Brandy knows it was sneaky of her, keeping the secret of Rick being alive and mostly well, but Shane needs time to absorb that shock. Her separation from her brother was accidental. Shane having to leave Rick behind would have been a conscious decision, and that's a reunion that's going to floor Shane.
Tucking the vehicles in one of her hidey holes, she directs the newcomers to gather their necessities and volunteers Shane and his companion as pack mules. No one argues, trusting her to know the best way to get them inside to safety. Radioing in for Jenner, she gets the all-clear for the security areas he can monitor, and then leads her group along the overgrown shrubbery of the once manicured university campus to the best hidden entrance. All of the adults cluster around the two children, making sure they don't get left behind.
The door opens when they reach it, telling her that her partners in the endeavor are still watching, and she's glad Shane's protective instincts have him bringing up the rear. It means she's able to get Rick pushed back a bit, distracted by his reunion with Morgan and Duane, so that Shane is inside with the door secured by the time they spot each other. Wobbly and shocked, they stumble into each other with a shout.
She watches as they hold onto each other like drowning men, babbling that each thought the other dead, and her chest aches with the force of their open joy. Knowing one from infancy and another practically as long, she wipes away tears of her own that they've found each other again.
"Let's get these kids downstairs," she says at last, hating to interrupt them. But the children are eyeing the door warily, obviously used to security being away from entry points by now. Giving the kids reassuring smiles, she offers her hand to the small girl, glad to see that she takes it. "My little girl will be overjoyed to see you both."
That's all the reminder Shane and Rick need to think of the fact that Jamie doesn't know Shane is alive, either. Rick returning gave Jamie one uncle back. Now she's got two, and she's about to learn her aunt and cousin survived, as well.
Overjoyed is an understatement. The screech Jamie lets out when she sees Shane ought to be heard clear to Canada. Jamie flings herself into Shane's arms, and he wraps her up in a bear hug.
"Oh, baby girl, you are the best sight I've seen in my entire life," Shane tells Jamie, kissing the top of her head while she clings to him like a spider monkey.
Brandy circles the chatter starting to take place in the dining area in favor of seeking out the one person who isn't there. She isn't surprised to see Edwin is at the security post, gaze alert on the exterior cameras. When he looks up, his smile is a mix of sorrow and happiness.
"Perhaps we needed more faith in those outside this place," he says softly.
"Apparently so." She settles into the chair next to him, taking care not to lean in like she would for anyone else. He was never much of a touchy guy, even before Candace died, but after? The only person he likes in his personal space is Jamie. Only time will tell if that applies to the other children. "You ready to teach a whole batch of kids?"
He sighs, turning back to his monitors. "You are probably more qualified for that than I am."
"Qualifications shift fast in a world like this one. With more people here, I'm going to be needed outside even more."
"At least you will no longer be taking those risks alone," he concedes. "And more people means the ability to access some of those places you couldn't before. That will be a relief to all of us."
Herself included, Brandy thinks. Having someone to watch her back out there sounds like heaven. Yesterday, she thought it would be just her and Rick, and that was a relief. Today? She's going to have an entire team.
"God, I hope they know what they're doing in the city," she says, realizing she knows absolutely nothing about this new group other than Shane, Lori, and Carl are part of it. She guesses the guy with Shane must be competent, or Shane wouldn't have him as a partner, but only time will tell with any of the others.
Lunch at the CDC is a wealth of food Shane hasn't seen since everything went to hell. He ends up sandwiched between Jamie and Rick, with Brandy sitting opposite him in what he knows is a deliberate concession to his need to keep them all in sight. Taking turns as everyone eats, Brandy, Bonnie, and Edwin Jenner explain how the CDC ended up staffed by a single doctor. It isn't a surprising tale, of people deserting their posts to go to family or just deserting life entirely, although he's beyond grateful that here the military protected their post instead of being ordered to turn on it.
"Is it really a good idea to bring everyone here, if you're that worried about generator fuel?" he asks, laying his fork down next to his half empty plate. The idea of a building this secure is amazing, but he's not foolish enough to not understand why they're so stressed over the electricity running out.
"Worst case scenario is that we have to move on later," Brandy says. "And then we have more people to help pack up supplies to take with us wherever we go. But if I had help, there's fuel resources I can access that I couldn't all by myself."
"Isn't there an air base near Atlanta?" The new guy, who'd introduced himself as Paul and the tiny girl with him as Lydia, looks thoughtful when everyone looks his way. "Depending on what kind of shape it was in at the end, they'd have stockpiles of diesel fuel."
Jenner actually cracks a smile. "They certainly would. Like most bases, most of their personnel were deployed to assist essential installations. The base fell, like every other one we had contact with, but there's no way they would have been able to take all the fuel. Could the generators be adapted to jet fuel?"
Shane isn't sure, but he knows who might know, and he suppresses a groan. Merle Dixon is a pain in the ass to work with on his best day, but one thing Shane hasn't missed is that both Dixons are tinkerers, and that Merle mentioned being a mechanic in the Marines. Man is not going to let him live this favor down at all, but he suspects even Merle will see the benefit of a secure facility to hole up in.
He knows when Glenn makes the connection, too, and as much as he hates it, he volunteers the information. "Got one, maybe two men back at camp who could probably get it all sorted. Neither of them are the polite and housebroken type, if you catch my drift."
"You sure they're the best idea?" Glenn says, glancing pointedly between Duane, Morgan, Bonnie, and Jamie. "The kids especially."
"Merle's never bothered the kids at camp. I think he just likes pissing in Morales and T-Dog's cheerios because they react to whatever shit he flings at them." Shane is more worried about the fact that he's reasonably certain Merle's using regularly than the verbal shit he spews. "He generally leaves you alone, doesn't he?"
Glenn nods, but his concern has been noted in other minds, Shane can tell.
"Huh. Maybe someone just needs to have a talk with him." Brandy and Bonnie exchange such a fierce look after Bonnie's statement that Shane thinks he might feel bad for Merle Dixon, just a little bit.
"We could head out now and clear camp easily before nightfall. Can't say that everyone will come, but it'd be at least a dozen for sure." All three families with kids, probably old man Dale and the Harrison sisters, at minimum. The reminder of Ed Peletier makes Shane grimace, but maybe here he can do a bit more than make sure the asshole knows eyes are constantly on him.
"I'm coming with you," Rick says, and Shane watches both Jenner and Brandy frown, but neither object. He thinks about Brandy being out by herself today because she felt Rick's health was risky and feels a sense of unease settle in his gut. Telling Rick no just isn't something he can do, though. As a father, Rick needs to see Carl alive with his own two eyes as soon as possible.
Wasting food isn't on his agenda, though, so he picks up his fork and makes short work of the meal. They get the radio situation sorted out, since Shane has a base unit, range will be better and more reliable than the handheld. Brandy doesn't let them leave without being fully kitted out like she was earlier. It's the most ammunition Shane has carried since before things went to hell, and he prays he doesn't have to use any, not with Rick along.
Lori worried about Shane and Glenn going into town alone, but she understood why he wouldn't take anyone else. It's not that people don't know he lost his family, but knowing and letting them see where Brandy and Jamie lived is an entirely different thing. She can't help but wander toward the spot in camp where she can see the empty quarry road, though, especially once lunchtime comes and goes.
"He'll be just fine." The quietly spoken words startle Lori just a little, and she turns to see Carol smile hesitantly. "He's a real survivor type, not all talk, no action."
The comment is the closest she's ever seen Carol come to slandering Ed, who does talk a lot but doesn't manage to provide anything for the camp. As far as Lori can tell, the man doesn't even share his not-so-secret MRE stash with his own family. He's definitely eating from camp meals and a stash both, because Lori thinks he's doing the impossible and gaining weight.
"The world was so damn unpredictable even before," Lori says, turning away from the road with a resolute sigh. "I should have gone with him."
"He never would have left camp at all if you'd insisted on that, and you know it." Carol dangles a bucket in front of Lori. "C'mon. Jacqui and Amy found a blackberry thicket the critters hadn't gotten to. I've got just enough flour and sugar to make handpies, if you want to help."
When they hear the car approaching, Lori's got flour smudged on her face and her hands covered in dough. Carol nudges her with one elbow as she neatly spoons the berry mixture into one of the pockets Lori has made. It's just a flash, her sly smile, but Lori catches it, and she's grateful for the distraction. Reaching for a dishtowel, she walks toward where the SUV is rolling to a stop.
Carl beats her to the car, not even letting Shane get the door open before he's bouncing happily next to the driver's door.
"Hey, buddy, you gotta step back a bit for me to get out. Got a big surprise for you." Shane darts a look toward Lori that she can't make out once he's standing, one arm wrapped around Carl as he guides him to the back seat and opens the door.
Lori has just enough time to think it's a toy, or maybe even something living, like a rescued dog, before Carl cries out, "DAD!" and everything she thought she knew about their world implodes at the sight of a man she thought was taken from them forever. She stumbles forward, step by step, and only makes it in the end because Shane catches her when her knees give out when she's close enough to reach out and slip shaking fingers into Rick's hair where he's kneeling to crush Carl to his chest.
"How?" she mumbles. "How?"
Rick looks up, face damp with tears, but smiling as he spots her held upright by Shane. "It's not just me, Lori. Brandy and Jamie, too. I found them a week ago."
Gasping, Lori wriggles free, tumbling into the hug with Rick and Carl so hard that she bowls them both over. They all three lay crying and laughing right there in the dirt. Half the camp is looking at them like they're crazy. The other half seems torn between happy smiles and tears. Lori just squashes Carl between them, breathing in the clean, familiar scent of Rick, and for the first time in a long time, enjoying the kiss he brushes across her lips, chaste and loving.
Eventually, they get dusted off, and by then, Glenn's shared the news of a safe haven with the rest of camp. There's little argument over going, not even after Shane lays out that supply runs will still be needed and indoor luxuries like hot water and air conditioning rationed. Having solid walls around her sounds like heaven to Lori, so she doesn't even object that her and Carl going is assumed, not asked. Packing up the tent that's been their home for months gives her space to come to terms with Rick's return because he eyes the woods warily and doesn't even try to interrupt.
It's dusk by the time they leave their vehicles in a parking deck on the university campus, but Shane seems to appreciate the impending darkness enough that it settles Lori's nerves. She wishes she hadn't seen so much of the city's destruction along the way, even if their cars easily outpaced any walkers they saw.
"Alright. Everyone grab your essentials bag. We'll make trips out to unload the cars later when it's daylight and the kids are safe inside. Kids to the front and center of the group. Everyone else, keep your eyes peeled. Area was assessed as clear when we came in, but things can change quickly."
Soon as everyone nods agreement, Shane leads the way down the ramp. Lori grips Carl's hand tight enough it's probably painful, keeping him firmly in the middle of the group with Rick on her other side and Shane forward of them. To her surprise, both Dixon brothers join the front guard, although with Daryl's specific weapon, it makes sense he wouldn't want to be at the rear. Everyone is tense and breathing hard, but their luck holds.
Riding down in a freight elevator is an experience, mostly because Lori knows that at the other end, her best friend is alive and well. Her hand bumps into Rick's, and when he slips his into hers, she squeezes it lightly. It reminds her of what's missing from his finger, the wedding band still hanging around her neck, and her anticipation dampens somewhat with the trepidation of the conversation she needs to have with Rick.
She's saved from that by the elevator doors opening, and ahead of her is a glorious sight: Brandy and Jamie, hand in hand. Rick lets her go easily as she and Carl tumble forward, and she's wrapped in Brandy's arms, and the kids mush in and it is the best thing that has happened to her since Carl was born.