Chapter 36
"What do we do? Shouldn't they have gotten back by now if the could make it?" Maggie asked Glenn quietly.
"I don't know...I could try looking for them but where do I begin? We can't risk getting close to that place again." Glenn told her as Hershel caught his attention as he stepped out of the cell on his crutches. Axel followed out after him, clutching his arm from the soreness of the needle.
"Get some rest and something to eat...might need ya again if he needs more but hopefully that will be enough..." Hershel told him. He made his way over to Glenn and Maggie.
"How is he?" Maggie asked.
"We'll hopefully know for sure in a few hours...right now I'm just letting him rest." Hershel told him. "But I'll keep a close watch on him."
"We were just discussing what to do about Rick, Gwen and Merle..." Glenn told him.
"We're to do nothing..." Hershel remarked.
"Daddy, how can you just say that? They wouldn't leave us behind...we have to find them." Maggie stated.
"Rick and I spoke about this before you all left...he made it clear if things didn't go smoothly to let it go...protect the prison...that's our focus." Hershel stated.
"It just doesn't feel right... " Glenn stated.
"I know...but Oscar...you left his body behind correct?" Hershel asked.
"Yeah...there was no time...no choice really..." Glenn stated.
Hershel shook his head. "Well that's even more reason why no one can leave...we have to make sure this place is secure...impenetrable...they'll be coming for us and I can only imagine it will be soon..."
.
Rick went out first thing the next morning looking for a vehicle for them. He knew Merle and Gwen were neither in any shape to make the walk back to the prison and they couldn't risk being ambushed by walkers or people on the way back. He knew the clock was against him...he figured the Governor had realized by now where they were staying and he had to get back there before they did.
"A boy...shoulda known...I mean I wouldn't have minded a little girl neither but a boy..." Merle boasted as he watched Gwen as she breastfed their baby. "And he's definitely mine! Latched onto your tit like there was no tomorrow!"
"MERLE!...God I swear...don't be crude..." Gwen laughed at him but winced in pain. "Don't make me laugh neither...that hurts..."
Merle quickly turned serious. "You alright? Everything ok?...I mean ya don't think somethin's wrong do ya?"
"I'm exhausted Merle...I just pushed out a baby...I'm going to be sore and I'm going to be tired...relax...how's your side and arm? We need to get you back to Hershel...he needs to take care of that." Gwen told him.
"Told ya I'm fine..."
"Well I'm just saying..." Gwen was quickly distracted by the sound of a car engine. She looked to Merle, worried.
"Don't move...I'll go check..." Merle quickly struggled to his feet as he grunted in pain and rushed over to the door to peer out. "It's Rick...hot damn that was fast! Good man..."
Gwen smiled in relief. "Wait...what did you just say?"
"Don't fuckin' tell him I said that...got an image to keep, come on..." Merle opened the door and started to head back towards her when Rick rushed in.
"Come on...we've got to move...I'm sure the Governor set out first light towards the prison and we need to beat him there..." Rick helped up Gwen with the baby and the three of them got in the car and headed down the road.
Gwen sat in the back seat as she cradled the baby and watched as Merle and Rick sat in the front in complete silence. Rick periodically scratched as his beard and Merle stared out the window, neither one of them looking once at the other. Gwen couldn't help but smile...even if neither one wanted to admit it, the air between them was different. The tension was still there but it was clear something had changed...and for the better. Gwen just kept her mouth shut about it as she gazed down at the baby.
"He's going to need a name..." Gwen remarked as she stared at him.
"If you don't come up with something I'm sure Daryl will have something interesting." Rick chuckled slightly as he looked at them through the rear view mirror. "Little ass kicker..." He said softly as he shook his head and smiled.
"Shit...little ass kicker's taken...that was gonna be my suggestion..." Merle quipped.
"Ha Ha you too...I'm serious...Any real suggestions?" Gwen asked as she looked at both of them.
"You could always go with a family name..." Rick stated.
"Hell...ain't nobody in my family I wanna name him after...Daryl would be the only one I'd consider but he's soft enough...I don't want him gettin' all mushy over it...what about Merle Junior?"
"NO!" Gwen barely let a second pass before she replied. "One Merle is enough to handle..."
Merle grunted as he tried not to laugh. "Well...he's gonna be a Dixon...whatever ya want to call him I don't care but his last name is gonna be Dixon...and I ain't budgin' on that..."
"I'm not arguing...I have no problem with that." Gwen told him. "You're acting like a Dixon already aren't ya?" Gwen spoke to her baby.
"I just realized I don't even know your last name Gwen..." Rick remarked.
"Marshall...maybe that would be a good middle name...that way he'd have both of our names." Gwen stated.
"Ya did all the work pushin' him out...name him whatever ya want...just not some pansy name..." Merle looked over his shoulder at her and watched for a moment as she stared smiling at the baby.
"There it is!...Things look normal but stay on guard..." Rick remarked as the prison came into view.
He pulled up to the gate and noticed Glenn in the guard tower standing at attention with the rifle aimed right at them. Rick open the door with his hands out and stood up.
"IT'S US! YOU ALRIGHT?" Rick yelled up to him.
"HOLY SHIT! I'LL BE DAMNED! MAGGIE!" Glenn turned and called out to the cell block in hopes she'd hear him.
Maggie was just starting to walk in with Beth when she heard Glenn shouting. She turned and shielded her eyes from the sun and realized Rick was standing by the gate. "Oh my God...they're here...THERE HERE!" Maggie couldn't contain her smile as she yelled into the building and her and Beth began to run towards the gate.
Glenn stood on the opposite side beginning to unlock it to let them in. "God it's good to see you..." Glenn smiled but Rick turned around and Merle noticed the stern look on his face as Rick stood silent for a moment, holding his hand up for Glenn to be quiet.
"Vehicles...I can hear them comin'...HURRY!" Rick turned and jumped back into the car and threw it in gear just as Glenn got the gate wide enough for him to enter. He pulled the vehicle in and jumped out to help Glenn shut and lock the gate.
"GET HER AND THE BABY IN THE TOWER NOW!" Rick ordered to Merle.
Glenn turned around to see Maggie and Beth near the main building running towards them. "NO GO BACK! GO BACK!" Glenn and Rick both began yelling at them and frantically waving their arms.
Maggie stopped in her tracks and grabbed hold of Beth's arm to keep her from passing by her. "Stop...somethin's wrong...come on...back inside. They ran towards the doorway just as Carol was starting to come outside.
"What's with the shouting? What's going on?" Carol asked.
"GET BACK INSIDE...GET ME A RIFLE!" Maggie pushed Beth and Carol back inside the cell block and ran to retrieve a rifle before running back outside towards the guard tower closest to the building. She climbed up inside and looked through the scope to see the others as they ran towards the guard tower near the gate below. Maggie took a deep breath to calm herself and gripped the rifle tighter, placing her finger near the trigger. "Just breathe..."
Rick pushed Merle, Gwen and Glenn into the guard tower quickly shutting the door behind them."Stay down here...I don't want anyone to see you..." Rick ordered to Merle and Gwen as he and Glenn rushed up the steps to the platform. Rick had grabbed Daryl's crossbow from Merle, engaging it once they got to the platform and loaded a bolt in it. Rick and Glenn took aim at the road just as the vehicles were coming into view.
They pulled up to the gate and just sat there for a moment. Maggie took a few more deep breaths as she focused on the windshield of one of the vehicles closest to the gate. She propped herself up on the ledge so her arms wouldn't get tired but it felt like everyone just sat there at a standstill forever. Finally one of the passenger doors opened, followed by the others.
The Governor stepped out of the vehicle with a gun in his hand as all his men stepped out of the other four vehicles that were with him. Some of the men had rifles, some had handguns as they positioned themselves shielded by their car doors. The Governor shielded his eyes as he looked up at the tower and saw Rick and Glenn looking down at him.
"I believe you have some thing's that are mine..." The Governor remarked.
"Take your men and leave and no one will get hurt." Rick ordered.
"Now that's no way to be neighborly...I'm willing to forgive and forget how you shot up my town...killed some of my men and frightened my towns folk but you need to do your part...I want Merle...and Gwen..." The Governor said sternly.
"You'll get nothing from us...now leave us alone and we won't bother you anymore..." Rick stated.
Merle looked at Gwen as she clutched their baby to her chest.
"Don't get any ideas Merle..." Gwen whispered as they stood just inside of the exit door.
"There's only the two of you up there...do you really think you are a match for me and my men?" The Governor asked.
"I'd think you'd be a smarter man and realize that we have more people strategically placed...just because you can't see them doesn't mean they aren't there..." Rick stated.
"You're bluffing..." The Governor replied.
Rick put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly then waved one hand in the air and pointed at the Governor's vehicle.
Maggie opened both her eyes for a moment as she tried to see what Rick and Glenn were doing in the tower. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She said to herself frantically. "I don't know what that means...oh my God..." Maggie looked back through the scope and saw the tall man that had been speaking towards the tower begin to laugh...he raised one arm as if he was asking a question. "Oh my God...I don't know...well... please God keep them safe...here goes nothin'..." Maggie aimed at one of the headlights of the man's vehicle and squeezed the trigger.
All the Governor's men, the Governor included heard the shot and jumped at the shattering of glass. The men raised the guns more aggressively as the Governor began to shout.
"Hold your fire! Hold your fire!...Everyone's alright..." The Governor stated. He slowly walked around to the front of his vehicle and examined the broken headlamp. He laughed slightly to himself as he picked up one of the pieces. He stood back up and looked up towards Rick and Glenn then angrily threw the piece on the ground. He scanned the area to see if he could see were others were but couldn't.
"Dammit..." The Governor mumbled to himself. "This isn't over...in fact, it's just beginning..." He called back up to Rick.
The Governor walked back towards the passenger side of the vehicle. "Come on men...roll out..." He stated as he sat back in the vehicle. The other men looked to one another confused but followed suit and got back in their vehicles. Glenn and Rick watched, still keeping aim as they drove off.
"HOLY SHIT! IT WORKED!" Glenn said excited. He followed Rick down the steps and Merle, Gwen, Rick and Glenn started to walk up towards the prison. They saw Maggie exit the tower and begin walking towards them.
"HOT DAMN! THAT WAS MAGGIE? THAT WAS AMAZING!" Glenn remarked as he couldn't contain his grin. "Rick how'd you know she'd do that? How did you even know she was there?"
"I didn't...The Governor was right...it was a bluff..." Rick said sternly not seeming as amused.
Maggie jogged closer towards them. "Rick I'm so sorry...I didn't know what to do or what you wanted...I just took a chance..."
"You were perfect! It's what I hoped for...I'm just glad it didn't trigger all their gunfire but it was a risk we had to take..." Rick patted her on the shoulder.
Maggie blew her breath out hard, slightly shaking from nerves.
"God Babe! You were awesome!" Glenn hugged her tightly.
Maggie gently pushed Glenn away when she saw Gwen. "Oh Gwen..." Maggie walked over towards her and gently cupped the baby's head in her hand and put her arm around Gwen. "Are you ok? Do you feel alright...let's let my dad take a good look at you both..."
Rick held his hand in front of Merle to stop him from walking. "Glenn...come here..." He stated as Maggie led Gwen inside the cell block.
"Listen...both of you...we'll brief the others once we're inside but I don't doubt for one second what that man said...this is just the beginning...we'll have to be extra cautious...they will put eyes on this prison if they haven't already and they will come back for us and it won't be so easy next time." Rick stated.
"Ya know he wouldn't have been satisfied with just me and Gwen..." Merle stated.
"I know...but he's not getting anyone from this group if I have a say in the matter...and that includes you..." Rick remarked and headed towards the building.
Glenn looked confused at Merle, clearly seeing the change in behavior between Rick and Merle.
"What are ya lookin' at Chinaman?" Merle snapped at him.
"Nothing...nothing at all...I'll head back to the tower..." Glenn walked away from Merle confused as ever...