Saving Each Other ~ The Walking Dead ~

Chapter Nine: Truth

-Ava's POV-
I rolled over to be woken up to birds chirping, I slowly opened my eyes. It felt good to be sleeping in an actual shelter even if it was just a tent and sleeping bag it was home. I sat up and slipped on my tank top and pants then my boots and headed out to the others.

Everyone was doing what I could guess was their normal routine a lot has changed since the last time I had seen them. I walked by Carol who was eating what looked like to be some eggs and fruit. I gave her a smile before walking into the house to go check up on Daryl.

"Hey Maggie." I said as she was coming out of the house she gave me a small smile I felt like something was wrong with her. I grabbed her arm making her stop walking. "Is everything okay?" I was concern about her even if we just had met she seem like a great person. "Yeah well no... I don't know.." I gave her a reassuring smile. "How about you come find me in a few and we talk about it?" She nodded her head. "Yeah sounds good." It felt good to have a friend like her, she reminded me so much of my best friend Sydney.

I could feel my emotions start to change when I thought about my old life. Sydney was a friend from college who was there through a lot of my problems. She was my maid of honor and there when Michael was born. I grew even more sad thinking she was probably dead.

I went up the stairs of the old farm house and to the second bedroom door on the left side I did a small knock on the door letting him know I was coming in. "Hey I was wondering if... What the hell are you doing?" I walked in the room and stopped when I saw there was blood covering his bed and he was trying to sew his side back. "I turned and the stitches came out." He said looking up at me. I rolled my eyes and went to the side of his bed. "Here let me help you." I sat down on the side trying to take the needle from him. "No I don't need no damn help." He snapped at me I'm guessing it hurt for him to do that because he winced as he said it.

I let out a small laugh. "Yeah right. How about you stop trying to act like you don't need some help once in awhile and let someone be nice to you for change!" I snapped right back at him. "If it wasn't for me asshole you would still be in the damn woods." I got up off the bed. "You will need help one day and nobody is going to be there." With that I walked out for his room shutting his door. I was so busy being mad at him I didn't see Rick standing there staring at me.

"Rick. I'm sorry I didn't see you there." I straightened up and looked at him. He had a little smile and shook his head. "You know I have heard people talk back to Daryl Dixon before but not like that. When you do it you have a small piece of humor and a whole lot of hate." I looked up at him. "Yeah Jason use to tell me that." I started walking towards the stairs. "Who's Jason?" I heard from behind me.

I turned my head to the side. "He was my husband." I looked over at Rick to see he seemed surprised. "Your husband?" He asked. "Yeah. We were married for two years. We met my first semester of college hooked up, I got pregnant so I dropped out of college he was a senior so he finished out. He was into sports medicine, after Michael was born I went into the academy and became an officer. When all this started I had just started a new job as a under cover cop." I told Rick the truth right there on those stairs. I hadn't told anyone in this group the whole truth till now. "Ava. I had no idea you had a family out there. Do you know where they are?" I looked down at my hands then back at him. "No... I don't." I could hear my voice crack. "I just pray they are okay or dead. I don't want them going through this without me. They were all I had. My mom was in and out of my life and my dad was a drunk my older brother Jackson raised me until he grew old enough to move out and he went west. When I found Jason and he didn't leave me I finally felt wanted. Now.... I'm lost all over again." I felt him place his arm around my shoulders like Jackson would to comfort me. "You have us Ava. Everyone in this group was worried sick when you didn't come back. Even that asshole in there. He don't want people to know this but he was probably the most worried." I looked up at Rick a little confused. "Really? That same guy in there who hates everything?" He chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah he was." I sat there for a minute before getting up. "Where you going?" Rick asked standing up too. "I'm better then what I said to him." I walked back down the hall to his room.