A Hard Lesson to Learn

Chapter 11

For Rick the days blended into nights. He'd been to visit Kali regularly, at least twice a day. Once in the morning before his day started and at some point, during the evening. It had been three weeks since they had defeated Negan. Two weeks since they had moved Negan to the cell in the basement of Rick's house.

The communities had started to rebuild. Slowly, they would back to how it was before. The Saviors that decided to stay were now going to be apart of the larger community that was assembling. The Hilltop, the Kingdom, Sanctuary, and Alexandria all pulling to together to survive.

They had spent the day teaching the saviors how to cultivate the land and helping them get rows ready for planting. When they finally set out on the road for home, each person was daydreaming of their beds back home.

The car had just pulled through the gates of Alexandria when Rick saw Enid waiting at the gates. Recently, she had been studying under Siddiq to learn the ropes of the medical practice the best she could because the communities needed more than one doctor.

Rick was the first out of the car. "What is it," he asked roughly before the young girl could even open her mouth.

"Siddiq said to come get you as soon as you got back. He said you'd want to know about this."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Rick made a beeline for the infirmary. Michonne and Carl were right on his heels. He wanted this to be news that Kali had woken up and was fine, but a feeling in his gut gave him doubt. Her wound was like his when he was shot. Even then with the best medical equipment and doctors, that had done surgeries before, he was in a coma for a month.

He slung the door open causing it to bang against the house. Rick basically ran down the hallway to her room. Just when he was about to throw the door open and barge in, the door opened. Siddiq had heard the man coming in. "What is it," he said gruffly looking around the room for a sign.

Siddiq stepped out of the room and gently shut the door behind him. "She's resting," he said shortly trying to step beside the man.

Rick was quick and grabbed his arm tightly. "What do you mean she's resting?"

"Rick, I think you'll want to move away from the door to have this conversation. Let's go to the main room and I'll explain," Siddiq said motioning back down the hallway.

Reluctantly, Rick followed the doctor down the hallway. Carl and Michonne were waiting in the main room when the pair walked in. Siddiq stood across from Rick and Carl, who had leaned against the operating table. "What happened?"

Siddiq took a long breath before he started. "It wasn't long after everyone left this morning that I heard a noise. Knowing she and I were the only ones in the house, I walked to her room. When I opened the door, Kali was having a bad dream. I tried to calm her down, but she kept whimpering and turning. She kept moving her arm tugging on the cuff. If I didn't wake her up, she would have reopened her wound. Once I got her awake and calmed, I had to make sure that she didn't have any damages or anything. I know when I got the bullet, there was a possibility that she wouldn't walk again because of the bullet. I checked her reflexes in her feet and..," he paused.

"And what Siddiq," Michonne asked a sinking feeling beginning to wash over her.

"There was some delay. Like her nerves are all shook up and didn't know what to do. She felt everything though, so she has feeling, it's just getting the movement back."

He was about to finish when Rick shook his head. "Is that what you had to say? Was that really that important it couldn't wait?"

"Rick," Michonne snapped causing the main to stop. "Let him finish."