53—Finding the Prison pt. 6
"Ya want me to stay here?"
Rick had pulled Aibileen aside for a moment, discussing what he thought would be best before returning to help clear out a cellblock for the prisoners. He'd been firm in his belief that Aibileen had helped enough and should stay behind with the others, helping keep an eye on Hershel.
"With the way you were treated, I don't think it'd be best for you to come with us," he said in a hushed voice.
"It was one horny asshole," Aibileen muttered.
Rick put a hand on Aibileen's shoulder, looking her in the eye.
"I know you want to help, but I've got T-Dog and Daryl." He gave a strained smile. "You've done enough for now."
Aibileen wanted to argue, tell Rick that she wasn't going to take any crap from a former prisoner, but he was strong in his argument and he understood the severity of the situation. Those prisoners hadn't left the cafeteria in almost a year; they only had each other, and suddenly seeing a group of people—with women mingled in there—shows up? It could be a mixture for disaster.
With a frustrated sigh, Aibileen nodded reluctantly.
"Just...be careful down there," she mumbled, avoiding Rick's eyes.
With a nod, Rick, Daryl and T-Dog went back to where the prisoners were. Aibileen stayed where she was at for a few moments longer before she felt a tap on her shoulder. Carl stood beside her, his eyes darting up every now and then before looking her in the eye. It took Aibileen a minute to realize she was still wearing his sheriff hat.
"Oh." She took the hat off and gave it to him. "I'm sorry, I completely forgot."
"It's fine," Carl said, placing the hat atop his head.
With that, Carl turned on his heels and left. He went into—what Aibileen assumed to be—his cell and Aibileen was left by herself again. Looking over to where everyone else was huddled, Aibileen decided she might as well make herself useful in another way and check up on Hershel. Walking into the cell, Aibileen noticed a pile of bloodied rags on the top bunk and the overwhelming smell of blood. Carol's and Lori's hands were coated with a thick layer of Hershel's blood, even staining their clothes, as they applied pressure to the wound.
"How's he doin'?" Aibileen asked.
"We managed to control the bleeding," Carol said with a sigh. "He doesn't have a fever, but his breathing's very labored and his pulse is down."
"He hasn't woken up?"
"No," Lori said. "We hope there's some medicine and clean bandages somewhere in here. If we don't find something..."
A heaviness weighed down on Aibileen's chest. Beth was standing in the far-side of the cell, tears filling her eyes before she quickly walked out. Glenn and Maggie had left the cell earlier, a look of pain and agony on Maggie's face.
"He can make it, I bet," Aibileen murmured. "Hershel's made it this far; he'll make it 'till the end."
Carol and Lori shared a look. They knew that Aibileen had a sense of hope that she tried to share with the rest of the group members. During the winter months, when things got especially hard, Aibileen was the one who tried putting out the most hope for everyone. The young woman had no hope in her own personal opinion but she tried to demonstrate some kind of positivity for everyone else.
"Let's hope so," Lori murmured.
After about ten minutes, Aibileen decided that Carol should have a break. The two women switched places, Aibileen applying pressure to Hershel's wound while Carol had a chance to rest her arms. The poor woman's hands were covered almost to her elbows in Hershel's blood, maybe mixed with walker blood, too.
Aibileen tried convincing Lori to take a break, but she refused.
"Have you seen Carl at all?" Lori asked.
"I saw him earlier," Aibileen said. "Right after Rick 'n the others left. Walked off into his cell after that."
Lori nodded, carefully trying to brush some of her hair out of her face.
"What about Selena? Have ya seen her?" Aibileen glanced at Carol and Lori with a small frown. When she and the others returned with the food, Aibileen hadn't seen her cousin amongst the small group helping Hershel.
"She's resting," Carol said. "All the blood and everything was starting to make her nauseas."
Aibileen let out an airy chuckle. "She worked as a nurse before the world went to shit, but she always had a sensitive stomach to gory things." She shrugged. "She was a compassionate person. That's why people liked her."
Wiping her forehead with the back of her hand, Aibileen applied a little more pressure to the wound. The remaining rags and cloths they had seemed to be gathering less and less of Hershel's blood, and that was good. But there was still the possibility of infection and Hershel dying that way.
If bleeding out didn't kill him, just about everything else would.
Aibileen heard Glenn and Maggie come in, the young couple murmuring to each other as they walked into the cell. Beth followed right behind them. The three of them knelt beside Lori and Aibileen, looking at the older man worriedly. Hershel's face was still deathly pale and was coated in a thin layer of sweat.
Glenn stood up and leaned against the chained door of the cell, glancing at something.
"I thought you were organizing the food," Glenn called out.
Carl walked into the cell with a bag, a small smirk on his face. Placing the bag down beside the others, he unzipped it and showed a bunch of clean gauze and medicine.
Everyone gapsed, digging through the bag, pulling out bottles of medicine and fresh wrap for injuries.
"Where'd ya find this?" Aibileen asked, looking at Carl suspiciously.
"I found the infirmary," Carl said proudly. "Wasn't much left, but I cleared it out."
"You went by yourself?" Lori asked.
"Yeah."
"Are you crazy?" Lori exclaimed.
"No big deal. I killed two walkers."
"Do you see this?" Lori motioned to Hershel's body. "This was with the whole group."
"We needed supplies so I got them."
"I appreciate that..."
"Then get off my back!"
"Carl," Aibileen said sharply, giving the young boy a pointed look. "That is enough."
With a glare, Carl stormed out of the cell without another word. Lori looked defeated, shaking her head.
"These bandages will help prevent infection," Carol said, wrapping the wound.
"That's good," Glenn said.
"He didn't teach me everything."
Carol glanced back at Glenn, looking almost anxious. There were brief moments where she'd cast a worried glance at Hershel, before deciding that whatever she had to tell Glenn needed to be said.
"I can't leave Hershel," Glenn said, after Carol tried getting him to go outside of the cell.
"Y'all can go, we got it," Aibileen assured him.
"But Rick said..."
"If somethin' happens, you'll know." Aibileen gave a small, tight smile.
When Carol and Glenn left, Beth and Maggie took a spot next to Aibileen and Lori. The Greene sisters looked at their father solemnly. His condition should've stabled since Carl discovered the medication. But Hershel's breathing was still labored and his pulse was still weak.
"Is it OK if I have some time alone?" Maggie asked, her voice sounding almost void of emotion.
The others looked at each other, almost like a silent debate on whether that was a good idea, before hesitantly standing up and walking outside the cell, giving Maggie some alone time with her father.
Aibileen saw Lori walk over to the steps of the upper level of the cellblock and sit down, looking like she was in great discomfort. Aibileen had taken to sitting against the opposite side of the cellblock, looking around uninterestedly. The sounds of Beth's screams jolted everyone out of their little silence. Aibileen and Lori ran into the cell, and when Lori did an examination, she started doing CPR.
But while she did that, Hershel's arm shot up around her and pulled her down. Aibileen got her gun out and tried helping Maggie and Beth in getting Lori out of their father's grasp. When Hershel's arm dropped to his side, his eyes were open but looking at nothing in particular.
His body went limp but he started breathing again.
Rick, Daryl, and T-Dog came back after what felt like a lifetime later. The three men looked like they were covered in blood and sweat, but they were healthy and alive.
"Hershel stopped breathing," Carl said, "but mom saved him."
Aibileen glanced over as Rick walked into the cell, taking Hershel's hand in his—the one that wasn't handcuffed to the bed.
Standing up with a slight grimace, Aibileen silently walked out of the cell. She felt like she could've helped more, but it felt like the cell was getting a little crowded and she wanted some time to just think—maybe.
"Everythin' went alright?" Daryl asked, approaching Aibileen.
She nodded. "Almost lost him. Lori brought him back."
Daryl glanced into the cell, nodding slowly.
"Tough son of a bitch," he muttered.
"Yeah." Aibileen brushed some of her hair out of her face. "So y'all found a cellblock for the prisoners?"
The huntsman nodded, slinging his crossbow over his shoulder.
"Took down some walkers," he murmured. "Rick almost took it out on that asshole."
It took Aibileen a minute to realize who Daryl was talking about. Her mind was so preoccupied with what had happened with Hershel, she had completely forgotten.
"What'd he do?" she asked softly.
"Nothin'. Gave a bunch a threats." Daryl seemed displeased by that. If it had been him making the decisions, he would have taken out Tomas a long time ago.
"Ya called me your girl back there," Aibileen said softly, just barely above a whisper. She noticed a blush starting to rise on Daryl's cheeks. "Do ya really consider me that?"
Looking down at her, Daryl eyed the woman in front of him closely. Blood stained her hands and a little bit of it was smeared on her face. She was sweaty and filthy, but still held a fragment of spark in her eyes. She had grown on him in a way he was too stubborn to acknowledge. But because he called her 'his girl', there was almost an ah-ha moment. A moment that, he was starting to understand, took him too long to understand and acknowledge.
With a small nod, the corners of Daryl's mouth turned up in a small smile.
Author's Note:
Leave a review please! The reviews I've gotten so far have been fabulous! Thank you to everyone who's reading and reviewing this story, it really means a lot that you're doing this. It's helping me make this story (hopefully) better.
Unfortunately, nothing in the 'Walking Dead' franchise is mine. The only thing I own are my characters, my fillers, and a love for 'Walking Dead'!
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Thank you.
Susan Strong
