Just Keep Walking

Twenty

Before they left, Rick dressed Mary into her slightly damp dungarees, then turned to Tara. "How many water bottles did you fill?"
"Four. There's four left now. It was pretty much dried up. There's not much water anywhere." Tara explained, and Rick sighed.
"Okay. We're on rations." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Okay. Let's move out!"
Everyone piled into the cars, Rick letting Mary sit on his lap, cherishing every second with her. He turned to Michonne with a smile. "No car seat complaints?"
"Hmm, I think she's good for now." Michonne teased, then they remembered the day's events suddenly, and their faces fell.
"Alright. Let's go." Rick nodded to Abraham, and they set off, their car in front. They drove until sunset, which is when they stopped. Everyone had a little water, leaving only one bottle left, and they shared out some raisins, the only food they had left.
"Okay. Have your pills." Rick soothed to Mary, passing her the two pills, which she swallowed tiredly, despite the fact that she had slept almost all day.
"Mary, shall I sort your hair?" Michonne asked softly, and Mary nodded. Michonne took Mary's hair down, taking out the two bands, then braided it into two long plaits, tight and neat, and put Mary's bandana in as a headband, as usual. "Moo, that looks so pretty." Michonne smiled gently, desperate to raise the child's spirits.
"Thank you." Mary mumbled, nestling into Michonne's shoulder. "I'm so cold."
"Her fever's really up again." Michonne sighed to Rick, and he sighed shakily.
"Here, lemmie take her." Rick replied, and Michonne passed the child over, and Rick just held her tightly until she fell asleep.
The next morning they finished all the water, the one bottle very hard to split between the amount of dehydrated people in the group.
"Mary?" Carl asked as she kept sleeping, laid on the grass, while everyone else was awake.
"Just let her sleep." Rick answered, slightly harshly, and Carl nodded, knowing his dad got very protective and stressed when one of his children were sick.
"Will she take it in her sleep?" Carl whispered, holding out her antibiotic pill. Rick nodded, and Carl supported Mary's head, then put the pill and her tiny share of water in her mouth. Just as Rick predicted, she swallowed it without waking up.
"She's a pro at being sick." Rick sighed in defeat.
"But she's gonna get better." Carl insisted, repeating himself when Rick didn't reply.
"Yeah." Rick mumbled, nodding slightly. "Where's Judith?"
"With Michonne."
"Alright. Okay." Rick nodded.
"Dad?" Carl asked softly, seeing how broken Rick looked, concern growing in his stomach. Rick didn't respond. "Dad. Dad!"
"What?"
"Don't turn off again. I know she's really sick, but don't turn off." Carl said gently, and Rick nodded slowly, then he got up, and kicked dirt over the fire.
"Let's go!" He shouted, and everyone did as he said, piling into the cars.
For the first few hours Abraham drove, and Rick held Mary, then they swapped at midday, Glenn taking Mary.
"Hey." He smiled when she finally opened her eyes.
"Hello." Mary mumbled back, looking around and seeing Rick.
"Here, take your pill." Rick ordered gently, and Mary took it with difficulty, struggling to do so without any water or juice.
"Hey, look out of the window." Glenn whispered, and Mary did as he said, seeing the forest next to them. "It's pretty, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Mary mumbled, looking out of the glass.
"Look, can you see all of those flowers? What colours are they?"
"Purple."
"Yeah. And look at all the long grass. I bet there's some fairies hiding in there. What else? A troll?"
"A pink one." Mary whispered with a smile, looking at some little pink wild flowers.
"And an unicorn?"
"Yeah."
"And I bet there's some little elves, and a mermaid in the lakes."
"All the lakes are dried up." Abraham muttered bitterly, and Glenn glared at him.
"'Nd some butterflies." Mary breathed, picturing it in her head.
"Yep." Glenn smiled softly, glad to be distracting her from the pain.
"Well, at least she's not throwing up." Tara joked.
"She's not eaten enough to throw up." Carl pointed out harshly, and Tara realised her joke really wasn't appreciated.
"Alright. Let's stop here. I'll set some traps, Daryl can hunt, and we can find some water." Rick decided, pulling over.
"What's the clock?" Mary mumbled, and Glenn looked down at her in confusion.
"Half four." Rick replied, and Mary nodded. They all got out of the car, the other car stopping behind them. Maggie didn't move from out of the car, and didn't flinch when Glenn kissed the top of her head. Rick took Mary, kissing her nose. "You wanna come put some traps up with me?" He asked quietly, and Mary nodded.
"Can I come?" Carl questioned, coming over.
"Yeah. We'll be a few hours though. Gonna go quite far out."
"I'll help." Michonne said softly, and they went into the woods, leaving Judith with Carol. They walked for an hour, Mary asleep, until Michonne spoke up.
"We need to find somewhere soon." Michonne sighed, looking at Mary's tiny body. She was on Rick's back, tied on, too weak to heal properly or even walk. They all were starving, dehydrated.
"She's so weak. Rick, I don't want to be the one to say it, but if we don't find somewhere soon... She's gonna slip away."
"I know. I know." Rick whispered shakily.
"Daddy." Mary cried softly, waking up. She was constantly drifting in and out of consciousness.
"I'm here, baby girl. I'm here." He soothed, holding his hand up for her to hold it.
"Daddy it hurts." Mary sobbed, clinging onto his hand so tight her tiny knuckles went white.
"I know baby, I know," Rick soothed, his heart breaking, "but you're gonna get better. You're gonna feel just fine."
"I think I gotta go to sleep again."
"No, baby, try to... Try to stay awake." Rick said quickly, knowing that all of her sleeping was bad. He feared that she would fall asleep and not wake up. Her tiny body was running on fumes and occasional water, and it was slowly killing her.

Maybe this isn't a world for children anymore.

It was the thought that he kept pushing out of his mind.

"Baby girl, try to stay awake." Rick repeated.
"Trying." Mary cried groggily.
"Hey, Moo, Do you remember when you went horse riding in the woods?" Michonne asked, trying to distract her. "On Nemo? Remember Nemo?"
"My horsey." Mary whispered through her tears.
"Yeah, your horsey. Do you.... Do you remember seeing the butterfly? The one that landed on his nose, then he did a big sneeze and..."
"I fell." Mary mumbled.
"Yeah, and you just tumbled off, and Carl caught you, and you just giggled, and he put you right back on? Then I carried on leading you through the woods, and you was so so so brave?"
"'M not scared." Mary cried softly.
"No you're not. You're a big girl who's gonna feel better soon."
"Bedtime?" She croaked.
"Nearly. Is your hip hurting?"
"Yeah." Mary cried.
"Moo! You're awake." Carl grinned, walking over to them. "Are you feeling better?"
"Tired."
"You'll be better soon." Carl assured, stroking the back of her hand. "Dad, there's a house ahead."
Rick and Michonne jogged over, and saw a massive log house in the middle of the woods. "This could work. A few nights here, we can hunt in the woods, I bet there's water. Let's go back and get the others." Rick nodded. They walked back, a spring in their step that wasn't there before.
"We've found a house," Michonne announced, "it could work for a few days. If we leave the cars on the side of the road, cover them up a bit, we can stay."
"Sounds good." Abraham nodded, as everyone got up.
"Shall I take Mary?" Carl asked Rick, but he shook his head.
"No, you take Judith."
"Here, I don't mind. Give you a break." Tara offered.
"Thank you." Rick nodded with a smile, passing Mary over.
Mary rested her head on Tara's shoulder, then whispered, "Was you a mommy?"
"No. I had a little niece though. She was called Meghan."
"Was she big? Or little?"
"She was a bit older than you." Tara replied shakily. Mary nodded, and felt herself falling asleep, but woke up when they got to the house.
Inside, they found several bottles of water, so Carl made Judith some formula, and Rick managed to get Mary to drink her share, and most of his, Rick sat on the couch with Mary laid on it, her head on his lap.
"Here. Soft food. She might manage this." Glenn said gently, stroking Mary's head and passing Rick a jar of apple sauce.
"Thanks." Rick smiled. There wasn't much, and he sighed, then decided Mary should have it, not Judith, even though she needed some solid foods too. Mary needed it more.
"Here. Princess, eat a little of this." Rick said gently, getting some apple sauce on a spoon.
"Not hungry." Mary whined.
"You are, sweetie," her father sighed, "you've not eaten properly in two days, and you've thrown it all up. You're so hungry, your brain is saying you're not."
"I just feel sick." She whined.
"I know. I know. Please, just for me, try a little." Mary shook her head, and Rick sighed shakily. "Baby. Please." He whispered, a few tears falling from his eyes onto her cheek. "For me. Baby, I can't lose you. Please."
Mary nodded slowly, then opened her mouth and ate some of the apple sauce, then another spoonful, then another, until she had eaten a quarter of the jar. "Good girl." Rick soothed, stroking her forehead.
"Daddy, lie with me." Mary asked shakily, and Rick nodded. He laid beside her, and stroked the side of her head until the tiny child fell asleep.