Curative

"He wants the prison. He wants us gone. Dead. He wants us dead. For what we did to Woodbury... We're going to war."

The room was filled with the concerned expressions of their friends. A weight in the air that told everyone there was no more guesswork here. Woodbury was coming for them very soon and they had to be ready.

Rick's announcement to the group was clear. Things were going to get worse before they get better, they all had to buckle down. Either they committed to the idea of fighting and killing these people, or they would lose. They could lose people even if they were perfect.

Laura met the gaze of a few people, she saw their resolve, doubt, fear. It was going to be a long hard road before Woodbury was dealt with. She was ready for it, she even wanted it. The thought of clearing out the Woodbury soldiers that had a hand in her suffering brought her some dark satisfaction. She wanted revenge, it burned in her more and more each day.

Now it was without a doubt that they were going to fight Woodbury. She was looking forward to it, the chance to pay them back for months of torture. It wasn't something she would tell people, but she knew she shared this with Merle.

The two ex-Woodbury soldiers had no issues turning their guns on the Governor's people. They held no soft spot for the group that kept Laura in a muzzle and Merle under constant threat. They both always had the same goal, to find their way back to this group. Now that they were here, they weren't going without a fight.

Too much was happening at once, too many moving parts of any single person to handle. The people that were butting heads still could not reconcile their issues. There was still distance kept between Glenn and Red, which is exactly what Glenn followed Rick to discuss.

Maggie acknowledged Glenn's quick retreat from the cellblock on Rick's heels. She didn't join him, she didn't want to hear more about the infighting.

After reality sank in, the meeting was over, the group dispersed. It appeared as though everyone wanted to be with their own. Laura watched these people seeking each other out, Braddock sitting with Micheal, Hershel and his daughters. In Woodbury, all she ever saw was people planning the attack and some shit talk. But here they weren't excited to fight, they were scared for their family.

It was sobering despite her strong desire to fight Woodbury. She would still have to act in the group's interest, even if she is given a chance to fight. If it benefits the group for her to not attack, she had to accept that. The corner of her mouth twitched as she imagined having the people from Woodbury that tortured her in her hands, then allowing them to survive the encounter.

Looking at the Greene family, the people here who were happy to be together, but terrified of what comes tomorrow. She looked to them all for that calmness she wanted, the peace and quiet they offered her when she couldn't remember herself.

And the longer she looked, the more she realized that hunger for revenge wasn't fading. Not like it had done before, not like it was back on the farm with the men from Atlanta, Red's group, or Shane. When all she needed to calm down and think objectively was the comfort of someone she cared for and trusted... it wasn't working. If anything, the clearer her mind became the brighter that fire burned.

She wanted revenge above all else. She wanted it to be cruel, agonizing, and sickeningly satisfying. This desire was all-encompassing the deeper she delved into it.

Then, there was a hand on her arm and she flinched away from it. Her eyes darted to the side, seeing Carol standing beside her. She didn't say anything, she had seen Laura staring off into space and wanted to check on her. Carol gave a lopsided grin before continuing up the stairs to the second-floor cells, quickly joined by her daughter.

Sophia. Laura saw her, the pale girl with yellow eyes. She had only seen her a few times since she returned, a glimpse here or there but she hadn't spoken to her.

She saw Carol hold Sophia's face in her hands, giving her a kiss on the forehead, before heading towards the cells. Carol was on her way to check on Judith who had been asleep most of the meeting. Laura could hear the infant making small noises just out of sight.

But she was so focused on Sophia, taking in her presence was... difficult. She was like Laura, but also not like her. She was stuck in between Laura's condition and living. Laura thought about Markus, about Sophia, and she felt guilty for it. Avoiding the stress, Laura left the cells going unnoticed by almost everyone else. Only Daryl, Merle, and Daisy noticed Laura leaving.

She passed through the gate, not wanting to remain in the room with everyone else. As she headed towards the exit door, she heard voices echoing faintly. Curious, she turned towards the gate to the tombs, and as she neared the voices grew clearer.

Daryl had followed her out, watching as she cautiously made her way to the gate. He couldn't hear anything, all he knew is she was heading there. She didn't open the gate though he watched as she touched the gate, noting that it was unlocked and open.

Laura turned her head to the side, closing her eyes to focus on the voices. The echo from the tombs both served to carry their voices, but also distort them somewhat. It was hard to pick it out, her face inches from the bars.

"-serious, Rick."

"They'll have to live with it. It's my decision and it's final."

A moment passed, she now knew one of them was Rick. The discussion was being held away from the group so she could only assume it was private. Not that that stopped her from eavesdropping on them.

"I agree with them." It was definitely a male voice, "Look, I'm happy she's back too. But we can't pretend it's not going on."

Nothing for a second, silence between them as Rick decided how to answer. "So you want me to do what? Tell her no? It's not a choice and I am not kicking her out of the group. So don't ask."

"Come on, Rick. You know that's not what I'm saying." His voice sounded exasperated but firm. "What I am saying is we need answers. This isn't just going to go away."

Rick did not respond this time, but she heard footsteps approaching rapidly. Recoiling from the gate, Laura retreated to avoid looking like she was spying on them. Which she absolutely was and she was already caught in the act when she turned to see Daryl watching her.

She held a stoic expression, not revealing to him anything of what she just heard. Instead, to make it look like she was with Daryl the whole time, she approached him and reached her hand out. Daryl knew something was up, yet obliged her and took her hand.

Then he saw it, Rick came through the gate with a peeved look on his face. Behind him, a few steps was Glenn with a similar expression. Whatever just happened it didn't seem like it went well.

Laura, feigning innocence, turned to put on a faintly surprised look as she watched them storm out. And it was convincing. Neither Rick nor Glenn were suspicious, even Daryl who saw her eavesdropping thought she looked convincing.

Rick halted in front of Daryl and Laura, letting Glenn pass them by. They shared a glance but said nothing. This tense exchange caught Daryl's attention even if he wasn't about to speak out on it. It appeared Rick was coming to them anyway.

"Can we talk?" Rick gave her a critical gaze. It wasn't judgmental, but he did seem bothered. Laura knew it was about that conversation and now she knew it must've been about her. This told her she needed to be more watchful of Glenn.

She looked to Daryl as if seeking approval to which he nodded. She wasn't actually, she wanted to keep the appearance that she didn't know what this was about.

Heading to join Rick, she had Daryl right behind her. However, Rick stopped him. "Is it alright if we talk alone?"

Now Daryl didn't want Laura out of his sight as much as possible. He knew Rick was a trustworthy person, yet this was highly unusual especially considering the recent week. It took him a moment to let go of Laura's hand and even longer to reconcile with himself watching her head into the tombs with Rick.

He bit his thumb, anxious about this talk they were having privately. He did not like this at all and he didn't like the stern look on their faces when Rick and Glenn came from the tombs.

Heading into the dark tunnels, Laura came to stand face to face with Rick deep enough to not be overheard. She watched him place a hand on his hip, the other coming up to his face to rub over his jaw. He was stressed out about Woodbury, about Laura, and about this deal, he had made. But he wasn't about to divulge that information to anyone.

"We need to talk about you." Rick started with a certain grit to his tone. His body language told her he really disliked what he was running wild in his head. She knew it was something to do with what Glenn said. "About your... needs and you."

It wasn't terribly specific, though she assumed needs meant her eating habits. "I eat meat exclusively. Carnivorous. I can live off animals for a long time, but I must eat human meat too."

Rick's nose scrunched up for a moment, a nervous tick when dealing with something he disliked. He was being faced with a serious source of stress with Laura and, as he realized now, the group. If he didn't get this handled soon, then the group would implode on Laura.

"How long can you survive on things like deer and rabbits?" He figured what she could hunt in the area was the best choice for this line of inquiry.

"The first week, no problem. The second week I'll feel a strain. Third I will be... anxious and hungry. The fourth week is high risk. After that, who survives it is a case of how long it takes until someone kills me or manages to get far enough away." Laura had no problem informing Rick of these developments. She told him she wouldn't hold anything back and she planned to make good on that promise.

Rick accepted it rather easily, "What happens at the end? Week five?"

Her head tilted back, her eyes flicking to the side as she thought of how to phrase her response. "Image a walker, but it's capable of complex thought. It can plan, strategize, react. It's agile, strong, and can use weapons. That's week five and however long until I feed again."

Alright, not great. Rick thought that sounded particularly awful. He started to consider Glenn was right and they needed to be more aware of Laura's capabilities. At first, Rick defaulted to the way he thought of Laura before; misunderstood and desperate to be accepted.

His mindset began to change and he began to see the problems he had glossed over before. "Is there a way to stop it?"

Laura frowned, "Yes, like I said. I have to eat an appropriate diet."

"I meant to stop the need. Make it to where you don't have to eat human meat anymore. Some way that can help fix this." Rick implored her to give him an answer to her cannibalistic needs. Even if she had the tools to research a real cure, she had no training to understand that field of study.

However, Laura took considerable issues with the word 'fix.' "I don't need to be fixed, Rick." Laura's tone firm, biting back against his claim. "This is it, this is how I am now. I can't do anything about it."

"No, I-I know, I know." Rick backpedaled swiftly. He ran a hand through his hair, searching for a way out of this mess. "Look, I'll be honest... You need this to live, I'm willing to look passed it. I told you before I was going to be by your side through this."

"Look... passed it. Well! I'm so thankful." Laura sneered, her aggression took him by surprise. "I'm so thankful to you Rick, for looking passed it for me. It must be so difficult for you to get through this terrible thing. It must be so traumatizing for you... to look passed it. I can't imagine what it must be like to- to have this thing around you. This cannibalistic thing you have to look passed."

Through her sarcastic reply, she had stepped up to Rick, a furious look in her eye. The exchange wasn't meant to get this heated, but it did. Rick was unsure what to do, how to fix this. He didn't even know if he had made a mistake or if Laura was being unreasonable.

If anything, to Rick it felt like perhaps the fault was on both sides. To correct this and soothe the ticked off woman, Rick apologized. "You're right, you don't need to be fixed. I'm sorry I said it like that."

His apology did seem to calm that brewing storm in Laura. Once she leaned back, he knew she was waiting on him to continue. "I... this will probably sound bad, but I don't care about you eating people. Maybe back then on the farm... it would've hit a lot harder, caused a stir especially with Shane around... But after the people we've lost; the things I've seen." He waved a hand to the side dismissively, "It just doesn't shock me anymore. If you have to eat people. That's fine. So long as it isn't one of ours and we're careful about it, I really couldn't care less."

Now it was Laura's turn to be surprised. He openly admitted that he does not care if she kills and eats people provided those people are not part of the group. It certainly wasn't something she expected out of anyone, not even Daryl.

Laura felt as though she had truly misunderstood Rick, that she had made assumptions about his character that he proved wrong. The world had changed, Laura is not one of the living and she believed no one would accept it. She fully expected another 'Shane' in the group, if not multiple.

But she was met with understanding instead. The same understanding she had throughout her life when other people did wrong by her. She would take a moment, pause, and consider them before herself. It allowed her to empathize deeply with others on a level that made her echo their feelings.

Others had put her in that position because they did not consider her feelings, they had completely overlooked her for the sake of themselves.

Right now she was doing that. So she took a moment to reassess. "No, I... should be better about this. I've had all this time to adjust to the way I am and..." Laura let out a deep sigh accompanied by a whine. "I can't expect you, or them, to just accept it right away. It's not fair to you."

Rick was pleasantly surprised to see that change. The situation diffused before it ever truly began, which allowed them to handle this constructively. "We need to be careful about how we deal with this. Glenn told me Red had a breakdown while we were gone. Daisy took him outside to talk, but Glenn went to check on them. Said Red was mad about you, about Markus, and you eating people."

"Ah, is this the part where I'm asked to leave?" Laura purposefully asked with the knowledge of Rick's conversation with Glenn earlier.

"No. That won't happen. Not this time." As she expected, his tone was stern. "If they can't accept it, they'll just have to learn to live with it. I want to know that we have a handle on what you need, so we never even seen week two." He was proposing something, Laura could see it. She didn't anticipate this.

Cautious and on guard, Laura crossed her arms with a suspicious look in her eye. "What are you saying, Rick?"

She could see that he was working it out in his head, this was something new to him too. So whatever his answer, it wouldn't be written in stone.

"I'm saying... we should start looking at how to keep you... fed." He could barely believe the words coming out of his mouth. "How long has it been since you last ate?"

"Before I got here, this is easily week two without food." Laura wasn't bothered and stopped Rick before he would express his concern. "I have some here already, it's in Merle's pack. It's been made into jerky so it keeps."

"Eat it, soon. Don't want this to progress and risk causing a problem with the others." Rick dismissed it, glancing behind him for a moment. He wasn't sure how they would react to him telling Laura to go eat the human meat she had on hand... Or how they'd react to her just having it readily available. "We'll have to talk to them at some point. I wanted to avoid it, not cause any more stress than necessary, but it's looking like they won't let it go."

Rick didn't need to be an expert to see how it distressed Laura. She wasn't sure how it would go, but she didn't want to lie about it. They had to be honest if the group intended on forcing the issue if they tried to hide anything and was discovered later the repercussions would be terrible.

"If you say no, then it's a no. I'll tell them no." Rick's frustration culminated in him turning around and pacing. "I'm not going to force you to do or say anything. It's your choice."

They were stuck between a rock and a hard place, but Laura knew her answer. Hiding it could result in drastic consequences, but being honest could convince people to give her a chance. Even though she would rather not speak about this to anyone, she knew it was better to get it out before it was too late.

Accepting this, Laura looked down at Rick's boots. "Okay."

He was reluctant, this was a lot to handle and he needed to make sure it was done right. That and he cared for Laura so much, she had been there to listen to him when he needed someone. She was fair and gave good advice.

She was a survivor he looked out for, then she became family, and now he felt he was forcing her to relive the trauma. It hurt to think about, it hurt when Glenn told him she was different. He had needed her help and she wasn't there, but he didn't think it was her fault. He believed it was his and a failure of his leadership.

"Are you sure?" He stood in front of her, a stern gaze hanging over her head.

"No." She raised her head to meet that gaze and his face softened. "But we're going to do it. I don't want them to hate me or be scared of me... That's why I left before. It's happening now though, despite everything, it's happening anyway. I tried, I left so they wouldn't-" She swallowed hard, "So maybe they'd remember me like I was. Like their friend and not this- this monster."

The moment Rick saw her expression drop, he reached out for her. She looked so defeated he just couldn't take it. She flinched when he touched her, but returned his embrace.

He hated that she flinched, she just started to be comfortable with touch at the farm. It tore him up that, as strong as she looked, that scared girl from Atlanta was still in there somewhere. She was scared, she felt used and broken.

It didn't matter what happened next, Rick knew he would never remove her from the group. It wouldn't be easy if the others disagree with his decision, but he won't lose her again. After everything they went through, all the suffering in Woodbury; he didn't care what anyone else thought. Laura was here to stay.

He felt her fingers grip onto his shirt, her nails were sharp but he ignored it. Her chest rose and fell, she took her time to breathe calmly.

"Hey, you're not a monster, you're not." His handheld the back of her head as he rested his chin on it. "I've got you, it's gonna' be okay."

After a couple minutes, Laura started to pull away. "When do you want to do it?"

"After we deal with Woodbury, we have to get ready. When that's done, if we're all still here, we will deal with it." He leaned down and kissed the top of her forehead, "Doesn't matter that we don't share blood, you are my family as far as I'm concerned."

"Thanks, Rick." Laura took a breath, composing herself again. "I, uh... I really missed you. All those months on the road and during Woodbury. I thought about you a lot. Well, I did for as long as I remembered things."

He put his hands on his hips. "Yeah, I missed you too. We all did. Daryl was really upset when I told him you left."

Laura winced, "Was he mad for a long time?"

"He wasn't mad at all," Rick answered with a slight shake of his head. This surprised Laura, she figured he would've been angry with her. "He was hurt, didn't talk to anyone for a while. It took some time, but he came around."

"Huh, I just guessed he would've hated me for it. I'm relieved to hear he didn't." Laura thought wistfully to herself. Some small weight was lifted from her mind. Her lips pulled into a tight line as she looked back up to Rick. "Were you...?"

He took a moment before responding. In truth, he felt like being mad, but it was never directed at her. So much had happened and they lost people and the anticipation of not knowing who survived made him sick to his stomach. When Laura left she placed a lot of weight on his back to break the news to the others, especially to Daryl.

"No, I don't think I was. I was mostly scared of what would happen to you, what happened to the others, and what to do next." Rick couldn't really place a finger on how he felt. That started the scariest time in their lives; surviving on the road on the run from the horde. "I think I wanted to be, but I just couldn't. Back in Atlanta, you told me about those men, about how Red tried to kill you. I don't know much about Woodbury, I meant to ask."

"I don't-" Laura shook her head, eyes closing. She sighed, the corner of her mouth twitched as her face scrunched up. "I don't know what you want me to say."

At the quarry, he supported her to vent, get it out so she could move on. With everything the way it is now, that changed. The things inflicted on her were too great to be handled with talking. Rick wanted to help, to do whatever was needed.

"I want to know what they did and I want to help." Rick began his explanation, "We went to the precinct where they kept you. Me, Daryl, Glenn, Micheal, Markus, and Oscar. We all pieced it together on what we saw. The chair with restraints, the cell, the radio, and lights... the organs."

"You shouldn't have seen that." She sympathized, the precinct had been a nightmare to her. A place so terrible where all the very worst torture happened. "I think about it a lot, it's always right there behind me. If I focus on it, I can smell the stench of my-" Laura stopped, banishing away the mental image.

As badly as Rick wanted to help, to bring some peace for her, he knew it wasn't something that could happen overnight. "I know what some of those stitched scars are." He saw her eyes snap to him questioningly. "I was a cop, I saw dead bodies after they were evaluated. I picked up on a few things... There were also pictures in the precinct."

"You... looked at them?" Laura was mortified. He had seen those files, the polaroids, which meant he had seen inside her. A vile thought she couldn't imagine how he felt seeing that.

"Kinda' hard to miss, they were all over this old roll-top by the chair." Rick gestured to the direction he had seen the desk in, signifying how close it was to him. "I guess I never thought about before, what you told us about getting the cure. I thought it was bad, but I could've imagined that."

Laura was appreciative of his consideration, but all she could think of was those pictures. Then it hit her. "Did Daryl see them?" Alarm in her voice, she didn't want that. She didn't want him to see.

"No, I..." Rick hesitated. What he had done was stolen the documents, the polaroids, and the camcorder on the desk. They were all still sitting in his pack in his cell, but he wasn't sure how to tell her that. There was no time to look at them, but he planned on studying them to understand Laura.

In a split-second decision, "I closed the roll-top so no one else would see." He lied.

Laura let out a sigh of relief. Though she told Daryl a lot about Woodbury, she could not stand the idea of him actually seeing it. "Thank you, Rick."

He nodded, guilt flooded him instantly. "He was your father, right?" He hadn't been told but seeing all that he put the puzzle together.

"Yes, that was him. Daryl said he knocked him out." There was a grin on her face when she said that. Though Daryl was angry hearing about him, she was amused that he punched her father.

"If I'd known, I would've killed him." Rick didn't know if he should be relieved he didn't know or regretful. "What I saw in those pictures... He deserved worse than he got."

Though she felt thankful for Rick thinking of her, how he took care of her even if she didn't need him to. It made her feel like she was safe here, that there was no questioning Rick's loyalty and trustworthiness. "It's fine, I don't really think of him as my father anymore. He doesn't think of me as his daughter either."

"Would you tell me? What happened in Woodbury?" Rick broached the subject, not wanting to press her too hard. Though he sought to help or offer some comfort, he wasn't sure if she'd let him. Especially after discussing opening up to the group.

Laura's mouth twitched again. "I told Daryl a lot because he wanted to know. I don't think it helped him, I wonder if he regrets knowing. It's not easy to forget. I think you know some and don't know others. I don't know how it would help you to know everything."

"It's not about me. It's about you. If I know maybe I can help in some way or... I don't- I don't know. Maybe I can understand things better." He stumbled over his words. He felt that perhaps it was some macabre curiosity to know the torture she endured or perhaps there was hope to help her.

All he knew is he had to be there for her this time. He saw the farm as a failure, he hadn't listened as well as he should've or could be that he didn't pay attention to the signs. If there was any, he never saw them. The horde surrounded them when she left, there was nothing he could do.

"I think... maybe when this whole thing with Woodbury is over, I'll tell you too. Just give me some time, I already have to help Daryl handle it." Laura offered a gentle smile.

Rick agreed easily, there was no doubt that Laura and Daryl had a lot to work through. "I want to let you know I'm here to talk. Whatever you need, whenever. Doesn't matter if it's the middle of the night, I'm always here."

Laura acknowledged the offer but didn't plan on taking it. She barely managed to get it out to Daryl without running away. Talking to Rick seemed like an impossible task. "I... Thanks, Rick. I'm so happy to be here with everyone again. It feels like the furthest thing from Woodbury and Philip."

"I hope so." He returned her trying smile. "We should head back, I'll let them know we will talk about it, but not until we're all safe."

Placing a hand on her shoulder, he waited through her flinch to rest it fully. They left the tombs together with the problem facing them resolved. While they were both pleased with how it ended, the issue still left a cloud over their heads.

Eventually, if they survived, they would have to deal with some terrible truths about Laura. Rick knew some wouldn't like it, they might push back, but he fine handling that.

It was good, it felt good. Laura didn't need to look far for Daryl, he hadn't left the cellblock. He was sitting at one of the tables waiting for her and Rick to return. When they did enter the main room, Daryl was back on his feet searching for any sign of trouble.

Laura went to Daryl, assuring him nothing was wrong. At least, not right now. She left with Daryl unconcerned for the time being. They had plenty of time to think about what to say and how to handle it best. In the meantime, they needed their rest.

Rick watched them go before heading back to his cell. On the way, he checked on the others as they were preparing for sleep. Red was nearby, clearly calmed down from earlier in the day. Beside him was Daisy who sent a smile to Rick.

Then he passed Braddock helping Micheal, the wound on his leg had healed enough to walk, but it was still weak. Hershel and Carol were both sure to check on him regularly for any chance of infection.

At the top of the stairs, he saw Beth and climbed the stairs to approach her. On the metal table sat Judith's postbox as she slept inside. She seemed content, so completely unaware of the dangers outside. Beth smiled sweetly at him, putting a finger in front of her lips telling him to keep quiet so Judith could sleep.

He left Beth and Judith, heading towards his cell again. Before he could make it, Melanie and Sophia came running down the catwalk. They were immediately stopped by Beth who chastised them quietly.

Finally, he made it to his cell and pulled the dusty curtain back. Inside was a culmination of tools and supplies he had collected while scavenging. He removed his holster belt and laid it across the sink, then dropped onto his cot with his head in his hands.

This was a lot to deal with, so much was coming to a head he had to find a way to solve it peacefully. He never expected the Governor to strike a truce, but he tried regardless. Of course, the offer was rejected and they left without incident.

Now he had to deal with his group infighting. He never imagined Laura returning to the group, they were all sure she was gone for good. Rick struggled with his failure, Daryl was left heartbroken, the group confused and questioning Laura.

Laura was back and in terrible shape, but he didn't care. Rick and the group were happy to see her. After seeing her, learning about her, so many of them began to continue their questions. Was Laura a threat to the group or was she misunderstood?

Rick didn't want to admit it, he couldn't even say it... but he had doubts about Laura. Her diet to live was surprisingly the least concern to him. It was how formidable she had grown in the months they were separated. And if that strength combined with her needs formed a more dangerous threat.

He turned his head to the side and looked at his pack. It contained information about Laura, the experiments conducted on her while she was awake. Even the thought disturbed him, the pictures were so much worse.

But he had to understand and if Laura was not in control, would she tell them? It benefited her to lie about it, it gave her access to her necessary food source. People doubted her and now doubted Rick for letting her stay without explanation.

Reaching over to the pack, he unzipped it and took a bundle of the manila folders inside. He dropped the pack and looked at the days written on the side of the folders, each one clearly marked the progress of study on Laura.

Digging through them he found 'Day 1' and opened it. He was instantly met with a large image of Laura's blue skin, pulled apart with metal medical tools that looked like tongs and hooks. He closed it quickly, taking a deep breath to calm his stomach.

It was sicking to think about, even worse to see. He steeled himself for more and drastically worse. Opening the folder again with his eyes closed, he took a moment to prepare.

The image was remarkably sharp and contained Laura cut open, revealing a portion of her left ribcage and organs underneath. It looked vile and he had seen plenty of walker guts before. It wasn't so much the gore that hit him, it was the fact that this was Laura, someone he knew, being pulled apart.

The writing at the top clarified what he was looking at; Stomach. The first step in the testing was investigating her stomach and the contents thereof.

Rick set to work studying the document, trying to do his best to understand the medical jargon. Many things were detailed out clearly, but much of Day 1 testing simply read that it needed further testing for conclusive results.

He had a lot of paperwork to go through. His mind wandered to the camcorder he recovered. The images were bad enough, he didn't know if he could make it through a recording.

Still, he wouldn't give up easily. He needed to know, he needed the assurance Laura wasn't a danger to anyone.

Jomobabe45:
It's all good! You reviewing is something I always look forward to! But take care of yourself first and foremost! I hope you're feeling better.
I love playing with Lauryl and their interactions! It's so much fun finally giving them a break, a real moment to just relax. Fluff before I hit my readers with a Negan-esque bat. :)
The separation after the farm was pretty brutal. Fingers crossed ;)

2nd Jomobabe45:
Oh yeah, she finally shot him down! Her confidence is rising now that she's finally back with her group. :)
It's like, I so understand Red's perspective on it. It makes sense, it's a really difficult position they're in. But yes, I agree. I kinda hope Red gets a slap down because he's gotta calm down! Daisy's so patient but even she's getting overwhelmed handling him. :(