"You know there's something special about Mom's gunshot wound." Rick beamed with pride.
"He has just made history by being the first dad ever to say that," Michonne chuckled.
"I meant that it's related to how we first met."
The vinyl of the beach chair squeaked as Judith sat down. "You two don't know how long I've been waiting to hear this." Her smile was brilliant.
"OK, um…" Michonne's eyes darted around, damning her husband's oversharing in the back of her mind. "Do you remember The Brave M—"
Judith shook her head and crossed her arms. "If you tell me one of RJ's little stories instead, I'm walking."
Michonne clicked her tongue. Her daughter was definitely growing up before her eyes. "When we made it a 'girls night' last week, Ezekiel's theater was playing The Wedding Planner. It was exactly the same as that."
Judith was stone faced. "That doesn't make sense. That lady was almost ran over by what Aunt Maxine called a 'dumpster'."
Rick scrunched his face. "I can help Mom tell you about us. See, it all started on a bright and beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky. Mother Lori had just passed a couple days prior."
Judith's sunglasses slid off her nose, her eyes wide, mouth slightly agape.
Rick smiled again, his audience now captivated. "You were just a little newborn in my arms."
"A few miles away from Dad, I was… how do I put it…moving out of an area that just wasn't the right fit for me. Well, I didn't know them yet, but along the way of me relocating, I saw that Aunt Maggie and your late Uncle Glenn went grocery shopping for you. They found themselves caught up in a meeting and weren't available to give you baby formula at the time. I took it upon myself to help them deliver it to Dad."
"So there Mom was, at the gate entrance where I used to live, carrying nutrients that you needed to have to be my healthy baby girl. I thought I was hallucinating."
Michonne nodded. "Dad really wouldn't stop staring. So much so that your big brother had to get his attention to open the gate. That's before I blacked out from the little scrape I was in earlier and almost got bit by pesky walkers surrounding me. Too many at once just to bat away." She flipped her locs behind her shoulder, scoffing at the silly incident.
Judith sat up. "Wait, why did you get shot?"
Michonne shook her head. "Irrelevant."
"I scooped Mom up and carried her inside for safety." The crook of Ricks arm limb found Michonne's waist.
Judith twirled a lock of her hair around her finger. "What happened with your wound?"
"Aunt Maggie's father patched me up. After Dad tried to mess with it." Michonne smirked.
"What was it that you said? 'Don't you ever touch me again'!" Rick said.
They looked at each other and both erupted in laughter, reflecting on themselves from a lifetime ago.
Michonne pressed her head in the crook of Ricks shoulder and hummed contentedly. "To Dad's credit, he respected my boundaries until he knew that I expanded my borders for him." Michonne pressed her tongue against her upper lip as soon as her words came out. "There's definitely a better way to phrase that."
Rick puffed out his chest and cocked his head. "At first, we made little settlements here and there, an arm touch, a high five. Then customs miraculously cleared me all of a sudden and I was exploring new territory. Mom expanded for me, all right." Rick whistled. Michonne rolled her eyes and wrapped her arm around him to smack his ass.
Judith scrunched her face. "Tía Rosita would call this moment 'cringe', Dad." Still, the amazement of the story caused her to prop her chin into her hand. "Was it love at first sight? What did you think of when you first laid eyes on each other?"
Michonne looked at her husband and grinned. "This guy is kind of a babe but I don't trust him."
Rick gazed back at his wife. "Is this an angel on earth? Why is she here, right now, in a place like this? Am I losing my mind? It is so aggravating how beautiful she is, I don't know what to do with myself."
Michonne winked at Rick. "Sounds like Dad's trying to get a second dessert tonight."