Don't look back

Twenty six

"You need to sleep." Rick said to Lori as they both sat, watching over Mary. Carl was curled up on the bed, the two of them sleeping side by side, as normal.
"So should you." Lori retorted.
"Lori. Just go, you need the sleep. Don't tire yourself out. It's bad for the baby." Rick snapped suddenly. Lori glared at him, and left, going to sleep in one of the bedrooms.
He stayed awake watching over the children all night.

"Daddy?" Mary asked softly, after eating a lunch of some dry crackers and two slices of a canned peach.
"Yeah?" Rick asked, his weary eyes snapping open.
"Thank you."
"For what, princess?"
"Finding me. You and uncle Daryl."
"Uncle Daryl?" Rick chuckled.
"Yeah. Thank you." Mary nodded.
"Well thank you. For making it out there."
"It was scary."
"Yeah. I bet it was. But you're a big girl now. You can be brave."
"I'm a big girl?" Mary asked with a weak smile.
"Yep."
"If I'm a big girl, can you answer some questions I have?"
"Okay. Yeah. Very big girl." Rick applauded.
"What's suicide? You still won't tell me. And can I learn how to shoot?"
Rick looked at her, taken back. "Okay. Well, that is grown up stuff. Right. Okay. Suicide is when someone chooses to die. Like, they shot them self."
"So Mister Jenner did suicide? And Jack?"
"Yeah. Doctor Jenner and Jacqui did." Rick nodded slowly, and Mary nodded back.
"Don't ever do that." Mary said suddenly.
"I won't." Rick promised.
"And shooting?" Mary asked.
"Alright," Rick nodded slowly, "I don't like it. But you need to learn. You can learn, but you're not having a gun. Okay? Deal?"
"Deal." Mary smiled happily.
"Go back to sleep. Yeah?" Rick said softly, and Mary nodded, closing her eyes.
"Hey," Glenn smiling, coming into the bedroom, "you wanna go take a break? Have a nap? I'll watch her."
Rick raised his eyebrows at Glenn, and the young man's face fell.
"Sorry." Glenn whispered, going to leave.
"No. No, it's okay. I appreciate it." Rick nodded slowly, getting up.
"I'll not leave her bedside. Unless something happens. Majorly." Glenn promised.
"Thanks," Rick nodded, kissing Mary's forehead and leaving, then he gave Glenn a friendly, teasing smiled, "dumbass."
Glenn grinned back, and sat in the chair by Mary's bed.
"Daddy?" Mary mumbled.
"No. It's Glenn, kid." Glenn smiled softly.
Mary's eyes snapped open. "Glenny."
"Listen, Mary, I'm so sorry."
"Why?"
"For not watching you." Glenn sighed.
"It's fine," Mary's shrugged, "I'm okay. And I get to learn how to shoot!"
"Your daddy said that?"
"Yeah!"
"Cool. Right. Okay. You feeling good? Do you need anything?"
"I'm okay."
"Alright. Why don't ya go back to sleep, yeah?"
"Yeah." Mary nodded, closing her eyes again.

It was three days before Mary was allowed out of bed, under Rick's overly strict orders, and the first thing she did was go down the stairs, and went up to Maggie.
"Play?" She asked with a smile.
"Sure," Maggie grinned broadly, "what do you want to play?"
"Let's play hair. You do mine first." Mary smiled back. Maggie smiled back, and the two went upstairs.
"Who lived here?" Mary asked softly.
"A family. A mommy and daddy, and two boys, and two girls. You're sleeping in the little boys room."
"He has a comfy bed. It's big too. Me and Carl share it. Daddy sleeps on the comfy chair. Where does mommy Lori sleep?" Mary nodded slowly.
"She sleeps in the big boys room. With Carol. So she can have a bed." Maggie replied slowly, and Mary nodded, then followed her into a bedroom with pink walls, and two beds, and two air beds on the floor.
"Who sleeps here?" Mary asked, sitting on one of the beds.
"Hershel, Beth, Glenn, and me." Maggie replied, going in a bedside drawer and pulling out a hairbrush with the name Darcy on the back. Maggie sat behind Mary, and gently brushed her hair, then braided it, Mary moving the whole time, testing Mary's saint-like patience she had with the child. Afterwards, Mary brushed Maggie's hair, pulling it harshly, although Maggie didn't complain. 
"When will you and Glenny have a baby?" Mary asked innocently.
"What?" Maggie spluttered in surprise.
"A baby. Lori gets to have one." Mary replied nonchalantly.
"Not yet. Maybe never. I don't know." Maggie shrugged, taken back by the question. "Are you excited for your new baby brother or sister?"
"Yeah. I want it to be a girl. Maybe a boy. Called Maggie-Rick. But daddy says no. If it's a boy, Rick-Maggie."
Maggie laughed, and shook her head slowly. "I think we'll let your mommy and daddy close the name."
"Daddy said me and Carl can help." Mary insisted, then got up, and looked around the room.
"My bedroom was pink too."
"Yeah? You like the colour pink?"
"No. I like yellow." Mary shrugged. Maggie smiled at her, the tiny girl with long dark hair, in Carl's striped shirt, massively big, with a pair of knitted tights underneath, and a black fleece.
"Why don't you get changed? I bet one of these girls is a similar size to you." Maggie suggested.
"I like my dungarees."
"I know you do. But we've got no real way of cleaning them."
"Okay." Mary nodded, then Maggie went through the drawers, and found her a pair of jeans, a shirt, and a zip up hoodie.
"I'm gonna show daddy my new clothes!" Mary grinned after getting changed, then she ran downstairs. "Look at me!" Mary smiled to her father, stood in front of him in her new outfit.
She was still pale, still malnourished, but clean. Her hair was in two cute braids, with some denim jeans rolled up at the ankle to fit better, and a zipped up hoodie, pink with white stars on it. The sight of her made Rick smile.
"You look adorable." He grinned, picking her up and hugging her.
"You ready to go on a run?" T-Dog asked Rick.
"Yeah," Rick nodded slowly, "be good, okay? I'll see you soon."
"Be safe." Mary nodded softly, getting down.
"Carl, I'm off on the run. I'll see you soon."
"Okay." Carl shrugged.
"I love you, stay safe, yeah?" Ruck whispered, kissing the top of his head, on his hat.
"Yep." Carl sighed. "Mary. Come on, let's go."
"Bye." Mary smiled to Rick, then she walked away with Carl. "Where are we going?"
"Dunno." Carl shrugged. As soon as his dad was gone, he passed Mary her dirty coat, and put his own on. "We're going scavenging." Carl announced to Lori.
"No." Lori scoffed.
"Yes."
"No. Mary got lost and went missing for almost a week. Your dad said those woods are like a maze. No." Lori insisted.
"We'll go with someone else then."
"No." Lori sighed.
"Glenn! Can you come scavenging with us? In the woods." Carl asked, going up to the man.
"Uh... Why? Your dads already gone."
"Mary said there's real food. Fresh food. Apples. We wanna get some."
"Alright. Okay. If your mom says it's okay."
Lori sighed. "Fine. Stay with Glenn. Not you Mary. You're only just back on your feet."
"Please." Mary whined.
"I'll take care of her. I promise." Glenn nodded to Lori.
Lori sighed again, then nodded. "Both of you, listen to Glenn, do as he says."
"We will." Mary smiled.
"Sweetie, put on an extra jumper. It's cold out." Carol smiled softly, and Mary nodded, and went upstairs. She pulled a jumper from the drawer in the little girl's bedroom, and put it on, slightly too big, then went downstairs and put her coat back on. Carl had three fabric bags, and they left, climbing over the fence in the garden. As soon as they got into the woods, Mary began to cling onto Glenn's hand, and he stood still, as did Mary and Carl.
"Do you have your knife?" Glenn asked Mary softly, bending down to her eye level.
"Yes." Mary whispered back.
"Then even if we did get separated, you'd be safe. But we won't. Okay? You're safe."
Mary nodded slowly, and they carried on walking, looking for apples.
"Here's one." Mary smiled, looking up at an apple tree. Carl grinned at her then climbed the tree, and began to pull the apples off the branches, and put them into his bag. Mary smiled and copied him, as Glenn pulled them off the lower branches.
"Daddy's gonna be real happy when he sees all the apples!" Mary smiled happily, filling her bag. "Do you think uncle Daryl likes apples?"
"Uncle Daryl? He's not our uncle." Carl laughed, as did Glenn.
"He is now." Mary shrugged.
"I'm sure he loves them." Glenn smiled kindly.
"And Maggie?"
"Yep." Glenn grinned back.
"My bag's full." Mary sighed.
"Me too." Carl nodded.
"Alright. Let's go back." Glenn nodded. "Wait. There's a Walker. Just stay there, I'll get it."
Mary nodded slowly, and Glenn went out of sight, then came back a minute later. "Okay. Let's go."
"I'm tired." Mary sighed, climbing down from the tree. Glenn smiled at her, and lifted her into his shoulders, carrying his bag of apples in one hand, Mary's bag in the other.
"Apples?" Beth asked with a grin as they got into the house.
"Yep." Carl smiled proudly. Glenn got Mary down, and she grabbed an apple, and ran and gave it to Daryl.
"This for me?" He grunted, and Mary nodded with a shy smile. "Thanks."
Mary looked at him expectantly, then said quietly and nervously, "Hug?"
Daryl laughed, and gave the girl a quick hug. "Go play with yer brother."
Mary nodded, and ran back to Carl.
"You found loads." Maggie commented to Glenn, smiling at him softly, reaching for an apple.
"No," Glenn whispered urgently, "Mary wanted to give you one."
Maggie laughed, and stepped away, then Mary ran over and gave her an apple. "For you." She smiled, passing the apple to Maggie.
"Well thank you." Maggie grinned back, picking her up and hugging her.
"Guess who's back?" Carol smiled softly at Mary. Mary wiggled out of Maggie's arms, and ran over to Rick who had just walked through the door.
"Me and Carl and Glenny got apples!" She grinned, letting him pick her up and hold her.
"And I thought we were good finding sardines, jam, sweetcorn, and some cans of coke." Rick teased, kissing Mary's cheek, then trying - and failing - to hug Carl.
Then they all ate apple after apple, until they were sick of the fruit, and Mary fell asleep.