Just Keep Walking

Twenty one

They stayed at the house for three days, until the food and water ran out, and by the time they did go, Mary was slowly feeling better. It was slow and gradual at first, but by the time they left, she was only napping once a day, and although she couldn't yet walk, was on antibiotics, and still weak, she had no fever, and felt better.
"Where're we goin' now?" Mary asked Michonne quietly as she walked to the cars, Mary on her back.
"To the cars. And then we're just looking for a place." Michonne replied softly.
"Now that I'm not sick anymore, can I have my gun?"
"That's up to your daddy." Michonne half laughed.
"I'll ask him." Mary nodded seriously.
"You're not scared of guns? Now you've been hurt by one?"
"No. I'm not scared of anything." Mary replied firmly.
Michonne laughed, twisting her head and kissing Mary's cheek. "I'm glad to have you back, Moo." Mary giggled, playing with Michonne's dreadlocks, not even holding on. 
They reached the cars, and Mary closed her eyes as soon as they set off, sleeping while Michonne held her. When she woke up, Mary was energised, forgetting about how painful her hip was.
"Glenn. Glenn. Glenny. Glenny." Mary whispered, a grin on her face, turning around to the man sat sleepily in the seats behind her, next to Maggie who was staring into nothing.
"Hmm? Yeah?"
"Glenny.  Glenny." She grinned, teasing the man, and he just laughed.
"Can she go back to sleep?" Abraham muttered from the front of the car, next to Rick who laughed.
"Abraham." Rosita scolded, looking over at the man from next to Carl.
"I'm so glad you're better." Carl smiled at her, as Mary tugged at his hat, pulling it off and putting it on her own head.
"I'm so much better." Mary grinned, "I'm still a little tired, and my hip hurts, but I feel better!"
"Are you hungry? We have some chewy mints. You like them, right?" Rick offered with a smile.
"I'm always hungry." Mary smiled, getting up and trying to wriggle over to Rick, only using her food leg, and accidentally kicking Carl and Rosita.
"Rick, I am trying to drive," Abraham barked, "get your kid under control."
"I'm being a mermaid and swimming to daddy." Mary laughed, as Rick reached over and scooped her up.
"Spot five different flowers." He ordered, and Mary began to look out of the window in intent, finally quiet.
"Is she normally this... Loud?" Rosita half laughed.
"No," Carl shrugged, "she's shy. She only gets this chatty and playful with dad and sometimes me. I think she's making up for lost time."
"That and she's on very high pain meds." Michonne pointed out, and Rick half laughed.
"Found five." Mary grinned.
"Okay, now the school part," Rick began, turning Mary so she sat on the dashboard, facing him, "what five?" He asked, ignoring Abraham's disapproving glance at Mary's seat.
"A daisy. Daddydil. A pink one. A bluebell. And a clover."
"A daddydil?" Carl laughed.
"Yeah," Mary nodded seriously, "a daddydil."
"Daffodil." Rick chuckled. "And a pink one? That's not a name. And a clover isn't a flower."
"Daddy." Mary whined, but was still smiling sweetly.
"Rick. It may be the end of the world, and she may not have a car seat, but at least sit her on your lap." Michonne half laughed. Rick joking rolled his eyes, but sat her on his lap, undoing his seatbelt and putting it over the both of them.
"You know when I was very sick?" Mary asked quietly, leaning her head back to look up at Rick.
"Yeah?"
"I had a really nice dream with mommy in it. We was playing tag at the farm. I don't know if it was real. I don't remember. But it was a really nice dream."
"I bet it was." Rick smiled softly, kissing Mary's forehead.
"I think Judy has dreams with mommy in them."
"Yeah? How come?"
"She smiles when she's asleep sometimes. You don't. Carl doesn't, but sometimes he cries. I cry, don't I?"
"Yeah. When you have a bad dream," Rick answered gently, "but that's okay."
"Noah cries in his sleep." Mary mumbled.
"Yeah. That's because he's really sad about his mom and brothers. And Beth. And... And Tyreese." Rick explained, and Mary nodded, playing with Rick's corkscrews of hair, pulling them straight, then letting them spring back again.
"Abraham sometimes swears in his sleep." Mary giggled quietly, and Abraham let out a laugh so loud it shook the car.
"Damn right I do." He chuckled.
"I am damn right." Nary grinned proudly.
"Hey. Language." Rick said firmly, but Mary just laughed. "You're so energetic today. You're feelin' a lot better, yeah?"
"Yeah," Mary nodded, then she got distracted, "daddy, your beard is very big."
"Yeah, it is." He laughed back.
"It's cool." Mary nodded, patting it, then nestling half of her face into Rick's shirt as she looked out of the window, trying to, as she explained to Rosita, spot fairies.
Later on, Mary went back to the back seats, but sat herself on Rosita's lap, then woman unimpressed. "Did you know my mommy is a fairy princess in Heaven?" She asked seriously.
"No, I didn't. That's... Special." Rosita nodded, trying to find the right word.
"Is your mommy dead?"
"Mary." Rick sighed.
"Yeah, she is." Rosita replied slowly.
"Mary, don't ask questions like that." Carl said sharply, and Mary shrank, then crawled over to Michonne, wincing as she did.
"I know what you dream about," Mary whispered lovingly to Michonne, "but I don't want to make you sad."
"What? It's okay, say it."
"Andy. Andre." Mary explained seriously, stroking Michonne's cheek, and twisting one of her dreadlocks around her tiny fingers.
"How'd you know that?" Michonne asked shakily, shocked at the five year old's knowledge.
"Because very early in the morning, sometimes you put your arm on me and call me Andre."
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay. It means you love me. I wish I could play with him." Mary whispered.
"Me too, sweetie. Me too." Michonne nodded.
"Whatcha talkin' about?" Carl asked the two of them, and Rick turned to look at the pair.
"Hair." Mary lied incredibly well.
"Hmm, yeah, I'm thinking about some braids." Glenn joked to Mary, but the whole time he looked at Maggie, desperate for a response. It was as if she couldn't even hear him.
"Mag." Glenn whispered to his wife, and she didn't respond. Glenn reached over, and took her hand, raising it to his lips and kissing it, the simply holding it tightly. "I love you."

That night, Mary laid under the stars in Carl's arms, Rick next to them, holding Judith. Carl could hear Mary's stomach grumbling, as she'd not eaten anything since a small breakfast, and he held her even tighter.
"Moo, have your pill." Rick sighed softly, and Mary swallowed it dry on an empty stomach, exactly against what the bottle said.
"Why one?" Mary questioned, used to having a pain pill with it.
"Because they're so strong you only need one." Rick lied, knowing she only had a few left and she needed to be weaned off slowly. Mary nodded, and closed her eyes. She fell asleep, but woke up after a nightmare, sobbing hysterically.
"I got you. I gotcha." Rick mumbled groggily, half awake, pulling Mary over to him. She sobbed into Rick's shirt, him soothing her while he was half asleep, a thoughtless reaction.
"Daddy," Mary whined, "daddy, can we get up?"
"No, it's the middle of the night. Go back to sleep."
"What's the clock?"
"Only two. Come on. Sleepy time." Rick mumbled, stroking Mary's hair, holding her on one arm, Judith in the other. Mary went quiet, looking around. Everyone was asleep, except for herself, Rick, Daryl, who was awake, staring into the fire, and Abraham who was on watch.
"Can me and Daryl go hunting?" She asked quietly.
"No. You need to go to sleep. Come on."
Mary sighed, carried on looking around.
"Noah's crying." Mary whispered, her eyes wide.
"Mary, go to sleep. Where's Carl Bunny?"
"Here." Mary replied, leaning over and grabbing the bunny on Carl's lap.
"Okay. Snuggle your bunny and go to sleep." Rick sighed, and she closed her eyes, slowly falling back to sleep. When she next woke up, it was five am, and Daryl as about to go hunting.
"Uncle Daryl?" Mary asked quietly, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.
"Hey." He said, his voice emotionless.
"Can I come?"
"No. Yer still sick."
"I'm not!" Mary insisted passionately, "I'm better."
"Mary, you can't walk, and I can't hunt and carry yer. Go back to sleep, or go talk to Tara." Daryl sighed, looking at the woman on watch.
"I can." Mary retorted. She pushed herself up, wincing in pain, and took a step, then fell over, crying out.
Daryl sighed, and went over, hugging her, then sitting her down. "Stay here. I'm goin' to get breakfast. Are yer listenin'? Or do I have to wake yer dad up?"
"Daddy. Not dad." Mary retorted, and at the Mary saying that, he woke up, his eyes snapping open.
"What?" He groaned, groggy and tired.
"Nothin'. She jus' won't stay put." Daryl explained.
"Sorry." Rick smiled softly, and Daryl nodded, then left, walking into the woods. "Moo, go back to sleep."
"It's morning."
Rick sighed, and got up, Judith waking up as he did so, tugging at his beard, then she began to cry. Carl woke up and groaned, pulling his hat over his face, as Mary whined about wanting to go hunting.
"Why did I have kids?" Rick groaned jokingly, as his children woke up half of the camp. Michonne smiled sympathetically at him, and went into the woods, coming out with some grapes. She mashed then up, then took Judith, feeding her.
"Come here." Glenn mumbled groggily, walking over and picking up Mary. "What's wrong?"
"I'm hungry, and Daryl won't let me hunt, and Carl is being grumpy and won't wake up."
"Alright, smelly, let's get some of those grapes that Michonne magically found. See if there's any more, yeah?"
"Yeah." Mary nodded, and Glenn walked into the woods, Mary on his hip. They got all of the grapes they could find, then shared them out, everyone now awake, so that everyone got five each.
"Maggie." Glenn said softly, giving her the fruit. She shook her head, and Glenn put them in her hand. "Maggie. Eat them. Eat. Please."
"Maggie. You have to eat." Mary insisted in worry.
"You have it." Maggie whispered.
"Maggie. Eat." Glenn begged, and Maggie sighed, ate one, then passed the rest to Mary. She slowly ate them, curled up on Glenn's lap, and they set off when Daryl came back, armed with three squirrels for their dinner.
"Glenn?" Mary whispered quietly as they drove.
"Yeah?"
"We're best friends, right?"
"Of course." Glenn smiled gently.
"If I die before you, then you gotta make sure I don't turn. I don't want my daddy to do it."
"Mary." Glenn sighed, but Mary cut him off.
"I'm not gonna die yet. But when."
"You're not dying. Not for decades. So stop this talk. You're not dying." Maggie hissed fiercely. And with that, Mary went quiet. She saw a fire in Maggie's eyes that she'd never seen before, and honestly, it worried her a little.