"I knew you'd be back." Dawn said. Beth let her arms drop and she backed away from Noah. She turned her head towards Dawn with an incredulous look on her face and the dawning realization of what was happening.
"I get it now." Beth said. She reached down and slipped the small pair of scissors from her cast. In one quick motion Beth lunged towards Dawn and stabbed her in the chest. The air around her exploded in sound and light. Beth fell to the linoleum floor while all hell broke loose around her. Daryl raised his pistol and a second shot rang out. His face an expression of pure rage. And then he looked down at Beth crumpled on the the floor and the rage turned to anguish.
There were shouts of "Hold your fire!" And the group created a human wall between him and Beth and the Grady Memorial group. In the turmoil all Daryl saw was Beth. He knelt beside her and reached out and touched her cheek. There was so much blood. He leaned down and took her in his arms. He stood up and glared through tears at the people watching him. The people who had taken her from him. He was oblivious to everything that was going on in the hallway. His group backed up and Daryl looked around. Whatever had happened was over. They were leaving. He looked down at the fragile girl in his arms. His breath caught. Had her eyelashes just fluttered? He put his face down near hers hoping in vain for a warm breath. Rick came up beside him keeping pace with his careful footsteps.
"That bullet hit the wall. We need to get out of here and check her out." He spoke quietly and carefully. "She's not dead." He said. And Daryl believed it.
The walk through the maze of hallways to the doors that led out to the courtyard seemed to take forever. Rick went ahead and hit the crash bar on the metal door. The sun was bright as the group filed out. Rick saw the rest of the group up ahead. Sasha, Carol and Tyreese were followed by Daryl with Beth in his arms and Noah close behind. Rick watched as Maggie struggled to catch sight of her sister and when she did she fell to her knees sobbing. Unsure of what to do the two groups continued towards each other. They came together and surrounded Daryl with Beth in his arms.
"We need to keep moving. Out of this place." Rick seemed intent. No one questioned him. They followed his lead.
"My sister..." Maggie choked on the words. And reached for Daryl's arm.
"Don't." His voice was heavy with emotion. "Not yet." And he kept walking. Michonne moved in by Carol and took her other arm and helped Tyreese walk her towards the vehicles they had waiting. Daryl carried Beth to the Suburban and Rick opened the opened the back. After spreading out sleeping bags he helped Daryl ease her into the car. Maggie pushed forward.
"What's going on? Let me see!" But Daryl and Rick started looking Beth over and ignored Maggie's pleas.
"That bullet didn't enter or exit her body." Rick maintained. Daryl gently turned Beth's head. Softly he brushed her hair aside and he checked the wound on her head. The one they had assumed was fatal. Daryl sucked in his breath and leaned over Beth cradling her head in his arms. He was visibly crying. "Daryl, I got a pulse man." Rick said desperately. Maggie pushed between the two men.
"It's superficial. It ain't nothing but a deep scrape." Daryl sobbed as he continued to cradle her head.
"She's alive? She's alive!" Maggie repeated the words as if to reassure herself.
"Check everything else." Carol said over the back seat. Rick continued checking Beth's extremities. Maggie held her hand checking for a pulse again. Daryl ran his hands over Beth's shoulders and behind her neck. His eyes never left her face.
"I'm glad I didn't say goodbye. I'm not saying goodbye." he whispered softly. Maggie watched him. She put her hand on his arm.
"Beth hates goodbyes." she said. He glanced over at her.
"Me too." Abraham and Rosita walked around the back of the car.
"What's' going on? I think we need to put some distance between us and them." Abraham said. Neither he nor Rosita were sure what was going on with Beth.
"How, how is she?" Rosita asked tentatively.
"She's alive." Rick said, his voice heavy with relief. "Superficial bullet wound, but so far everything else checks out ok."
"Is she able to travel?" Abraham asked.
"Yeah, yeah we'll make her comfortable back here.." Rick started.
"I'm staying back here. I've got her." Daryl said. And that was final. No one was sure how to deal with this new development. Maggie watched him warily.
"Maggie come sit up here. You can still be close." Carol said from her spot in the middle seat.
"Come on." Glen put his hand on Maggie's back. "It's ok." Half of the group were in the fire truck and the other half were here in the suburban. With no destination in mind, just distance, they headed away from Grady Hills.