G.I. Jane

Tell it to the Frogs

Shaylee's POV

T-Dog sets me back on the ground before he releases me

"I better go say hi to Dale. I'll, uh, I'll see you later?" I ask as I take a couple of steps back

"Yeah, for sure. I'll see you later." T-Dog says with a warm smile before I turn around and walk over to Dale who has a big smile on his face

"There she is." Dale says before he pulls me into his embrace

"I'm glad you made it back safe." Dale says as he pecks the side of my head

"I'm happy your father is alive, as well." He adds as he releases me

"Thanks, Dale." I say with a warm smile before my eyes wander over to Shane and I give him a hard stare

"Shaybug--" Shane starts as he steps over to me but he's cut off by me grabbing his arm and dragging him away from the others

"You said he was dead." I seethe in a quiet tone

"Shay, I...I..." He stammers out

"I know you're sleeping with Lori." I whisper

"Shay--" He starts

"It stops. It stops today and I don't tell him." I say and Shane nods his head before I see T-Dog wander down to the quarry by himself

"Now, go hug your best friend." I tell Shane and he nods his head before walking away from me and I wander down into the quarry

"Don't beat yourself up over it. I don't think we'll be dryin' tears over that asshole." I say as I walk up behind him

"I dropped it in the drain and I dropped Dale's tools all over the place. I just left him there." T-Dog says

"But you went back. Even after he called you a racial slur and kicked your ass. You were the bigger man. I would've left his ass with the key in my pocket." I say as he turns to face me

"You didn't mean to drop the key. We were all on edge and scared." I say

"You weren't. You were cool as a cucumber. You wouldn't have dropped the damn key." He says

"You think I wasn't scared, T?" I ask

"You didn't show it." He says

"T, I am Corporal Grimes. I have to lead soldiers to battle. I don't get to show my fear. I have to contain it. Because if my soldiers see that I'm scared then they're gonna be scared and they're gonna be focused on their fear rather than the task at hand and that would get them killed. T, believe me when I tell you, I was terrified." I say

"You two gonna come eat? We got fish!" Glenn calls out to us making me giggle

"We're coming." I call back as T chuckles

"Come on. We better go eat before he eats it all." I say before he grabs my hand and leads me up to camp

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We're all sitting around the fire. I'm sitting between my dad and T-Dog, my left arm is looped through my dad's, my head is resting on his shoulders, and Carl is sitting between my dad's legs. While Lori is on the other side of my dad stroking Carl's hair and Ace is laying beside the fire

"What were you feeling when you woke up in that hospital?" Morales asks my dad

"Disoriented. I guess that comes closest. Disoriented. Fear, confusion-- all those things  but...disoriented comes closest." My dad says