Chapter 26

                                    

                                          
Sena's POV
                          
Carl was panicking because Lori didn't show up to dinner and we haven't found her yet. 
                          
"One of the cars is missing." Maggie said, coming back from where they kept their cars. Shane sighed and rubbed his head, everyone looked at him.
                          
"She went out to go find Rick." Shane said under his breath, he then started to walk towards Otis' old truck and left.
                          
"Is max okay?" I hear Jamie ask. I looked down at her. Her blonde hair was all messy and dirty, her pink clothes are now dirty and old. 
                          
"She's always okay." I say, but I was thinking about how stupid she was going. 
                          
"Let's go to bed." I say, noticing it was probably an hour after sundown, meaning it was around 10, Jamie held my hand and we walked into the house, I was using Max's room now.
                          
...
                          
I was tucking Jamie in when I saw orbs of lights move across the wall of the room from the window. I knew someone pulled into the driveway. I got up and saw that it was Rick and max, 
                          
"Is she back?" Jamie asked.
                          
I didn't answer right away, waiting for max to get out of the car, she got out, I felt a wave of relief wash over me, 
                          
"Let's go see her." I say. Jamie hopped out of bed and we ran downstairs, once we got to the driveway, max came over to us and hugged Jamie. She picked her up and went over to me
                          
"I'll kill you the next time you scare me like that." I say, hugging her. She laughed a little, something must have happened during the trip since she seemed quiet. I then saw Hershel was reuniting with his family, Beth was still upstairs though. I then saw a guy in the back seat of the car, he had a cloth in his mouth and a blindfold on, he looked like he was sleeping.
                          
"Who is that?" I asked
                          
"It's Randall... He got hurt on the trip, I patched him up."
                          
"Why?" I asked
                          
Before she could answer, Rick came over to us, he was looking at max the whole time. 
                          
"Lori went out looking for me, can you watch Carl for me until I get back?" Rick asked her. 
                          
"No- you aren't leaving again." She hissed, she completely dropped our conversation, she set down Jamie, Jamie came over to me, watching Rick and max talk. They were mostly just whispering in annoyed tones. If I didn't know, I would've thought that they were a couple, the way they looked at each other and the way she refused him leaving...
                          
Rick left us, max looked on the verge of breaking down, she looked at me then walked towards the house.
                          
"Max- what happened?"
                          
"He's going out to find Lori-"
                          
"Hey, Dale, can you put Jamie to bed in the room upstairs to the left?" I asked him as he walked past us, he looked at Jamie and smiled
                          
"Of course, come on Jamie." He said. Jamie ran over to him, she looked at us as they walked away, she then went inside.
                          
"I can't think when he's out there, Sena." She says with watery eyes. I've only seen her like this a couple of times, when she got a bad grade on her ACT and when her cat died. 
                          
"He's going to be okay." I try to comfort her
                          
"He protected me the whole time we were out there. He- he made me feel like we were... We were together but then I remember he has Lori- and I don't know what to do." She said, almost thinking out loud. I stayed silent for a moment, contemplating telling her what Rick told me at the CDC. My anger from it was gone since I realize that Rick was giving her mixed signals and she was hanging in the balance
                          
"He told me that he felt that it was his job to protect you... And that he cared about you enough to pick me up and carry me out just so you would leave with him." I admit. 
                          
She looked up at me, she was in complete shock. Her eyes flickered, 
                          
"He told you that?"
                          
I nodded. She didn't say anything, she then looked at me again
                          
"What should I do?"
                          
I sighed, I walked over to the porch steps, she followed, we both sat down. 
                          
"I think you should just let him make the moves so you're not considered the one who hit on a married man." I say. She nods, she understood. 
                          
"Lori is pregnant and I think it's Shane's baby." She said in a calm and normal voice. I looked over at her, surprised she wasn't furious or throwing things. She bowed her head and played with the dirt with her knife
                          
"Does he know?"
                          
"That's why he was so mad at dinner a couple of nights ago." She said 
                          
I nodded, still confused why she was so calm
                          
"We kissed two times and we were about to... To do it but he changed his mind." She then looked up, looking straight ahead. It's almost as if she was just talking to herself, 
                          
"Every time he kisses me it's like he's drowning and my lips are like his fresh air or something...." 
                          
I laughed at her cheesy metaphor, she looked at me with a grin, knowing how stupid it sounded 
                          
"It's true... It's like he's been wanting to do it and the only thing holding him back is Lori." She said
                          
For a few moments, there was a satisfying silence, then Hershel called us up to check on Randall's wounds.
                          
Max's POV
                          
"Looks like you cleaned the wound up and it's going to be awhile until he can walk. It didn't go through the bone and if it doesn't get infected, he won't have to lose it." Hershel said as I inspected the wound. Randall was still out
                          
"He can't be here." I say, putting the gauze back on and standing up. 
                          
"I know that, I'm waiting for Rick to come back and see what he wants to do."
                          
Just then, I see headlights come in the driveway. Shane and Lori got out, I ran outside to see where Rick was
                          
"Where's Rick?" Lori asked, she was asking everyone who was circling her now, asking if she was alright 
                          
I began to feel worried, I thought he went out to get Lori
                          
"Shane?" Lori asked him, her tone sounded like he said he was here. Shane looked serious, as if he knew something she didn't know- something maybe I didn't know
                          
"Dad!" We heard Carl yell by us, I then saw Rick come from the camper, all ready to go and find Lori. He then saw her, his face relaxed but at the same time, it froze when he realized Shane had saved her. Lori ran to him, hugging him. He wrapped his arms around her, I looked at Shane, he saw me staring at them. He knew that I liked Rick