𝙊ver two months passed. They expanded Alexandria, bringing the wall out further, encompassing more of what was beyond.
They were working on building a new wall with better reinforcements. The old one was being dismantled bit-by-bit. They made a memorial for every one they lost. Carl's eye had healed as well as could be expected. He wore a bandage over it, now. Maggie and Glenn were expecting a baby, news that delighted and terrified Adalyn to no extent. Denise and Tara were a couple. And in the news of romance, Rick and Adalyn were doing their very best to try and ignore their feelings, all while living in the same house.
Adalyn didn't really have a set job anymore. Inventory was starting to run low on food, so there wasn't much keeping track of the checklist with the minor rationing that had been instilled. She spent a lot of her time among the people, working odd jobs, helping with the wall, going on small runs.
Her arm was healed, albeit aching if she tried to push it too far, and with a more limited range of mobility. But that was the best that could be done, and she was damn thankful that Denise had been able to help. But at least it was her left arm and not her right. If it had been her dominant arm, she was sure she'd be pretty much useless.
Rick was getting ready for a run one morning. Adalyn was in the kitchen when he came down the stairs, Judith on his hip.
"Morning," she greeted. "You all ready?"
"Yeah," he said. "Any special requests?"
She chuckled. "Same as I always want. Corn nuts, Rick Grimes. The food of the gods."
"I'll do my best," he said with a snort.
"Damn right you will."
He rolled his eyes, coming around to hold Judith out. "You got her?" he asked.
"Yes," Adalyn replied, grinning as she wrapped her good arm around Judith, holding her on her hip. She looked up at Rick. "You stay safe. Okay?"
"I always do," he said.
"Tell Daryl to keep himself safe, too."
"He can take care of himself."
"Yeah, but sometimes he needs to be reminded."
Rick nodded, conceding to the statement. "Anything else, Addy?" he asked.
She hesitated, moving to kiss him on the cheek. "Come back soon," she said, before she turned away, trying to hide her red face as she ruffled Judith's hair. "Now, what do you want for breakfast, little one?"
Adalyn took care of Judith that morning. Fed her breakfast before she took her on a walk. She pointed out the people they passed, talked about how work on the wall was coming, things like that.
Judith just sat calmly in her arms, taking it all in.
It was nice to walk around. Nice to take a moment to just breathe. Adalyn could have done this forever.
Maggie joined after a while. Adalyn offered a smile, grateful for the company. "You doing okay?" she asked.
Maggie nodded. "Yeah," she said. "What about you?"
