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Solace

Chapter 58

For the rest of the morning, Lindsey helped Maggie with laundry. Now that they were going on the trip, they would need plenty of clean clothes for the entire group. Since it would be quite difficult to wash clothing on the road, once an item got dirty, they’d probably be forced to throw it away and find something new.

To conserve every ounce of fuel, Lindsey was stuck with the washboard while Maggie hung clothes on the line. She added a spoonful of detergent to the water and dipped her arms into the murky liquid. Two baskets of clothes were situated next to the tub, after having done two already. Lindsey grabbed the next item, one of Rick’s white shirts, and began to scrub it against the board. Dirt and grime lifted from the material, further darkening the water.

With a departure date set for three days from now, Lindsey was starting to feel slightly panicked. Once they left the farm, they would most likely be on the road for weeks, if not months. Rick had said that they needed to prepare themselves mentally, which made Lindsey ask herself the question – how?

One particular moment at The Plant came to mind. She remembered watching Carl labor away while they sorted through bullets, and she’d made a promise to herself that if they escaped, she would give him one day to be a kid. Well, the clock was ticking. There would be no chance of that happening once they hit the road. It only took one thought from earlier in the day for her to figure out what was first on the agenda.

Lindsey glanced up at Maggie as the young woman hung a pair of jeans. “Hey, Maggie?”

She placed a clothespin on the line and looked over at Lindsey. “Yeah?”

“Would you happen to have any baseball gloves somewhere around here?” Lindsey inquired.

Maggie paused and bit her lip as she thought about it. “Shawn kept all of his sports equipment in the shed out back. You could try lookin’ in there.”

“And you wouldn’t mind if I used it?” Lindsey asked, trying to be respectful of the other woman’s things, especially those belonging to her deceased step-brother.

Maggie smiled, noticeably touched by Lindsey’s compassion toward the sensitive topic. “Not at all. It’d be nice for it to get some use.”

“Okay,” Lindsey replied, returning the smile. “Thank you.”

After lunch, Lindsey ventured out to the shed. She pulled open the double doors, which made a loud screeching noise from the rusty hinges. It was clear that this shed didn’t get a lot of attention, as the inside was layered with cobwebs and dust. Lindsey shone her flashlight over the crooked, wooden shelves. She came across a deflated football and a heavily faded Frisbee, but not what she was looking for. Turning to the opposite side of the shed, she searched the remaining shelves. After wiping a sticky cobweb on her jeans, she lifted a cloth tarp and discovered exactly what she wanted.

Lindsey went to step out of the shed and bumped straight into Rick, dropping her findings on the ground.

“What are you doin’ in here?” he asked, crouching down to help her pick up what she’d dropped.

Lindsey noticed that Carl was behind Rick as she said, “I was just about to look for you guys. Where’s Judith?”

Carl gestured to the house. “She’s taking a nap. Carol’s inside.”

Lindsey grinned. “Good.” She slapped a baseball glove into Rick’s chest and threw another to Carl. “These…are for you.”

Rick studied the dusty mitt with a perplexed expression. “What is this?”

The blonde scoffed. “Don’t tell me it’s been that long!”

Carl snickered at her joke, and Rick rolled his eyes. “No, I mean, what’s this all about?”

We are gonna play catch. You remember what that is, right?” Lindsey teased, and tossed Carl a baseball. The boy caught it in his bare hand.

Rick put on the glove and manipulated it with his hand, breaking in the stiff material with his other fist. “We were actually going to do inventory,” he began.

“Well, that can wait,” Lindsey said with an encouraging smile. “I’ll take it easy on you,” she added in a whisper as she slipped past him.

The three of them strode over to an open area and formed a triangle. Lindsey regarded Rick as he rolled his shoulder. It’d probably been a while since he had last played, but this new world was physically demanding – she knew he was still exceptionally fit.

Carl began by throwing the baseball to Lindsey. He had a good arm, and Lindsey caught the ball in her glove with no problem. Rick opened his mitt and waited as she wound her arm back. With the flick of her wrist, she hurled the ball at him. Rick seemed surprised when it impacted the glove with a resonant smack. He gave her a look that said, ‘I thought you were going to take it easy on me?’ Lindsey just smirked.

They played for at least another half hour. At one point, Lindsey threw the baseball over Rick’s head, forcing him to chase after it.

“Sorry!” she shouted, but didn’t feel so sorry anymore when she watched him bend over. Lindsey admired the way Rick’s backside looked in his tight, black pants. Before he turned around, she diverted her eyes and hid a smile.

“All right, that’s enough for today,” Rick announced as he tugged off his glove.

Aww, Dad! Just five more minutes?” Carl begged.

Rick glanced at Lindsey, and she raised her eyebrows as they awaited his answer. He blew out a breath and smiled. “Okay, five more minutes.”


In the evening, Rick helped Lindsey gather the dishes from dinner. He was beginning to fill the sink with hot, soapy water when Carl wandered into the room with a fussy Judith.

“Judy is super cranky! I think she’s tired,” Carl said, making an uncomfortable face as Judith wriggled in his arms.

Lindsey looked to Rick and he could see how badly she wanted to take the little girl. He was well aware of the distance the woman had put between herself and Judy. There was a clear line that Lindsey didn’t want to cross. She wasn’t trying to become the mother of his children, but he knew she wanted to become a mother. If that island turned out to be everything they hoped for...maybe, maybe.

“Why don’t you put Judy to bed? I’ll take care of the dishes,” Rick said to Lindsey.

A sparkle of light appeared in her brown eyes, softening her gaze. “I would love to,” she answered, and Carl passed her Judith. They listened as the boy ran upstairs. Lindsey shifted Judith onto her hip and smiled at Rick. “I’ll see you when you’re done?”

“Of course,” he whispered, and tipped up her chin with a tender hand. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips and hovered for a moment, their warm breath mingling. He inhaled her sweet scent, and on his exhale, said, “I love you, Linds.”

She raised her entrancing eyes, and he could see it before the words slipped from her lips. “I love you, too.”

Rick watched her leave the room, his heart overflowing with affection for the two females in his life. He didn’t think he would ever love a woman this much again, and as happy as it made him, he couldn’t forget Lindsey’s comment about their journey to New Canaan. Although it was selfish of him, he longed with every breath in his body that Lindsey and his children were not the ones to meet an early demise. He most certainly didn’t want anyone to die, but he wouldn’t be able to go on if he lost one of them.

As Rick began to scrub the first dish, he reflected on his day. After the tense group meeting and awkward discussion with Carl, Tyreese had approached him with an apology. He was sure Lindsey had something to do with that. Rick didn’t have anything against Tyreese. The man just handled things differently than him, which was perfectly acceptable. Everyone was entitled to their own opinion – the problem arose when it blew up in front of the entire group. Hopefully they wouldn’t have any more disagreements on the road.

The afternoon had been much more enjoyable. Witnessing the joy on Carl’s face while the three of them played catch was the happiness Rick had been craving for a long time now. He also loved seeing Lindsey in a carefree light. It gave him a hint of the ‘old’ her that he’d never gotten a chance to know. Sometimes he wondered if they still would have fallen in love before, but he didn’t give it too much thought since they both had been married.

“It’s not every day you see a man doing dishes,” a voice said from behind Rick.

He peered over his shoulder and saw Rosita standing in the doorway. “And it’s not every day that the dead come back to life and roam the earth, but even that wasn’t impossible,” he retorted.

Rosita smiled at his comeback and leaned against the counter next to him. She glanced in the direction she’d just come. “Your daughter is so beautiful, Rick. I can see where she got those baby blues from,” she stated with a curve of her mocha-colored lips. Very softly, she ran her fingertips over Rick’s forearm. Her touch sent shivers through him, but not in the way she’d probably hoped.

Quickly, Rick pulled him arm away. “Uh, Rosita…I’m flattered, but I’m with Lindsey.”

The woman’s smile widened and she shrugged. “You can’t blame a girl for tryin’. Pickings are kind of slim around here.”

“What about Abraham?” Rick had noticed the man’s interest in her from the moment they’d met. “I think you have his attention.”

“Really?” Rosita asked in disbelief. Evidently, it hadn’t been as obvious to her. With a sincere look, she said, “Thanks...”

Rick finished up the dishes, all the while trying to shake off what had just happened. The whole incident was relatively innocent, but he decided that it was probably best not to share it with Lindsey. As long as Rosita kept her distance from now on, he fully intended to forget the entire thing.

When he entered their room, Lindsey was on top of the bedspread with Judith resting on her chest. Both were sound asleep, and the adorable image made Rick smile. Carefully, he lifted Judith into his arms, and Lindsey was startled by the sudden absence of weight. Rick rested a calming hand on Lindsey’s shoulder as Judith nestled her head into the crook of his neck. The woman let out a soft chuckle when she realized that everything was okay.

Rick crossed the room and gently placed Judith in her makeshift crib – a clothes basket layered with folded blankets. She was still too young to have any loose material around her, but he was sure she’d be warm enough in her footed pajamas. After kissing her goodnight, he turned back to Lindsey.

She had gotten up from the bed and was now bending over her backpack. Her black yoga shorts rode up, revealing the full length of her smooth legs. Rick’s mouth went dry at the sight. He came up behind Lindsey and rested a hand on her hip. She bolted upright, and Rick closed the space between them, pressing her back into his chest. Brushing his lips against the curve of her ear, he said, “You have the sexiest legs.”

Lindsey caught her bottom lip between her teeth and smiled. “Thank you…have you seen Rosita’s, though? Now those are some legs.”

Rick was taken aback by her coincidental mentioning of the woman, but took it as just that – a coincidence. “All I’ve seen is that her outfit is a little impractical,” he responded truthfully. “Besides, she’s not really my type.”

Lindsey rubbed herself against him, provoking a low groan from Rick. “And what is your type?”

His mouth grazed over her ear again as he whispered, “Pretty, blonde teachers.”

Lindsey spun around in his embrace, and Rick boldly squeezed her backside, pressing his arousal against her belly. She moaned into his mouth as they kissed passionately. His hands swept up into her long hair, drawing out the faint scent of flowers and coconut.

Abruptly, Lindsey pulled away and stared up at him with her mischievous eyes again. “Don’t you want to know what my type is?” she asked, her voice like silk.

Rick gave her his own playful look. “Absolutely.”

“Sexy ex-sheriffs with two kids and a group of people who would follow him to the ends of the earth,” she said, her gaze radiating with admiration.

Rick was beyond flattered by her statement – a hell of a lot more than Rosita’s. Desire pulsed through him as he appreciated the woman in his arms. Swiftly, he lifted her up, encouraging her to wrap her legs around his waist. He supported her weight whilst her arms draped over his shoulders and grasped the back of his neck. Rick proceeded to the bed, moving over Lindsey as he laid her on the coverlet. He began to tug down her shorts, removing her underwear at the same time.

When Rick shifted toward the bottom of the bed, Lindsey tried to sit up, but he urged her back down. “What are you doing?” she whispered.

Rick parted her thighs and slid his hands under her hips. “Returning a favor,” he replied, and settled his mouth over the slick warmth between her legs. He stroked her with his tongue, enticing a soft mewl of pleasure from Lindsey. She tasted even better than he’d imagined, and he delved deeper. Her slender fingers curled into his hair as she whimpered somewhat louder.

Judith moved restlessly in her basket, and they both froze. Rick met Lindsey’s dark eyes and saw that she was smiling.

“Rick Grimes, you are a wicked, wicked man.”

Notes

A/N: A lighter chapter, but I needed to balance it out before they hit the road and things go to hell, haha... We're almost there, so let me know what's on your mind. Any predictions? :)

Comments

@Corall
Aw thank you so much!! :D

bluecrush611 bluecrush611
5/18/16

I just finished reading this story :) and its the most amazing story ever :D

Corall Corall
5/17/16

@Kandy
No worries. I actually used Paint, haha. I just figured out what size the banner needed to be (by trial and error) and then cut the image down until it fit.

bluecrush611 bluecrush611
4/13/16

@bluecrush611

Also, Another Annoying Question. Where did you make that Banner of Lauren And Andrew? I need to get a good Banner place thingy and i need advice xD

Mother Dick Mother Dick
4/12/16

@Walker Witch
Thank you so much for the kind words and for following along!

@eventualprocrastination
Thanks for all of your comments! I actually just published a book, so that's the direction I'm taking for now, but who knows. Maybe I'll post something here and there. :)

bluecrush611 bluecrush611
4/10/16