Walker: Secrets

Chapter 37

Me again updating!
Just a little trigger warning before we get started...
* Self harm and suicidal thoughts *

If these are a trigger for you, skip the sections marked through the story.

In other news, this girl is now officially enrolled to study a Diploma! It's a qualification that will give me the skills to one day run a performance horse stable. Excited about that but once I start studying, updates may be a little slower.

Also, my first Walker fan fiction has now surpassed 3k views! Thank you all for reading my work, you guys are the best!

Don't forget to vote and drop a comment below, always love to receive feedback! Shout out to saver_of_the_world for your continued support, means a lot! I promise we'll get to catch up with your character Rose again soon 😉

Enjoy!
(And perhaps get the tissues ready)

~~~~~

Monday morning dawned bright and cheerful but as Maddie crawled out of bed to begin her day, she felt anything but either bright or cheerful. Bonham's bail hearing was set for later that morning and though she knew she had to be there to support him she didn't know how she was going to hold it together enough to face him.

Flicking the light on, she blinked for a moment as her eyes adjusted then wearily stumbled over to her wardrobe and began to look for something to wear for the day. She didn't care what she wore but knew she needed to make herself look half presentable when they went to the courthouse and so after a moment of debate, laid out a suitable outfit on her bed. 

Boxes were already stacked in her room, half her things having already been packed up the day before. Everything was moving so fast she hadn't had a chance to blink or even catch her breath... By tomorrow they would be gone from here. Never to return to Walker ranch.

It's your fault. 

Even the reflection in the mirror in front of her seemed to taunt her and she had to turn away from it as she buttoned up her shirt. With the last couple of days the last thing on her mind had been her own health but seeing the haggard girl she was seemed to fit the occasion. When was the last time she'd eaten anyway? What about sleep too for that matter...

Thankfully, most of the family had seen fit to give her some space though she knew exactly what they were thinking. 

They blamed her. 

If only she hadn't offered to do the feed... Bonham would have done the feed instead and would have seen that the grain was bad. He'd have gotten rid of it and none of this would have happened. Cordell would have been able to ride Chopper and would have won. They would still have their home. Ace would still be alive. Skylar too for that matter.

She quickly brushed a tear from her cheek at the thought of the old palomino, flicking her hair back over her shoulder as she fumbled with numbed fingers to do up her top buttons. No. It was in the past now. The only thing that mattered now was going forward. Somehow, someway, she would make it up to them all. She couldn't afford to wallow in self pity any longer. 

Abeline was already up as she stepped out of her room, her grandmother carrying some more items to pack up. 'You're up early Mawline.' Maddie remarked. 

'There's too much to be done to stand around doing nothing.' She sighed softly, carefully sitting down some photographs onto the couch to be packed up. 'The removalists will be here at seven to start moving the furniture.' She grabbed some newspaper from the stack and began wrapping the first photo frame. 'How are you going with packing your room?'