Better Days

Chapter 355

Author's Note: Thanks to Hurricane Matthew, I checked into the hospital a day early. Also due to Hurricane Matthew, groups have been cancelled for two days. So, in between napping and watching the news, I've written. You know what to do. Review please.

Summer walked up to Rick and looked a everyone working. "I'm going to head back inside, start cleaning the weapons, since it looks like everything is under control here," she told her father.

"You need any help? Rick asked.

"No, I've got Jessie and Olivia, plus Phoebe said she'd help. Plus Tara and Joey are going to come in for a bit. You're going to need everyone else out here," Summer told him. "Do you think they'll be able to handle it?" She asked.

"They have to, otherwise they're going to die," Rick told her.

"I'm not worried about them dying, dad, I'm worried about them taking some of us with them," Summer informed him.

Rick kissed her forehead. "I'm going to do everything in my power not to let that happen," Rick assured her.

"You can't guarantee it, and you can't prevent it. I wish we could, but that's not how life works, that's not how this works. I'm just concerned that there's a whole lot more Nicholases in this group," she told him. Summer watched as she saw Deanna walking toward them. "Deanna," she greeted.

Rick nodded a greeting to Deanna. "I haven't got a chance to say it yet, but I'm sorry about Reg," he said.

"I'd also like to add my condolences, he was always nice to me," Summer told her.

Rick nodded. "He was smart and kind. He was a good man," he told Deanna. "It was the right call," he assured her.

"I wish that we could have made that call before before Reg had to die," Summer said.

"We wish no one had to die," Rick told Deanna as he glanced at Summer. "We need this," Rick said. "This is going to help our community."

"Is it going to help you think of everyone as your people Rick?" Deanna asked.

Rick looked at her. "They aren't my people Deanna, and this isn't my community to lead," he added.

"They are your people Rick, and this is our community to lead. I brought you in because you all knew what needed to be done. Sadly it took the death of my husband to act on what I preach," Deanna told him. "If I had listened, if I had made the difficult call, maybe Reg would be alive."

"Maybe Noah too, if you had listened to us about Nicholas and Aiden not being capable of being in charge of the supply team," Summer pointed out.

Deanna nodded. "Maybe I could have prevented those deaths and that's on me. Now what else needs to be done Rick?" she asked as she saw Rick hesitate. "You need to tell me, Rick,,, because the next deaths won't only be on my conscious, they'll be on yours too."

Summer looked at Deanna. "You just want someone else to blame," she said.

"Summer that's enough," Rick told his daughter. "People need to be armed inside the walls, they need to be trained, everyone," Rick told her.

"Everyone over the age of twelve needs to be able to fire a gun. Everyone from eight to twelve needs to know how to use knives, they need to have them on them," Summer added.

Deanna looked skeptical as she saw walkers approach. Rick took hold of her arm. "Stop, here they come," he said. "Carter heads up," Rick said as everyone noticed the walkers. Rick held his hand up to stop his group from helping them. "Use your shovels, the guns will draw more," he instructed.

"Dad? What are you doing?" Summer ased as she raised her bow.

"Help us," Carter begged Rick.

"You can do this, you need to, all of you," Rick said as he saw the Alexandrians cowering. "Morgan don't!" he called as Morgan went to help them, quickly followed by the rest of Rick's people, including Rick himself.

"You said you don't take chances anymore," Morgan told Rick after they had taken care of the walkers.

Summer looked at Rick. "They need to be taught dad, not sacrificed," she said as she walked away.

Ronnie and Beth's POV:

Ronnie checked the inventory, packing some up in bags. "Thank you for helping Beth. I really do appreciate it," she said.

"It's not a problem, Ronnie. You needed help and everyone is busy, and this is as important as anything else. If things go bad, we're going to need supplies at other areas. We all have jobs to do, some of them may or may not seem as important as others, but they are," Beth said. "Do you think Denise is going to come over and help?"

Ronnie sighed. "I'm not even sure what is going on with her. I need her to come help, I need her to learn. I mean we all know how precious life is, how short it can be."

"Maybe these people don't actually know," Beth said.

"We know...we don't want to think about it," Denise answered as she came into the room.

Beth and Ronnie both turned and looked at her. "You don't get that option," Beth said. "You're a part of this community and even though you're scared, you have to be able to do what is needed to be done. You can't just stand by and let someone else handle it, that doesn't work anymore."

"I'm not like you or Ronnie," Denise told Beth.

"I wasn't like me before," Beth said as she pushed up her sleeve. "I didn't think I was strong enough to survive, strong enough to do what needed to be done, so I decided that I didn't want to live. I didn't want to live until I slit my wrist, then I did. I had to live, for the people I love, for myself. I got separated from the group, and my own sister didn't think I was strong enough to survive, she didn't even ask about me once. But I survived, and I proved that I can make a difference and instead of being a burden, I'm useful. You can change, you can do more then you think you can. You need to prove to yourself that you deserve to be alive. Aren't you a psychiatrist? Shouldn't you be giving the pep talk?" Beth asked.

Ronnie smiled at Beth. "Pete's dead, luckily I'm here to take over. But if something happens to me, you need to be confident that you can take over. Grab some of the medical books, jump on a bed, and study. I know you have to be familiar with most of the information, just because you haven't practiced them doesn't mean they aren't in your head somewhere."

"But you are here," Denise protested.

"Pete was here until last night," Ronnie pointed out. "You said that Pete didn't want you here, that was why you didn't come here. Was that the truth or was that an excuse so you wouldn't have to face the fact that you are a coward to try something new?"

Beth looked at Ronnie then at Denise. "We want you here. We want to know that someone is able to take over from Ronnie if she wasn't around."

"Do you plan to go on attacking someone with a Katina?" Denise asked.

Ronnie sighed. "Denise, I tried to give you a chance when I first got here, but you didn't show up, you didn't seem interested. I am trying to give you a chance now, actually I am insisting on you give yourself a chance. You aren't the only one with some kind of anxieties. Now, go get those books and study. I'll be testing you later today," she said as she looked at her.

Denise sighed as she went to do what she was told.

Jewel, Carol and Quinn's POV:

Jewel handed Bri and Chloe some blankets to add to the pile that was being taken over to Deanna's. "How are they really doing?" she asked Quinn.

"As good as can be expected," Quinn answered.

"It's good that they can help with this, it keeps them busy," Carol informed Quinn.

"So they don't have to think about what may happen? So, Bri doesn't have to think about the fact that her grandfather was killed last night? That her uncle died less than fourty eight hours ago? Is mourning really a thing of the past? Is it something we really can't take time to do? I know life isn't what it was, and some things we can't take time to do, or just not possible to do, but mourning? That is something we should never stop doing," Quinn told them.

Carol looked at Jewel then at Quinn. "You can mourn, you just can't stop doing what needs to be done."

"You're lucky, you can go out and visit your father's grave stone. You can talk to him, you can put a flower on her grave. We have bodies buried from Atlanta to here. Who knows if the make shift graves we made are still there, or if the things we left on the crosses are still there. We started buring the people we care about at the beginning," Jewel said.

Carol gave a small laugh. "Glenn, he was timid as could be back then, and he stood up to Daryl like it was an everyday thing, saying we buried the people we care about."

"And that's how it's been since," Jewel said. "If we don't get prepared, we may all be dead with no one to bury us. This life is hard, it takes all you have and squeezes more then possible out of you. And when you think you have nothing else to give, you find the strength to give more, because you think about the people that aren't with you anymore. You think about what they would think or what they would do, if they were here. You swear you can here there voices or see them, because they wouldn't want you to give up. They would want you to fight and to live for the people still alive. That's how they stay with you," Jewel told her.

"Then you look at those who can't fend for themselves, like Judith, Hope and now Jenny, and you start thinking about where they are at all times, and you make sure someone is with them at all times, because they are the ones everyone will endanger themselves for," Carol said.

"We learned that at the prison with Judith," Jewel said. "Now we have to think about the younger kids here, and your kids. That's why I'm insisting on a sign out sheet, for everyone. Because we need to be responsible for each other. The only way we survive is helping each other."

"But you don't think a lot of us should be alive," Quinn reminded them.

"No," both of them said.

"You aren't one of the ones we think shouldn't be here. And since they are here, we're going to do our best to keep them alive," Jewel said.