*** I OWN NOTHING! Except Linney :) ***

"I'm ok, I'm ok, I'm ok..." Jim repeated, over and over again. The group circled around him slowly. Linney got up from her seat and made her way over, slowly and carefully, trying to get near Jim, without anyone seeing. Everyone wore stricken expressions, some twisted with anger. She made her way to the edge of the crowd and stood behind Dale, only a few feet from Jim. Daryl surprised her by his reaction, it was immediate, and it was angry.

"Show it to us," he growled warningly, moving towards Jim. "Show it to us!" he yelled, advancing on Jim in a threatening way. Linney saw Shane moving in from the side, where Jim wasn't looking. She stepped out in front of Jim quickly, just as Daryl was shouting at him, "Show it to us!" Everyone stopped and looked at her. She put a hand behind her, on Jim's arm, cautioning him to stay back, and her other she held out in front of herself, holding it up to signal everyone to stop.

"Calm the fuck down!" She cried at Daryl, before looking at Shane and glaring. "Stop where you are, let's be rational, guys!" She could hear Jim behind her muttering, "I'm ok," over and over so many times that it was beginning to sound like one word. Daryl's face was dark as he pointed at her.

"Linney, move, now, he needs to show it to us." He advanced a step and she grabbed the shovel at Jim's feet, holding it across her body. "Stay back, Dixon, please, we don't have to be this way." Daryl's eyebrows twitched at her and he glared harder but stopped his forward movements. She glanced over at Shane and her expression was beyond black. He stopped too and moved slowly to stand by Daryl, both of them glaring past at her Jim.

Linney turned and faced the tall man, wincing when she saw how pale and sweaty he was already. She nodded at him. "Jim, please, just show them, I don't want to have hit anyone with this thing." Her voice was pleading and he snapped out of it enough to look down at her, and he smiled sadly, lifting his shirt briefly. Linney made a strangled noise at the perfect bite mark, right in the center of his abdomen, and she could hear everyone behind her growling or gasping. Linney dropped the shovel and looked up at him, as he lowered his t-shirt again.

"Oh, Jim," she murmured, her voice heavy with sadness. His eyes were clear while he looked back at her and she put a hand on his arm. "Come on, come over here." He glanced warily at everyone while she lead him to the back end of the RV, made him sit on the ground and relax in the shade there. He eased to the ground with a pained sigh and he stared up at her.

"Go, Linney, go talk to them." He said, his voice quiet and defeated. She clenched her teeth and nodded at him, before turning back to the group. She saw Carol and Morales' wife leading the kids back to the firepit, away from the impromptu meeting now being held regarding Jim, Andrea was still seated at the pit from before, completely zoned out.

Linney went and stood beside Daryl and he gave her a steady look before glancing up to Rick. "Put a pick axe in his head and have it done with, that's what we shoulda done with the girl." Linney flinched beside him, at his terse tone and the hash words. The reactions were mixed and when Linney met Lori's gaze, she could see her own sympathies for Jim echoed back at her in the woman's dark eyes.

"Is that what you'd want?" Morales' voice was heated and he gave Daryl a contemptuous look. Daryl nodded and glared around at everybody, before looking down at Linney, who was trying to force the image of the bite on Jim's stomach being on Daryl's instead, from her mind.

"Yeah I would, and I'd thank you while you did it." He shot back at the man. Linney wiped the back of her hand across her nose and looked down at her feet. Fighting hard to ignore the visions of such a role reversal in her head. When she had her emotions in check, she could see the warring opinions on everyone's faces and wondered what Jim wanted. Why is no one asking that?

"I hate to say it, never thought I would, but I agree with Daryl." When Dale spoke the expressions on the faces around the circle were almost comical, especially Daryl's. Linney took a step forward, finally angry. She couldn't believe that Dale was on board, Jim was his friend, and he was still a person. She met Rick's tormented eyes and then spoke, trying to look at everyone.

"You can't all be fucking serious! This is Jim! A person! With thoughts and feelings and a fucking heartbeat! We don't just whack his head off and walk away like it's a chore well done." She turned to Daryl and glared at him. "Have you thought of asking him? What he wants to do with the time he has left? This wouldn't be a mercy, this wouldn't be fucking euthanasia, this is murder you're talking about!" Her chest was heaving and she felt slightly crazed herself.

Daryl's face was still hard, Shane's as well. Dale looked ashamed, as did Jacqui. Linney stepped closer to Rick, knowing he was probably the most reasonable one here. "Rick, please, what have we become if we execute people just because life is cruel and they're going to die an unfair death?" Rick twisted his mouth to the side and looked away. Daryl grabbed her shoulder and spun her to him. His eyes searched her face, as if he was looking for something specific and not finding it.

"He's a tickin' time bomb! When he turns, he won't hesitate. He won't have a fuckin' conversation 'bout it, he'll jus' kill whoever he wants!" His voice was angry and Linney stepped away from his hand, towards Jim, and pointed at the man, "He's not dead yet!" Her yell echoed around the camp and Jacqui had to walk away, Lori following on her heels.

Taking a deep breath, Rick finally waded into the fray, "Jim is not a monster - if we go down this road, where do we draw the line?" He said it slowly, but with the sense of power most of his thoughtful phrases carried and Linney felt herself relax a little bit; it was always a good thing to have Rick on your side. Daryl didn't seem to share his thoughts, though, as he pointed angrily back at Jim.

"Line's pretty clear, zero tolerance for walkers, or walkers to be." Linney looked up at him and he met her gaze briefly. She recognized the burning expression in his eyes and realized just how upset he actually was about this. Is it because Jim's a member of this group and it hurts to lose him? Or because he thinks we're all idiots?

Linney stepped closer to him, and he looked away. His body language was calm though, he looked less like he was going to lunge for Jim, so she carefully reached a hand out and held the back of his forearm, feeling the tense muscles there.

"I'm thinking we need to consider going to the CDC." Rick offered, gesturing at Jim. Shane cleared his throat in a disgusted manner and walked a few paces away, turning his back on the group. Rick watched his friend and then turned back to the group. "I heard that they were working on a cure, working on a way to fix this thing."

Linney gaped at him, wondering where he'd heard that from, how he could look around himself and possibly believe it. Daryl snorted in disgust and her hand clenched a little tighter on his arm.

"Man, I heard that too," Shane said, whirling around, his face frustrated. "I heard a lot of shit like that, before. Why do you think I risked tryin' to get into Atlanta in the first place?" Shane paced back and forth and Linney followed his movements, not liking that her mind immediately compared his frustrated movements to that of a caged lion.

"I heard a lot of things, c'mon, we all did! But look around you!" Shane waved a hand at the still burning pile of walkers, "Look! How can you see that, how can you have seen last night and still think that anything is left?" Rick rubbed his hand over his face, briskly and hard.

"Don't you think," he started, his hand still over his eyes, "That in a situation like this, that if anything was left, any form of structure, or government, or normalcy, anything at all, it would be at a place like that?" He walked towards Shane, put a hand on his shoulder. "We could go there, bring Jim, maybe get him help." Rick turned away from Shane's hard face and looked back at the clustered group of them.

"There could be food, water, comfort, safety... there could be a chance for us there!" He exclaimed, waving his hand at the pile of walkers again. Linney heard Daryl mutter, "Pipe dream," but didn't look up at him, only held his arm a little more securely, leaning a shoulder against it. Her stomach was flipping around crazily at the notion of comfort and safety. Oh god, could it be true?

"All that shit's at Fort Benning," Shane said, his voice low and angry, "That and more." Lori shot to her feet and walked over quickly, her face concerned, heavy with worry.

"That's a hundred miles in the other direction." She said, looking over at Shane. He nodded at her, his eyebrows raised as if to say 'So?'

"Yes," he agreed, licking his lips, "But it ain't in the hot zone." Lori looked away, swallowing hard. Linney stepped forward then, keeping her hand on Daryl.

"Hot zone?" She asked, and Daryl tugged her back gently. "He means Atlanta, Linney, it's a fuckin' mess that close to the city." His voice was quiet, but firm, and her heart sank. So much for that idea.

Daryl pulled his arm away from her and took a step forward, pointing an angry finger at Shane and then at Rick.

"None of this matters!" He said angrily and the other men both looked up at him. Daryl's lip twitched into a sneer.

"You go lookin' for aspirin or whatever the hell it is you need, somebody's gotta have some balls and deal with this thing!" He spun around and ran for Jim, pulling up the pick axe laying to the side on his way over. He swung it into the air and Linney screamed at him, at the same time Rick charged by her, shoving her to the side.

Rick pulled his gun, aiming it at Daryl's head, just as he had the pick axe up in the air, ready to swing it down.

"Daryl, don't!" Linney cried, running to his other side. Daryl paused, glancing quickly over at Rick, then to the other side at Linney. He lowered the pick axe with a disgusted look on his face.

Rick's voice was like a whip crack in the sudden stillness, "We don't kill the living." Linney glanced down at Jim, who was cowered against the back of the RV, looking even more sick than he had, even moments before. She swallowed hard at the sight of him and turned back to Daryl, who had turned to the gun, pressing his forehead into it, "That's funny," he began, tossing the pick axe to the ground, his face tight and his tone rasping and furious, "Coming from a man with a gun to my head."

Rick glared at him for a moment and lowered the gun, and Linney followed their movement before watching Shane, who was making his way slowly around them, moving for the pick axe. She moved quickly and snatched it up, stepping away from them, with the tool hanging behind her back.

"Think I'll just hang on to this." She said, moving to Jim. She knelt down in front of him and held the back of her hand to his head. He was burning up.

"Lori!" She called over her shoulder, and the woman ran over. "Go get him a wet cloth, a bottle of water and something to bring down the fever, if we have anything." Lori nodded at her and ran off, looking grateful for something to do.

Rick was at her side then, a grateful expression on his face. "Let's get him somewhere safe," he murmured to her, and Linney nodded reaching down to help Jim to his feet. They managed to get him into the RV, resting in Andrea's bed. Rick helped him get his shoes and socks off, and Linney helped him remove his shirt.

"Rick, get me the first aid kit, it's under the driver's seat." Rick moved away quickly and Daryl stomped into the RV. Rick paused on his way to the driver's seat and put a hand up to stop Daryl.

"Leave it, man." Rick warned. Daryl shot him a disgusted look, speaking in low, angry tones. "I ain't leavin' her in here with him alone. You may be able to risk yer family, but I ain't." Linney was so worried about Jim, she could barely find the faintest thrill at his calling her family. Rick nodded and moved his hand.

Daryl sat next to her, on the little nightstand at the other end of the bed. "You need to get outta here." He grumbled and she looked over her shoulder at him.

"Make yourself useful, open all the windows, he needs a breeze." Daryl glared at her, but moved to do as she asked. Rick returned with Dale's little red first aid kit and Lori appeared moments afterwards. Linney accepted everything from them and lined it all up on the floor, before looking over her shoulder at them.

"Please go now, there's too many people in here." Rick and Lori looked at each other and left. Linney handed two aspirin and a bottle of water to Jim, "Take these and sip slowly." She ordered.

Jim nodded a weary head at her and did as she asked. When he was done, she gently lay the cool, wet cloth on his forehead. "I'm gonna clean this bite, Jim, ok?" He smiled at her and lay his head back.

Daryl leaned forward and put a hand over hers. "Linney, you don't gotta do this." She looked over her shoulder at him and narrowed her eyes, "Of course, I do," she answered. Jim shook his head, "No, Linney, you don't, don't waste your time, I ain't worth it. I should never have said anything, shoulda just hid in the woods until ya'll left."

"Ya know, Jim, when I was all beat up, Amy took care of me, told me her Dad used to be a doctor." Jim looked over at her with glassy eyes and nodded. Linney wiped careful at his bite wound with some antiseptic pads.

"She talked to me the whole time she did, to distract me," Linney chuckled, "I acted like it pissed me off, but I was really grateful for it, kept my mind off wanting to go kill Ed." Jim squeezed his eyes shut and nodded, as she cleaned.

"This reminds me, about this one time, when I was little, maybe 5 or 6," Jim glanced over at her and she smiled at him, "My dad, he barely paid me any attention, most of the time, usually too drunk to realize I existed unless I was right in front of him." Linney got tweezers out and slowly began picking at the debris she hadn't been able to clean out.

"He told me though, never to go climbing the trees across the street from our trailer park, said they were rotted, old, unsafe." Jim peered at her, his face shining with sweat, and Linney smiled at him ruefully.

"Well, you know me, I went anyway." Jim chuckled lightly and she got out the hydrogen peroxide and cotton swabs. "I climbed that stupid tree, the biggest one, all the way to the top. Was really, really proud of myself, that I'd climbed so high, and proved my dad wrong." She soaked the swab and began to apply liberal dabs to his wound, watching as it foamed and crackled.

"That stupid branch I was on, though, it cracked under my feet and I fell. Must've hit every fucking branch on the way down. Hurt like I couldn't believe." She saw the swab wasn't enough and calmly got out a big gauze pad, pouring the hydrogen peroxide all over it, before squeezing the excess out over Jim's stomach.

"Thank god I did though, you know? Cause otherwise it would've been a straight drop to the ground, probably would've killed me." The bubbling was louder and more excessive this time and Jim looked away with a wince.

"I lay on the ground, bleeding, huge splinters everywhere, my dirty little sundress ripped beyond repair, and all I could think was I had to get home and clean so dad would never know I'd disobeyed." She sopped up the excess hydrogen peroxide and got out some antibiotic ointment.

"I limped home, climbed through my bedroom window, hide my dress under my bed, and ran into the bathroom and took a shower, washing off the blood." Jim watched again as she smoothed thick amounts of the ointment on the wound, hissing between his teeth as the numbing agent helped a little bit.

"I used up almost a whole box of bandaids, trying to cover up the cuts and scrapes. Was too stupid to realize that being covered in bandaids was no way to hide shit from dad." Linney pulled the first aid kit onto her lap and began rummaging around.

"I walked around that whole damn day with a huge fucking splinter right down my arm, wincing every time I moved, I couldn't get it out and was terrified to say anything. Thinking for sure my arm would just fall off, and I'd die because I was a bad girl and didn't listen to my dad." Linney pulled the wrapping off a large bandage and carefully affixed it over the wound.

"I fell asleep crying, it hurt so badly." She pulled out tape and began to rip strips of it off. "I woke up the next morning, and the splinter was gone, my arm was clean and all bandaged up." She snuck a peek at Jim who was watching her with sad eyes, she smiled at him.

"My stupid drunk dad had known all along, knew my arm hurt, but said nothing." Linney taped down the bandage. "He snuck in my room when I was asleep and pulled it out and took care of my arm, and I never woke up, I was so worn out from my day." She sat back, satisfied that she had done all she could for him. She pulled out some antibacterial gel and squirted a glob into her hands, rubbing it around on her hands and wrists.

"My dad was not a care giver, like I said, he barely knew I was there, I would've loved to know he cared, or noticed me. But I was too damn scared to say anything to him about being hurt, and I missed out on it. I slept through him takin' care of me." She pulled the blanket up a little, covering him to his armpits.

"I wish I'd trusted him, wish I'd let him take care of me, told him how bad I was hurt so he could tend to me. So I could know that he did give a damn about me, know that I was important to him, even if only for a few minutes." Jim smiled at her as she handed him the water bottle again, urging him to drink.

"I think I see what you did there." He muttered, before taking a sip. She patted his arm, "You tell us if you need help, Jim, don't wait for it, ask if you need, whatever you need, let us take care of you a little." He nodded at her and she got to her feet.

Linney turned around and nearly jumped into the air, she'd gotten so into her story she'd forgotten Daryl was there. His eyes were intense and scrutinizing and she waved a hand at him, urging him from the RV. With a quick look at Jim, he followed her to the door leading outside, pausing just within.

"I still don't think I get ya." He said quietly, staring down at her. She shrugged and patted his arm, "I'm an enigma all right." She made a face at him and he laughed.

"I don't think what happens between me and my husband is any of your business anymore, and I'd thank you to never touch me again." Lori's voice came sharply and heatedly from outside the RV and Linney looked up at Daryl, who shrugged, as unsure of the context as she was. They moved outside and found Shane standing way too close to Lori, who looked anxious, angry, and trapped.

"What's going on out here?" Linney asked carefully. Shane rounded on them and her heart sank.

Oh good, he's lost his mind... again.