Hi guys! I know this chapter is kind of long, but it's an explanation for how Hershel loses his leg. For those of you who don't know (and for internet trolls who nitpick), farming accidents happen often. In my area of Alabama, we have at least 5 or 6 every summer, and even more when the final harvests happen in August/September. A bush hog is a huge mower that attaches to a tractor,and bush hogging accidents happen a lot; probably more than they should. People lose limbs all the time, unfortunately. I'm a farm girl myself, so I know how badly a bush hog can ruin your day. Anyway, the reviews have been great, and I'm so glad you guys are so kind! Thanks for all the reviews!

-Much love!

-A

Chapter 7:

The first day of school was always exciting for Beth Greene. She always had her outfit picked out, her backpack ready, and her lunch packed. When she started school, Maggie or Shawn walked her to class, and Maggie sat with her every day, cutting the crusts off her bread. Beth never had to worry about kids bullying her; she was Shawn and Maggie Greene's little sister, no one dared to mess with her.

This year, however, it was different. Every year, Annette took pictures of Shawn, Maggie, and Beth on the first day of school. For a while now, it had just been Beth. Since the eighth grade, it had just been Beth. But today, it was the last day it would just be Beth. Today was the first day of her senior year. Annette always made the first day of school ceremonious; with fresh lunches, homemade cookies, and pictures. Annette Greene took pictures of everything, especially her children. Today, Beth would take her last first day picture with Annette, and it was bittersweet.

"You're beautiful, honey." Annette said, her eyes tearing up.

"Thanks Mama." Beth said, smiling. She didn't want her mother to know that she didn't really want to go to school today. Zach had wished her a good day last night, but she had a feeling that it wouldn't be as good as she hoped. She got in her truck, turning on the radio. She silently wondered how many times she'd driven the route to North King County High School, thinking about how next year, it would be the route to Georgia State University. She was excited and nervous as she pulled into the parking lot. She was always one of the first ones in the parking lot, but that didn't matter. As she went to get out of her car, she felt her phone buzz. She looked at the caller ID; it was Daryl.

"Hello?" Beth answered.

"Hey. Just wanted to wish you a good first day." Daryl said. Beth smiled; she wished that Zach had bothered to do that.

"Thanks, Dixon. I'm a little nervous." Beth said.

"Don't be. You got this." Daryl replied.

"I know I've got it. I'm just afraid of eating alone. Again." Beth admitted.

"What time's your lunch?" Daryl asked.

"11:30. Why?" Beth asked.

"Dale gives me an extended lunch, an' we only got one car in the bay. I'll come by an' we can eat lunch together in the parking lot." Daryl told her. Beth had to admit, she liked the sound of that.

"I'd like that a lot." Beth said. Daryl knew how to make her feel better.

"Alright. Well, I gotta get to work. We ain't too busy, so I can probably leave early if we get that car worked on." Daryl said.

"Okay. See you in a little while." Beth said, hanging up the phone. She liked Zach, that was the only reason that she hadn't broken up with him yet. He seemed to like her, he seemed to pay attention. Daryl snarled in his direction anytime Zach was around, and Maggie wasn't Zach's biggest fan, either. Beth wished that Zach would pay attention; he didn't start classes for another two weeks. He was going to homecoming with her next month, but he generally didn't ask too many questions regarding school. Beth went inside, and, taking a deep breath, shook off the anxiety that was plaguing her. She was nervous, but she decided she wouldn't let it show. One day down, only a little while longer to go.

Beth would've been lying if she said that she enjoyed the first part of her school day. Her old friends ignored her like the plague; Amy whispering in their ears as Beth sat in the front of the class. Beth could hear everything they said; there were all kinds of rumors going around. She tried to put it out of her head, but it was still hard to hear.

When lunch came, Beth raced to the parking lot. Sure enough, Daryl was waiting in the parking lot, leaning against his motorcycle. Clearly, he didn't care what people nearly a decade younger than him thought.

"How was it?" Daryl asked.

"Amy told a bunch of people I had an abortion this summer. And then one kid asked me if I'd been locked in the basement by my parents. It's been fantastic." Beth said sarcastically. People supposed everything from an abortion to her being held captive to even her being in a mental hospital.

"Hmm...Well, it'd be more interestin' if it were true." Daryl said, tossing a bag to her.

"What's this?" Beth asked.

"Irma used to make me this when I was havin' a bad day. Figured you'd like it." Daryl said. Though he was trying to comfort her, he was always gruff. His voice was always gravely. Beth had told him to quit smoking, but that was met with a 'hell no' response. Beth opened the bag, pulling out a small container.

"Ya gotta open it, Greene." Daryl said.

Beth opened the container, and revealing something that to some would seem trivial, but to her, it meant the world.

"How'd you manage to bring me potato salad?" Beth asked. Daryl knew that she loved the stuff. It was her favorite summer food.

"Dale made a bunch of it for supper when he had some of his friends over. He brought like two massive bowls of the stuff to work today." Daryl said. Beth smiled, grabbing the spoon he handed her.

"At least most of the day is over." Beth said.

"For you maybe." Daryl said jokingly.

"I don't consider farm work torture." Beth said, "I prefer it to this place. This town is too small."

"Ain't that bad." Daryl replied, biting into his sandwich.

"What is that?" Beth asked, pointing to his sandwich.

"Chicken salad. 'S my favorite." Daryl muttered

"Ah. Well, mama packed me lemonade. Want some?" Beth asked.

"Sure." Daryl replied, taking a swig of lemonade from Beth's thermos.

"So, you know we're supposed to be bush hoggin' near the creek today." Beth said, "Daddy wants me to help. We're supposed to be cuttin' hay today too."

"Why y'all bush hoggin' now?" Daryl asked.

"'Cause Daddy doesn't wanna get on a snake down there. Plus he doesn't want anyone to get bit." Beth said.

"Alright. I'll probably be there 'round 3:30." Daryl said.

"Me too." Beth giggled. Daryl rolled his eyes, elbowing Beth jokingly.

"Ain't it 'bout time for you to go back?" Daryl asked.

"Yep. But I appreciate you comin' out." Beth said, hugging him tightly.

"Don't mention it. I'll see ya later." Daryl said, getting on his motorcycle.

"Bye!" Beth called, waving as he drove away. Beth went back in to school, and smiled. Daryl had made her whole day, and she had more to look forward to that afternoon. Not even Amy's icy glares could bother her that day; she was happier than she'd been all week.

Beth figured as long as she had Daryl, she could probably survive senior year.

Beth drove home from school, excited to start work at the farm. Since she was a child, she'd known how to work tractors, handle bush hogs, and till garden spots. Hershel had hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in farm equipment, and Beth knew how to handle it better than nearly any other farm hand in the past, aside from Otis or Shawn. Daryl had proven handy, but Beth still thought she and Maggie were the best farm hands that Hershel had.

She pulled into the gravel driveway, a trail of dust behind her. She jumped out of the truck, running to meet Daryl and her father at the barn.

"Hey Daddy! Hey Daryl!" She called, hugging them both.

"There's my favorite farm girl." Hershel said, "How was school, Bethy?"

"Good." Beth lied. She wasn't about to tell her father about all the things people had said to her and about her.

"Well, it's about time for us to go cut hay. Bethy, you and me'll take the bush hogs out to the field, and we'll start there. We'll only need one down there near the creek bed. Otis is gonna take the combine and finish getting up that cotton. Daryl, we need you to work the baler. Can you do that?" Hershel asked.

"Yes sir." Daryl replied.

"Good. Maggie, Glenn, and Miss Annette have been pickin' purple hull peas and green beans most of the day. We're gonna meet up at the house and head into town for supper tonight. My treat" Hershel said happily. For some reason, Hershel took great joy in being able to bring people along to family dinners. There was always room at the Greene table for dinner.

"Sounds like a plan, Daddy!" Beth said excitedly. She got the first bush hog ready, and and Hershel followed her. They headed out to the field and between the two of them, they finished the field quickly. Daryl followed behind them with the hay baler.

"Well, I don't reckon I've ever been able to mow this quick, Bethy. I do love havin' this extra help." Hershel told her.

"I do too, daddy. Daryl picks up on stuff fast." Beth said.

"Glad he does. I'd hate to have to waste a bunch of time teachin' him how to do this stuff." Hershel chuckled. Beth smiled, wiping the sweat from her forehead. They watched Daryl finish baling the last piece of pasture, and he came over and joined them, wiping his neck with a red rag.

"Greene, I reckon you're gonna blister out here." Daryl said,

"Probably." Beth said, laughing.

"Can't have my daughter burnin' on us out here." Hershel said, passing his straw hat to her.

"Thanks daddy." Beth said, putting the hat on.

"Did you put sunscreen on?" Hershel asked.

"Hershel, do you have to ask? Beth never wears sunscreen." Daryl said, poking Beth's shoulder.

"Stop! I am too wearing sunscreen." Beth said, swatting at him.

"Well, now that we're finished with this field, how 'bout we get over to that creek bed? I'll bush hog, and y'all can start clearin' out that tree that fell in the storm a week ago." Hershel said. Daryl and Beth nodded, grabbing two chain saws from the barn and driving Beth's truck down to the creek. They were careful to avoid the bush hog; knowing how dangerous they could be. Hershel climbed on the tractor, and began to bush hog the far side of the creek. Beth and Daryl began to cut up the tree, throwing the logs into the back of Beth's truck. Some were too heavy for Beth to carry, so Daryl gave her help. Beth and Daryl had nearly finished cutting up the fallen tree, and Beth could see Hershel heading toward their direction. Beth smiled, waving to her father, who smiled and nodded back. Beth loved moments like this; the farm was her home. They'd bush hogged the creek thousands of times, she'd assumed. She'd learned how to drive a tractor long before she could drive a car. Having Daryl there made things a lot easier, and the two got the work done quickly.

Then, just as she and Daryl loaded the biggest log in the truck and were getting ready to haul it off, Beth heard a scream.

It was Hershel.

It happened in slow motion; The tractor hit a hole that Hershel didn't see, because it was covered in grass. The tractor almost tipped, and Beth panicked. Daryl and Beth saw Hershel fall off, and Beth began to run toward her father. What Beth didn't see was that the bush hog, as the tractor tipped, had swung out to the side, catching Hershel, who was on the ground.

Beth could hear the blood curdling screams from her father as she ran as fast as her feet could carry her. Daryl ran faster than she could, and managed to get to Hershel first. Beth was afraid that her father had broken a bone, and had no idea what she'd find when she found him. However, judging by Daryl's screams, it was nothing good.

"BETH! BETH CALL AN AMBULANCE!" Daryl screamed. Beth hoped it wasn't as bad as it sounded, but when she found Daryl and her father, she screamed.

"I don't have my phone!" Beth screamed back.

Hershel had fallen, but the ground was soft enough that he could have gotten up and kept going.

That was, until the bush hog swung out to the side, catching him.

All Beth could see was blood, and Daryl was trying to get her father's leg out of the bush hog.

"Beth! Beth your dad's leg's caught!" Daryl screamed. Beth ran over to her father, cradling his head, sobbing as she tried to stop the bleeding.

"Daddy!" Beth exclaimed. He was a ghostly pale, and she was worried. Beth screamed as loud as she could.

"SOMEONE HELP!" She knew Maggie, Glenn, and Annette weren't far away. If she screamed loud enough, she thought, they might hear her.

Sure enough, they did.

Beth could hear Maggie calling for her, and Beth kept screaming for someone. Daryl undid his belt, tying it around Hershel's thigh to form a tourniquet. When Maggie arrived, she began to panic.

"Daddy! Oh no, Beth! Beth!" Maggie screamed.

"Maggie, call an ambulance now!" Daryl hissed, "Your dad ain't gonna make it if we don't!"

Maggie pulled out her phone, calling 911 and frantically begging them to bring an ambulance, that her father's leg had been caught in the bush hog. Beth prayed her father would make it till the arrival of the paramedics. Glenn kept Annette from seeing what was going on, holding her back. Beth felt a slight twinge of relief when she heard police sirens.

Rick was the first one to arrive on the scene, followed by another sheriff's deputy.

"What happened?!" Rick screamed. When he ran over to Beth, she could hear him gasp.

"No." He whispered, kneeling by Hershel.

"Grimes, his leg's still caught!" The other deputy yelled, his voice laced with fear.

"Help my daddy! Please, help him!" Beth wailed, her clothes soaked in her father's blood.

"We gotta get his leg out." Rick said, a look of disbelief in his eyes.

"Rick, we can't. If we try it'll do worse damage. We gotta take it off." The deputy said.

"We can't!" Rick screamed.

"We gotta! Now, or he'll bleed to death!" The deputy screamed.

"Do it! Take his leg off! Get him outta there!" Maggie screamed as Daryl held her back.

"Hold him down." Rick yelled. He looked toward Maggie and Daryl. "Both of you, hold him down."

"Merle, get the hatchet out of the trunk." Rick ordered. The deputy, Merle, ran to the patrol car, returning with a hatchet.

"Don't watch." Rick ordered Beth and Maggie. Beth held her father's head as she heard the sound of Rick cutting off her father's leg below the knee. Maggie screamed as Glenn picked her up, carrying her away as the paramedics arrived. In reality, it had only taken five minutes for Rick and Merle to arrive and react, and it had only taken ten minutes for paramedics to arrive after Maggie called. The paramedics pulled up, and a female EMT arrived.

"Daryl! Daryl! What happened?" The woman asked.

"The tractor tipped, guess there was a hole. The bush hog caught 'is leg." Daryl said, his face covered in panic.

"Dixon, this is the worst farm injury I've ever seen." The woman said, "We need MedEvac!"

"Sasha, do what you have to do." Daryl said.

"Please help my daddy." Beth cried, "Do whatever you need to do."

"We are, sweetie." Sasha said, putting a better tourniquet on Hershel's leg. Rick and Merle agreed to meet them in Atlanta, as they called for MedEvac assistance. Hershel was losing blood quickly, and the clock was ticking; Beth was worried they wouldn't get him to assistance in time. They had managed to get him on to a stretcher as they transported him to the open field Beth and Hershel had just mowed an hour earlier. Beth held her fathers hand tightly, though he was unconscious. The helicopter arrived in minutes, and began to load Hershel in.

One of the MedEvac nurses stopped Beth.

"We don't think it's a good idea for you to ride with him." The nurse said.

"No. I'm not leaving him!" Beth yelled.

Daryl came up behind her. "Beth, you can't." He whispered.

"It's my daddy! He can't go up there alone!" Beth screamed. What if he woke up alone? Beth couldn't bear the thought of losing him, especially since she felt responsible.

"Beth, we'll ride with Merle. Your mom and Maggie and Glenn will ride with Rick." Daryl said.

"It's my daddy." Beth said, sobbing uncontrollably. The helicopter took off before she could finish arguing with the nurse, and they were headed toward Atlanta. Rick ran up to them, panting heavily.

"We're leavin' now." He said. He wasn't suggesting; it was a direct order.

"Yeah man. We're ridin' with Merle." Daryl said, Rick nodded, running back to his patrol car. Annette, Maggie, and Glenn were already in the car, and Rick sped off toward Atlanta. Daryl opened the car door for Beth, and she slid into the back seat. Surprisingly, he sat in the back with her. Merle quickly got in, and they too sped toward Atlanta.

"I should've gotten to him faster." Cried Beth.

"Sweetheart, ain't no way you could've known that would happen. No way of tellin' when accidents happen—that's why they call 'em accidents." Merle said, trying to comfort her.

"B—b—but w—w—what if if doesn't m—make it?" Beth cried.

"It's not on you." Daryl whispered.

"Little brother, you saved 'is life, usin' that belt of yours." Merle said from the front.

"This is your brother?" Beth asked.

"Yep." Daryl replied solemnly.

"We're gonna getcha to your daddy, darlin'. Don't you worry 'bout it." Merle promised. With sirens blaring, the group headed toward Atlanta, Beth praying the entire way that her father would be alive when they got there.

When they arrived, Hershel was already being stabilized. It had been explained that his blood pressure had dropped far too much for them to operate just yet, but that once they got everything stabilized, they would.

"Greene family?" A doctor inquired. Annette stood up, her voice weak.

"I'm his wife, Annette." She answered.

"We need to get him stabilized first. He needs blood, and quite a bit of it." The doctor said.

Beth, Maggie, and Hershel all shared the same blood type—A positive. Without hesitation, Beth stood up.

"If he needs blood, take it from me. We have the same blood type." Beth said.

"Me too." Maggie added.

"Well, we've given him a blood transfusion, but he'll need more. Come on back, I'll have it ordered." The doctor said, walking them back. Beth was still in the clothes that were soaked in her father's blood, but she didn't care. She would do anything to make sure he was okay. The nurse took 4 tries to find a vein in Beth, and Beth's right arm bruised heavily because of it. Both Maggie and Beth gave a pint of blood for their father, and then they were told that Hershel had been stabilized enough to go into surgery.

"We appreciate the blood donations. He may need more. Normally, I would say we have enough blood, but we've had a lot of accidents lately, and there's a shortage." The doctor said.

"If you need anymore, take it from me." Rick said, "He's my adopted father, but we have the same blood type."

"I'll call you if we need you." The doctor told him. Beth sat down in the surgical waiting room next to Daryl, sobbing heavily.

"He'll be okay." Daryl said, squeezing her knee.

"I don't feel good." Beth said. She'd felt woozy since she'd given blood, but she attributed that to witnessing her older brother cut her father's leg out of a bush hog with a hatchet.

"I just got off the phone with Shawn. They're on the way up from Macon." Annette said wearily. Maggie brought her a cup of coffee from the cafeteria.

Beth still felt dizzy, but she wanted to be near her mother. They all had jobs to do, but comforting Annette was the one she had right now. As soon as Beth stood up, her legs buckled, and she fell to the floor.

"Beth!" Maggie exclaimed. Daryl picked her up, helping her come to.

"I don't feel well." Beth muttered.

A nurse, witnessing everything, came over.

"She gave blood. I thought she was fine." Maggie said, panicked.

"How much does she weigh?" The nurse asked.

"103 pounds, thereabouts." Annette said, "Or at least that's what her driver's license says."

The nurse nodded, and left momentarily. She returned with apple juice and cookies.

"She doesn't weigh enough to give blood in the first place." The nurse snipped. Beth heard that part, and even in her dizzy state, it enraged her.

"My daddy is in surgery, and I don't know if he'll make it. The least I could do for my own father was help him." Beth snapped back. The nurse left in a haste, and Beth laid on the waiting room couch.

"Beth, honey, you didn't have to do that." Annette said.

"Yes I did. I should've got to him sooner. I should've helped him more! I could've called an ambulance sooner if I'd taken my phone." Beth said, her voice full of guilt. She felt like there was something she could've done.

"Beth, you did all ya could." Daryl whispered.

"I just want him to be okay." Beth said, standing to her feet. Everyone told her to sit, but she refused.

"Mama, do you need anything?" Beth asked. Annette shook her head, but Beth could see the exhaustion on her face. Beth grabbed some tissues from the nurses' station, and handed them to her.

"Thanks, sweetie." Annette said. Beth kissed her mother's forehead gently, hugging her.

"I love you, Mama." Beth whispered. Beth looked at Maggie, who's head was resting in her hands. Beth remembered she had $20 in her pocket, and decided that she'd get everyone a snack while they waited. She knew they had to be hungry. She stammered to the cafeteria, Daryl carefully following her. She managed to make it to the ground floor cafeteria, and started to pick out snacks for everyone.

"Beth, you need to be careful." Daryl whispered to her.

"I need to make it okay somehow." Beth replied.

"You won't be no use if you're passin' out." Daryl told her. Beth stopped, her eyes filling with tears again.

"I need to help them. I need to. I need to do somethin'. Daryl if I sit there, I'll worry. And then I'll cry again. And I don't wanna see 'em like that. I gotta do somethin', even if it's small." Beth explained. Everyone was hurting; not just her. She wanted to do whatever she could do make waiting easier for her family. She settled on muffins and sodas for everyone, and enlisted Daryl to help her carry them back. When she returned, Patricia and Otis were sitting with her mother, and Rick had Carl. T Dog, the preacher at their church, was there as well.

"Bethy, where'd you go?" Maggie asked.

"Figured everyone might be hungry or somethin'. I brought muffins and soda." Beth shrugged, handing snacks to everyone. Annette didn't eat, but Maggie, Rick, and Glenn were appreciative.

"How long has he been in surgery?" T Dog asked.

"An hour and a half. They need to repair tissue damage. It wasn't a clean cut." Annette explained.

"I'm sorry." Rick said, his head in his hands.

"Rick, if you hadn't done that, he would've bled to death out there." Annette reassured him.

"If Daryl hadn't tied that tourniquet, we would've lost him for good." Rick replied.

"Who found him first?" Merle asked.

"Well, we both saw 'im fall. Beth took off after 'im, but I got there faster. She stayed with 'im the whole time, 'bout killed that MedEvac nurse 'cause she couldn't ride with 'im." Daryl said. In truth, Beth wanted to put up more of a fight in the field, but she didn't want to waste the precious time that her father so desperately needed.

Forty five minutes later, the doctor emerged, and everyone braced themselves for the worst.

"He made it through. He needed a blood transfusion, but he's stable. He'll be in ICU the next 72 hours at the very least, but he made it through much better than we expected. He's in recovery now." The doctor said. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; Maggie and Beth hugged each other, crying.

"Thank God." Annette exclaimed, hugging Patricia.

"This is great news." Rick said, sighing heavily. The doctor explained some of the possible complications, and some of the issues they had repairing the muscle and tissue. Even if they hadn't cut Hershel's leg in the field, he would've lost it anyway; it was too mangled to save. The surgeon explained that Daryl and Rick's quick thinking it what saved his life, and that if he makes it through the next 48 hours, he should make a full recovery. Of course, there were risks following surgery, but everyone was so grateful that he lived that it didn't matter to them right now. Once the doctor left, everyone relaxed a little, and then Annette sat down next to Beth.

"Bethy, sweetie, I think you need to go home." Annette said lightly.

"Mama, I can't leave y'all. Not right now." Beth said.

"Bethy, your clothes are bloody. I know you wanna stay, but sweetie, you need to change and clean up." Annette said.

"Mama, what if something happens?" Beth asked.

"Sweetie, I promise I'll call. I promise. But right now, you need to go home and clean up. Daryl, there's some clothes there at the house I think you can fit into. You need to get out of those clothes, too." Annette said, pointing to Daryl's pants and shirt, which were soaked in blood.

"Yes ma'am. Merle can take us back, and then I'll bring 'er here." Daryl told Annette. Beth really didn't want to leave, but Maggie and Glenn assured her that they'd update her on Hershel's condition every time they got news. Nervously, Beth left with Daryl and Merle, headed back to her place. Merle dropped them off, and Beth went upstairs to her room. She realized she'd left her phone there, and picked it up. Only three texts from Zach, saying that he was going out with his friends and wouldn't be able to come over that night. Beth threw her phone on to the bed, screaming in frustration. Beth sent him a text saying her father was in the hospital, and waited. She didn't get a response, and that hurt her even more. Her father was severely injured, she needed comfort, and Zach couldn't even do that. For Beth, this was the last straw.

"Beth? You okay?" Daryl asked. Beth nodded, grabbing clean clothes and a towel.

"Yeah. I'm gonna get a shower up here. There's a shower downstairs if you wanna use it. I'll find you some clothes when I get out." Beth said.

"Okay. Jus' come get me." Daryl said, "I'll be down stairs, I promise."

"Daryl? Can you watch my phone? Just in case Maggie calls." Beth asked. Daryl nodded, and she handed her phone to him. She headed upstairs, and climbed in the shower. The whole time, all she could do was replay the days events. She knew there was nothing she could have done, but she wished it had been her instead of Hershel. Hershel was busy, everyone needed him. No one needed her. Her father was her hero, the greatest man she ever knew, and she wished that she could've prevented the accident somehow.

When she got out of the shower, she walked downstairs, and Daryl walked up to her, his face filled with anger.

"That prick text you." He growled. Beth grabbed the phone, and read the text.

"Look, I had this planned. I know you're dad's in the hospital, but I can't just bail on my friends."

"What the hell?!" Beth asked.

"My thoughts exactly." Daryl replied.

Beth sent a text to Zach, in reply. "My dad lost his leg, Zach. He almost bled to death. I need to be with him. It would be nice if you could be with me. This is hard."

"I'm sorry that happened. But I promise we'll do something tomorrow." Zach replied.

Beth screamed, her anger coming out.

"If you can't be there for me when I need you, then we're done. My dad almost died. I had to watch him almost bleed to death. I almost lost him." Beth sent back.

"I'm sure Daryl will be there. You hang out with him more than me anyway." Zach sent back. Beth's eyes filled with tears. How could someone act like this?

"It's over." Beth sent before she turned her phone off.

Daryl came back into the living room, wearing some of Hershel's old clothes. His shaggy brown hair was still wet. Beth would've thought it was cute, but all of the events of the day were weighing on her.

"I forgot to bring my truck. Is it okay if we take my bike or your truck?" Daryl asked. Beth nodded. Her truck, however, was still near the creek; she couldn't bear to go down there yet.

"Let's take your bike. I don't wanna go down to the creek yet." Beth said. Daryl nodded, and the two walked outside toward his motorcycle. He tossed her the extra helmet he kept on the back, and she put it on. She'd never ridden a motorcycle before, and she had to admit that she was nervous. However, she knew that Daryl would keep her safe, and as they headed toward the hospital, she held on tight. After a few minutes, Beth felt somewhat free in the open air. She still clung to Daryl tightly, and grew nervous when cars got too close. But she knew that Daryl could handle himself, and he'd get them to the hospital safely. Sure enough, he did, and they parked in the bottom of the parking deck, walking across the street to the hospital.

"I broke up with Zach." Beth whispered.

"Good." Daryl replied. The two remained silent as they walked into the ICU waiting room, waiting for the posted hours so that they could see Hershel. They waited until 8:00, when the next posted hours were, and walked into Hershel's large room. Annette, Maggie, and Glenn stood close to Hershel's bedside, but Beth couldn't bring herself to get any closer then the entrance of the room. Seeing her father, covered in monitors and blankets, with IV tubes and the sound of an EKG machine ringing in her ears made her feel uneasy. Daryl stood beside her, and she grabbed his hand, intertwining his fingers with hers.

"It'll be okay." Daryl said.

"I know." Beth replied. Hershel came to for only a moment, smiling as he saw his family. Beth knew that her father was still at risk, but she was hopeful.

And Daryl was there beside her, so for that moment, she knew that she was okay.