[IC] The Walking Dead - Last Life

[True Self]

"Go to sleep then, shit." Nathan replied to Joan, and walked over to turn off the lamp when he noticed the morning sunlight peeking through the boarded up windows. Joan sank further into the couch and laid down to rest her head on the cushioned couch arm. Her mind was still racing with thoughts about all that happened yesterday and she had a very sickly, guilty feeling that wouldn't go away in the pit of her stomach. It was similar to the feeling she had after she killed her foster sister, but far less severe. Joan started her count backward from 200 in her head which usually allowed her to distract her mind and to fall asleep and it worked like normal. The technique hadn't worked last night, because all of the adrenaline she felt made it too difficult and sleeping in a hard chair wasn't exactly an easy thing to do anyway. Nathan noticed that the one man never came inside and he guessed, because of what Joan told him about the dude not liking him. He remembered Joan saying something about him being a doctor, and he guessed that he was the one who performed the arm removal surgery on Josef. He hated to apologize unless he did something incredibly wrong, but right now he felt he should... only because he understood how it felt to feel unwelcome at places. Just as he opened the front door to step out and find the doctor dude, he stopped to see a door at the back of the living area open and Gabrielle stepped out with messy hair and a night gown. Her and the twins always slept together in the little bed room downstairs,

Gabrielle saw Joan on the couch and then looked up to beam at Nathan, "Buenos días." She said to him, like every morning and he said the same back. She didn't say anything else as she made her way to the kitchen. Nathan was going to explain to her what was going on, but he didn't know spanish, so he just thought fuck it and left to the outside. He knew Isabella would fill her in whenever they came in contact with one another, so he wasn't worried about it. Isabella came downstairs to fetch a glass of apple cider for Chloe and Gabrielle accidentally startled her when she walked into the kitchen. She immediately began to explain everything to Gabrielle in their native tongue and Gabrielle just nodded her head accompanied by a worried expression for Josef. After Isabella got the cider (which she mistook for juice), Gabrielle followed her up the stairs and they both entered to greet Chloe who was waiting. Isabella handed Chloe her glass with a smile and Gabrielle beamed brightly at Chloe as well. Gabrielle was happy to see a new face and she told her good morning in Spanish like she did Nathan. She then walked over to Josef's bed side and she gasped and put her hand up to her mouth when she saw that his left forearm was missing. Isabella explained in Spanish to her that is must've been a walker and she just nodded with her hand still over her mouth. Gabrielle walked away from the bed and went down stairs with a shocked face. "We will make breakfast right now." Isabella said with a friendly smile - she was referring to her and her mother. "I am hungry. You are hungry?" Isabella asked Chloe, and waited in the doorway for her to reply. "I will bring you a plate?"

Nathan walked around the truck to knock on the driver's side, but he looked up to see that the driver's seat was empty. He opened the door to the back seats and that lead to the back and he could see where the doctor had cleaned up. Just then, Nathan saw the man standing by the lake and he seemed to be getting naked. Well this is awkward as fuck. Nathan thought to himself and stopped in his tracks.

[Vgirl]

Chloe let out a yawn after Isabella had left, stretching out her arms before she looked back down at Josef. He didn’t look like as much of a corpse any more. Although still rather pale, he wasn’t as white as he had been during the surgery and that made her feel better. She may have been wrong about it and may have just been blinded by hope but that was all she had left. She let out a sigh and slowly put her hand down on his shoulder, like he had done before. Now that there was no one around to see, she felt comfortable doing something like that, especially with Josef out cold.

As she began to hear voices and footsteps coming closer she pulled her hand away and put them in her lap instead. She smiled as Isabella entered the room with an older woman. She took the glass and carefully sipped on it, licking her lips at the sweet taste. The woman said something to her, but she wasn’t quite sure what it meant so she simply smiled and nodded to her as it seemed friendly enough. Very quickly her concentration went back to her drink. She was so thirsty she wanted to slam it down but instead took careful sips, savouring the taste.

Chloe smiled a bit at her and nodded to her question. “I’m starving.” She said, “I can’t wait to actually eat some real food.” She would have helped but was afraid that she would just get in the way, and she didn’t want to take her eyes off of Josef. After she left, Chloe let out another sigh and took a sip of her juice. “Josef..” She mumbled softly. She wanted to be reassured by someone that everything would be okay.

[Espatier]

The doctor wasn't paying attention towards the house as he bathed himself in a bucket, washing the blood as it was thick and smelled like death in the E.R. The doctor hated that smell of death, blood and chemicals but that was life and death. Uncomfortable as it was feeling the cold water but still refreshing as he started putting on new clothing. After dressing he used a tree to hang dry his clothing. He picked up his new rifle and kept it at arms length now at all times as the doctor began to move back to the vehicle so that he could get some rest. With a bucket in one hand, the rifle over his should he walked back to the vehicle.

[True Self]

Nathan turned around quickly in horror as the doctor began to bathe with a bucket and he just walked toward the other side of the truck to get out of sight. Shit like this is just another reason I don't apologize. He thought to himself. Apologizing was uncomfortable enough to him and now he had to feel awkwardly uncomfortable even more after witnessing a naked man bathing. He cringed before looking around the truck after deciding it had been long enough, and hoped to see the doctor dressed. Thankfully, the doctor was in his new clothes and was picking up an M4 from the ground which Nathan was envious of. Nathan was going to slip back inside without the doctor noticing, but the doc was already making his way back to the truck and Nathan would be noticed either way. When the doctor turned the corner, Nathan was there standing and he scratched the back of his head awkwardly saying, "Whassup?" He tried acting completely oblivious about seeing the doctor by the lake.

---

Isabella was pleased to see that Chloe enjoyed the apple "juice" and she smiled again. "We will have Carnitas Tamales with fresh slices of tomato." Isabella informed her. "If you like eggs, we can do that for you. It will be quicker if you want." She said, and waited for her reply before exiting. Downstairs, Gabrielle was using the corn husks to roll up the shredded pork, that she cooked the day before over an open fire, into the masa (tamale dough). She rolled the ingredients into nicely shaped tamales and began to pack them firmly into her steam pot one by one. Tamales took at least 2 hours to cook, so they would be ready in perfect timing when the twins would wake up around 7 am. Gabrielle had several jars of Thiago's homemade salsa, that he use to make when he was still alive, on the kitchen counter. Any guest in her house was always asked to try it, so that she could feel delighted that they appreciated something her husband made.

When Chloe placed her hand on Josef's bare shoulder, he couldn't feel it and he was completely expressionless now. He appeared dead, but that's when his eye brows slowly drew in together and his lips parted open. He whispered something in his sleep and then his face became expressionless again. His head slightly rolled and he said something else in an airy whisper, "Laina?"

[Vgirl]

Chloe wasn’t sure if the look of confusion on her face was obvious when Isabella mentioned what they were making. She was oblivious to most names of food unless it was obvious or a Korean dish that her mom used to make. She wasn’t opposed to eating different foods, but she wasn’t quite sure what it was. When she mentioned eggs instead Chloe nodded. “Eggs please.” She hadn’t eaten anything substantial yet and wanted something in her stomach as soon as possible, especially after the mention of food. Perhaps she could get Isabella to explain to her what it was later but for now she had to watch Josef.

The little bit of motion in his face sent a tiny spark of hope through Chloe. His lips moved a bit and she could hear air escaping from his mouth as if he was saying something. She got down on her knees so that she was closer to him, her hand still on his shoulder and her ears open so that she wouldn’t miss a thing. When she finally caught what he said she smiled and leaned in close to his ear. She wasn’t sure if he would be able to hear her, but it was worth a shot. “No, it’s Chloe. Joan, the doc and everyone else are all waiting for you to come back here and open up your eyes.” She was silent for a moment, “We’ll try to be patient but we’re all worried about you.”

Even after she done she kept close to him, just in case he said anything else. No matter how little meaning the words held, it still meant that he was there in some way. Although she wanted to tell Joan about what he had said, she was reluctant to leave his side, even for a minute.

[Espatier]

True Self said
Nathan turned around quickly in horror as the doctor began to bathe with a bucket and he just walked toward the other side of the truck to get out of sight. He thought to himself. Apologizing was uncomfortable enough to him and now he had to feel awkwardly uncomfortable even more after witnessing a naked man bathing. He cringed before looking around the truck after deciding it had been long enough, and hoped to see the doctor dressed. Thankfully, the doctor was in his new clothes and was picking up an M4 from the ground which Nathan was envious of. Nathan was going to slip back inside without the doctor noticing, but the doc was already making his way back to the truck and Nathan would be noticed either way. When the doctor turned the corner, Nathan was there standing and he scratched the back of his head awkwardly saying, He tried acting completely oblivious about seeing the doctor by the lake.

The Doctor looked up and continued to pass by Nathan " Is the patient ok?" he spoke in his passing. The doctor walked his way to opened the vehicle tool locker and put back the bucket. " A fever will be normal for him so don't worry" The doctor spoke as he closed the door to the vehicle locker. " Is thier anything else before I settle down to sleep again? "

[True Self]

"Uhhhhh... Yeah. Yeah, I believe so." Nathan said, even though he hadn't seen how Josef was doing ever since he helped take him upstairs. He assumed the Asian chick would come running if something happened. When the doc asked if he needed anything else, he piped up, "There's a couch inside that's unoccupied. J's knocked out on the other one." Nathan offered. "The inside of that truck doesn't sound the most relaxing," Nathan said and began to leave toward the front door. "Do what ya want man, but the doors unlocked if you want to join us." He said it all in a chill way and did his best to conceal the awkwardness in his voice. He sucked in a breath of relief when he got inside and threw in a pair of jeans near the door, so that he wouldn't be walking around in his boxers anymore in front of strangers. Nathan didn't feel uncomfortable for wearing his boxers in front of others, because he was quite proud of what he owned below the waist - he just thought it was the appropriate thing to do. As he walked passed the kitchen, he heard the back door opening and Isabella was holding it open for Gabrielle to walk out with the steam pot. When Gabrielle walked out, Isabella walked over to get the basket of eggs and followed after her with a frying pan in hand. She smiled happily at Nathan before closing the door and she walked with Gabrielle as she put the pot on the camp stove. Outside, the sun was rising even more and the morning became lighter and lighter. Isabella twisted on the propane tank, to get things heated up and then she placed the pan atop the other burner. She began cracking open the eggs and cooking them.

Isabella returned inside after scrambling the eggs and put them on a plate for Chloe and another plate for herself. "There are more eggs, if you want, Nethan." She giggled and quickly ran up stairs, so that Chloe could try them. Nathan was in the hallway about to change shirts, and just cringed when she pronounced his name wrong like always. Isabella got up the stairs and saw Chloe with her hand on Josef's shoulder. Chloe was saying something to him, but she didn't quite catch it all. Isabella couldn't help but wonder if Chloe liked Josef, but she decided it wasn't her business. "I forget to ask you how you like them. I hope you like them scrambled." She said with a hopeful smile. She waited for Chloe to take a bite and watched for her reaction before eating herself. She ate the eggs slowly and enjoyed each bite. Josef remained asleep as the two ate their eggs. Isabella stayed inside the room to keep Chloe company and she really enjoyed being around another young woman her own age. She forgot what it was like.

Nathan entered the doorway to the room upstairs and found Isabella and the Asian girl eating. "He still breathing?" He asked them and observed Josef's chest falling and rising slowly. Nathan looked over at the two women. "Luckily got that arm off in time. I'm still imagining him as a biter." Nathan joked. "Name's Nathan, your's?" He asked the Asian girl eating her eggs.

[Vgirl]

She looked up suddenly when Isabella spoke to her. She didn’t like being caught in this sort of situation, though all things considered it wasn’t too bad. Slowly she took her hand from Josef’s shoulder and sat in the chair once again, taking the eggs. “I’m not particular about my eggs.” She admitted and took a bite of them smiling. “They’re good.” She announced and took another bite. Her stomach was certainly happy to get food in it. She wanted to shovel them in her mouth but with Isabella there she decided to eat slowly so as to be polite.

She was so preoccupied with her eggs that she didn’t notice Nathan come in until he spoke. She quickly looked up before sighing and swallowing her eggs. Before she could answer his question he joked about him turning and Chloe’s calm face twitched for a moment. Becoming a ‘biter’ was nothing to joke about, especially since she had watched her best friend turn, however she tried to not show it and instead nodded politely, making no other responses to that particular comment. She took another bite of her eggs, chewing silently. She had a feeling he didn’t think about what he said before he said it.

She paused for a moment before she answered his final question. “My name is Chloe.” She said very slowly. “I hope we can get along.” She had to admit, her first impression of him wasn’t good, but if they were going to have to be living together, it was worth a shot to give him a second chance. She took another bite of her eggs and smiled softly. She was so happy that she was eating real food.

[True Self]

Isabella smiled brightly when Chloe said she liked the eggs and she replied "Eggs are so good to eat." Her face lit up when Nathan walked into the room and she couldn't help, but giggle when he walked over. She noticed Chloe's face twitch when Nathan made his joke and she felt it was in bad taste too. She looked over to see Chloe was finished with her plate and she asked to take it. "The tamales are so good too.", she said before leaving to go clean the plates. Isabella blushed as she walked by Nathan and tried to hold back another giggle.

"Likewise." Nathan said and didn't think twice of Chloe's remark. "So what's your story?", Nathan asked after sitting down at the foot of the bed. They all had one. When it came to meeting new people, Nathan talked a lot and that would be evident to both Chloe and Doc soon.

[Vgirl]

Chloe smiled when Isabella took her plate. “They were delicious. Thank you Isabella.” She nodded and watched as the girl left, passing by Nathan rather close which made her raise her eyebrow. She quickly shook her head and brought her attention back to Nathan, watching him closely as he came and sat at the foot of Josef’s bed. She really hoped that that he wasn’t sitting on Josef, but she figured if Nathan had been he would have quickly moved. It seemed as though he intended on talking to her since he had made himself comfortable and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

“My story?” She shrugged. “I came out of my motel room to look for food and ran into your friends when we were trying to scavenge from the same store. Long story short we got into some trouble, found the doctor, got into some more trouble, Josef lost his arm and now we’re here.” She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in the chair. “You’re going to have to be more specific if you expected something else.” She hadn’t given her full story to Joan or Josef, so she was hesitant to share such a story with a total stranger.

[True Self]

"That's good enough for me." Nathan said with a smirk. It seemed Chloe had a snippy side and he kind of liked it. He stood from the bed and began to walk out, "You can come downstairs. Nothing's going to get him." He suggested, but had a feeling she wasn't leaving Josef's side anytime soon. He left the room to find something to do. Isabella was busy setting the table for when the tamales would be ready, so she stayed downstairs for quite a while, popping her head in upstairs to check on Chloe and Josef every once and again.

An hour and a half or more seemed to go by and Josef stirred in his sleep. His eyes opened groggily and he stared up at the ceiling. He tilted his head to look at Chloe and he couldn't stop his first thoughts that escaped his mouth, "You're beautiful." Josef looked at her with his eyes starting to halfway shut again, but then he shot them back open once he realized what he said, "-I mean, I'm beautiful. No." He said as his eyebrows drew in together in frustration and embarrassment as his mouth betrayed himself. Josef was still slightly drugged up and he couldn't understand why he couldn't say anything right or why he couldn't stop saying his thoughts aloud. He rolled over and looked around the room, "Are we dead?" It finally registered where he was and then he said, "Wait." He then figured it out and he hoped Chloe didn't catch what he said when he first spoke, but then he felt groggy again. He slipped his eyes shut one more time, but then opened them to see Chloe's face. He couldn't believe all that just happened and he would beat himself up about it later. Josef's eyes were sleepy as he traced her face, and he completely forgot that his arm was missing. Both of his arms were under the covers and he didn't even think about looking at them. He decided to keep his mouth shut, because he was afraid he'd let his thoughts slip again.

[Vgirl]

Chloe nodded to Nathan when he accepted the answer, glad that he hadn’t forced the question further. He suggested she come downstairs but she simply shook her head. She appreciated the invitation but she was too worried that Josef would slip away from them at any moment. When he was gone she let out a sigh but kept her relaxed position, leaning her head back and looking up at the ceiling. Now that she was good and fed she felt herself begin to get sleepy. Quickly she stood up and began walking around the room. When she had been studying that had always been a trick to keeping herself awake.

She went from standing to sitting to standing a few more times, walking around only within the confines of the room. She sat back down once again and stretched, her eyes watching Josef’s face once again for movement. When she saw his eyes twitch she almost let out a gasp but was very careful to not let it slip out. He turned his head to look at her and she was just about to call everyone upstairs when he said something. Her eyes went wide and her face turned bright red. What had he just said?

Quickly he tried correcting himself but seemed a little groggy and Chloe let a smile slip over her face. He had probably said that because he was out of it, he didn’t really mean it, did he? She simply watched over him as he asked questions before figuring out the answer for himself. She chuckled softly and smiled. “Don’t worry. You’re probably still under the effects of the anesthesia.” She was quiet for a moment, happiness overwhelming her as all she wanted to do was cry out in relief or hug him or something. “Do you want me to call the others up here? Just nod or shake your head.”

[Espatier]

True Self said
Nathan said, even though he hadn't seen how Josef was doing ever since he helped take him upstairs. He assumed the Asian chick would come running if something happened. When the doc asked if he needed anything else, he piped up, Nathan offered. Nathan said and began to leave toward the front door. "Do what ya want man, but the doors unlocked if you want to join us."

" Thank you " Replied the Doctor. The truck had several inches of aluminium and steel in most places, it was like a small mobile fort with windows that were 3 inches thick.
The doctor chose to stay in the truck till the smells of food called to him. That is one thing that a soldier usual can't resist is food.... and hot food at that.

With the rifle across his back he peered into the door to see where that delicious aroma was coming from.

[True Self]

Before Josef could respond to Chloe's question, he began to slowly but surely feel a fiery pain in his left forearm and hand. When he tried to lift his left hand up, all that came up from underneath the covers was a bandaged stub starting at the bottom of his upper arm. There WAS NO hand and there WAS NO forearm. What he didn't realize, is that he was experiencing phantom limb pain that made him think that he could still feel pain in his removed forearm. He began to feel sick in the pit of his stomach as the memory of the bite all came back to him and he felt like panicking. "It's missing... My arm is really GONE." Josef said in disbelief. He knew he needed it off, but it still didn't feel real and he felt like he was trapped inside a nightmare. Josef felt like passing out, but just covered himself up completely with the quilt. He kept his eyes focused on one of the specs on the ceiling and he tried to calm himself down before he would freak out completely. His eyes began to water and they wanted to leak tears down the sides of his face, but he tried to hold them back, because he wanted to be a man and show that he could handle it. It was overwhelming though without question, so it was hard to resist crying. He felt like an alien and he felt an unusual discomfort within himself that made him feel insecure. He felt like a freak, and he knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help it. Josef put his left upper arm up again and wished that his full arm would come up from underneath the covers this time, but it was the same bandaged stub. He covered it again and felt highly nauseous and uneasy. Josef looked to Chloe in a panic and then back to the spec on the ceiling to calm himself. Man up. Josef thought inside his head, but still felt sick. "Damn, this really sucks." Josef let slip out of his mouth and he felt like losing control. All he could think about was how much more difficult it would be now to survive in this risky world. His missed his whole arm badly.

Isabella came running into the room and she wanted to squeal with happiness when she delivered the news, "The Carnitas Tamales are ready for eating!" Isabella half way squealed. She was so excited, because tamales were her favorite and they had to eat them sparingly ever since the outbreak happened. Just then, she noticed Josef with his eyes opened and she smiled excitedly "Ohhh! I can not believe this! I will get all of the others!" She said heading for the door happily.

"Wait." Josef said loud enough to stop Isabella. He shook his head and tried his best to control the irritability in his voice. "I need to be alone."

Isabella didn't argue and then walked over quickly to take Chloe's hand, "I want you to try my father's salsa!" She smiled big and led the way downstairs. Downstairs, Gabrielle was in the doorway of the kitchen. She was on her way to wake the twins and she looked at Chloe with a joyful smile. She was just as happy to have another woman around the house as Isabella was. Gabrielle turned back into the kitchen and ordered Isabella to help her fix the plates. Six plates were fixed up with two tamales and three slices of tomatoes each and Gabrielle twisted open a jar of Thiago's salsa to pour into mini dish bowls that were placed beside each plate for trying. Josef's plate would be fixed for later since he didn't appear to have his appetite at the moment and the eighth plate would be fixed for Doc once his existence was discovered by Isabella and Gabrielle. Joan's plate would be fixed whenever she woke up and no one knew exactly when that was unless one of them woke her. Isabella excitedly hopped over to one of the chairs on the left side of the table and encouraged Chloe to sit beside her. Gabrielle stepped out of the kitchen again to retrieve the twins finally, but let out a startled scream when she almost ran into Doc as he came though the door.

"It's alright-" Nathan said quickly as he ran into the hallway when he saw what happened. "He is chillio!" Nathan tried to make his sentence sound Spanish, because he barely knew anything other than hola. Two Spanish courses in high school was wasted by flirting with the high school girls and cheating off his buddies papers. He pointed at the Doc and made sure Gabrielle was paying attention closely. "Senor." He put his thump up and said "Amigo." Nathan said with a calm face to show that everything was alright. Gabrielle sighed with relief and let out a heart warming laugh. She held out her hand for the doctor to take and she smiled welcomingly.

Isabella was standing in the doorway with a relieved expression and said, "Hello, Mister Chillio. We have tamales for everyone." She said with a friendly smile. Nathan wanted to face palm himself and he just convinced himself (whether true or not) that she was joking.

[Vgirl]

Her smile turned quickly to a look of confusion as she watched Josef’s face change. As he began to panic she felt powerless to calm him. “Josef…” She mumbled softly as she could only watch as his breathing began to speed up and he looked frantic. As tears began to leak from his eyes she went to put her hand on his shoulder but quickly pulled it back before she touched him. He probably didn’t want to be touched right now after all. “Please calm down.” She whispered to him. She knew the more he tried to panic, the more everything would feel worse.

Her head shot up when Isabella came into the room and Chloe did her best to give her a calm smile. “Thank you.” She said when the girl gave the news of food. The idea of calling everyone up NOW of all times, she was less behind, but everything seemed to freeze when Josef raised his voice. She looked slightly hurt when he said he needed to be alone but Chloe stood up and let Isabella grab her hand. As she was being pulled away she quickly turned her head back. “Close your eyes, take deep slow breaths, and imagine something that makes you happy.” She managed to get it out before Isabella yanked her out of the room.

Chloe smiled back at the older woman when they passed by her before going downstairs to get to the dining room. Whatever the smell was, it was delicious and seeing Isabella set out plates made everything feel…normal. She smiled and happily sat beside Isabella when she was invited. The girl made everything seem so light hearted, which was exactly what she needed. Even so, there was a lingering worry she had for Josef, which she tried to push away. He was awake now, so he would be okay.

Air escaped her nose quickly at Nathan’s attempt to communicate with Gabrielle, even though she would have probably done worse. It was her muffled attempt at a laugh. She finally let her laugh escape when Isabella called the doctor Chillio, after what Nathan had attempted to say at first. “No Isabella.” She struggled to hold back her laugh. “He’s the doctor. He is the one who helped out Josef.” She let a small chuckle escape again. “However, you can always ask him if he wants his nickname to be Chillio.” She let out another laugh, feeling like she couldn’t help herself anymore.

[Espatier]

" Perdona me" The Doctor replied in spanish. He took "Gabby's" Hand that was held out to him to take and he smiled back. " Yo soy Doctor Johnson, No pensé asustarle" ( I am Doctor Johnson, I didn't mean to startle you) <--- my Spanish is very rusty so if you need to correct it, that is fine.

The doctor sat down at the table as well to eat. As he started to eat he asked a question of the group. " So what are the thought of everyone here?" Taking a another bite of his tamale " Should we stay, go, build and live till ... I don't know". The doctor continued to eat.

" Well I think that if it would be ok to stay, that a garden should started and gathering up some animals to breed like goats and chickens. I know they smell but if beats starving during the winter".

" Supplies might last the first snow... but after that things are going to change quick. Cabin fever, personal space, comforts....TOILET PAPER!" the doctor uses his hands to emphasis the toilet paper issue. " You can never have enough" he said with a nod.

[True Self]

Josef listened to Chloe's tip and closed his eyes. He attempted to take deep breaths, but he felt like he wasn't getting enough air. He sat up a little, so that he could try and breathe better and he just let himself sink into the pillows that were now sitting up against the bed frame. Happy thoughts. Josef tried to encourage himself. After several minutes, he finally distracted his mind by thinking of baseball and his old high school baseball team. He remembered all the homeruns he use to hit and how many trophies he use to have covering his bedroom dresser. Josef imagined himself at the batter's plate and looking down at his cleats before looking up to see the pitcher readying the throw. Josef fixed his grip on the bat, but realized he was only holding it with one hand. He looked down at his jersey sleeve and saw that his other arm was missing. His heart began to race and he opened his eyes in a panic. His forehead was sweating and he decided that he must've fallen asleep and had a short nightmare. After closing his eyes, he just started to visualize his old baseball bat. That's when he remembered he left it back in the city.

"Ohh! He is not Chillio then." Isabella said with a gut tickling giggle. Nathan just shut his eyes to roll his eyeballs up in the back of his skull in order to distract his mind from causing his mouth to blurt out something harsh.

Gabrielle joined in on the laughter and just smiled warmly again at the Doc. "Mucho gusto. Mi nombre es Gabrielle." She motioned her hand toward the kitchen and dining area with an encouraging smile, so that the Doc would know to join them. Gabrielle then walked through the living area to the back room where the twins were moving around in bed (just waking). She looked to see that Joan was still sleeping on the couch before she stepped in to get her sons, and she was surprised her startled scream didn't wake her. Anton was hogging the covers from his brother Emilio and they were both playing tug-a-war over the blanket. Gabrielle spoke in Spanish towards them and they just continued to lay there without budging. As they pretended to be asleep, Gabrielle leaned over the edge of the bed to jerk the covers off completely. Both twin boys sat up to pout and Anton even crawled over to steal back the covers, but Gabrielle kept them from him. When Gabrielle told them about breakfast, it immediately grabbed both of their attentions and they both hopped off the bed to race out the door. Gabrielle just shook her head with a light laugh.

When the boys got in the dining room, they both froze in place in unison when they saw the two new faces. They ran over to Isabella once they saw her and sat in the two seats on her right that were empty. Anton made a face at Doc by crossing his eyes and his tongue out before picking up a tamale with his bare hands. Emilio was already finished stuffing both tamales in his mouth before reaching over to steal a tamale from Isabella's plate. She wasn't paying attention when he did and she looked down at her plate with her eyes wide and looked at her fork. She wasn't sure if she ate both of her tamales already or not and she just looked at Chloe with a blink. Anton finished his two tamales and both of the boys left the tomatoes untouched. Anton bravely reached over toward Doc's plate in an attempt to steal a tamale in the process. Gabrielle came in without noticing the twins behavior and she sat down at the head of the table. She carefully observed around the table to see if anyone had tried Thiago's salsa and she watched their reactions. She hoped more than anything that Chloe and Doctor Johnson would enjoy the taste.

Doc spoke up just as Nathan was taking a bite of one of his tamales and he was prepared to answer every one of Doc's questions. "Staying's the only option we have right now." Nathan answered his first question. "Plus, Isabella and Gabrielle don't want to leave their home anytime soon." Isabella nodded in agreement and Gabrielle just smiled without truly knowing what was said. "Biters rarely stumble across this place and we haven't had any major problems with them. This house is the safest place there is as far as I'm concerned." Nathan replied and listened to the doctor's next question while taking another bite of his tamale. "Gabrielle used to own some goats with her husband, but that was before the walkers came and feasted on them. Goats make too much noise and they attract the fuckers. We do have hens, and we're lucky enough to have a somewhat quiet rooster as well. Rooster's name is ARNULFO. Gabrielle's favorite chicken." Nathan said and Isabella giggled uncontrollably. She even thought it was a silly name. "No need to worry about a garden doctor. Isabella and Gabrielle dedicate a lot of their time to their garden out back. It practically has every vegetable that can grow in the fall and they even keep vegetables from other seasons frozen in their natural cooler." Isabella's face lit up when Nathan talked about her garden and she blushed a little. Nathan waited for the Doc to finish before he answered the rest of his questions, "We go on raids to renew supplies and Cabin fever won't be too big of a deal since everyone spends most of their time outside during the day. As far as personal space, that's just something everyone will have to deal with. I'd give up my privacy over dying any day of the week, wouldn't you?" He asked the doctor and then lastly stated with a crooked smirk, "We're low on toilet paper, but you could make your own homemade rags from t-shirts that we find. Just tear them into strands and a couple of shirts will last quite a while. Or you can use some leaves if you have too. Just be sure not to mistake them for poison ivy. I did it once, and my ass itched for two weeks straight." Isabella swallowed a bite of tomato with a disgusted look on her face.

[Vgirl]

She joined in Isabella’s laughing once again before shaking her head. When the laughing finally stopped she looked down at her plate and cut into the tamale, the steam that rose made her stomach growl once again. Taking a heaping helping of salsa along with it, she hummed happily when she ate it. She remembered her mom’s cooking which made her accustomed to eating extremely spicy things. Everything her mom used to make was spicy in one way or another so this salsa, no matter what the spice level was, made her happy and reminisce of home.

She didn’t notice the two boys in the room until she had finished her first tamale and they were already sitting beside Isabella, stealing hers. She chuckled softly at the look Isabella gave her before pointing to the young boy who had stolen her tamale and scooping her tamale off of her plate and handing it to her. After the eggs that Isabella had made for her she was pretty much full and the rest could be filled, she felt, with this small bowl of salsa. She didn’t mind, she would eat it raw. It was really good salsa.

She silently listened to the question and answers, taking small helpings of the salsa now. After the name and uncontrollable giggling she watched Isabella for her interesting responses to Nathan’s answers. When she blushed when Nathan mentioned the garden, she gave a knowing chuckle, taking a bite of tomato. When they started talking about toilet paper however, her face soured and she put her utensils down, closing her eyes and waiting for Nathan to finish before she spoke up. “Could we please now talk about those types of things while we eat. It’s enough to make me lose my appetite.” Even though she said that she had pretty much finished her meal, though the thought of continuing at the moment felt disgusting to her.

All throughout the meal she had been playing with an idea and after she had finished eating she felt she could go through with it, though the salsa continued to call to her. Carefully she got up from her seat and made her way over to the doctor, whispering in his ear. “Josef is awake now, but has said he wants to be alone.” She stepped away and made her way back to her seat. “Do what you want with that information.” Doc was the one person had the right to go up there right now and know what was up with his patient.

[Espatier]

"Ohh! He is not Chillio then." Isabella said with a gut tickling giggle. The Doctor just smiled and gave a laugh as well. Nathan just shut his eyes to roll his eyeballs up in the back of his head. Which made the doctor even smile harder and showed some teeth.

Gabrielle joined in on the laughter and just smiled warmly again at the Doc. "Mucho gusto. Mi nombre es Gabrielle." " El gusto is mio" The Doctor replied back to Gabrielle as he followed her to kitchen. This mind not be a bad set up the doctor started to think. Seeing the younger kids the doctor had mixed emotions... the worry of what might become or happen crossed his mind instantly. But he he still put on a smile underneath as he grabbed a tamale or two for his plate. Warm food was something that anybody would miss away from home. Home... now that was a thought, where was home now.

Anton made a face at Doc by crossing his eyes and his tongue out before picking up a tamale with his bare hands. The Doctor made a face back and mimicked him for a bit in return.

The Doctor reached to try the sauce that looked homemade and put a dab on the edge of his plate. Anton bravely reached over toward Doc's plate in an attempt to steal a tamale in the process. The doctor gave him the look, with a smile and simply grabbed another to replace the stolen one.

Finally getting into the meal was a delight for the doctor, tamales, Thiago's salsa and a home filled atmosphere was delightful to experience. for a moment till was like there was nothing wrong with the world, family... family is what does it. it's not about color, race, religion, sexuality... it's about people. People that are coming together in a mad world while sharing a meal, a home cooked meal that creates a silent bond between strangers.

Nathan was taking a bite of one of his tamales and answer every question that was put before him.

"Staying's the only option we have right now." Nathan answered his first question. "Plus, Isabella and Gabrielle don't want to leave their home anytime soon." Isabella nodded in agreement and Gabrielle just smiled without truly knowing what was said.

Back to reality thought the doctor. He finished up his meal and used the napkin to listen to everyone that chimed in the conversation so that he wouldn't ruin anyone's meal with things that might upset the family. " But what if those things come?"

"Biters rarely stumble across this place and we haven't had any major problems with them. This house is the safest place there is as far as I'm concerned." Nathan replied and listened to the doctor's next question while taking another bite of his tamale. "Gabrielle used to own some goats with her husband,"

She is married, so where is the husband thought the doctor

" but that was before the walkers came and feasted on them. Goats make too much noise and they attract the fuckers. We do have hens, and we're lucky enough to have a somewhat quiet rooster as well. Rooster's name is ARNULFO. Gabrielle's favorite chicken." Nathan said and Isabella giggled uncontrollably.

Once again this was bringing a smile to his face as they laughed.

She even thought it was a silly name. "No need to worry about a garden doctor. Isabella and Gabrielle dedicate a lot of their time to their garden out back. It practically has every vegetable that can grow in the fall and they even keep vegetables from other seasons frozen in their natural cooler." Isabella's face lit up when Nathan talked about her garden and she blushed a little.

"It's said that to properly feed one person that you need You'd need about 1-2 acres of land to sustain one man for a year because of seasonal change & the variety of food you want. You can grow your own food in your garden. One tomato plant can feed a person for a week all on its own. That takes up about 1 square meters. So you could have a whole variety of different food but your'll need another 2-3 acres to add to that. 1 acre of land for the animals. Another two acres to grow feed for the animals". The doctor commented

Nathan waited for the Doc to finish before he answered the rest of his questions, "We go on raids to renew supplies and Cabin fever won't be too big of a deal since everyone spends most of their time outside during the day. As far as personal space, that's just something everyone will have to deal with. I'd give up my privacy over dying any day of the week, wouldn't you?" He asked the doctor as the doctor nodded in silent agreement. Nathan then stated with a crooked smirk, "We're low on toilet paper, but you could make your own homemade rags from t-shirts that we find. Just tear them into strands and a couple of shirts will last quite a while. Or you can use some leaves if you have too. Just be sure not to mistake them for poison ivy. I did it once, and my ass itched for two weeks straight." Isabella swallowed a bite of tomato with a disgusted look on her face.

“Could we please now talk about those types of things while we eat. It’s enough to make me lose my appetite.” Chole broken in with. " Please forgive my manners to talk about such things around you ladies" The doctor replied quietly. Chole then got up from her seat and made her way over to the doctor, whispering in his ear. “Josef is awake now, but has said he wants to be alone.” She stepped away and made her way back to her seat. “Do what you want with that information.”

The Doctor nodded again and gave a polite smile to Chole. " Thank you and I'll look into that soon".

"Well I think that this was a wonderful meal and I think you for it as well as the hospitality that has been given. If I may be excused I'm going to lay down for a bit then get up so that I can sleep in the evening". The Doctor stood up and carried his plate to the kitchen then made his way to that couch that was opposite of miss "J". Passing back through the table area the doctor does ask the group one last question. " Has anyone seen Miss J eat yet?" Then makes his way to the room where "Jone" is to retire on the opposite couch. The doctor also unloads his weapon due to the kids in the house and places the clip in his left cargo pocket.