Dead Man Walking | Rick Grimes

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I found myself back at my usual spot, searching. The rushing river provided me with a sense of comfort, soothing me and my nerves. My eyes stayed trained on the banks, searching for any signs or clues of him anywhere. A swift kick to my ribs made me wince, reminding me that despite wanting to be alone, I am never truly alone, at least not for the next few weeks. I rubbed the spot and smiled at my enormous belly, caressing it lovingly. Siddiq thinks I have about two or three more weeks of this, and then I'll meet my baby.

Judith is excited, and Thad seems to be extra needy lately. Maybe he can sense that things will be changing soon, and that's why he's been extraordinarily fussy lately. Selena's keeping an ever-watchful eye on me now that Michonne is indisposed. She still helps out a lot but sticks mainly to the community. She's trying to placate Jacob by staying inside.

Despite being at least ten weeks behind me, she looks around the same gestational age as I am. We're all assuming that she could have twins growing inside her. The baby sent another vicious kick, this time nailing me directly in the bladder, making the urge to pee suddenly appear.

"Hijo de pu-" I swore, cutting myself off as something shiny caught my attention. My eyes widened, and with quick feet, I clamored to the side of the gushing river. With great difficulty, I brushed away the mud, a smile spreading across my face once I realized what it was. The shiny Colt Python greeted me, the sun glinting off of it as I held it in my shaky hands.

Instantaneously, I could feel my eyes water as I looked at the weapon. I've seen this gun a thousand times and never knew I'd be so happy to see it again. I brushed the mud off it and felt a tear cascade down my cheek as I continued to inspect it. In the almost nine months I've been searching for signs of Rick, this is the first thing I've found. The cold steel of the gun pressed against the skin of my chest, and I felt my lower lip quiver, sorrow and elation surging through me. This gun doesn't mean that the love of my life is alive, but it provides me with something to remember him by, something to pass down to the kids to remind them of their stupid yet courageous father.

As much as his absence hurts me, I can't deny that what he did wasn't for the well-being of the communities. His last stand protected all of us, sacrificing himself in the process.

I popped open the chamber, noticing that there was still a single bullet left inside, and closed it, saving it precisely the way he left it. The baby must feel the emotions swirling inside me because they're going crazy in there.

"Ya shouldn't be out here alone," I lifted my gaze, instantly recognizing the harsh voice. Daryl stood a few feet from me, his blue eyes trained on me before eyeing my giant stomach.

"I didn't know you were this close," I croaked, taking a few steps towards him.

"I followed the river up for about thirty miles," Daryl explained, holding his calloused hand out to me. I grabbed him and felt my heart pump viciously in my chest. Oh, how I missed this man. "Decided it was about time to come home."

"It's been three weeks," I noted, refusing to let go of him, "I've missed you." I rushed into his arms and embraced him tightly, burying my head in his neck. He smelled terrible, but I couldn't be bothered to pull away. Daryl leaned his head down, his nose buried in my hair and his arms wrapping around my back.

"Missed ya, too." He murmured, holding me for a while longer before pulling away and eyeing the Python in my hands, "Never thought I'd see that again," I looked down at it and pursed my lips, nodding in agreement.

"How're the kids?" I forced a smile on my lips, a gesture that Daryl noticed because he frowned. I dropped the façade and sighed, placing the Colt in the waistband of my jeans.

"Judith is great," I started, brushing over the large mound between my hips, "She's getting excited for the baby."

"Sel?" Daryl asked with the smallest of smiles. I nodded my head towards the direction of Alexandria and grabbed his hand, leading him away from the body of water.