When I opened my eyes, my vision was blurred, but I immediately knew that it was Hershel who stood beside me. My side was now completely healed, and by the look on his face, he knew that too. I decided not to say anything and I slowly sat up. I was fully aware of his gaze on me, unable to form words to describe my condition. Now, in a matter of a week, three people knew about me. I'd gone almost ten years without anybody, but one person, figuring it out. With Shane knowing, there was no telling how many people knew now. I sat up and waited for Hershel to say something as I pondered the options that I had for when I'd be forced to leave.

"You know what I'm going to tell you. You're healed. I don't know how, but you are. Is this something you want the others to know?" I shook my head. "Alright then," he continued. "My suggestion is to stay in bed for a couple days to erase suspicion. Do you want to do that?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I guess. What's everybody saying about what happened?"

Now, it was his turn to shrug. "I don't know, but a couple of people told me to let them know when you woke up. I guess they wanna see you. You okay with that?"

I nodded. "Yeah, send them on in."

Hershel left the room, and I already knew that Carol and Carl would be the first ones to come and see me, but they came with a third, a person that I would have never expected. Daryl came in behind them, a guilty look on his face. Good, I thought. I sat up again and put on a painful look to put a bigger guilt trip on the redneck. "Hey guys." I said semi-cheerfully.

Carl gave me a gentle hug and whispered soft enough to where I could only hear. "Are you healed?" When he pulled back, I simply winked at him with a grin.

Carol was next. Hugging me ever-so-gently, she lingered there until she kissed my forehead. "Honey, what happened out there?"

"I-" I didn't know where to start "Shane and I got into it over me hitting him earlier, and then he started getting personal with me, so I tackled him and then, I guess I got shot."

"Daryl thought you were a walker, Anna." Carol said, almost in tears. "If Carl hadn't messed up his shot, you'd be dead."

That's what you think. "Can I talk to Daryl alone for a minute?" Carol nodded and led Carl out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Daryl moved closer to the bed and dropped to his knees. "You're an idiot." I shook my head at him. "You thought I was a walker? Really? What made you think that?"

Daryl just looked at the ground, as if he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "You looked like you were gonna bite him." Good eye, genius.

"I'm not mad, you know. I probably would have done the same thing. You were just protecting the group, that's all." I looked at him with a look of gratitude, something that, I could tell, he didn't get a lot of these days. "Thanks for not killing me, Daryl." For some reason, I loved the way his name fell from my lips.

"It ain't no problem. 'Sides, it ain't me you should be thankin'. Carl, he came up beside me, pushed my arm and fucked up my shot. It's his fault that you're still alive."

I snorted at his comment. "Gee, Daryl. You make it sound like it's a bad thing that I still here. Damn, am I that bad of a person?"

"No!" he said in a rush. "I didn't mean it like that, damn it. I just- Ah, hell. What I'm sayin' is, is thatcha ain't bad."

I giggled in a way that I immediately hated afterwards. "You're too cute, Daryl." What the fuck was that?

"I been called a lot of things, little girl, but cute ain't one of 'em."

"Don't get used to it, dude. And that 'little girl' stuff has got to go. If I can take Shane, I could take you just the same."

"When you get outta bed, we'll put that to the test." he paused, then looked at me strangely. "What really happened out there? Dickhead's been actin' weird and he won't say shit. By what you're tellin' everybody, it ain't right for him to keep it quiet. I know somethin' else happened."

"Maybe he's ashamed to have been beaten by a girl." I shrugged with a fake pained face. "I used to think he was all nice and junk, but I guess some things are better left hidden."

"What do you mean by that?"

"We all have secrets, Daryl. Some have a hidden personality, some have bigger problems."

"Secrets, huh? What's yours?"

I chuckled. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore then, would it?"

Daryl sat quiet for a second. "That kid, Carl. He knows, doesn't he?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Well," he started. "It's just the way that you two look at each other, and he struts around here like 'I know somethin' y'all don't know'."

"What a very nice eye you have, Mister Dixon." I smirked. "Now, can you go get Carol? I have to pee, and I doubt very seriously that you'd help me to the bathroom."

Daryl rolled his eyes, then got up to go get Carol. I couldn't help but stare at his backside as he walked. Even though his pants were kind of baggy, it was a very nice view. I had completed the first step in befriending that man: engaging in conversation with Daryl Dixon. It's a work in progress, but I think I can do it.

After dark, I asked Hershel if I could go outside. He only told me to be careful, and to not step on anyone who might be sleeping downstairs. They had all moved into Hershel's house since it was getting into the fall weather. So I took precaution as I crept down the stairs and through the living room. When I passed everybody's sleeping bodies, I noticed that their heartbeats were slow and steady, all except for one, which fluttered softly. It was then that I discovered that Lori was pregnant.

I was happy that I didn't have to raise a baby in this world that we lived in. After all, I wasn't planning on getting pregnant anytime soon, but then again, who actually planned on pregnancy anymore?

I looked up at the sky, and my instincts told me what I had been dreading most. Six more days, and I would become the monster that killed everything in its path, and nothing was an exception.