"Of course," she said softly, her thumb gently brushing against the knuckles, "Whenever your ready. You just let me know, okay?" She knew it was going to be a lot. Four years without seeing his sons and missing the birth of his youngest, it was bound to be difficult. Renee would give him all the time he needed before she brought the boys by to see him. She couldn't guarantee that Oliver and Henry would understand why they needed to wait, but she would make sure they knew that he was here and that he was excited to see them.
Yes, Oliver had been so brave and while Renee was proud that her oldest had stepped up like he had, she felt guilty that he felt like he needed to. She saw a lot of what she had to do when she was growing up with her sisters and she had vowed to try and avoid making her kids go through that. Of course, she wasn't banking on a zombie apocalypse, but still, she wanted Oliver to not have to worry about his baby brother. But no matter how much she tried, it seemed Oliver was determined to look out for Henry. It was sweet but she hoped that he was doing it because he wanted to, not because he felt like he needed to.
She squeezed his hand again as she brought it up to her lips and kissed his knuckles. "Of course I forgive you, honey," she whispered, bringing his hand down so she could reach his face and brush his hair out of it. "I'm just glad you're alive and you're here." Renee would have to go talk to Jake, thank him for saving him and bringing him here. It was not going to be an easy conversation, given that things had been developing between the two of them but she knew she had to have that conversation. And she would have to tell Andy as well. But not now. Not until he was fully recovered and settled. Just who knew how long that would take. "How are you feeling? Do you need me to get you anything?"
Andy nodded faintly. His comprehension of the words Renee spoke faded in and out but her voice brought him a comfort he'd given up on ever experiencing again and he could listen to her all night. He wanted to be up and functioning. Wanted to see his boys and hold his wife again. It was readily apparent, however, his body simply wasn't up to the task and that did his mental state no favors.
"I'm okay." He answered, only partially lying. Physically he had no doubt he would recover. Even though it was a bad habit for physicians to diagnose themselves when needing care, Andy couldn't help it. He considered himself lucky his wounds weren't worse and he had received medical attention as quickly as one could expect in these times. He just needed a couple days' rest and he'd be fine, he told himself.
"I think I just need to get a little sleep." He added with a faint nod. While it was true he was exhausted, Andy was suddenly struck with the overwhelming need to be alone. The fear he would slip and divulge more than he wanted to about his time in the years since the collapse had heightened. He was in no condition to speak of the things he'd done and seen with any sort of levity or reason. That and he knew Renee had a lot to absorb herself and sitting here staring at him while he lapsed in and out of lucidity would do her no good either.














