Disclaimer:I do not own The Walking Dead: Not it's characters, certainly not Daryl Dixon -sadly-, not the plot (except the stuff that's not part of the original story), the story line, etc.
I also don't own whatever Canadian slangs that I end up using.
However: I do own Jo and Ben Teague, they are my own characters that I have created, as well as any scenes that are not directly part of the show.
Note: I don't normally do this for my fanfic's (but it is something I am doing more of with other stories) but I am including a section in 3rd P.O.V. just so everything isn't confused at the sudden change.
Also, like before, if I end up using terms that some people don't understand/don't know because they are Canadian terms, I will be posting their meanings at the bottom of the page.
Night had fallen around the camp, and there had been no sign of Sophia, Ben or Jo anywhere. Daryl had taken up watch and sat on top of the RV. He couldn't sleep, and this entire thing was bothering him too much to rest. With a sigh, the hunter ran a hand over his face as he looked down at his crossbow. The Pixie's arrows were still there and from the man could tell, the arrows were worn, probably ones she had used many times before. The colours suited her though, blue and white. Colours of the sky and water. With a scowl, Daryl set his weapon off to the side and shoved his hand into his pocket. That was when he remembered that he had the woman's locket. He had cleaned it off when he got back to the camp, but he didn't think about it until now.
With the moon as his source of light, Daryl raised the locket up, and looked at it closely. He saw the latch to it and was tempted to took inside. The Pixie wasn't around to stop him after all, and none of the others were awake to know what he was up to. Before he opened it though, he noticed that there were some words engraved on the back of the locket. With squinted eyes, he looked at the engraving closely.
"To Joanna Marie Teague, the best and most beloved sister ever. Love Ben and the two twins," Daryl recited and found himself smirking a bit. "So, that's her full name." Everyone in camp had been wondering about that since the two joined the camp. The Pixie had refused to tell anyone what her full name was, and left it to everyone to guess for themselves. "Never thought that'd be her name, sounds too feminine for her."
He snorted to himself a bit as he opened the locket up. He didn't know what to expect from it, but he didn't expect it to be pictures, of what he guessed was her family. The first two pictures were of an older couple, her parents he suspected. The Pixie had gotten her looks from her mother, but her eye colour and nose from her father. The next picture was of two slightly younger than Jo, probably six years younger or so. Judging how similar they were in every aspect; the two boys were probably twins. Daryl rolled his eyes a bit, seeing that there weren't any other pictures and went to close the locket, when the second with the twins on it flipped over, and revealed two more pictures. He gave the third picture a quick glance and saw that it like the second picture, twins again, but they looked at least twelve years younger than the Pixie and this time, it was a boy and a girl.
It was the last picture that really caught Daryl's attention. It was of the Pixie and the kid. Jo looked younger than she did now, and suspected that it was taken around five years back or so. The kid was sitting on her lap with Jo's arms wrapped around him, in an embrace. They were both smiling happily with one another, but something irked him. As he flipped through the pictures and looked at the last one, he realized why it bothered him so much.
"Well, shit." When Daryl thought about it, everything now made sense to him, it was a wonder how no one else caught it, but he supposed that it made sense.
After closing the locket, Daryl tucked it away, so no one would question what he had. They didn't need to know what he did about the Pixie and her brother. With deep sigh, the hunter turned back to the highway and kept looked around, to make sure nothing would sneak up on them.
The man thought back to when he and Rick came back to camp, and how everyone seemed devastated that they didn't find anything. Carol especially decided to put the blame on Rick, seemingly forgetting that there were still two other people missing from the group. When Carol said that Sophia was only twelve and couldn't stay out in the woods alone at night, Daryl had spoken up to remind her, and everyone else, that Sophia was with Ben, who had been trained by the Pixie to survive in the woods. He also had to remind everyone that the Pixie was missing as well, and that if anyone had any chance of staying alive and keeping Carol's kid alive, it was those two. He left soon after that, his irritation at the group had grown because of their lack of common sense and their surprising memory loss about the others in their group, who had done a lot more for them, than Carol and her pipsqueak of a daughter.
"Daryl?" Dale's voice broke through the hunter's thoughts and the man looked at the ladder.
"What do you want?" he snapped, but the older man took a seat in the empty chair.
"I was going to tell you that your shift is up, but if you can't sleep, then I'll just join you on watch," Dale replied with an easy-going smile. "Also, I want to thank you for reminding the group about Jo and Ben. I think it's hard for them to remember sometimes, because there's no one here to miss them."
Daryl didn't reply to the older man, instead he grunted as he looked out into the woods. His jaw locked in irritation and he hoped that when morning came, they would be able to find the kids and the Pixie. Until then, Daryl knew he wouldn't be able to sleep, not until they were safe.
A cold, damp cloth was the first thing I felt when I started to regain consciousness again. It felt nice and soothing that I was tempted to fall asleep again, but from my hazy memory from the night before, I knew that was not a good idea. It did, somewhat, remember that I had another concussion, and the fact that I had blacked out so quickly was not a good sign. Slowly, I opened my eyes, only to be blinded by the bright light that came into the window. I closed my eyes again, for a few moments before opening them again and I was greeted by young, skinny, blonde girl.
"Oh! You're awake!" She jumped a bit when she noticed I was awake. "I'll go get my dad, he'll be glad to know that you woke up again!" She gave me a brief smile as she hopped off the chair she had sat in and left, rather quickly, out the door.
I took the time, now that I was alone, to fully try and comprehend where I was, and how I got there. Obviously, I was brought to this home while I had blacked out the first time. Carefully, I began to flex my muscles, to see if anything had been restrained or damaged, other than my head -something I really had to stop doing. My hands felt fine as I stretched my fingers and wrists, and nothing was binding me to the bed. I did notice that my shoulders were sore and that I had some pain in my left ankle. I probably twisted the latter yesterday. With a heavy sigh, I slowly began to pull myself up into a sitting position and leaned against the headboard. The room I was in was quite open, with a large bed, that I was in, a dresser, two side tables, a chair, and two doors that no doubt led to a closet. I looked over at the other side of the room, where a large window was located and from what I saw, I was on farmland.
That idea alone had me relaxed as I thought about my situation. I knew I had to get back to people, important people, but the reason for that was fuzzy. I knew my head wound fresh, and that this concussion that I had now, was far worse than the last one I had. There was something else that I was forgetting though, something important, something extremely important and it tugged painfully at my heart.
"What is it though?" I whispered, when I realized just how dry my throat was. I looked over at the side table, when I noticed something glittering from the corner of my eye. I was surprised to see a glass of water sitting there and hesitantly, I reached over, only to pause the moment I saw how shaky my hand was.
"That will go away in a bit, Joanna, you're still recovering after all," a slightly familiar voice told me.
I looked up to see an older man walk into the room with a stethoscope hang around his shoulders. My brows pinched together in the middle, when I somewhat recalled the man from last night. I didn't get a chance to ask him anything, like this name before I passed out, and I didn't remember telling him my name. It had been so long since anyone called me by my full name, not since before the world went south.
"Jo, please sir, I'm not accustomed to my full name anymore," I requested politely, and quietly due to my throat, as I remembered my manners. I watched as the man sit on the bed and pick up the glass of water.
"Jo then, I'm going to check you up and see how everything is going," he explained and held the glass out to me. With slow movements, I shakily held the cup in my hands, but the man didn't release it. I took a slow, long slip from the glass, until I felt I had enough and pulled away.
"Thank you….?" I paused and looked at the man curiously, "If you don't mind me asking, what is your name, sir?"
"Hershel, and you're on my farm," the man, Hershel told me as he set the water back on the table. He slipped the stethoscope into his ears and started to check my vitals. I let him do so silently, and waited until he was done. When he was, he rested the stethoscope around his neck and nodded his head a bit. "You're doing better than last night, Jo. In a day or two, you should be fine, and we'll set you on your way again."
"On my way?" I asked curiously, confused by what he meant. The older man sighed heavily and looked me squarely in the eye.
"You have to understand, Jo, we don't normally take others in. The only reason I'm helping you, is because one of my men, Otis, found you and brought you back from the woods when he found you," he explained.
"The woods?" I repeated quietly and I felt my heart squeeze again. "I think… I think I lost something… no someone…. Someone spec—" My hand flew to cover my mouth as I remembered. "Ben! Oh, my god… how could I forget about Ben?" The question wasn't aimed at Hershel, but at myself and my concussion. How could I allow something like that to make me forget about him? The one person I had promised to never let down.
"Ben? He is your son?" Hershel asked as he gently, but firmly grabbed my arms to keep me from harming myself by accident.
"Benjamin, and he's good as, but he's-he's my brother, the youngest," I gulped for air, trying not to have a panic attack with the thoughts of him being alone in the wounds.
Hershel nodded his head slowly, though I knew I wasn't exactly making any coherent sense currently. But, my mind was reeling, it was moving far too fast than it should have, and the headache I somewhat remembered from the night before, came back in full power. I clutched my head in my hands as tears began to stream down my face.
"H-how… how could I let this happen?" I spoke out loud as my breath hitched. "I w-was. I was s-supposed to protect him… but-but I left…" I looked up at Hershel as the tears ran down my cheeks. "How could I have just left him there in the woods with Sophia?" I asked him with a sob.
"Jo, calm down. You're going to give yourself an attack at this rate," Hershel tried to calm me as he gently grasped my arms. "What do you do for a living?"
"B-but… he's-he's so young…. And-and he has to look after s-someone who-who can't take care of themselves…" I managed to croak out through the tears. I knew Hershel was trying to distract me from my current mind set, but it was hard not to think about Ben.
"Jo, what do you do for a living?" Hershel repeated the question firmly as he forced me to look at him.
"D-doctor… I-I was f-finishing up my r-residency," I stuttered in answer as I forced myself not to shake like a leaf.
"That's how you knew you had a concussion isn't it?" he asked and I nodded my head instead of answering. "That makes more sense then," Hershel spoke to himself rather than me. "Are you familiar with farms?"
"Y-yes, I-I grew up on one…" I responded with a slight nod.
"Good." He nodded his head and took his hand from my arms. "You're not from around here then, are you?"
"N-No, Sask-Saskatchewan… C-Canada," I told him and found myself calming down slightly. "W-we, Ben and I… w-we left the f-farm. It-it wasn't safe for us any-anymore…"
"And you found yourselves down here," he filled in the rest and I nodded my head. "You're quite brave to do that."
"It doesn't matter now though, does it?" I responded with tears still in my eyes. "My brother is lost in the woods, with a girl who screams at every little thing. I-I don't even know if he could have found a place to use a shelter."
"You did hunting back home, right, Jo?" Hershel asked and I nodded my head in confirmation. "And I'm guessing that this brother of yours knows the same tricks you do." Again, I nodded my head, since he was right. "Then I'm sure he will be fine. If he knows the tricks of the trade, he will be able to keep himself and that girl alive, until you find them."
"Do you think so?" I asked quietly, and looked down at my hands. I felt like a failure, a failure to my brother, the one person who trusted me with everything.
"If you can survive out there, I'm sure he can as well. He sounds like a tough boy, one that you've raised well." Even if the words Hershel spoke were only meant to stop me from having a panic attack, I still appreciated hearing them from the man.
"Okay, thank you," I spoke softly and rubbed the tears from my eyes.
"Now that you've calm down some, why don't you freshen up? I'll get one of my girls to bring you some clothes to change into. The bathroom is down the hall," Hershel stood up and walked over to the door, only to pause for a moment. "I know you want to find your boy, but until I've cleared you, you're to stay here. From one doctor to the next, I hope you'll respect my authority."
I couldn't help but smile at the man and nodded my head. I would respect his authority in this case, especially since I owed him, and his people, my life. I leaned against the headboard again and let out a sigh, I could still feel the tears leaking down my face as I sat on the bed. I didn't hear anyone's footsteps, until a hand rested on my shoulder. I jerked back suddenly, which caused pain to spread through my head, and I hissed.
"Sorry, my dad did suggest that I should get your attention first." When I looked over, I saw a young woman with short brown hair, which was completely opposite from the girl I had seen earlier.
"No, it's fine," I assured her, and gave her a small smile. "I should have paid more attention to where I am."
The young woman raised an eyebrow at me, then motioned the pile of clothes in her hands. "Here, my dad thought we'd be the same size, so I brought you some of my clothes." She handed me to clothes and took a step back as I rested them on my lap.
"Thank you, I know I'm a stranger in your home and you know next to nothing about me, but thank you for looking after me," I spoke softly, then tilted my head. "You were the one from last night, weren't you?" I must have surprised her, for both of her brow rose into her hairline, and she stared at me with her mouth slightly open.
"You-you remember all that?" she asked in surprise.
"Not really, but I somewhat recognize your voice," I told her honestly and smiled a bit. "I'm Jo Teague," I stuck my hand out to her, and watched as she looked at me appraisingly.
"Maggie Greene, welcome to our farm, Jo." Maggie took my hand and shook it causing both of us to smile. "Why don't you hop in the shower and wash up? From what my dad mentioned, that should help your headache, oh, but—"
"But don't get my head wound wet, right? I figured that," I filled in with a laugh. "Thanks for the reminder, sadly, I'm rather used to this wound getting reopened, it's a pain, but maybe I'll finally learn not to crack my head open so often." I couldn't help but laugh at my own stupidity, but after these last few days, it was a given.
"At least you know," she said waited for me to get out of bed. "Dad suggested I stay, just in case you have trouble walking." She supplied her reason for not leaving and I nodded. I should have realized that.
"Right," I murmured and set the clothes off to the side. Slowly, I swung my legs around, until they were set firmly against the floor. For the first time, I noticed that my boots had been removed, as well as my quiver. I didn't bother questioning about that, and instead I focused on getting up.
Like I had figured, my body was stiff and sore. The moment I tried to put weight on my feet, my body almost gave out as a wave of vertigo shot through me. Instantly, Maggie was at my side and helped support me. She sat me back down on the bed and I leaned forward, placing my head between my knees. I felt her hand rub my back soothingly as I drew in deep breaths. When I felt the vertigo pass, I slowly sat up again and looked over at the young woman.
"Ready to try again?" she asked and I nodded my head.
Once again, this time with help from Maggie, I stood up slowly. I felt a little dizzy, but my vision didn't swim like moments before. Maggie grabbed the clothes from the bed in one hand and slowly, the two of us began to slowly make our way to the bathroom. It was a short walk, but I was grateful none the less for her help. When we got into the bathroom, Maggie helped to sit on the toilet and set the clothes on the counter.
"Do you need any help with undressing or anything?" she asked, and I could tell she was hesitant in the offer.
"Thanks, Maggie, but no, I should be fine. I know that's a lot, for you to offer a stranger, but I should be strong enough to shower myself. I'll just be careful," I assured her and gave her shoulder a squeeze. A look of relief passed over her face as she looked at me.
"That's fine, just take it easy alright? We don't need you falling over," she smirked at me.
"I'll give you a call when I'm done, just so you know I haven't passed out, again," I teased her.
She snickered and headed to the door, closing it behind her. I sighed then and looked down at my hand, raising them a bit to see how badly they were shaking. It wasn't as bad as before, but I knew I had to take it slow. I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Slowly, I stood, then began to undress. I took everything off and stepped into the shower. My hair had been unbound, probably when Hershel went to look at my wound earlier.
I turned the shower on and adjusted it to the proper temperature. Soothing cool water sprayed on my face as I stood beneath the water, relaxed. I didn't take long to wash up, while being mindful of my headwound. I did stand under the showerhead a bit though, and just let the water wash away the stress I had knotted in my body. When I felt human enough, I turned the shower off and grabbed one of the towels that was left out for me. I let the warm, soft material hug my body as I stepped out of the shower and for a moment, I wished I could just disappear, for a time, from all of this. I couldn't though, and I knew that, but finding something to normalize the chaos in this life was hard.
As I dried myself off, I gazed at the mirror, more specifically at my body. I had lost a lot of weight, and any fat that I had before was gone thanks to the restricted diet I had now. The one thing that really caught my attention, something that I had forgotten about, my tattoo. The tattoo went was in pieces, going from my left shoulder to my right hip. They weren't connected to one another by any means, but each one was symbolic to me. The one I looked at currently, was on my hip. There were five pawprints, of different mammals, and each one was connected by a Celtic knot that connected to a moon, which was in the center. Each paw held the first letter of my siblings. Ben's pawprint was a wolf's, the cat print was for Serenity, who was part of the younger twins. Marcus, Serenity's twin, had a bear print. The two elder twins, Liam and Caine, had a fox and a lynx print. The other tattoo's I have were far simpler than the one on my hip, but each of them had a Celtic twist placed on them.
With a shake of my head, I finished drying off and got dressed in the clothes Maggie was lending me. It seemed that her father, who I assumed was Hershel, was right and that Maggie and I were the same size, though my bust was bigger than hers. The pants fit well though, we were the same size in that regard. I suppose that came from my gene's though as I tugged on the shirt a bit. I let my hair flow down my back, hiding the rest of my tattoos from sight and I opened the bathroom door. To my surprise, Maggie stood in front, with her hand raised to knock. It seemed that I had surprised her as well.
"Well, it seems I didn't have to check up on you after all," Maggie mused with a smile as she looked me up and down. "Well, at least we know my dad was right and we're relatively the same size." She chuckled a bit and motioned down the hall. "Come on, Patricia has some food cooked up, if you think you're up for it," she offered and I nodded my head.
"Sure, I'll try to at least, it's always hard to tell with these concussions," I agreed and followed her down the hall, and down a couple of stairs to here I suspected the main halls were.
When we reached the kitchen, I saw the girl that was in the room earlier and an older woman at the stove. The two of them looked over when we entered, and I hesitated at the entrance, until Maggie grabbed my arm and tugged me inside and to the table.
"Beth, Patricia, this is Jo," Maggie began the introductions. "Jo, this is my sister Beth," the young girl gave a slight smile, which I returned, "and over at the stove is Patricia, she's the wife of Otis, who found you."
"It's nice to meet you, and thank you for looking after me," I gave them both a shy smile as Maggie sat me down at the table.
"She's not staying here long, just until I've cleared her," Hershel stated as he walked into the kitchen and I saw Maggie roll her eyes. "I'll change the bandage for your head after you've eaten, then, if you don't mind, I'd like to also have a talk with you." The man looked at me pointedly.
"That's fine Hershel, this is your home after all. I'm merely a guest, here," I responded lightly and inclined my head a bit. Patricia set down a couple of plates in front of Maggie and myself, and I thanked the woman before digging in. The food smelt wonderful, and despite the temptation to devour the food, I knew my stomach most likely wouldn't be able to handle all of it.
I took small bites as my stomach started to protest the sudden food, but I managed to soothe it with some water that was given to me. As Maggie and I ate, I got bombarded with questions from the young woman, and soon enough Beth had joined in as well. It was honestly refreshing to have conversation with females who weren't going to bite my head off, just because I had different ideals and way of living. Since we all lived on farms, I had a lot more in common with them and found myself relaxing quite a bit. To my surprise, the distraction of talking with Maggie and Beth, I found that I ate half of the meal Patricia gave me.
"Thank you, Patricia, the meal was wonderful, I'm sorry that I couldn't finish it all," I told the older woman regretfully as I brought my plate up to the sink.
"Don't worry about it, Jo. I understand. I'm glad you enjoyed it though. Now, you best go and see Hershel, the man, though patient, doesn't like to be kept waiting," the woman said and took the plate from me before I could offer to wash it. Seeing that I really didn't have much of a choice, I nodded my head and walked towards the area Hershel had gone into earlier. I stopped by the door and lightly knocked on the doorframe.
Hershel looked up and motioned for me to enter, and sit in the chair that faced the window, into his yard. I did so without a sound, and relaxed as he stepped towards me. I felt him undo the wraps around my head, as well as the slight tug when the bandages snagged my hair. He took the bandage off, cleaned it and placed a new gauze over top. "You should be fine to go in a few days, from the way the wound looks," Hershel informed me once he was down and heard him toss the old bandages into a nearby garbage.
"That's good to know, thank you again," I replied as I turned around to face him.
The man continued to stand and motioned for me to do so as well. The action confused me, but I did so anyway as he led me out of his house. We stood on the porch and I couldn't help but relax at the sight of the open land. It filled me with a sense of calmness and hope. Hope that I would find Ben, Sophia and the others.
"Look around you, Jo, tell me what you see," Hershel told me and I leaned against the banister. I didn't even have to think about the answer as I gazed at the familiar sight.
"Home, I see home," I responded truthfully and felt him look at me. I was more relaxed here than I had been anywhere else so far, except for home. I always felt most comfortable in the open areas, then trapped somewhere with little to no escape.
"Exactly, this is a home, my home. I know you're familiar with this feeling, but I don't want you to have the illusion that this will stay like this. Once you're better, we'll give you some provisions, then send you on your way." The way Hershel spoke, reminded me of a person who preferred their privacy, which was something I respected.
"Hershel, I didn't come here to impose on your family or your life," I started out with a sigh. "I came here by accident, when your man found me. Honestly, I'm grateful for the help and I really do appreciate it, but I know the limits of such kindness. I respect you, I do and I understand what you're saying. But you honestly don't need to repeat yourself to me. I'm not stupid." I rolled my eyes a bit as I leaned against the banister. "I won't get comfortable here, but during my stay, I hope you don't mind that I become acquainted with your girls. They're some of the first people that I've met, that I have connected with on a personal level. The other women in my group? They're city women, who don't understand the way I think or why I do certain things, but your girls do."
Hershel gave me a long look, as if he was appraising what I had just said. I was not some push over who took everything without gratitude. I was a stubborn country girl who appreciated the small things in life. It seemed that the man didn't have anything else to say to me, so he turned around and walked back inside, which left me alone with the familiar view. Instead of going inside, I walked down from the porch and headed over to the fence. It was so peaceful here, so much like home. The wind played with my damp hair and I made myself comfortable by sitting against the fence post.
I must have dozed off because I was woken by the sound of gunshot in the distance. I whipped my head around in the direction I was sure it came from, but saw nothing, except birds flying away. Maggie ran out of the house soon afterwards and joined me at the fence.
"What was that? Aside from a gunshot." I asked her. I couldn't help but wonder if it was someone from my group or not.
"It's was probably just Otis, he went out deer hunting earlier today, before you woke up," Maggie explained and grabbed my hand, giving it a bit of a tug. "Come on, let's get back inside, dad wants to check your wound again, and if you're bored, I'm sure there's some books you can read out on the porch," she offered and I nodded my head.
"Sure, that would be great, Maggie," I agreed and allowed the younger woman to drag me inside.
Much like she had said, Hershel had checked my head again, cleaned it and replaced the gauze once more. I stayed quiet during the time, and Hershel didn't try to converse with me after our conversation earlier in the day. Once Hershel was done with me, I found Maggie on the main floor and she handed me a couple of books that she thought I would find interesting, along with a glass of water.
"Sometimes I like to just sit outside and enjoy the fresh air before supper, I think you'd enjoy it too. I'll come get you when it's ready," Maggie told me.
"Maggie, please. I might be a guest, but I'm not an invalid. Please, let me help, even if it's just a bit?" I asked her and watched as she bit her lip.
"I'm sorry, Jo, but my dad would disagree, he also doesn't trust you, you know?" she admitted and I found myself sighing.
"I get it, don't worry. I'm sorry for pushing." I sighed a bit and went to head back outside, but paused. "Oh, you wouldn't happen to know where my quiver and arrows went to, do you?" I asked curiously.
"Oh, yeah, we have them. We didn't know what you would be like when you woke up, so for our safety, and yours, we put them away," she explained. "They should be in the room you woke up in, it's just a guest room, so you're welcome to use it if you get tired."
Maggie soon went back inside after that, which left me alone, again. With a slightly irritated sigh, I walked along the porch and found a comfortable chair to sit it. I set the glass of water on the table, after I took a sip of it and sat down. The chair was big enough for me to curl up in and opened one of the books Maggie was going to lend me. I didn't really care what the book was about, I just needed something to distract me, until I would be well enough to leave and find Ben. It still made my stomach churn, when I thought about the horrible person I was to Ben. After all, I had left him all alone with Sophia. I knew Ben was a good hunter and tracker, I believed in his abilities, but I still couldn't help but worry over him. I went up to fiddle with my locket, when I realized that it wasn't there. I tried to think back, to where I had it last, but it escaped me. I knew I never took it off recently, and that the last time I had worn it, I had gone after Ben and Sophia.
"Oh, fuck," I cursed, when it came back to me.
That Flesh-Doll!
The last one I took down before I blacked out, it had tried to grab my neck, but instead, it caught my necklace. I didn't even realize that it had torn it off. But that also meant that I might never be able to find it again. Because I had been running, and not paying attention to my surroundings, I wouldn't be able to find my way back again to that spot, unless, perhaps, I could ask Otis, to take me back. If Hershel would allow that anyway. The man seemed wound tighter than a spring-loaded trap, and it was hard to get a read on what he thought or was currently thinking.
"Maybe he'll consent if I ask nicely," I sighed to myself as I settled into the chair a bit more.
I was just about to delve back into the book, when I heard muffled yelling in the distance. With my brows pinched together, I stood up from the chair, forgetting about the book and looked at the fields. I could barely see them, but I was sure there were three bodies running towards the farm. It seemed that I wasn't the only one who saw this, as Maggie came out of the house with binoculars in hand. She raised them to her face and looked out, into the field. I watched as her face grew pale and she turned to entrance.
"Dad!" she yelled into the house and from where I stood next to her, I could hear the others move quickly towards us.
"Maggie?" I asked the younger woman and she held the binoculars out to me to look. I raised them to my face and looked out to the field. The thing I spotted was Rick, and the anguish on his face as he ran towards us, with Carl, limp in his arms. I looked past Rick and saw that Shane was forcing a much larger man, who I assumed was Otis, towards the farmhouse. "Oh, god…." I whispered and lowered the binoculars.
Seconds after I muttered those words, Hershel, Patricia, Beth, and a thin looking male teen with a bat, came running out of the house, and stood around us. As Rick came closer, I tried to take a step forward, only to have Maggie grab hold of my arm and held me back. They didn't know that I knew them, that I knew three out of the four people who came closer to the farm. I could only hope though, that whatever happened, Hershel would take them in and help them. I might be a doctor, but at that moment, I was useless so long as my head ached the way that it did, plus, Hershel also didn't trust me much either, so I wouldn't be able to help anyway.
"Was he bit?" Hershel called to Rick, when the sheriff was close enough the house.
"Shot," Rick called back. "By your man."
"Otis?" Patricia responded in surprise, and when I looked back at the others, they all were surprised by that. Hershel walked down the steps towards Rick and Carl, with the others following behind. I stayed back, not wanting to crowd everyone, and because I knew it wasn't the time to interject.
"He said, 'find Hershel.' Is that you?" Rick asked desperately and I watched as Hershel nod his head. "Help me," Rick begged him. "Help my boy!"
"Get him inside," Hershel instructed and hurriedly turned around, to take him in. The older man passed me and motioned for me to go in as well. "You can help, you know what to do too," he told me and I nodded my head. I followed them into the farmhouse as Hershel began to roll his sleeves up. "Patricia, I need my full kit," he told his assistant, "Maggie, painkillers, coagulates—grab everything." He told his eldest daughter. "Clean towels, sheets, alcohol. In here."
I helped Hershel move the bed cover from the bed as Rick laid Carl down on the bed and moved the pillows out of the way. "Pillowcase," Hershel requested to Rick, and when the man didn't move, I did.
"Is he alive?" the sheriff asked shakily as he stepped back, his face pale and aghast.
"Pillowcase, quick!" Hershel said again, probably to keep Rick busy as the others came into the room.
"Here, Rick," I told the sheriff and passed him the pillow case I had. "He's in shock, give him a few moments to wrap his head around everything," I asked the farmer. "Please, his son is his world."
"You know him, Jo?" Hershel asked as he began to undress the boy. Rick began to hover, and kept asking if his son was alive.
"I'm part of his group, so yes, I do." I nodded my head, but didn't say much else, there were more important things to worry about.
"Is he alive?" Rick asked again, his voice shaky in fear.
"Fold it. Make a pad," Hershel instructed as Rick did just that. "Put pressure on the wound."
Rick did as he was told and stood off to the side, there were too many people in the room and around the bed. Hershel put on the stethoscope and checked for a heartbeat. I watched the two men, while keeping out of the way of the rest, and I saw relief flood the old man's eyes when he found something.
"I've got a heartbeat," the man informed Rick, who shakily nodded his head. "It's faint."
"I got this, step back," Patricia took over to help Hershel and the older man looked over at me.
"Maggie, I.V." Hershel instructed as he stood up. It was hard for Maggie to move to help her father, with Rick hovering nearby and she asked him to move off to the side.
"Your name?" Hershel requested and I stood up straighter, Rick looked as if he was going to pass out.
"R-Rick," the sheriff stuttered, almost as if took everything in his power to remember his own name.
"Rick?" Hershel tried to get the man to focus.
"I'm—I'm Rick." There was still some uncertainty in the man's voice about who he was, since Rick was so focused on his son.
"Rick, we're gonna do everything we can, okay?" Hershel tried to console him. "You need to give us some room." When Rick didn't move, Hershel looked back at him. "Now. Jo, take him downstairs."
I knew an order when I heard one, especially when it came to something serious like this. I walked over to Rick and lightly patted his shoulder, causing him to tense and jump a bit.
"Come on, Rick, let's go downstairs. Hershel's people will let us know what's happening," I spoke softly and urged him out of the room. "You can trust them."
"J-Jo?" Rick asked, as if he just realized I was there, and alive. "Y-you're…?"
"Not dead, no. I got lucky," I replied softly and led him down to the main floor. "I was found by Hershel's people and brought here." Rick went to open his mouth when he looked out the window, I turned to it as well when I heard Shane's yell and saw him and Otis finally reaching the fence line. "Come on, let's go meet them." I nodded my head to the hallway and with great reluctance, Rick agreed.
By the time, we got outside, Shane had already made it. I held back and leaned against the house, rubbing my temples as the headache began to bloom once more. Maybe I shouldn't have brought attention to myself just yet.
"He's alive?" the other man asked desperately, "He's still alive?" Rick didn't answer, instead he still looked dazed and lost. I watched Shane go up to him and I went over to Otis, I still owed him my thanks.
"Yeah, he's still alive, Hershel and the others are with him right now," I spoke softly, which caused the man to look over at me. "I also want to say thank you, for bringing me here to be treated." I gave the man a gentle smile and he seemed to relax a bit.
"I'm relieved. It was an accident, I swear," Otis began to explain, and I nodded my head in understanding. "I-I didn't even see him…"
"Hey, hey. It'll be fine. He's here, with Hershel, he's going to get treated," I gently rubbed his shoulder, hoping that it would help calm him down. We honestly didn't need two people having a mental break at the same time.
I looked over at Shane and Rick, who started to head inside. Rick was on autopilot, that much was obvious and I had a feeling he was leading Shane to where Carl was. I looked over at Otis and nodded my head to the door, it would probably be best if we went inside as well, that way, Otis could explain everything to the others. We followed behind the two men and entered the room. Hershel sat next to the bed, pressing a cloth to Carl's wound. Patricia stood behind him, in case Hershel needed something, and Maggie was at the I.V. pole.
"You know his blood type?" Hershel asked, without looking over at the rest of us.
"A-Positive, s-same as mine," Rick replied, sounding slightly calmer than before, though he was still stuttering.
"That's fortunate," Hershel looked over at Rick, then at Shane and then at me for a moment. "Don't wander far. I'm gonna need you." He spotted Otis, who stood off to the side, as he gazed at Carl in anguish. "What happened?"
"I was tracking a buck," Otis began to explain quietly as he recounted what happened. "Bullet went through it. Went clean through…" he didn't finish what he said, but it seemed that Hershel understood.
"The deer slowed the bullet down, which certainly saved his life," Hershel mused and I nodded my head, it was certainly lucky then. "But it did not go through clean." I heard the old man sigh heavily and I couldn't help but wince. If the bullet didn't go through clean, that meant there was shrapnel. "It broke into pieces," Hershel confirmed my suspicions. "If I can get the bullet fragments out…" The man paused as he looked at the sound. "And I'm counting six."
I winced at that number and wrapped my arms around my waist. That could be a dangerous number, especially for someone as young as Carl. Behind Rick, Otis had gone to Patricia, and told her that he didn't even see the boy.
"Lori doesn't know?" Rick questioned, even though he knew the answer.
"No…" Shane replied and Rick began to tear up.
"My wife doesn't know… My wife, doesn't know…" I winced at the tone of Rick's voice and I watched as Shane wrap an arm around the man's shoulders as Rick began to cry.
I walked over to the bed, opposite of Hershel and squatted down. It was hard to see Carl like this, it reminded me too much of an accident that involved Ben, and how he had been hospitalized. He needed a blood transfusion as well.
"I'm also A-Positive, Hershel," I informed him quietly. "If you need more blood, just let me know."
"Not until you're clear, Jo. I can't risk you passing out again, not with your concussion," Hershel firmly told me, but when he looked over at me, he sighed. "We'll see how you are in a couple of hours. Until then, you need to rest."
I nodded my head and stood up, there wasn't anything that I could do, or help with, without Hershel scolding me. I passed the boys and caught Shane's eyes, which widen in shock and disbelief. I nodded to the door, silently suggesting that we leave Hershel to his work and walked out of the room. I also needed to sit down, before I fell with the way my head was pounding. I sat down in one of the chairs placed in the sitting room and rested my head in between my knees. I breathed slowly and deeply, trying to will the headache away.
"The hell are you doing here?" Shane asked, his voice rose a bit in disbelief. Rick had taken a seat in another chair as slowly breathed. "What the hell happened?"
"Would you lower your voice and calm down? Can't you see that I'm suffering right now?" I asked slowly as I slowly rose back up.
"Shane, calm down, it's not Jo's fault. We told you last night, didn't we?" Rick spoke up, for a moment he wasn't focused on his son. "Daryl and I found her tracks and where she was last. Daryl even stated that Jo would be alive, we just didn't know where she was," Rick explained and looked over at me.
"I was found by Otis, while I was knocked out and he brought me here. Hershel and his people have been looking after me," I responded quietly, then looked over at Rick. "Why were you guys so far from the caravan anyway? Where's Ben?" The look the two of them shared had my breath catch in my throat. The way Rick's face fell into shame and guilt caused my stomach to twist painfully.
"Jo, they-they never made it back to the highway…" Rick explained and I felt my nails bite into my arms. "We found their trail and had followed them, but…"
"But it went cold. The others were headed back to the highway, while Rick and I decided to try and look for them a bit longer," Shane summed the rest of what happened up, when Rick fell silent again as his mind no doubt wen to his son's condition.
I sat back in the chair and pressed my hand to my lips. I shook my head a few times and hurriedly stood up, a wave of dizziness washed over me, but I pushed it to the side as I rushed out of the room. This couldn't be happening… Surely Ben would have known how to get back to the others by now, with Sophia. I sat down in one of the chairs on the porch and sobbed into my hands.
Why?
Why did I leave my brother and Sophia alone like that?
I thought about the conversation Ben and I had, while on the highway, when I told him that I would treat him as a member of the group, and not just a kid, who needed to be protected. This, this was the test of faith of that, and I hated myself for it. I hated that I allowed him to talk sense into me, and I hated that I listened. But I knew, I knew that the moment he was found, he would have proved himself capable of protecting himself and others. Until then, I knew I would worry, something I couldn't help.
I heard something going on inside the house, but I didn't have the energy to go look. I was feeling drained, even more so than earlier. I curled up more on the chair and closed my eyes for a moment. Tears clung to my lashes and cheeks, but I had stopped crying, again. It had been a while since I've been this weak and breakable. But then, I've mentioned it before, haven't I? Ben was my rock, he's the one thing that has been keeping me grounded. I stayed outside for a few more minutes before I headed inside. Entered the room, the moment Hershel walked out of Carl's room and stood off to the side, to listen.
"He's out of danger, for the moment. But I need to remove those remaining fragments," Hershel told Rick bluntly.
"How? You saw how he was," Rick asked and I had a feeling that, that was the commotion from earlier.
"I know, and that was the shallowest one. I need to go deeper to get the others." He paused as he let that knowledge sink in. I mentally cursed at Carl's luck. "There's more. His belly's distended, his pressure is dropping, which means there's internal bleeding," Hershel explained and I winced. "A fragment must have nicked one of the blood vessels."
That was not good. If Carl was left like this, without the proper utilities to help stabilize him, the kid would end up dying from blood loss. That would be no help to anyone, and I couldn't see Rick recovering from that loss. I doubt even Lori would recover whenever she found out, and it would be just another loss to the group.
"I have to open him up, find the bleeder and stitch it. And he can't move while I'm in there—" Hershel continued to explain what was going on to Rick. From where I stood, I could tell that Rick was about to have another breakdown with this news as he began to fidget in his spot. "I mean, at all. If he reacts the same as before, I'll sever an artery and he'll be dead in minutes." That news, though harsh, was the truth, and even I knew that this was going to be risky. "To even try this, I have to put him under. But if I do, he won't be able to breathe on his own. Same bad results."
If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn that Hershel was just trying to tell Rick that saving his son was a lost cause. But Hershel was a doctor, he knew what he was talking about, and from what I could tell of the doctor, he knew what he was doing.
"What'll it take?" Rick asked after he tried to wrap his head around the information he had been given.
"You'll need a respirator," Otis stepped up and I looked over at the man, when Rick asked what else they would need.
"The tube that goes with it, extra surgical supplies, drapes, sutures," Hershel added to the list.
"If you had all that, you could save him?" Rick asked seriously as he looked at the older man.
"If I had all that, I could try," Hershel reiterated. "I might succeed with some extra help from, Jo." A couple people looked over at me, but I didn't react. This was Hershel's show after all.
"Nearest hospital went up in flames a month ago," Otis spoke as he looked at Hershel. He paused for a moment though, when something came to him. "The high school."
"That's what I was thinking," Hershel agreed with a nod of his head. "They set up a Fema-shelter there. They would have everything we need."
"Place was overrun last time I saw it," Otis brought up. "You couldn't get near it. Maybe, it's better now."
"I said, leave the rest to me. Is it too late to take that back?" Shane spoke up from his place near the window. I raised an eyebrow in confusion, since I didn't know what he was talking about, but I looked back, over at Hershel.
"I hate you going alone," Rick spoke up when he looked over at Shane.
"Come on. Doc, why don't you do me a list and draw me a map?" Shane suggested with a half smile. "Hell, I'll even take the healer with me, if it makes you feel any better."
I looked over at Shane, as if I had not just heard what he had suggested. It seemed that I was not the only one offended by his careless words.
"You'll not be taking her, she's still recovering from her own injury," Hershel stated firmly. "She can't leave this farm, neither can you, Rick."
"You won't need a map," Otis cut in, before he could speak again. "I'll take you there. Ain't but five miles."
"Otis, no." Patricia cut in as she looked at her husband from the doorway.
"Honey, we don't have time for guesswork and I'm responsible," Otis told her, and even I could tell that he was set in going. "I ain't gonna sit here while this fella takes this on alone." He looked at his wife for a moment. "I'll be all right." He tried to assure her.
"Are you sure about this?" Shane asked, as he looked over at the man, but I could tell that he was displeased about the forceful change of plans.
"Do you even know what any of the stuff he's talking about looks like?" Otis asked and I found myself smirking a bit, when Shane admitted that he didn't know what any of the equipment Hershel mentioned looked like. "I've been a volunteer EMT. I do. We can talk about this till next Sunday, or we could just go do it real quick," Otis informed him.
"I'll take right quick," Shane admitted, agreeing with going along with Otis.
"I should thank you," Rick spoke quietly as he looked over at Otis.
"Wait till that boy of yours is up and around," Otis insisted, and the guilt that he felt was even more prominent than before. "Then we'll talk. I'll gather some things together." Otis left the room, which left the rest of us to wait until the duo came back from the high school.
"Where is she, your wife?" Maggie asked as she stepped towards Rick.
I watched as Hershel head into the room again, and motioned for me to join him. I passed by the other silently and walked into the room. I couldn't help but wonder what he wanted to talk to me about this time.
"I wasn't lying when I said that I would probably succeed with your help," Hershel reiterated as he sat down in the chair next to Carl's bed. "I want you to know that once those two return, I need your head clear and focused on the task at hand. But to do that, I need to know, you won't have a panic attack."
"I understand, I was actually thinking of taking a walk around the field for a bit, if you'll permit me to. That would be enough to help keep my head on straight," I admitted to him and I watched his facial expression.
"That's fine, just don't wonder too far. I might need you," he told me and with a nod, I left the room. Instead of going outside right away.
I went up to the room I was borrowing, for the time being and found my quiver and arrows. I strapped them to my thigh, and felt better with them on, though I did miss having my bow with me, as well as my hunting knife. I walked down the stairs and met up with Maggie part way down, who had come out of her room, dressed to go out.
"Heading out?" I asked her curiously as we walked down to the main floor and out of the house.
"Yeah, I'm gonna go collect Rick's wife, Lori," she told me gave me a bit of a smile. "Need me to relay anything to anyone?" she asked curiously as I stood up.
"Yeah, could you tell someone to bring my jeep to the farm? I have some herbal remedies that I need," I asked her, after I thought about it for a moment.
"So, you really are a doctor then?" she asked, probably to confirm what Hershel had told her earlier.
"Yeah, I am. In the group, I'm their healer." I shrugged my shoulders with a half smile. "But it's pretty much the same thing."
"Alright, I'll let them know. I'll be back later," she told me and headed off towards the stables. I didn't even see the stables until then, I completely missed them earlier when I had been out here. I suppose that was normal though, my mind was still healing from the concussion, so my observant abilities weren't up to their usual par.
I watched Maggie ride out on a horse a few moments later and disappear into the woods. Instead of going to the fields, I was about to head to the stables when everyone else came out of the house. I stayed on the porch and watched Patricia and Otis say goodbye to one another, and the other exchanges that happened. For Carl's sake, and Patricia's, I hoped they returned soon, with little trouble. By now, the sun had started to decline and it was only a matter of time before they lost the light. Patricia, Hershel and Rick went back inside, once Shane and Otis were out of sight, and I was left in the silence of the farmyard. I sat down in one of the chairs and rubbed my temples a bit. It was going to be a long, and stressful wait.