I'm with You

I woke up and realized that I was now laying down. The ground underneath me was hard, and I didn't really know where I was. Opening my eyes, I saw the wall of one on the storage units. Turning over onto my back I saw the ceiling. I realized that someone had moved me into the storage unit I had been sleeping in. After sitting up, I realized that someone had covered me with a blanket that wasn't mine. That someone was probably the same person who brought me in here. I highly doubt that it was Lori, Beth, or Hershel, so that meant the rest of the group was back from their run.

I got up off the concrete floor and stretched my body. I felt a lot better since I slept, and seeing from the half open door, I had slept almost all day. I ducked under the door as I went outside into the cool winter evening. The sun was beginning to set in the west, but gave enough light for me to look around. Most of the group was sitting around the small fire eating from bowls. Nobody had noticed me yet, but I went over to join them hoping that I didn't yell in my sleep once again.

I was greeted with friendly smiles as I took my place on the bucket between Carl and Beth. Lori passed down a bowl of food to Carl before he handed it to me. When I got it, I knew that they found some food today. I smiled a little at the ravioli before eating it. The conversations around me kept going as everyone ate. Glenn and Maggie were telling about today's adventures and how they nearly escaped death from walkers while in a store. T-Dog was telling his own version of what happened as soon as they finished. I smiled a little when Glenn began arguing with T-Dog about how they got out. One of the two of them were apparently making it more dramatic than it was.

Not long after eating dinner did everyone began heading to bed. Lori and Carl were first like usual. Maggie and Glenn said goodnight to us next before leaving. T-Dog followed after telling us it had been a long day. Hershel said he needed to catch up on sleep, leaving Beth, Carol, and I around the fire. Daryl and Rick were still not with the group, but it wasn't unusual. Daryl usually ate later when almost everyone was gone. Rick did too since he always tried to stay away from Lori.

"Did....did I scream again?" I quietly asked Beth, not sure if I wanted the answer. Evidently, it was a shock to them that I actually spoke. It was actually the first thing I said all day.

"Uh, no." Beth spoke quickly. "You fell asleep not long after everyone left. Hershel and Lori managed to get you to lay down across the buckets. When Rick got back he took you to your storage unit since you were still sleeping across 'em. He was the one who covered you up."

"We didn't know if your car doors were lock, and Rick said he knew you didn't like people touching your car. He found a spare blanket." Carol added. "He also has your knife if you were wondering where it is." I nodded my head. I had completely forgot about my knife, but it wasn't important at the moment.

Carol and Beth soon left me alone around the fire. I was no longer tired, so sleep was out of the question for me. I didn't have my knife to kill walkers, and I had no clue where Rick even was, so I couldn't get it back from him. I stayed by the fire watching the flames flicker and listening to the cackling it made.

"Sleep well?" Rick asked an hour later when he joined me.

I nodded my head before answering. "Yeah, thanks for everything today."

I kept my eyes on the fire since I was a bit embarrassed to look at him. He had been the only one who seemed truly worried about me this morning though. That was why I hugged him while I cried.

"You're welcome." Rick murmured as he sat next to me. "Here, I picked up your knife from the ground earlier." I shyly took a glance at Rick before looking at my knife in his hand. I took it before saying 'thanks' and looking back into the fire. "You eat yet?"

"Yeah, I ate with everyone else. I'm guessing you found some food, because that ravioli was good." I smiled a little at the fire as Rick chuckled.

Rick began telling me his side of the story about their day. I listened closely as he described everything in detail. Every now and then I would glance over at him to see him staring into the fire like I had been. He began laughing as he told me how my delicious canned ravioli almost got left behind in a store. They had found quite a few cans of ravioli in the store and it made me happy knowing that I would probably have more in the morning.

It was quiet between us once he finished the story. I knew he most likely wanted to know about my nightmare, but I still didn't want to talk about it. It gave me chills by just thinking about it.

Rick got up and left without saying a word. I figured he headed to bed too, but he came back moments later with a can of beans. Neither of us said anything as he began warming up the can of beans over the fire so that he could eat them. It didn't bother me that it was silent between us. It was actually peaceful. I usually only saw Rick when he ate with us, but there was always the tension between him and Lori. Otherwise, he stayed away. The only other time seeing him is when I went on supply runs with them or he wanted to talk to me. I began to wonder if things would change once Lori had her baby.