Kenny and Sarita could use their time alone, he thinks. So, he looks towards Carley and walks up to her, sitting down next to her and Clementine. "Hey, hun." He greets the former.
"Hey, you. You okay? No bites, right?" She asks, pulling his sleeve up.
"Nope, all good here." He looks down at her bandaged up leg and frowns. "How's that feeling?"
She follows his gaze. "Better. I can walk a little easier, but I often still need help moving quickly. It sucks being such a liability to the group right now, but I suppose I'll get over it eventually."
"We'll have someone change that bandage tomorrow."
"You better. It's itchy as hell down there." Lee and Carley grin at each other playfully. Lee's expression softens.
"Do you think I made the right choice back there?"
"What, with the takeover plan? I'm not gonna lie, Lee, I'm not sure. There's no telling if we'd lose more or less people if we escaped or bided our time, and there's certainly no way of knowing if we'd even be alive right now if we didn't take this place for ourselves." Carley looks around at the group sadly. "I just wish we could have saved more people. But I do think Howe's is the right place to go. So don't worry too much about it."
"I'll try. How do you feel about Jane?"
"Jane? Who's that?" She looks out into the crowd, scanning for her face.
"Short hair, muck over her jacket, fair skin."
She spots her helping Luke push an empty cabinet from the green house in front of the stairwell. "Oh, right. I don't really know her too well. We've all been through a lot. It may not be worth pushing her past out right now. She seems… distant. Like there's something preventing her from being friendly to other people. Reminds me a lot of Molly, actually."
"Molly seems to like her." They both watch Molly scanning the sky, in deep thought for the first time in a long time.
"Well, she likes having someone to relate to. They'll probably grow twice as close now that Chuck's… god, what a mess." Carley mutters, laying her chin in her palm. Lee sighs.
"About Christa-"
"I failed her. Completely and utterly failed her. I couldn't protect her, even when I promised I would."
"Don't say that. Don't even put that weight on your conscience. What happened wasn't your fault; it was mine. I threw her under the bus. I have to live with that. Not you."
She slowly looks up at him with a pouty lip. "Yeah, well.. You're just gonna have to share that burden, you idiot. I wonder if.. If we'll ever see them again."
"I hope so. I haven't heard you being religious before."
"Not really religious. Maybe I'm just scared all we'll have of them are bodies and memories. Is that it? Is there really no more after death? I don't like thinking about it, but it's all I can think about."
Lee searches for the right words. "Just hold onto their memory. The night will be over soon."
She smiles at her lover. "Right. I'm gonna get some rest now." She scooches up to the wall behind her, closing her eyes. Lee nods.
"Night, babe."
"Goodnight, Lee." She mutters, relaxing. Lee turns to Clementine next to him.
"Hey, Clem."
"Hey, Lee." She looks up at him with tired eyes.
"You holding up okay?"
She looks downward. "I'm… I.. I don't feel good."
"That's a reasonable thing to feel."
"I wish I could have spent more time with Duck and Sarah. He probably.. I don't think he liked me at the end."
"Oh, honey.. Emotions are a lot more complicated than that. I'm sure Duck loved you deep down in his heart. He was just scared. It was a complicated situation, where we had to play the villains."
"I don't want to hurt anyone else." She can't look back up at him, her eyes glued to her shoes.
"Me neither, Clem, but it's not that easy. Sometimes you have to hurt the people you love to protect them from a greater evil." She nods, unsure of how to respond, hugging herself. "Hey, how do you feel about Jane, sweet pea?" He asks, changing the subject.
She looks at Jane. "I dunno. She seems okay."
"Yeah. We'll keep an eye on her." he looks back down at her. "Thanks for listening to me earlier."
She looks into his eyes. "Oh.. yeah. I didn't want to watch that anyways." She averts, rubbing her right arm.
"Good. Kenny was in a dark place, and he only did what he did because of that. Remember when he lost Kat?"
"Yeah, but this is a little different. Duck was his son. It's like losing my parents. He's not going to forget that pain, Lee. It's going to do something to him." Lee realizes just how much this pain still affects her to this day and wraps his arm around her, exhaling.
"I'm sorry we couldn't do something about all that, honey."
She's able to look at him again. "You did everything you could, Lee. You saved me."
He smiles. "Alright, how about you get some rest?"
She shrugs his arm off gently, laying back. She doesn't look like she's getting any rest anytime soon. "Okay, Lee." He stands up, looking around. Molly seems like she could use a friend right about now. He approaches her, standing next to her by the edge of the roof.
"How are you holding up?"
"Fine. What do you think?" She bitterly mutters. Lee looks sympathetically out into the night, dust rising from the walker clump.
"I'm so sorry about Chuck, Molly." She doesn't respond, her arms fidgeting over her chest. "Oh, so you and Jane-"
Nick comes up behind him. "Hey, Lee, why don't you give her some space? I don't think she wants to be disturbed now."
Molly nods when Lee tries to speak. "What he said. I appreciate your interest in my feelings, but I'd rather not discuss them. Alright?"
Lee nods slowly. "Sure. I'll leave you be."
"Thanks." She flatly replies. Nick leaves them alone, and then Lee leaves her to talk to Ben sitting on one of the skylights with his head down and his hands clasped.
"You okay, kid?" He asks, looking down at him. Ben slowly lifts his head, his face pale with pain written all over it.
"I'm.. not. But my feelings aren't the ones that matter right now." He looks over at Kenny and Sarita, both of whom are separated but feeling the same thing. He winces at the sight of Duck's body and turns back to Lee. "I mean, how did that all get so awful so fast?"
"We panicked. Nobody's to blame."
"Nobody but Carver." He growls, putting his hands on his thighs.
"You stayed behind to watch him die." Lee points out.
"I didn't enjoy watching that, Lee. But somebody had to pull Kenny back. Besides, that fucker deserved it." Ben defends, folding his arms whilst looking away bitterly.
"Fair enough. How do you feel about Jane?"
He looks over at her, sharing a few words with Luke and shakes his head. "She scares the crap out of me."
Lee chuckles. "Tch, really?"
"There's something about her. She reminds me a lot of Lilly, but.. Quieter. We actually met her back on the water, you know."
"Yeah, Kenny told me, but he didn't tell me much."
"She seemed scrappy. I felt bad for her, but even back then she terrified me. Jane gives those same vibes, only I know less about her."
"You barely knew Lilly for a day."
"True. I guess the unknown is always scarier than the known."
Lee nods, turning softer. "Hey, man, you gotta be there for Kenny and Sarita. You're all they really have left."
"I know. I just need some time to heal myself before I can help them heal."
"Of course. Take your time. It's just that.. They're broken. Or they're breaking. We both know how Kenny was after Katjaa, and even then he seems a lot worse now."
Ben watches the pair before looking back down. "Yeah.. I'll keep my eye out for both of them."
"Try to get some rest." Lee says, turning toward another survivor.
"We both know that's not gonna happen." Ben mutters as he walks away. Lee finds Pete sitting in his chair and greets him.
"Hey there, Pete."
"Lee." Pete nods at him.
"Been quiet up here?" He asks.
"So far. Stan, Wyatt, Eddie and Danny won't stop yapping and Sarita's crying is admittedly getting to me pretty bad, but Kenny's been pretty much quiet since you left and everyone else too."
"Yapping about what?" Lee asks, turning towards the Howe's group. Shawn looks like he could faint any second, and his friends don't even see it.
"I can't tell. Sounds like they're not a fan of the new management. To be truthful, there ain't nothing wrong with that. They're scared, just like we were. This is gonna be a tough transition."
"Maybe they can leave in the morning if they so choose." Lee says with a shrug. Pete raises a brow.
"Maybe? Don't be like Carver, Lee. Give them that choice. We don't rule these people anymore, we simply lead them."
"Sure, you're right. Do you uh.. Do you think I made the right choice back there?"
"Of course, otherwise I wouldn't be talkin' to you. We lost… a lot of people, but in turn we gained this place and lost Carver. Now this place can be both practical and comfortable, if we play our cards right."
"What do you think about a leadership counsel?"
"Sounds like a great idea. The people of Howe's are familiar with that kind of leadership, and I'd love to help chip in with big decisions. Besides, you shouldn't be the only one with power around here, lest you let that power get to your head."
"Wouldn't be the first time power got to my head. That's how I felt, when I caught my wife.. And I just started choking the guy, slamming him against the coffee table, wringing his neck until… it made me feel good, to finally have all the power in my powerless relationship. But I'll never act out like that again. It haunts me."
"Not to be that guy, but with Walt, you kinda did."
"I know. Carver sunk his teeth into that side of my personality. In the end, what was it all for? We probably would have gotten the jump on him regardless."
"Shawn might not have gotten off so easily, aiding prisoners with that radio stunt he pulled. You bought time."
"True. But now he's dying anyway." He says with a sigh, looking away guiltily.
"It's not worth torturing yourself over, Lee. You did the best you could." Lee slowly looks at him again and nods.
"Let me know if you see anything."
"Sure thing."
Lee leaves him alone, slouching until he walks into Nick. "Oh, hey man. You don't look so good." Nick comments.
"I'm not feeling great after today, to be honest." He says sorrowfully.
"Yeah.. Alvin, and Sarah.. It's awful. Your people too." Nick mutters, hanging his head.
"I'm really sorry about them."
"They weren't mine to lose. If you wanna apologize, I'd talk to their widow and father. It ain't gonna be an easy conversation, but they need to hear you say it."
"I will, for sure." Lee says confidently, determined to do so. Then he changes to a more casual question. "So… how are things with you and Molly?"
Nick smirks. "Great. I wasn't the biggest ladies man in the world before - that was Luke's job - but I feel good about this relationship. Every other fling I had before was just some plot to steal my money before I woke up next morning." He pouts. Lee has to hold back laughter.
"Damn. That sucks."
"You're smart enough to not fall for that trick, huh?" Nick questions with a raised brow.
"Er.. yeah. You could say that."
"Smartass." He shakes his head. Lee changes subjects.
"Any ideas for what we should do when the herd passes?"
Nick doesn't hesitate. "Funeral. For everyone who passed. That's our people and Carver's. We need that time to mourn Alvin and them. They need that time."
"That's not a bad idea, Nick." Lee earnestly replies, smiling.
"Ha, first time for everything. I'll catch you later, Lee." Nick exits, turning his back as he checks around the corner.
Lee heads towards Luke and Jane, and on his way can't help but stare at Carlos as he looks down at his lap motionless. Guilt shoots through his spine. He'll get to him in a second. To apologize. "Hey, guys. Working hard?"
Luke and Jane pause their work, "Hardly working. Jane's a big help."
"As usual." Jane teases. Luke can't help but smile.
"How's it coming along?" Lee asks, looking at the pile in front of the door.
"Walkers should still be able to get in through here, but as long as we're quiet and these hold," she gestures behind her, "we should be okay. That means no more screaming matches."
"I think we can manage that." Lee sarcastically says, looking back at Carver's group who continue to argue amongst themselves.
"Well, things seem to have calmed down now, so we probably will. We're nearly done here." Luke replies.
Lee looks back at the two. "You guys still with me? Even after that mess?"
"Sure. I have no reason to leave, even if I probably should." Jane answers.
"Oh please, stay. We could use the company." Luke says, grinning.
"No doubt." Jane solemnly replies, looking among the sad and disenfranchised.
"How about you, Luke? Are you still with me?"
"As far as I'm concerned, you're a part of my group, Lee. Same goes for Molly, Carley and Clem. You're.. You're special people." He says with rose red cheeks, scratching his long hair. Jane can't help but look away.
"Thanks, Luke. I could say the same." Lee replies.
"Emphasis on the could there, Luke." Jane teases.
"Didn't know you had a sense of humor." Luke bites back.
"Oh, I do." She replies with a smirk.
"So, what's your story, Jane?"
She hesitates, then tells the story, facing him. "I came across this place on a scavenge. That asshole Troy caught me covered in walker guts sneaking around and threw me in the pen. He said he'd help me get out if I.. you know."
"...Did you?" Lee questions.
"Of course not. I had to endure a lotta weird shit though. Dude's a fucking creep. Where is he, anyway?" Jane asks, looking around side to side. Lee puts a hand on his hip.
"Er, Molly.. Molly shot his dick off, Jane." Luke looks horrified, while Jane chuckles mirthly, checking on Molly with her eyes.
"What?!" Luke belts out.
"Ah, that girl I like. She gets it."
"That's… that hurts to think about." Luke mutters, holding his stomach.
"You're telling me.." Lee says with a shake of his head. "Anyway, great job so far. I'll see you."
"Sure, Lee." Luke replies, waving him off as he and Jane turn around to continue working. Lee walks over to Carlos, the first person he can muster the courage to apologize to. Then will come Rebecca, who sits by herself, holding her stomach with the occasional cringe in her eyes.
He looks down at Carlos, taking a softer tone. "Hey, Carlos.. I'm so sorry about Sarah."
Nothing. Not even a twitch. "Rebecca's baby is coming soon, and with Shawn running out of time… well, are you gonna be able to help out?"
Nothing.
"I understand. I'll leave you to your thoughts." Lee turns around, swallowing hard. That was painful…
He might as well get the next one over with. He approaches Rebecca and kneels down to her level. "Hey, Rebecca."
"Hey, Lee." She greets back distantly, barely able to look him in the eyes.
"I just wanna say… I'm so sorry about Alvin. He didn't deserve that."
She locks eyes with him. "You're right. He didn't. These past few days, we were so busy trying to survive, trying to get through this, that I don't think I ever told him."
"Told him what?"
"How much I love him."
"I'm sure he knew. He'd do anything to protect you, and he did. Even if in the end he died senselessly, he died knowing that on some level he was protecting your marriage."
"I wish he hadn't. I wish he had pretended to hate me without me knowing. Maybe then, Danny…" She looks back at the predator with a snarl.
"How do you feel about him?" Lee questions. She turns back to Lee.
"He should be gone, Lee. If not executed, exiled. I don't want him here."
Lee nods, keeping that in mind. "I understand. Uh… how are you, you know… feeling?"
"Oh please, Lee, you can't be that awkward." She teases.
"It's an awkward situation, with Carlos the way he is." They shift their eyes to look at the doctor.
"That poor man. That poor baby. Sarah never deserved any of this. Not any of it. Think what you want, she was a sweetheart through and through. Nobody was more excited to see this baby than she was. She loved everyone in this group."
"She seemed like a good kid. I know Clem and her were friends."
"She wasn't like other girls. She wouldn't have made it without that man. I can't imagine how that feels. I don't want to imagine how that feels."
"Well, without Carlos-"
"Don't even think about that!" She whispers like they're discussing something taboo, and to her it is. She can't think about that, not when she's come this far. Lee clears his throat.
"It's just.. Shawn's on borrowed time, Carlos is a wreck, and nobody else here knows how to help, outside of the basics. We're gonna do what we can, but it's something to keep in mind."
"You damn well better. This hurts like hell, by the way. I can tell.. She's coming out, soon." Rebecca warns, hissing as another contraction violates her body. Lee winces, nearly looking away.
"Maybe just hold it a little longer?" He jokes. She rolls her eyes.
"Very funny. Go, I need my space." He stands up, a small grin on his face. She grins back. "Thank you, Lee."
"Of course. Tell me if you need anything." With that, he walks away, toward the next survivor: Danny. This was it, now's a better time than any other to tell Danny about Becca. The question is: should he?
Choices
A: Tell Danny you know about him and Becca.
B: Don't tell Danny that you know his secret.
Relationships
Clementine: 15/15 (She's appreciative you checked in with her)
Carley: 15/15 (She's appreciative you checked in with her)
Molly: 14/15 (She would have preferred if you left her alone)
Kenny: 6/15 (He's appreciative you left him alone)
Ben: 15/15 (He's appreciative you checked in with him)
Sarita: 7/15 (She's thankful you left her alone)
Luke: 15/15 (He's appreciative you checked in with him)
Pete: 15/15 (He's appreciative you checked in with him)
Nick: 15/15 (He's appreciative you checked in with him)
Carlos: 12/15 (He would have preferred if you didn't check in with him)
Rebecca: 13/15 (She's appreciative you checked in with her)
Jane: 7/15 (She's glad you checked in with her)
Danny: 10/15 (Now's the time. Is it worth telling him you know his secret?)
Stan: 8/15
Shawn: 10/15
Justin: 6/15
Wyatt: 8/15
Eddie: 9/15
Shel: 9/15
Becca: 9/15
Tisha: 5/10