❝ I WANNA HEAR IT COME FROM THAT SMART MOUTH OF YOURS ❞
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Judith's skin was soft. Delicate, a bisque color with flushed, rounded cheeks. Her chestnut hair swirled in every direction as she'd just awoken from a nap, alarmed by the sound of the opening door. Vada had to rush in to calm her down. She often did that by stroking her hair, sometimes her back, and she'd be resting in her arms in no less than a minute.
Nonetheless, Judith was excited to see her. She threw her arms out and smiled as largely as she could, grabbing onto her sister's shoulders. Vada grasped the child under her armpits and boosted her into a resting position on her hip. They spent their time with the young girl's head on her shoulder, Vada mumbling about anything and everything on her mind. And sometimes she sang, occasionally nursery rhymes and sometimes oldies that Rick would hum to Vada when she was younger.
Bouncing the child on her hip and singing some old Madonna song, Vada trailed around the room picking up and placing down various objects. Most were things like baby wipes, tattered books that Rick had scavenged, or Daryl or Glenn. There were toys littered across the rug and children's books scattered beneath the bookcase. She wasn't sure why there were so many, seeing as Judith couldn't read yet, let alone speak a few words. But everybody had a soft heart for the only baby around. A lot of alexandrians helped with supplies as well, like mothers who had lost their children or had some that had grown out of their clothes.
Popping her lips and moving onto the next song, Judith stirred on her older sister's shoulders and finally she heard the mellow snores beneath her. Lowering her voice, Vada quieted to a hum and strolled to the table beside her crib, holding a lamp and some baby toy. Furrowing a brow, Vada pulled open the drawer and let her lips part at what she saw. A ragged beige fishing hat, disfigured with holes and dirt along the rim. Picking it up gently between her fingers, Vada gave it a swirl in her hands and let a smile creep up onto her face.
She placed the hat on Judith's head and let it bring solace. It was a little too big for the small girl's head, but Vada knew one day it would fit. And after telling the story, when her sister was old enough, she knew Judith would be happy to wear it. Just like Carl wore his father's hat. All the time.
She liked having a little piece of the people she lost. Like Shane's hat, Dale's. She wore Shane's quite often before Negan took her back to the Sanctuary, she'd forgotten to pack it. It brought her comfort, just how she felt when she wore her father's shirts. Mostly it was the nostalgia, the familiarity when she looked in the mirror.
The door creaked slightly and in came Negan, usual attire, appearing even more weary than he did almost half an hour earlier. His leather jacket was loose and his pants bagged, balling up near his boots. Under his eyes were violet bags accompanied by a scraggly greying beard and unkempt hair.
