Author's Note: obviously, I don't own any part of The Walking Dead, neither the TV show, or the comics. I just want to let everyone know that I will never EEEEEVVVVVVEEEEEERRRRRR kill off Merle. I just can't. It's too heartbreaking. I will kill Glenn, or Rick, or Carol, or even the baby before I kill Merle. And also, I don't remember everything Merle said about how he ended up with the Governor, so I'll be improvising. Don't whine, I don't wanna hear it

Merle pulled up to the large gates and stopped the truck he had stolen when escaping Atlanta. A Hispanic man stood at the top of the gates, a gun in hand, "Get out of the vehicle," he said. Merle turned off the engine and stepped out. When the guy saw his missing hand, he pointed the gun at Merle, "Are you infected?"

"No," he shook his head.

"What happened?"

"I was cuffed to a roof; I had to cut it off to get away."

The man stared him down, debating on what to do.

He turned away for a moment, talking to someone else. When he turned back around, he signaled for the gates to be opened, Merle entered the little town that had been walled off.

He was greeted on the inside by another man, "If you'll follow me, we can get you some medical attention."

Merle was nervous about following the stranger, but damn he was in pain, so he went along with him.

"You have a name?" the man asked.

"Merle, Merle Dixon. And you are?"

"Around here, people just call me 'The Governor'."

As they entered a building, Merle wondered what kind of ego trip this guy had to be on, calling himself the Governor. They entered a room. There was a cot on one side, and one wall was lined with a counter and cabinets. There was a woman in the room, wearing jeans and a t-shirt, a white lab coat pulled on over the outfit. Her dark red hair was pulled back and fell in curls. "Mira!" the Governor announced with a smile. She turned and smiled back.

"What can I do for you?"

"This is Merle Dixon, he just arrived here, and as you can see, he's injured. Where's Milton?"

Merle watched as the muscles in her jaw tensed and relaxed. "He's…making a house call."

The Governor nodded, thinking. "Well, then, in that case, if you don't mind tending to Mr. Dixon…"

She shook her head, "Not at all." She turned to Merle, and gestured to the cot, "Have a seat."

He looked from her to The Governor, then walked forward, and sat down on the small bed. The Governor left Mira and Merle alone. Merle watched her as she walked over to a cabinet and started gathering medical supplies, placing them on a tray. "So, you're the town doctor?"

She scoffed, "Something like that." She turned to him and walked over to the cot, she placed the tray down on the small nightstand next to the bed. "Did you cauterize this yourself?" she asked, looking at the stump where his hand used to be.

He nodded.

She stared at it for a moment, "We'll have to clean it up a bit. Is itchy or burning?"

Merle nodded, "It's infected."

She picked up the bottle of alcohol, and a bowl, he held his arm over the bowl.

"This may sting a little," she told him, before pouring alcohol over the stump. He refused to wince or grimace though. Besides, he had been enduring the pain from it this long, he could put up with a little sting. "How did this happen?" she asked, cleaning up the wound before she wrapped it.

"I was in Atlanta."

She looked at him, an eyebrow raised in surprise. She had heard, from other survivors in Woodbury, about what had happened there.

"I was with another group, camped outside the city. Some of us went in to get supplies, and we got stuck there. Some dickhead cop came waltzing in, I lost my temper, and I ended up handcuffed to the roof."

"Oh."

He noticed the way she pursed her lips at his use of profanity, and a small smirk played across his lips. "Anyways, when they made their escape, the key was dropped down a drain. I ended up cutting off my hand so I could get away."

She didn't reply. She just picked up the roll of gauze, cut a length of it, and began wrapping it around his wrist.

"I'm not infected," he assured her. "I didn't get bit."

She stood, "Well, that's good to know." She went to one of the other cabinets and Merle saw the bottles of different medications inside. He watched her grab one, and a cup. She shook two pills out, and filled the cup with water. "This will help with the pain," she handed the pills and water to him.

He smiled and downed the medicine.

The Governor returned awhile later, "So how is he?" he asked Mira.

"He'll be fine."

He smiled, "That's good to hear." He had her step outside the room, "Do you think he's gonna turn?"

She shook her head, "I don't think so. The only infection is from not getting the proper medical treatment sooner. I believe he'll make it though, he doesn't seem fevered or anything."

"Good." He thought for a moment, then gave her a key, "Why don't you give him a tour of the town, and then put him in the apartment next to yours. If you would, keep an eye on him."

She nodded, "Of course."

The Governor walked away, and she went back into the room, "Mr. Dixon, if you'd like, I'll give you the grand tour," she told him with a smile.

He stood, returning her smile, "I'd like that. And please, just call me Merle."

"Of course." They left the infirmary, and went outside.