Rick held the cup of tea, sipping it slowly. He stared at the top of the table, falling into a daze. He had to force himself to focus on her words. Share a bed. He nodded. He’d long ago let go of the days that he would have been picky about where he’d lay his tired body down. The floor with four walls around him sounded good at the moment. He wasn’t going to complain one bit about sharing a bed.
“Carl and I can make up the bed.” He didn’t want to be any more trouble than they already were. He knew the disappointment showed on his face as she spoke the words that he had hoped wouldn’t be true. You can stay the night. The tea suddenly felt soured on his tongue as he pushed the cup away, unable to drink the rest.
He took a shaky breath as he leaned back in the chair and met her eyes. “I guess we’ll move on, try and find a place more permanent for the two of us.” He wanted to add that he’d stay close so that if they needed them, they were there, but he kept that part to himself. He didn’t want to make her pack up and move in the middle of the night for fear that he was taking away any more of her choices.
He had been about to say more when he heard something from the back of the house. It wasn’t a noise he could put his finger on, but it was enough of a noise to let him know that they weren’t alone. “Is there someone else here?” His hand had instantly gone to his gun, but he kept it holstered for fear of scaring Mika.
Mika shot Carol a look. She’d hoped they’d have more time before Judith stirred, but as is with little ones, she wasn’t holding to anyone’s desires but her own. Standing up, Carol placed a hand on Mika’s shoulder, encouraging her to stay in place.
“I’ll go check, you stay here with Mika.” Her tone was firm, she wasn’t going to let Rick dictate what came next, and she needed a moment to ready for it herself. She went through the living room and up the stairs to where she’d placed lJudith down for a nap. When she reached her, the little girl was wide eyed awake and smiling. “Couldn’t wait, huh, little one?”
Carol scooped her up in her arms and bounced her on her hip a little, smiling back at the little girl and getting in the few last precious moments before everything changed. “Ready to see your daddy and brother? They’ll be so happy to see you,” she said in a hushed tone as they nuzzled noses. Carol walked down the stairs with Judith in her arms, pausing just at the doorway to the kitchen. RIck and Carl were both turned toward Mika, talking about the deer she’d shot. Mika spotted Carol and stopped speaking, tapping Rick’s hand and pointing to where the pair stood.
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