*** Last night's episode was super great, hope you all got to see it :) Enjoy the chapter, probably won't update again until later tonight or tomorrow morning, got some stuff to go do! *** I OWN NOTHING - except Linney, she's mine!

"What do you mean you let Lori go with that woman?" Dale followed them as they made their way to the RV, his face disbelieving, his eyes wide with worry. Linney spoke to him over Daryl's shoulder, "She saved my life Dale, she can't be all bad," Dale didn't looked convinced and Linney struggled, trying to slide off Daryl's back to talk to the older man.

"Quit it, Linney, you need to get inside." Daryl growled, clamping down on her arms, holding her still. "I think she's fine!" She called to Dale, awkwardly twisting back to look at him.

"Calm down, Linney, I'll come inside, we can talk more." Dale said, waving his hands at her. Daryl brought her through to the bed at the back and dumped Linney down. He immediately pulled off her boots and began to yank off her pants.

"Wait!" She said, slapping Daryl's hand away. He looked over at her in surprise. "Lin, I gotta see what's happenin' with these injuries." She glanced up meaningfully at the crowd of people gathered around her. "Can we have a little privacy, please?" She asked and everyone but Carol and Daryl left to go sit at the dinette. They worked together to remove Linney's clothes and Carol's face was grim and tight.

"I'm grabbing the first aid kit," she murmured, moving quickly to the front of the RV, Daryl unwrapped the cloth on her arm and grunted at the filthy mess beneath. "It's still bleeding," he said quietly, and Linney looked over and knew that it was a lot worse than he thought, but hesitated to say so. She grit her teeth as he and Carol set about trying to clean her wounds, but kept talking to Dale.

"She could have let me die, Dale, but she stayed and helped."

"She was like zorro on a horse man, she just rode up, beat the hell out of the walker, and then took off with Lori." Glenn's voice was suitably awed and Linney grunted as Carol poured hydrogen peroxide in her wound.

"Linney, honey, this has a lot of debris in it, I think some slivers of wood are in there." Linney swallowed hard and looked up at Carol. Carol bit her lip and glanced over at Daryl. "That girl said her dad was a doctor." Daryl nodded and got to his feet, looking down at Linney, who was still bleeding.

"Need to get you to that guy," he finally said. Dale appeared at the door and waved his hands to clear away Linney's concern over being half-naked.

"I still can't believe you let her take Lori," Dale said worriedly, looking to Daryl. Daryl turned red and rounded on the man.

"Climb down outta my asshole man! Rick sent her, she knew Lori's name and Carl's!"

"So what should we do?" Dale asked, trying to placate Daryl. He began pacing in the small space, and waved a hand at Linney. "She needs this doctor, so does T, we need to get them there."

"But what about Sophia? What if she makes it back, and we're gone?" Carol asked in a small voice. Linney opened her mouth to respond and Daryl glared down at her, "You ain't a part of this conversation, yer hurt and that means yer choice don't matter." Linney shifted irritably and then cried out softly when the movement pulled on her arm. Carol pressed a hand to Linney's chest, making her lay down.

"I can't believe I'm agreeing with you again, but he's right Linney," Dale began, looking down at her ruefully, "You need medical attention, so we can't let you help with anything more." She closed her eyes and looked away.

Daryl pinched his lower lip in thought for a moment before turning to Carol, "Ok, I say tomorrow morning we pull up stakes, head to this place." Carol nodded sadly and Daryl put a hand on her shoulder, "That'll give us a chance to rig up a big sign, leave her supplies, in case she comes back. We'll come back every day and check to see if she's here." Carol nodded, looking happier with that.

"Sounds good to me," Linney put in and Daryl glared down at her. "Nuh uh, you n' short round head to this doctor's place with T right now, ya'll need medical attention." Linney folded her arms in a huff, but was inwardly relieved that something could be done to help her and T-Dog soon. She felt cold and tired, but was afraid to say anything. When Daryl, Glenn and Dale left to make the arrangements in T-Dog's truck, she stayed quiet.

She lay still as Carol unwrapped and cleaned her other injuries, before wrapping her in fresh bandages and producing a nightgown from her own bag, easing it on.

"It's ok Carol, we'll find her," Linney comforted the woman, after watching Carol stare sadly out the window for a few minutes. Carol looked down at her and stroked her hair off her forehead.

"But we're falling apart while we do," the woman said regretfully, "T-Dog, you, Carl..." Her voice trailed off and Linney flinched, making room inside herself for a Carl box, dutifully stowing her emotions away, unwilling to think of her bright-eyed little friend, possibly lying somewhere dying.

Carol handed her a painkiller that Linney knew was from Merle's stash, she took it because she also knew it would kill all her pains, possibly knock her out while it was at it, too. T-Dog had been given a couple to help with his pain, as well, so she knew they worked well.

When Daryl came back in, she wasn't feeling very well at all, but didn't want to scare him, knowing that he was already fairly panicked at how everything was falling apart around them.

He carried her out to the truck and lay her out in the trunk portion, and T-Dog sat in the back seat.

"I'll keep an eye on her til we get there," the big man said to Daryl, who nodded in thanks.

"Try not to get in any accidents on the way there," Daryl called up to Glenn in the driver's seat as he tucked Linney's back pack in next to her. She looked up at him and smiled, trying to make him feel better.

"It's just some cuts and stuff, I'll be fine, Dixon," she said and he put a hand on her head for a moment before looking away and saying, "I'll see you in the morning."

The door was shut and Glenn turned the truck around and began to drive away. The bumps in the road were faint and Linney felt herself grow suddenly weak and exhausted. Her eyes began to flutter closed and she welcomed the darkness, wanting to get away from the aches and pains everywhere. All this cause of my stupid hair, she thought, I'm totally cutting it when I'm better.

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Am I in a bed? Linney was coming awake in pieces and hadn't opened her eyes yet, feeling very tired and slightly groggy. She cracked one eye open and realized she was indeed in a bed, in a bedroom. She lifted her head a little and looked around the dark room. She was alone and figured she must be at the doctor's house. She glanced down at her arm and saw that it was bandaged up neatly and professionally. She looked further down and realized that she was just in her underwear and under a sheet, so she couldn't see if her other injuries were taken care of.

She moved her hand to lift the sheet and then stopped, really staring at it. It was re-wrapped, in a stronger bandage, with a couple splints on her fingers. Guess something was broken, she thought. She lifted the sheet and saw the same tidy bandages on her hip and further down, on her calf. There was a pull in her armpit, on the side with the hurt arm, and she squirmed until she saw a bandage in her armpit as well. She recalled a stabbing pain in the log in that area and assumed it had done more than just poke her.

She lay still and realized she was thirsty and she had pee. Linney managed to struggle to a half-sitting up position, but realized by the sharp pain in her hip, that she couldn't sit properly. Fuck, I'm gonna wet the bed.

"Hello?" She called out tentatively, her voice soft and worried. She remembered that T and Carl were most likely in the same house and was loathe to interrupt any treatment they were receiving. She heard footsteps in the hall and the brown haired girl from earlier today popped her head in the room and flicked a switch on the wall next to the door. When the bedside lights blinked on, Linney's thoughts flew from her head as she gaped at them.

"How?" She breathed, staring at the soft glow of the lamp, the girl smiled and answered, "Generators."

"Awesome," Linney said quietly. Laughing, the girl sat on the edge of the bed, "Daddy fixed you up, good thing you passed out, he had to pick some nasty bits of wood outta you." Linney nodded and asked, "Carl? Is he...?" The girl's smile faltered and Linney realized her expression must have become something devastated, because the girl leaned forward quickly and patted her arm reassuringly. "Dad did the surgery, got all the bullet fragments out, he's resting now, so it's in god's hands."

Linney breathed a sigh of relief and then snorted, "Yeah, 'cause god's done such a bang up job lately."

The girl gave her a sympathetic look and placed a cool hand on Linney's forehead. "Well, you don't seem to have a fever, Daddy was hopin' you'd be ok, that they'd cleaned everything out fast enough back at your camp." Linney nodded and grimaced as her body remind her of its current needs again.

"Um, can you, um, help me to the bathroom?" She managed to stutter out, her face turning red. The girl nodded understandingly and carefully eased Linney from the bed. "Wow, you are short," she commented as she bent to slide an arm around Linney's shoulders. Linney glared up at the tall girl.

"What? I thought you were bigger, you certainly looked like a lot to handle when Glenn brought you in." Linney paused in their limping progression towards the bathroom door across the room and looked up at the girl in surprise. "Glenn carried me inside?" The girl nodded and pushed the bathroom door open, flicking on another light. Linney marveled at the electricity for a moment before laughing a little, "Did he survive?" The girl laughed, then nodded, and helped Linney use the facilities, before escorting her back to bed.

When she was settled again, and had a drink of water, she felt better. Linney peered up at the girl for a moment. "I probably should have asked this before you helped me pee, but what's your name?"

The girl laughed and stuck her hand out, "Maggie," Linney took her hand and shook it, "Linney." Maggie nodded, "I know, Rick, Lori and Shane were all pretty freaked out when Glenn exploded through the front door barely holding on to you, sayin' that you were hurt."

Linney looked away, and then clenched her jaw before asking, "Shane didn't carry me to bed, right?" Maggie gave her a strange look and then shook her head, "No, Glenn was pretty manful about it, he carried you all the way down the hall."

Maggie turned to the bedside table, "Here, take one of these, it's a painkiller," Linney took the pill and leaned back on the pillows. "How's T-Dog?" She asked and Maggie smiled a little, still getting used to his name.

"He's got a pretty bad infection, Dad's got him laid down upstairs and on some pretty strong antibiotics." Linney looked around the room and took in a deep breath, feeling comfortable, cared for, and safe, a feeling she hadn't had in a long time.

Maggie gave her a little smile, "I'm going to leave you now, you should get some sleep." Linney nodded and watched as the girl left, turning out the light and shutting the door behind her. She lay in the dark room and stared out at the dark night. A doctor and electricity, she wondered, where the hell are we?

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Linney was trapped under the log again, but this time, it was dark out, the sky not visible through the canopy of trees. Everything was dim, shadowy, and shifting. She heard the distinctive growl of walkers around her and began to pull and pull on her arm, which was trapped in the vise grip of the log.

"Try this," a familiar voice said from behind her, and a hack saw was dropped in her lap, "Worked for me." She turned her head this way and that and tried to see him. "Merle? Where are you? Help me!"

"Like you helped me?" His voice was a hiss, right next to her face, but when she whipped her head in that direction he was gone.

"I told you not to go! I tried to stop you!" She insisted, pulling harder at her arm, starting to panic as she heard the growls and slobbering moans of the walkers getting closer.

"I was left up there to die, like a fuckin' animal, sweetheart." Linney closed her eyes, wincing at the truth in his words, and when she opened them, he was sitting on the log in front of her, dressed in the clothes he'd left in on the day of the run. Even though she was dimly aware this was a dream, she was so happy to see him she started crying, reaching her hurt hand towards him.

"Oh, Merle, I'm so sorry," she cried, and he glared at her. "Don't be sorry for me, sweetheart, be sorry for those stupid bastards," he pointed over her shoulder and Linney could see the outlines of the walkers heading towards her in the dim light. He nudged the saw closer to her, "Get goin', kid, 'less ya wanna be a snack."

Linney picked the saw up and stared at it, horrified to see chunks of flesh and blood dripping from it. "Cut it off! Now!" He screamed at her, and she shook her head, staring up into his furious face. "Please, help me get up, Merle." She felt a hand tug at her hair, heard the growl of the dead right behind her.

She looked up at him as he climbed to his feet, and backed away. "Merle! Come back! Please! Help me!" She screamed and he gave her a sad look and turned his back on her. "Yer on yer own, sweetheart, shoulda cut it off while you still had the chance."

Linney screamed for him, as the hands behind her closed around her throat, her neck, her face; she screamed his name as he disappeared and didn't come back.

"Linney!" A familiar voice called to her and Linney's eyes popped open, startled to see Rick there, sitting on the edge of her bed, the bedside light flicked on. He looked pale and wan and had a hand on her good arm, shaking her awake. "Wake up, it's ok, it was just a dream, you're safe here." Linney struggled away from his hand, trying to sit up and crying out when neither her bad hand nor her bad arm would cooperate.

"Hey, hey, hey," Rick soothed her and helped her sit up, leaning her on her good hip. He handed her a glass of water and she gratefully took a sip. He watched her carefully and then took the cup when she was done.

"We heard you down the hall, and Glenn said you were probably having a nightmare, that you had them often." Linney swallowed hard and rubbed gently at her face with her good hand. "Yeah, I do, sometimes," she croaked and cleared her throat at the embarrassing amount of weakness in the sound.

Rick watched her face. "You were saying his name," Linney looked up at him and Rick patted her arm sympathetically, before clarifying, "Merle, you were asking him to help you." Linney felt her face flush and looked away.

"I'm fine now Rick, you can go." She said, her voice tight and even. He nodded and got up, flicking the lights off. He paused in the doorway and she looked over at him. "I'm sorry, Linney," he said, his voice laden with guilt, "I'm sorry we took him from you." She clenched her jaw tightly and looked away, not trusting her voice or her face. When he shut the door, Linney lay back down and cried a little bit, hot tears of self pity, before falling asleep. No dreams this time.

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"She was having a nightmare, about Merle," he explained and Lori looked up from her position on the bed next to Carl. She was stroking his face almost hypnotically, but when she looked up, she seemed relieved to have something to talk about besides their fears and worries.

"Can't say I blame her," she said and Rick grimaced. "That's not fair, the man was like a father." He got to his feet and paced a little bit.

"She nearly got killed today, out looking for Sophia, then she wakes up in a strange house with strange people all alone and hurt, and she dreams about her missing friend."

"Thought you said it was a nightmare," Lori's voice was low and soft and Rick shrugged and then nodded.

"Yeah, it was, but she was crying for him to help her." Lori nodded and looked away. His mind raced over the events of today, the deer, the blood, Carl's screams, the period of time while Shane was out trying to get supplies, returning without Otis, the look on Lori's face when she first arrived at the farm.

He shook his head and slid to sit on the floor next to the bed, reaching up to grip Carl's cold little hand. Lori picked up the other one and the three of them remained linked together until they were asleep together, both of them praying that Carl would pull through, that he wouldn't be claimed by this new world as well.