THICK SKULL , twd [ 1 ]

14. how's your mom?

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                 JUDITH. THAT IS THE baby's name. Sadie's cousin—sister if you look at it a certain way.

           Carl told her everything about Lori's death, how it happened and where. Including how Koa and Carl both were the ones to make sure the kind woman would not turn. How Maggie is half of the reason Judith is able to be here today. Koa also told her the theory about Judith.

                 It's Shane's baby.

                 The young blonde girl Sadie now knows as Beth is holding Judith. Sadie moved from her new cell of a bedroom after not sleeping all night. All she could see when she closed her eyes was all the possible ways her Uncle Shane had died. No one will even give her the slightest of hints. Something tells her that whenever he died—Shane wasn't on good terms with anyone here.

Every time Koa thinks she can explain it, her scar stings and those words she herself said play on repeat.

'Sadie would be so mad at you.'

           Judith's brown eyes reflect Lori's, reminding Sadie of the only mother she's ever known.

           "You can hold her," Beth softly says, moving her arms out but Sadie flinches, moving back. She's held babies but this is different. She doesn't resent Judith, whatever Shane did is not on the innocent baby at all but all she sees is Lori and her death. The screams that her sister said are engraved in her head. The way Koa looked as Carl told the oldest about the horrid story. Pale and still scared.

                 "It's okay," Sadie clears her throat, "I need water," She excuses herself from Beth. It feels like those in the room follow her with their eyes. Curiosity, Sadie hopes. Nellie shuffles over to follow Sadie to the cell.

        Her hands are shaking, white knuckled around those damned chains.

              "Sadie?" Nellie calls out from the cell doorway. The blonde gasps, looking up at Nellie. She wipes her sweaty palms on her dark washed torn jeans, forcing a smile. "Yeah?" Sadie questions. Nellie scratches her neck, biting her lip as she thinks about how to go about this. "They wanna make a map of the prison or somethin'. Figure out how that group got in," Nellie says, hoping that maybe the change of subject helps.

            Sadie's grip loosens, "Where's Rick?" She hasn't seen him since yesterday. While she sobbed her eyes out, Rick Grimes lost his mind momentarily.

                     He was shouting at someone, asking what they wanted. Grief does crazy things, it changes people and there's not much you can do to stop the powerful force. Sadie thinks he's seeing Lori. His wife died for the birth of their daughter. Even if Judith isn't biologically his, he'll treat her like she is.