Better Days
Chapter 272
Author's Note: I'm alright with this weeks episode and what occurred. But it won't in my story because Jewel's around! Sorry this took so long to post. I worked OT this weekend, then my back decided to hurt on payroll day and I had to leave work and let my back up do it. Review please.
Family POV:
Carol glanced over at Jewel as she was giving a bath to Hope in the sink. "You alright?" she asked her friend.
"I'm fine, Carol. Like you said, we stopped, we've been running on adrenaline so long that I crashed. I'm alright," Jewel assured her.
Rick gave her a look that meant we'll talk later.
Hope screamed her head off as the water ran over her body. "Oh, you didn't like that huh? Well, I'm sorry, but while we have the chance, you're getting a real bath. Yes, you can just give me that look all you want, but you are still getting a bath," Jewel told her.
"Now that's something we haven't heard from you baby girl," Rick told her. He gave out a small laugh as he looked at her. "Oh, she's got the Dixon glare already."
"We have a glare?" Summer asked from the table. "Uncle Daryl, did you know that we have a stare?"
"Nah, Rick we don't have a glare. We just have a look that we mean business," Daryl told him.
"It's a glare," Mika and Mitch both said at the same time.
Mika tried to pull away from Tara, who was brushing her hair. "That hurts," she told the older woman.
"I'm sorry, but your tangles have tangles and those tangles have more little knots," Tara told her. "Now hold still," she said with a playful laugh.
"So Jes just went to the guard tower alone? And you all just let her?" Beth asked.
"She wasn't going to let anyone go with her. We all have our own way of dealing with this, whatever this is, she has hers," Joey answered.
Rick balanced Judith on his hip and walked over and put her in the play yard as Jewel got Hope out of the sink.
"Are we going to give this a try?" Maggie asked.
"We're here, aren't we?" Jewel asked.
"We are, but are we really trying our best?" Glenn asked.
"We've let our guard down before, and look what it's got us," Summer told them.
"Letting people in, they've got to have a motive," David told them.
"We let people in, at the prison," Maggie told them.
"Look what that got us, the Governor came to our door with a tank, destroyed our home, sent us all out in different directions, on the road for ages, we lost people," Sasha said.
"But if they hadn't taken us in at the prison, you and I wouldn't be alive," Lexi reminded her.
"We've always said that there has to be other good people out there, maybe this is it," Carl added.
"They might be good, but they're also naïve, they are holding onto a life that just isn't possible anymore. Living behind walls, not protected from what's out there, it's just…" Jewel said.
"Dumb," Daryl finished.
"Could be another damn Terminus," Abraham told them.
"I don't think it's that bad, Abraham," Rosita told him.
Jewel shook her head. "I don't think it's that bad. I think that they do want to help, that Deanna has a dream of this place, and in her own odd way, she wants us to help her," she said.
"Her way of doing it, just isn't going to work," Rick told them.
"She doesn't seem like the type to change her mind," Maggie pointed out.
"Everyone in this room, we've managed to survive. Even though a couple of us are alive just for the sheer luck of being alive," Jewel told them as she looked at Eugene. "Where's Gabriel?" Jewel asked.
"He's staying at the church," Joey answered. "
Jewel nodded. "As I was saying we're still here, we're still breathing. We've done that by not being dumb, by being smart, by watching out for each other. I'll keep a list of all who we meet here, know who we are living with. Deanna video taped us to know who they are, anyone can watch them. This is our way of doing it. Carol's going to be able to get closer to people in her role of Happy Homemaker," she said.
"Ronnie's pretty set, she's in as the doctor," Mar said.
"You've been pretty quiet, Ronnie. Everything alright?" Tara asked as she continued brushing Mika's hair.
"The Doctor, Pete. He was drunk before five PM. Aaron was there with Eric and Eric's sister Emily. They said that Deanna just over looks the fact that he hurts his wife and oldest son," Ronnie answered. "Who just overlooks something like that?"
"People that don't want to get involved," Carol answered.
"People who are more afraid of the persons temper being turned on them," Mar said.
"If he's beating his wife, then he could be dangerous to any one in this room, this family," Rick said.
"We need to watch and learn," Carol told them.
"I'll need a list of your jobs, I can pop in if you're in town, meet people, keep track of all of us. If this works out, great, wonderful, I'm all for it. But we need to know what we are dealing with, who we are dealing with," Jewel told them. "I won't lose anyone else in this room because we believed someone, because we let our guard down. We've survived because we've had each other, because we've all cared for each other. We're going to continue doing that," Jewel told her as Rick took Hope as Michonne came out of the bathroom.
"I heard little one telling you all off, what was that?" Michonne asked as she gave a small laugh. "How long was I in there for?" she asked.
Rick kept his back toward her. "Twenty minutes," Rick told her.
"I was giving Hope her first bath, she wasn't impressed," Jewel told her as she filled her glass full of ice water.
"I couldn't stop brushing," Michonne answered as Rick turned around. She tilted her head and gave a small laugh. "I've never…I've never seen your face like that," she told him.
"That's what I felt before and after," Rick answered.
"He does clean up pretty good, doesn't he?" Jewel asked as she rubbed his face with her hand.
"Yeah he does," Michonne answered as she touched Hope's back. She lowered her voice. "I get why we're playing it safe. We should. I just- I have a good feeling about this place," she told Rick and Jewel.
"I hope you're right," Rick and Jewel both said at the same time.
"Do you two share a brain?" Michonne asked as she took Hope. "I've got to get some snuggle time with munchkin number two," she said as she put Hope against her shoulder. "Oh you smell delicious," she told the baby as they all turned there attention to a knock on the door.
Jewel looked at Rick as he walked to the door with Jewel close behind.
"Rick I….wow," Deanna said as she saw Rick's face.
Rick groaned as he looked at her. "He's getting that a lot," Jewel told her.
"I didn't know what was under there. Listen, I don't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to stop by and see how you were all settling," Deanna said as she looked at everyone gathered in the living room and on the steps. "Oh, my. Staying together. Smart," Deanna said.
"No one said we couldn't," Rick told her.
"You said you're a family. That's what you said. Actually that's what a lot of you said," Deanna said. "Absolutely amazing to me how people with completely different backgrounds and nothing in common can become that. Don't you think?" she asked. "That must be the youngest member of the family over there in Michonne's arms. Haven't had a chance to meet her officially."
Jewel glanced at Michonne and nodded as she took Hope out of her hand's going back to the door, turning so that Deanna could see her small face asleep on her shoulder.
"God, this is something I'd never thought of see again, a newborn," Deanna said as she softly ran a finger over Hope's face. She noticed how Jewel tensed. "Anyone tries to hurt this little one or Judith, they're going to have to go through me first," she assured Jewel.
"Everyone you met with said you gave them jobs," Rick told Deanna.
"Mm-hmm. Yeah. Part of this place. Looks like the communists won after all," Deanna said as she laughed as she looked at Rick's face again.
"I'm not much for the beard," Jewel told her.
"Don't blame you for that," Deanna told her.
Rick looked at Jewel then at Deanna. "Well, you didn't give me one," he told her.
"I have. I just haven't told you yet. Same with Michonne. I'm closing in on something for Sasha. And I'm just trying to figure Mr. Dixon out, but I will. I heard Jes assigned herself a job, at the guard tower," Deanna said.
"That going to be a problem?" Jewel asked as she rubbed Hope's back.
"No, I had something different in mind for her, but I think she's where she needs to be right now," Deanna said. "I'll figure out everyone else when I meet them tomorrow."
"Good luck in figuring Daryl out, Dixon's are complicated," Mar said as she kissed Daryl's shoulder.
"We like it that way, keep you all on your feet," Jewel said.
Deanna smiled. "Good night, sweet girl," she said as she touched Hope's face gently again. "You look good," she told Rick as she walked out and closed the door.
Jewel and Rick's POV:
Rick woke up and looked around, noticing that Jewel wasn't laying on the couch. He quickly stood up and covered Noah and Carl with blankets. His eyes searched for Summer and Mika who were both curled up on another couch. He checked on Judith as he glanced out the window and caught a glance of Jewel with Hope. He let out the breath he didn't know he was holding and quietly went on the door. "Hey, you had me scared there for a minute, Mrs. Grimes," he said as he kissed her softly.
"First night everyone had a chance to get a good nights sleep, I didn't want to risk Hope waking them up before a feeding, Mr. Grimes," Jewel told him.
"You couldn't sleep either?" Rick asked.
"Think sleeping with one eye open is embedded in all of us now," Jewel answered.
"Some people aren't having a problem with it," Rick said as he nodded back toward the door.
"It's good for some of them to rest. I woke up Summer before I came out here, her and Joey were asleep in front of the stairs. Told her to go back on the couch with Mika before you or Daryl saw that," Jewel said.
Rick shook his head. "Any way we can get Joey to sleep out in the guard tower. Alone. Far away from our oldest daughter?"
Jewel laughed. "Joey's not bad, I could think of a lot worse men Summer could be with."
"I'd rather not think of her with anyone," Rick answered as he took Hope. "You and Judy can't date until you're thirty five."
Jewel laughed again as she kissed him. "Am I going to have to be like that toward Carl?" she asked as she looked off the porch.
"I think he didn't realize Lexi was a girl under the over sized clothes," Rick answered. "You alright?"
"Just feels strange being here, in a real community, with running water, electricity, shampoo, ice. Everything that we all took for granted before, what these people are still taking for granted. All I can see is how this place could be taken down," Jewel told him.
Rick touched her face. "We'll teach them. Carol told me what happened at the pantry," he informed her. "Ronnie wants to make sure it's nothing serious."
Jewel nodded. "I think I'm entitled to a little break down now and then, don't you? I think we all are," she told him. "I swear to you, you will be the first to know if something more is going on," she said as she kissed him.