Don't look back

Eighteen

The night passed slowly, and in the morning Mary was still tired, and spent most of her time in Lori's arms. They were eating breakfast, but Mary only drank a little milk, when a car pulled up outside, and everyone ran outside to look at who it was.
"Dad!" Carl shouted, and ran over to Rick, hugging him tightly. Mary grinned, and Rick walked over and hugged her and Lori at the same time.
"Patricia, prepare the shed for surgery." Hershel barked.
"Are you hurt?" Lori asked in confusion.
"No, but what happened to you?" Rick asked.
"I was in a car accident."
"Accident? How?" Rick panicked.
"I went looking for you." Lori mumbled.
"Snook out on her own. I brought her back." Shane nodded.
Rick ignored him. "Are you crazy? You could have been..."
"Who the hell is that?" T-Dog exclaimed, cutting Rick off and pointing to the car.
"That's Randall." Glenn nodded, looking at a boy in the car, asleep with a blindfold over his eyes.
"Who's that?" Mary mumbled.
"Randall." Rick repeated. Then he looked at her closer, and took her into his arms. "Are you sick? You have a fever!" Rick panicked.
"Yeah." Mary whispered, crying softly.
"She has a stomach ache."
"She told you. You promised ice cream." Carl nodded.
"I couldn't get any. Sorry baby." Rick replied gently.
"That's okay." Mary nodded as they walked into the house, Shane and Glenn carrying the man into the house.

"We couldn't have just left him behind. He would have bled out, if he lived that long." Rick defended, as everyone sat around, talking about Randall, Mary in his arms.
"It's gotten bad in town." Glenn explained quietly.
"What do we do with him?" Andrea asked.
"I repaired his calf muscle as best I can, but he'll probably have nerve damage. He won't be on his feet for at least a week." Hershel sighed, coming into the room.
"When he is, we give him a canteen, take him out to the main road, send him on his way." Rick nodded slowly.
"No." Mary mumbled.
"Isn't that the same as leaving him for the Walkers?" Andrea asked with raised eyebrows, as Daryl walked in.
"He'll have a fighting chance." Rick assured.
"You just going to let him go? He knows where we are!" Shane snapped.
"He was blindfolded the whole way here. He's not a threat." Rick explained, far too aggressive than needed.
"Not a threat?! How many of them were there? You killed three of their men! You took one hostage! But they just ain't going to come looking for him." Shane growled.
"They left him for dead! No one is looking."
"We should still post a guard." T-Dog nodded.
"He's out cold right now. Will be for hours." Hershel assured.
"You know I'm going to go get him some flowers and candy! Look at this, folks. We back in fantasy land!" Shane shouted sarcastically, before beginning to leave.
"You know, we haven't even dealt with what you did at my barn yet. Let me make this perfectly clear, once and for all. This is my farm! Now I wanted you gone. Rick talked me out of it but that doesn't mean I have to like it. So do us both a favour. Keep your mouth shut!" Hershel snapped, and Shane left in silence.
"Look, we're not going to do anything about it today. Let's just cool off." Rick sighed, as everyone left. "Okay let's take you for a lie down, princess. You're burning up." Rick soothed to Mary, and he and Lori went to their tent. Rick laid her on the camp bed that she and Carl shared, and changed her into one of Carl's shirts, which was far too big and loose, but her other clothes were too tight and hot.
"You get some sleep now." Rick said softly.
"Sunshine song." Mary whispered back.
Rick nodded, and began to sing:
You are my sunshine,
My only sunshine,
You make me happy,
When skies are grey.
You'll never know dear,
How much I love you.
Please don't take, my sunshine, away.

Once he had finished, Mary was asleep. Rick stood up, and took of his shirt. "Aw man." Rick groaned, in pain. Lori helped him, easing the shirt off. "Thank you. Ouch." Rick sighed, then they both laughed.
Lori took her own shirt off, and got stuck too. "I need help. Ow." Lori laughed.
"We're like a couple of old people."
"Old people with a baby." Lori laughed softly. Then she sighed. "We need to talk about Shane."
"What's he done now?" Rick asked, sitting shirtlessly on Mary's bed, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb.
"He thinks the baby's his. No matter what, it's yours." Lori replied gently, pulling on a shirt.
Rick went quiet, and looked at Mary, then Lori, then back at Mary, wanting to avoid his wife. "He'll accept that?"
"You're going to have to make him. He won't listen to me. He's delusional and he's dangerous. When I went looking for you he came after me." Lori panicked.
"Well, of course he did. Mary was - is- sick, Carl's recovering, I was missing. Of course he did." Rick rationalised, still keeping his eyes on Mary.
"He lied to me, to get me back here. He said you were already back."
"What?"
"You saw what he did at the barn. He's threatened Dale. And Hershel. And he's scaring people. He's scaring me! Every time Mary is around him, she panics, she goes tense. Carl doesn't see it, but she does, and it scared her. And I think he killed Otis. I think he left him behind and I think... I think he did it not just to save Carl, but because he loves me." Lori whispered.
"But... You don't know that."
"And he think that we are supposed to be together, no matter what." Lori added.
"Those gunmen left that kid behind today. I killed two people, myself, because of you. And Carl and Mary and the baby. It was going to be me, and not them no matter what." Rick whispered, staring at Mary's tiny face. Lori sat beside Rick, right on the edge of Mary's bed, so she didn't disturb her.
"You killed the living to protect what's yours?" Lori breathed slowly.
"That's right." Rick nodded.
"Shane thinks I'm his. He's thinks the baby's his. And he says you can't protect us. That you're going to get us killed. He's dangerous, Rick, and he won't stop." Lori replied. Mary's eyes opened.
"Who's dangerous?" She mumbled, as Lori got up, kissed them both, and left.
"No one." Rick said softly.
"Who?" Mary repeated.
"It doesn't matter."
"You'll save me." Mary whispered softly. Rick moved over, and sat by her head, and she sat up and leant on him.
"I love you daddy." Mary cried gently.
"I love you too, princess."
"I feel bad."
"I know. But you'll be okay. You'll feel better soon."
"Stay?"
"Of course." Rick nodded.
"When will baby Maggie-Rick be born?"
"Baby Maggie-Rick?" Rick laughed.
"Yeah. My favourites. Plus Carl and Glenny."
"Okay, that's sweet, but we're not calling the baby that," Rick smiled, "but... You can help, okay? Choose a name."
"And Carl?"
"Of course."
"Daddy, can we stay here? Forever and ever?" Rick put his head in one of his hands, and sighed. "Promise, daddy!"
"Okay. I can promise I'll do the best I can for us to stay here." Rick said slowly, and Mary smiled. "Go to sleep. Go on now."
Mary nodded slightly, then closed her eyes. Once she was sleeping, Rick got up, and cleaned around the tent. Later on, they ate dinner, and Rick went to bed early, at the same time as Carl, to check on Mary.
"Dad?" Carl asked slowly, getting Rick to look at him. "Dad, did you check to see if Mary has been bitten? 'Cos She has a fever. And that was how Jim was like."
"Carl, she's not bitten. Don't worry." Rick sighed softly.
"Just... Can you just check? Her arms and legs? Just look?" Carl mumbled, almost embarrassed.
Rick sighed, and gently showed Carl Mary's skinny limbs, tanned and burnt and dirty. "No bites. See? She's fine. Carl, why are you so worried about this? You know she's been nowhere near a Walker."
"I know. I just get worried sometimes."
"Carl. It's all going to be okay. Well, it might not be. But we will make it. You will make it. Mary will make it. The baby will make it. I will make sure you do."
"I love you dad." Carl whispered.
"I love you too." Rick smiled back. He kissed Carl's head, then Mary's. "Now, go to sleep."

"Good morning, sleepy head." Lori smiled to Mary as she woke up. "Your fever's gone. That's good. Shall we go to the house?"
Mary nodded, and rolled out of the camp bed, then pulled on her cowboy boots.
"Wrong feet honey." Lori laughed, pulling her shoes off and switching them.
"What time is it?" Mary asked groggily, rubbing her eyes.
"Ten in the morning. You really slept in." Lori laughed softly. Mary smiled, and held up her arms. Lori laughed, and picked her up. The girl's adoptive mother got her some fruit, and Mary ate it happily while Lori did laundry, then they walked up to the house.
Mary sat on the counter while Lori and Maggie cut up cucumber and tomato, Mary still tired and feeling a little sick. She was still wearing Carl's shirt as a dress, with her cowboy boots, and Shane's cap over her messy plaits.
"Did Rick say anything to you about Glenn when they got back from town?" Maggie asked Lori suddenly.
"Just that it had gotten pretty bad." Lori shrugged.
"He's not the same. Says he froze, and blames me. Says I got inside his head." Maggie sighed.
"He came back. That's what matters. Men have to do certain things. You know that. And they're gonna blame the little woman as the reason they do 'em, or the reason they don't. I'll tell you something, what happens out there, happens out there. And we're just trying to keep it together till they get back." Lori said tiredly.
"Things were good. Maybe I'll..."
"He's a big boy," Lori cut off, "he makes his own choices. I mean, do you have anything to apologise for?" Lori asked, and Maggie shook her head. "Tell him to man up and pull himself together. Just don't say man up. It never goes well." She laughed, as dad Maggie. Mary faked a laugh, just to join in, and Lori shook her head in happiness.
"Let me just get this to Beth." Maggie sighed gently.
"You go on. I got it." Lori smiled.
"Thanks. Mary, shall we go for a walk?" Maggie asked, getting a smile from both Lori and Mary. Mary nodded, and got off the counter.
They walked to the RV, where Glenn was, but only walked for a few minutes more until Mary's feet hurt, so Glenn carried her. They carried on walking around, chatting carelessly, Mary on Glenn's shoulders, looking at clouds.
"Glenny. Is Randall okay? After his poorly leg?" Mary asked gently.
"Yeah. He'll be okay." Glenn nodded awkwardly.
"Good. I'm glad. We're staying here now." Mary smiled happily.
"Yeah. We all get to stay together." Glenn grinned to Maggie.
"It was scary before. But it won't be now." Mary nodded slowly.
"Hey. Even if we have to ever leave, you'll be okay." Maggie said gently, and Mary nodded with a smile, then suddenly Lori ran over.
"Maggie. Come now. It's Beth." Lori panted. Then the three adults ran.
"I got this," Maggie nodded to Glenn, before going into Beth's room, alone. The two of them began to argue, and Mary clung onto Glenn tighter.
"Glenn, could you take Mary for a nap? In the tent?" Lori suggested softly. "She still feels a bit sick."
"Yeah, uh, sure. Just... Get me if anything..."
"I will." Lori nodded firmly. "Be good for Glenn." She smiled to Mary, as she kissed her forehead. Mary nodded, and Glenn left, the two sisters screaming in the room behind them.