Chapter 17

Just as Lina was dozing off, there was a knock on the door.

Daryl, who was also dozing off, was so flustered that he almost fell off the bed.

Lena was startled and stared blankly as Daryl pulled the blanket up for her, straightened her clothes (which did little good), and opened the door.

It's Maggie!

Lina stared intently at Maggie, and she looked at Daryl with a hint of displeasure.

"Hey, are you alright?" Maggie approached Lina's bedside with a package in hand. "I'm Maggie Green."

"It's alright, thank you for your help," Lina said, looking curiously at the thing in Maggie's hand, which seemed vaguely familiar.

Maggie glanced at Daryl, then placed the small bag in her hand into Lina's hands. "When you change your tampons, it's best to have someone help you to the bathroom. Be careful not to aggravate the injury on your leg."

Tampons.

Lina was stunned. So her stomach discomfort was because she had started her period?!

"..." Lina's pupils dilated as she glanced at Daryl, then at the tampons in her hand.

Maggie smiled and stood up, about to leave, when Lina awkwardly called out to her, "Do you have any sanitary napkins? I'm afraid to use these."

Now it was Maggie's turn to feel awkward. If there hadn't been a man next to her, she wouldn't have minded explaining things to Lina.

Daryl glanced awkwardly at the two of them. "You two talk," he said, then awkwardly stormed out the door.

That woman's gaze towards him was so strange!

"You don't...?" Maggie looked at Lina with a puzzled expression. Lina should be about the same age as her sister Beth. Beth had already brought her boyfriend Jimmy home. And at this age, it's a time of curiosity. Maggie herself had gone through this stage.

"No!" Lina blushed; she wasn't mentally prepared at all!

“Okay, I suggest you get used to tampons, they’re more convenient. I’ll go ask around, maybe they have sanitary napkins.” Maggie suppressed a laugh; she hadn’t expected Lina to be so shy.

"..." Lina watched Maggie leave awkwardly, then covered her face in despair.

She should have packed some herself, because she hadn't had her period for over two years and had completely forgotten about it.

On the other hand, it's so great not to have your period.

Lina stared at the ceiling, feeling dejected. Because of the misunderstanding, she wasn't in the mood to sleep anymore, but she was so bored!

Rick watched as Daryl hurriedly ran out of the house and into Carl's room, where Lori was looking after Carl. "I'll go check on Lina," Rick said.

Carl, who had just recovered, looked at Rick with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong with Lina?"

“She ran into some bad guys and got shot,” Rick said.

“That’s terrible,” Carl frowned; it wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

“Yes, get some rest,” Rick kissed Carl on the forehead, then kissed Lori, and left the room.

As Rick reached the door, he smiled at Maggie as she walked out. He was genuinely grateful to them. No matter what the reason was, if it weren't for them, Carl would have... Moreover, the sick members of the team were also thanks to their help, and they even took them in temporarily.

Maggie smiled politely and stepped aside. She guessed that none of the women on the farm probably had sanitary napkins, but she had no choice but to go and ask.

If there really isn't any, she can look for it while she's going to town anyway.

If she can't find it, Lina will have to figure it out herself.

Rick knocked on the door. The wooden door wasn't heavy, and the sound it made was somewhat crisp.

"Please come in," Lina called out.

"How are you?" Rick closed the door and sat on the chair by the bed, looking at Lina.

"Not bad?" Lina pouted. "It's just a little boring."

"I..." Rick was about to say he was going to borrow a book from Hershel when he heard a knock on the door.

Before Lina could speak, Daryl pushed the door open and came in. He saw Rick, pursed his lips somewhat awkwardly, and held a book in his hand.

“Andrea gave it to me,” Daryl said, waving the book in his hand. “I thought you might need it. It’s not very illustrated and looks rather boring.”

“Put it here,” Lina tapped the pillow next to her. “You have to read it to me. I don’t want to read while lying down; it’ll make my eyesight worse.”

"..." The two of them seemed to have become very close.

Rick's premonitions all came true, and he sighed helplessly.

"What's wrong?" Lina glanced at Rick. "Are you tired?" She hadn't forgotten that Rick was known as the most exhausted male lead in the history of American TV series.

“A little,” Rick said, looking at Daryl, who raised an eyebrow. “I’m tired.”

Lina watched the exchange between them, pretending not to know anything. "How's Carl? Daryl said he was shot too."

When they were pressing on her stomach, Lina asked about everyone's condition. Although she knew quite a bit, she had been unconscious the whole time, so they had to come up with a reasonable explanation.

“Not bad, maybe he’ll get better before you,” Rick said, “given how much you always move around,” Rick was referring to Lina running to the door that morning.

"I didn't know what was going on," Lina said awkwardly. "I opened my eyes and found myself in a different place. I had to check what was happening."

“Next time I’ll remember to have someone stay with you,” Rick said, glancing at Daryl.

Daryl didn't say anything; in fact, he remained silent the whole time.

“Sophia and Carol came to see you. You were unconscious. I think they’ll be back in a bit,” Rick said.

"Am I now an exhibit at the zoo?" Lina muttered.

Rick gave her a smirk, though everyone was clearly concerned for her. "It's a real downer, but Lina, we need to have a serious talk."

Lina grimaced. "Oh, God, please don't do this, Dad—"

“I’m not that old,” Rick said, looking at Lina with a wry smile. He always felt like he was in charge of her.

“But you’re much more controlling than Dale,” Lina complained, at least Dale doesn’t control her.

“Then you can only blame yourself,” Rick said. “Getting back to the point, let’s talk about your suicide attempt.”

“I didn’t! This is slander! I need Andrea! I have the right to remain silent until my lawyer arrives!” Lina exclaimed dramatically.

Daryl rolled his eyes, picked up the book he had just put down out of boredom, and started flipping through it idly.

Rick looked at Lina with a headache. "Hey! Stop fooling around, be serious."

Lena glanced at Daryl with a bitter expression, but Daryl didn't even look at her. Rick stared intently at Lena, who looked at the ceiling in despair.

“At least eight people,” Rick said.

“Eight,” Daryl added.

“They still have guns,” Rick nodded, looking at Lina who was pretending to be dead. “Your actions are no different from suicide.”

“This is different…” Lina said weakly.

Oh my god, she really knows she was wrong, please stop reading it.

“You did it to save people, that’s good, really, but Lina, we are human, we do what we can. You’re not even 18 yet. I understand your passion and enthusiasm at your age, your desire to do something heroic, I completely understand. But you are very important to us, you have to take care of yourself first…” Rick said earnestly.

"I'll be 17 next month, or 18 if you round it up," Lina said, trying to change the subject.

“Hey! It has nothing to do with age,” Rick said, looking at Lina speechlessly. Advising her was never an easy task.

“Listen, I need a promise,” Rick said sternly to Lina. “Stop being so reckless. Protecting yourself is the most important thing, understand?”

Lina looked away guiltily, refusing to respond.

“Great, so you’re still going to do this?” Daryl threw down the book, suppressing his anger. “If you enjoy dying so much, you shouldn’t have come to mess with us… You can die wherever you want.”

Daryl stood up, angrily wanting to leave, but Lina, in her haste, sat up abruptly and grabbed Daryl's hand.

Rick clutched his head, throbbing with pain.

"Are you crazy?" Daryl turned to look at Lina, quickly pressed her back down, and checked her wounds.

"Great, am I invisible?" Rick stared at the two of them speechlessly.

“I didn’t want to die, but, but I can’t guarantee it. I know it’s wrong, but, but I can’t not go and save them,” Lina stammered.

“Is that more important than your life? They won’t die.” Daryl looked at Lina in disbelief.

“No,” Lina said, unsure how to explain, and lowered her eyes.

Rick seemed to sense something was wrong. He glanced at Daryl, signaling him to calm down, then looked at Lena. "Is there anything you want to say to us?"

Lina, pale and somewhat dazed, said, "I know this is wrong. I know some things can't be undone, but... but I regret every single second why I didn't rush forward back then."

"The world order is collapsing faster than I imagined. They assaulted my great-aunt right in front of us because she married my great-uncle, a white man marrying an Asian man. They've always been unhappy about it. I've been stuck at home for half a month. I have to go find my family. They're all I have left in this world."

"I don't know how they got through those two weeks. They shouldn't have died. Forget about chastity and dignity. Living is more important than anything else. I know that."

“They saw me. It was all because of me that my great-uncle and great-aunt resisted. They yelled at me to run away. I was scared, so I obeyed and hid. Just that one time, I listened to them and killed them.”

Rick looked at Lina's dazed expression, and sadly pressed his fist against his forehead. "That, that wasn't your fault..."

“I always thought I was so great, but actually, I was just terrified at the time. By the time I picked up the knife, it was too late.”

Daryl sat down silently and took Lina's hand reassuringly.

"I can't guarantee there won't be a next time, but I won't die easily. I promised my great-uncle I would live well." Lina forced a smile. "I'm tired, I want to rest." Lina pulled the blanket over her face, no longer looking at them. The door opened and closed gently, and the room became quiet.

At the camp in Atlanta, Lena's words weren't entirely excuses; she genuinely envied Rick, who still had something to strive for, something Lena no longer had.

Her limited memories consist only of her time with her great-uncle and great-aunt after waking up in the hospital. She had forgotten all of her original memories due to a serious car accident that also resulted in the death of her parents.

To avoid upsetting Lina, they took great care of her for two years, a year and a half of which she spent in the hospital. After being discharged and looking at this unfamiliar country, it was her great-uncle and great-aunt who continued to take care of her.

They were Lina's only connection to the world, and her great-uncle's last wish for her was simply to live well.

She couldn't face herself back then. She pretended nothing had happened and forced herself to forget it. She thought she was doing a good job until she saw what happened on the highway.

Some things you may never forget.