Daughter of the Fallen

The Bridge Part 2

I was working on the next rotation when I heard shouting coming from the bridge. Immediately, I knew the commotion was caused by the dick I stopped from harassing Henry.

"Shit," I whispered, getting up and running towards the fight.

I reached the bridge at the same time as Rick and Eugene. I became even more panicked when I realized the guy was fighting Daryl.

"Hey!" Rick shouted, running into the chaos. "Break it up!"

I hung back with Eugene, knowing a stray swing could hit the baby.

Once Rick separated Daryl and the guy, Eugene and I approached as Daryl walked off, spitting blood out of his mouth.

Everyone was staring at us.

"What did I say before?" I snapped. "Get back to work."

As Rick and I walked off to find Daryl, he turned to me.

"How did that happen?" he asked. "I thought you were watching them."

"I was!" I defended. "There was an initial conflict, I took care of it, and I came running as soon as I noticed the fight. They're adults; I didn't think I'd need to watch their every move like a babysitter."

Rick sighed. "You're right, sorry." There was a moment of silence before he spoke up again. "Daryl is not gonna like that we're not kicking that guy off."

———

Daryl was indeed not happy.

"So that asshole just gets a free pass?" he asked angrily as the three of us and Carol sat in his tent. "Is that it?"

"It's just a few more days," Rick retorted in exasperation. "I don't like it, either, but we're in a rush to get that work done. He's strong. The Saviors are over half the workforce, and we've had too many walk off already."

"Cause that's who they are. Some of them ain't ever gonna fall in line just cause you say so."

"Daryl's right," I spoke up, thanking God I wasn't the only one who hated this work arrangement. "These people have never had to live together. And we can't expect them to just forget what's happened."

"It hasn't been easy," Rick agreed. "I know. It won't be, not for a while, but it's not about forgetting. It's about moving ahead, all of us, together. We keep doing that, they'll see we're all on the same side."

"Are we, though?" I asked after a moment. Rick turned to me in surprise. "Are we on the same side, Rick?"

He looked at me for a moment before saying, "Well, you tell me. You have never given the Saviors a chance."

"I wonder why," I whispered before walking out, Daryl on my heels.

———

Daryl and I rarely ate lunch alone, but today, I felt closer with him than anyone else. Well, him and maybe-

"Hey," came a voice, making me turn.

Enid stood at the end of our table. "Can I sit with you guys?"

Daryl shrugged and I nodded. "Yeah."

As she sat down next to me, Daryl scoffed.

"I cannot believe Rick," he mumbled before taking a bite of his apple.

"What happened?" Enid asked, her eyebrows furrowed together.

I sighed. "Daryl got into a fight with a Savior because he was harassing Henry, and Rick isn't going to kick him off."

"What about you?" she asked in shock. "You have as much input as he does, don't you?"

I shrugged. "Overruled. He considers himself and Michonne to be in charge of the Sanctuary base, so he's the boss in that area."

"That's bullshit," she retorted. "If he started one fight, he'll probably start another. We shouldn't even have the Saviors work on the bridge anyway."

"Tell me about it," Daryl grunted.

Checking the time, I began to stand up. "I'll have to take lunch to-go. I'm heading back to Alexandria soon and I have to work on the next set of gate watch rotations as well as the next set of bridge rotations."

"Want some company?" Enid asked.

I sighed. "I think I'd rather be alone for a bit. Sorry."

With that, I walked off, making sure I didn't come into contact with Rick.

•••

Back at Alexandria, I stared at the door leading to Negan's cell with my heart in my throat. Since it was Rick's job to keep him in check, I hadn't seen Negan since the day he was locked up.

There were days where I had my mind made up to go see him. I was never sure what I would say, but there was something pulling me to confront the man who spent his days in darkness.

However, I would get to the very spot I currently stood in, see the door, and lose my nerve.

"You have never given the Saviors a chance," Rick's words echoed painfully in my mind.

Sighing, I turned and walked off. One day I would confront Negan.

But today wasn't that day.

•••

As I sat by Carl's grave and stared at his makeshift cross, I was surprised that my first instinct was a smile instead of tears.

I missed Carl unbearably and always would, but, along with Glenn and my parents, the good memories were beginning to wash over the painful ones.

"Hey," I said softly, briefly glancing at the letter I had written him months prior that was still weighed down by a rock on his grave. "Sorry it's been a while. Things have been crazy."

Smiling, I decided to cut to the chase. "We're having a girl. Siddiq told me earlier and I wanted to make sure you were the first to know. I'll admit that for a while, the baby really only served as a reminder of you, but now, it's...she's so much more."

I obviously wasn't getting a verbal response, but the wind was blowing softly through my hair, which made me feel that he was there.

"I've been thinking of some names," I continued. "Don't judge me, okay? I know it's early, but I thought it would be fun. What do you think about Hannah?"

All of a sudden, the wind picked up, flipping my hair forcefully into my face.

After getting over the initial shock, I started laughing hysterically. "I guess that's a no," I got out.

Slowly calming down, I smiled. "How are you still making me laugh?"

For the rest of our conversation, though I couldn't hear Carl's replies, I could feel them.

And that was all that mattered to me.