it'll make this place safer, it'll help protect everyone in here. They know I know what I'm doing. I've done both, I'm good at both. Everyone has jobs to do, you do what you're good at. If you want to talk to them about it, that's fine, but they'll be alright with it," Summer informed her. "So, the houses? If we stay, they're ours?"

"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't they be?" Deanna asked.

"Just seems like a lot, three big houses? Seems awful generous," Summer told her.

"Well there are twenty eight of you," Deanna told her.

Summer gave a small smile. "Two of them really don't take up much space."

"But they will, and when they do, you'll be happy to have a place to escape too," Deanna told her.

"So, if they're our houses, what we decide to do on the inside, that's our call?" Summer asked.

"Of course," Deanna told her. "Do you have something in mind?"

"Yeah, something. But it's something I'd rather not share right now. It would be something for all of us that came through the gate," Summer answered.

Deanna smiled. "You know, I have a feeling that you have an artistic mind, that you could be better off doing something then on a run or guard duty. You can relax here, Summer."

"But I'd feel better on one of those jobs. Maybe until we know we're safe," Summer told her. "Do you mind if I borrow this?" she asked as she held up a book.

"Of course not. I have a feeling you'll be getting another one tomorrow," Deanna said with a smile.

Author's Note: Wow…I had to count that number again. I have kept Beth and Axel alive. And they do have Hope. You guys aren't complaining right? Most of you have said you like the extra characters. LOL.