There was a loud pop and the walker slumped on top of her. "Hope! Hope, are you all right? Did you get bit?" Carl knelt by her side.

"No," Hope said pushing weakly at the walker. The stench of rotting flesh was becoming unbearable. "Help get this thing off of me."

"Right, sorry," Carl pulled at the same time Hope pushed and together they moved him enough that Hope could scramble out from underneath him. When Hope stood her legs felt weak. Carl went and retrieved her knife. He handed it to her and she took it with shaking hands.

"How did you hear me?"

"We didn't, we were headed in here anyway." Hope jumped a bit at Maggie's voice. Lori was with her.

"Why?"

"There are walkers in the yard."

"What? How did they get in?"

"I don't know," Maggie kicked the walker at Hope's feet. "How'd he get in?"

Hope shrugged, "I don't know."

"I do," Carl said nervously. He pointed at the open gate where more walkers were filing through.

"Run, run, run!" Hope yelled. They quickly left the cell block and Hope closed the gate behind them. Maggie walked in front, Lori and Hope in the middle with Carl bringing up the rear. Hope wasn't sure where they were going, she'd never really taken much time to navigate inside the prison walls. Not that Daryl let her anyway, he was so overprotective all the time. They made left and right turns but it seemed no matter how far they went walkers were right behind them or in front of them. When they came to an empty hallway, they stopped for a quick rest and to get their bearings.

"Where are they coming from? Which way do we go?" Hope asked Maggie.

"I don't know, they're everywhere," Maggie answered breathing harshly.

Lori cried out in pain.

"Mom! What's wrong are you bit?"

"No, I'm fine Carl. It's just-" Lori cried out again. She braced herself against the wall.

Hope's stomach dropped. She felt around Lori's stomach. "How long have you been having contractions?"

Lori groaned. "Since this morning, I think. I just chalked it up to some back pain." Lori gritted her teeth as another contraction hit.

Hope shook her head. "They're not very far apart now. You've been in labor for a while."

"We can't stay here," Carl said.

"We need to get her to my dad," Maggie replied.

"There's no time, we need to get her somewhere safe so she can give birth. Then we'll talk about finding the others." Lori cried out once more. "Here lean on me, Maggie you get her other arm. Carl I need you to take point."

The four of them moved slowly around the prison. They were quickly running out of places to run. They ended up in hallway somewhere surrounded on all ends. Carl opened a door to some room. Maggie and Hope herded Lori inside. Carl secured the door with a pipe laying on the floor.

"Okay just lay down. Maggie, help me take her pants off." Hope checked how dilated Lori was. She frowned, this wasn't good. "You're not fully dilated yet."

"I need to push."

"You can't, not yet."

Lori arched her back as another contraction hit her. "I need to push Hope."

"Her body knows, what needs to happen. Let her push." Maggie told Hope.

"I don't-" Hope grabbed Lori's hand. "No Lori do not push. Please Lori stop pushing."

Lori cried out but ignored Hope's warnings. Hope checked how dilated she once more. Hope closed her eyes. This wasn't going to work.

Lori looked at her calmly. "We need to do a C-Section."

Hope shook her head. "You won't survive one, not like this. I-I don't have my kit, nothing is sterile-"

Lori grabbed Hope's hand."We knew this was a possibility."

"We need to get her back to my father," Maggie said shakily. "He'll know what to do."

"I won't make it that far," Lori said weakly. "Please Hope, it's what I want. I want my baby to live. My baby has to live."

Hope swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. "Lori-" "

"Please."

"All right, if this is what you want."

"What? No, Hope you can't do this." Maggie grabbed Hope's shoulders. "What about Carl?"

Hope looked over at Carl. He was so brave; sometimes it was easy to forget that he was still a little kid. Could she really do this? Could she kill his mom in front of him? She looked down at Lori. She was pale; a light sheen of sweat covering her. Lori's stomach contracted and she whimpered in pain. In that moment Hope decided that yes, she could. She'd be taking away his mother but at least she could give him his sister. The guilt might eat at her for the rest of her life but it'd be worth it. It was worth it. She had to believe that.

"Maggie, what other option do I have? I can end two lives or try and save one." Hope blinked back tears. "Please I'm going to need your help."

Maggie led out a choked sob. "Okay, I'll help."

"Carl, come here," Lori reached a hand out to her son.

Hope sat back and mentally prepared herself for what she was about to do. She pulled out her knife and wiped it on her shirt. She didn't have any water or alcohol to sterilize it but seeing as how she was about to perform a C-section on a dirty prison floor, she doubted it mattered much.

When Lori and Carl finished saying their goodbyes, Hope turned to Carl. "I want you to look at your Mom okay. You stay focused on her face, don't look at anything else."

"Okay," Carl nodded shakily.

"Okay," Hope squeezed Lori's hand. "I'm so sorry it came to this."

"Me too," Lori swallowed thickly. "Take care of them for me."

"I will." Hope gripped the knife tightly in her hand. She took a deep breath and held the tip of the blade against Lori's stomach. She looked into Lori's eyes one more time and when the older woman nodded, Hope pressed the blade down. She made a clean across Lori's lower abdomen. Blood immediately poured out of the wound and Lori arched her back screaming.

"Stop! You're killing her! Stop!" Carl screamed.

"Don't look Carl! Don't look!" Hope dropped the knife and stuck her hands into the wound. "Maggie I need you to hold her open."

Maggie gulped and held Lori's stomach slightly apart so Hope could retrieve the baby.

"Okay, there's a head. I think that's an arm…no that feels like a leg." Hope couldn't seem to get a grip on the infant. There was so much blood. She tried really hard not to focus on the fact she was elbow deep inside of Lori's abdomen. "Okay I've got the arms."

Carefully Hope placed her hand behind the baby's head. She held the baby's body with the other. Gently Hope tugged until the baby came free. Hope immediately cleared the baby's nose and mouth. The baby was quiet. She gently tapped on the baby's back a few times until it started to cry. Hope sighed with relief; at least the baby was okay. "It's a girl. You have a baby sister."

Carl looked at the infant with wonder in his eyes. He took off his jacket and passed it to Hope. She wrapped the baby in it. He smiled briefly before a shadow fell over him again as he looked down at his mother.

Hope shifted the baby in one arm and felt Lori's neck for a pulse. She closed her eyes when she felt none. "Maggie, pass me my knife." Hope cut the umbilical cord and quickly tied it. She stood, "We have to go."

"We can't just leave her like this, she'll turn."

Hope looked down at Lori. She looked so peaceful in death, like she was sleeping. "Maggie…would you?"

"No, she's my mom."

"Carl-"

"I can handle it."

Carl stood with his jaw clenched, determination burning in his eyes. For a moment Hope could see Rick standing in front of her. Where was the little kid that got excited by a can of ravioli? "Okay, we'll be in the front."

Hope and Maggie went to the front of the room. Maggie peeked through the door. "It's clear."

"Good," Hope looked down at the baby. Mercifully she was quiet. The last thing they needed was a crying infant while they navigated the walker infested hallways.

"Should we go check on-" Maggie was cut off at the loud bang that reverberated through the room. Seconds later Carl passed by them, walking through the door. Wordlessly the two women followed.

The next few minutes passed by in a blur as Carl navigated them through the halls. Hope focused only on keeping one foot in front of the other and the gurgling infant in her arms. The closer they got to the exit the more difficult it became. They hadn't encountered anyone, dead or alive, on their way back. Where was everyone? Where was Daryl? Hope stopped herself from thinking and forced her mind to go blank. To do anything else would cause her to fall into hysterics.

"We're almost there." At the sound of Carl's voice the baby made a happy gurgling noise. Hope looked down and couldn't help the small smile that curved her lips. The baby reached up tugged on an errant lock of hair. Hope untangled the tiny hand from her hair and instead let it wrap around her finger.

The first thing Hope saw when she walked out of the prison was Rick's eyes. They held her captive as he took in the scene before him; her bloody hands, the baby, Carl's head down, Maggie barely holding herself together. Rick walked right up to her. Hope had no words. She just shook her head. When Rick started to scream and cry Hope almost lost it. Instead she pressed her lips into the downy softness of the baby's head and tried not scream.

"Rick! Rick!" Daryl waved a hand in front of Rick's face. The other man showed no sign of recognition. He was in shock.

"Let me see the baby," Hershel commanded.

Sensing the distress around her, the baby was crying at the top of her lungs. Hope bounced her around gently as she walked towards Hershel.

Hershel examined her quickly. "Well the good news is, she appears healthy."

"What are we going to feed her? Do we have anything a baby can eat?" Daryl asked.

"She'll need formula and soon or she won't survive."

"No way, we're not gonna lose one more person today. I'll make a run."

"I'll back you up," Maggie offered.

"I'm going too," said Glenn.

"I'll come," Hope looked at Daryl. Silently she tried to communicate that she couldn't stay here a minute longer.

Sensing her distress Daryl nodded. "All right let's head out. We're gonna lose the light."

"Rick!" Maggie yelled.

Hope turned to see Rick walking into the prison, axe in hand. Wherever Rick was, he wasn't here with them anymore.

The four of them moved quickly to where Daryl's bike was parked. "Where do they have baby stuff?"

"There's a Piggly Wiggly not too far from here," Glenn offered.

"No, the baby section's been cleared out," Maggie told him. "Lori asked me to keep an eye out, I haven't had much luck."

"Is there any place that hasn't been completely looted?" Daryl asked.

"There were signs for a supermarket." Glenn said.

Maggie shook her head. "There was too much debris on the road; a car would never fit through."

Daryl threw on his poncho. "I can only take one of you."

Maggie looked at Hope, "You go."

Hope looked at Maggie gratefully.

Maggie squeezed her arm. "You two be safe." She took the empty back pack off her shoulder and passed it to Hope. "We'll hit the other spots see if we can scrounge anything up."

Daryl revved the engine. Hope got on the back seat. She wrapped her arms around Daryl. Hope spared Glenn and Maggie one last glance before they sped off.

Hope dug her face into Daryl's back. She tried hard not to cry but the tears seemed to fall freely no matter what she did. After a few miles Daryl pulled to the side of the road. Hope jumped off the bike and turned her back to him. At least the roar of the bike drowned out her sobs.

"Hey, come here." Daryl wrapped his arm around her waist. Slowly he turned her around until her face rested on his chest. "Let it out."

Hope shook her head. "I can't. If I do I'll scream and I don't if I'll be able to stop."

"So? Scream if you want. There's no one around to hear you."

Hope pressed a hand over her mouth but that didn't do much to muffle the scream that bubbled in her throat. Hope's knees buckled and Daryl knelt on the ground with her. She wasn't sure how long they stood on that road. Daryl never let go, even when a dark spot formed on his shirt from all her tears. After some time, Hope quieted. Daryl carried on whispering soothing nonsense into her hair. He rubbed her back in small circles. The final sob wracked her body and Hope was all cried out. She was exhausted; all the fight had gone out of her.

"I cut her open."

Daryl shifted just enough to look her in the eye. "What?"

Hope closed her eyes. "She wasn't dilated enough and the baby was coming. I cut her open Daryl, sliced her up like a piece of meat in front Maggie," she took a shaky breath, "and Carl." Her voice breaking as she said his name. "Oh God I killed his mom, right in front of him."

Daryl shook his head. "Hey, look at me." He cupped his hands around her face. "You did what you had to do. You saved that little girl."

"I can't go back there Daryl, how can I ever look him in the eye knowing what I did? How can he ever forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive. Carl's a good kid, he's smart, way smarter than I ever was at that age. He knows you did what you needed to. We all do."

Hope said nothing, she only looked at Daryl miserably.

"You okay?"

"No," Hope answered, her voice was small and scratchy.

"You think you can hang on till' we get back?"

"Yeah, we need to get food for the baby."

"Good, let's go. I don't want to be out here after dark."

"It's not fair Daryl," Hope snuggled into his chest.

"I know."

"That baby is never going to know her mother. Lori never got to hold her daughter. What about Carl? Rick?"

"Come on, ain't no use worrying about what happens next. Let's focus on one thing at a time."

Silently, they rose together and walked to the motorcycle. Daryl got on first and waited until Hope's arms were wrapped around him before he pulled off the side of the road.