Fighting to Survive: The 3rd installment to Daring to Feel

Chapter 20: Work

"Yew been drinkin'" He comments and sort of asks me when we are a few steps away from the house.

I shrug back, the fun from inside fading now that I'm in front of him, "a bit, where were you?" I scowl towards him.

He rubs his hand across the back of his neck, his eyes averting from mine, "yea, uhh--I got a job" He finally gets outs with a small shrug.

"Oh" I reclaim, not expecting that, "so you were doing your job?"

"well uh--" He starts saying, "no." he quickly blurts.

I wait for more, for him to tell me what he was doing when he said he'd be at the house and wasn't, "I was waiting for you for like, 2 hours or something, on top of waiting for you to come back all day." I spit letting my annoyance show, maybe even my drunkenness.

He huffs out, "I told ya to go back to that party. Not my fault yew didn't" he rolls his eyes.

I bite my lower lip, trying not to raise my voice, "Daryl, what's going on?" I hum out lowly keeping my cool. Daryl goes to say something but I guess changes his mind and walks away. I want to call after him or follow him but I'm too angry and shocked to even move.

After a few minutes of standing in silence I go back to the house. When I get inside the others are still sitting in the living room laughing. A few more people have joined them by now as well, "well, that was faster than I would've thought" Rosita chuckles when she see's me.

"Shut up" I snarl at her while walking passed the group and to the stairs.

"Sheesh" I hear her come back, "something's got her panties waded in a bunch" but I ignore it and go upstairs to a room no one has claimed to sleep in. I won't be the one claiming it, but it's a good place to get away from everyone for the night.

I wake up to my watch beeping at 7. I have to go to the infirmary at 8. My head is pounding and the memory of how much I had to drink and the night before rushes back to me. When I go downstairs, mostly everyone is already awake. I go to the kitchen and Rosita is sitting her with hands on her hand, nursing a mug of coffee. She looks up to me and mumbles, "ugh, sorry bout last night Sadie."

I shrug, going over to pour myself some. I usually don't drink it, but I have a feeling I'll need it today to get through work, "it's okay" I tell her.

"Had a bit too much after not having any for a while." She sips her drink.

"Same for me, made an ass out of myself with Daryl too." I confide, "speaking of which, have you seen him?" I ask her.

She shakes her head, "haven't seen him since you guys left last night."

I shrug, "you know if we have any Advil or anything here?" I move around the counter to some drawers. They are mostly empty, and don't have what I'm looking for.

"I looked, nothing here. But bring some back from the infirmary, would ya?" She glances at me. I nod and take my mug and go find something to change into.

I walk into the home that's now the infirmary and the doctor sits at a desk, no patients around, "hi Pete" I say as I walk through the door.

"Welcome. Please, have a seat." He gestures across from where he is sitting, "are you excited to start here today?" He asks, sipping his own mug of coffee.

I shrug, deciding to tell the truth, "I don't know. It's kind of weird having a job now and everything. I mean, we've been out on our own for so long."

"I'm sure it's an adjustment." He says. He stands up and comes over towards where I am sitting, "but I'm here to help you adjust to it here nice and smoothly," he cusps his hands on my shoulders with a little grip, his fingers lingering over my chest.

I smirk back to him, trying not to think too much of it and the door to the house opens, "Hey Dr. P, can you take a look at Rachel? Think she's coming down with something." The women asks and next to her stands a little girl, maybe around 12.

"Come on in and take a seat!" Pete smiles wide and they go to another room in the house, "Sadie, come with us, this is usually what we get in here. Colds and cuts." He tells me as he walks. Pete closes up early around 2 and I'm relieved. My headache is starting to return after Pete gave me some medicine for my hangover. I get back to the house and eat some lunch. Afterwards, I take a shower, enjoying the running water yet again. When I get out, I hear a knock on the door. I wait for someone to answer it but the knock comes again. I go down quickly and answer the door. "Hey there." Pete stammers when I open it.

His eyes trail my body wrapped in a towel and he grins, "is uh.. Rick here?"

"Don't know, haven't seen--" but Rick comes into the room before I can finish my sentence.

"I got it Sadie. How's it going Pete?" He directs his attention the man. I walk back to the stairs, going up slowly and listening to their conversation.

"Hey Rick, just having a beer." Pete mumbles off, "thought I'd bring you one for helping my wife today."

Rick steps aside, allowing him in, "um, I'm good, but thanks."

"Come on, don't tell me you're still on duty." Pete argues.

Rick keeps his voice low, "kind of always am, you know?"

Pete chuckles, "not at Deanna's party. I saw you. You had some, right?"

Rick doesn't answer from what I can hear, "you know, I wish I could have helped out more today. I asked around, but nobody saw or heard anything."

"Well, it was just an owl." Pete returns, "grand scheme of things, I think we'll live."

"Yeah." Rick responds.

"I'm sorry. Heard you lost your wife." Pete says to him. My heart picks up a bit for him, because I know how hard it is for Rick to talk about Lori. Pete goes on, "you know, I'm sure it looks like we haven't lost much, but we have. We've lost things. Other things we're just fighting like hell to hold on to. Everything you people have been through, I don't know if you see that."

Rick answers back, "we do."

I hear a shuffle, "bring your kids in for a checkup. I know I offered you one, but they really should come in. They were out there a while, right?" Pete offers.

"Yeah." Rick responds, "thanks, Pete."

"Let's be friends, man." Pete's voice is a bit lower then before, "we kind of have to be, right?"

"Yeah, we do." Rick answers.

"So we will." Pete begins to walk back to the door, "I'll see you, Rick." Before the door closes he adds on one thing, "and tell that Sadie girl, I'll see her tomorrow."

"Okay, bud." Rick responds and the door shuts.

I walk back downstairs, still in my towel, "what was all that about?" I ask him.

Rick shrugs, "he's drunk" and walks off leaving me behind to wonder further to myself.