TWD: Saving Merle First - Chapter 154: Maybe We Finally Caught a Break (Patreon)

As Wade handed out assignments, the farm settlement swung back into its usual hectic rhythm.

Jade and Michonne gathered the parkour runners and started their own meeting. Shane pulled Daryl and the others aside to work out a plan.

Marcus put on a mask and finished examining the camp members who had come down with colds and fevers. Then he picked up his medical bag and went to Hershel's cabin for Lori's weekly checkup.

Lori's pregnancy was beginning to show, and Shane had made his peace with it... probably?

At least he'd been behaving himself lately.

Besides, Wade had deliberately assigned him to work outside the camp, with missions that could keep him away for three to five days at a time.

The last thing Wade wanted was for Shane to be around when Little Ass-Kicker was born, only to have his possessiveness and obsessive tendencies flare up again.

It wasn't exactly a noble way of handling things, but when the time came, it would be best if only one of Shane and Rick was in camp.

Lori was expected to give birth sometime between late January and early February of the following year. It was only late November now, so there was still plenty of time.

Still, winter was making itself felt. Temperatures had fallen sharply in recent days, and most people at the settlement had already switched to long sleeves.

Rick walked up beside Wade and spoke quietly. "Wade, you've found something for practically everyone to do. That seems awfully familiar."

Wade's heart gave a jolt. Oh, shit. Has Rick already figured out my routine?

"It's nothing like that. I just think everyone in camp needs to..."

Rick smiled. That awkward attempt at an explanation only confirmed his suspicions. He interrupted before Wade could finish.

"Wade, we've worked together for months. You can't fool me with a little trick like that."

"Instead of wasting your breath, why don't you tell me how long you're planning to disappear for this time?"

Wade gave a helpless smile and turned toward him.

"I don't know yet. My first stop will probably be the rest area about a hundred and fifty miles away. I want to see whether I can bring back some fuel."

He didn't bother hiding his plans.

The recent construction work had kept trucks, excavators, loaders, cranes, and generators running almost nonstop. They were all thirsty machines, and now the camp's fuel supply had reached a dangerously low level. All their reserves combined amounted to less than five hundred gallons.

That might sound like plenty, but they still needed to build a smaller project over the next few days: the parkour training ground.

The generators couldn't be shut down, either. If the UV lights went out, the consequences would be disastrous.

Disastrous enough to fill a whole book titled Wade Teams Up with Superman Crane and Bristleback to Fight Volatiles in the Dead of Night.

Rick's brow had already furrowed at the mention of a hundred and fifty miles. "Maybe there's a better solution. We could send people to siphon gas from abandoned cars, or look around for a smaller gas station closer to home."

Wade shook his head with a sigh. "It's not that I don't want somewhere closer, Rick. I asked Beth ages ago. There aren't any small gas stations left around here. The nearest one is at the rest area I just mentioned."

"Then why not bring a few people with you? Merle and the others, for example?"

"I'd have fewer things to worry about and could travel faster on my own. Besides, they've got their own jobs. There's no reason to pull them away for something like this."

Rick clicked his tongue and covered his forehead and eyes with one broad hand. For a moment, he didn't know what else to say.

"What about Beth?" he finally asked, his voice subdued.

The question reminded him of his arguments with Lori. He had once done exactly what Wade was doing, putting work before his personal life every time. The arguments had been constant, and at their worst, he'd stayed away from home for days.

"Beth... I'll talk to her later."

Rick's expression shifted. The frustration of watching Wade prepare to head off again gave way to the understanding of someone who had been through the same thing himself.

"Wade, sometimes you've got to think about Beth, too. A relationship can't work when one person is always the one making sacrifices for the other."

"When you went to Atlanta for those construction materials, every time the convoy was due back, she'd run up to the watchtower full of hope. Then she'd come down and go home disappointed."

"She worries about you. You remember last time, don't you? She cried so much."

Wade rubbed both hands over his face and let out a breath. "You're not the first to tell me that. Marcus has said the same thing, and I know you're both right."

"I've thought about handing everything over to you guys, staying home with Beth, messing around with her, and finally giving her more of my time."

"But there are things I can't simply leave to someone else. It's not because I think you couldn't handle them. I trust every one of you. What scares me is that one day, because I decided to take it easy, someone might die when I could have prevented it. Then they'd bring the body back and lay it in front of me."

"I don't think I could ever forgive myself for that."

Rick stared at him, stunned. After a long silence, he sighed and rested a hand on Wade's shoulder.

"Maybe we did something right to deserve a leader like you. Or maybe life finally decided to make up for everything we've been through."

"Thank you, Wade. No, everyone in camp ought to thank you."

Wade smiled, as though a thought had crossed his mind. But as that smile lingered, tears began to gather in his eyes.

"You're a grown man, Rick. What's with getting all sentimental? Don't do that again."

Hearing Wade's peculiar way of brushing off the moment, Rick laughed too. It was a simple, heartfelt laugh.