Chapter 18: Friends and Roses

They woke up the next morning after a peaceful sleep and got ready. Brooke wore a light pink v-neck the rest was the usual attire. They walked over to where they were having the service and Herschel said a quick prayer.

"You were the last one with him," Patricia wept to Shane. "Please I need to hear." Shane sighed and ran a hand over his newly shaven head. Apparently he wasn't used to not having his dark, curly, locks. Brooke could see fear and panic in his eyes.

"Otis and I were running in the parking lot. I was still crying from leaving Brooke behind but he promised me everything would be okay. The walkers were closing in and he passed me his back pack. HE told me to make sure Carl was alive and he distracted the walkers. He gave his life for me and Carl. Maybe even Brooke. He was a hero and died a hero." Shane lied. They said their final goodbyes to Otis. Now their attention was on finding Sophia. Most of the men, and Brooke, were around a map.

"We could try over here and search around this creek. She's a smart girl, she knows she needs to be near some water." Brooke said and traced the map.

"I'm pretty sure that there was a house over here. I could check that out later on today." Daryl said. Herschel came from behind them.

"Listen, I just want you to know that as long as you're on my farm I don't want any guns around here." He said politely. Rick and Brooke could see Shane's face.

"Of course Herschel." Brooke said. "It's the least we can do."

"We can absolutely do that." Rick said.

"I can go to the pharmacy that's not too far from here and get some things we need, Dad." Maggie volunteered.

"I don't want you to go alone." Herschel said. Rick saw Glenn's face light up.

"Glenn could go with her." Rick said. "Don't worry he's actually saved my life a couple of times." Herschel nodded.

"Alright, why don't you go make a list of what we need?" Herschel suggested to Maggie. She nodded and walked away. They talked about the plan a little more and they walked away. Brooke walked over to grab her bow and quiver and felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist.

"What I said yesterday about you takin' a day off, I meant it." Daryl said softly. She turned around and put her arms around his neck.

"Listen, I have to go back out there sooner or later. I might as well get it over with. I won't take my stick of doom I'll just take this and a knife." She said. He gave her a concerned look. "I'll be fine." She gave him a quick kiss and began to walk away but he grabbed her hand. She looked back.

"You're comin' with me then." He said. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Alright I will." She said. He gave her another firm kiss and let her go. "I'll go get some things we'll need for the trip." She walked to the house and saw Lori and Andrea with smiles on their faces. "What's up?"

"Oh nothing." Andrea said and Lori giggled. Brooke's face got red and continued up the steps.

"Oh come on! It's cute!" Lori said. Brooke smirked and chuckled. "Is he a good kisser?" she asked and started making kissing noises. Brooke turned around and playfully smacked Lori's arm. Andrea giggled.

"We just want to know." Andrea said smiling. Brooke knew this was just a big sister technique. Amber had told her about her older sisters all the time and they always did stuff like this.

"If you must know he is a very good kisser." Brooke smirked. "He's good at other stuff too." The girls lost it and laughed a little harder. With all the laughing and giggling it reminded Brooke of when Becky and Amber found out that she and Daryl were together.

It was the day after Meemaw's funeral. Brooke was meeting Becky and Amber a café near the mall. They would always sit and catch up real quick before heading out for a day with the girls. Brooke walked up in a gray dress with white polka dots and red shoes. Becky was wearing blue dress that was short in the front, but long and flowy in the back. Amber wore a white mid sleeve shirt and a black pencil skirt. Brooke saw them already at a table and walked a little faster.

"Hey!" Brooke greeted and sat down.

"Hey Brooke." Becky said a little warily.

"What is it?" Brooke asked.

"What is that thing on your collar bone?" Amber asked. Brooke looked down and saw that her dress and shifted a bit. She made sure she covered the purple mark with concealer but it didn't go as well as she hoped. She quickly fixed her dress.

"Oh it's nothing." Brooke shrugged. The corners of Becky's lips curled up.

"Is that a hickey?" she asked almost too loudly. Brooke's eyes got wide and she looked around to see if anyone had heard.

"Becky!" she warned.

"Is it?" Amber asked. Brooke sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Yes, it's a hickey." She admitted softly. The other two laughed.

"When did you get it?" Becky asked.

"You do know that we are out of college and not in high school, right?" Brooke asked hoping to change the subject. Her plan failed and the ladies leaned in for her to spill. "Yesterday." She grumbled.

"Wait, yesterday?" Amber asked. "But yesterday was Meemaw's funeral and you stayed at the beach house…" Amber trailed off and realized what happened. "Daryl?" she asked in a high pitched voice. Becky looked at Amber and back at Brooke. Her mouth was open but quickly covered it up. Brooke nodded and the girls squealed. That got everyone's attention.

"Well what happened between you two?" Becky asked.

"Merle went back home and we stayed. I guess he could hear me crying in my room because he came in. I told him what I've told y'all. You know, that it was my fault. He told me it wasn't and I said I must have seemed so selfish. He said no and told me I was perfect. He said it again and then he told me he loved me." Brooke explained.

"Oh my God!" Amber bounced in her seat.

"Well, what did you say?" Becky asked slamming her hands on the table begging for answers.

"I told him that I loved him too." Brooke smiled. The girls squealed and giggled even more. "Then he kissed me."

"Okay, how was the kiss?" Becky asked.

"It was very romantic and amazing." Brooke blushed. The girls gave her a certain look that she had given them before and she nodded.

"Oh my God!" Amber said. "So what happens now? Are you two together?"

"He asked me on a date for tonight." Brooke said. "And truth be told I'm so nervous." Becky and Amber smiled at each other.

"We need to find a dress for you to wear tonight." Becky said.

"I always do that when Eric and I go on dates." Amber said. She had just gotten married in India to that veterinarian that was in her class. They had just opened a new practice together. They stood up and rushed Brooke over to the nearest Nordstrom.

Brooke smiled at her memory and missed Amber and Becky. She walked inside to get some water and some food for them to take with them. She saw Herschel and quickly went over to him.

"Herschel?" She began. "Is it okay if I take some food and water with me and Daryl when we go out to look for that little girl?"

"Of course." He smiled warmly. "So you're a doctor?"

"Yes sir." She answered. "And you're a veterinarian?"

"Yes m'am." He replied. She sighed and smirked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah it's just my best friend and her husband owned a practice." She sighed.

"What are their names?" he asked.

"Amber and Eric Stone." She replied. Herschel smiled.

"They are delightful people! I loved to go and visit their practice! You knew them?" he asked.

"Amber and I have been best friends since we were six years old." She smiled.

"I recognize your picture with a young woman named…Becky I believe is what her name is." He said.

"Yep, that's us the three musketeers!" She said and Herschel chuckled. "Thanks for saving Carl." She said.

"No problem. You be safe out there Dr. Walsh." He said.

"Please, call me Brooke." She said and he nodded. She walked out of the house and saw Shane sitting on the front porch. "Hey Shane." She said softly.

"Hey baby girl." He replied.

"What's up, you seem a little down?" she asked. He shook his head and placed his hands on it.

"Lori is just so confusing!" he said. "She wants me to leave her alone, so I said I'll leave. Now that we've saved Carl she wants me to stay! It's like she didn't expect me to save Carl in his time of need because of her!"

"Lori is a very complicated woman." She said. "She's always been fickle but I think she does want you to stay."

"Do you think she loves me, Brooke?" he asked. His brown eyes were empty and lost. Brooke pursed her lips and looked down at her hands that were grabbing each other. She took his hands and held them. She looked at him.

"Shane, I think she does love you."She saw his face light up. "But, not that way. She loves you because you took care of her in her time of need. She loves you because you are a friend." She saw all the hope drain from his body. "Shane, she loves Rick. It may not be shown all the time but I know that she loves him. I know that you love him. You need to tell him what happened before everything goes to shit." She advised. Shane nodded slowly. He grabbed his sister and hugged the tightest he had ever had.

"Thanks Brooke." He said and walked off. He meant it, he really was thankful. Brooke could always read people like a book. He knew she was right about everything she had just said. Shane knew that he needed to tell Rick but he just couldn't. For some reason though, he still thought that Lori truly loved him.

"Shane!" she called and ran after him. He turned around. "I know about what really happened back at the high school."

"What?" he asked. "What do you mean?"

"Walkers can't shoot." She said. "Especially with so much aim to go for the leg. I know you did it to save Carl but it was wrong no matter what. I'm not going to tell anyone."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because you're my brother. Herschel would kick you off the farm if he knew. It's also not my truth to tell." She said and was soon grabbed up in another hug. She kissed his cheek and said good bye. She caught up with Daryl and they left the farm. They walked for a little while though the woods until the approached an abandoned house. Brooke got an arrow ready and drew her bow. Daryl had his crossbow ready and kicked open the door. They didn't see any walkers.

"Hey look at this." Daryl called. He opened a closet and saw some food on the ground. He also saw a small bed. Brooke sighed and dug deeper to see if there was any evidence that Sophia had been in there.

"Nothing else besides this." She sighed.

"Do you think it might be her?" he asked.

"I would say most likely but why would she leave? I don't see any walkers and she had even more food in the back." She questioned.

"Well she ain't here so we better keep on movin'." He said. She could tell he was upset. For some reason he had made it his mission to find Sophia.

"Hey," she said and pulled him back to face her. "We'll find her. She can't be too far from here." She said and gave him a quick peck on the lips. He smirked sadly and she cupped his face with her hands. "We'll find her." She said again. He took her hand and they walked outside.

"Would you look at that." He said and pulled her towards two white flowers.

"What are they?" she asked.

"Cherokee Roses." He stated. "Do you know the story?"

"No, I've never heard of it." She replied. He told her about the legend and she smiled. He picked them both from the ground. He broke the stem of one of them and placed it behind her ear. She smiled and he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "So if they're here that means she can't be too far." She said and he had hope again.

"Come on, we need to keep goin'." He said and they walked on. They didn't see any sign of Sophia anywhere and it was almost dark. He grunted and they turned around to go back. He looked over a Brooke who still had the flower in her hair. Her hair was wavy from not having a straightener anymore but it still looked beautiful. She had a little dirt here and there but she somehow managed to stay clean. He sighed and kept on walking.

"We'll try the creek tomorrow." She said. He grabbed a bottle from the fence outside of the farm and put some of his water in it. He placed the rose and walked to where Carol was staying. He explained the story once more to her.

"It's a Cherokee Rose. The story is that when American soldiers were moving Indians off their land on the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee mothers were grieving and crying so much 'cause they were losing their little ones along the way from exposure and disease and starvation. A lot of them just disappeared. So the elders, they said a prayer; asked for a sign to uplift the mothers' spirits, give them strength and hope. The next day this rose started to grow where the mothers' tears fell. I'm not fool enough to think there's any flowers blooming for my brother. But I believe this one bloomed for your little girl." He said. Carol thanked him as she was crying and he walked away. He saw Brooke smiling at him. "What?" he smirked.

"Nothing!" she put up her hands in defense and her eyebrows lifted up. "You big ol' teddy bear." She mumbled. She felt her waist being grabbed and she was pulled to the ground.

"I'm not a softy!" he growled.

"I never said that." She said and he let her go. She lifted herself up. "I said you're a teddy bear." She snickered and she was pushed. "Don't get mad! I just corrected you!" she smiled.

"You're going to pay." He smirked and she kissed him.

"Later." She said but she was pulled by the hand to their tent.

"Now."