Complicated ✔

Ch. 144 - Surrounded

KATHRYN’S POV

I don’t know how long I had to sit there with Maggie, watching as she withered in pain while we waited for Enid to get back with some sort of help. I think I nearly sighed in relief when she came back with Dad and Carl. “I think it’s the baby,” I said as I looked from Maggie who was holding my hand and to Dad who knelt down in front of us. “Carl help me get her to the couch,” he said as he took her hand from my grasp and helped her to stand before he and my brother helped walk her to the couch in the living room.

I sat there with her, damp cloth in my hand that I used to wipe her forehead as Dad left the house with Carl to get stuff together. When Dad came back to pack a couple of bags for Maggie, I followed him. “Dad,” I said when he had his back to me, “I’m coming with y’all.” “No,” he said without turning around, “you’re staying here where it’s safe.” “I can’t,” I said shaking my head, “with Denise dead and Daryl MIA, I can’t stay here and hope things will turn out okay. I need to be at the Hilltop in case I have my baby while he’s gone. I could have her any day now. I need to be where she and I will both have the best chance of survival.”

RICK’S POV

I looked back at Kathryn as she said that, knowing she was right. The day after Denise was killed, I overheard her and Daryl talking about taking her up there as soon as she got closer to having the baby, for safety reasons. “Alright,” I finally said with a sigh before turning back to what I was doing as she walked out of the room to get her own bag packed. Much to my dislike, when everyone saw what I was taking to get Maggie, and now Kathryn, to the Hilltop, Abraham and others were offering to go with us to help out.

So now it was me, Abraham, Carl, Aaron, Eugene, Sasha, and Kathryn going with Maggie to the Hilltop. Aaron was in the back with Kathryn and Maggie, trying to keep them calm while we got on our way. I had Abraham driving so I could go to the back and check on them both. Kathryn was sitting with Maggie, Maggie’s head in her lap as she stroked her head to try and help her relax. “Everything will be okay,” I said as I peered up at both of them when I knelt down to be closer to Maggie, “the Hilltop will help make things better.” I watched as Kathryn gave me a small smile before she peered down at Maggie.

KATHRYN’S POV

I was scared for Maggie. She was in so much pain, and still had a long ride to get to the Hilltop before we’d know what was going on. When the RV stopped, I began to panic as everyone started to exit out of the RV and leaving me and Maggie in the back where we were. We were told to keep quiet as they exited. I could faintly hear talking but I couldn’t make out what was being said. I just waited for Dad and the others to come back and tell us if everything was going to be okay, or if we needed to worry.

This kept happening all day, finding one route, only to have to find another. It was slowly staring to get dark when Eugene finally spoke up, saying he’d take the RV and lead them away while we attempted to carry Maggie the remaining distance to the Hilltop. As much as we all were against it, we had no other option really. We said our goodbyes to Eugene before I watched as Dad, Aaron, Sasha, and Abraham each grabbed a side to the make-shift gurney we’d made to carry Maggie. I stood up front with Carl, gun in hand as we all began to walk the rest of the way.

But, things didn’t work out for us either way. The sound of whistles reached our ears before the sight of the Saviors reached our eyes. I was panicking as I looked around, standing near Carl, with my gun shaking in my hands. I hadn’t felt this scared in a long time. Not since I thought I lost my family when we lost the prison. They took our weapons before the one who seemed to be in control spoke. “Okay,” he said, “let’s get her down and get you on your knees. Got a lot to talk about.”