Daryl pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his face in his knees. Rick doubted the bony knees were soothing to his burning cheek. Rick knelt down in front of Daryl. "Hey Daryl, do you want to go inside?"

Rick couldn't see Daryl's expression because his face was hidden in his knees. "What are you gonna do to me?" Daryl sounded like he was still crying, but Rick couldn't be sure.

"We're just going to put some ice on your face. It looked like it hurts."

"I'm fine. I didn't do nothin."

"Okay," Rick said. He wondered why the boy kept repeating that. "All right,"

Daryl lifted his head slightly, peeking at Rick. "You gonna hit me too?"

Rick remembered what Herschel had shown him. He was pissed. He was furious with his wife and positively irate with Merle Dixon. "No, I would never do that. Not for any reason."

Daryl closed his eyes. "I did call her a whore though."

Rick frowned. "Well you shouldn't have done that, but that didn't make it okay for Lori to hit you. She was wrong. I'm sorry that happened. Let's go inside and take a look, okay?"

Daryl shook his head. "I don't wanna go inside. Don't make me."

Daryl sounded scared, but also defiant. Rick sighed. Rick looked at Herschel in the hopes that the older man had some ideas. Herschel met his gaze. "I'll go get my bag. You stay here."

Rick nodded before turning his attention back to Daryl. The teen had buried his face in his knees again. Rick reached out and put a hand on the youngster's shoulder. Daryl tensed under his grip, anticipating some violent act. "Daryl, why don't you tell me what happened?"

Rick could feel Daryl take a deep breath. "I'm sorry Mr. Grimes. I really am."

Rick knew Daryl was scared. He really did think that Rick was going to beat him up and after seeing the scars he had Rick understood that reaction. "Hey, look at me." Daryl looked up at Rick, fear in his eyes. He was too terrified to disobey, but his eyes kept flitting away from Rick's face. "I'm not going to hurt you. I swear. Just tell me what happened, and no matter what you say nobody is going to hit you. Do you believe me?" Rick waited for Daryl's response.

After a few moments Daryl nodded. "I believe you." Daryl took a deep breath. "Carl and Sophia wanted me to teach them how to use a crossbow. I asked Mrs. Peletier if it was okay and she said it was so long as we were really careful. I was just showing them how to aim, so I didn't load the bow. Mrs. Grimes got so angry. She was yelling at me and she called me…"

Rick waited for Daryl to finish his story, but instead the child just buried his face in his knees again. It was clear Lori's words had hurt him, perhaps more than her slap had. "Go on."

Daryl squirmed under Rick's hand. "She called me a redneck bastard."

Jesus. "She called you that?"

Daryl nodded. "I yelled at her. I called her a whore. I'm real sorry for disrespecting your wife Mr. Grimes. Please don't make me leave. I don't want to be all on my own again."

Rick stared at Daryl. Rick was glad Daryl was still looking down and couldn't see him, because the teen would probably have misunderstood the stare. Lori had hit Daryl and he was afraid they were going to make him leave. "Hey, you're one of us. You'll never have to be on your own." Daryl looked up at Rick. His expression was one of disbelief. "You understand?"

Daryl nodded. As he did Herschel approached. The veterinarian knelt in front of the frightened child and began to dab at the red patch on his face with a cold rag. Daryl didn't flinch, but he did ball his hand into a fist. Rick realized that Daryl was hurting, but he was afraid to let them see any sign of his pain. Rick wanted to help this kid that was now in his care, but he couldn't for the life of him think of a way to fix this situation. That was when the least helpful thing that could possibly happen happened. Lori and Shane came running over.

Beth scowled at her sister. The two Greene women were in the kitchen. "I can't believe Lori did that," Beth said. Beth's blood was boiling. "How could she? How could anybody?"

"We don't know the whole story," Maggie pointed out.

Beth shook her head as though she were trying to shake her sister's words from her ears and mind. "There ain't no reason that exists that makes it okay to hit a kid like that," Beth said.

Maggie considered this. "You're right of course," Maggie said. "I just don't think we should be condemning Lori before we know the whole story. It's without question that what Lori did was wrong, but Daryl might have done something bad too. We don't know him or Lori."

"I don't know Lori, but I know Daryl. He's my friend," Beth said.

Maggie smiled at her sister and chuckled. "Beth every stray dog you pass on the street is your new best friend. You make friends easier than I pick out my clothes every morning."

Beth scowled again. "Daryl ain't a stray dog."

"That's not what I meant Bethie, and you know it."

Beth sighed. "I do know him Maggie. He's real nice. He's sweet to me and those kids."

"Beth Greene I do believe you have a crush."

Beth blushed. "Don't be silly. He's only thirteen and anyways I'm with Jimmy."

Maggie snorted. "Whatever you say."

"I'm serious. I do not have a crush on Daryl." Beth wanted to stomp her foot, but she knew if she did Maggie would just tease her for acting like a toddler so she refrained.

"Okay," Maggie said in a lilting voice.

"Stop it Maggie," Beth hissed.

"Beth and Daryl sittin in a tree. K-i-s-s-i-n-" The sound of shouting cut Maggie off.

Daryl heard the sound of running. He looked toward the sound and tried to shrink back when he saw that Lori and Shane were the people headed towards them. He hoped that if he could make himself small enough they wouldn't notice him. "There are walkers in the barn."

When Daryl heard Shane's words he forgot everything else. That can't be true.

"What?" Rick asked, seemingly on the same train of thought as Daryl.

"They aren't walkers," Herschel said in a firm tone. "They're people, sick people."

"Oh my God." Lori put her hand over her mouth. "If anyone is sick it's you."

"Lori," Rick said in a warning tone.

"Rick man," Shane said. "There are walkers in the barn. We gotta do somethin."

"You can leave," Herschel said in a firm tone. "Right now."

"Herschel wait-" Rick started.

Herschel cut Rick off. "I told you that you could stay until your man was recovered and you found the lost boy. Both events have transpired. I've done more than my Christian duty, offered you more kindness than you're entitled to. I told you I wouldn't have people who abuse children on my farm. Your wife smacked this boy just for back-talking her. That's abuse."

"I didn't abuse-"

This time Lori was cut off, by her husband. "Lori knows that what she did was wrong and normally she would never do something like that. We've all been under a lot of stress lately."

"You don't think it was stressful for Daryl to be lost in the woods for a week? You think that after starving near to death and running on a busted leg he needed to be struck in the face?"

Daryl was embarrassed when he heard Herschel's tirade. He hated being talked about like he was weak, like he was a victim. He wanted to disappear. Daryl was almost glad when Shane spoke up and redirected the conversation. "I don't give a shit about that boy. He is not the issue here man. There is a barn full of monsters that will tear us apart if given the chance and we need to take care of it." Shane stared at Rick. "Come on, we've got to do something. You've got to-"

"I said I want you off my farm!" Daryl clutched his legs tighter and buried his face in his knees again. Herschel sounded like his dad. Daryl could only hope the Herschel's rage wouldn't eventually find itself directed at him. Experience had taught Daryl it would.

"We can't leave," Lori whispered.

"And why is that?" Herschel was still irate.

"Because I'm pregnant!"

All three men stared at Lori. Daryl was still paying closer attention to the men than Lori because they were the bigger threat and her revelation didn't affect him. "What?" Rick asked

"I just found out," Lori said.

"You're pregnant?" Shane asked

Lori looked directly at Rick. "We can't leave. I'm not giving birth in a ditch somewhere to a baby whose every cry will put itself and everyone else in danger. We can barely take care of the child we already have. We need to stay Rick. Please, find a way to make it so we can stay."

Rick looked from Lori to Herschel and then back to his wife. Rick rubbed his face with his hands, clearly overwhelmed. "Jesus," Rick said. Rick looked at the ground and then seemed to remember something. Rick turned around to look at Daryl. Daryl cursed internally at his presence being noticed again. "Daryl, why don't you go find Carl and Sophia?" Rick asked

Daryl scrambled to his feet. Now that Lori and Shane were here he was eager to leave for a safer place. "All right," Daryl said. Daryl ran for the direction of Carol's tent. Before he got there however Daryl saw the barn in the distance. Daryl looked back toward the adults that had already forgotten about him. Daryl ran to the barn. He needed to see the truth for himself.

Maggie and Beth ran toward their father. All of the people who had been sent away before were trickling back. None could escape the spectator effect. "Daddy," Beth said tensely.

Maggie placed a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder. Maggie stepped closer to the center of the argument. She heard Shane's loud voice. "Those things need to be taken care off!"

"My family is in there! You will not lay a hand on them!" Maggie's father screamed

Rick put his hands up, one stretched toward Herschel and one toward Shane, touching neither, but separating both. "Of course not." Rick made eye contact with Herschel and enunciated his words. "Of course not. We would never dream of doing anything like that."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Shane shouted. "You're going to let those things exist next to your son?! Next to your pregnant wife?! What the hell is wrong with you man?!"

"Let me handle this," Rick hissed at his friend.

Amy gasped. "You're pregnant?" She asked Lori

Maggie's heart was assaulting her breastbone. The speed and intensity of its beats was quite painful. They knew. She caught sight of Glenn and locked eyes with him. He was staring at her with a confused expression. Maggie broke their gaze and looked at the ground while she listened to Rick reprimand his friend. "Let me handle this," Rick said angrily.

"There's nothing to handle," Herschel said. "You all need to leave."

"Wait, what?" Morales said. "Why?"

"Why?!" The question offended Herschel. "Your little girl is firing guns on my farm, this woman is hitting children and now this man wants to murder members of my family. I want all of you gone before one of my people gets hurt. Pack up your things and be on your way."

"Hey man, we're not going anywhere without our guns," Shane said.

"Otis will have them for you at the gate," Herschel said dismissively.

"Wait, just wait." Rick's voice took on a desperate quality. "We can talk about this."

"There ain't nothing to say man," Shane said. "We need to get to Fort Benning."

"We can't leave!" Lori screamed

"Shut up! All of you just shut up!" Andrea walked up to Rick. She stood next to him and faced Lori and Shane. "You're making it worse. You have to give Rick a chance to fix this."

"This doesn't concern you Andrea," Shane snapped.

"This concerns all of us," Dale spoke up from the crowd.

"You screaming and making a scene is unproductive," Andrea told Shane. "You need to get your shit together." Andrea crossed her arms and glared at the former cop.

"Screw you bitch," Shane snapped.

"Shane!" Rick shouted. "You're out of line!"

"There is no line anymore, don't you see that?!"

"Enough," Rick draped a cold wet blanket over their conversation with his forceful calm tone of voice. Rick looked at Herschel. "Can we go somewhere private to talk?" Maggie saw her father bristle and get ready to shoot Rick down. She didn't want that to happen. "Please?"

"Just hear him out daddy," Beth begged. "Just let him say his piece."

Herschel looked from Beth to Rick, and then at Maggie. Maggie nodded. Her eyes implored her father to give these people a chance. Herschel's shoulders slumped. "All right,"

Maggie watched her father lead Rick toward the house for their conversation. She let out a sigh of relief. The crowd began to disperse. Maggie looked at Beth. Her sister had an expression of deep concern on her face. "Where's Daryl?" Beth demanded in a frantic tone.

Maggie looked toward the barn. "Shit!"

Maggie took off running. Herschel and Rick were already in the house, so they didn't notice the Greene sisters' panic. Other camp members did though. Glenn, T-dog, Jim, Shane and Andrea followed the young women. Maggie reached the barn and shielded her eyes as she scanned the building. She caught a glimpse of a figure in the hayloft. Maggie grabbed a wooden strut and started to pull herself up. "Maggie be careful!" Beth pleaded with her sister.

"Maggie don't!" Glenn shouted. Maggie ignored him and then heard the young man start to climb up behind her. Maggie reached the opening of the hayloft and pulled herself inside to see a young teen crouched at the edge staring at the ground below. He turned to look at her.

"Get away from the ledge," Maggie whispered.

"Why did you do this?" Daryl asked in an equally quiet voice. Glenn entered the hayloft behind Maggie, but she was only peripherally aware of him. She looked down in shame.

"Daryl you need to come down with us," Glenn said.

Maggie could hear the moaning below. "What do you want them for?" Daryl asked her.

Maggie looked up at Daryl. "We were waiting for a cure."

"A cure?" Daryl seemed confused.

"My family is down there," Maggie said. "We're waiting for the government, or somebody like that, to make some medicine, or something…" Maggie trailed off, aware of how ridiculous she sounded. "We can't just kill them. There might still be a chance."

Surprisingly Daryl nodded at her with something like understanding. "They'll kill you if they get out of here. Just like the ones that chased me in the woods. They wanted to eat me."

Maggie reached for Daryl and he started to instinctually back away. Maggie didn't know if he would have lost his footing or not, but she grabbed his shoulder and pulled him to her just to be safe. She held the boy in front of her at arm's length. "You need to come down with us."

Daryl looked down at the walkers again. "I'm sorry about your family Maggie."

Maggie felt a lump in her throat. She pulled Daryl into a hug. "Me too,"