Leah Grimes

Chapter 75

I felt Dad shuffle, "when I was with Negan he had walker blood all over his bat. They must have covered their arrows in walker blood." I watched as Daryl turned to look at me, "Rick. Leah got bit."

I watched as they all did the same turning to look at me. Dad dropped his axe staring at me. I held up my hand looking at Daryls shirt and all the blood that had soaked through. "I cut the tip off," I whispered. He stepped forward slowly unwrapping it staring at my finger. "I'm sorry," I whispered. Michonne grabbed my hand, "did you cut far enough? How long after did you cut it?" Daryl held up his hand, "I watched her, she cut down enough and she did it right after. No hesitation." Dad knelt down staring at it, and I closed my eyes. "I'm going to be fine, right? I did the right thing?" He nodded, "you did good, you did perfect."

Maggie stepped forward, "come on Rick, let's take her to Siddiq, she'll be fine after it's stitched up." Dad slowly stood back up, "you're gonna be fine Leah. I promise." I walked beside him all the way to the infirmary. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, I scared myself. When I felt it bite I screamed, I thought I was going to die. I thought you would have to watch me die too." He nodded, "and that's why you cut through your finger no hesitation?" I sighed, "I wasn't ready to die."

He sat down beside me, "have you read your letter yet?" I shook my head, "no, have you?" Dad looked down, "I don't know if I can." I nodded, "I want to because I know he wants me to. But it's more complicated than that. It means accepting he's not coming back, and I need him." Dad grabbed my hand putting pressure on my finger, "I'll be here, whenever you need anything." I bit my lip, "I am in so much pain Dad." He looked down at me, "your finger?" I shook my head, "well ya that hurts, but I feel like I lost a very important part of myself." I chocked back on a sob, "I don't want to be here without him." He put his arm around my shoulder, "I can see how hurt you are believe me, and what you did for him, staying there until the last second, it shows how much it meant to both of you. I promised him I'd be strong for you, but it's hard because it feels like I'm falling apart too." I nodded, "I'll be strong for you, and you can do the same for me."
Dad gave me a small smile, "I love you sweetheart, I know you'll get though this, because I've seen you get through everything else. I think the important part to remember is that Carl didn't want you to be sad, he wanted us to find a way to live." I held up my hand, "I could've died, but I found a way." Dad nodded, "he would be very proud, you cut your own damn finger off." I smiled, "just the tip."

I held my hand out as Siddiq bent down to look at it. "I'll do my best to stitch it up, it's going to hurt." I nodded, "it already does." Dad held out his hand for me to squeeze as Siddiq began stitching it up. When he was finished I looked down at my pinky that no longer had a nail, it just ended. "Don't let it get infected, wash it regularly." I gave him a small smile, "thank you."

I stood up with Dad and he put his hand on my shoulder before walking away. I was about to walk home but I stopped when I saw Enid sitting along a fence wall.

"Hey," I whispered sitting down beside her. I watched as she quickly wiped all the tears off her face. "I'm sorry, you're the last person I should be crying to about this," she answered. I put my head on her shoulder, "no I'm the person you should be crying to, because I understand." She handed me her letter, "have you read yours yet?" I shook my head slowly opening hers, Just Survive Somehow. That's all he had written.

"That's what I put on the letter I wrote him when I ran away." I handed it back to her, "why do the saviours get to live when there's good people who are dying?" She nodded, "it's not fair." I bit my lip, "it never is."