Red River Blue
Chapter 64
"Don't let the dog out!," River screamed, listening to make sure that whoever opened the front door shut it behind them. She heard Lydia shriek. And River grabbed a rolled up magazine off the counter as she stomped into the living room, knowing that Daryl's idiot dog had either jumped on the girl or shoved his stupid dog nose halfway up her ass. From the way Lydia was holding her arm protectively over her rounded stomach as the animal hopped around in front of her, River guessed it was the jumping this time.
"Lay off her," River hollered, bonking the dumb dog over his head with the magazine. "Bad dog!"
Dog turned, eyeing her with interest. His front half dropped down, leaving his tail wagging playfully in the air. "Don't you do it!," River warned, swinging the magazine around so the stupid dog knew she meant business. She swung again, missing Dog as he leaped at her. His nails scratched down the exposed skin of her thigh, making her yelp before he started running around her in circles barking his fool head off. River swung at him a few more times, missing again and almost falling forward on her face. Seeing that she wasn't going to be able to force the animal into submission with her weapon of choice, River quickly switched tactics.
"Where's Daryl?," she asked, trying to sound as excited as possible. The dog stopped his barking and ran to the window, ripping up her curtains as he attempted to spot the man that was the object of his every affection. "He's over here!," River lied, darting into the hall and opening the basement door. "Go get him! Go get Daryl!" Dog charged in her direction, dashing down the basement steps like a deranged freight train. River laughed as she snapped the door shut behind him.
"He's gonna tear everything up down there," Lydia lamented. "We should put him in his crate."
"If we lock 'im up, he'll just bark like crazy until we let 'im out," River huffed, running her fingers through her hair.
River didn't mind staying home when everyone else was out fighting fires and walkers and probably each other too. And she didn't even mind watching all the kids. But she did mind babysitting Daryl's stupid fleabag mutt. River wasn't sure if the dog had separation anxiety or if it just personally enjoyed driving her crazy. But anytime she had to watch Dog without Daryl around, the normally well trained animal instantly turned into a wild barking feral mess. If he wasn't jumping on everyone, then he was ripping things up or shitting the carpets. Dog was also determined to find Daryl and would dash out and run around town barking up a storm the moment someone left the door open a moment too long.
"Lemme finish getting dinner in the oven and I'll get his leash and take him for a walk," River said, wrapping her arm around Lydia as they headed into the kitchen together.
Lydia cut up the homemade corn tortillas so they could fry them up and make chips while River mixed shredded chicken and canned salsa in a bowl with a few jars of pinto beans she put up last fall. Spreading it out in a casserole dish, River sprinkled lots of soft goat cheese on top and stuck it in the oven. The kids would eat almost anything if they had chips to dip into it. But she was personally to the point of the year when she was getting sick of eating jarred and canned food. This time of year, she longed for the mild Georgia winters of her youth and for the warmer weather that she could feel right around the corner.
"Can we make something for dessert?," Lydia asked, smiling when River giggled at her. Pregnancy had given Lydia quite a sweet tooth. River usually kept a secret stash of cookies hidden above the fridge for her. But Lydia ate the last of them earlier that morning.
"I think I've still got some cookie dough in the freezer," River said, opening the top door above the fridge and poking through the mess. Finding a roll of dough, she pulled it out and held it up like a trophy. River set it down on the counter, her head popping up at the sound of the front door opening again. She almost hollered at whoever it was not to let the dog out, until she remembered that she already locked psycho beast in the basement.
"Hey!," Daryl squawked, "...who locked my dog in the basement?"
River laughed as Merle rushed into the kitchen and swept her up into his arms. He reeked of smoke and soot but she still kissed him back. After he got his fill of kissing her, Merle hugged Lydia against him and rubbed his hand over her belly. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a large handful of wrapped lollipops and offered them to her.
"Don't let Axel have any," he warned. "Fuckin' kid is bad enough without any sugar."
Lydia smiled, quickly tucking her treats away into her own pocket. River headed for the living room, intent on airing out her frustrations to Daryl about Dog's naughty behavior. But when she hit the doorway, she stopped short. Daryl was in the living room, ruffling his hands over his dog's fur. But he wasn't alone. Carol was hovering nervously near the front door.
Merle and Daryl tracked Carol down after she took off. And Daryl had been meeting up with her as much as the weather and her fishing boat schedule would allow. But River hadn't seen Carol since the day of Mika's wedding. It felt strange finally seeing the woman again. Her hair was longer and her skin was deeply tanned from her time on the deck of the fishing boat.
The warring emotions inside her were making River feel almost dizzy. Carol was the best friend she ever had. Her first real ride or die friend. When she took off without a word, River was just as hurt as Daryl was. Seeing Carol again was like ripping the scab off an old festering wound. And River could hear her own foolish words echoing in her head. Carol would never just leave like that, someone must have taken her.
The two women stood on opposite sides of the room, letting the awkward silence fill the space between them. Lydia must have been able to feel the tension. Because she crowded in next to River and wrapped an arm around her waist. River watched the expressions that flitted across Carol's face as her eyes drifted downward towards Lydia's swollen belly. She looked shocked at first. But that quickly gave way to excitement.
"You're pregnant?," Carol asked, casting a questioning look towards Daryl. She was clearly wondering why he would have kept something like that from her. "It's Sam's baby, isn't it?"
River felt Lydia's body go stiff as Carol started to approach her. Carol was known to the girl. But unlike the rest of them, Lydia didn't know her for very long. And she hadn't seen her since last summer. Carol was practically a stranger to the girl. Lydia was especially protective of her unborn child. And the way Carol was coming at her with her eyes focused on her belly was clearly frightening her.
"Back off!," River barked, stopping Carol before she could reach the girl. She shoved the petite woman back a few steps, slamming her hands against her shoulders. Carol opened her mouth to argue but River was in her face before she could even get a word out. "NO!," River hollered. "Ya don't get to do this. Ya don't get to just take the fuck off and show up eight fuckin' months later actin' like everythin' is okay. Its not fuckin' okay!" River slammed her hands against Carol's shoulders again, her voice rising in pitch and volume. "FUCK YOU CAROL! Do you have any idea what ya did to us? What ya did to Daryl?" River pushed her again, this time lifting her hand after and pointing towards the door. "Get the fuck out of my house!"
Carol took a step back. And then she did what River ordered and ran for the door. Daryl went chasing after her. And thankfully, his demon dog went with him. When the door shut behind them, River collapsed on the floor in a heap with eight months worth of hurt and tears bubbling out of her all at once. Merle scooped her up, lowering himself down into the couch and holding River in his lap. She sobbed and snotted down the front of his shirt, finally letting go of the pain that she'd been holding in since Beth died and Carol took off.
Lydia was still hovering in the kitchen doorway, tears streaming down her face as well. Merle guessed the girl was probably just crying because River was crying. When Beth died and Harley moved out, River was suddenly left alone with only her son and husband. She poured all her excess mothering energy into Lydia. And given the mother she had, Lydia had likely been starved for that type of attention all her life. They latched onto each other and held tight.
"She's alright," Merle told the girl. Lydia nodded. But she didn't look totally convinced. Before she could say anything, all the kids came thundering down the staircase. Since a few of them had weapons in their hands, it was obvious they'd heard River screaming and gotten scared that something bad might be going on. Axel took one look at his mother's face before he dropped the knife in his hand and went flying at his father, pounding on the man with his small fists.
"Ya made my momma cry!," he accused.
Merle held up his metal sleeve, warding off the worst of the boy's blows as he hollered for the little shit to knock it off. Lydia moved forward, putting her arms around Axel and gently gripping his arms to keep him from trying to hit his dad again.
"She's crying 'cause Carol's back," Lydia explained.
Axel immediately stopped struggling against her grip. Turning his neck, he looked up at her and asked if his Aunt Carol was really back. Lydia nodded, shaking her head at the boy when he wriggled from her arms like a slippery snake and ran for the door. When he ran out, the other kids went running after him. And by the time they were halfway to Carol and Daryl's house, River was up off the couch wiping the tears from her face.