#v;preapoc

[thesheriffswife]

“Carl," Lori's sock-clad feet stepped out of the kitchen as she looked down the hall toward Carl's bedroom. This was the second time she'd called him in the hour. Her eyes drifted down to the small kitchen towel and glass bowl in her hands. She had been wiping it down for a few minutes now because, for whatever reason, the cloth wasn't absorbing the water. 

She shifted her weight as she was starting to become restless with her young son. "Carl, honey,“ her tone was a little impatient now - trying his name for the third time. 

 When there was still no word from her son, she sighed heavily, defeat coursing her veins as she stalked toward his room. The door was shut fully. Lori rolled her eyes, starting to feel her patience being tested. Putting the bowl down on a nearby table, she went for the handle and pushed the door open. ”Carl, how many times have we told you to keep this door open-“ Lori's voice was tense as she gripped the knob and put her other hand on the frame. 

 There, under the blankets, Lori heard him sniffling. “Oh, no, baby," her demeanor instantly changed from annoyed to worried as she rushed into her son's room and fell beside him, wrapping him up in her arms. Carl turned into his mother's chest and cried as she rubbed his back, pressing a few kisses to his head. 

"He'll make it through this, baby, I promise.“ Lori pulled back a little to look at her young son's distraught, tear-strained face, her slender fingers gently pushing back his dark hair soothingly. “I miss him, mom, I miss him so much. I want him to come home,“ Carl cried. It broke Lori's heart to see her baby in so much pain. But she shared that pain with her little man. "Your daddy's gonna come home, I know he will.“ Lori kissed Carl's head again as he continued to cry. Her eyes fluttered shut as her heart ached for her son, tears of her own, streaming down her cheeks as she cried silently while her son cried himself to sleep. 

 As his little sobs started to die down, and Carl was finally asleep, Lori slipped off the bed. She pulled his blanket up to his shoulders and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek before she left his room. 

 Gently, she shut the door just a little and wiped her eyes the best she could before snatching up the bowl and continued to clean it with the towel. 

 Just as she was heading back into the kitchen, there was a rapid knock on the front door. She jumped at the unexpected sound, glancing at the clock on the wall. Who the hell is that at this hour? Instead of heading into the kitchen to put the bowl away and the towel back, she went to the entryway. The knocking came again, this time a little louder. "I'm coming!“ She snapped, her voice a little hushed.

Unlocking the door, Lori flipped the foyer light switch on before she pulled the antique wicker handle, her eyes furious as she pulled the door open, her hair flying back from the force of her pull. "Shane?! Do you have any idea what time it is?! Carl’s asleep!“ She hissed, her eyes furious, but also full of sorrow and pain - a clear indication that she'd been crying.

( @wexarethewalkingxdead​

[thesheriffswife]

a last summer’s gathering at the grimes home

Summer in Georgia was always hot and disgusting.  It wasn't’ the heat that made it so gross, but the humidity just lingered, making it feel hotter than it actually was.  And today was one of those days.  A day like this where Lori wished they installed the pool when they bought the house - that was a mutual decision though, knowing that neither of them would actually go in it.  And actually cleaning the thing in the summer put another chore on her shoulders.  Not that she minded doing such things around the house, but a pool was definitely one of those things they didn’t need.  Except maybe today.

Running out of the bathroom with her damp head from her midmorning shower, Lori’s feet padded against the wooden floor of the hallway as she headed toward the kitchen.  The smoke alarm was blaring, going off wildly at 11 am without any concern for those in the house.  “Dammit,” Lori coughed as she waved some of the smoke out of her face while she tried to get to the oven.  Leaning over the sink, Lori cranked the window wide open and tried to fan some of the smoke out of the house.  Coughing still, she went to the oven and shut it off before she grabbed oven mitts and pulled open the door to take out the extra crispy cinnamon rolls.

After she’d opened a few more windows and got most of the smoke out, Lori knocked on Carl’s bedroom door, pushing it open.  The alarms finally stopped blaring.  He was sitting in front of his tv screen with headphones in playing video games.  Lori clenched her jaw.  “Carl,” she said sternly, folding her arms over her chest.  Carl paused his game before he turned and pulled his headphones down.  “Morning,” he said in a tired ten year old voice.  “Didn’t I ask you to take those out twenty minutes ago?” Her eyes were disappointed as she looked at him.  Carl shrugged.  “I forgot.” Was all he gave her.  Lori ran a hand through her hair as she nodded before she just walked away and went to go finish getting ready for this party.

Sometimes she wished Rick didn’t work so much, sometimes she wished things were different between them - better, like they used to be.

But, those were thoughts for a different time.  

As the doorbell rang, Lori greeted her friends and neighbors with a smile, a light touch of makeup, her long hair pinned back as she took the food and wine when it was handed to her.  It was just a small beginning of summer kind of party the Grimes home always hosted.  Carl was running around with his friends out back in the yard.  Some of the men were drinking beers already and even taking control over the barbecue.  Rick wasn't going to mind.

Lori carried the food into the kitchen and set it in the oven, just as the doorbell rang again.  Her blue and white summer dress flowed quickly behind her as her sandals stopped near the front door for their next guest, hoping Rick would be home soon.

(( @caffeinatedxgrimes​

[thesheriffswife]

Lori’s hands shook as she stared at the phone.  She couldn’t do this.  Taking in a breath, her eyes closing briefly as she put the phone on the nearby table and fell into the seat.

They’d just gotten home from the hospital to see Rick. Carl could barely stand he was so distraught, and Lori - she could hardly breathe since the moment Shane came to Carl’s school to tell her.  Shane drove them to the hospital because Lori knew there was no way she’d be able to drive herself or Carl safely.

As Lori looked down to her phone again, she closed her eyes and let out a soft breath before she dialed Lena’s number.  Her eyes flicked to the clock just above the doorway, checking the time in case her eldest child would be in class or not.  Lori waited for Lena to answer.  When she didn’t the first time, Lori sighed and ended the call.  She waited a moment again before she called back - still getting her voicemail.

This time, the frantic mother left a message. “Lena...call me.  Now. Please”.

( @lostgrimesgirl​

[thesheriffswife]

[thesheriffswife]

“Thanks for your help with cleanin’ up, Joan, you really didn’t have to,” muses Lori as she carries the empty iced tea pitcher into the kitchen.  “It’s no trouble at all, Lori, yah know I got the time.” Joan slips her sweater on over her shoulders.  Lori laughs a little, shaking her head as she sets the pitcher down in the empty sink and turns to look at her friend standing in the doorway.  “You sure you’re good for next week?” The older woman asks as she starts to button up the black cardigan.  Wrapping her arms around her chest, Lori simply just nods from Joan’s question as she starts to walk with the woman toward the front door.  “I don’t mind havin’ it here again.”  Reaching for the door handle, Lori pulls the front door open and smiles as her friend gives her a nod before she steps outside, carrying a book in her arms.  “Bye.” Smiling, and giving the older lady a wave, Lori closes the door and turns the lock knowing that for the next few hours she’d be alone.

Pushing herself away from the door, Lori strides into the living room and picks up her book from the chair she was sitting in earlier.  Another book club meeting, another book finished.  Chewing on her lip, she makes her way over to the small makeshift library in the back room and stands in front of the bookshelf.  Finding an open spot, Lori slips the book onto the completed reading section she’d created a few weeks ago before she heads back out to the kitchen.

For a moment, her hands fall to her hips as she dips her head in silence.  This house is too quiet with her boy at a sleepover, it was too lonely with her husband at work.  Even though she’d spent a few hours with the bookclub weekly, today just seemed a little different.  And maybe that was because Carl wasn’t home for the next few days, well whatever the reason, she felt so alone.

But she knows she needs to snap out of it.  Earthy hues take a glimpse toward the teapot on the stove, more specifically the flame, the water still wasn’t boiling.  Scraping her teeth against her lower lip, Lori shuts the water and decides to head toward the master bathroom for a shower instead.  This would be her second shower for the day.

Closing the door behind her, Lori shuffles to the shower and turns the water on.  Slipping out of her day dress and undergarments, the housewife sticks her hand into the water to test the temperature.  It’s still too cold for her liking.  Twisting the knob, she puts it hotter as she reaches up and lets her hair down from the bun she’s had it in since this morning.  And finally, she steps into the shower and shuts herself in the stall.

Stepping under the hot water feels embracing, like she’s not alone in this moment.  Even though she knows herself that it’s a pathetic way of thinking.

But a surge of heartache sweeps over her and she feels herself pressing a hand to the surface of the tile wall as she tries hard to keep her composure , to not cry and keep it all bottled in like she’s used to doing for the past few years.  Carl was eight already, he was getting older and so was she and yet she felt with every fiber of her being that no matter what she did, she was the one being punished.  God was being cruel to her, and Lori couldn’t figure out why.  Was it because she wasn’t the best wife or mother?  Was it because she didn’t always help a person in need right away?  Or was it just because of who she was as a person?

Tears spill from her eyes in that moment, a sob breaking through her wet lips as she reaches up to quickly wipe them away.  Deep down, she knows she’s falling apart, she knows she’s on the verge of possibly being prescribed anti-depressants to be on for the rest of her life, but she’s fighting with everything in her to stay strong.  She herself felt like a light switch, her moods changing at the flip of a switch on instant, without any warning and she hated it.

She feels her chest squeeze tighter from the sob she’s holding back, the burning in her throat of the tears she’s trying so hard to hide from herself, and the weakness in her knees as she tries to keep herself standing against the wall.  It’s all coming in like a wave, the riptide wanting to pull her in and it’s just going to take her with it if she keeps on fighting it.  But this is her burden to handle, not Rick’s or her parents, or any of her prying friends.  She, herself needed to fight this battle alone.

Another breath comes out along with a sob, and Lori just gives in.  She slides down against the wall, the hot water pulsating against her skin as she sits on the floor.  She brings her knees to her chest and her arms wrap tightly around her folded legs as she sobs into her knees.

[thesheriffswife]

@mercyprevaild

[thesheriffswife]

for : send me a ♥ and I’ll fill out @wexarethewalkingxdead​ (Shane) asked

If we kissed?

[] Quickie. [] Tongue. [] Softly bite your lip. [x] We wouldn’t. [] Long and meaningful. [] Let’s hit up the bedroom. [] You remember last time?                    [x] Awkward… [x] Lol no.

Would I go out with you?

[] Yes, definitely. [] No. [] I want to, but it wouldn’t work. [] Maybe. [x] Nope, you’re like family. [x] You’re cute, but probably not. [] Just simply not my type. [] If I knew you better. [] Already did. [] I don’t know.

If we took a picture together, we’d be…

[x] Hugging each other. [x] Just chilling. [] Holding hands. [] Kissing. [] Acting dumb. [x] Normal picture. [] You holding me from behind.

You are…

[] Cute/Pretty. [x] Good looking. [] Sexy. [] All of the above

You + me + room = …

[x] Movies. [] Cuddling. [x] Hanging out. [] Kissing. [x] Playing games. [] Everything. [] Wouldn’t let you in.

You should…

[] Hit me up. [] Be mine. [] Marry me. [] Reblog this so I can send you a heart.     [] be studying

If we got married, I’d…

[] Divorce you. [] Make kids. [] Take your money and bounce. [] Smash every day. [] I would cheat on you. [] Be faithful. [] Kill you in your sleep [x] We wouldn’t

[thesheriffswife]

“I wish it could always be like this.”

The morning sun shines in through the drapes, casting golden hues around the master bedroom.  Lori smiles warmly as her husband’s voice whispers in her ear.  Sunday’s were her favorite days to wake up to. She and Rick usually woke up with their legs tangled under the sheets, Carl often slept in a little, she made disgusting pancakes - but Rick wasn’t working.  It is a peaceful morning.  And Lori can’t help but turn to face him, burying her face inside the crook of his neck.  “Me too,” she whispers against his skin as her eyes flutter shut.  Sundays will always be her favorite.