Login with:

Facebook

Twitter

Tumblr

Google

Yahoo

Aol.

Mibba

Your info will not be visible on the site. After logging in for the first time you'll be able to choose your display name.

Solace

Chapter 79

A few days later, Rick was ready to leave the clinic. His temperature had returned to normal and his wound was healing. The doctor had placed Rick’s arm in a sling to inhibit shoulder movement. The stitches would come out in about a week. Stevens told him he would have a nasty scar, but it was better than being dead. Occasionally his heart would miss a beat or speed up rapidly. “Side effects,” the doctor had said, “nothing to be worried about.”

The morning of his ‘release,’ Maggie showed up with Judith. She’d been nice enough to watch the young girl while he was recuperating. Lindsey and Carl were already there. They’d stayed at the clinic, only leaving his side to freshen up in the private bathroom. While he’d slept for hours on end, catching up on much needed rest, the twosome had played game after game of cribbage. At one point he’d felt well enough to join in, the simple activity a moment of pure bliss.

This morning, when Rick was done changing into his freshly-washed, black jeans and a gray t-shirt, Brian showed up at the door.

“Ready for the grand tour? Everyone else has done it – you’re the only ones left.”

Rick looked to his son and Lindsey, who was holding Judith on her hip. They both smiled at him expectantly. Slowly, Rick grinned and directed to his attention back to Brian. “Lead the way.”

This was the first chance he’d really gotten to look at the man – he’d been a little distracted when they’d first met. Brian Tasker was about six feet tall with an average build. Rick guessed that they were close in age, due to the light flecks of gray in his beard and at his temples. The rest of his hair was black and cut short, choppy almost. His dark brown eyes were observant and welcoming, like you could ask the man anything and trust that he’d give you a straight, knowledgeable answer.

Before Rick could assess him any further, he said, “Alrighty then. Follow me.” They walked down a long corridor, the dated hallway tiled with squares of light green and yellow. More rooms branched off, housing the occasional patient. Almost all were elderly and Brian confirmed this. “Our older folks that need the extra care stay here in the clinic. We do our best to make them comfortable and give them the attention they need.”

“What do you do about supplies: medicine, food, clothing…?” Rick asked. The question had been gnawing at him since he’d become conscious.

“We make supply runs to the mainland about once a month. In and out – real quick. We’ve managed to keep a low profile, thank goodness. We gather medicine from the hospitals and family practices. Clothing is either made or collected from stores on the runs. We’re lucky to have such great soil on the island – we grow all of our food. Well, the rest comes from our animals: dairy cows, beef cattle, pigs, goats, chickens…”

“How’d you get them on the island?” Carl asked somewhat in awe.

Brian’s mouth quirked into a smile. “Eh, that’s a good question. It wasn’t pretty – I’ll just leave it at that.”

Everyone chuckled at the image.

It was Lindsey’s turn to ask something now. “What about power? How do you keep this place running?”

“As I’m sure you know by now, this was a naval base in war time. Most of it got stripped after it was shut down, but the buildings still stand. We were able to get power to the clinic and reserve almost all the fuel for that one building. Everything else is solar-powered or has no electricity. Lanterns and candles aren’t so bad when you get used to them. If the Amish could do it before, then we can certainly do it now,” he said with a grin.

They reached a set of metal double-doors with a window in each one. Bright sunlight streamed through, drawing them out into the lush surroundings. Brian pushed through one of the doors and held it open for them. Everything outside was so green, it was practically electric. Rick turned his gaze upward, savoring the sun on his face and the pleasant twitter of tropical birds.

“Our group members have mentioned bungalows. What’s the deal with those?” Rick asked. He watched Lindsey point out a brightly-colored flower to his daughter and lean over to smell it. The sight caused his heart to swell.

Am I dreaming right now? How can this be possible?

Brian spoke as they walked down a dirt path between the leafy bushes and trees. “When the base was functioning, most of the inhabitants stayed in bungalows. Many people were housed here with their families. Each one has a kitchenette, small living space, bathroom, and the number of bedrooms varies. We’ll be sure to get you into one with three bedrooms.” Rick glanced back at his son and watched the boy’s face light up at the prospect of getting his own room. Brian continued on to say, “With your arrival, the island has a total of sixty-seven people: nineteen women, twenty-five men, and twenty-three children. When people started to realize that they were safe here, I think the instinct to repopulate kicked in. We’ve got eight infants, including your Judith, and more on the way.”

Rick fought the urge to look at Lindsey when Brian said this. It wasn’t like he needed any more children, and Lindsey wasn’t pressuring him to have more, but to say that he’d like for her to be pregnant was an understatement.

“Do you have any kind of schooling for the children?” Lindsey inquired, and Rick knew exactly where she was headed with this.

Brian nodded. “We teach them basic skills from the old world – reading, writing, math – but also the things they need to know now to survive. We just want them to be prepared for anything.”

“Is it like a one-room schoolhouse or are there grades?” she asked further. Rick smothered a grin as he listened to her skirting around the subject.

“The school is in one of the buildings on the old base. Basically, we’ve split the children into three grades: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. We have five kids in each and one teacher that alternates days.”

“Would you like another?” she asked finally.

Brian paused to stare at her in surprise and Rick smiled. “She was an English teacher,” he offered so that the man could understand her eagerness toward the subject.

“Wow…absolutely. Elizabeth will be pleased to hear that. I think she’s been a little bogged down lately.”

Lindsey visibly sighed with relief and Rick rubbed his hand across her back in support. When she gazed up at him, her eyes were impossibly bright, the sunlight turning them into the color of warm honey. He wanted to kiss her so badly, but held himself back.

Brian guided them to a large open space filled with picnic tables and covered by just an A-frame, wooden roof. Various types of grills surrounded the area. “This is our makeshift dining hall. Since the eating space is so small in the bungalows, we built this area for everyone to meet for meals if they should wish to do so.”

Rick was inspired to get their group here for a celebratory meal – it would be a shame not to. They’d spent so much time on the road together; it was going to be strange for them to be apart. He knew if he got Lindsey in on it she could help him get the rest of the group to agree on a meal together.

“So if you follow me this way, there’s someone I’d like for you all to meet,” Brian said, leading them down another sandy path. They stopped in front of a short structure with various antennas and satellite dishes mounted to the flat top. Brian knocked twice on the solid door and waited. It swung open and a bald man with piercing blue eyes greeted them. “Everyone, this is Commanding General of the U.S. Army David Kirkman,” Brian stated with a nod.

The man shook each of their hands as Rick said, “It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Rick Grimes. This is my son, Carl, and my daughter, Judith.”

Lindsey shifted Judith to her opposite hip and extended her dominant hand. “Lindsey Richardson, it’s a pleasure.”

Rick forgot where they were for a moment as he tried not to gape at her in shock. No one else would catch what had just happened, but that was the point. She’d done it only for him – she’d dropped her married name and given, what he assumed, her maiden name. Now he really wanted to kiss her.

“The pleasure’s all mine,” Kirkman said politely to the pretty blonde. “Welcome to New Canaan.”


The last stop on the tour was the one place Lindsey had wanted to see the most – their bungalow. The General had instructed Brian to give them number six, as it was one of the bigger lots. In amongst the wild, exotic plants, a white structure took form. With a short, red roof and two sets of windows, she still considered it quaint for being the largest accommodations – but it was absolutely perfect in her eyes. An open porch extended off the front and she could totally picture herself and Rick sitting out there every night as they discussed their day.

“Well, this is it,” Brian said with a casual sweep of his hand. “There are a few furnishings, but I’ll be by later with some essentials to get you started, not to mention, a little bit of food.”

Rick offered his weathered hand. “Thank you so much. Really. From the bottom of our hearts, we can’t thank you enough.”

Brian returned the handshake. “We’ve all been out there…we know what it’s like. We wouldn’t wish that on our worst enemy. Anything you need, we are all more than happy to help.” He dug his hands into his pockets and glanced at Carl. “Say, you’re probably about the same age as my boy, Tommy – fifteen, sixteen?”

Carl looked pleased at the mistaken increase in age. Lindsey knew he always strove to come across older to the adults. “No, I’m fourteen,” he corrected.

“Ah, yes. Anytime you’d like to come over, he’s got quite a good selection of board games and comics. I know he’d be thrilled to share them with a boy his age.”

“Awesome! Can I come over tomorrow?”

Brian laughed, the sound deep and still foreign to Lindsey. “My schedule’s clear. I think you’re askin’ the wrong person, though.”

Carl glanced at his father, who was watching the whole conversation with an amused expression. “Can I, Dad?”

Rick’s lips parted to reveal his handsome smile. After briefly raising his eyebrows, he said, “Fine by me.”

As Carl let out an excited “yes,” Brian responded, “We’re at lot number three, just a few down from you. Tomorrow’s Saturday, so there’s no school. Come on over after breakfast.”

After they parted ways, Lindsey and Rick stared at the house before them, their home. Carl rushed up the steps and opened the squeaky front door. Lindsey was having a hard time moving and Rick could probably tell, because he dotingly grasped her hand and urged her forward. They crossed the threshold together, Judith’s babbling amplified in the empty room. A single wicker chair and end table occupied one corner of the tiny living room and a kitchenette was visible to their left. A short hallway held four doors, one for each bedroom and the single bathroom. One was open, presumably by Carl as he searched for his new room. The white walls and light-colored floorboards were covered in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs. It would need a serious cleaning, but nothing they couldn’t handle.

Tears swamped Lindsey’s eyes as she took in their surroundings. She hugged Judith a little closer and tried to remember to breathe. Rick must have heard her shuddering breath because he turned around and frowned at the first tear on her cheek.

“What’s wrong, baby?” He placed his free hand on her soft cheek and wiped away the moisture with his thumb.

Lindsey shook her head as her lower lip trembled. “This can’t be real…it can’t be. I feel like I’m living in a dream world.”

“It is real, Linds. I’ve been thinking the same thing, but we’ve earned this. We deserve it. After everything we’ve been through, don’t you think that?”

Eventually, she nodded. “I do.” A watery smile shone through her tears. “I think I’m just in shock.”

Rick’s gaze softened. “That makes two of us.” He leaned in to place a tender kiss on her lips, and when he pulled away he directed his attention to the infant in Lindsey’s embrace. “What do ya think, Judy? Will this do for our new home?”

The two adults beamed as she reached forward and grasped her daddy’s nose with a giggle.

Notes

A/N: Love your comments! You guys are awesome! :)

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