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The group was a few people shorter as they traveled down the highway on their way to the C.D.C. Cali wished she could be with Shane in his Jeep but one look from Lori had the teen sliding into the back seat next to Carl. The back seat was cramped with the addition of Carol and Sophia but Lori didn't care if her daughter was squashed as long as she wasn't alone with Shane.
"How long is it going to take for us to get there?" Cali groaned as she adjusted Carl on her lap. She was not going to last much longer squished up again the door with Carl on her lap.
"Hopefully not too long. We should get there before it gets dark." Lori replied smiling at her husband.
Rick nodded in agreement looking at Lori in thanks for going along with his plan. The Grimes man was too busy staring at his wife to notice that the RV had just came to an abrupt stop.
"Dad, look out!" Cali exclaimed pointing at the RV in front of them. Rick quickly slammed on his brakes earning a scream from Carl and Sophia and a glare from Lori.
"Is everyone alright?" The man questioned.
"We're okay." Carol smiled sheepishly checking over Sophia.
"And you think I'm a bad driver." The teen scoffed opening the back door.
"Stay in the car. I'm going to go see what's going on." Rick demanded pointing at his daughter who was already halfway out.
"I'm not staying squashed in there if we're not going to be moving for awhile."
"Fine." He sighed knowing it's better not to argue with the teen. "Just stay by me the whole time."
"Whatever you say sheriff." Cali smiled mock saluting him.
"I told you we'd never get far on that hose. I said I needed the one from the cube van." The two could hear Dale rambling to himself as they approached the front of the RV.
"Can you jury-rig it?" Shane asked coming up behind Cali. The girl could feel goosebumps cover her body as he purposefully brushed his body against her as he walked by.
"That's all it's been so far. It's more duct tape than hose." Dale huffed throwing down the rag he used to clean off his hands. "And I'm out of duct tape."
"I see something up ahead. A gas station if we're lucky." Shane suggested at the same time that the door to the RV flew open.
"Y'all, Jim... It's bad. I don't think he can take anymore."
"Hey, Rick, you want to hold down the fort?" The Walsh man wondered looking at his best friend. "I'll drive ahead, see what I can bring back."
"Yeah, I'll come along too and I'll back you up." T-Dog said walking up to the small group.
"Is that a good idea? I don't think we should be splitting up." Cali mumbled hoping Rick would agree and not let Shane go. Even though she was mad at him she didn't want him going off alone and getting hurt or killed.
"We'll be fine. We're not going too far." Shane replied looking directly at Cali. "We'll be right back."
And with that Shane and T-Dog left, while Rick heads into the RV to check on Jim. Cali lets out a small sigh as she sits on the RV steps and waits for the group to get back on the road again.
When her dad finally came out of the RV, Cali could tell that something was bothering him just from the look on his face.
"What's wrong?" She asks concerned.
"We have to have a meeting once Shane and T get back." Rick sighed going to get the rest of the group.
Shane and T-Dog got back twenty minutes after Rick had left the RV looking sick. Cali was thankful to see that Shane was still alive but she was a little worried about the fresh blood that covered the one side of his shirt.
As soon as Rick's impromptu meeting was over she was going to question him about the blood.
"Jim wants us to leave him here. He says he can't make it to the C.D.C."
"And he's lucid?" Carol wonders holding onto her daughter.
"He seems to be."
"Back in the camp when I said Daryl might be right and you shut me down, you misunderstood. I would never go along with callously killing a man. I was just gonna suggest that we ask Jim what he wants. And I think we have an answer." Dale explains.
"We just leave him here? We take off?" Shane repeated thinking out loud. "Man, I'm not sure I could live with that."
"It's not your call, either one of you." Lori of course cut in having to go against Shane.
"If its what he wants..." Cali trailed off as everyone came to the same conclusion about what to do with Jim.
Everyone stood by the RV and watched as Rick and Shane carried Jim out and across the road to a nearby tree. It was a sad moment as one by one each person said their goodbyes to Jim.
As Shane was headed away from the group and back to his Jeep Cali stopped him by grabbing his wrist.
Shane was quite shocked that Cali was interacting with him. He knew how she could be when she was mad and there was no way she was going to talk to him without an apology which he hadn't yet given, so her wanting to speak to him was shocking.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I mean Jim's a good guy and it sucks but we weren't that close." Shane shrugged not missing the way his heart broke a little when she released his wrist.
"I didn't mean about Jim." The teen sighed shaking her head. "You have blood all over your side. Are you hurt?"
"Oh!" The man exclaimed glancing down at his shirt. "No I'm okay. It's not my blood. We ran into a couple of walkers at the gas station that's all."
"Well good." Cali nodded turning to walk away from him.
"It's nice to know that you're still worried about me."
"Why wouldn't I be worried about you going off on a stupid mission all alone?"
"Well you've been acting like you hate me since the other day so I don't know what to think Cal."
"Just because I'm pissed at you doesn't mean I don't are about you." Cali said rolling her eyes at his idiocy. "And who's fault is it that I'm mad at you?"
"Come on Cal." Shane groaned. "You have to give me some time to work up to it. It's way too soon to tell your dad now, especially with everything that's been happening."
Before Cali could go off on Shane they were interrupted by Lori calling her name. Both Shane and Cali looked over to see not only Lori watching the small interaction between the two but also Rick.
And lets just say he looked very intrigued to find out what his daughter and best friend could possibly be talking about all alone.
