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MURPHY AWOKE TO THE SOUND OF RHYTHMIC THUMPS somewhere in the house. She groaned sleepily as she raised a hand to rub the tiredness from her eyes. She buried her face further into the pillow to quiet the racket and tossed an arm to the other side of the bed where Daryl had slept. Her eyes cracked open, however, when she only felt the empty space of sheets between her fingers. She sighed, and pushed herself up from the pillows reluctantly. The sun streamed through the cracked curtains, mocking her sleepiness. The unyielding thuds that sounded from the other side of the house made her head pound.
Murphy pulled herself out of bed and slowly made her way to the door. She grabbed a robe from the back's hook to cover her skimpy pajamas and wrapped it around her body as she exited the bedroom. She blinked the bright light in her eyes when she walked down the hallway and rounded the corner to find the source of the commotion. Carl stood in his room with a bouncy ball in his hand, and threw it against the wall only to catch it once more. When he saw Murphy standing in his doorway he waved sheepishly.
"Morning," he chuckled.
Murphy couldn't help the small smile that formed on her face as she replied, "When I told you this was PT, I didn't think it would be at my expense."
Carl nodded to the clock on his wall, "It's 9:30... time to get up, anyway."
"That isn't for you to decide," Murphy shook her finger at him, playfully. She gestured to the bandage across his eye. "It's time to change that bandage. Come by for a checkup some time today, okay?"
Carl muttered a soft 'okay' and went back to his activity. Murphy grinned and shut his bedroom door behind her. She made her way down the hallway once more, her bare feet still not used to the feeling of the soft carpet. What a luxury it was. It had been a few months since the herd's infiltration and the battle for Alexandria. For the first time in a long time, life was good. Just as she set her hand on the railing of the house's staircase to head to the kitchen, she heard her name called behind her.
"Murph!"
Murphy turned to find Michonne with her head stuck out of Rick's bedroom. Her hair was up in a towel. Murphy smiled knowingly. She and Rick had been spending a substantial amount of time together, co-parenting Carl and Judith. Their little family warmed Murphy's heart, and she was so grateful to be a part of their household. She also knew that Rick and Michonne were so, so close to getting together. She could just feel it.
"You got any toothpaste? Rick's out," Michonne asked, hopefully.
Murphy pouted with a soft sigh and crossed her arms, "Mine's almost gone..."
"Please...?" Michonne drew out the word. She leaned further out of the doorway but hung onto the frame.
Murphy rolled her eyes and waved her away, "Fine. Have at it."
