Here's another chapter, tell me what you think!
Merle wasn't at his best, but not one mother fucker got anywhere near them, hell he was pretty sure Carol could have done it alone, she was on a war path. She was using a weapon that loaded slower and had a shorter range than his, but she'd killed at least as many men and walkers as him. A man got too close and Carol beat his fucking face in with the butt of Daryl's crossbow.
He just hoped this helped her, he'd always been a broken man, and right now he was jonesing for a fix, but they both had people now, and they had to keep it together. It didn't matter how fucked up everything was right now. He lead them towards the building he thought the Governor would keep the rest of them, but there were fewer men around then there should be.
Merle turned to take out a walker, but a bolt whizzed by just a little too close to his head, he fell back a step looking back at Carol who didn't seem to have even notice she'd shot so close to his head he'd flet the feathers.
"For fuck sake woman, I know you ain't right in the head right now, but if you fuckin shoot me you best make it count!" Merle growled ripping her bolt out of the walkers head and tossing it back to her, she blinked like she hadn't even realized what she'd been doing.
"Sorry." She mumbled reloading the bow, Sophia grabbed her shaking hand giving it a gentle squeeze.
"We're gonna be okay mom, dad would want us to cry for him. He loved us mom, at least we got to have that." She whispered, Carl put his hand on Sophia's shoulder reassuringly, Merle looked around to make sure they were alone for now.
"And ya ain't alone, as much as I hate to say it, you folks are my too now, I ain't never seen Daryl as happy as he was with y'all, and I ain't gonna disrespect that. Now let get a fuckin move on." Merle told them shifting uncomfortably, Sophia nodded her thanks to him the way Daryl did sometimes, it tore at him how much like him she was. Fuck he'd kill for a fix right now!
He flung the door open and was forced to block a knife coming at his head with his prosthetic, Michone was on the other end of the blade, but she had a bandage wrapped around her head over her left eye. She dropped the knife shaking her head.
"For fuck sake woman!" Merle grumbled, he couldn't see much past her it was a thin hall and it was darker in there then outside.
"I keep doing that today." Michone grumbled as someone pushed past her, Merle stumbled back a step going white as a sheet like he'd seen a ghost. Sophia was the next one to see him, she threw herself past Merle at him.
"Dad!" She cried out, she should have known he wouldn't be dead, he caught her lifting her of the ground and holding her close, she had never been so relived to see anything ever. She still had her dad!
"Daryl." Carol's voice was a broken whisper, but he heard her over everything else, she was standing there stunned, her tears turned to tears of joy. He set Sophia down gently going over to her in two long strides and without a second thought took her face in both hands and kissed her deeply.
His taste mingled with the sharp iron of blood, but he still tasted like ambrosia, she didn't want to stop touching him. He was really there alive and as safe as they ever were, the crushing emptiness flooded out of her and she wrapped herself around him desperately.
She might have kept kissing him if they weren't grabbed together into a crushing hug that lifted them off the ground. Merle grunted I pain dropping them back down, but it was already enough to stun Daryl, Merle had never hugged him.
"Jesus Merle, you goin soft on us?" Kiry's voice had him spinning around and scooping her up too, only this was for a kiss. One that made Daryl blush and Carol and Rick covered the kids eyes, when he finally stopped kissing her she was breathless.
"You shit heads keep doin this shit to me and you wonder why I used fuckin drugs!" Merle grumbled, he even patted Rick on the shoulder, a little harder than he should have maybe, but it was the thought that counts.
"Well we ain't got all day, lets move." Daryl said with his arm still around Carol's waist, it was the first time a public display hadn't bothered him, he turned to smile at her and her eyes went wide. He furrowed his brow trying to figure out what she was seeing and she went limp in his arms falling towards the ground.
Daryl caught her lowering her down, and finally seeing the bullet wound through her chest, his heart stopped while he checked her pulse. Her heart was still beating, and the shot was high, it might not have nicked anything vital, but she was bleeding pretty bad.
"Mommy!" Sophia called out pulling him out of his panic, he pulled his shirt off wrapping it around her to keep pressure on the wound. It had gone clean through, so at least they wouldn't have to dig a bullet out. He scooped her up.
"Merle, take Kiry and Rick, get to the med supplies here, Sophia, how'd you two get hear?" He asked in a tone that begged no questioning. She was too panicked and afraid to answer him, she'd just seen her mom get shot, she had a splatter of her blood across her face.
"We have a car on the east side." Carl answered for her, he nodded turning east and looking over his shoulder at Merle.
"Haul ass Merle, we ain't got time for complications, Carl go with lead 'em back to the car!" Daryl told them, his tone was flat and calm. Merle had seen him like this before, when their mother had died, and whenever one of them had been hurt. This was his zen, he'd get the shit done, and Merle had to come through this time.
Sophia picked up the abandon cross-bow slinging it over her shoulder as Carl tossed Michone her sword and hurried after Merle. They ran as fast as Daryl could move while holding Carol in his arms, a man got too close just once, Daryl kicked him in the chest before anyone even knew he was there and stomped his face in furiously.
Sophia had never seen him like this, but she didn't have time to question it, her mom was bleeding out in his arms. She led them to the hole and had to stop and kill a few walkers who'd been attracted to the loud noise of the now silent car alarms and after that the sound of gun shots and screams kept them coming.
The truck they'd picked up after they'd torn the alarm out of the car wasn't that far out, Daryl hurried around to the back while Michone pulled the tailgate open and Sophia hopped up laying a blanket down. Daryl laid her down checking for a pulse, her heart was still beating, and she wasn't coughing up blood, so they hadn't hit her heart or her lungs.
"Phia, get me anything ya got." He ordered stroking Carol's hair back gently, he eyes flickered open. She looked up into his worried blue eyes and managed a smile.
"You should smile more, you'll get worry line pooky." She joked gripping his hand tightly, he could have cried out in joy at hearing her voice.
"Woman, you heal up and I promise I won't stop smilin. I need ya to tell me your blood type, just in case." He told her kissing her lips gingerly, she looked down at herself, her whole body felt like it was on fire, and moving her neck only made it worse.
"B posotive." She told him, the irony didn't escape her, he furrowed his brow, he didn't have time to get scolded for worrying, she'd been fucking shot.
"I'm wokin on it, but ya gotta..." He started, and a chuckled passed her lips followed by a grimace.
"It's my blood type, is the bullet still in there?" She asked, he shook his head, and Sophia came back clambering up into the back while Michne kept watch.
"This is all we have, should we start a fire, cauterize it?" Sophia asked, Carol shook her head, then instantly regretted it.
"No, I could go into shock, and if it nicked an artery, it wouldn't help, pack it with something as sterile as you can, and give me one of those electrolyte packets. I need to stay hydrated, and... the... the bleeding should stop... on... on its own." Carol told them, she could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness, she was losing too much blood.
"I... I love you... both." She whispered, Daryl's chest was tight, he pulled out the little gauze they'd found in the prison infirmary, Sophia had the water and the electrolyte packet out already. Time seemed to tick by at a snail's pace until Merle got back. Merle and Kiry climbed in the back, and they started driving for the rendezvous.
"What do we got?" Daryl asked taking the bag from Merle, he pulled out the pain killers before Merle could even answer and got to work getting Carol to swallow them.
"Shit load a bandages, suchers, antibiotics, pain killers, some other stuff that your girl here won't need, a respirator, portable defib unit that ya can crank charge, saline, that kind a shit." Merle explained, tossing Daryl the antibiotics which he fed her next in the cramped bed of the truck trying to keep her steady.
"She gonn be okay?" Kiry asked, Daryl looked over at Sophia, then back at them forcing a smile.
"Ya, the bleeding has slowed, it should stop on it's own." It didn't take too long to get back to the house with Rick driving and not getting them lost like Sophia had. Daryl burst through the door and Hershel was already grabbing his bag, since Rick had told him what had happened.
Daryl got pushed out of the room the second he'd set Carol down so Hershel could work, Daryl collapsed against the wall right outside of the room his head falling into his hands. Sophia sat next to him, and he wrapped an arm around her naturally.
"Thank God you're okay, we were worried sick." Beth told Sophia,Daryl looked up remembering that Sophia shouldn't have been at Woodbury. He looked down at her hands sheepishly.
"You even tell 'em you were leavin?" He asked, she looked up with her best kicked puppy look.
"No, but they wouldn't have let us come help you, you could have all died in there. We couldn't just abandon you, nothing is more important than family." Sophia tried to explain, Daryl shook his head with a look of mixed pride and disappointment.
"You remember what I told you at the river?" He asked seriously, Sophia sighed, of course she did, he'd nearly died there too.
"Ya, you told me not to risk myself or you, because mom needed me, but you were all in danger, my whole family, you, mom, Merle, Kiry. I've never had so much to lose Dad, I know you're mad, but even if you don't like it my family is worth dieing to protect. Not that I wasn't safe, we had a good plan." Sophia told him, he hugged her close kissing the top of her head.
"I know 'Phia, but it was brutal, and ya shouldn't a had to be part a that." He told her, a sob escaped her lips and he leaned back to look her in the eye.
"I... I killed a girl, she had a bow, but she was so young!" Sophia cried, it broke his heart to see her this way, and all he could do was hold her.
"Ya did the right thing, she'd a shot ya if she'd seen ya, or worse. Ya didn't just kill her you protected your family, there ain't no better reason to be had." Daryl whispered as Beth hurried away from a scene she obviously wasn't supposed to be there for.
She carried Judith past Merle through to the downstairs bathroom, Kiry was kneeling by the toilet puking her guts out. Beth was startled, but sat on the tub holding her hair back with her only free hand until Kiry was done.
"Are you okay?" Beth asked wondering why Merle wasn't there, she knew they were close, well from the sound of it from her old cell they were a couple.
"Ya, it must be the stress, Merle's not out there is he, he can't know about this?" Kiry asked, Beth gave her an odd look, but shook her head.
"Why can't Merle know, are you sure you're okay?" Beth asked while Kiry rinsed out her mouth with the water from a bottle she'd grabbed when she'd told Merle to check on Daryl while she found them some food.
"No, yes... I mean I'm not sick, I don't think... I just... I'm late... but there's no way, I mean we only... and I shouldn't...he... I just don't know yet. Merle can under no circumstances find out about this until I know, okay, not a word you have to promise!" Kiry told her, Beth nodded in wide-eyed shock, was she saying what she thought she was saying?
"You're pregnant?" She whispered, Kiry rounded on her looking totally panicked.
"No, I don't know that, it could just be the stress and torture. Just don't tell any one, ever!" Kiry insisted, Beth held her free hand up defensively.
"I won't, we'll have to go on a run soon, we can get a test then right?" Beth asked, Kiry pulled something out of her pocket handing it to Beth.
"I took some from Woodbury, I... I'm too scared to take it." Kiry whispered, Beth looked down at it for a second.
"You have too, if you are we need to start preparing now, we already have Judith, it's not like you'll be a burden." She tried to reassure her, Kiry shook her head, it wasn't that at all, she wanted this baby, she wanted Merle's baby, but Merle wouldn't.
"I'm not worried about me... Merle told me once that he never wanted a kid, that it was the ultimate shackle... the worst thin that could come from sex..." Kiry trailed off tears welling up in her eye, what if she lost him to this, what if he didn't want her anymore?
"Kiry, Merle may be an ass hole, but he loves you, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that." Beth's comforting words had no weight, she knew that much already.
"I know, he does now... but he'll hate me for this." iry cried, sliding down on to the floor, Beth moved over to stand next to her holding the test out.
"Just take it, maybe it's nothing. I'll go get you two food." She told her, Kiry nodded taking the test and steeling herself for the worst.
Merle didn't want to leave Kiry, but he would never tell her that, what kind of pussy couldn't even go a few minutes without his woman. When he got upstairs he found Daryl and Sophia in the hall sitting on the floor, the kid was crying.
"What do ya know?" He asked sitting on the other side of Daryl, Daryl looked up looking almost as bad as the kid.
"She's still not awake, Hershel won't even let me in there." Daryl told him, Merle patted him on the shoulder curtly, it was all he had in him at this point. Than the door swung open and Maggie stuck her head out of it.
"What's her blood type?" Maggie asked a bit too frantically to help with Daryl's nerves.
"B positive, same as Merle." Daryl told her, he'd had to take Merle to the hospital more times than he could count, he knew almost his whole medical history.
"Good, get it here, she stable and Daddy should have her fixed up soon, but she needs blood." Maggie explained and Merle hurried to his feet, glad hat he hadn't snuck anything at Woodbury. Daryl and Sophia followed him, and they let them stay as long as they sat on the couch at the far side of the room. Sophia fell asleep after a few minutes, she hadn't slept in two days after all.
"I've done everything I can, she should wake up soon, but I have no way of telling if I got everything, she in the hands of God now." Hershel told him quietly, Daryl nodded trying not to wake Sophia, Merle left to find the promised food, he'd lost way too much blood lately. A few minutes after Hershel left Rick came in quietly.
"Rick?" Daryl whispered, Rick turned to him looking guilty. "What are you doin?" He asked looking down at the cuffs in Ricks hands.
"It's just a precaution." Rick whispered back, Daryl shook Sophia gently rousing her, she looked up at him in confusion.
"Go see how Merle's doin will ya, make sure Hershel has a look at him." Daryl told her, she nodded looking between the two men before she left. Daryl got up taking a step towards Rick.
"Daryl, she might..." Rick started, but Daryl took another step invading Rick's personal space.
"No!" Daryl growled in a low deadly tone taking the cuffs and throwing them out the open door into the wall.
"Daryl we..." Rick started again taking a step back, but Daryl still didn't let him finish stepping after him.
"Whatever happens I'll handle it, she's a Dixon, and we take care of our own, so don't you come in here thinkin you got any thin to say about this, it ain't your call. Keep 'phia down stairs." Daryl told him his tone evening out as he spoke, Rick nodded, he couldn't fault him for that. He would have thought the same thing if he'd had the chance with Lori.
"I'm sorry." Rick told him patting him on the shoulder, Daryl nodded, he got where Rick was coming from, but he couldn't let him do it, it was like saying she was going to die. He sat down at the edge of the bed soothing her hair back gently.
Rick left him to it, he knew Daryl would do what he had to, he grabbed food that had been set out on the table and headed for the deck where Michone had taken watch. Hershel had re-bandaged her eye, and given her some antibiotics, but she refused pain pills.
"Thought you might be hungry." Rick said so she'd know he was there, she sighed reaching out and taking the plate.
"I feel exposed, not being able to see on my left." Michone admitted, Rick sat down on the porch swing next to her.
"I'm sure you'll get used to it, if anyone can it's you. I'm just glad we made it out of there, Andy's boy betrayed us, I should have seen it coming." Rick groaned running his hand through his hair feeling rather overwhelmed.
"With all the people who go missing there was no reason to believe that." She reassured him, he managed a broken smile, she was right, but it wouldn't stop him from blaming himself.
"I'll stop blaming myself if you'll stop thinking you have to do everything alone." He offered, his hand brushing against hers, she looked down at his hand letting her pinky cover his.
"I'm working on it." She offered, he looked down too covering her hand with his and squeezing it gently.
"Me too." He told her getting up and leaving her to her watch, she watched him go, damn if she wasn't a gluten for punishment chasing after a broken man, but then who wasn't these days.
Rick went back inside getting his own food and looking around for Carl, he checked the kitchen first. No one was in there, but he could hear someone crying in the bathroom, he listened, it sounded like Kiry, but he could hear Beth in there with her, so he would leave them alone, it wasn't his place.
"Kiry, it's okay, Kiry, you've already taken two... I'm sorry, but being pregnant it's not that bad. No matter what happens with you and Merle you know the rest of us are here for you." Beth reassured her, patting her back Gently trying to get her to calm down.
"I'm okay, your right I just, I gotta tell him... I gotta... I gotta tell him. Oh God, how am I supposed to tell him?" She sobbed, taking deep breaths trying to quiet herself, Beth hugged her with her free hand.
"You don't have to do it alone." She told her, Kiry shook her head getting to her feet and wiping the tears from her face.
"No, I got this." Kiry sighed opening the door, she found Merle in one of the rooms on the third floor eating, he hadn't been able to find her when he grabbed his food, so he'd figured she hadn't wanted to be found.
"Hey Sugar, been lookin for you." He told her noticing her red rimmed eyes. "What's wrong, is Carol..?" He started, she shook her head sniffing, and taking a deep breath trying to steal herself.
"No, she's the same, but I ain't." She started, he furrowed his brow looking her over worry setting in quickly.
"What happened, are... are you bit?" He asked turning her around and checking for blood, she took a step back taking hold of both his hands.
"Stop, Merle it's... I'm pregnant." She whispered, hardly loud enough for him to even hear her, but he froze taking a step back like she'd pushed him.
"What... No, no Ain't no way! You said... you...No, it's just... just..." He stammered taking another step back, Kiry could feel the tears stinging at the back of her eyes.
"I took the test twice, I know. I'm sorry... I know... You don't have to do anything, I know you didn't want this. You never wanted this. Just... Don't talk to me until you figure it out... I couldn't handle it, if we fought over this now." Kiry told him walking away, Merle took a step after her, then fell back on to the bed, how could she just dump this on him and expect him to be okay.
He threw his plate at the wall watching it shatter, he still wanted to be with her, but a fucking kid. For fuck sake he could hardly take care of himself. He wasn't cut out to raise a kid, his own daddy had cut on him, ignored him, beaten him, how was he supposed to raise a kid?
She was handing him an out, but was he really willing to take it, could he lose her just so he didn't have to raise a kid. The mere thought of it made his stomach clench, and his head and heart hurt, he needed her now more than ever. He looked over at the nightstand where the doc had left him a handful of pain pills. He hadn't taken them because he knew he wouldn't stop, but now they were calling to him.
He got up snatching up the hand full of meds looking down at them, he had two choices now. He could down this hand full of pills, and never feel the pain of what was happening, he could abandon his family like he had done a hundred times before. Or he could be the man Kiry needed him to be, he could be a father.
"Merle?" Sophia's voice broke him out of his thoughts and he dropped the hand full of pills half off the table. Sophia looked down at the pills on the floor.
"Fuck sake firecracker, ya saved my ass, but if ya keep sneakin up on me your like to get hurt." Merle told her, she shook her head.
"Were you gonna take those?" She asked looking disappointed, for fuck sake even the kid was putting shit on his shoulders.
"Hadn't decided yet, the fuck's it to you?" He asked crouching down and gathering the pills up and setting them back on the desk.
"Dad told me to come find you, but Kiry was crying and I thought you might have had something to do with that." Sophia said looking rather unhappy, he cursed under his breath falling back on to the bed his face slumping down into his palms. For fuck sake even the kid was gonna ride him now.
"Well ya found me, now fuck off." Merle grumbled halfheartedly, Sophia ignored him hopping up on the bed and sitting cross-legged next to him.
"What happened?" She asked nudging him with her shoulder, he shot her his best scowl, but she seemed un-phased by it, the girl had spent too much time with his brother.
"Ain't none a your concern." He grumbled running his hand over his head trying to pull himself together.
"I know, but you're my uncle, and I wanna help, if you don't tell me Kiry will, and I'm sure she'll make you look bad." She told him, he sighed.
"It wouldn't be hard." Merle sighed, he really was a worthless piece of shit, how could he even think of abandoning her with this?
"I know you're a good guy uncle Merle, but sometimes you sure are stupid. Tell me what happened so I can help!" She insisted, he chuckled shaking his head while she laid on his arm which was now tucked behind his head.
"Fine if it'll shut ya up... Kiry's pregnant." He let slip, waiting for her to cry, or be scared for Kiry's life, like he was, but Sophia just nodded.
"And that's not good because?" She asked, he shook his head, the kid really was nieve.
"It's a risk." Merle managed even though that wasn't even close to everything, Sophia looked ver at him curiously.
"So is going outside, or sleeping. Nothing worth doing is easy, mom always said that. Kiry loves you, and I happen to think you'll make a good dad, like Daryl." Sophia told him, Merle thought about that for a minute.
"Go bug Carl, I gotta mull some shit over." Merle grumbled, Sophia sighed sitting up, she kissed Merle's cheek quickly.
"It's okay to be scared uncle Merle, Kiry says so too, just don't let it control you." She told him rushing off before he got mad. She went down the stairs two at a time and into the kitchen where Rick was standing with Beth cooing over Judith.
"Hey Mr. Grimmes have you seen Carl?"She asked politely, Rick looked up offering her a sympathetic smile.
"He's out back relieving Maggie and Glen." Rick told her, she nodded heading for the back door just as the couple opened it coming in to eat. Sophia slipped past them onto the back porch.
"Hey Grimmes." She said softly, she was glad he was alone, she didn't feel like she had to pretend to be okay with him.
"Hey Dixon, you okay?" He asked reaching out to her, she took his hand goin to stand next to him and keep him company during his watch.
"I'm worried about Mom, and apparently Kiry's pregnant, but mostly I guess I'm okay." She said honestly nudging him with her shoulder.
"Wow, I hope... I hope she doesn't..." Carl started remembering his own mother's death, Sophia leaned on to his shoulder with a little nod.
"I was thinking of asking Hershel to teach us how to do some of the medical stuff, so if something happens like with your mom we'll be ready." Sophia told him, he nodded wrapping his arm around her shoulder and reaching over to take the hand he'd dropped with his other hand.
"That's a good idea." Carl admitted leaning them back until they found the porch swing, Sophia curled her feet under her legs laying peacefully on Carl letting her eyes drift closed.
Daryl was starting to drift off and he knew that wasn't an option, so he got off the bed to pace until she woke up. His stomach was growling at him painfully, he hadn't eaten since the raw squirrel, but he refused to leave Carol. His mind was torturing him with what if scenarios, so much so that he almost missed when the room went silent, no more intake of breath, he whipped around.
"Carol!" He called out hurrying over to her, she wasn't breathing. He didn't even think before he took her head tilting it back and forcing her to breathe, then pumped her heart, he moved back to her lips and she lashed out grabbing a hold of him. He didn't push her away or try to stop her she had to be okay!