Hi once agin! I've had a severe case of writers block recently, I can see it all in my head but when it comes to actually writing it down I draw a blank! But here it is.
And I've had a few reviews saying they don't like Hershel much in this story, but you're kind of not meant to at the minute. I feel he was slightly harsher/stricter in season 2 anyway, but here Beth and Maggie are much more 'take charge' than in the series, so he simply doesn't know how to react to that or try to control them. Plus he doesnnt know how to deal with losing his wife and Shawn, and Beth getting bit so... yeah, he'll get better soon, I promise.
The shots echoed throughout the farm. The group pouring over maps in the dining room – Hershel, Rick, Shane, T-Dog, Maggie and Beth – didn't even take the time to share a glance or ask questions before they rushed out onto the porch.
"Rick!" called Lori as she and Carol ran up towards the house.
"Where's Carl? We heard shots," rasped Rick.
"He's over there with Sophia," pointed Carol. The two cops and T-Dog made their way down the steps, trying to decipher the situation. "We don't know what's happening. We just heard the shots too, we think they came from over by the R.V."
The three men sprinted in the direction of the vehicle, meeting Andrea and Dale as they both stepped down into the grass.
"I got it," exclaimed Andrea with a proud smile. "I saw it lunging at Daryl, and it took me a couple 'a shots, but, I got it!"
"A walker? You shot a walker, attacking Daryl?" questioned Shane. The confusion was clearly evident – Andrea was still fully getting to grips with firing a gun, and Daryl was more than capable of taking care of himself. But Andrea's smiling face was their only confirmation.
"Well I didn't see, just heard the shots," explained Dale as Rick turned to him with a raised eyebrow.
They continued forward on their mission to where they could see Daryl hunched in the grass.
"Daryl! Did it get you?" shouted Rick as they ran toward him.
"Who the fuck shot?!" Daryl demanded, obviously creating some further confusion as the men came to stand by him and the walker. "You fuckin' idiots! Who did it?"
Getting closer Rick felt the impulse to reach for his gun at the sight of the crumpled figure, still showing signs of life – or movement at least.
"I go out to find this kid and you morons decide to try killin' him?!"
Their weapons lowered, the men moved round the hunched archer and saw the missing teen with a knife in his side and a bloodied head – the latter of which was currently being staunched by Daryl.
"What the hell did you do?" challenged Shane.
"The fuck you say to me?" growled Daryl, looking up from Jimmy. "I found him, not any 'a yous. Officer. And then y'all go and shoot me for my troubles, AND shoot the kid at the centre of it all."
Rick moved forward to join Daryl with Jimmy, leaving Shane seething.
"I'll go warn Hershel what state he's in," said T-Dog, who turned and made his way back to the house.
"Where did you find him?" asked Rick. He was hoping that getting straight to the point would diffuse the situation – particularly the growing rage from his former partner.
"Looks like he got into a fight with a walker," Daryl muttered with a sigh. "Stabbed himself falling down a ravine. Now are ya gonna help me get him up to the house or just have me carry on helping him on my own?"
X-X-X
Beth could feel her heart pounding. From the porch they could see the guys run out past the R.V. and out into the grass, arguing and hunching over something. But it wasn't really until T-Dog started sprinting back towards them that the anxiety truly took hold.
"Hershel," T-Dog gasped, panting. "We're gonna need your help."
The sisters were left behind, simply taking in the actions unfolding in front of them.
"What the hell's going on," muttered Maggie.
"He must be hurt," stuttered Beth, suddenly feeling out of breath. "If dad's needed… how badly hurt is he-"
"Daddy knows what he's doing," Maggie soothed. "I know things are weird between you two, but he's strong. We'll do whatever we can to help."
"Yeah, yeah you're right," agreed Beth. "We've definitely had some weird conversations recently."
"Well, he knows how much you really care," said Maggie. She turned to look at Beth, who in turn simply appeared confused, a questioning look on her face.
"You have known each other for years Blackbird," smiled Maggie. "Having some fights over stuff that's now so trivial in today's world just eventually won't matter."
"Thanks Magpie," smiled Beth.
Maggie sauntered down the steps to join Lori and Carol on the drive, Carl and Sophia not far away. In the near distance T-Dog and Hershel had joined Dale and Andrea by the R.V, talking over one another and watching as Rick and Shane hauled a bleeding Jimmy up and out of the grass, Daryl rising behind them.
All the while Beth was left on the porch, alone, thinking about Maggie's concerns for Jimmy. While hers had been all about Daryl.
X-X-X
As the men approached the R.V. Andrea's barricade of questions began.
"I don't understand!" she exclaimed as Dale reached for her arm, trying to hold her back out of their path. "It was a clean shot-"
"Clean shot?" interrupted Shane. "Your so-called clean shot not only failed to kill, but it failed to kill a living person Andrea."
"What? No. No, I saw Daryl out there, one of them walkers was lunging at him. So I shot and it missed first time, but I got it the second time!"
"IT was Jimmy," seethed Daryl, trailing behind the cops and patient. "Lucky for you you're still a shit shot, ya only managed to graze us."
"Us?" enquired Hershel. He stepped further forward to see the blood on Daryl's arm and get a closer look at Jimmy. "Get him on up to the house, put him in the spare room."
He turned to lead the way, the group of men marching towards the house, with Daryl bringing up the rear. As they neared the property he tuned to veer off with his tent in sight.
"You too Daryl!"
Whether or not Hershel had eyes in the back of his head, his words had the hunter stop dead in his tracks, watching their retreating forms and contemplating his options. Most of the group were dispersing, pretty much leaving him to himself. All except Beth, who had been staring at him from her spot on the porch. Maggie came up to speak to her, breaking their strange hold as he watched the blonde turn and go inside, leaving Maggie to take her place.
He took a deep breath and walked up to the house, all the while trying to avoid her gaze.
"Look, your dad invited me in, but, I'm gonna just head back to my tent-"
"No," Maggie firmly replied. "For starters you need to have that arm looked at. And secondly, you look like shit. More so than usual. So your gonna come into this house, get your arm fixed, have a shower after God knows how long, and rest up. And if it makes you feel any better, I promise you can go back to your little tent afterwards."
"So what? I'm supposed to just start being ordered about here?" he growled, trying to mask his surprise at her outburst. "Way I see it I just did your family a big favour. Now ya think you can tell me what to do? I don't owe you or your dad nothing."
"You seriously think you'd be doing me a favour?" She looked down and sighed, before explaining more softly. "She didn't say anything, but I know my sister."
Daryl's ears perked. "Beth was real worried about you. She's known Jimmy almost her whole life, but it was you she was thinking about out there."
Maggie turned to head inside, turning back to look at him from the door.
"I don't know what it is between you two – I mean she's hardly even mentioned your name to me – but just do what my daddy says. Just this once. She has enough on her plate at the moment, so please put her mind at rest."
Daryl stood frozen to the spot for several long moments, feeling his mind swimming in confusion, before his feet went into autopilot.
Next thing he knew he had found himself standing on the porch with his bag of belongings – having somehow been back to his tent in a blur – and reaching for the door. All the while telling himself this was his decision, taking advantage of the invitation and trying to placate the old man.
This had nothing to do with the little blonde, the one who at this moment was inside this very house.
X-X-X
Voices could be heard coming from the bedroom, mainly her father's. But it did worry Beth how she hadn't heard a thing from Jimmy. When it was clear Rick wasn't leaving the room, Hershel had asked Beth to switch places with Maggie. So as she came dragging her feet down the stairs she was so deep in thought that the sound of the door made her visibly jump.
"Oh, hi," she muttered nervously. Daryl was stood in the doorway, obviously feeling as uncomfortable as she was. "Um, my dad's just with Jimmy. Sooo…"
"Yeah," be rumbled, turning his back to close the door. His mere movement suddenly made her realise how clumsy she must look stopped on the stairs like a deer caught in the headlights. "He said for me to come in. Yer sister pretty much ordered me to get cleaned up in here."
"Oh, of course!" she said, suddenly more animated. She'd heard her dad invite him in but seeing him stood there it was as if her brain had stopped functioning correctly.
"Well-"
"Oh, so you decided to take up the invitation huh?" interrupted Maggie. "Daddy says he can have Shawn's room Bethy."
She was gone as soon as she'd appeared, going back to helping Hershel.
"It's up here," she almost stuttered, turning clumsily on the stairs back the way she just came.
Smooth Beth she thought.
"Here," as she stopped at the door. "The bathroom's at the end of the hall. I'm sure my dad will look at your arm for you when he can."
As she neared the stairs again she was sure she heard a faint "Thanks". It sounded as awkward as she felt, but surely she must have just imagined it.
X-X-X
It felt odd. Being freshly showered, in a family home. Waiting now for someone to check his injury. It was all something he never properly had growing up, so who'd have guessed he's be experiencing it in the middle of a god-damn apocalypse?
For the last few minutes Daryl had gone from sitting on the bed (in complete stillness), to looking out the window (yet again, in still discomfort), to becoming engrossed in the objects throughout the room. To be more exact, the photographs. Shawn with his friends, Shawn with his teammates, and Shawn with his family. More importantly, Shawn with his sisters. It was obvious that something must have happened for them to go from the happy girls in these pictures, to the ones who now seemed so off with those around them, particularly their father. It was probably just losing some of their family.
He looked at the photo centred around Shawn, other teenagers surrounding him, including his younger sister hanging around on the outskirts, her expression just not matching the grins on the others' faces. The younger sister he'd embarrassed himself with. A weedy "Thanks" as an inept afterthought that she probably didn't even hear, but embarrassed himself with none-the-less.
Hershel's knocking at the door abruptly pulled him from his thoughts, mentally chastising himself for being so caught up over something so unimportant.
X-X-X
Beth could hear doors opening and closing, but it was the echo of footsteps coming down the stairs that made her pause. She had been cleaning – or more accurately, stress cleaning – the kitchen, stopping for only a moment before carrying on.
"Bethy?" Hershel said from the doorway. "Not seen you cleaning like that since you were practicing for the talent show."
"How is he?" she murmured.
"Not so good Blackbird," replied Hershel as he took a seat at the table, gesturing for her to join him. "He's stable for the moment, Maggie's in there with him right now."
"And is Daryl ok?" she asked, trying to sound casual after a moment of silence.
"It was much more of a graze, nothing a cleanup and a couple of stitches couldn't handle. If anything I was more concerned about his fatigue so he's just resting right now."
Hershel studied his youngest as she nodded at his words, while her worried gaze stayed aimed at the table between them.
"You know honey, I can't promise you that Jimmy will even make it through the night."
"I know," Beth quietly replied. She looked up and wiped away the single tear that had managed to escape her glassy eyes.
"I know you don't agree with my decisions, or understand them. But what we are doing is for the best. Even if Jimmy shouldn't have gone out there on his own-"
"Please, just don't," Beth all but begged, her voice cracking. "You're right. I don't… agree, with what you've been doing. Any of it. But right now, I don't want to talk about that. I don't want to listen to you try to justify everything while my friend is," she paused to breathe through the tears, "most likely dying."
Hershel looked at his youngest before him. Her tear-stained face, her slumped and quite obviously exhausted posture. But most importantly the pleading look in her eyes that he had never seen there before.
Maybe she was right – about the timing thing. He probably shouldn't be trying to talk to her about it all while she was so worried about Jimmy.
"I'll go relieve your sister for a while," he spoke softly while pushing up from the table. "I'll check how he is and stay with him through the night honey."
Neither one knew what else to say before Hershel left the room. Beth could hear the door opening and closing, followed by murmuring voices, and in that moment she tried to decide whether she was ready for an emotional heart to heart with her sister - a conversation she just couldn't face right now – or try to move undetected by Maggie to be alone.
It took her all of two seconds to go with her gut – her exhausted, rolling gut – and make a dash for the stairs.
"Oh, sorry," Beth mumbled as she bumped into something. Someone. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't even think for one moment who it could be. In fact she didn't even think to say 'sorry', it was more of a subconscious, automatic reaction as she moved to carry on down the hall.
"Hold up girl," the someone in question grunted as they grabbed for her wrist, making her finally look up from the floor. "Somethin' happen to the boy? Your dad said he got him stable."
Obviously her puffy red eyes hadn't gone unnoticed.
"Oh, no!" she quickly explained. "He's ok at the minute, but, well, it's really still touch and go."
He nodded in response, not knowing what else he was to do, never knowing how to comfort anyone in distress. Particularly not an emotional teenage girl. How old was she anyway…
"Are you ok?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "With your arm, I mean."
"Yeah," he muttered. "Yer asking me about my arm when yer friend's been hurt so bad?"
Ghe simply shrugged.
"Guess I'm just trying to keep my mind off of it. Nothing else I can do, right?"
"What was he doing out there anyway?" enquired Daryl, trying not to sound too abrasive.
"I don't know," lied Beth. "We haven't really talked properly recently. Although I guess you kind of know that."
"Yeah, about that-"
"Bethy, you up there?" Maggie's voice from downstairs cut off Daryl's remark, visibly making Beth flinch.
"Yeah, Mags. I'm just gonna get some sleep for a while", Beth called down.
The two returned to looking at each other, Beth waiting for the Daryl to finish his sentence. When he didn't say anything and simply turned to leave, she followed his lead and went to her own room.
X-X-X
The next morning felt much the same as the night before. Jimmy wasn't deteriorating at a fast rate but then he definitely wasn't going to be improving any time soon either, caught up in a state of limbo.
Beth was out on the porch, watching from her spot sat on the steps as some of Rick's group gathered around the vehicles.
"Hey," said Carol sitting down next to her. "How are you doing with all this?"
"Honestly?" replied Beth. "I really don't know. With all the stuff that's been happening with the two of us, my head is just spinning knowing that it's Jimmy in there, you know? Like the only thing I can get straight in my mind is that I don't want another person round here to die."
"No sweety, it makes complete sense," answered Carol. "Rick's talking right now about how to get the meds Jimmy needs."
Without a word Beth stood and marched over to the group, Carol following close behind in confusion.
"I want to help," she asserted. The circle turned to look at her, their puzzlement matching Carol's.
"Well, we're discussing it at the moment Beth," explained Rick. "But your dad said we'd have to go further out for the meds he needs."
"I can help, really," she asserted. "I know-"
"Beth!"
Maggie sounded worried as she came up behind her, catching everyone's attention. Lori was following close behind - no doubt she had rushed to get Maggie.
"What are you talking about?" Maggie asked. "You can't go, you know daddy will never let you."
"And you know that I can get around the hospital better than anyone here," Beth whispered. "Please, I need to do something. Just, back me up here."
With Beth's eyes pleading, Maggie sighed and nodded her head.
"My dad's not going to like it but, Beth's right," Maggie addressed the group. "She can really help you on this trip. But I'm going too!"
"What?" hissed Beth. "No, you can't-"
"Look, we're trying to come up with a serious plan here, ok?" snarked Shane. "We don't need some chick-fight right now."
"Everyone calm down," Rick interjected. "We don't want to be doing something to upset Hershel. I don't know if it's such a good idea."
"Either way we're going," stated Maggie. "If any of your group comes along with us, ok. But we're prepared to go alone if we have to."
The silence hung over the group as they mulled over Maggie's words.
"I'm going too," Glenn stepped forward.
"Yeah, me too," hollered Daryl. It was his words that none of them saw coming. "My arm's fine, and y'all are gonna need me out there if you expect to come back alive."
"OK, " agreed Rick.
"You can't actually be agreeing to this," Lori objected. "These girls can't go out there, it's too dangerous for them."
"It's dangerous for anyone," countered Beth. "The truth is that you need us for this. We know the way, the hospital layout, the exact meds. And besides, Jimmy is our friend, you can't stop us from doing this."
"Well, there's on thing I know," said Dale, previously overlooked at the edge of the group. Everyone turned to look at him, partly awaiting some words of wisdom from the older group member.
"I won't be the one to break it to Hershel."
So now I absolutely, 100%, guarantee more action in the next chapter.
ON a side note - I'm working on another story, obviously another Bethyl set in their teens. I'm only a couple chapters in at the moment, but I'm feeling a little impatient. So I had the idea of uploading the first chapter HERE for a few days or a week to get your reactions and then take it down until I can upload it all as a separate story. Does that make any sense or sound like something you'd have a look at?
Looking forward to any reviews and advice x
