"You should have told someone before you left your posts!"

That's the first thing Alicia told Doyle and I after the doctor – still in his PJs – told us Seth would be fine, if he had plenty of rest.

"We did tell someone," Doyle says seriously.

Alicia puts her hands on her hips. "Did you really?"

"Yes," Doyle says, the side of his mouth twitching as he fights a smile, "We told you."

I bite my lip. Don't laugh now, Wynne. Alicia's face turns red and she turns on her heel, quickly exiting the room and closing the door behind her.

Doyle and I burst into laughter when she's gone. I sink onto Doyle's bed, which sits against the wall opposite Seth's bed, which is currently occupied by a pale, feverish, sleeping Seth.

"Shh!" Doyle presses his fingers to his lips. But he's still laughing. He sits down beside me. Our laughter slowly dies, and we're left sitting together in silence, watching Seth breathe in and out.

I fight the urge to lay my head on Doyle's shoulder. "So, how are we going to keep him from coming to the wall with us? You know he'll come no matter what we tell him."

"I know. But maybe he'll realize after this that he really is sick enough to lay around and not do anything," Doyle says, laying back and crossing his hands behind his head.

I stretch out beside him, staring at the ceiling. "Yeah.....but probably not. You know Seth."

"He won't be able to guard properly with that hurt ankle, though," Doyle replies.

Apparently, when Seth fell, he twisted his ankle. The doctor said he was lucky he didn't break anything.

"That won't stop him. He'll just bring a chair."

Doyle laughs a little. "We'll just have to lock him up, then."

"I hope it won't come to that," I giggle, glancing over at Doyle. He's closed his eyes. I want so badly to tell him how I feel......but I don't want to risk our friendship......plus, it'll be super awkward, and I hate awkward situations.

"Think we should go back to 'our posts'?" He asks playfully.

"Well, what time is it?"

He lifts his hand and glances at his watch. "Wow. It's four o'clock already."

"Let's just stay here. Nothing ever happens at the wall, anyway. Plus, Izzy and Rogan are quite capable without us."

"Yeah...unless Izzy tries to kill him again," Doyle rolls onto his side, facing me.

"Hmm...maybe we should go back," I say, rolling onto my side, too. Our faces are so close together. His eyes are still closed. I study his face. The dark circles under his eyes have long since disappeared. His cheeks are fuller. He used to be practically skin on bones, but thanks to Food City, he's healthy again. His eyelashes are long and perfect, almost the same color as his hair.

I'm going to tell him.

I take a deep breath. "Doyle....?"

"Mm?" His head rests on top of his elbow. His breathing is slow.

"I......." I watch the rise and fall of his chest. "......Nothing......."

"Mm......"

I lay beside him as he falls asleep, and when he's out like a light, I slowly get up and leave, not wanting to torture myself anymore by staring at his lovely self and wishing he was mine.

+++++

"I can't believe you just abandoned me," Izzy complains at the breakfast table, directing her comment at Doyle and I.

"Sorry," I say, "But we had to stay with Seth." Doyle nods as he yawns.

"No, y'all just went to sleep," she snaps. "And I was stuck with him." She jerks her head toward Rogan, who is actually asleep in the chair beside Seth's empty one, his chin supported by a fist. His left eye looks swollen....I wonder......

"Izzy, did you hit him...again?" I ask.

She glares at me. "He deserved it," she says blatantly. Grabbing a last piece of toast, she scoots her chair back, stands, and leaves the room, going up the staircase.

Alicia turns to Rogan, whose eyes are open now. "I'm so sorry about her."

He doesn't say anything at first, just reaches for a piece of toast. He glances around the table for a second before asking, "Got any peanut butter?"

"I believe so, in the pantry somewhere," Alicia answers, a bit surprised.

Rogan leaves the table and begins a search for peanut butter.

"You shouldn't worry so much, Mom," Natalia says from the foot of the table, "He doesn't seem bothered by it at all. And she's probably right about him being a son of a bitch."

Alicia gives Natalia a stern look. "Natalia, you shouldn't –" She cuts off as Rogan rejoins us, jar of peanut butter in hand.

He sits back down, unscrews the lid, and with the butter knife beside his plate spreads peanut butter across the toast. Pirate, who is sitting beside Rogan's chair, lets out a soft whine. Rogan glances down at him, grabs another piece of toast, and tosses it into Pirate's jaws. Then they both start crunching on their toast. I have never seen anyone eat peanut butter toast before.

+++++

Our trip to Food City that evening is quite eventful. Georgie comes and sits at our table with us. She tries to talk to us, but Natalia always has something to say whenever Georgie's attention turns to us.

At first, Natalia rambles on and on about people in Finley and gossips about them. But then she gets on the subject of Seth. When she starts in on how dumb he was to go to the wall, I have to stuff as much food in my mouth as I can to keep myself from calling her a bitch.

"He's really sick now," she says, shaking her head, "I don't understand why he didn't go to Doctor Farlin when he first started coming down with whatever it was."

Georgie turns to me. "Is he okay? I heard he fell –"

"It's probably some weird virus or something from the zombies," Natalia cuts in, "I wouldn't be surprised if he or that creepy Rogan guy brought it in from the outside."

"Nati!" Georgie exclaims, "Don't call people creepy just because they don't run their mouths all the time!"

"Like you do," Izzy adds.

Natalia's eyes widen. "But I thought you hated him."

"I do, but only I can call him creepy," Izzy states matter-of-factly.

"Whatever," Natalia rolls her eyes. She turns to Georgie, "Do you think it's from the zombies?"

Georgie gives Natalia a funny look. "I don't know."

"The 'zombie plague'," Natalia says, "That's what he's got."

Georgie shakes her head. "Nati, that's not even a real thing."

"Yes, it is, if he's got it," Natalia insists.

Georgie just keeps shaking her head as she turns back to her plate. "I'm done talking about it, Nati," she says, getting a forkful of green beans.

"I hope it's not contagious," Natalia continues, "Then it could spread through the whole town."

Georgie groans and rolls her eyes, but just keeps eating.