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chapter fifty-four | the art of eye contact
THE NEXT MORNING Maggie was keeping watch, and Rick ordered the others to start fortifying again. As Laurel left her cell to join, Hershel called her down to his cell. After all the crawling and fighting earlier during the Governor attack, her ribs have been stinging every time she moved. She could barely sleep last night, not just from the nightmares but from the discomfort. Hershel noticed her facial expressions as she walked around and asked her for a check-up, knowing all too well that she wasn't going to ask for help.
After he unwrapped her ribs, he poked and prodded for a minute that seemed like an eternity for Laurel, before declaring that her rib was back in place, surprisingly, and just needed ice, if they had some. She didn't care, though, she was just happy she didn't have to endure the whole wrapping process ever again. He ordered her to take it slow, not lift or run, not even shoot for a bit. She actually got some color in her body again, her ribs weren't as black, it was discolored like the rest of the bruises on her body. It helped lift her mood, slightly.
As they left his cell, Rick called them over, as well as Michonne, Glenn, and Daryl. Laurel has been avoiding Daryl like a plague and she reluctantly followed the group to the corner of the cell block and crossed her arms as Rick began to talk.
"Field's filled with walkers. Didn't see any snipers out there, but we'll keep Maggie on watch," Rick informed.
"I'll get up in the guard tower, take out half them walkers, give these guys a chance to fix the fence," Daryl offered, his hands on his hips.
"Or use some of the cars to put the bus in place," Michonne suggested.
Hershel shot down their ideas, "We can't access the field without burning through our bullets."
"So we're trapped in here. There's barely any food or ammo."
"Been here before—"
"—Nothin' new."
Daryl and Laurel said at the same time, he glanced at her briefly as she rolled her eyes before he continued, "we'll be alright."
"That's when it was just us," Glenn argued. Daryl looked up at Glenn with a stern expression on his face, knowing what he was about to bring up. "Before there was a snake in the nest."
Daryl stepped forward, "man, we gonna go through this again? Look, Merle's staying here. He's with us now. Get used to it—" He glanced at the rest of them, even Laurel, "All y'all."
Daryl climbed up the stairs without a word, Rick called out for him but let him go as Glenn continued, "seriously, Rick, I don't think Merle living here is really gonna fly."
"I can't kick him out," Rick sighed.
"I wouldn't ask you to live with Shane after he tried to kill you."
