Chapter Info
Title: I'd Do Anything
Number: 52/?
Warnings: Language, angst, sickness, pregnancy, gore, blood
Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Comments are love!
Minizooda: Thanks so much for your input! I haven't decided yet, but probably soon. :) Thank you for reading and commenting!
It had taken two hours after leaving the spot they stopped on the highway to find a safe place they could stop that was large enough for all of them to fit in, and with a bed that they could lay Amaleen in. She was good for most of the trip, at least as good as she could be shivering and aching, large bumps making her whimper enough that soon Daryl was beeping to the others again so he could switch with Carol and pull Amaleen into the back to hold her and keep her on his lap, which he knew the body aches got to her when she was being moved around, but his body would take the brunt of the bumps so she didn't ache quite as much once they started moving again. It was times like that he wished phones still existed, or even if they had some walkies, because she kept getting worse and worse, laying against him and breathing shakily, only making noise when a particularly hard bump made her body move.
Still, Daryl could tell she was conscious so when a hard bump shook the truck and she didn't make a sound, he knew that she had passed out, which made him even more worried. His body tensed and he pulled back to look down at her, fingers cupping her cheeks and wiping sweaty hair off her forehead. Eyes wide with worry, he gently tapped her skin before cursing loudly.
"Carol, beep the horn. She passed out 'n Rick needs ta know ta go faster."
Carol did so without complaining and once the deputy was out of the car, his own eyes full of worry, Daryl yelled what he needed out the window. Rick simply nodded and climbed back in, taking a moment probably to look at the map, before they started out again. What they found was another small town in Pennsylvania called West Oakwood that had a rather large house on the outskirts of town; they weren't there to go on a run, they needed a safe place to stay and that was it. Rick and Daryl got her set up in an upstairs bedroom and immediately Adie was in the room, pealing back the bandage so she could see the wound. It was still stitched, but Daryl could see the infection now. Her veins were severely discolored, dark and branching out from the wound. It was puffy and an angry red, and Daryl couldn't believe he didn't notice that before. It made him feel sick, but he didn't say anything as he watched Adie gently pat at it with tequila covered gauze.
"You guys realize we need more than some Tylenol and tequila to get rid of this, right?" Adie said gently, glancing over at the two highly over-protective men that were flanking either side of the bed. "We need antibiotics, some strong ones, or she won't survive this." Daryl's jaw tightened, his eyes hardening, and he tried his hardest not to just break right then and there. Rick wasn't having an easy of a time holding it all back, though, as he stared at Amaleen in guilt, terror, and defeat. He looked to be deep in thought and not just because of his emotions, but because they had a choice to make here. Daryl knew he wouldn't be giving her up without a fight, he would take her anywhere to find meds that would make her better and be safe for the baby.
Oh fuck, the baby, he thought in horror. His eyes flickered over to Rick and the deputy clearly had thought of that already. Guilt crept into Daryl's throat that that wasn't the first thing on his mind, but rather saving his lover. Could she even take the antibiotics in her condition? God he really should've told Adie sooner and even as he looked at Amaleen laying there unconscious and fevered, he almost didn't because it was her wish that nobody else knew. But this was her life they were talking about and she could be mad at him later if she wanted, but he had to say something.
"Adie, there's somethin' ya need ta know. Me 'n Amaleen...we haven't told ya everythin' 'bout her. She wanted ta wait, but now ya need ta know." He glanced at Rick who nodded and Daryl could see that he, too, knew it needed to be said. "Am's pregnant." Adie's eyes widened in shock. "'Bout three months'r so, we figure. She wanted ta wait for her second trimester before we said anythin', she was scared ta lose it 'n wanted ta wait ta make sure before sayin' anythin'. But with this..." He trailed off and slowly Adie nodded, beginning to chew on her lip. She was a nurse, but this was the apocalypse and she wasn't a miracle worker, much as she tried sometimes.
"That changes everything," Adie said quietly. "She can still take meds, but it can't be a really strong antibiotic. It'll have to be closer to amoxicillin, which isn't guaranteed to act quickly or as well as some of the others. But if you want both of them to survive, then it's the best we can do. Otherwise—" She stopped.
"Otherwise what?" Daryl growled.
"Otherwise we save her and let go of the baby, or let them both die."
"Save them," Rick and Daryl said immediately, both in unison with each other. They weren't willing to let go of either of them, not to mention how much Amaleen would hate them if they let the baby die to save her. There was no question about who would be saved and who would die because they both would. They lost so much over the past few months and they managed to hold onto Amaleen, clinging to her as she seemed to give them all hope for survival. She watched her son waste away for five years, she was kidnapped and held captive in a freezer, she fell into the freezing Atlantic Ocean where she laid over night she was nearly traded over to the men who had ordered her kidnapping, Hershel died because of it and she incurred Maggie's blame all winter without a word in protest, she delivered Judith and watched Lori die because of it, she stayed strong as Daryl acted like a jerk when she told him she was pregnant, she survived a bullet wound... She went through so much and they wouldn't lose her over something this. They would save her and the baby, and they would do anything to make sure that it happened.
Adie nodded and started dabbing at the wound with tequila-covered gauze again just to make sure it was cleaned before she covered it again with a new bandage. Guilt rose up to choke Daryl again, glancing over Amaleen laying there, so still and silent, so pale and it scared him more than anything had before. Before it never seemed real, like he just knew that he could save her now matter what it was. But this? It was silent and deadly, and he wasn't sure if he could get her passed this this time.
"Last night," Daryl muttered, glaring at the woman just to keep himself from crying. "They popped open. Caused this, didn't it?"
Adie quickly shook her head. "No, it probably happened soon after she got shot. It takes a couple days for an infection to set in and present itself. It could've been the fact we couldn't close the inside of the wound just the outside, or it could be the bullet had something on it that caused an infection."
"You don't think...it couldn't be...walker blood?" It was Rick's voice that said it aloud and Daryl realized he hadn't even considered that and he stared at the two of them in horror.
"Fuck no," he said thickly. "Why would anyone do that?"
Rick shrugged. "Think about it...he shot her in the shoulder when he could've shot her in the head or the heart. Infecting her would kill her a hell of a lot slower than the bullet. And nobody would really consider checking for something like that. And...she has a fever."
"It's because'a the blood infection," Daryl snarled, his voice trembling. He just refused to even consider something like that. It was a normal blood infection because that could be dealt with and cured, but a walker infection couldn't. It would surely kill her and she would turn into one of those things. They had promised each other, hard as it was, that if something like that happened and one turned, they would put the other down. Daryl promised, but he knew he couldn't put a bullet in her brain. Just the idea of watching those beautiful emerald eyes fade to a dull milky gray, her loving voice fading to an every-hungry growl... Shaking his head, he said, "No, it's just a fuckin' blood infection. Do your fuckin' job 'n cure her." He turned to stalk from the room, but Rick called him back, the ex-deputy's voice tired.
"We will, okay? Daryl, I don't want her to die either. She's the best person I know." His last word cut off a little and he swallowed down his emotion. "We'll find a nearby hospital and we'll send a group out to search for the antibiotics that Adie writes down for us. We'll try any or all of them we can to try and make her better." He paused and glanced between Amaleen and Daryl before saying, "We'll sent out Maggie, Glenn, Carol...and you."
Daryl's eyes flared with rage and he shook his head. "M'not fuckin' goin' anywhere," he growled, arms crossing over his chest as he stared down Rick, nose flaring. "M'not leavin' her. They can go by themselves, or you can go with 'em. But m'not goin' anywhere."
"You're the best fighter we have. You're a tracker, and you know how to get in quietly and do what you need. You're strong and you have a focus that will get you through."
"Rick, m'not leavin'." He paused, his jaw clenching. "I promised her I wouldn't leave her 'n m'not gonna."
"You're not, you're saving her." Rick was right, but Daryl still fought it, looking down to his woman. He sat down on the edge of the bed, careful not to jostle her body and cause her more pain, staring at her guiltily, sadly, tenderly before reaching over to tuck some sweaty hair behind her ear, hand pulling back quickly as she whimpered. He sighed and looked back up at Rick, his fight slowly fading as he watched the man begin to pace.
"If this were Lori, would you've left her?" His voice was quiet as he knew it was a low blow, but he had to make Rick understand how he felt. "You can go, I belong here."
Rick winced at the mention of Lori, but he paused his movements to look at the redneck. "If I could've saved her, I would've gone anywhere."
And Daryl knew that he was right, of course. He would do anything and go anywhere to save her, even if that meant leaving her here without him. If she lived, if their baby lived, then it would all be worth it. She was too out of it to even notice and frankly that didn't make him feel any better, but he knew that it would save her life and she would be in good hands here with Adie and Rick.
"Promise me you'll leave if somethin' happens. Walkers, other people...whatever ya need ta do ta protect her, just get out."
Rick studied him for a moment before slowly nodding. "You know that's not an issue. I won't let her die, Daryl."
Daryl stayed quiet, jaw clenching as he looked back down to the woman in the bed. She was shivering something awful, curled up in the blankets that they had wrapped around her tightly even as she sweated profusely. Adie was gently mopping up her forehead and even though Daryl loathed to leave her alone, he knew that Rick was right. Rick was needed here to hold down the fort and make decisions like leaving if needed, and Daryl was needed where he was best: in the field, fighting and working to get what they needed. He could keep Maggie, Glenn, and Carol safe and get the meds that Adie needed to help make Amaleen better. Maybe they could even find the prenatal vitamins that Amaleen had been looking for so intensely.
"Fine," he bit out, running his fingers through Amaleen's hair once more. His eyes crumpled up as he looked at her, watching her shift uncomfortably in her sleep as the aches and shivers assaulted her body. It was too much for him to see her like that, and for his own selfish reasons of not wanting to see her pain, he welcomed the chance to get out. But he hated himself for thinking that because he belonged at her side, helping her and making sure she was better. He knew that this would be the best way to do that, to get those meds so she wouldn't succumb to the infection.
"Head out as soon as we talk with the other three. It might be tomorrow that you get back; don't push it, if it gets dark, find somewhere to lay low. She'll be fine until tomorrow. Keep yourselves safe."
Daryl stroked her hair once more before he nodded curtly and stood up, reaching for his crossbow that was sitting on a nearby chair. "Long as ya keep her safe," he grunted. Rick nodded and clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"You know I won't let her die," he said, his voice catching ever so slightly causing Daryl's eyes to flicker up to his face. He could see the emotion gathered in the ex-deputy's eyes and knew how much Rick cared for her. At the very beginning, when he realized how close they were getting, he was a bit suspicious, but that lasted all of five minutes when he also realized that neither of them would ever do something like that to him, and that the feelings there was that more of brother and sister than lovers. So he came to terms with their relationship pretty quickly, and more than anything he was grateful for it, because he knew that meant that Rick would do anything to keep her alive.
Daryl nodded once before looking away finally. He paused long enough to lean down to her and whisper, "I'll be back, sweetheart. Rick'll keep ya safe. Dontcha dare die on me, woman. I love ya." He kissed her temple softly and stood up, face set in stone as he gestured out the door. "Let's get this shit done."
.x.x.x.x.
The other three had agreed without an complaint to help him out and go with him. They used a map they found at a nearby convenience store of the area to search for a hospital and found that the closest one was a good forty miles away. Daryl gritted his teeth at that because that definitely meant they would most likely be gone overnight, and that just didn't sit well with him. He might be able to talk the others into driving all night, but they weren't sure what they would find in this other town so they would have to play it by sight. If this place was too overrun, they would have to find another hospital. Before they left, Adie found a pen and paper and wrote down the meds that would be safe for a pregnant woman. He didn't reveal that part to the other three still, but he knew they wouldn't know any different. They also had a list of some other supplies they needed like more bandages, sutures, IVs, and other medical supplies that Daryl had no clue what they were, so he hoped the others could help him figure it out.
Getting there took a lot longer than expected because they had to stop part-way there to move about five cars out of the way so they could get through. They had taken the Hyundai which was the smallest of their three vehicles, but Daryl knew even his bike would've had a hard time getting through that jam. That took up at least half an hour of their time, and after it was done, he grumbled to himself for the next hour. Luckily Glenn was in the passenger seat with the map next to him to help him navigate through to the best and easiest route to get them there as quick as possible. Barely anybody had spoken outside of Glenn's directions; they were all somber as the situation was a bit urgent, so their focus was purely on getting to the hospital and getting the meds needed to heal Amaleen.
Daryl couldn't help but think about the fact that her shoulder was getting worse and worse and he didn't even realize it. He stupidly let her seduce him and he couldn't help but feel like that's what pushed things over the edge. Adie said that it would take more than just that, but that didn't make Daryl feel less guilty. He felt like he should've known, should've done something sooner. But it just hadn't look infected until just earlier that day and she didn't have any signs of it. Now, though, Daryl felt stupid for not seeing it and so he pushed on the gas just a little bit harder to get them to the hospital; they needed to find that medication and heal her. He couldn't lose her, he just couldn't. That's one thing he would never survive.
.x.x.x.x.
After the others had left, Rick brought Carl and Beth up into the room that he and Adie were in with Amaleen. Both of them looked rather shocked at the state she was in as they hadn't really seen her during the quick movement where Daryl had scooped her out of the truck and ran her upstairs to a room, but Rick didn't comment on it and allowed the look on his face to show that he wasn't willing to talk about it other than the fact she was sick. Everybody could see how effected he was by it, even Adie and she was the newest to the group, how much it tore him up that he was powerless to what was going on, but of course nobody said anything as they waited for him to gather himself. It took a couple minutes of just watching her shiver before he finally just nodded and looked up at Carl and Beth.
"Carl, I'm keeping you in charge of Judith," he started finally, putting his hands on his hips. "You know what to do, just come to me if you need some help. Beth, I'm going to have you go back and forth between assisting Adie in taking care of Amaleen, and making sure we have some food. I'm going to keep watch." He paused and looked down at Amaleen, sighing softly. "Hopefully this town stays silent. If not, we'll have to leave."
"Without the others?" Beth asked, her eyes widening in alarm.
Slowly Rick nodded even as he frowned. "I promised Daryl I'd look after her, and I'm going to keep my word. If we have to leave, we'll find them again. I won't let this group split up." He put a gentle hand on Beth's shoulder. "Don't worry, Beth, you won't lose Maggie." The teenager didn't look convinced, but she nodded and slowly everyone got to work. Carl went to the room that he and Rick were sharing with Judith to check on her while Beth helped Adie get Amaleen settled comfortably, checking her bandage again and trying to clean it up. Once that was done, Beth quietly excused herself to go make dinner. Rick took her place next to Adie as she gently worked on pressing a cool, wet rag to her forehead to mop up the sweat. The look on her face was tense and guilty and Rick could see that she blamed herself for this happening.
She really belongs with this group, he thought wryly as he sat down next to Amaleen. Everyone seemed to be blaming themselves for something even though they should be blaming the man that shot her. Still, he couldn't help but keep going back to the fact that he let her go up there alone after repeatedly saying they had to all stick together because that's how they survived. Now here she was on her death bed fighting for not only her life, but that of her baby as well.
"I won't lose them," Adie muttered and he looked over at her as she reached for the bottle of water on the bedside table. He frowned, but she didn't say anything else as she gestured to him. "Help me with her for a second? We have to keep her hydrated as much as we can." Rick nodded silently and reached over to gently pulled Amaleen partway against his body. She groaned and he winced at the noise, pausing as she slowly settled back down again, before he moved her again and helped tip her head back. Her eyelids fluttered and her green eyes stared up at him, slowly trying to focus before finally taking him in as if unrecognizing of who he was.
Rick smiled softly and stroked a finger down her cheek. "Hi, there," he murmured gently. "We need to keep you hydrated. Adie has some water and you need to drink some for us, okay?" For a moment she didn't look like she understood, but slowly she nodded and together Adie and Rick helped her get part of the bottle down. It seemed to tire her out, though, because as soon as the bottle was pulled away, she fell back into a restless slumber. He sighed and carefully settled her back into the pillows. Luckily she didn't make any noises and Rick was relieved; the last thing he wanted to do was cause her anymore pain. "I hope they get back soon. I can't stand to see her like that."
Adie nodded, but didn't say anything and Rick knew it was still that guilt that was taking her over. They sat in silence for a few moments as Adie continued to pat at her forehead and Rick stroked her cheek. But soon Carl ran in, Judith held tight to his chest as he looked at Rick in alarm. Immediately the ex-deputy stood up, face set in a neutral line as he fell into leader mode.
"What is it, Carl?" he asked.
"Our room overlooks the front of the house. I was putting Judy down and saw that there's walkers outside, Dad. I don't think they've noticed us, but there's like eight of them."
Rick cursed softly and shook his head, running a hand down his face and rubbing at his beard. "We should probably take them out, but we have to do so quietly. Gunshots could attract more walkers and so can the noises of the walkers themselves. We need to try and hold down the fort here as much as possible at least until the others get back." Carl nodded and together the father and son walked from the room, only after Rick glanced quickly at Adie to make sure that she had Amaleen. The baby was given to Beth to watch while the Grimes men went to take care of the walkers at the front of the house and keep their group safe.
.x.x.x.x.
It was close enough to dark by the time that they got to the hospital that they all knew they would have to camp out somewhere or find a house to hold up in for the night. It made Daryl curse quietly, but there was nothing they could do about it at that point. He quietly brought the car closest to the ambulance bay as that was the best way in and out of the building. So far they hadn't seen any movement around, human or walker, but Daryl remembered what Rick had told them about him trying to get out of the hospital when all this shit first started so he wasn't going to let his guard down.
They all climbed from the car and stood outside, glancing around for a moment just to take in the area, before he gestured them closer. He kept his voice soft as he began talking. "A'righ', Adie said that usually the pharmacy is in the lower floors. We'll find the stairs first ta get us down there. I have the list she gave us 'n Amaleen's big bag. We'll throw everything in there that we can, 'n I have plastic bags if we need 'em. We get in, we get the supplies, we get out. No side trips, no fallin' behind, no goin' off by yourself. Am's countin' on us." She's countin' on me, he thought. "Ready?" Everybody nodded and Daryl took the lead inside, the women behind him, and Glenn taking up the rear.
Inside, the hospital was a disaster area, but luckily it didn't look like the building itself was unsound. There was ripped up furniture, papers scattered all over the place. Bullet holes in the wall and ceiling, and splatters of blood across the floor. It looked like there was a fight as there was also some broken glass, and a few bodies that luckily had been put down for good, but Daryl stomped the heads flat just to make sure. But there weren't any signs of walkers or humans so Daryl gestured to split into two groups, Maggie and Glenn and then him and Carol.
"Stay in each other's sights, though," he murmured as he led Carol over to the other side of the big lobby. They found the gift shop and there was nothing in there that would be useful to them, just a bunch of dead flowers and stuffed animals tossed around. His eyes lingered on the It's A Boy! bears and resisted the urge to pick one up for Amaleen, though they weren't sure if it was a girl or boy yet, but he just had a feeling. The idea of having a girl scared him, but on the flip side he loved the idea of having a daddy's girl. Keeping his face neutral, he walked away from it and headed with Carol along one wall of doors, opening them all to try and find the door to the stairwell. Eventually he heard Glenn call his name softly and he gestured Daryl and Carol over. The couple was standing in front of an open door and it was dark inside, but Glenn had a flashlight out that he was shining inside to show the stairs going both up and down. Daryl glanced over at Carol and she nodded so they headed over to make their way downstairs.
Daryl went first again, Maggie behind him with the flashlight so he could see, but Daryl made sure to keep his crossbow aimed over the railing just in case anything happened to come at them. There were other bodies in the stairwell as well, but Daryl stomped the heads again to make sure. Other than that, they didn't come across anything and that made Daryl even more nervous than he was before because most likely that meant they were all somewhere else in the hospital. He just hoped they weren't around the pharmacy.
Finally they made it down to the floor that said BASEMENT on the sign next to it and Daryl paused outside it. He held up a hand to stop the others behind him before gesturing to them that he would open the door and go out first. They all agreed and Daryl took a deep breath, silently counting to three, before he threw the door open and stepped out into the hallway.
.x.x.x.x.
Rick spent the night keeping watch and worrying until early morning when Carl and Beth insisted he sleep and they took over for him. He only agreed when they said they would wake him if they saw something. Adie was staying with Amaleen the whole time to keep an eye on her and make sure that nothing happened to her while everyone was away. Rick had been surprised when he fell asleep so quickly, but he hadn't slept well in a long time and his body was exhausted even as his mind was wound up too tight with everything going on. Half of his group was gone, the woman he thought of as a sister was fighting for her life, he had the others to worry about, and then there were those confusing thoughts he had about Adie... None of it made any sense together so he just pushed it to the back of his mind and stopped thinking about it. The only thing that mattered was getting Amaleen better and the others back home.
"Dad!"
The voice startled him from his sleep making him jump in surprise. He was out of the bed in an instant, Colt in his hand, as he ran for the direction Carl's voice was coming from. The boy was downstairs it seemed and Rick took the stairs two at a time to get down there. The house wasn't nearly as large as the last one they were in, but he had trouble finding him in the darkened rooms. Finally he saw him outlined in the rising morning sun by the front window, looking scared and ashen as he peaked out between the curtains.
"Carl, what is is?" he asked hurriedly, his voice a hiss, and Carl gestured him closer.
"I-I fell asleep... I'm so sorry, Dad, I didn't mean to. I just woke up and...look." Rick frowned and took steps up closer to Carl and leaned over him, looking through the curtains.
He went ashen as well, a rough, "Oh fuck," leaving his lips as he saw it: a herd of walkers, easily a hundred, gathered around outside the house.
