Dead Man Walking | Rick Grimes

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I stepped down from the altar and stalked towards the door, pushing it open and sighing with relief. I circled towards the back of the church and hunched over, trying to figure out if I was hungry or needed to puke. It could just be something I ate before we left for Hilltop, and my stomach is just turning sour. I let out a deep breath and straightened out, my hands on my stomach as I started towards the house.

~*~

I lay on the sofa, my arm covering my eyes and a hand on my stomach as it still went crazy. Carl and Selena silently read in the kitchen, giggling at whatever was in their comics. Judith let out a slight coo in her sleep, the sound coming through the baby monitor on the coffee table beside me. Rick, Daryl, Michonne, Glenn, Maggie, and Jacob were with that guy, getting a better idea of the compound before we go tomorrow. I assume they're at Daryl's place, but I don't know.

My stomach churned uncomfortably again, and bile started to bubble up to my throat. I shot up and raced towards the bathroom, startling Carl and Selena as I made my mad dash. Hunching over the toilet, I heaved up my stomach's contents and groaned. Suddenly, warm hands massaged my back as I remained hunched over, making me groan again.

I flushed the toilet and stood up, walking over to the sink to rinse my mouth. Glancing in the mirror, I saw Rick staring at me worriedly. His lips were in a tight line as he watched me, and I could almost see the gears turning in his head. I swished my mouth and spat the water in the sink before turning to look him in the eyes.

"I don't want you going tomorrow if you're sick," Rick murmured, closing the distance between us and embracing me. I smiled into his shoulder and shook my head, knowing there was no way he would be able to talk me out of this.

"Nope," I quipped, "I'm going tomorrow, and there's nothing you can say or do that'll convince me otherwise," Rick groaned and pulled away, his thumb and index finger grabbing my chin to force me to look at him. "I'm sure it's just something I ate," I told him, trying to reassure him, "It'll pass by tomorrow," Rick frowned and sighed, knowing he wouldn't win this one. He leaned forward to kiss me, but I turned my head, his lips connecting with my cheek.

"I just threw up," I reminded him, "At least let me brush my teeth," Rick pouted like a little boy, his arms wrapping around my hips as I turned and grabbed my toothbrush. Tomorrow's going to be a long day.

~*~

I sat in the back of the RV with Michonne, my head on her shoulder and my eyes closed. I wish sleep had been able to claim me, but I've been up and thinking for the entire forty minutes we've been driving. The annoying part? We're not even going to this compound yet; we're stopping a little more than fifteen minutes away to find a walker resembling Gregory. The RV started to slow, forcing me to open my eyes as Rick slammed his hand on the horn, prompting all the others in cars behind us to slam on their horns as well. I sighed, got up, adjusted my holster, and moved towards the door.

"Aaron, Rosita," Rick called out as we filed out of our vehicles, "You start here. We'll peel off every quarter mile and meet back here in a couple of hours," I approached Rick and stood by him, crossing my arms in front of my crazy stomach. I watched as some of the group started to branch off in different directions, my hand reaching for my knife. Gabriel approached Rick and me with a rifle slung across his shoulders. It's weird seeing him with his clerical collar and holding a gun.

"There's no turning back now," I reminded the holy man. Gabriel smiled at me and closed a single eye as the sun peeked through the clouds and hit him in the face.

"I could walk," Gabriel shrugged with a smile, "Maybe run a little, maybe a lot," I shared a smile with him and looked behind us, "I wanted to learn, and you two taught me for a reason." Rick shifted on his feet and pointed to the clerical collar on Gabriel's neck,