Floating (Sequel to Daring Dixon)

Chapter 4

Rosaline awoke. to the smell of cooking meat. It seemed like ages since she had smelled the wonderful smell, and at that point, she didn't care if it was rattlesnake, she wanted whatever it was.

She slowly got out of the bed and made her way towards the living area. Andrea was cooking on the gas stove and Michonne was siting in a chair, looking completely and utterly bored. Rosaline vaguely wondered what someone as fierce as Michonne would have done before the world had gone to hell but she knew better than to ask. Rosaline knew just how painful talking about your past was.

"You're up," Michonne stated. Andrea whipped around to take in Rosaline.

"You look much better than you did when we found you," she said. "You looked like shit before."

Rosaline nodded. "I know. I'm feeling better too but my arm is still killing me," she informed Andrea.

"I'm making something and then you can take a pain pill," Andrea offered.

"What are you making?" Rosaline asked, hoping it wasn't too horrible.

"Fried Spam. It's not too bad," Andrea added when Rosaline wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"I've never liked Spam. My mom used to make pizza burgers with Spam when I was little and I would refuse to eat them," Rosaline informed Andrea.

Andrea frowned. "Look, you have to eat something and this is all we've got right now. I'm sorry if you're used to Daryl's squirrels and rabbits but this isn't as fresh and you're just going to have to suck it up."

Rosaline's expression dropped and her face dropped to the ground. "I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry," Andrea said.

"No, I'm sorry. You both are trying to do the best you can to nurse my back to health and I'm being stubborn and picky. If Spam is all we have than it is Spam that I'll eat," Rosaline said.

Andrea nodded. "I am sorry though. I shouldn't have let my mouth get the best of me."

It was silent for a moment until Andrea broke the silence. "It's ready if you guys are hungry."

But of course they were hungry. Rosaline wasn't sure how long it had been since she had eaten but she was very hungry and Andrea knew it had been at least three days since she and Michonne had eaten something more than a few crumbs.

The three women helped themselves to the fried Spam. Rosaline choked it down as best she could. She found that if she focused on the thinking of other things, it was easier to choke down.

Rosaline knew that as soon as she was better and they could travel again, the first order of business would be to find Rick and the others. She knew that if Daryl and Merle were alive, as she suspected, they would immediately go back to Rick. Rosaline was almost positive she could find the campground on a map and then it wouldn't take long to find them.

The more she thought about it though, the more she worried about going back. If Daryl and Merle had left Rosaline, surely it was because they thought she was dead, wasn't it? They wouldn't just leave her because of the disagreements between them, would they? Rosaline didn't think Merle would be that cruel to her, and she certainly hoped that Daryl wouldn't let their little bump in the road do that.

But there was Andrea too. She was supposed to have been dead as well. The two of them showing up together alive and well would probably cause a heart attack or two. If Rick and the others weren't already dead, attacked by walkers or some other group of survivors. Rosaline pushed that thought out of her mind. She couldn't think like that. Rick had a baby on the way, if it wasn't born yet, and so did the man who owned the campground. They deserved lives, to grow up and be happy. Although the more Rosaline thought about it, the more she realized that being happy in this world was just about the hardest thing she had ever done.