The funeral was a very private affair, with the way that she had died, and the mess the close range hit had made, there was no point holding the body. The people who attended, were somber, unable to believe this is how it had all ended. A search party headed out for the Dixon brothers, within hours of the death, the skid marks on the road, leading the group towards the car, perched on a small ledge over looking a deep ravine. It had taken hours to winch the men to safety both out of it, as soon they were pulled from the car, it was as if in slow motion the car moved forward, finishing it's journey in a blaze of fire at the bottom of the ravine.

Rick stood to the side to speak to Herschel, his thoughts on the two men who were still unconscious in ICU back at the hospital. Andrea had not left Merle's side, couldn't face the funeral, all had understood. Yet his thoughts were more on the younger Dixon, when he woke up, that was something he was not looking forward to happening. The priest had done a wonderful service, allowing the grieving family to forget the last few months, of how their kin had been, and spoke about the good things about the woman. It had been Michonne's gun that had taken Beth out just as she raised the knife, to finish the job of killing Carol, yet even now it was still not confirmed if it was too late.

Dale lay in his hospital bed, tears in his eyes of how this case had ended. A young woman was dead due to the sick mind games that an individual had played, that person also dead. A wonderful loving woman lay in ICU, doctors unsure whether she or the baby would hold on. He smiled a little when he heard its daddy had called it a lil asskicker because it sure was, it was hanging in there for its parents, so he prayed it was a good sign. Then he thought of his boys, both badly injured in the accident, neither had come round from the crash. Both had been speeding to save the woman one of the brothers deeply loved, the other too in his own way. He said another prayer that both men would pull through, rubbing his face he looked up as Jacqui walked in.

"Hey there honey" he tried to smile

"How you doing Dale?" he tried to sit up, thanking Jacqui as she rushed over to help him.

"I'm getting there, glad Beth was to far in her madness to shoot properly." Jacqui sat down, tears falling down her cheeks

"Been to see him Dale. It doesn't look good" Dale squeezed her hand

"This is Daryl we are talking about he will pull through both my boys will, you see"

"I wish I had your faith Dale, went to see Carol too. Did you know they are moving her bed next to Daryl's. I think they are hoping somewhere along the line it may help" she wiped the tears with her hand

"Andrea still with Merle?" he asked

"Yes not left his side since they operated on him"

"Out of the two he seemed to have taken the less damage, with his broken rib, fracture leg. Yet why isn't he waking up?" he shook his head, as he looked down at the bandage covering his side, where the bullet had gone in and exited straight out, he had been damn lucky in it all. Daryl, though he was in bad shape cut up badly, his shoulder having been ripped from the socket, along with the muscle, a broken arm, leg, ribs which one had punctured his lung. That he could pull through he was sure, it was the damage to the brain that had them all on edge, the doctors had confirmed that he had a fifty-fifty chance of pulling through.

"How was Carol honey did you speak to her?" his attention going back to the most important of them all, the woman the brothers loved so much

"Yes they said it was best try talk to her, she would be able to understand what I am saying, just not ready to wake up yet. God Dale why them?" his hand reached to stroke her hair, as she cried.

The door opened and Dale looked up, some of the group came in, clearly just back from the funeral. He was glad they had gone shown their respects, but that was how they were. Most importantly they did it for Daryl as he would have gone, as support and to show he had forgiven the woman.

"Any news" Rick asked as he sat next to Jacqui in the large chair, Lori with him, looking so pale, and scared both were so worried about Carol.

"No, nothing, Jacqui said they are moving Carol's bed next to Daryl's ,think they are hoping that being next to each other will help" he replied sadly as, Michonne, Shane and Herschel walked in

" Herschel I am so sorry about Beth"he walked to Dale and hugged him,

"Thank you Dale, but it is I who is saying sorry" his words halted as Dale put his hand up to stop t him

"No all this is not anyone's fault except Ed, he started this sordid affair. How is Maggie? "

"devastated she couldn't stop it all, but knows Beth is in a better place, my little girl suffered badly at the hands of Ed and I pray his comeuppance will come in whatever place his soul went".

"You gotta wake up honey. I can't lose you now after all these years, Merle, me and little one can't live without you. That's right honey you are going to be a daddy,found out two days ago, so you and your brother have to wake up. Carol needs her protector, I need my Merle, our baby needs its daddy" holding his hand tight her thumb rubbing along his hand, tears streaming down her face. The nurses had told her keep speaking to him, whatever place he was in her words of encouragement should bring him back, she wished Daryl had the same, but with Carol still out of it, hanging on to her life, it was all one big hopeless mess.

"How you doing honey?" a gentle hand placed on her shoulder, trying to give support as much as possible, she looked into Shane's face, noticing. Rick, Glenn, Michonne were all stood there, back from the funeral.

"Not good" her head bowed as she held Merle's hand tighter.

"We are here honey, Maggie and Lori have gone to sit with Carol , Herschel is with Dale, we are heading to Daryl, we are hoping if he has one of us, he may come round"

"I hope it will work, he needs Carol the nurses say it is people they love that will pull them through, She has to come round, he needs her so much"

"We know sweetheart" Rick placed his hand on her shoulder in comfort as he headed to Daryl's room, still in shock how things had turned out. If only Ed could have been alive to see his results would this be the ending he had wanted? How many lives he had destroyed, in one swoop, even down to a small innocent baby. Heading out the door he fell to his knees praying to anyone that would listen,that each and everyone would pull through.

It felt like months, but only weeks when one of the three adults came too. Dale sat in the room with Jacqui, having been released from hospital a few days before. He heard a moan from the bed in the far corner, at first he thought it was his imagination, then the monitors beeped, one was finally coming round.

"Where am I?"

"Stay still sweetheart, Jacqui honey go get the doctor's looks like we have one of them back" he smiled as he headed to Carol, relief that she was awake.

Carol felt so sore, her body ached, forcing herself to open her eyes through the pain, she saw a white ceiling, casting her eye to the side, it was a wall, lifting her hand she noticed the various drips in the back of it.

"Ahhh" it hurt to try sit up, then she heard Dale's soft word's tears filling her eyes thank god he was still alive, reaching for him as he heard him speak to Jacqui, she grabbed his hand tight in hers.

"Dale oh thank god you made it, how bad were you?"

"Just a gunshot honey nothing to worry about, we need you better"

"Where's Daryl, why isn't he?" Dale moved to the side, giving her a full view of her lover, she broke down her whole body shaking

"Oh god Daryl" she wanted to go to him, hold him, what had happened

"How?" was all she could get out

"He ran the car off the road trying to get to you honey" she struggled to get herself under control, he had almost killed himself to get to her

"How is he?"

"They say he..."

"Dale don't lie to me or pussy foot around it, What did they say?"

"It's not good Carol, not good for both my boys"