Future Ghosts • TWD

110. Too Much, Too Fast.

Once the door was shut, Rosie turned around to go sit down somewhere and take a breather. Too much happened too fast. Too much was happening too fast way too often. Hence the constant feeling of overwhelm. She needed to breathe and she needed to figure out what the hell was going on. When Rosie turned around, she jumped when she saw several other people in the room. Tara was on the bed, Judith was in her crib, and Rosita and Enid were standing in front of the door with their guns raised. Ian and Liam were sitting by the window, looking out at the pen that was supposed to be filled with Saviors.

"Rosie," Rosita breathed out upon seeing the girl. She and Enid lowered their guns. "Are you ok? Where were you?" Rosita asked.

"The Saviors got outta the pen," Rosie explained briefly. She sat down on the bed next to Tara, holding her head in her hand as she tried to catch her breath. From the Savior- Jared- trying to take her, to her fighting him off, to running to Barrington House, and to being thrown into this room, Rosie didn't get a single second to stop and think. What is happening? What am I supposed to be doing right now? How can I help? Who should I tell about the Saviors? When should I tell? They're obviously pretty busy right now.

"Her shoulder's bleeding," Tara suddenly spoke up, her voice tense.

The room went deathly silent, and Rosie didn't understand why. She'd been pulled and pushed around like a rope in a game of tug-of-war; of course, her shoulder was bleeding. Rosie looked over at her shoulder. Yes, the blood had soaked through the fabric. She still had the sling on, but it wasn't like she was even using it correctly, so she shrugged it off. It was uncomfortable, anyway, and she hated wearing it from the beginning. She didn't care if Siddiq got annoyed. She just wanted to be comfortable. So, she tossed the sling onto the floor and laid back on the bed, using her left hand to squeeze her shoulder. Putting pressure on it seemed to make it hurt less.

"Rosie," Rosita said. Her voice sounded panicky and slightly annoyed, like she had said what she was saying several times already. Maybe she had. Rosie was too focused on getting that damn sling off to think about anything else. Rosie sat up again, not releasing the pressure on her shoulder. Rosita was standing in front of her. "Are you bit?" Rosita asked.

"What? No," Rosie said, scrunching her face up. Ian, Liam, Tara, Enid, and Rosita were all staring at her. She un-scrunched her face when she suddenly came to the realization that they must've thought that she was stuck somewhere in the house by herself, weaponless, injured, and with walkers. But, no. She was outside with Henry, weaponless, injured, and with Saviors, which was arguably even more dangerous. Either way, she was alive and not dying.

"What happened? Why are you bleeding?" Rosita asked, visibly calmer now that she knew Rosie wasn't bitten.

Rosie took another deep breath, squeezing her shoulder even harder. "Wound musta' opened up again," she said, her face contorted with pain. Her shoulder wasn't throbbing like it had been when she first woke up. It was stinging more than anything else.

"Let me see," Rosita said, stepping forward and going to look at Rosie's shoulder.

"No. No," Rosie said quickly, scooting herself away. She didn't want anyone to touch her or honestly even talk to her right now. She just wanted to sit down and breathe and stop feeling whatever she was feeling. Her stomach hurt and her shoulder hurt and she just wanted to close her eyes and cover her ears and press herself into a corner, so too many things wouldn't keep happening too quickly and too often. "Please, please, please just wait," Rosie said.

Rosita seemed to consider this for a moment, then let out a sigh. "Ok," she said, her voice making it obvious that the ok was reluctant. She resumed her pacing with Enid, and Rosie climbed down to sit on the floor on the other side of the bed. She sat there with her knees up to her chest and her hand squeezing her shoulder. There, she felt like she was by herself, even if she wasn't, really.