Hershel and Maggie talked quietly as they worked. Hershel was putting the last stitches into the cut above her eye as Maggie gently cleaned the dirt and debris off of the girl. Maggie didn't like the thought of the poor girl lying completely exposed so she kept the sheet on the part of her body she wasn't washing at the time. The bruises were obvious against her pale white skin. Fingerprints were visible around her wrists, on her thighs, and around her neck, making Maggie's jaw set tight.
She didn't have to ask what had happened to her. She could tell by the location of the bruises and the blood between her thighs.
Maggie shook her head, trying to fight the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes, as she dipped the rag into the clean water. Squeezing the excess liquid out of it, she started washing between her legs, cleaning the proof of her violation away.
What a sick world! She thought to herself. The saddest part was that these were the same people who lived in the world before this, but for some reason, now that there was no civilization, they had all turned into animals.
"Dammit!" She swore out loud, earning a disapproving glare from her father.
She threw the rag into the washbasin angrily and turned away from the girl. She wiped at her eyes furiously and stared down at her feet.
"This could be Beth, Daddy." She spit out, choking on tears. "What the hell kind of people do this?"
Hershel had been washing away the blood on his hands, having the exact same thoughts.
"Evil people." He said softly, as he walked around to Maggie's side of the table.
Placing his hands on her shoulders, he pulled her close to him. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her to him like he had done when she was just a little girl.
Maggie, however, didn't want comfort. She wanted to be angry. Pushing against her father, she clenched her jaw and grabbed the cloth again. Hershel watched his daughter sadly, knowing there was nothing he could do to comfort her.
Maggie began cleaning the stitches above her eye and then looked up at her father, her shoulders sagging in defeat. It didn't do any good to be angry. It wouldn't change anything.
"Will you hand me the antibiotic ointment?" She asked softly, holding her hand out to him.
Hershel placed the tube gently in her hand and squeezed.
She had always been the strong one. Spunky and determined, getting herself in all kinds of trouble, he knew that if anyone could make it in this world, it would be her.
He watched as Maggie used a q-tip to daub the ointment onto the stitches before covering it with bandaids.
Sitting back to observe her work, Maggie assessed the girl lying on the table. The girl's breathing had evened out, which was a good sign, and although she was incredibly still and pale, she had hope that she would survive.
Hopping off of the stool, Maggie went over to the cabinet where they had stored extra clothes and rummaged through them until she found a warm men's plaid and a pair of underwear. Going back over to the table, Maggie carefully dressed the girl in the oversized shirt and gently pulled the underwear up her legs and over her hips, trying not to disturb the stitches between her legs either.
Grabbing one of the heavier blankets and a pillow, she lifted the girl's head and slid the pillow under it, before covering her with the warm blanket.
"When Rick and Daryl get back, we'll have them move her onto a mattress so she's more comfortable." Hershel said as he cleaned up the mess they made.
"How long do you think she'll stay unconscious?" Maggie asked worriedly.
"I don't know. She's definitely got a concussion, so it's hard to tell." He said, walking around the table to stand next to Maggie.
"I'll stay with her, Dad. You go rest for a while. You're still recovering yourself." Maggie chided him lovingly.
Hershel smiled at her "mothering" of him and nodded.
"I'll call ya if she comes to." She stated, before leaning back against the wall to rest.
############################################################################################
"Over here!" Daryl called out to Rick who was going through a cabinet, looking at the bottles for anything useful.
Busting the lock off of one of the cabinets, Daryl found the surplus of painkillers and psychotropics and stuffed them into the bag he was carrying.
"We hit the jackpot. Painkillers, valium…Merle'd be in heaven." Daryl smirked.
Rick moved toward Daryl, checking out the rest of the room. Finding a cart, he started loading it up with supplies they might need; bandages, splints, cast-making supplies-they had it all. Daryl was padding the glass bottles with towels and bandages so they didn't break.
"We still gotta find that stupid x-ray machine." Daryl said, lifting his flashlight to shine it through the windows into the next room.
Rick nodded, moving toward the door of the other room. Trying the doorknob, Rick found that it was locked. Pulling out the keys, he unlocked the door and began moving through it.
Before he could take one step, however, a walker came out of nowhere, and threw itself on him.
"Shit!" Rick yelled, pushing frantically at the walker so he could raise it up enough to shoot it.
BAM! The gunshot resonated through the entire place, startling Daryl and causing him to swing his crossbow toward Rick. Hurrying over toward him, he kept one hand on the crossbow, and offered the other to help Rick up. Grasping his arm, he pulled Rick to his feet, just in time for the next walker to come stumbling out of the other room.
"Look out!" Daryl shouted, as he shot it through the eye, dropping it to the ground instantly.
Rick swung around, growling as three more began pouring into the room. Daryl moved quickly, closing the outer door, leaving only the one door through which the walkers could enter. Flashing his light in that direction, he lit up the neighboring room, which now appeared to be empty.
Better safe than sorry, he moved stealthily into the room, swinging his crossbow toward all of the corners, one at a time. Once he was sure the room was empty, he lowered it, taking in the equipment inside the room.
"There." Daryl said, pointing toward the x-ray machine.
"It's too big to move." Rick sighed.
"But we can bring her here." Daryl started walking toward a gurney which lay tucked away in the far corner of the room.
"Good thinkin'." Rick answered, moving back into the other room to grab the supplies and tossing them onto the gurney.
"You push, I'll cover us." Daryl said, as he moved toward the door.
And with that, they waded into the hallway.