Robin Hood (Sequel To Hiraeth- TWD)

Chapter 20

Cailey was wandering around just outside the prison building, her boots scraping on the courtyard asphalt. Several settlers roamed around her, some children ran around, others held plates of food, and a few couples held hands as they stared at the sky. Friar followed close to her ankles, panting with a wide smile. His nails made little clipping noises on the ground as he followed the girl.

Rick was the first to approach Cailey, hands on his hips and chest puffed out a little. "Good to see you doin' better," he nodded. "How you feelin'?"

Cailey only gave a little shrug in reply, and she crossed her arms over her chest a little uncomfortably. "Where's my bow?"

Rick smiled a little and shook his head. Of course that would be the first thing out of the girl's mouth. "Daryl has it. Prob'ly up in the perch."

Cailey only gave a low hum under her breath. She stayed in place across from Rick, Friar at her hip. She stared around at all the people crowding the courtyard. The teenager had her nose scrunched up just enough to be visible.

"You'll get used to it," Rick decided. "These are good people. We were able to have the food stand up in a couple hours 'cause of them."

"Gonna be hard when winter comes again," Cailey crossed her arms. "Farm all ya want, but it'll freeze, so'll the meat."

"We'll figure it out," Rick nodded. "It's okay."

A grey-haired woman stepped up next to the pair. "Glad to see you doing better," Carol nodded. She held out a white ceramic bowl to Cailey, half-filled with a lukewarm stew. "Heard Beth was looking for you a couple minutes ago."

Cailey hummed as she took the food, gripping the spoon so hard her fingertips turned white. She mumbled out a "Thanks," as she didn't make any attempt to Carol's comment about Beth.

"You should head back inside," Rick nodded. "You've just barely gotten up, an' it's hot. Lucky to even be alive."

Cailey scoffed a little, but she limped away from Rick, then back into the prison hallways. She still had the bowl of food in her hands from Carol, half-eaten as she slowly made her way into her group's cell block. 

"Oh, there you are!" Beth went straight to Cailey's side, nearly pushing Friar over into the other teenager. "You shouldn't be walking around, you're still hurt."

"Can take care o' myself," Cailey muttered through a mouthful of vegetable. "Don't need ya hovering."

"I'm not hovering," Beth spoke soft as usual, a little smile on her face. "I just want to make sure you don't get hurt again."

Cailey absentmindedly hummed, her teeth crunching on one last vegetable- some type of cucumber or eggplant. She left the bowl on one of the tables, and kept walking. 

"My daddy's over in your cell, he wants to take a look at you."

"That's nice."

"It wasn't a question," an older man's voice called. "C'mon in here, Cailey."

With a sigh, the brunette dragged herself along to the cell with Friar and Beth. Hershel sat in a chair next to the bed, and he nodded at the mattress. Cailey slowly sat down, her weight making the thin cot sink down a little. Hershel gestured for Cailey to lift her shirt up, and the teenager complied. Hershel pulled gently at the bandages, lifting them off. The bleeding had stopped for the most part, but Cailey's side was still torn up like she had been mauled by a bear.

"Lucky we got you in time," the old doctor declared. He began re-applying Cailey's bandages. "You'll be fine, but it's gonna leave a nasty scar."

"Eh, I heard chicks dig that shit," Cailey mumbled.

Hershel smiled a little as he finished up on the bandages. "No more wandering around by yourself, now. Get some rest."

"Yes, suh."