Take On The World

20.Secrets

    (Mason's POV)
       "Michonne!" I shoot awake. And look around there's a cloth with cold water on my head. I try to pull it off, but somebody presses it back on. I don't know what's going on, and I'm so dizzy.
"Dad!" I hear Carl yell. And look over and finally get my focus back.
"Hey kiddo," Rick says soothingly as soon as he walks in. I try to sit up, but he makes me lay back down.
"No no no, don't move."
"Michonne we have to help her! Please Rick. Merle he..." I get cut off when Michonne comes in and  kneels by the bed.
"Hey it's okay, I'm okay."
"But how?"
"Merle he... he let me go."
"He what? Why would he do that?"
"I don't know, but thanks for fighting for me." She rubs the hair from my forehead back.
"You fought for me." She smiles and I can't help but smile back.
"Where's Daryl?"
"He went out to look for Merle and I, I passed him on my way back." I nod to let her know heard her.
       "Can I have something to eat?" Rick looks at Hershel and he looks at me like he's considering what to do.
"Something very light." I huff.
"I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."
"Well maybe you could, but you sure wouldn't be able to keep it down," Hershel retorts with a smile. I shrug and give him a killer pair of puppy eyes. He makes it look like he's gonna give in.
"Rick, something light." He says with an eyebrow raise, and I give him a small glare. He just shakes his head and leaves along with Carl.
Rick rubs the back of his finger down my nose like he did the first time I met him.
"You need to stop scaring us like this, you're dog has been going crazy for hours. I'm sorry I should have known and come to find you. give a horrible attempt at a smile.
"It's okay Rick, and I'll work on it."
He leaves and comes back with a granola bar, a pack of fruit snacks, and a water bottle. I take the water first and try to chug it, but Michonne slows me down. The fruit snacks are stale but flavorful, and the granola bar helps me feel less light headed, but I'm still starving.
Carl comes in and the adults leave saying something about what we're gonna do about the governor.
     I look at Carl weird because he steps out and looks both ways suspiciously. He comes back in, and hands me a stick of beef jerky and another granola bar. I smile and we fist bump.
      I feel so much better now that I'm actually pretty full. I start to get up.
"Hershel says you should rest."
"He also said a light meal, but I feel fine." Carl looks at me with doubt but helps me up anyway. I hear someone yell,
"Daryl is back."
"Wait until he finds out what Merle did." I grumble. Carl and I run outside and I see him come in threw the gate, but Merle isn't with him.
Something just feels wrong I don't know what it is, but I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.
     When Nobody asks him anything I speak up,
"Daryl?" If you look close enough you can tell his eyes are red.
"Where's Merle?" I ask in a whisper. He just shakes his head.
"Well he ..." Beth starts but I cut her off.
"Wanted me to tell you that he loved you." Everybody looks at me with questioning looks.
"I'm sorry but he was gone before I could find you, maybe if I had told you sooner." Daryl just shrugs and walks inside the prison and up to his bed. I'm about to follow when I get tackled by a big smelly Apollo. I can't help but laugh,
"Hey boy, good to see you to." I rub his dirty coat and kiss his head.
"Why didn't you tell Daryl?" Carl asks and everyone looks at me as of wondering the same thing.
"It just didn't feel right to ruin his image of his dead brother. He let Michonne go, lets just let Daryl remember him for being the good guy. It's not like we can still be mad at him."
"Well we could." Glenn grumbles and there's a few chuckles.
     "Do you want to go walk the perimeter or something? If you're feeling well enough?" Carl asks. I'm about to say no, but I don't get a chance.
"No." Rick cuts in. "She still need to rest." He reminds.
"Aww come on I feel fine." In reality I feel awful that extra food was a horrible idea, but of course I can't tell anybody that.
"But no thanks Carl."
I walk in the cell block and up the stairs to the perch. Daryl is laying on his back with his eyes closed, and I go sit beside him on the floor. It's quiet for a few minutes, so I poke him on the cheek to see if he's sleeping. He doesn't respond so I poke him again but this time to try to wake him up. He still doesn't even flinch so I go to do it again, but he grabs my wrist.
"What Mason?" He snaps. When I don't answer he opens his eyes.
"What?!" I just shrug not knowing what to say.
"I'm sorry."
Instead of keeping a grip on my wrist he took my hand and sat up. He effortlessly pulled me into his lap.
"Just me and you huh?" I ask.
"No."
"What do you mean?"
"Me, you, Rick, Carl, Judith, Carol, Hershel, Maggie, Beth, Glenn..."
"Michonne?"
"Michonne." He confirms.
"What are we gonna do?"
"Don't worry about that."
"Daryl," I start to whine. Until I get the look of 'don't argue with me'.
"You should get some sleep though."
"Okay, I have to go grab some of my stuff from downstairs first."
     He nods, and I start to run downstairs. Which turns out to be a horrible idea, because when I get to the bottom everything I ate starts to feel horrible in my stomach. I take off as fast as I can to the bathroom as fast as I can, and barely make it to the toilet in time. Unfortunately for me my rush through the cell block drew the attention of Rick, Glenn, and Michonne who all follow me. And stand there with crossed arms.
"Glenn could you get Carl please," Rick asks.
Glenn leaves and returns with Carl who looks as guilty as me.
"What do you too have to say for yourself."
"Goodnight." I try to walk out only to be stopped by Rick.
"I didn't give you enough to get sick on." He says looking between me and Carl.
"No but it's your fault that she was even in the cell in the first place." Carl snaps obviously mad about the Michonne situation. Rick gives him a look similar to one Daryl gave me a few minutes ago.
"Carl." Rick try's, but he storms out and past everybody. They look at me, and I walk past without looking at any of them.
"Goodnight."
(March/12/21)