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The Bargaining Chip	By : ihatethesnow Category: S through Z > The Walking Dead Views: 3919 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any characters. I will not be making any money from this story.

Chapter List
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Lori had to keep her mind busy. Anything to take herself out of the situation. She started gently singing "Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light...My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim...I had to stop for the night"
It was a warm Atlanta evening. Their college graduation was just the month before, and Rick was getting ready to go to the Police academy while Lori was enjoying the next month off before she started her career as a school teacher. Rick drove Shane's black Jeep, and unzipped the top. The warm weather cooled as they sped down the highway, blasting the Eagles "Hotel California" as the wind whipped through her hair. Rick had it all planned. She was smiling and laughing as he sped up the drive of an old quarry.
It was almost dusk when they parked, they each took a flashlight, and Rick held a blanket in one hand and Lori's hand in the other. They were completely alone, standing side by side and watching as the sun set and lit the sky ablaze in a mass of deep colors. She saw some movement from the corner of her eye and when she turned her head he was kneeling on one knee. He told her that he loves her, and he can't imagine living the rest of his life without her by his side. Her hands were shaking as he slid the half carat diamond ring onto her finger and asked "will you marry me?"
She almost shouted "yes" with enthusiasm, then they laid on the blanket on the ground and made love until it was dark. She laughed as Rick led her down the path to the water, both still naked as the say they were born.
They swam naked until their skin was pruned, made love again on the edge of the lake, then walked back, naked and wet to the blanket. They found their clothes, although Rick teased her by withholding her panties from her, and they drove back to their small apartment just in time to see the sun rise.
Rick was driving the car that belonged to Martinez. Every time the man would slip in unconsciousness Rick would stick his hunting knife into the man's upper thigh.
"How much further?" Rick spat.
"Ten more miles, a housing development with shipping containers for the front."
Every few minutes Rick would ball up his right fist and land a punch in the middle of the man's face.
"Tell me what you did to my wife. Now."
"I'm sorry, dude, I'm sorry."
Another punch.
"Bullshit you're sorry. You're sorry cuz the game is over. You deal with me now. You're gonna be sorry." The ten miles went quickly, and Martinez waved at the guard at the front gate.
"Where is she?" Rick demanded.
Martinez weakly pointed to the ground floor of a red building. Rick parked the car right outside the building, and had Shannon stay in the car. He opened the car door and put a gun against Martinez's back, and told him lead them to where Lori was.
They were ten feet into the building before being met with a man armed with a baseball bat wrapped barbed wire.
Negan and Martinez took the weapons from Rick, and Negan demanded to know where they were. He wanted to know where his friend, the Governor went.
Rick asked, then demanded to know where his wife was. Negan chuckled, and led him to a room which gave him a clear view of the room below. The officer's face dropped and tears instantly fell when he saw his wife. Her arms were tied together at the wrists and held so far above her head her toes were barely touching the ground. There was a puddle on the floor, maybe urine, maybe water, since there was a garden hose nearby. There was not a clear spot on her back. Where the skin wasn't torn, it was bruised. Where it wasn't bruised, it was bleeding.
The solid wall of plexiglass separated the Grimes, and Negan smiled when Rick started beating the glass with his fists.
"She can't hear you. Tell me where your shit is, and we'll cut her loose. I don't know how much longer she can take, anyways. Negan nodded toward Martinez, who left the observation room.
Rick's voice startled to tremble. "Please, we have six little kids. They need their mom. I need my wife. She never did anything to anyone."
"Well, that's not how things work. Not here. You can work for me, or you can have your wife back. Game on." He smirked, as he looked at their prized possession. "She's my bargaining chip. I have the upper hand."
Rick watched as Martinez limped into the room, then picked up the whip and started beating Lori. He could hear her screams, which made him quickly grab Negan and put him in a chokehold. Once the man was unconscious, Rick grabbed the bat and took back his Colt Python, shot Negan in both kneecaps and ran out of the room.
Ty was waiting outside the building and Abe was sitting in the car with Shannon. When the men heard Rick yell for help, they both ran inside. With brute force, Ty restrained Martinez. Rick raced to Lori. She was naked, and her face was so bruised he couldn't see her the whites of her eyes. She was completely soaked, due to the water hose that was coiled on the floor. When Rick put his hand on her shoulder she was startled and screamed.
"Lori, baby….it's me. I found you. I'm here. I found you."
Abe lowered the rope and Rick caught Lori before she fell to the floor. Both men worked to free her arms and legs. She was so weak she collapsed into Rick's arms. She knew it was Rick there, and started crying immediately.
Abe took the hatchet and threatened Martinez with it. "Where's the clinic? Shannon said you have a doctor. Where is he?" Abe tossed a blanket to Rick, who covered Lori with it and ran, bridal style, to where Martinez pointed. Abe and Ty were ran behind him, Martinez in tow.
Rick burst through the door and saw two men, Doctor Alfred Stevens and Milton Mamet. The good doctor's faces dropped when they saw the condition Lori was in. Rick gently placed her on one of the beds and demanded that they start treatment. He leaned up, but Lori immediately reached for him. "Don't go." She said, hoarsely.
"I'm not going anywhere, baby. I'm right here."
"The kids?"
Rick felt as though his heart was in a vise. "They're fine. Just waiting for their mama."
Lori smiled, and didn't even wince when Milton started an IV.
Rick motioned for Ty and said "can you bring the car over, and bring Shannon inside? Put him in the trunk." He motioned to Martinez.
Ty nodded and did what Rick asked.
"Did you two know what he was doing to her?" Rick sneered, looking at the doctors.
"No. We're not allowed in the playroom."
"What playroom?"
"Negan and the Governor. They run this place. They do experiments in the playroom. We're not privy to what happens, but sometimes we need to clean up."
"You mean bury the evidence." Rick said, flatly.
Stevens and Mamet diverted their eyes. Rick looked up when Ty walked in with Shannon.
"We have to clean the wounds, but it will take too long. The best thing would be for her to take a shower." Dr. Stevens told Rick.
Rick nodded and asked where the bathroom was. He gently put his arm around his wife's waist and guided her into the bathroom.
"Where are we going?" She asked.
"We're gonna give you a shower."
"Please stay with me."
"Of course I will, baby."
Rick locked the bathroom door and tried to take the blanket off his wife. She said she didn't want to be naked and couldn't see where she was. He had to convince her that they were alone. It wasn't until Lori was undressed in the full light of the bathroom that Rick was able to assess her injuries. Deep wounds from a belt or a whip, burns, and her face was almost unrecognizable. Rick made sure the water was a comfortable temperature before he held her hand and helped her step into the tub. She flinched when the water hit her back, and some of the scars opened again.
She wasn't able to see the blood and dirt fall out of her hair as he gently washed it for her. Rick picked up a washcloth and squeezed liquid body soap onto it, and then told Lori he was so sorry, but this may hurt. She nodded, and turned her back to him. There was not a patch of clear skin to be found. It felt as though it took forever, but her back was finally cleaned. She wanted to wash her front and her crotch by herself, and the detachable shower head let her control where she was rinsed. Rick grimaced as he saw dirt and blood clots fall from her crotch.
The shower was over, and Rick held her hand as she stepped out of the tub. He dried her off, and she surprised him when she said she wanted to go home.
He didn't want to tell her about the prison or not knowing what happened to Carl, Judy, Bobby, Mika, Luke and Alex.
'No, our home on Evergreen. We could be safe there. I just wanna go home." She started crying. He held her as close to him as he could, without hurting her back.
"Just for a night….I just want to be home for one night. We'll be safe there."
"Maybe." He said. He didn't want to get her hopes up.
There was no way to give her an x-ray to check on any broken bones, but Stevens and Mamet worked together to suture the gaping wounds on her back. She laid on her stomach, and Rick sat by her head, trying to tell to take a deep breath when the sutures pinched her skin.
"Any more lidocaine you can give her?" Rick asked Dr. Stevens.
The doctor looked at Rick and shook his head no.
"What'd he say?" Lori asked, as she briefly lifted her swollen face off the pillow and looked around.
Rick looked at Abe and Ty before returning his attention to his wife.
"You're gonna be fine. You're safe now." He whispered in her ear. He rested his head on the pillow, his face inches from his wife.
Lori became quiet, and nodded her head. She placed her face back on the pillow and her gasp on Rick's hand got tighter.
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The Bargaining Chip