I did everything in my power to make him comfortable as his head rested in my lap, running my fingers through his hair soothingly. But nothing I did could take the pain away. Not only from his body but...but the pain of losing him from my soul. I pressed a kiss to the top of his hair then, my arms wrapped around his chest. It felt like someone was slowly ripping my heart out of my chest - like the agony was endless, never ceasing. He sighed then as I removed the rag from his face, wiping the sweat droplets off his skin.

His eye met mine in the darkness and I frowned, worry taking over me as I released him.

"You okay?" I asked him quietly but he said nothing, just staring at me in contemplation before finally speaking.

"I don't want you to be sad after this," he admitted softly.

My heart caught in my throat and I let out a soft cry - of surprise or sadness, I wasn't sure.

"Carl-" I started, shaking my head but he didn't let me finish, his hand reaching out to take mine.

Wordlessly, I intertwined our fingers and he squeezed them gently.

"Or angry. You're gonna have to be strong... For my dad and yours. For Winnie. For the baby... For yourself," he continued, his voice wrought with emotion.

A strangled cry ripped free from my throat and I nodded with tears brimming in my brown eyes, "I will, "

Carl's own eye filled with tears then as he gazed up at me.

"Don't carry this... Not this part," he told me and my chest heaved with a sob that bubbled up from my lips, "Before I fell in love with you...you were my best friend, Angel,"

A loud, hiccuping sob welled up from inside of me and I felt the stream of hot tears roll down my cheeks as I replied, "You were mine, too... You're mine,"

I picked up his hand then, pressing a kiss to his hand from my lips. But just as I was about to release his hand from my grip, his fingers brushed over my engagement ring and I saw a tear escape his blue orb.

"I'm sorry it ended up this way..." he choked out, shaking his head, "You didn't deserve this..."

I gazed down at the ring on my hand, feeling my chest tighten with anxiety before I pushed it down.

"No...no," I said decisively, sniffing loudly before facing him, "I still want to, Carl... I still want to marry you,"

He took in a ragged breath before sighing and shaking his head, "You don't...h-have to. You don't. I want you to be happy...even if that's not with me... Angel...you know how this is going to end-"

"I know...I do. But-" I started before sucking in a shaky breath, warm teardrops still on my skin, "But I wanna marry you anyway. I wanna be able to say that...that I was married to the most amazing man this world had to offer. I want to be able to say I married the love of my life,"

Carl's face crumpled into tears and a sob escaped his lips as he squeezed my hand hard while I smiled sadly through my tears.

His voice came out quietly, "I want that, too..."

I sniffed, gazing down at Carl, caressing his cheek with my thumb gently. Suddenly, Rick cleared his voice from above me and I glanced up to see him talking to Michonne quietly.

"I need your help," he told her solemnly and I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"With what?" she asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

He was silent a moment, biting his lip before he spoke again, his words softer this time.

"Getting him out of here."