Carl and I sit with Jerry, Ezekiel, Mikey, and Sasha for our break in one of the mess tents. Only I don't get anything to eat as part of Rick's punishment for me breaking Jed's nose. Sasha keeps trying to slide me her bread, but I keep refusing.

"You need to eat if you're gonna spend the evening at the lumber camp," she sighs, blowing on a spoonful of apple and pork stew.

"I think it's stupid that I'm being punished for fighting Saviors," I tell her. "But I'm not gonna cheat."

Jerry laughs into his own stew. "You're not fasting, dude. You can cheat."

"Fasting?" Mikey asks. "What's— what's fasting?"

"It's all about restraining yourself and, like, your desires," Jerry explains like he was waiting for someone to ask. "Like eating. Nabila did it again for the first time the other month since the world went kblamo!" Jerry grins and looks super proud. He's only been dating Nabila for about three months now, but I've told Carl that they're my favourite couple after us.

"I think it is noble that you desire not to cheat," Ezekiel tells me, banging a hand on the table in applause so he doesn't have to drop his spoon from the other. "The man who takes his sentence with a head held high is the man that faces no punishment but that."

I shrug. "I'll be okay. Tomorrow I'll eat, and the Saviors will still have the bruises I gave them."

"You know," Carl says, shuffling on the bench beside me, "they're not Saviors anymore."

"Sorry," I say, knocking my knee against his. "I know. Sorry."

"So," Sasha says, prodding at her stew, "I heard Jed got moved to the logging camp, too. Somethin' about keeping him out of the way."

Mikey grimaces. "That seems like poor planning."

"I'm gonna switch," Sasha tells me. "So I can be there."

"No, you're good," I say, smiling at her. "I can handle Jed."

The King and Jerry give me funny looks.

"Rhys," Sasha says slowly. "The man's twice your size... and if you get in another fight—"

"Handled him on the bridge didn't I?"

"You getting the jump on him doesn't mean—"

"Daryl and Aaron are going up there, too," I tell her. "I'll be fine."

She sinks back into her stew, nodding unconvincingly. "Okay, okay."

I look to Ezekiel, who's telling Jerry to clean the stew from his beard. "Your Majesty, did Jenny think about coming?"

"She did, young master Rhys. She decided she would not be able to provide the help she would like to here."

"Why?" I ask. "Is her prosthetic acting up again?"

"No," Ezekiel say with the softest of smiles. "Her father has fallen ill again back home. She wished to be there for him."

"Is he okay?" Carl asks. "Siddiq could go to Kingdom before heading back to—"

Ezekiel shakes his head, and even Jerry looks sad.

"It's not really the kind of illness you fix without chemo or a surgeon," Jerry tells us.

I've only met her dad a few times, back when he was still well enough to be working in the royal gardens. He's the type you never catch not smiling.

I nod to them both. "I'm so sorry."

"I'll be taking Henry back in the morn'," Ezekiel says, nodding slowly. "I will pass on your love and kindness."

"Thanks, Your Majesty."

-Carl-

After lunch, Rhys heads off to catch a ride with the next wagon up to the lumber camp. I take two bowls of stew to Enid and Siddiq in their medical tent, since they had to stay overtime after the fight on the bridge. They both seem grateful. Henry, on the other hand, is pulling all manner of faces as Enid swabs a scrape on his elbow with a piece of wet gauze.

"That happen on the bridge?" I ask him.

"It's no big deal," Henry hisses, grimacing as Enid presses against the red skin.

"No big deal until it gets infected," Siddiq tells him, setting his food aside to sort a drawer of medicinal herbs he's leaving behind for Enid before he goes home.

"Everyone's gonna think it's dumb I'm in here over a bruise," Henry whines.

"Well," Enid shrugs, "Cyndie cut her hand open on a potato peeler yesterday and risked getting gangrene by waiting until this morning to come and see us. So your not the worst patient I've had today."

"Gang green?" Henry squints at her. "That's not a real thing."

"Oh, it is," I laugh. "Someone in Alexandria got gang green on their foot a couple months back."

Siddiq chuckles. "And that cost us a lot of antibiotics."

Henry shiver. "Gross."

"It was," Siddiq says.

"A graze still sounds dumber than that," Henry groans. "Did you see what Rhys did to Jed's nose? He was all like— blam!"

He throws a punch forward, apologising when Enid frowns at him.

"I did see," I sigh.

"I've never seen Rhys be like that," Henry tells me.

"Like what?"

"Like a badass."

Enid scoffs. "Dumbass, more like."

I chuckle at them both. "He just gets protective."

"Have you seen Rhys?" Enid asks over a mouthful of apple slices and pork belly after she's done with Henry and sends him off to pack since he's also leaving tonight.

"Just came from the mess tent with him," I say.

"Does he need a check-up after the fight?" Siddiq asks, taking a stethoscope from around his neck and setting it down neatly on a wooden table inside the tent.

"Probably," I sigh. "But, he'll say no."

"Well, I'm sure he'll come by if he gets an infection."

Enid and I both laugh at that.

"What?" Siddiq frowns.

"It's easier to get Hershel to take honey for his cough than it is to get Rhys to come to the infirmary for painkillers," Enid tells him. "There's always a horse stepping on his foot or a hammer that's hit his finger. He just ignores it most of the time."

Siddiq picks up his stew which is probably cold by now. "Well, good luck with that," he says, walking out of the tent.

"Wait, you're going home now?" Enid jumps up, face a blur of nerves.

"I am," he says, placing an open hand on her shoulder and squeezing ever so gently. "You'll be fine. You always are."

There's a sudden and ear-piercing explosion in the distance. All three of us turn to look. The whole camp pauses to stare.

"Looks like Rosita and Arat got the rockslide clear," I say.

I wave for Dad's attention from the river bank as he hammers in the supports out on the building dock under the bridge.

"Hey, Dad," I call out, walking with wobbly feet across the shaky, floating bridge to meet him.

He meets me halfway along the walkway with his famous half-smile. He looks exhausted. Michonne wanted him to head home two days ago just to get some rest from keeping everything running, but he insisted on staying a few more days.

"Still heading back tonight?" I ask him, keeping my hands on the rope railings on either side of the bridge.

He nods. "Michonne'll be back in Alexandria tomorrow mornin', so I figured the three of us could have a family day with Judith."

"I'm gonna stay," I tell him.

"Carl—"

"I'll come back when the bridge is done in a few days."

"Is this about Rhys' fight?"

"Yeah, kind of," I say.

Dad shrugs. "Well, maybe Rhys should go back to Hilltop tonight anyway."

I shake my head. "He'll be fine."

"Then why stay?"

"Because I think I can convince him to come back home."

"Son..." Dad winces, his brows knitting together. "It might be time to accept that he's not coming. Hilltop is his home now."

"They can both be his home," I argue. "If I can just convince him to come back after we finish here."

"I understand that you want that... I do. But Rhys and Maggie aren't comin' back as long as he's still locked up back home."

"Rhys hasn't seen Judith in a year," I say.

Dad opens his mouth, but the radio on his belt starts speaking in Tara's voice.

"Mother Goose, this is Eye in the Sky. Come in, please."

"Listen, son," Dad says as he grabs the walkie off his belt. "If you wanna stay 'till it's done— stay. All I'm sayin' is don't get your hopes up."

He holds up the walkie. "'Mother Goose?'"

"Yeah, no offence, but your call signs suck, so we can do better."

"Rick!" Alden shouts from the bank at the edge of the water. Dad puts up a hand for him to hold on. I wander over towards Alden, getting off the bridge.

"Tara," Dad sighs into the radio, coming to join us on the bank. "You got something to report?"

"Yeah. Horatio just hit its mark, right on schedule."

I let out a sigh of relief. The explosion had me worried, but now we've got eyes on horde Horatio and just need to divert it.

"Okay," Dad answers her. "Let's do this."

"Copy that, Mother Goose."

She goes on to radio Piper One to start the diversion sirens. Jerry is operating as Piper One on a road about half a mile out from the horde.

Jerry's voice comes over the walkie. "Copy, Eye in the Sky. Piper One is a go."

The three of us look off in the direction of the faint but blaring siren.

"Rick," Alden speaks again, "Carol asked me to check up on the Saviors who've gone AWOL. I just heard back from—"

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that... just hold on." Dad goes back to the walkie. "Tara, how's it look?"

"Yeah, we got 'em. Horatio is turning."

"Good," Dad says. "Keep an eye out for stragglers. Let 'em clear the camp, then fire up number two before they reach the lumber site."

"Copy that. Piper Two, on my go."

Dad gets back to Alden. "What about those Saviors?"

Alden's hands are on his hips, and his face is pale. "I just heard back from Sanctuary, and none of the guys who walked off made it back home."

"None of them?" I ask, holding my breath after.

"No," Alden says. "And some of 'em had families. One guy had a new kid. There's no way they just up and left them."

"Piper Two, do you read?"

Dad ignores the radio and squints at Alden, confusion on his brow. "So, what do you think is going on?"

"I don't know, but the Sanctuary group's gettin' worried, and they're the only ones here without guns, so..."

"Yeah, well, we disarmed Sanctuary for a reason," Dad tells him.

"Piper Two, this is Eye in the Sky. Come in, please."

I look at the radio nervously.

"There are more of them here than from anywhere else, and they're scared," Alden argues. "If they wind up deciding they're safer back home, this whole thing's a wash."

"We're not arming Sanctuary," I tell Alden.

Dad nods. "I'll make sure they're protected."

Alden scoffs. "Oh, so they work for you, and you protect them, huh? Who's that sound like to you?"

"Piper Two, come in! Do you copy?"

I snatch the radio from Dad's hand.

"Tara?" I ask. "Everything okay?"

"That second siren isn't going off. If the herd isn't pulled soon, they're gonna run right into our crew."

Dad and Alden stare at the radio.

"That's Daryl, Rhys, and Aaron's group," I say.

Dad takes the walkie off me.

"Piper Two," he barks down the line. "This is Rick Grimes, respond."

Silence.