"With your pregnancy coming to its peak, that baby's movements will slow. By what you've been telling me, what you've said about not feeling it move, it seems that the baby should be here any day now." Reagan said as she stood to her feet, her hand grabbing onto Lori's as she helped her back up to sitting position on the bunk.
Lori rolled her shirt back down her pregnant stomach and nodded, wiping the back of her hand across her face, "Thank you very much." She smiled, her blue eyes staring at Reagan.
"Just let me know if you need anything else... if you have any more concerns."
"I will."
"And go downstairs for God's sake and eat something. It's not going to do your baby good if you starve it and yourself." They were Reagan's last words as she strode out of the prison cell.
Downstairs, she saw all the men had finally returned to the cell block and were now readying themselves for some sort of mission. Reagan's tied up hair bounced as she stepped down the metal stairs from the top floor, her eyes staring curiously, "What do we got going on here?"
"It's time to head further into the prison." Rick replied back to her as she stopped next to them, "We need to clear out our surrounding areas of Walkers."
"It looks like you're all getting ready for a battle or something." Reagan mused with a small smile as she watched T-Dog, Hershel, Glenn, and Maggie suit up in some old riot gear uniforms.
"Never know what you're in for." T-Dog said matter-of-factly back to her from over his shoulder. Maggie looked to Reagan as she tightened a strap on her chest piece,
"You comin' with us?"
"You know I can't give up that opportunity." Reagan smiled bigger and walked over to her cell, picking up her silenced pistol once again.
As she strode back out of her cell to greet the group again, Glenn walked up and handed her a chest piece to an extra set of riot gear. Reagan stopped and stared at it with a raised brow, her gold eyes staring at him, "What?" He asked a bit confused by her stare, "Is there something wrong with it?"
"No. I'm just not wearing it." Reagan said as she shook her head at him.
"Why not? Its extra protection."
"If I can't rely on your guys, or myself, to watch my back without this gear then I deserve to get bit."
"Not good enough for you, Princess?" Daryl said from beside her smugly, Reagan rolling her eyes and scoffing back at him,
"Eat me, Dixon."
"Maybe someday." Daryl retorted back at her and Glenn eyed the two sarcastic combatants before turning around to leave them to their bickering, "But I doubt you'll taste too good. I bet you're greasy."
"Yeah, and I bet you're just gonna taste like a sizzling steak yourself, huh?" Reagan barked back and T-Dog put up his hand,
"Can we stop talkin' about eatin' each other please? I guarentee we all taste like shit!" T-Dog's words managed to end Daryl and Reagan's quarrel and the two gave each other deadly glares before turning away from each other and returning to their tasks at hand.
"Alright everyone... let's go." Rick called over once he finished conversing with Carl, everyone instantly flooding out of the cellblock into the commons.
Reagan looked over her shoulder once she heard the cell door shut by Carl's hand, Rick hurrying towards everyone to get the mission over with. He brushed past Reagan and she followed his trail with her eyes, Daryl unlocking the iron door in front of them with his set of keys. Rick looked over his shoulder at Reagan and nodded towards him, Reagan pushing through everyone to get to him. She knew that he wanted her at his left, Daryl, his right, before descending into the darkness of the innards of the prison.
"Stay tight... we don't want to be losing anyone." Rick said one last time before pulling out his flashlights, "Keep your eyes open and your lights up."
On his word, all their flashlights were clicked on and one by one, they flooded in through the heavy iron door, not knowing what awaited them in the darkness.
Throughout the endless hallways, they came to another barred door and Daryl opened it as quietly as possible, the only thing causing them to curse under their breaths was the squeal it gave from its rusty hinges. They pushed through and Rick was at the head, his body stopping at yet another corner, his flashlight shining over the side and his eyes scanning for enemy movement. He waved his hand for them to follow and follow him they did.
Water dripping from the ceilings and a cold, clammy draft wafted throughout the large hallway they slowly walked through. With her flashlight hand over her pointed pistol hand, Reagan's flashlight darted back and forth through the hallway, her keen eyes warily keeping an eye on their surroundings. Her feet carefully stepped over dead, mangled bodies on the ground, careful to keep away from their mouths just in case the meaty skeletons decided they wanted a bite of her long legs. A cold sweat form the clammy draft broke out across Reagan's forehead and she avoided a stream of dripping water from the ceiling, not wanting to get wet from the stinking water.
All their flashlights synced together into one giant ball of light at the end of the hallway, Rick and Daryl now leading them around another corner to the next hallway. Reagan was surprised that they had not yet encountered any Walkers. But in the corridor they were in now, there were twice the dead bodies and with that came a nastier stench. Reagan coughed under her breath once taking a large whiff of the aging decay, but after a couple stiff breaths she managed to overcome the odor. Reagan's head turned over her shoulder at a loud hiss, her gun tight in her hand, but only saw that Glenn was spray painting a white arrow on the wall so they would be able to find their way back easily and safely.
Maggie let out a small shriek when she bumped into Glenn, everyone seizing and pointing their flashlights at the lovebirds just to make sure she was alright. Maggie nodded back at everyone, showing that she was fine and ready to pursue forward. Rick, Reagan, and Daryl poked their heads into the cells as they went by to make sure no Walkers would sneak up on them in their travels. But as they came to another corner, Rick stopped them and leaned over the side, pointing his flashlight down the hall to make sure it was clear.
Once clear, Rick led his group down the hallway slowly, their formation continuing to stay tight and secure. Glenn painted another arrow on the wall and hurried after the group as they moved, returning to his position and keeping his machete tight. Daryl bumped his crossbow against Reagan's shoulder and she looked to him, Daryl nodding his head to the next corner they would take. Reagan pointed her pistol and kept her flashlight tight over it, rushing around the corner. After not seeing anything hostile she nodded back at Rick and Daryl, their bodies moving from around the side to follow after her. By this time, they were walking round corners left and right as if they were in some experimental maze.
"Shit!" Reagan gasped, her mouth dropping as she jumped back, bumping into Rick in the process.
A group of Walkers, just out of arms reach, snarled back at Reagan's light as they rushed towards her.
"Go back! Go back!" Rick kept his voice silent as he pushed back against his group, their feet shuffling across the floors to try and turn around. Rick kept his hand tight on Reagan's arm as he pulled back, and with one yank, he hand her turned around, "Go back, move! Now!" Rick shouted at them this time.
The group was now like scrambling mice as they rushed through the hallways, trying to find the way back they came. Daryl's eyes kept close on the arrows that Glenn posted, the backwoodsman leading his group to wherever he thought was the safest way. Reagan kept close to everyone, her eyes darting back over her shoulder to see the Walkers keeping pace with them, their nasty vocals causing goose bumps to roll down her arms and legs.
Maggie shouted again and as Reagan looked, another large group of Walkers came barreling out of nowhere towards them. She heard Rick and Daryl shouting at everyone to follow them down the next hallway, Reagan not thinking twice as she followed her leader. Their voices and frantic flashlights darted about fearfully across the walls. Reagan almost tripped over a mangled body on the floor, her adrenaline catching her feet before she fell to an untimely demise.
They rounded another corner and Reagan heard a busload of snarls behind her, not even wanting to look back and see what they were up against now. She kept her flashlight drawn, pistol at her side, and her legs pumping as fast as she could go to keep up with the four men in front of her.
"Reagan!" A sharp voice called and hand reached out, snatching her and pulling her into a room. Reagan instantly went to one knee and found herself in a circled group along with Rick, Daryl, T-Dog, and Hershel. Maggie and Glenn were nowhere to be seen.
"God damn!" Reagan whispered harshly, "There's so many of them!"
"Where's Glenn and Maggie?" Rick asked, looking at the four in front of him.
"We have to go back!" Hershel's worried voice said and Daryl shook his head,
"But which way?"
"Play it by ear!" Reagan lifted her pistol and looked over the side of the caged room they were in, not seeing any Walkers nearby, "It's clear!"
They all stood to their feet and Rick pushed the door open quietly, keeping his eyes out for any stray Walkers. Reagan rushed along beside him with her pistol pointed out in front of her, and in one split moment, she pulled the trigger once a Walker jumped out from behind a wall. Her silenced bullet put the Walker to the ground and they paid in no mind, their legs only carrying them forward.
"Glenn, Maggie!" Hershel said as loudly, yet quietly as possible, his voice carrying throughout the hallways around them.
Rick stopped at a hallway and looked to Daryl, nodding at him to go forward. Daryl jumped out from behind the hallway, not seeing any Walkers and waving for them to follow. Reagan breathed shallow in her throat, shivers running up and down her spine. She absolutely hated prisons and she hated the darkness almost just as much.
Reagan nearly jumped out of her skin when a blood curdling cry echoed off the walls. Everyone froze for only a second as they stared at each other, noticing Hershel was missing.
"Hershel!" Reagan shouted and they all turned around, sprinting back the way they came, following the frantic wails.
"No!" Rick shouted and ripped out his Python upon seeing a Walker gnawing on Hershel's heel. Reagan's head boggled for a moment from the revolvers loud explosion, her ears ringing violently as she ran up to him. Hershel cried fearfully.
"No! Daddy!" Maggie and Glenn came rushing around the corner in front of them, Rick and Reagan kneeling down next to Hershel, "Daddy! Daddy!"
"Rick! We've got company!" Reagan jumped up to her feet and pointed her pistol, taking out only one of the numerous Walkers that hungrily stared them in the face.
"Daryl!" Rick shouted and Daryl immediately rushed forward, implanting a bolt in a Walkers brain to aid Reagan standing beside him.
"Move, move!" Rick demanded again, both he and Glenn finally wrapping Hershel's arms around their necks in frantic support.
"Down here! This way!" T-Dog waved his hand for them to follow and the group disappeared down a hallway, trying to go as quickly as possible with an injured Hershel.
Reagan and Daryl held up the rear, keeping a close eye on the Walkers that were ravenously pursuing after them. Hershel's blood and hysterical cries only fueled their gluttony, their stumbling feet moving faster and faster. Reagan pulled the trigger on her pistol numerous times, Daryl only firing one bolt, as their weapons dropped a few close Walkers, sparing them time in their escape.
"Get the door!" Reagan heard Rick shout and soon found herself bumped up against Daryl. She jumped to his side, looking over his shoulder to see T-Dog trying to break a set of cuffs wrapped around the doors handles.
"Open that god damn door!" Reagan's panic shout immediately caused T-Dog to break the cuffs chain with his fire stoke quickly.
They all burst through the door once it was opened and Rick and Glenn pulled Hershel in, helping him down to the floor. Reagan, Daryl, and T-Dog slammed the doors shut, their bodies lurching when the wave of Walkers slammed up against it with all their might.
"Reagan, Daryl, I got this!" T-Dog shoved his fire stoke through the handles of the door and the two quickly ran over towards Hershel's side.
Reagan ripped open Hershel's pant leg where he was bitten, Hershel's terrified cries echoing in the room. Blood seeped out of the bite wound just above Hershel's ankle, making Reagan's thoughts rush a million times a minute. Reagan looked to Rick, who was knelt down beside her, as he stared at the wound grimly, "We have to do what we talked about! Give me your belt, quick!"
Rick didn't take any time to debate her decision as he leaned up, his fingers fumbling for the belt around his waistline. He ripped it out of the belt loops and shakily handed it to Reagan, her hand snatching it from his quickly. Daryl held down Hershel's lower half as Reagan hastily tied the belt just above Hershel's knee, her hand pulling it as tightly as humanly possible.
"Rick!" Reagan looked to him as she tied off the belt, "Get the hatchet!"
Rick grabbed the handle of the cold hatchet, staring into Reagan's golden eyes in search for a better answer. She nodded at him and Rick licked his dry lips, putting his hand down on Hershel's leg, his heart beating rapidly against his chest, "There's only one way to keep you alive!"
Those were Rick's final words to Hershel as he lifted the hatchet up over his head, slamming it down onto Hershel's leg with all his strength.
Reagan watched the hatchet break halfway through Hershel's skin, her ears even hearing his tibia snapping under the blade. Hershel wailed out in pain and Maggie closed her eyes, not wanting to watch her father's limb being hacked off by a dull hatchet. Rick swung another handful of times, cracking through his fibula and finally severing the leg.
Reagan could feel Hershel's blood splattering all over her face and she gasped, watching as Rick shoved Hershel's now severed, infected leg away from him. He dropped the hatchet and leaned back away from the profusely bleeding stump, not believing what he had just done. Rick shakily got to his feet, staring with shock down at Hershel.
"He's bleeding out!" Reagan breathed and looked to Hershel's face, seeing that he had passed out from the pure shock he had just gone through. Through her fingers as she pressed against the wound, Hershel's blood trickled onto the floor.
"Duck!" She heard Daryl warn and looked to him, just as Rick ducked down and Daryl standing to his feet with his crossbow pointed. Reagan looked over her shoulder, her brown eyes widening.
There stood five men behind a caged window.
"Holy shit..." One of them breathed and Daryl quickly stepped around Hershel towards the men,
"Who the hell are you!?" Daryl barked challengingly.
"Who the hell are you!?" Another man behind the window mocked.
"He's bleedin' out, we gotta go back!" Rick looked back to everyone crouched next to Hershel, ignoring the situation unfolding behind him.
"We're not going to be able to carry him and protect ourselves at the same time!" Reagan replied, grabbing onto the pant leg that she had ripped off and pressing it against the bleeding stump. Rick looked to her,
"We'll figure something out!"
"Come on outta there, slow and steady!" Reagan heard Daryl say and she looked over her shoulder again.
"Maggie! Press on his wound!" Reagan called over and Maggie was quick to her side, "Hard!"
"Find something to carry him out on!" Rick ordered Reagan and Glenn, the two standing to their feet and searching throughout the room.
"What happened to him?" The Latino man in the group of prisoners asked as they slowly walked into the room, their eyes dead set on Hershel's condition.
"He got bit!" Daryl said and the Latino went for the gun in his waistband.
"Woah, woah, woah!" Daryl called and Reagan grabbed her pistol from the ground, pointing it at the prisoners, "Easy now! Nobody needs to get hurt!"
"Bad idea, boys." Reagan shook her head at the Latino pointing his gun back and forth to them, his dark eyes staring at her silenced pistol as well as T-Dog's that was now pointed at them as well.
"Do you have medical supplies!?" Glenn asked them, but didn't give them time to answer as he rushed past them in through the door they had come through.
"Woah!? Where you goin'!?" The biggest prisoner out of them all asked as Glenn hurried into their room.
"Who the hell are you people anyway!?" The Latino asked, his eyes flicking to the door once it lurched forward, the Walkers still trying to get inside.
"Don't look like no rescue team..." The only Caucasian prisoner said, his hands crossed over his chest.
"That's for us to know and for you to mind your own damn business!" Reagan barked back and the Latino looked back at her,
"What'd you just say to us, bitch!?"
"Reagan! We don't have time for this!" Rick ended her confrontation and tried to lift up Hershel's upper body, "If rescue's what you're waitin' for, don't!"
Rick tossed Hershel's arm around his shoulder and tried lifting him, "Come on, we gotta go!"
Glenn came barreling out of the doorway with a cafeteria gurney and abruptly stopped it next to Hershel. He helped Rick with Hershel, and on the count of three, the two lifted him onto the tabletop, slamming his body down.
"Let's go!" Maggie called and she and Glenn started wheeling him towards the door.
"Hey man, don't open that door!" One of the prisoners called, but T-Dog ignored him,
"We got this!" T-Dog pulled his fire stoke from the handles of the door and a Riot Walker pushed it open, T-Dog slamming the Walker up against the wall and lifting the mask of its helmet. The Walker plummeted to the ground once T-Dog ripped the stoke from its head, "Come on!"
"Reagan! Daryl!" Rick called for them, the two still standing off with the Latino prisoner. Slowly, Reagan and Daryl backed up towards the doorway, Reagan being the first to push off into the darkness with Daryl close in suit.
"Hurry! This way!" Glenn called just as Reagan and Daryl caught up with the group, the screeching wheels of the makeshift gurney spinning as they wheeled them.
"Go back! This way!" Rick pushed them all back when some Walkers came out from behind the corner.
Daryl implanted a bolt in a Walkers head just as he turned around, Reagan pushing past him and noticing one of the arrows staring back at her from the wall, "This way!"
"Come on!" Daryl shouted back at them once he noticed they were lacking behind. He watched Reagan's back carefully as she hurried forward, her eyes darting back at him every few seconds to make sure they were following her.
"Go, go!" Reagan waved for them once she deemed the hallway around the corner clear of hostility. With the gurney hot on her heels, Reagan desperately searched for the white arrows on the walls, "Come on, we're almost there!"
"Stop! Stop, stop!" Rick voiced quietly and the group came to an abrupt halt, seeing Rick's finger pointed down the hallway they came. The prisoner's shadows followed them against the walls,
"We can't lead them to the cellblock." Reagan said quietly and soon, the prisoners came rushing around the corner after them.
"Let's just go!" Rick shoved at the gurney again and Reagan turned around, keeping her eyes close on everyone behind her as she led them back to the cellblock the best she could.
Finally, they came to the door they were all desperately searching for and Reagan called up Daryl. Daryl quickly opened the door with his key and shoved the barred entrance open, moving out of the way for the gurney.
"He's losing too much blood!" Maggie said and Rick's voice bellowed throughout the commons of the cellblock,
"Open the door! It's Hershel, Carl!"
"Oh my god!" Carol shouted at the sight of Hershel once Carl opened the door, Rick, Glenn, Maggie, and T-Dog all rushing in.
Reagan looked at her arm and chest stained in blood, her chest heaving in pants as she stood in the commons. Looking over her shoulder, she knew it would only be a matter of time before the prisoners would catch up to them. The look in the Latino's eyes made her wary at what he would do if he showed up. She then turned around and walked back through the door, her pistol hand a bit shaky from all the adrenaline throbbing through her veins.
Daryl had one foot propped up on a bench with his crossbow pointed at the door, his eyes waiting, just waiting for the prisoners to walk through. He heard footsteps behind him and saw Reagan stepping in cautiously, her eyes only staring at the door and barely acknowledging his presence.
"Shouldn't you be helping Hershel?"
"Can't take on all five of them alone, can you?" Reagan replied rather calmly and then nodded her head at the door, "They're coming..."
Slowly, the Latino, who seemed to be the chosen leader of their group, stepped into the room, eyeing both Reagan and Daryl. The others walked in slower behind him, taking a few looks around the room before staring back at the strangers baring their weapons at them.
"That's far enough." Daryl warned and the prisoners stopped, the Latino's black eyes staring Daryl through,
"Cell block C? Cell four, that's mine, gringo! Let me in."
"Today's your lucky day, fella's." Their eyes shifted to Reagan, who now pointed her silenced pistol at them, "You've been pardoned by the state of Georgia, you're free to go!"
"What you got goin' on in their?" The Latino asked, but Daryl answered instead of Reagan,
"That ain't none of your concern."
"Don't be tellin' me what's my concern!" The Latino shook his head and ripped his small black revolver from his pant line challengingly. Reagan stepped forward to where she was only feet from him, the barrel of her pistol now pointed right between his eyes.
"Come on man, the dude's leg is messed up!" The largest prisoner said and shook his head, "Why we still in here?"
"Man's gotta point..." Daryl growled back at them.
"I gotta check on my old lady!" One of the African American prisoners said and the Latino only stared at Daryl,
"Group of civilians breaking into a prison you got no business bein' in?" His dark eyes shifted to Reagan, "Got me thinkin' we got no place left to go."
"Why don't you go find out for yourself, cholo?" Reagan bit back and the Latino's eyes narrowed,
"Got quite the little lip on your fine ass." He replied and turned more towards her, "Bet your mouth does more than just spit out words."
"Maybe we'll just be goin' now..." The small Caucasian man said and the Latino snarled back at him,
"We ain't leaving!"
"And you ain't comin' here, neither!" T-Dog came bustling from around the corner and the Latino's pistol hand shot up at him. He froze when he felt Reagan's extended silencer press up against his temple,
"That'll be a bad idea on your part, essay."
"This is my house, my rules, I go as I damn well please!" The Latino whipped around and now pressed the barrel of his revolver into Reagan's forehead. She stood poised and confident even though there was a gun to her head,
"Put it down man!" T-Dog warned and Daryl was off the table, walking up towards the Latino. He only laughed,
"The bitch wants to play this game, I'll play!"
"Easy guys," Reagan looked over at Daryl and T-Dog from the corner of his eyes, a crooked smile sinking into her cheek, "This asshole ain't got the pussy big enough to shoot me in the head."
"You're not in the position to be spittin' off your puta mouth!"
"Harsh words." Reagan's brown eyes stared back at him, "Too bad I'm not scared of your lanky ass, vato."
"Step back before you find your ass skin deep with my foot in it!" Daryl warned loudly and the Latino only laughed to himself, his barrel still pointed against Reagan's skull, and her gun, his.
"Ain't no way! Make one move and this bitch's brains will be paintin' the walls!"
"Ain't nothin' left for your asses here!" Daryl barked and his arms shook with anticipation to pull the trigger, "Why don't you go back to your own sandbox-!"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Rick shouted as he ran into the room, his eyes widening a bit to see Reagan's head pressed against the stranger's gun, "Reagan! Back off..."
Reagan narrowed her eyes and grinded her teeth, hesitating to back off. She heard Rick say her name again and slowly, she pulled her gun off the man's temple and walked backwards. With her guns still aimed and him, and he, her, Reagan looked over at Rick, "These boys gotta problem."
"Everyone, just back off! There's no need for this..." Rick's eyes met with Reagan briefly before he looked back at the Latino, who now pointed his gun at Rick,
"How many of you are in there!?"
"Too many for you to handle..." Rick narrowed his eyes and slowly, his head turned back to Reagan, "Reagan... go help Hershel. He needs you now."
"You sure you can handle all these guys by yourselves?"
"I've got it covered..." Rick reassured with a soft nod, his blue eyes smoldering back at the Latino's gun pointed at his head.
Reagan hesitated once again but gradually, she lowered her gun as she took a few steps back. On the heel of her boot, she turned back towards the cellblock behind her and hurried her way to the door. Carl opened it once he saw her, Reagan tossing him a quick smile as she rushed through the door. She heard it slam again behind her and everyone's eyes shifted to her, their bodies crowded in and around Hershel's cell. Carol and Glenn moved out of her way and she knelt down next to the bottom bunk, seeing Hershel's stump wrapped and clumped with towels.
"Are there anymore medical supplies?" She asked, her eyes looking at everyone from over her shoulder.
"No..." Carol breathed with the shake of her head, "Most of it is gone."
"Dammit..." Reagan huffed, her eyes looking Hershel over as she got to her feet. She leaned over Hershel's mouth with her ear, hearing him breathing slowly and shallowly. Her fingers pressed into his jugular. There was barely a pulse.
"There's nothing more we can do for now." Reagan said as she finished up her quick examination of Hershel's condition.
"Nothing? Nothing at all?" Beth squeaked behind her worryingly and Reagan stood back up, turning to face her,
"Not at this moment... it's just a matter of playing the waiting game right now."
.:o:.
Rick and the others were gone for a long while.
Reagan sat quietly in Hershel's cell, her bloody arms crossed over her chest carelessly as she leaned against the wall behind her. Glenn, Maggie, Beth, Carol, and Lori all stood around, watching Hershel alongside Lori in hopes that he would just wake up. But he didn't.
His chest rose and fell in conflicting motion's, his breathing unsteady and shallow. Reagan kept a close eye on him, just in case he stopped breathing and she would have to preform resuscitation. Her eyes then moved to his stumped leg, the towels and rags all cramped around the wound now soaked in blood. With a deep sigh, Reagan pulled the small stool she sat on forward next to his bedside, everyone behind her watching closely.
Reagan pulled a few of the soaking wet towels away from the wound, watching as more blood poured out, but not as much as it had before.
"Need more towels?" Lori asked from behind her and Reagan nodded,
"Please." She said and Lori handed her a white towel, Reagan grabbing it and pressing it tightly against the wound.
"It'll stop eventually... right?" Carol asked with worry in her eyes and Reagan shook her head,
"It's slowed down quite a bit already... but I doubt it'll stop completely here soon." Reagan side and almost ran her hand through her now untied hair before she stopped, noting the copious amount of blood plasters on her skin, "If I had a couple medical tools I would try to tie off the veins..."
"If we get him through this-."
"When we get him through this." Lori corrected Carol and she stared at Lori meekly before looking back at Hershel,
"We're gonna need crutches..."
"Right now, we could use some antibiotics or pain killers." Reagan brushed off Carol's words and fixed the towels on Hershel's leg to fit better, "There's gotta be an infirmary here somewhere... hopefully Rick and the others will find it wherever they went."
"You gotta be worried sick to deliver the baby..." Carol sighed while staring down at Hershel. Lori looked over at her,
"Look at me... do I look worried?"
"You look disgusting..." Carol smiled and both the women laughed,
"So do you..."
"Let's take off his chest piece. I think it's hindering his breathing." Reagan said and lori moved towards his torso, Reagan next to her as she unstrapped the chest piece to his riot gear. Together, both of the women pulled the piece over his head, Reagan hearing footsteps and looking over her shoulder to see Glenn and Maggie moving outside the cell.
"Slowly now." Reagan eased the chest plate over Hershel's head and Lori took it from her hand. Reagan and Carol lifted up his body somewhat while Lori pulled the chest piece off his body fully.
"There... that should make him more comfortable." Lori said while tossing the chest piece to the floor, wiping her bloody hands on her pant legs.
"Hopefully." Reagan replied.
"Foods here!" Reagan heard T-Dog's voice echo and she stared at Lori with surprise, the three of them rushing back out of the cell to see the cellblock door opening. T-Dog and Rick stepped through the doorway with big bags and boxes full of food wrapped in their arms.
"Canned beef! Canned corn! Canned cans!" T-Dog said with a smile as he hauled two boxes full of cans into the cell block, "And there's a lot more where this came from!"
"Any change?" Rick asked as he stopped next to Reagan and Lori,
"Bleeding is under control and no fever." Reagan nodded at him, "But... his breathing is labored, his pulse is way down, and he hasn't opened his eyes yet."
"Take my cuffs, put them on him..." Rick wheeled himself around towards Reagan and she exchanged hesitant glances with Lori. Reagan sighed and reached at Rick's belt, grabbing his handcuffs from their designated holster, "We're not taking any chances."
Once she slipped the cuffs from his belt, Rick walked away to store the food in the farthest cell on the bottom floor. Lori patted Reagan's shoulder and walked after her husband, Reagan nodding and turning back into the cell to Hershel's side. Reagan leaned down and grabbed Hershel's wrist, pulling it above his head and snapping one of the cuffs around it. She then clicked the other cuff around the bed post of the bunk, tugging on it to make sure it wouldn't budge.
"Reagan, what are you doing?" Glenn asked as he stared at the cuffs hooked on the bedpost, Maggie staring from behind her companion. As Reagan looked to the two, she saw Rick and T-Dog already leaving towards the cellblock door, Carl shutting it behind them.
"It's just a precaution..." Carol replied to Glenn in the absence of Reagan's. Maggie took a deep breath and let it out slowly, rubbing her face tiredly with her hand.
"Do you think maybe, I could have a minute alone, here?" She asked quietly and politely, Reagan nodding back at her humbly.
"Of course..." She looked back down at Hershel briefly before walking towards the door, "Just call for me if anything happens, alright?"
"Did you want me to... uh?" Glenn stammered and Maggie shook her head at him, her red eyes still watery,
"No... just by myself." She said and Glenn walked past her, pecking a kiss on her cheek before he left. Reagan pushed at Carol to leave and slowly, they finally all flooded out to leave Maggie to her dormant father.
Reagan waited patiently outside the cell, her head leaning back on the wall as her gold eyes stared up at the ceiling. She closed them and let out a long breath, hearing Maggie's quiet whispers to her father echoing out of the cell only a few inches before disappearing. With the dried blood on her hand, she rubbed her face tiredly and brushed her wavy dirty blonde hair out of her eyes. Her fingers then dug into her eyes and pressed against her sinuses, trying to already relieve an oncoming headache.
The suddenly strong smell of Hershel's blood on her hands wafted into her nostrils, only fueling the headache to brew in her mind faster. She groaned and opened her eyes, a rush of vertigo making her a bit wobbly. But she shook her head of the illness and took a deep breath, staring at Glenn across from her, who stood in the same manner she had.
After about twenty minutes, Maggie finally left her father's cell, her eyes red and swollen from crying. Her green eyes looked to Reagan and she nodded, Reagan pulling off the wall and walking back to her designated stool in the cell. After taking a seat, she put her hand on Hershel's chest, barely feeling the shallowness of his breath blowing up the lungs in his ribs. Her lips drew into a thin line as she stared at him, her eyes narrowing. Her and Hershel didn't talk too much, but with his wisdom he spoke to everyone most of the time, she highly respected him. She had grown fond of the group she now protected and would do anything in her power to keep them all safe. But right now, she doubted herself in her ability to save the dwindling man before her.
"How's he doing?" Lori asked and Reagan looked to see that everyone was beginning to flood back into the cell. Reagan shook her head and sighed,
"Same... his breathing is started to get a bit shallower though."
"That's not good..." Lori sat down next to Reagan, a grim look on her face.
There was a deep silence amongst everyone as they waited patiently for some kind of response from Hershel. Reagan heard a click and looked over at Glenn, who leaned in the doorway, as he twirled a handheld pocket watch in his hands.
Reagan wondered what Rick, Daryl, and T-Dog were up to and the antics that they and the prisoners were in for at the moment. She half wished that she had gone with them. She had unfinished business with the cocky Latino that headed the prison group. But alas, Rick wanted her to stay by Hershel's side, so stay there she did. They needed her nursing knowledge more than they needed her weapon experience. Rick, Daryl, and T-Dog could handle their own.
A squealing door opened, causing Reagan to look up.
"I thought you were organizing the food?" Glenn asked from the doorway, peering out at the person who had entered the cell block.
"Even better." She heard Carl's voice say and Reagan sat up straight to face the young man when he tossed a duffle bag towards her, "Check it out."
The duffle bags flaps opened and Reagan's eyes about popped out of her head at the heavenly sight. Carol and Lori gasped, their hands reaching out to grab up the equipment. The bag was fully loaded with sterile, clean gauze, bottle of peroxide and rubbing alcohol, pain medications, antibiotics, ace bandages, and various ointments.
"Where did you get this all?" Reagan breathed as she grabbed up a handful of gauze, staring into Carl's blue eyes. He smiled back at her,
"Found the infirmary." He said confidently and Reagan grabbed an ace bandage, pulling the old towels away from Hershel's wound and pressing gauze against it, "Wasn't much left but... I cleared it out!"
"You went by yourself?" Reagan heard Lori ask with surprise, but kept her eyes set on Hershel's wound as she wrapped it.
"Yeah." Carl shrugged his shoulders, thinking nothing of it.
"Are you crazy!?" Lori replied a bit more hysterically, not believing what her son had done on her own.
"No big deal, I killed two Walkers!"
"Alright, do you see this!?" Lori asked while motioning around the room at everyone, including Hershel, "This was with the whole group!"
"We needed supplies so I got them!"
"I appreciate that but you can't-!"
"Then get off my back!" Carl bit back harshly and Reagan finally reeled around,
"Carl!" She barked and Carl looked to her, "She's your mother, you can't talk to her like that!"
Carl only stared at Reagan, his face getting tighter the longer he stared. Lori shook her head and looked to her son, "Listen... I think that it's great you-."
Before she finished her sentence, Carl stalked out of the cell with his blood boiling.
Lori sighed and looked to Reagan, who had nothing else to say and returned to wrapping up Hershel's leg. Lori rubbed her face and watched Reagan finishing the dressing, just like everyone else, and Reagan felt a bit uncomfortable under everyone's stare. She swallowed hard and tucked the end of the wrap into itself, pulling back and taking a deep breath to herself.
"Well... at least something clean is on it now." Reagan slapped her hands down on her knees and looked over her shoulder at Maggie and Beth, "He definitely has a greater chance of pulling through now."
Reagan stood to her feet without another word, her throat feeling suddenly dry. Her leg crumpled and Lori narrowed her eyes once Reagan caught herself, Lori quickly getting to her feet, "Honey, you alright?"
"Yeah." Reagan answered back with a nod of her head, "I'm gonna go sit down and drink some water in the commons for a bit. Keep an eye on him... I'm just out of ears reach."
"Alright well... be careful out there. You're not looking too good." Lori replied and Reagan only left the cell.
Reagan shakily walked into the commons, finding her dirty water bottle she drank out of earlier still sitting at the table. She plopped herself down on the bench and hunched over the table, feeling the queasiness of her stomach rolling up her spine. Her body shook and she quickly uncapped her water bottle, taking a large swig and licking her lips clean. The water gave her body refuge and she took a deep breath, letting it out slowly while she rested her forehead on her hand. All the stress was finally getting to her. She never felt so relied on before and frankly, it was a bit overwhelming for her.
It was almost as overwhelming as taking care of Lori and the unborn baby. Being tasked with such a big handful of taking care of Lori, checking up on her, and making sure she was as healthy as humanly possible was all just a lot to do. She didn't want to do it at first, but Rick had finally conned her into doing it. Sure, Hershel would've been the next candidate to do so, but he was only a veterinarian who had taken care of plenty of animals in his lifetime. But then there was Reagan, a woman who had gone to nursing school not only to be a registered nurse, but to be a nurse to work in the birthing center of the Atlanta hospital.
Reagan cursed mentally to herself at the thought of it.
But at the same time, it was all a bit exciting to do. She had only witnessed a few births and checkups from expecting mothers, mostly watching from the background of the more experienced nurses. But now that she had a more hands on approach with Lori, Reagan was a bit happy in waiting for the birth.
"Reagan!" A sharp shout echoed throughout the cellblock and Reagan's eyes burst open, her head cocking towards her name.
At the urgency, she jumped up from her seat in a rush only to stumble from the sudden vertigo that overtook her head. She leaned on the wall and grabbed her head, trying to steady herself so she could walk properly. Smacking her forehead with her hand, she growled to herself and pushed forward without waiting, finally getting her blurry vision to focus as she jogged through the cellblock door.
"What's going on!?" She called and stopped at the cell door, seeing Lori hunched over Hershel's face, her hands on his chest.
"He stopped breathing! Daddy stopped breathing!" Beth replied back to her frantically and Reagan soon watched Lori pull back, pumping her hands down on his chest. She had already begun CPR.
"Everyone, step back!" Reagan pushed through the crowded cell and they pulled out of the cell, watching in horror as Lori continued to pump at Hershel's chest. "You got this Lori!?"
"Yes!" Lori panted as she pushed back down to Hershel's lips, breathing in more air and inflating his lungs. Reagan stepped back and watched intently, Lori's hands pushing heavily down on Hershel's chest in order for him to come back to life. Reagan did not interfere. She knew Lori was doing the CPR the right way.
"Come on!" Lori huffed as she pressed down on Hershel's chest one last time, her mouth returning to his for another deep breath.
Hershel's body lurched up and his hand wrapped around Lori's back, Beth screaming when she saw her father jump. Reagan jumped forward and yanked Lori back from his grasp, Reagan standing in front of her defensively as Hershel thrashed about. With her eyes wide, she stared at Hershel's blue eyes darting about the room, his mouth gaping in a huge, deep breath as he lied back down on the bed. Finally, he settled back down on the mattress and closed his eyes again, his arms going limp as he passed out once again.
"You alright?" Reagan asked as she wheeled around to face Lori, Lori's face frightened and her eyes staring widely at Hershel's now dormant self. Reagan grabbed Lori's chin roughly and pulled at it to face her, "Lori!?"
"I'm fine!" She breathed and then ultimately nodded her head in Reagan's grasp, "I-I'm fine... he didn't hurt me..."
"Good!" Reagan huffed and let go of Lori's face, turning her head and staring at Hershel as if he didn't even move a muscle. Reagan then looked over at Carl, who returned to the doorway, his pistol pointed at Hershel shakily in his hands, "Carl... put the gun down."
Carl's blue eyes managed to tear themselves from Hershel to Reagan, who had her hand out towards him. She pushed the gun down in his hand and finally, he lowered it coolly and let out his held breath.
.:O:.
Rick walked through the commons of cellblock C, his face and hands bloody from numerous Walker kills, and even a few humans.
He had split Tomas' skull in two with his own machete after Tomas attempted to kill him just by throwing a Walker on him during their fight in the laundry room. Lucky for him, Daryl was quick on his feet and killed the Walker before it managed to bite him. After that, Rick's last thread of trust with the prisoners was snapped and he couldn't let them live. He couldn't take that chance with the dangerous men around his family.
He had only let two of the prisoners live after they pleaded for their life. The small Caucasian man Axel, and one of the black males, Oscar. Rick told them that if they ever laid foot in his territory without permission, he would not hesitate to blow their brains out.
Daryl opened the cellblock door and Rick was the first to step in, seeing Glenn and Carl standing in the doorway of Hershel's cell. Curiously, he strode up to them to check on his old friend's condition, "Hershel stopped breathing..." He heard Carl say and looked to his son, "Mom saved him."
"It's true..." Glenn said as Rick stopped next to them, Rick's eyes moving into the cell where he saw Lori standing at the edge of the bunk, staring at Hershel and Reagan still sat by his side.
"Still no fever..." Lori said to her husband and Rick gave her another acknowledging glance before stopping next to Reagan and kneeling down by Hershel's head.
Hershel's mouth then moved and almost everyone in the cell went on alert. Reagan stood up and out of the way as Maggie moved forward towards her father. Reagan stood in the corner and crossed her arms, Maggie sitting on the edge of the bed and placing her hand on Hershel's chest. His face twitched in another few, small movements and soon, his eyes began to dance behind his eyelids. Slowly, Hershel's bright blue eyes opened and blinked, his chest rising in a deep breath he took from his nostrils. Lori pushed off the wall and stared in awe, leaning down and looking through the end of the bunk at the older survivor.
Rick immediately stared over at Reagan and their eyes met, Reagan smiling in amusement at the bewilderment in Rick's eye.
"Daddy...?" Maggie's voice was soft and Hershel's eyes flickered to her face as she hovered over him.
"Daddy!" Beth smiled and knelt down next to his bunk, Hershel's eyes slowly blinking as he gathered his surroundings.
Rick leaned down and pressed the key into his handcuffs, ripping them off Hershel's wrist to give him mobility. With the wrist he had now un-cuffed, Hershel raised his hand towards Rick and Rick took it in his, a hearty smile sprouting on Rick's lips. Rick knelt down next to Hershel and looked to Beth and Maggie by him, their eyes wet with joyful tears.
Reagan smiled and turned out of the cell, wanting to take a breather from the overwhelming emotions crowding around all in one room. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, leaning her hot forehead on the cold concrete wall. A pair of footsteps caught her ears and she turned over to see Lori exiting the cellblock, her hand rubbing on her belly like normal.
"Reagan..." She heard her name being called and saw Rick approaching, Reagan swiveling around to face him. She saw blood splattered all over his face, wondering what had happened to make him that way.
"Thank you... for watching over him. Keeping him alive." He nodded at her and she smiled, looking past him,
"I did what I could with what I had..." Reagan's eyes soon brought themselves back to Rick, "But I'm not the one you should be thanking. Your wife brought him back to life when he stopped breathing... I wasn't in the cell at the time."
"Where were you?" He asked a bit skeptically.
"I felt like passing out so I went to get some water... took a few moments to myself. It was becoming a bit overwhelming for me." She saw a glint in his eye and before he had a chance to ask another question, Reagan nodded her head to where Lori had run off to, "Anyways... you should go talk to Lori. She ran off that way."
Rick stared at Reagan for another few moments, wanting to thank her again for holding down the fort while he was gone. But he knew she wouldn't take the credit lightly, so he only nodded back at her and walked out of the cellblock to look for his wife.