"She made it."
Those were the comforting words Violet and Louis desperately needed to hear. Violet stood still in shock, all her worry, fear, and panic dissipating in an instant. Tears began to rush to her, a smile hooking the edge of her mouth.
She turned around to Louis, who was reciprocating the same smile and feeling. "Well are you just going to stand here and rejoice about it or are you going to go see her?" the man joked.
Violet blocked out Lou's words. She blocked out everything that surrounded her. Clementine was the only person on her mind, and she had to go see her immediately.
The blonde began to walk toward the doors, but Kate grasped her arm. "Actually, I know how much you want to see her, but she really needs to rest. Her body's been through a lot."
Violet saddened at the thought of not being able to see her girlfriend right away, but she wanted Clem to rest and heal so she would be okay. "Okay, I'll wait," she responded, her voice incredibly quiet. After all the warfare and restless sitting and waiting, fatigue started to take control of her body, but she was determined to stay awake for Clementine.
Violet's body was facing the chairs, but she turned around and smiled at Kate. Violet had always been extremely bashful, but she felt an urge to hug Kate for saving her and Clem's lives. At first she was hesitant to initiate the hug, but she moved closer and wrapped her arms around her. "Thank you, Kate. Really, you.. you saved Clem's life, so thank you."
"Please, it was nothing," Kate teased.
"Violet here only ever lays a finger on Clem, so cherish that hug for as long as you can," Louis chimed in.
"Louis, shut it," Vi replied playfully.
The dreadlocked man approached the two other women. He gleefully smiled at Kate, assuring her he appreciated everything she did for Clementine.
"Now that Clem's out of the woods, I'm going to be honest with you - I had zero faith she would survive. I wasn't sure if I'd be capable of even performing her surgery. Her and I were both lucky the bullet went straight through. A little higher, and it would have ruptured her abdomen," Kate confessed.
"Well you pulled it off, so, I count that as a win," Louis stated.
"You did more than any of us could have ever done, Kate. Thank you, again," Violet uttered.
"Of course."
"I'm going to get the others," Louis informed.
The two girls nodded and continued with their chat until Louis brought back all of Clem's fans. Gabe was the first one to burst through the door, along with Javi, Jesus, and the rest of the kids. "She's alive!" Gabe joyfully shouted. He booked it, well at least tried to book it to Clementine's room before being stopped by Kate.
"She needs to rest, buddy. Let's give her some space for now."
"Ugh, fine," he groaned.
Willy and Aasim joined up with Vi and Lou. Willy was showcasing a toothy smile, and Aasim, as happy as he was for Clementine's recovery, he wasn't doing too well. "Hey, guys!" Willy beamed. "So Clem's doing alright?"
"Yeah, yeah she's fine. She'll make it," Violet stated, a small smile escaping her mouth.
"In honor of Kate's great triumph, I vote we get her a gift," Louis claimed.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but last time I checked walkers were still roaming the Earth," Violet informed with a small laugh.
"I'm sure we can find something. People had to have left some shit lying around somewhere."
"Yeah, that's what I want: shit," Kate joked. Javier came up and took Kate to talk to her, away from the kids.
As the two adults walked away for a moment, Louis put a hand on Aasim's shoulders, attempting to console him. "How are you holding up, Aasim," he said delicately.
"I.. I don't know. Ruby and Omar.. they're really gone."
Vi, Louis, and Willy all glanced at each other, unsure of what to say. "This may not be the best time, but what do we do with their bodies?" Willy brought up.
"We'll have to burn most of them. Not Ruby or Omar's of course, but the rest. Too many for proper burials," Jesus replied, approaching the four.
The kids were silent. The only thing to be heard was a low-pitched hum vibrating from the illuminant lights. Gabe was still fuming about not seeing Clem in the corner, adjacent to her room. Now there was one question that remained: what were they to do with Minnie's body? Burn her body or bury her body? Knowing who she truly is now, the option would be to burn. But still, she used to be someone to the kids: to Violet, to Louis, Willy, Aasim. Even the kids who were gone: Brody, Marlon, Mitch, Ruby, Omar. The old Minnie who sung to brighten the mood, who truly cared for her family, who actually meant something important to them. That part of her old self still lived with the kids, even if it was far away in the back of their hearts.
"We should bury Minnie," Violet grimly stated.
The kids had shocked reactions painted across their faces. "You want to bury her?" Willy inquired with distaste.
"Look, she's a complete stranger, well, was a complete stranger. Even dead, I still hate her for everything she did. But.. she's Minnie. She used to be one of us. I know I felt differently before, but in a way she'll always be one of us. We still have some humanity left in us, right? So I vote we bury her." After a few minutes of discussion, the vote was unanimous.
~~~
Violet was the only one awake. The rest of the kids were uncomfortably asleep in their chairs. The blonde twiddled with her thumbs, waiting for the moment her girlfriend would awaken. It was hard to tell how long it would be: an hour, two, five. However long, Violet would wait patiently for her girlfriend. The last thing she wanted was for Clementine to wake from her slumber in a room alone.
As the night grew on, Violet went back and forth from her seat to the door frequently. She peered through the little window built into it, where her sound-asleep girlfriend could be viewed in the bed. Except when Violet stood up to check again this time, the girl was slowly rubbing her eyes awake.
Violet's heart fluttered, knowing she was seconds away from hearing Clementine's angelic voice again. She quietly turned the handle on the door and walked in, careful not to startle her girlfriend. The foggy brunette turned over, squinting to see who was there. When she could make out Violet's slender body figure, short blonde hair, and her ethereal beauty, she smiled endlessly. "Vi?" the girl asked.
"I'm right here, Clem."
Violet pulled up a chair directly next to her girlfriend. Her stomach was bandaged and she was hooked to an IV, but other than that she showed good signs of recovery. Even greater now that Violet was by her side.
The blonde took ahold of her girlfriend's hands. The feeling of her soft, tan skin against hers made her feel complete again. "How are you feeling?" Vi questioned, heavily concerned.
"Not horrible. The pain seems to come and go, but I'll manage. How are the others?"
"They're fine. Well, Aasim's had better days, but the rest are okay. I'd wake them, but I want to spend all the time I have with you alone before them and that shithead come in."
"Heh, by shithead are you referring to Gabe?"
"Shithead, Gabe. Is there really any difference?"
The girls laughed and locked eyes. Violet gently stroked Clementine's arm, making the girl fall into another love trance. "I thought I told you not to disappear on me," Violet teased with a soft but weak smile while glancing down at Clem's hands.
"I'm still here, aren't I?" Clem responded, a chuckle escaping her mouth. She clutched her stomach as the laugh induced vile pain.
"Easy, Clem," Violet stated as she quickly stood up to assist her girlfriend's aid.
"I'm fine, Violet. Really. But I think it's really sweet what you're doing for me."
"What? Sitting here? I don't think that counts for much."
"It does to me," Clementine assured with a smile.
Violet looked longingly into the brunette's beautiful hazel eyes; it felt like years since she last did. "You scared the shit out of me, you know," Vi informed while holding her gaze with Clementine.
"I'm sorry. Do you still love me?" the brunette joked.
"Heh, of course I do. Just.. don't go scaring me like that again, okay?"
"You were really worried about me, weren't you?"
Vi was hesitant to respond, recalling the entire nightmare. She lowered her head slightly and stared blankly at the ground. "I watched you get shot, and I thought you were gone for good," Vi barely managed to get out. "If I lost you, I wouldn't be losing just my girlfriend. I'd be losing my best friend and the love of my life, and I don't think I could handle that all in the same day."
Clementine tightened her grip on Vi's hands, causing Vi to revert her eyes back to hers. "Can't get rid of me that easy."
Violet smiled and laughed. She was ecstatic knowing her girlfriend was still her normal, perfect self. "Oh I know."
Violet's uplifted spirit descended as guilt overcame her. The brunette noticed her erratic expression, worry flooding her thoughts. "Hey, what's the matter?"
Violet faintly sighed. "I just.. if I had killed that guy who shot you from before, none of this would have happened."
Clementine felt horrible that her girlfriend was beating herself up for something so ridiculous. Violet was notorious for letting guilt ruin her life; it was something she would need to learn to cease. Clementine reached for her hands. "Violet, none of this is your fault, okay? Please, I don't want you to keep punching yourself for every little thing you think you could have stopped. Not when the twins went missing, not now. So please, for me, tell me you understand that none of this was your fault, okay?"
"Okay. Okay, Clem." A sweet smile hooked Violet's mouth, her body slowly but surely calming down.
As the girls were rejoicing in their time together alone, a sudden thought struck Violet. "Hey, I'll be right back," she claimed.
"Where are you-" too late. Vi was already out the door.
When she reentered the slightly dark room, with her was Clem's second most beloved thing in the world: her hat. "I think this belongs to you," Vi remarked, holding the hat in her hands.
"I was wondering where it went."
Violet handed it to the brunette, which the girl took but refused to put on. Violet raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"
"Come closer."
Violet was confused but did as her girlfriend wished. She sat back down and leaned closer to Clementine, who placed her hat on the top of her head. "Perfect," the brunette beamed.
Violet laughed and readjusted it so it fit more comfortably. "How does it look?"
"You look beautiful," Clem replied.
Violet blushed shyly. "I meant the hat, Clem."
"I still stand by what I said. And the hat looks great on you." Violet smirked and carefully took off the hat, placing it on Clem's bedside table. She yawned, all the long, dreadful hours finally taking over her body. "Vi, have you slept at all?" Clem asked, a perplexed look plastering her face.
"Not since I woke up with you yesterday morning." A small bundle of ecstasy rose through Clementine. The fact that Violet stayed awake just for her meant everything to her, but she also wished she had at least rested a bit.
Another yawn escaped Vi's mouth. "You need to get some sleep, Vi," Clem informed.
"No, it's fine-"
"Violet, I love you, and I'm so lucky and happy to be with you, but please, for me, get some rest." Violet's fatigue was rapidly growing, so she didn't argue back.
She stood up and headed for the door, but Clementine stopped her. "Vi," she called out.
She inched over and patted the mattress next to her, implicating that she wanted her there with her.
"Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you," Violet replied as she walked her way over to the bed.
"You couldn't if you tried, now come." Violet briefly smiled and gently and carefully positioned herself right next to her girlfriend. Clem moved into Vi's arms, her head resting in the crook of Violet's neck. She missed that feeling. They both did.
As they were about to fall asleep, Violet kissed the top of Clem's head. Clementine smiled and looked up, her eyes trained on Vi's lips. Violet noticed, which made her want the same thing, and moved in to close the gap so her girlfriend wouldn't have to strain herself. The kiss was so exciting, so comforting, so real, so desperately needed. The soft touch of their lips filled them with warmth and content.
When they pulled away, they returned to their original positions - tucked under the blankets together, their bodies pressed against each other. Their eyes were now closed, sleep awaiting them.
"Vi?" the brunette uttered.
"Yeah, Clem?"
"Promise me you won't go."
The blonde smiled to herself, hugging her girlfriend tighter. "I promise."
Sleep was about to strike, the two girls slowly fading away into their own, blissful world.
"I love you," Clem added before finally falling asleep. "Always."
"I love you, too. Always."