How is this my life?

Merle's Meltdown

It didn't take long for Dale to seek Amy out. She was with all the children, except Carl, around lunch time, watching them feed the quails. They had not been laying any eggs and the blonde was concerned that maybe they weren't animals one traveled with. She just hoped they lived long enough for them to settle somewhere. Maybe save some other's from the farm. Maybe chickens. Cows were too much work and space unless they started settling before they were forced to leave.

That's if they would even stay with the Greens. After all, Jim, Jaqi, and Jenner were still alive. Merle was drying out in the med bus and Rick seemed more unbalanced than Shane. This power struggle was getting old. Amy wasn't sure what the man was trying to prove but so far she wasn't impressed.

The kids were quite happy to hold the little birds and have Max sniff each one curiously. Even Billy was smiling brightly while he held his dog by the neck. Maybe when they settled she could find more dogs, every child should have a protective pet. She was sure once Max was full grown he would be a monster, or a cuddly lap dog.

"Amy?" Dale whispered from beside her with a concerned look on his face. "Could I speak to you for a minute?"

"Sure, Dale." She hummed, stepping a little further away from the trailer so they could have some privacy from the kids. "What's up?"

"I want to talk to you about your sister." Dale sighed sadly, taking off his bucket hat to twist it in his hands. "I'm worried about her, I really hope you'll keep that gun out of her reach."

"Andrea is going to get through this."

"I know she's your older sister so she must seem invincible to you but she's in a very fragile place right now." Dale explained gently, moving to put his arm around the bewildered girl in comfort. "In fact, we need to work together so that Andrea knows we are on her side. She's just lashing out at me at the moment. So, don't take it to heart if she's short with you or the kids."

"Uhh, Dale." Amy shifted off his hold, taking two large steps away from the older man. "Andrea is feeling useless right now. Giving her something she can focus her mind on would probably be best."

"I know." Dale nodded but didn't move towards her again. "I know because of how low I felt when I lost my Irma. Andrea is heading down a very dark tunnel and it might be a while before she sees the light. I'll be right there by her side when she does. So, I hope you'll take my advice and keep the gun away from her."

Amy just stared at the man for a long time, not sure what to say to him. She was sure he meant well but his words made her skin crawl. Andrea didn't lose anyone, she was just lost. It was like the reality of the apocalypse slapped her in the face. Dale was talking like he was the leading authority on her sister and her feelings. It was weird and Amy didn't like it. She was not a psychiatrist but there was no way in hell she would leave her sister defenseless in a zombie apocalypse.

"I'll talk with Andrea." She finally settled on giving the man an uncomfortable smile and a pat on the arm. "Thanks for talking to me about this."

"Mommy!" Emma's voice echoed in the trailer and she could tell the little girl was upset about something.

"Well, it looks like duty calls." Dale smiled widely, giving the blonde a one armed hug against her will. "It really is a wonderful thing you're doing for those children."

"What the fuck?" Amy whispered, watching the old man walk away with an old hunting rifle over his shoulder. Shaking her head she saw Emma sitting in the open doorway to the trailer bawling and pointing accusingly at the children behind her.

It wasn't the children but the dog that made Emma cry. Apparently, Louis was hogging all of Max's attention. How did this become her life? Seeing as it was close to lunch time, Amy had the older kids clean up the trailer after making sure the coop was secure. Braden, Emma, and Andre were very clingy when the blonde announced that they would be having lunch. The three refused to move unless they were being held. Liza was a little sweetheart who tried to help but all three only wanted Amy.