Rick spent the entire first week after the attack at Carl's side while Maggie, Tobin, and Abraham took charge of rebuilding Alexandria. The work required whole community effort and the first priority was securing the walls which through massive coordination. Once done smaller groups were formed to remove the hundreds of walker bodies from the town's houses, streets, and lake. Each team worked to assume all walkers were dead before moving them. Maggie was thankful that there were only a few close calls and no casualties. After the clearing, houses needed to be fixed. The intensity of the project dipped strongly into the towns resources, resulting in a series of runs to locate more items such as wood, glue, nails, and paint. Daryl questioned to need to do many of the repairs as most could be described as cosmetic rather than essential but Maggie pointed out that "sometimes cosmetic is essential and making this place look like a home again is healing. We need to know we can always come back from destruction and pain."

Rick was left out of much of the process so that he could tend to Carl. Michonne stayed in the infirmary only at night the first few days as she attempted to assist in the effort. She wanted to be part of making Alexandria safe again but her inconsistent focus and sudden propensity for accidents made it clear that she wasn't ready to be away from Carl's bedside. After a week, Rick and Michonne, began to alternate watch duties with checking in on Judith at Carol's, and the town's progress.

One of Rick's preferred duties was checking the perimeter. Making his way around the wall, he checked for weak spots and poorly patched areas. He was thoroughly impressed with the work the town had done and the speed with which they worked. Michonne was right, of course, something would happen to bring them all together, and with the two groups working together as one they are stronger, and better equipped. Safer than he's been in a long time. If only Carl would wake up.

As he ran his hand down another new patch and pushed to test it's resistance to his weight, he saw Denise running towards him. Rick froze, his heart leapt to his throat as terror gripped him in preparation for what the doctor would say.

Rick realized she must have been running to find him for a while, he struggled to wait for her to catch her breath enough to speak. He tried reading her expression but her flushed cheeks and physical urgency didn't explain anything. Denise hunched over, bracing her hands on her thighs as she gulped for air, trying to force sounds out. "Carl," she took a deep calming breath, "Carl is awake. Sorry I've-" Rick took off running to the infirmary.

When he arrived he could hear Michonne's velvety voice saying something he couldn't understand and then he heard Carl laugh. He laughed! The laughter was weak and halting like the act was painful but that didn't matter, just him laughing was a miracle. He paused a moment before walking in. His relationship with god has become contentious after the world ended. He moved from faithful, to struggling, to doubt, and disbelief but he had to acknowledge those moments in the middle of the night when his fear of loss began to strangle him so strongly that he did stoop to even asking God for help. He didn't know what he believed anymore but he had to give thanks because he felt the miracle of his son returning to him.

He stepped into the room and turned to see Carl outstretched on the bed facing Michonne who sat in her usual spot, her back to the door as she stroked his cheek. Carl looked up.

"Dad!"

"Carl . . . " It was all he could choke out before quickly walking over and wrapping his arms around his son, tears streaming down his face, his body shaking.

Michonne, stood and moved back to give them more room. After watching them hug for a moment, she began to back out of the room but was unsuccessful in doing so without Carl noticing.

"Don't go," his voice sounding small.

Rick released Carl enough to turn his head in her direction. "Where are you going?"

"You need to spend time alone with your son" she said in a distant matter-of-fact tone and before either could respond, she walked out of the room.

Rick turned back and looked at Carl. The son's slight frown matching his father's. Rick hesitated and released his son and gently lowered his torso to the bed, rearranging the pillows to allow for him to rest on an incline. They nodded at each other and Rick walked out of the room. Michonne was still in the otherwise empty main room of the infirmary. She leaned against the consultation desk, her hands propping her up by clamping them on the lip of the table. Her face was upturned toward the ceiling and he could see her jaw was tense and her eyes where squeezed closed. Her face was contorted as if it was fighting to contain something and a single tear slipped down her cheek.

He had never seen her in so much pain. It's the kind of pain that looks like she would break apart if she gave in to it. He knew that pain all too well. Rick walked slowly to her and wrapped his arms around her tiny, athletic body. She stiffened momentarily and then relaxed shifting her head forward to rest on his chest. She didn't move her arms around him but she melted into the embrace, breathing deeply and crying softly. He rubbed her back trying to comfort her. An absentminded thought floated into his mind that he had never held her like this before. He tightened his hold on her not wanting to left go until she felt better.

He felt her body pull back and he loosened his arms slightly but didn't allow her to pull back all the way. "You need to get back to your son". Rick wasn't sure if this was the right move but he took a chance and responded "yes but you have to be there too." He wasn't sure if being in the room was painful to her or if she felt she didn't belong or if it was something else entirely and he knew she wouldn't be ready to say which if asked. What he was sure of was that he needed her to understand that she belonged in that room just as much as he did. She pulled back more and looked into his eyes as if to read them, and he suddenly noted that her face was inches away from his. Warm tingles filled his body bringing with it an acute physically anxious response, Rick quickly dropped his arms from around her body and stepped back. "Come back in".

Michonne took a deep breath and glanced at the door. "Ok", she nodded. She turned to walk in. Rick paused for a moment and then followed.