In the morning light filtering through the window, Natalie slowly roused from a peaceful slumber. For the first time in a while, the softness of a real bed cradled her body. The room, borrowed for the night, held an air of quiet comfort. Lori and Rick had stationed themselves in a vigil near Carl, ensuring his rest remained undisturbed.
As Natalie blinked away the remnants of sleep, the distant hum of a motorbike reached her ears. She shifted, expecting to find Shane's warmth beside her, but the space next to her was empty. A glance around the room confirmed her solitude. Maggie's borrowed clothes clung to her frame – a green tank top that subtly revealed her bra straps and off-the-waist jeans. She had drifted into sleep in nothing more than a bra and underwear, an unintended match to Shane's choice of boxers.
Natalie took a moment to absorb the details of the room before rising from the bed. Her gaze flitted to Shane, still peacefully asleep, his newly shaved head exposed to the morning light. She held her opinions on the change, missing the feel of his hair between her fingers but choosing not to voice it. With a soft exhale, she prepared for the day, her thoughts lingering on the motorcycle's distant hum and the quiet moments of shared rest.
Sitting up on the bed she had peeked out the window to see the RV, car, and motorbike slowly pull into the farm. Confused about why Shane didn't wake her up, Natalie stretched getting out of bed and changing into the clothes she was given, plus Rick's jacket.
When Natalie had walked down the steps, Lori and Rick left Carl's room with a small smile on their lips. "He's awake if you want to talk to him..." Rick smiled softly towards her.
The scene of Carl looking at her before his episode. She had shaken her head coming up with some excuse. "I'll let him get his sleep." Her words came out softly. "The others?"
"Yea," Lori nodded with the three of them making their way out of the house. Followed by Hershel who looked at everyone around. Dale, Andrea, Daryl, and Carol walk towards the rest of the group.
Shane eyed Natalie who sent him a nod almost a sign for 'good morning'. "How is he?" Dale's words broke her out of the gaze turning and crossing her arms with a small smile on her face liking the sounds of Rick's answers.
"He'll pull through." Lori had nodded repeatingly hands on her hips proud. "Thanks to Hershel and his people."
"And Shane." Natalie cut in knowing the man was kind of having doubts about the whole thing that happened with Otis. Lori looked away from her daughter not knowing how to feel.
But Rick quickly agreed with his daughter. "We'd have lost Carl if not for him." He continued to compliment the man wearing overalls and a flannel.
Dale walked over giving Rick a well-deserved hug. "Thank god" Carol turned to Lori and wrapped her arms around the woman tightly. Andrea had gone and hugged T-Dog who was now bandaged up.
"How'd it happen?" Daryl questioned the man as well.
Ethan walked out of the house seeing everyone as it seemed like he also had slept in. "Hunting accident," Rick answered kindly to the Greene Family not putting anyone at fault. "That's all-- Just a stupid accident."
"We have enough rocks now," Shane gained everyone's attention.
Since last night Natalie had helped Shane decide that the best way to get rid of his guilt was to give him a proper burial. "Thank you," Patricia commented ducking her head down in respect for Shane and going over.
The rest of the group moved somberly in the wake of a night that brought more peace than they had known in a while. Natalie walked beside Maggie, the dawn casting a gentle light on their faces. Maggie, perceptive but unsuspecting, inquired about the quality of Natalie's sleep.
"As best as I could've," Natalie responded with a half-smile, acknowledging the elusive comfort of a night's rest.
Maggie reciprocated with a hum, sharing the weight of her own thoughts. "A lot on my mind. Thank you for suggesting Shane do this... couldn't have been his idea. Doesn't seem like the guy."
"We bury our people," Natalie explained, a shared understanding woven between them.
Approaching the chosen burial site under a tree, they joined the gathering of rocks and stones the others had assembled in honour of Otis. Natalie stood beside Dale and Shane, a solemn presence among the mourners.
Hershel raised a prayer to the heavens, invoking the fate of their Lord. "Praise be for him, to the gift to our brother Otis. Otis gave his life to save a child. We thank you, God, for the peace he enjoys in your embrace. He died as he lived... in Grace... Shane, will you speak for Otis."
Shane, visibly uncomfortable, ducked his head and avoided eye contact. "I'm not good at it," he confessed, his voice carrying the weight of his reluctance. "I'm sorry."
Patricia, his gaze imploring, urged him to share the final moments. "You were the last one with him. You shared his final moments. Please. I need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning."
Shane's eyes flickered to Natalie before he nodded in agreement. "Okay," he murmured, acknowledging Patricia's plea.
"We were about done. Almost outta ammo, we were down to pistols. I was limping. It was bad. My ankle was all swollen up. 'We've gotta save the boy,' See, that's what he said," Shane's voice creaked under the weight of the memories.
"He gave me his backpack. He shoved me ahead. 'Run,' he said. He said, 'I'll take the rear. I'll cover you. And when I looked back..." His gaze met Patricia's, and then Natalie's. "If not for Otis, I wouldn't have made it out alive, and that goes for Carl too. It was Otis. He saved us both." Shane limped toward the stones, placing a piece on top of the pile. "If any death had meaning, it was his..."
Natalie had ducked her head at this and started to walk away after having to use the bathroom again. "Where are you going?" Lori questioned the young women leaving in the middle of the burial.
"Bathroom, I'll be back." Nodding towards the house and walking away towards it.
Reentering the house, Natalie made her way into the bathroom, a hint of nervousness lingering in her movements. Closing the door behind her, she took a deep breath, glancing at herself in the mirror before directing her attention to the toilet. Retrieving a piece of toilet paper, she meticulously checked, the scrutiny reflective of an anticipation laced with anxiety.
The routine was more than a bathroom break; it was a moment of introspection. Natalie, diligently tracking her menstrual cycle since the world had succumbed to chaos, was acutely aware that her period was due by last night. The intricate dance of cycles was a form of order she clung to amidst the chaos outside. Yesterday's decision, allowing Shane to finish inside her, had been driven by this awareness, a calculated risk taken within the realms of expectation.
As she observed the toilet paper, a spectrum of emotions danced on her face—hope, fear, and the quiet acknowledgement of the unpredictable nature of life in this new world. The bathroom, once a place of routine, had become a chamber of uncertainty, echoing the profound changes in the world beyond its walls.
It could've just been a couple of days late being all over the place since she was under a lot of stress. Finishing her bathroom duties, Natalie had left the bathroom walking back out of the house but stopping at Carl's door glancing inside of it to see the sleeping boy. Biting her lip she moved shaking her head and going into nature.
When she had gotten outside walking down to see everyone surrounding the car with a map on the front of it. "We'll grid the whole area, start searching teams," Rick informed everyone, Natalie joined the group holding onto her hips and eyeing Shane at the idea of being pregnant inside of this world causing her stomach to turn.
"Not you, not today" Hershel had stated shaking his head. "You gave three units of blood, You wouldn't be hiking five minutes in this heat before passing out. And your ankle-- push it now, You'll be laid up in a month. No good for anybody"
Turning his attention on Shane who sat up more, Andrea was standing close towards the man which Natalie eyed rubbing her elbow. "I'm going to stay here today," She had confessed not feeling in the mood after the scare.
"Guess it's just me." Daryl pointed out. "You helpin?" Questioning Ethan who didn't take his eyes off of Natalie telling that there was something wrong with her.
"I can still be useful," Shane inquired trying to convince him. "I'll drive up to the interstate, and see if Sophia wandered back."
Rick shifted on his feet turning and eyeing Hershel. "All right, tomorrow then. We'll start doing this right."
"That means we can't have our people out there with just knives." Shane put out noticing Natalie eyeing her. She didn't look excited by this news more like regretting it. "They need the gun training we've been promising them."
Hershel nodded once, understanding Shane's concerns. He emitted a small noise, laying down a rule for the newcomers on his property. "I'd prefer you not carry guns on my property. We've managed so far without turning into an armed camp."
Shane, with a chuckle, expressed his scepticism about the idea of a gun-free zone. However, before he could continue, Natalie intervened, her tone firm and decisive. "You've welcomed us here, and we'll respect that."
Her sudden shift in perspective caught Shane off guard. Natalie had her reasons, ones that transcended immediate concerns. She didn't want to raise a child around guns, and the weight of potential parenthood influenced her decision.
The world they lived in was already fraught with peril, and the fate of the last children in the group underscored the challenges they faced.
Rick, listening to his daughter, mirrored her actions, taking the gun from his pocket and placing it on the map. He acknowledged the significance of the gesture, realizing that Natalie was the one advocating for a different path.
With a chuckle, Rick took another gun from his pocket and placed it in the car. "First things first: set camp, find Sophia," he instructed, redirecting the focus to their immediate tasks.
However, Shane, frustrated at not getting his way, maintained an obstinate tone. "I hate to be the one to ask, but somebody's got to. What happens if we find her and she's a bit? I think we all should be clear on how we handle that."
Natalie, disheartened by Shane's words, reacted with annoyance. "You do what has to be done," she asserted, covering her mouth with her hand before walking away from the group and joining Dale and T-Dog.
The gravity of their situation lingered in the air, a reminder of the harsh choices they might face in their quest for survival.
As Natalie asserted her stance on the no-guns policy, Shane took charge, removing firearms from the RV and placing them on the table for inspection. Andrea, visibly displeased with the idea of giving up their weapons, confronted Hershel about his agreement.
"You heard Natalie, we're guests here," Hershel responded, signalling his approval of the decision. He removed his hat and joined the guns on the table.
"And you're okay with it?" Andrea questioned him, pushing for an explanation.
Shane, growing irritated, didn't mince words. "I don't recall being asked. Now lay down your weapon," he demanded, surprising everyone by adhering to Natalie's directive. Natalie observed the exchange, noting Shane's unexpected compliance.
Deciding to step away, Natalie headed into the RV to rest for a moment and retrieve her bag of clothes. Andrea, still unsatisfied, saw her and approached, insinuating a connection between Shane and Natalie. "You may be listening to her 'cause you're screwing her or used to, whatever, but I don't need to."
Shane, quick to defend, issued a warning. "Enough." The mention of his relationship with Natalie had always been a sensitive trigger, and he didn't tolerate it lightly. "Look, I have to strip and clean them anyway. You still wanna learn?" Shane's invitation redirected Andrea's focus, and she begrudgingly placed her gun on the table. "Go on," he offered, ushering her into a lesson on firearm maintenance.
Inside the RV, Natalie was surprised to find her mom, Lori, rummaging for something. "Hey," Lori greeted, turning and offering a small smile to Natalie.
"Hey, I'm just coming in to grab my stuff," Natalie gestured toward the suitcase she had acquired, intending to transfer it into the house. Grateful for the guest room provided by Maggie, she was relieved to avoid sleeping in a tent once again.
"I'm making a list for Glenn and Maggie since they're going out on a run to the pharmacy. Need anything?" Lori inquired, the timing almost too perfect. Natalie hesitated, unsure whether to share anything with her mother, especially since nothing was confirmed, given that Natalie was just a couple of days late.
Humming softly and shaking her head, Natalie decided not to burden Lori with another potential problem, especially considering the uncertainty surrounding whether Natalie might be pregnant.
Lori halted her task, fixing her gaze on Natalie as she set her hands down. "Is everything okay? With you and Carl-" Her concern lingered, and she paused, observing Natalie. "You haven't visited him since he woke up."
Natalie bit her lip, nodding in an attempt to appear composed. "I haven't had the time to be alone with him," she explained, crafting a plausible excuse. "I'll talk to him before the end of the day." Hoping to deflect any further questions, Natalie swiftly gathered her belongings and exited the RV, determined to avoid further scrutiny.
Outside, she walked over to where Shane and Andrea were sitting at the picnic table. A palpable tension hung in the air, and Andrea's disapproving glare was unmistakable. Ignoring the unspoken conflict, Shane addressed her, "Can you bring this?" placing bags on the table. He exchanged glances with Glenn, who nodded in agreement.
Glancing up at Andrea, Natalie sensed the hostility directed her way. "Yeah, I'll do it before we drive out," Shane affirmed, returning a subtle nod to Andrea, whose glare persisted beneath the sunlight.
"Thank you," Natalie muttered with a forced smile, acknowledging both Shane and Andrea before heading toward Glenn, eager to discuss something privately.