Amy hugs her sister, and they fall to the ground crying. Morales looked at Kagome and Rick, "Come meet everyone," He said, then got out of the truck and was greeted by his family. Kagome and Rick sit in the truck for a while until everyone has had a chance to welcome their friends. Morales is talking to someone that has his back towards Rick. When Morales calls for Kagome and Rick to get out of the truck, the guy turns around, and Rick is shocked to see that it's his best friend, Shane.
Shane's mouth falls open when he sees Rick. At the same time, Carl turns and sees his father, "Oh my god," Rick whispered.
"Dad! Dad!" Carls screamed and ran towards Rick.
Rick takes Carl into his arms and starts crying. He hugs his boy tightly to him, and they both fall to the ground. Rick kisses Carl on the cheek and approaches Lori. Rick hugs them both. Shane is surprised to see Rick but isn't as happy should be. He feigns a smile as Lori looks at him. Rick smiles at him, and Shane smiles back.
In the meantime, Kagome hangs back, watching the happy scene. She delighted that Rick has found his family but can't help feeling a little hurt. Kagome knows she doesn't have the right to feel that way, but she can't help it. She saw how happy Carl is to have his father back, but she also noticed the looks that Rick's wife and friend gave each other. Kagome carefully flares her aura toward the two adults and can feel their guilt and lust for each other. It sickens Kagome.
The camp dispersed to give Rick and his family a little privacy, and Kagome went to the back of the truck to get her yellow backpack and her bow. She also got down the back of guns that they had taken from the Sheriff's station and was taking out a few handguns for herself. She did her job; she got Rick back to his family. It was time to move on.
Lori started asking Rick how he got out of the hospital, "Kagome saved me," Rick said.
"Kagome, who's Kagome, Dad?"
"Kagome Higurashi, she's a doctor that was passing through town and decided to stock up on medical supplies at the hospital. She found me in my room and treated me. When I woke up, Kagome told me what had happened and helped me adjust," Rick explained.
"Well, I'd like to thank her in person for saving you," Lori said.
"Hold on, I'll go get her," Rick told his wife then took off towards the truck.
When he got to the back of the van, he was startled to see that Kagome was taking a few handguns and was hefting her backpack, "What are you doing, Kagome?"
Kagome smiled at Rick, "It's time for me to go. I helped you find your family; my work is done."
A sudden sense of dread entered Rick, the kind he had never felt before. The last thing he wanted was for Kagome to leave him, "Kagome, you don't have to go. There is safety in numbers; you can't survive out there on your own. Besides with your skills as a doctor, you'll be invaluable to the group." Rick said, trying to convince Kagome to stay.
"I don't know if it's a good idea, Rick. I do better on my own," Kagome said, and she sees a sadness enter his eyes.
Kagome sighs, "Alright, I'll stay for a little while. Maybe the night, and that's it."
Rick's face brightens, and he takes Kagome's pack from her and slings it over his shoulder and puts his other arm over her shoulders. Kagome carried the bag of guns. They start walking back towards Carl and the others; Kagome can see that Shane and Lori are having a private conversation, and she can only imagine what. Carl turns his head and runs up to Rick.
"Is this her, Dad? Is this the lady that saved you?"
"Sure is, Bud. Carl, I'd like you to meet Kagome Higurashi," Rick said as he removed his arm from her shoulders.
Lori turned when she heard Rick and gasped. She was not expecting the woman to be so young and so beautiful. Lori instantly does not like Kagome as her jealousy rises. Lori walks towards Rick, Carl, and Kagome with Shane behind her. She gives Kagome a fake smile, "It's nice to meet you Kagome, I'm Lori Grimes. I want to thank you for helping my husband." Lori said emphasizing the word husband
Kagome also gives her a fake smile, "Hello, Lori, and it was nothing. I couldn't leave a man in a hospital bed to die," Kagome's eyes flicked to Shane, "That would be cruel."
Carl jumped in front of his mother and put his hand out, "I'm Carl; thank you for saving my dad."
Kagome smiles brightly at the boy, "You don't have to thank me, Carl, I would have done it for anyone."
"Yeah, but you helped him find us, and you didn't have to do that."
"Well, you got me there," Kagome said with a laugh that made Rick's heart flutter and Lori scowl.
Carl took Kagome by the hand and introduced her to Shane, the two politely said hello to each other, but it was clear they didn't like each other. After that, Carl started pulling Kagome towards the camp to introduce her to the rest of the people. While that was going on, Lori leaned up and kissed Rick on the lips, laying claim to her husband again and causing Shane to turn green with envy. Lori had been hoping that Kagome was watching, but the Miko was engrossed in talking to the other children to notice.
Later that night, after dinner, Rick started telling the story about how he felt when he came out of the coma, "Disoriented. I guess that comes closest. Disoriented. Fear, confusion… all those things, but… Disoriented comes closest."
"Words can be meager things. Sometimes they fall short," Dale said as he listened to Rick.
"I felt like I'd been ripped out of my life and put somewhere else. For a while, I thought I was trapped in some coma dream, something I might not wake up from ever. If it hadn't been for Kagome, I don't know what would have happened to me," Rick said as he smiled over at his friend, Carl did the same thing.
"Mom said you were dead," Carl told his dad.
"And she had every reason to believe that, don't you ever doubt that."
"When things started to get really bad, they told me at the hospital that they were gonna medevac you and the other patients to Atlanta, and it never happened," Lori told Rick.
"Well, I'm not surprised after Atlanta fell."
"Yeah."
"And from the look of that hospital, it got overrun," Kagome added.
"Yeah, looks don't deceive. I barely got them out, you know?" Shane explained as he looked between Rick and Kagome.
"I can't tell you how grateful I am to you, Shane. I can't begin to express it." Rick said.
"There go those words falling short again; Paltry things."
Nearby, Ed puts another log on the fire, causing Shane to get up and remind Ed that they need to keep the fires low as not to attract attention, "It's cold, man."
"Hey, Ed… Are you sure you want to have this conversation, man?" Shane said, looming over Ed.
"Go on, pull the damn thing out, go on," Ed said to Shane.
Carol, his wife, pulls the log out of the fire. Their daughter, Sophia, watches as Carol pulls the log out.
"Christ," Shane said in exasperation and stomped the flame out.
He turned to Carol and Sophia, "Hey Carol, Sophia, how ya'll doing this evening?"
Carol gave Shane a nervous smile, "Fine, just fine."
"Good."
Kagome watched the interaction and saw how nervous Carol and Sophia were. She flared her aura and could tell that Ed was a cruel and abusive man who had an unnatural attraction towards his daughter. Kagome's eyes narrowed; she was going to keep an eye on that man and dispose of him as quickly as possible. Kagome was not above killing the wicked, human, or otherwise, primarily to protect someone weaker.
Shane rejoined the group, and they began to discuss how they were going to tell Merle's little brother, Daryl, about what happened. T-Dog said that he would tell Daryl since he was the one that dropped the key. But Rick insisted that he should be the one to tell Daryl since he's the one who handcuffed him.
They argued for a while until T-Dog informed the group that he had chained the door shut and that the Walkers couldn't possibly get through, "My point is, Dixon's alive and handcuffed to the roof."
"We can't leave him up there," Kagome said.
"Kagome's right, we have to go back and get him."
Lori glared at Kagome for suggesting that they go back for that redneck drug addict, but Kagome ignored her; it was the right thing to do.
Later that night, Kagome was about to set up her tent as far away from the others as possible. She intended to slip away at first light and get back on the road, especially now that Rick had his wife again. She couldn't stand seeing him with another woman even if that woman was his wife. There was a connection between Kagome and Rick, and Kagome knew that the longer she stayed, to stronger it would become. And the last thing she wanted was to be the cause of ruining Rick's marriage.
Inside his tent, Rick was saying goodnight to Carl, "I found you, didn't I?"
"I love you, Dad."
"I love you too, Carl."
Carl snuggled into his sleeping bag and went to sleep. Rick walked over to the other side of the tent and sat down of the cot. Lori kissed her husband. Rick explained that he knew he would find them when he saw that all the pictures were gone. Rick knew they were alive, and he would find them. Lori kissed her husband again then pulled him down, Rick resisted.
"I'll be right back. I need to go check on Kagome."
Lori's brow furrowed, "Why?"
"I want to make sure she's settled in for the night."
Rick knew that Lori was thinking something was going on between him and Kagome, and even though Rick felt a bond with Kagome, he had never felt with anyone else; he was not going to betray his wife, "Lori, Kagome is my friend. She helped me get out of the hospital, and she helped us get out of that store. I owe her a lot; please let me check on Kagome."
Lori sighed, "Hurry back."
Rick kissed Lori and left the tent. He walked towards the edge of the campsite. For some reason, Rick knew that Kagome would be there; he could feel a pull towards where she was. When Rick got there, Kagome was about to set up her tent, "Kagome, why are you out here; it's dangerous."
Kagome smiled, "I'll be fine, Rick, my powers will keep me safe."
"Speaking of your powers, you and I have a conversation pending."
"I know, but not now. Maybe some other time."
Rick crossed his arms and looked at Kagome critically, "Why are you out this far? Are you planning on sneaking away in the morning?"
"It's for the best, Rick."
Rick quickly stepped forward and took Kagome by the hands, "Please don't go, Kagome, I need you, we need you," Rick corrected.
Rick and Kagome stared at each other for a moment, until finally, Kagome sighed, "Fine, I'll stay."
Rick beamed at Kagome, "Great, let's move your tent closer to the group."
"I'm fine here, Rick, don't worry."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine."
"Okay then, I see you in the morning."
"See you."
Rick hesitated for a moment before leaving, then he sighed and turned and left. Kagome went into her tent and laid down. She snuggled into her sleeping bag and closed her eyes. A lone tear slid down her face. She knew exactly what was going to happen in Rick and his wife's tent, and it broke her heart.