Cat's P.O.V
FOUR MONTHS LATER
My arm extends before me, the gun held tightly within my hand. My eyes gaze around the room for any threat before I lean against the wall next to the entryway to the next room. I take a deep breath and count to three. One, two, three...
I walk quickly into the kitchen and come face to face with a walker. I quickly pull out my knife and stab it roughly in the head. It falls quickly to the ground, bringing it down with me as I land on my hip.
"Fuck!" I curse, clutching at my hip.
"Cat!" Rick yells from within the house.
"Kitchen!" I call out.
I hear footsteps and see the dirty boots enter the kitchen. I see a hand held out to me and I grasp it quickly as it pulls me up.
"Thanks R-" I say before stopping.
The beautiful Georgian eyes stare into mine for a moment, showing something other than the hostility I've witnessed for months. In that moment, I see something resembling the way he used to look at me. But all too soon, it's gone and replaced with a hard stare.
"You alrigh'?" He asks gruffly.
I clear my throat and look down, "Yeah, um thanks."
"You should be more careful nex' time." He orders, before walking away.
As he exits the kitchen, he runs into Rick. They stare at each for a moment, exchanging hostile looks. Daryl glances at me before walking back through the house.
Rick turns and walks over to me, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah. Dumbass walker dragged me down with it." I mutter, dusting off my pants.
"How's the baby?" He asks.
"I'm fine Rick. I didn't land on my stomach." I snap, walking past him.
"I'm just worried about you. Your eight months pregnant, you shouldn't be doing stuff like this-"
I turn and glare at him, "I will do what I want Rick, you aren't the boss of me and you're not my husband!" I yell.
He stops and looks at me, clenching his jaw. I know that it was a low blow and that he didn't deserve it, but I am just so sick of people being so protective of me. They all hover over me and smother when the one person I want hasn't spoken a real sentence to me in four months. I turn on my heel and storm through the house and out the door.
The sound of the door banging against the house startles everyone and they turn quickly. I ignore the stares and storm down the steps towards the cars. I open the door to the back seat and slam it behind me. I lay down on my back and cover my eyes with my arm, taking deep breathes to calm down.
"You alright there?"
I sit up startled and look towards the front seat to see a male sitting and looking out the windshield. I calm my breathing and smack him upside the head.
"Ouch!"
"Dammit Travis, you scared the shit out of me!" I hiss.
"Sorry! But you should have seen if the car was empty first!"
"Travis, I will hit you-"
"Alright, alright Catty, calm down. You don't need to go all hormonal on me." He jests.
"I swear to God Travis-"
"I'm joking Cat! I'll stop." He says, holding his hands up in mock surrender.
I lay back down in the seat and cover my eyes again. Travis joined our group two months back when we discovered he was living in an outdoor shed. He was younger than me, around 28 and had short brown hair. He was rather tall and had brown eyes and tanned skin and was currently dating Amelia, who was outside with the others.
"Why aren't you outside with the rest of them?" I ask.
"My ankle is aching and I thought I should rest it." He shrugs.
Two days ago, we were raiding a small supermarket that had supplies for Judith and Beth, plus things we would need eventually for the baby. Travis was trying to get some formula when a walker came out and tried to attack him. Luckily I was there and shot it, but Travis fell and landed on his ankle. I felt sort of guilty for what happened but Travis always reassures me that it's fine, we were close.
"I really am sor-" I begin.
"Cat, if you keep apologising, I will be forced to take drastic measures."
"Like what?" I question, knowing he won't do anything.
"Like this." He says, reaching to tickle my side.
"Stop!" I protest as he reaches my side.
"Then stop apologising!" He says, tickling me.
"Okay! I promise." I say, batting his hands away.
He pulls away and faces the front, his eyes back on the group. I see Rick on the porch talking but I'm unable to hear what he's saying. Unable to help myself, I look at Daryl who is standing off to the side of the porch kicking his feet. I long to be able to hold him and talk to him but I know that that's not a possibility now. I feel a pressure on my bladder and I groan out loud.
"What?" Travis asks.
"This baby likes to play footsies with my bladder." I groan, sitting up.
I shuffle across the seat and step out into the misty sky. I pull my jacket tighter around me and walk into the tree line by the house. I pull my knife out of my belt and look for a suitable tree, finding one easily. I look around to make sure I'm alone before beginning to undo my pants. As I begin to pull the material away, I hear a twig break. I snap my head around to see Daryl standing a little ways away.
I stop moving and stare at him for a moment before looking down, "I'm sorry."
"What are yer sorry for?" He asks grumpily.
"I-I don't know-w." I mumble, looking away.
I step behind the tree and pull my pants down and attempt to squat with great difficulty.
"Dammit!" I yell frustrated.
"Wha'?" He asks, suddenly closer than expected.
"I need to take a piss, but I can't seem to get in the damn position to do it!" I mutter.
"Can you get Maggie or Sasha to help me please?" I sigh.
"I can help you." He says.
I freeze at his words, "What?"
"If you'd rather someone else-" He begins angrily.
"No, no. It's fine. Thankyou." I say.
He walks around the tree and stands in front of me, placing his crossbow on the ground. He steps over to me and helps me get into a comfortable position. I quickly finish my business and he helps me back up. I bend down to try and reach my pants but I can't reach. He kneels down and pulls my pants into position, buttoning them up. He stands up to full height, his body extremely close to mine. My body begins to react to his presence due to his absence for months on end.
"Thank you." I whisper, looking up into his eyes.
He looks down at me, his breath fanning my face. He gives me a simple nod before picking up his crossbow and walking away. I sag against the tree and lean my hands on my thighs, trying to calm my breathing. My brain processes the thoughts of him actually being close and giving me the time of day. I hear the sound of someone calling my name and I head back towards the house.
I enter the small clearing and see the cars parked closer and people moving stuff inside. I waddle over to the cars and grab a box from the back of the car.
"Oh no you don't." A deep voice says.
I turn and see Carl walking over to me and take the box out of my hands. During the last few months, he had grown immensely. He was taller, his voice deeper and was beginning to fill out, turning into a younger Rick.
"Hey!" I protest as he takes the box.
"You are way to pregnant to be carrying this. Go inside and sit down." He commands.
"You aren't-"
"Now!"
I sigh in defeat and trudge my way into the house. I hear the sound of our group setting up and calling different rooms. I sit down on the lounge and lay my head back, closing my eyes.
"I'm pretty sure that's my bed."
I look up and see Noah smiling at me and I jump up in excitement.
"Noah!" I cry, throwing my arms around him.
"Hey beautiful. Look at you, you've gotten bigger."
I gasp and lunch him in the arm, "Never say that to a pregnant woman!" I scold.
He chuckles and rubs his arm, "That hurt. Remind me to never get on your bad side."
I smile at him, "How was the trip? Did you find what you were looking for?"
"Nah, Abraham and Hayden found a lead but it was a dead end." He sighs.
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine. Now you should go have a lay down before dinner." He commands.
"For goodness sake, I'm not a child. I wish people will stop ordering me to do things."
"Go to bed!" Noah, Tyresse and Abraham say at the same time.
I roll my eyes and let out a yawn, "Fine." I grumble.
They chuckle and I walk over to the staircase, taking it in. To anyone else, it would have seemed like a normal staircase, but to me it looked like Everest. I grip the railing and begin to slowly ascend the giant staircase. I feel people rush past me with boxes and come back down before I've made it two steps. I turn and sit down on a step and lean against the railing.
"What're you doing?" Glenn asks.
"I can't make it anymore. I'll sleep here, it's comfy." I yawn.
"Come on. I'll help you up." He chuckles.
I take his hand and he pulls so I'm standing up. He wraps an arm around my waist and I wrap mine around his shoulders and we take the stairs. We reach the second floor and he leads down the hall to the last door on the right. He opens it up and inside is a large king sized bed.
"What're you doing? I can sleep on the lounge, or a single!" I protest.
"This is the comfiest bed in the place and you need to rest. You are wearing yourself out." He scolds.
"But I'm fine." I yawn.
"Sure you are, now lay down." He says, walking me over to the bed.
I shuffle back and he pulls my feet up onto the bed, pulling the blanket over me. I lay back on the pillows and moan in comfort.
"I take it back, maybe I'll stay here forever." I yawn.
He chuckles, "Someone will come up to wake you for dinner."
He walks and shuts the door halfway, just how I like it. I settle back onto the end and close my eyes. Soon enough I am asleep, surrendering to the tiredness.
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"Cat." Someone whispers in my ear.
I curl deeper into a ball and clutch the pillow to my chest, attempting to ignore the person waking me.
"Go away." I mutter groggily.
"Come on. It's dinner time."
I reluctantly open my eyes and see Travis in front of me.
"I'm not hungry." I say, putting the pillow over my face.
"You're always hungry." He chuckles.
I sigh and move the pillow away from my face and sit up. The sky is dark outside with the occasional flash of lightning. The sound of the heavy rain on the roof is sort of comforting as I make my way downstairs. When we reach the bottom, everyone is gathered around the kitchen table. There is a selection of canned goods and cooked meat. I sneak a glance over a Daryl and see him standing back from the group.
"Hey there, sleeping beauty."
I smile as Maggie stands next to me, with little Beth in her arms. I brush my fingers across her forehead and smile at the little girl.
"I'd say she's the sleeping beauty. I'm more of the sleeping mammoth." I chuckle.
"Well soon enough, you'll have the baby and you won't be as big." She smiles, looking at Beth.
I walk forward and grab a plate, inspecting the food when something dreadful reaches my nose. I drop the plate and walk quickly out of the room towards the front porch. I stand with my hands on the railing and take deep breaths of the fresh air. I cup my hands together and fill my palms with water, splashing my face. I wipe the excess water off my face and turn around, stopping in my tracks.
Daryl stands at the door with one hand in his pocket, the other gripping the strap of his crossbow. His captivating eyes peak out at me under his long hair. I awkwardly shift on my feet and wrap my arms around me, trying to keep me warm.
"You alrigh'?" He asks.
I lick my lips and look down, kicking my feet, "Yeah. Something disagreed with me and I needed the fresh air."
I glance back up and see him looking at me, a concerned look on his face. He goes to step forward but stops himself, his face covered in pain. He turns quickly on his feet and walks back into the house. I sink to the floor and put my head in my hands, my elbows resting on my knees. Why is he doing this? I know that Beth and Daryl became close after the attack on the prison, but this was excessive. My thoughts drift back to the night of the incident and I begin to sob.
We were all in the truck, looking for place to crash for the night. Maggie was sobbing in front of me, cradled in Glenn's arms. I was holding little Beth in my arms, sitting next to an unmoving Daryl. His body was faced towards the window, not allowing me to see his face. I was desperately longing to comfort him but I didn't know how, knowing that my full well could make it worse.
After that night, Daryl wasn't the same. He kept to himself and shut me out as well as the rest of the group. Maggie began to deal with her grief while Daryl seemed to hold onto it. Seeing him react this way made me feel emotions that I know I shouldn't. What happened between them in the woods? I was irrationally jealous of the affection he holds for her, still am to some degree. Daryl loved Beth, and I'm not enough to help him.
I hear the front door open and feel someone take a seat beside me on the floor. Their manly arms wrap around my shoulders and pull me against their chest. I clutch at their shirt and begin to sob quietly as the emotions overwhelm me.
"You're okay." Rick whispers, placing a kiss on my hair.
I sniffle and pull back, wiping my nose on the sleeve of my jumper. I look up into Rick's eyes and see the concern he has for me. He reaches forward and wipes a tear from my cheek, giving me a small smile.
"I'm sorry about what I said." I say.
He shakes his head, "Don't be."
"I know that you and everyone else are looking out for me. I snapped and yelled at you and I apologise for my hormones taking control."
He chuckles and pulls me tight against him, resting my head on his shoulder.
"I know that. When Lori was pregnant with Carl and Judith, she had the worst mood swings. Hey, I even coped it from Maggie a few times."
"I just miss him." I say, staring at the wall.
He sighs, "I know you do. You just have to give him time."
"I've given him time, he needs something I can't give him." I say.
"What's that?" He questions.
"Beth." I whisper, a tear falling down my cheek.
He freezes under my touch and I move away from him. I quickly pull myself to my feet and dust myself off, wiping my eyes.
"I think I'm going to go to bed. I'm not very hungry." I say quickly.
He gives me a sad smile and nods his head and I turn and walk back inside towards the stairs. I eventually make my way up the stairs and into the room I was sleeping in. I close the door, leaving it slightly open and make my way to the bed. I slip off my shoes and pull the blankets tight around me.
I stare out the window as the raindrops splash against the glass. I remain silent and I let the tears flow freely, a nightly ritual of the past few months.