A/N: Just a short filler chapter! I'm already working on the next one, so don't worry; there's plenty more coming. As always, please review, I love hearing your suggestions!
I walked into the dining room and everyone except Daryl was already there. Shane looked at me and I tried to put on a smile so he wouldn't be suspicious. All of the chairs were occupied so I leaned against the wall and listened.
"We couldn't just leave him behind. He would've bled out, if he lived that long," Rick said, immediately defending his decision.
"It's gotten bad in town," Glenn added, looking at Maggie.
"What do we do with him?" Andrea asked.
"I repaired his calf muscle as best I can, but he'll probably have nerve damage," Hershel spoke up from his spot. "Won't be on his feet for at least a week."
"When he is we give him a canteen, take him out to the main road, and send him on his way," Rick said as Daryl opened the door and walked in. He looked at me and I quickly averted my gaze, refusing to go back to that dark place.
"Isn't that the same as leaving him for the walkers?" Andrea piped up again. I had to give the girl credit; she was keeping Rick on his toes.
"He'll have a fighting chance," Rick interjected quickly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Daryl walk over and sit on top of an old trunk.
"Just gonna let him go? He knows where we are," Shane said, looking at Rick like he had lost his mind.
"He was blindfolded the whole way here. He's not a threat," Rick assured with a hard look.
"Not a threat? How many of them were there? You killed three of their men, you took one of them hostage, but they just a'int gonna come looking?" Shane continued and I was aware that I had missed some of the story.
"They left him for dead. No one is looking," Rick practically roared, trying to show his authority.
"We should still post a guard," Andrea piped in again from her spot next to Shane.
"He's out cold for now. Will be for hours," Hershel said and I saw Shane's anger on his face.
"You know what? I'm gonna go get him some flowers and candy. Look at this folks, we back in fantasy land!" He snapped and started walking out of the room, brushing past me as he did.
"You know, we haven't even dealt with what you did at my barn yet. Let me make this clear, once and for all—this is my farm. Now I wanted you gone. Rick talked me out of it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. So do us both a favor and keep your mouth shut," Hershel said, walking up to Shane. I tensed up and took a couple steps forward before Shane put a hand on my shoulder.
"Don't waste your breath sister," he said and turned and walked out.
"We're not going to do anything about it today. Let's just cool off," Rick said, dismissing us. Andrea walked out first, and I followed close behind. I heard the door bang again and turned my head to see Daryl walking up the hill.
I sighed, I knew I would have to fix things eventually, but not now. I had a lot of things I wanted to do today but when I saw Dale walking out, I knew which one to do first.
"Hey Adeline," he said with a smile as I approached. I returned it rather easily, but wasn't sure if it would be that way once this conversation was done.
"Hey Dale. I wanted to talk to you, if you don't mind," I said and his smile dropped.
"That's good, because I've been wanting to talk with you too. Come on," he said and led me over to the RV.
"You first," I told him once we reached it. He sighed, then started.
"I know this isn't going to be easy, but I need to talk with you about Shane. Something's going on with him, I'm sure you've noticed it. I don't know what happened that night with Otis, but something changed then and he hasn't been the same since. Now, I think he's becoming a danger, and I need you to keep an eye on him. You're closest to him, obviously, and he trusts you. So watch him," Dale's words came out in a rush, just like my temper.
"Dale. Shane is my brother. He's all I have left. Now, I know he's been a little cranky lately, but he has a right to be," I said, rather calm considering the anger inside me. "But that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I see the way you look at him, like he's a monster or something. Why?"
"You'll be angry, but…I think Shane killed Otis. Before you start, he practically admitted it; pretty much threw it in my face. I didn't want to believe it, but I can't deny what's right in front of me. My eyes widened and I felt my heart start to beat faster. Dale must have thought it was from anger, but really it was from fear. If Dale knew, did everyone else know too?
"How dare you!" I spat out, having to keep up the façade. He looked saddened but I couldn't think about that, not now. I turned and walked off, glad that I had a valid excuse to use. After that, I wasn't sure if I was up for my next task, but I pushed myself forward and back into the house.
"Rick?" I called when I walked in.
"Adeline?" He called back and came into my line of sight.
"Um, can I talk with you for a second?" I asked him, feeling anxious.
"Sure," he said, looking at me curiously before leading me over to the table and taking a seat. I did the same, sitting across from him.
"Look, this isn't easy for me to say, so I'm just going to say it and you're going to listen, okay?" I barked out, taking him by surprise. "I've been thinking, and the way I've been acting towards you isn't fair. I guess I'm just stressed about everything and it was so easy to take it out on you because you weren't here. Don't get me wrong, you're still an idiot sometimes, but not all the time. You've gotten us this far, so I'm going to start trusting you more," I rambled, not comfortable at all with the situation. Rick smiled, a real smile I hadn't seen in a while.
"You know Addie, I'm so glad you didn't turn into a flesh-eating monster. Something tells me I would have been the first to go," he laughed and I didn't even yell at him for calling me Addie. "What happened between us? You and I used to be so close," he said and I felt my walls snap back up.
"You know what happened," I deadpanned, all joking gone. Why was this ghost haunting me today? "I really don't want to talk about this. I said what I have to say," I replied and shot up, getting ready to bolt out of the door.
"I'm sorry about that, you know. I never meant…I didn't know…" he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence and I nodded.
"I know, but it still happened," I said and walked off.