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Upon entering Shane and Cali's shared tent, Rick couldn't help but feel uneasy about the one air mattress that the two obviously both slept on.
Rick trusted that Shane would be respectful of his daughter but that didn't mean he liked the idea of his teenage daughter sharing a bed with an older man.
Other than the one mattress, Rick could tell that his daughter was the one who spent the most time in the tent. A stack of books sat on the floor next to the left side of the bed. There was also a pile of clothes and shoes next to the tent entrance that looked like they were just thrown there. Rick knew that had to be his daughter's doing because she'd had many similar piles in her bedroom at home.
"Dad?" The voice of Cali brought Rick out of his thoughts and towards where she was sat at the end of the mattress.
The Grimes man smiled lovingly at her before taking a seat beside her on the bed. "I just wanted to come talk to you. You disappeared while your mom was showing me around."
"I was just a little overwhelmed and wanted to be alone for a minute to process everything."
"I get that. I can't imagine have you've felt these last couple of weeks." Rick sighed thinking about how his entire family thought he was dead.
"It was terrible dad!" Cali suddenly sobbed not being able to control her emotions any longer. She had missed talking to Rick so much. Cali went to him for everything and she hadn't been able to do that recently. There was so much that she wanted to tell him that she didn't even know where to begin.
"I know baby." Rick said as he pulled Cali in for a hug. "Everything is going to be okay now. We're all back together."
"I tried to be strong for Carl but I've just felt so lost. Without you and Jade I didn't know who I was." The brunette cried gripping onto her father's shirt as he held her. "You guys are the only ones who keep me grounded and I'd lost you both at once. I just didn't know what to do so I pushed everyone away."
"Hey look at me." The man spoke seriously lifting Cali's head to look him directly in the eye. "I'm not going anywhere! I'm gonna be here for you and your brother. I'm going to protect you."
"You can't promise that." Cali mumbled looking away from him.
"I can and I am." Rick replied. "I promise that I won't let anything happen to either of you. I am also going to find Jade for you."
The Grimes girl looked down at her converse covered feet after her father's last statement. She didn't know how to tell him that she killed her best friend. She didn't want him to look at her the way her mom did when she found out.
"You won't find her."
"Well it sure ain't gonna be easy but she's a smart girl I'm sure she went somewhere safe. Her and her family are probably held up somewhere staying safe."
Rick's words made his daughter feel even worse because she knew Jade and her mom weren't safe. They were dead. Their bodies are laying in their house rotting away.
"You won't find her because she's dead!" Cali exclaimed finally looking back at her dad. Rick was about to say something but Cali kept going. "Jade's dead and I killed her!"
"Cal..." The man trailed off. He was having a hard time processing that the once smiling and full of life blonde was no longer alive.
"I didn't have a choice! She was one of them dad! She tried to eat me!" Cali sobbed with tears pouring down her face. "I didn't want to hurt her but she wouldn't stop. I didn't know what else to do!"
"Oh sweetheart." Rick gulped once more bringing his daughter into his arms. He felt guilty that his innocent daughter had to go through something like that. He couldn't imagine having to put your best friend down. It broke his heart that Cali was going through this pain by herself while he was away. "It's not your fault. That wasn't Jade. You did the right thing putting her down."
"I miss her so much!" Cali cried as Rick ran his hand up and down her back trying to calm her down. "And Amy reminds me so much of her. Every time I see her I think it's Jade until she turns around."
"I'm so sorry baby." He smiled sadly. "I wish I could have been there. You should have never had to do that."
"I just wish she was still here. I never pictured my life without her." Cali ranted wiping away the tears on her cheeks. "We were supposed to grow old together. We had our whole lives planned out."
"I can't imagine how you feel Cal." Rick said honestly. "I don't know what I'd do without Shane."
It was almost like his name had summoned him. Shane had unzipped the tent not even a minute after Rick said his name.
"Sorry for interrupting." The Walsh man apologized entering the small tent. The first thing he noticed was Cali's red eyes. He immediately knew that she was upset and had been crying. He of course wanted to go and comfort her but he knew he couldn't in front of Rick. "I just wanted to let you know that dinner is ready. Everyone's gathering around the fire to eat."
"Sounds great!" Rick smiled standing up from the air mattress. "You coming Cal?"
The girl shook her head avoiding eye contact with Shane. She knew he would want to know why she was upset and would rather not have to sit by him while she ate and he stared a hole through the side of her head.
"I think I'm just going to go to sleep early tonight." Cali replied. "I'm not really that hungry."
"I'll bring you a plate. You need to keep your strength up." Shane stated not giving the girl a chance to argue because he'd exited the tent.
"Well goodnight Cal." The Grimes man said leaning down and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Goodnight dad." She smiled savoring the attention. She for the first time in weeks wasn't scared to fall asleep tonight. She was at peace knowing that her dad was alive. "I love you."
