Disclaimer: I own nothing.
––
Daryl ducked behind a wall, groaning as bullets shot at him, and he ensured he was covered. He sucked in a deep breath, and he bobbed his head at Rick as a signal. They moved out from behind their cover, firing at the cops that were shooting at them. With theese men dead and hall free of noise, Rick and Daryl could distantly hear Sasha and Tyreese shooting at officers.
Noah was beside Rick, keeping his head down unless he absolutely had to fire. Kid didn't have the best aim, but sooner or later they would have to use him. He had to learn, and now, in the heat of battle, was the best time. It was shoot or die. They had his back. It would work out.
Rick motioned for Daryl to take point and move up, and Daryl nodded, adjusting his gun and creeping forward. His back came against the cool wall, and he looked over, scanning the area and seeing more cops coming their way. He motioned back to Rick then stepped out, shooting two of the men in the head. He ducked down, and Rick took care of the last man.
They trudged through the hall, Noah kept glancing back from time to time, odd as Rick manned the rear. However their attention was soon captured by a small metal clang that sounded by their feet. Glazing down, a small smoke bomb wheezed by their feet, and the trio darted back. Daryl kicked open a door, and they went inside, hearing the cops in the hall, firing randomly, and Rick slightly shook his head, glancing at Daryl. So much for the easy approach. Their plan had gone to hell anyway.
They lingered in the room a moment to allow the smoke raise into the air and fade from the room entire. They inched into the hall, firing at the cops, and Noah managed to take down one of the men, which was really good as the man was about to shoot Rick in the head. Rick didn't have time to express his gratitude to the kid, but Noah knew.
"All right." Rick crouched down, hearing more cops coming their way. "Here's what we're gonna do." He looked at Daryl then Noah and began to explain their new plan.
– – –
It was all dark, but everything was light at the same time, and the only sound was the beating of her own heart. It was a soft, fluttery sound, very feeble. There was a moment when she felt warmth. From that warmth, she could feel the great love behind it, but also the great worry. She didn't know who the love and worry belonged to, but it was a comfort. She could almost hear the words that went along the consoling touch. Almost.
Fear coursed through her once, her heart skipped a beat and momentarily slowed way down. She could feel the skip of her heart, and she wanted to breathe, but it was so much more difficult than she ever remembered it being. She felt dizzy, as if air wasn't getting into her brain, and she suddenly was exhausted. She wasn't going to let herself rest, no matter what. She shouldn't be resting at a time like this. She had a mission. She had to find Beth. No matter what, she had to find Beth and take her home. Why was her body betraying her so? Why did it feel as if her body was shutting down, like lights during a blackout? She was just so exceedingly...fatigued.
She could feel life leaving her body as she couldn't even muster the strength to lift her fingers or even move her toes. She began to lose track of the small sounds and the growing discomfort in her hip. It was disquieting.
Even with the majority of her ready to stop, something was fighting inside of her nevertheless. There was some small part of her that refused to yield. She could feel it above all else. It was screaming at her, and the words were becoming clear little by little, like sand seeping through an hourglass.
H... He... Hey...we ain't dead. We ain't ashes. The words wrapped around her like a snug and tight embrace. Oh, my God. Chocked words, barely audibleat her ear. The reason I said we get to start over, it's cause we gotta. I want to. Well, you can.
Then she got burned away. Everything now just...consumes you.
Stay safe.
Nine lives, remember?
Who I was...with him...she got burned away. I was happy about that, not happy but—At the prison I got to be who I always thought I should be, thought I should've been. Then she got burned away.
Hey, we ain't dead. Whatever happened, happened.
You hold on.
I'm tryin'.
You're not who you were, and neither am I.
That small part of her began to swell, began to consume her, and she refused to let her body shut down simply because it wanted to give up; it wanted to quit and just rest. She didn't get to rest, not now. She would have plenty of time to rest when she was dead, and she was going to make damn sure she was putting death off for as long as she could.
You'll survive out here.
You said I could survive; you were right.
I want to.
Well, you can.
I don't know if we get to save people anymore.
Why are you here?
I'm tryin'.
You almost died 'cause of him!
I didn't!
Well, you ain't somewhere else! You're right here! Tryin'!
We're okay... We're okay...
You okay?
I'm still here.
Vaguely, as if the sounds were in a box, she could hear something. She was fail, physically frail. She wasn't sure how much she could move, but she was getting there. She was still there. She was still fighting.
...the way it was.
You hold on.
You came here?
Yeah.
….still don't know.
––
They had been checking every room, but they weren't catching a break. They had to find someone, disable him and get the location of Carol's room and where they had moved the others since Rick and his group had broken into the hospital out of him since Noah didn't know. This—some group breaking in to take back their own—was a first for the hospital, so they probably just shoved all of the people into a room. They had to know which room. Unfortunately, most of the cops had to be killed; they weren't leaving any room for grabbing or aiming at any other body part but the head.
Daryl spotted a man a few feet ahead, scrambling about helplessly, and he didn't bother pointing him out, simply took the shot and knocked the man to his knees. He gestured for Rick and Noah to hang back as he scurried over to him, minding the hurried feet and gunfire that swirled around him. He grabbed the man and pulled him off the floor and slammed him against the wall, bearing his teeth.
"Where is she?"
The man merely cried out as blood ran down his lower calf.
"The woman y'all brought in from the street—where is she?" he demanded, grabbing the handgun from his waistband and pressing it into the man's lower abdomen. When he said nothing, Daryl fired, and the man's eyes widened, tears brimming the edges of his crystal blue eyes. "Where?"
"Exam...room...two," the man managed.
"And the blonde girl? Beth?"
The man could only whimper.
He fired again. "Beth?!"
"Daryl!" Rick hissed softly. "We gotta move!"
He could hear the thundering feet echoing down the hall, and he could tell just how far enough away they were, but he knew in order for Rick and Noah and him to get a good enough distance away to be safe, they'd have to move now. He stepped back and left the man to turn then followed after Rick and Noah. They'd find Beth. They would.
"Exam room two," Daryl told them, keeping an eye on the man who was dying. "That's where Carol is."
"It's nearby," Noah replied.
"Good. You lead the way; we got your back."
They slinked down the hall, hearing the man's growls as he tore into the man who went to check his pulse.
––
"Shit." Beth closed the door to Carol's room. Escaping Dawn's clutches was had proved a challenge, and these jackasses weren't going to give up on trying to recapture her. She didn't understand why they didn't focus on the people who were trying to gun them down like the dogs they were. She hoped it was their family. She didn't know who all was with Carol, but she would keep Carol safe until they got here. Nobody of theirs was going to die today.
And if it wasn't their people, Beth would keep them safe. She would make sure Carol got the medical attention she needed, and she would make sure nobody touched her or tried to kill her. They weren't going anywhere near Carol, not as long as she was around. She was going to keep Carol safe and alive.
"Okay." She rummaged through the drawers, trying to find anything that could be used as a weapon, because these tiny-ass scissors weren't going to do anything. She needed a gun, but she wasn't able to get one. She was lucky not to get shot in the process of escaping.
"Shit!" She tossed out gloves and bottles of pills. There was nothing useful! She had to be able to protect Carol and herself. They were going to come in here, because they had to know by now she knew this woman and this is where she went. They would want Beth found, if they didn't fit the pieces.
She spun around and scrutinized Carol, frowning at the cuts and bruises on her face and arms. She was in poor shape, but she would be fine. She would be. Beth reached out and grasped her hand. "We'll get outta here. I promise." Her eyes moved down and fell on the handrail. She released Carol's hand and bent down, running her hand over the cool metal. This could work.
Hearing gunfire down the hall, she didn't waste anymore time. She had to have a weapon, and this would do quite well.
––
"It's there." Noah gestured to the door with the gun.
"Hold on." Rick bent down, seeing the door was slightly ajar, and he narrowed his eyes.
Someone grunted loudly, and a cop stumbled out of the room with a bloody face, and out stepped Beth with blood on her scrubs, face and on what looked to be a pipe. She was reluctant to kill a living person, but it had to be done. She had to protect Carol, protect herself. She lifted the piece of railing over her head and a gun fired, the bullet pierced through the man's skull, and her eyes flickered over to Colt Python that fired the bullet.
Rick and Noah stepped out from behind the wall.
"Rick." She lowered her arms and smiled, her heart pounding with joy as adrenaline burned through her. It was their family! She offered him a brief embrace, feeling his lips brush across her forehead in a fatherly gesture, and she beamed, turning to her friend. "Noah."
Daryl scanned the hall once more and approached the boy and Rick, giving him a nod then his eyes landed on Beth. He smirked at the sight of her and shook his head. Jesus, girl was tougher than he thought. She had some cuts, but she was alive. She right in front of him, less than ten feet away, and she was alive. His legs were moving before he could even register the fact that he wanted to walk over to her, and she met him halfway.
They looked at each other for a moment, her eyes were watery as joy and pride washed over her. She could see the changes in him from being back with their group, and she expelled a small laugh that was heavy with happiness then threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. Even though she ended up in this shithole, Daryl found his way back to the others. He had found his way home, and somehow, he found her. They'd found her. She wasn't worried about him; she knew he was do just fine on his own, and she knew he would find his way. Even when they told her she had been alone on the road, she knew Daryl was just a few feet behind. He likely went after her too, because that's the type of man he was. She blinked back tears, realizing that if Daryl and Rick were here, that meant Maggie was close by and Glenn as well. They were here to take them home.
She released him, gripping her weapon tightly. She had to tell them about Carol's condition. She was too weak to leave the hospital. Her condition wasn't looking good at all. "We can't leave."
"Why the hell not?" Rick stopped beside Daryl.
"She's too weak." She looked in on Carol. "She needs medicine and—"
"Get down!" Noah shot at the men that were coming at them then flatted his back against the wall a five feet behind the other three of Beth's group.
Rick ducked down, partly in the room and fired at the men and women; Daryl pushed Beth into the room and took aim, and Beth dropped the railing from the unintentional force Daryl had used, barely managing to steady herself. She wasn't going to standby and let them defend her and Carol. The hospital had quite a few cops and somewhat loyal hostages. They couldn't just shoot them all down, just the three of them.
She noticed the gun on the cop's belt, and without hesitating, she grabbed it and ducked down by Rick as a wave of bullets fired at her hand. She exhaled roughly, feeling the heated glares Rick and Daryl wanted to give her, and she licked her lips, taking a calming breath.
Leaning out just enough to see, she aimed and fired at the men who were trying to get a clear shot on Noah. She wasn't going to let him come this far just to die in this hospital. She was going to keep him safe. They were going to keep them each other safe. With Rick, Daryl and Noah by her side, they were going to get out of here. They would find a way to get Carol out of there too.
A moment after all the cops in the vicinity were dead, they heard some more cops, possibly some of the loyal people too, speeding their way because of all of the guns firing in their location; Rick and Daryl and Beth stepped back into the room to reload and regroup. Beth couldn't get a good angle from inside the room, so she ran out of the room to where Noah was without consulting Rick or Daryl, and they didn't bother asking what the hell she was doing. She was holding her own, and they trusted Noah to have her back. He risked robbing Daryl and Carol for her, after all.
"How many do you have left?" Daryl checked the bullets in the handgun then slipped it back into his waistband.
"Enough," Rick assured him. "You?"
"Enough."
––
I don't want you to die. I don't want Beth to die. I don't want anyone at the church to die, but I can't stand around and watch it happen either. I can't! That's why I left; I just had to be somewhere else...
Well, you ain't somewhere else! You're right here! Tryin'!
You don't know me.
Yep. You keep tellin' yourself that.
Fuck the way it was.
Yeah.
I'm still here.
––
Beth and Noah joined them, glancing over the pile of bodies that were mixture of black and green. Noah knew most of them, and some of them were decent, but most of them deserved what happened to them. He had no sympathy for them. Rick and Daryl ran their eyes over Carol and the equipment that was around her, trying to think of some way to get her and it out of there. It would be damn near impossible. Nothing had gone as planned—as usual—and their exit was going to be a spray of gunfire and blood. Damn, this complicated things. Shit.
"If we drag the gurney out with us, she'll be at risk." Rick rubbed his jaw. "Could get shot, could get hurt worse."
"I doubt they got anymore people." Daryl paced the length of Carol's bed, his adrenaline forcing him into motion. They just took out a dozen, maybe two. "We can't leave her."
"That ain't even an option," Beth spat. "She's comin'! We'll work it out as we go, but we need to move! They know where we are, and they'll just corner us, so we gotta go!"
"She's right." Noah hobbled toward the cabinet to get the medicines she would need, having learned a lot from his year long stay.
Rick and Daryl exchanged a look then turned to Beth, who was peering out into the hall to make sure nobody was coming. Rick then peered at the machines, seeing what they would need and what was only going to weigh them down in the end.
Daryl splayed his hands on the bed, leaning over her and he took in her injures, cursing softly. He didn't have any words to say; he didn't even know if she could hear him. He just wanted to her to know he'd come for her. They'd come for her and Beth both. He reached over and grasped her hand gently, taking one moment to let her know she wasn't alone. He swallowed at the feel of her hand in his; small, bruised and limp. "Carol?" God damn, he never wanted to see her like this again.
"What of these do we need?" Rick inquired at Noah.
Before Noah could respond, a single gunshot echoed through the hall, through the room they were standing in, and they all whirled around as Beth shuddered a gasp, the Glock falling from her fingers as blood spread across her scrubs. Time just stopped. Daryl flew out into the hall and saw one of the female cops aiming at Beth, and he grabbed his gun and shot her in the head, giving a primitive cry of rage, then he spun around as Beth fell to her knees, a hand on her torso, possibly where the bullet entered her body.
He dropped the gun and caught her before she fell anymore, easing her back tenderly in his arms, trying to make her as comfortable as possible. He wanted to save her, wanted to stop the bleeding, but as he felt her blood soaking through his fingers as he added pressure to the wound, in the pit of his stomach, he knew they were nothing he could do. They didn't have a doctor. They didn't even have any equipment. He'd checked out the room briefly, but there was nothing that could be used to pull out the bullet and keep her conscious and breathing. None of them had the skills to perform such a task. All this way to save her, only to just lose her. For someone so small, she was heavy in his arms. All this way. No. No!
"Don't. D—don't," she strained, trying to speak, trying to let him know it was all right. She set her hand over his, and he gripped it tightly, his eyes in her eyes as he shook his head. She was going to see her Ma again, and Daddy and Shawn and Patricia and Otis. She would see her friend Lacey and see Duncan, Lori and T-dog and Andrea and Zach. All of them, she would be reunited with them all. She was going to go home. It wasn't something to be viewed as heart-rending. She didn't want to leave, and she wasn't sure she was ready, but it was time, wasn't it? She'd done her part, fought as long as she could, and if this was how it ended, in the arms of someone she cared for, then it was a good way to leave this world. She felt no pain, not torment, only the warmth of Daryl's arms, and that was amazing. She could smile, because she knew Carol would be safe now. She did good, and Carol was safe. Tears of unexplainable joy burned in her eyes, a small smile crossing her lips.
"No, no, no, no." Noah gripped his gun, his eyes locked on the blood that slowly glided down Beth's cheek. "No!"
Daryl looked in her eyes, feeling that there may be only seconds left now. "It was you," he whispered, hoping she knew exactly what he was talking about. "It was you."
She grinned at the man before her, and she grasped his vest with quivering fingers. "Maggie," she struggled to verbalize her words, swallowing hard. "Tell Maggie I...I love—I love..." a small breath escaped her lungs, and her eyes stared up at him, wide and green, and a single tear fell free. He felt as if he heart had just...fallen. There were no words.
Daryl's face was guarded as he gently set the young girl down, minding her head. He pulled out his knife, Rick stepped forward to offer to do it himself, but Daryl shook his head once. It had to be him. He closed her eyes and plunged the knife into her temple then pulled it out and sheathed his knife. He brushed a hand over her eyes to close them.
"What do we need?" He rose, his eyes trained on Noah. "Hey!"
Noah lifted his eyes from Beth's small, bloody body to Daryl's determined, scorching eyes. "Um... Just give me a second." He slowly turned around and neared the machines, his mind failing to process what the hell just happened. It was just... It took one second, and it was all over. Just one second...
"Hey." Rick stepped toward him, keeping his emotions in check. They were in too deep to let their emotions get the better of them. His heart was still breaking at the sight of Beth, but he had to keep his composure. Lives were at risk, and they needed him, now especially. How long had he known her? How long had he seen her grow from a child into someone who could be in this new world...just like he'd watch Carl? All those mornings when she would smile all bright at him and took Judith... Christ. Don't. Not here, not right now. "We still need to get her—"
There was a hushed noise, like a small squeak, but they could discern it from the battle outside this hall. Daryl's eyes fell on Carol, her lips beginning to part, moving as words that didn't reach them escaped. He stumbled over to her bed, studying her face, and hope began to churn and swell in his chest. He needed her to make it. He needed it like he needed air. Jesus Christ, what was she saying? He didn't dare utter a word, because he didn't want to miss the words she was trying to verbalize. C'mon, speak. Please. He needed to hear her voice.
"...he..."
He leaned closer.
"...l...he..."
Rick could hear the three shots fired from the other group, signaling them to get to the doors. "We gotta go now."
"Still...here," Carol said, crystal clear, her eyes opening for a second. She was too weak to fully open them.
Daryl chocked back tears, a smile on his lips at the sight of her eyes open and in his, and he nodded. "Damn right, you're still here." He ran his eyes over her, wanting to say those words, but they were stuck in his throat. She gave him this look without even opening her eyes that told him she knew, and he chewed his bottom lip. He gently slid his arms underneath her, lifting her off the bed and holding her close. He gave her arm a gently squeeze, and she leaned into him as a response. He was a mess of emotions, but he put them aside. He had to get them out of there. It's what Beth die to ensure. Beth...
"We can't leave her here."
Rick looked at Beth's body. "We're not." He bent down and lifted her up and holding her in his arms so gently, as gently as Beth was with his daughter. They would bury her with the others. She wouldn't rot here in this hellhole. They bury the ones they love. "Let's go." He started down the hall with Noah in the lead, his gun in his hand, ready to fire at any jackasses that stood in their way. How people do that these people did here and think it's a system, think it's humane, he would never want to know.
Daryl trailed close behind Rick, Carol too light in his arms, but she was still there. He wasn't going to lose Carol again, no matter what, they were in this together always. He would never forget Beth or what she taught him those few days on the road, and he wouldn't lose his humanity. His life, Carol's life—all of their lives—had value, were worth saving. Once they were safe and Beth was buried, they would mourn, and he would tell Carol the words he'd been trying to tell her since the first time he thought he lost her. He would never let her give up on herself or pull away. They were getting out of here alive, but these bastards weren't. They didn't get to live.
Carol's eyes opened enough to see Beth's body. She closed her eyes, tears welling up, and Daryl's heart grew so heavy. He knew what she was thinking, that they didn't get to save people anymore, but they had. Beth had. "Carol." He pulled her closer, scanning the hall before then as they moved on and met her beautiful eyes for a moment. "You were wrong."
"No," she croaked, voice sharp, eyes in his, "I wasn't."
"Hey," he locked eyes with her, "we saved you." With that being said, he pressed a brief kiss to her forehead, and her eyes closed at the contact, a small smile on her lips at his words, tears falling free down her cheeks. "We saved you."