Chapter 18 Standoff

Three days had passed since we agreed to help Shepherd reclaim the hospital. They were three very tense and stressful days. Though me and my people were finally allowed to roam the hospital, we were being watched carefully, and we were being blocked from entering the cafeteria. Collins, the man who led the rival group, put up his own guards and denied us entry, even after Shepherd told him he didn't have the right. A scuffle broke out between the two groups of officers. The hospital workers stayed out of it, though they supported Shepherd.

Shepherd explained to the other side that our being here was temporary. We only stayed because of Beth, as we waited hour after hour for some kind, any kind of change in her condition. There had been nothing so far, but we weren't giving up hope, especially me. I wasn't leaving this place without her. I spent every moment I could by her side. When I was alone with her, I would talk to her, encourage her to get better, to wake up and look at me again. I missed her smile and her laugh. I missed everything about her. I would never go anywhere without her, even if it meant wheeling her out of here unconscious, which I hoped wouldn't be the case. I begged for her to come back to me in any condition, paralyzed, brain damaged, anything just so that I could get her out of here and start taking care of her. I would take on any challenge that was thrust at me.

I didn't like being in this place, and I didn't like being in the city. It was dangerous, and not just because of the walkers that constantly roamed around the building and occupied the lower floors. Nothing had happened yet, but I had a bad feeling that something was brewing here. The people were divided. Every day, tension levels built. You could feel it in the air, a constant static charge that was just waiting to go off. I had the feeling Collins was waiting for the right opportunity to strike, and we were going to be the excuse because we were the outsiders. There was only one thing keeping us here, and if they wanted us to leave, they would have to omit that single draw … Beth.

I caught Collins snooping around yesterday, when I had stepped out of Beth's room briefly to use the bathroom. He was walking around her room, hands behind his back, taking slow precise steps as he examined each machine that was keeping her alive. I stood in the doorway and just watched, waiting for him to make a move so I could kill him and claim self-defense. He stopped at the side of Beth's bed, and gazed down at her. His finger gently traced one of the tubes that ran from her mouth, between her breasts, and over the edge of the bed.

"Touch her and I'll kill you," I seethed from the doorway.

Collins, a tall muscular man with short dark hair, and an irritating swagger about him, ignored me and smiled as he leaned down to get a better look at Beth's face. "My, what a waste of a beauty."

I knew right away what he was up to. He was trying to antagonize me, to lead me into a fight that would justify evicting my people from the hospital. But I wasn't threatened. It was more telling, actually. As long as we were here, he knew he had less of a chance for a successful takeover. I figured this was the reason Collins wouldn't negotiate with Shepherd. She was trying to find a way to make it work for everyone. I knew better than anyone it would never work. Either Shepherd and her people had to leave or Collins did.

"Pretty and blonde, young too," Collins said with an irritating smirk. "So, you and her … uh. . ." He cocked an insinuating brow. I refused to play into his game. "You know, if you want to … have a moment alone with her, I can rearrange it so you won't be interrupted." He gazed down at her again. "Not much you can do with the top half, but the bottom half is all you need. Am I right?" Collins looked at me with a shit-eating grin.

"You need to leave," I growled dangerously, but he ignored me.

"Now, I personally like my girls alive and wriggling, but if you're into that kind of thing … Hey, at least she's still warm. Might need some K.Y. to help her along, but she won't complain, no matter what you do to her. Yep, you can do all those things she said she wouldn't do, and you don't have to tell her to shut up and take it."

"Is that what you did to your boss? Stick you dick inside the hole I put in her head?" I shot back. It was a horrible thing to say, but no worse than the filth he was spitting at me.

I had him where I wanted him. His face turned red, and a vein popped out on the side of his neck. He forced a laugh as he wiggled his finger at me. "Alright, I guess I deserved that. Suit yourself then."

"Get out! Now!" I demanded. I could feel my blood pressure building, and I was about to pop off on this asshole.

"This is my hospital. I'll go wherever I damn well please," he said as he passed me and exited the room.

"Not this room. It's off limits to you and any of your men," I said as a promise to what would happen if he crossed the line again.

Just as Collins left, Rick was there, and he got in the man's face, stopping him in his tracks. Rick's agitation was back. I knew what he was capable of, and it seemed Collins sensed his danger too, because he backed off quickly, refusing to make eye contact. Collins hurried away from us.

"What did he want?" Rick asked, his eyes trained on Collins until he was out of sight.

"Just trying to start trouble. I ain't falling for his shit. You shouldn't either," I warned.

"When are we doing this?" Rick wondered.

"I'm just waiting on Shepherd. I told her we were ready. She just needs to give the word."

"The sooner the better," Rick commented.

"I'll talk to her again," I said to satisfy him.

"We're moving on this soon," I said to Shepherd as we were discussing plans. "We're done waiting. Collins has been making threats, trying to get me involved. Trying to set me up. I knew what he was up to, but I held back. My buddy, Rick, that's another story. If these guys figure out they can try and ruffle his feathers, then this whole plan won't be for shit."

"Are you saying Rick is a loose cannon?" she asked as though reconsidering everything we had been working towards.

"Let's just say he's been through some shit, and he ain't putting up with much lately. My main concern is Beth. I don't put it past these guys to use her in some way," I informed her.

"That's not going to happen," she tried to assure me, but it was just an empty promise.

"What the hell are you trying do here? Collins and the rest, they ain't never gonna live here peacefully. There will always be conflict. And when we're gone, who are you going to use as leverage?"

Shepherd sighed and turned away. We stood in her office, which used to belong to Dawn, and she shifted some papers around on the desk. "It's my brother," she said quietly.

"What about your brother?" I was confused. She'd never made mention of ever having a sibling. I didn't know Shepherd outside of being in charge here at the hospital.

"He's with Collins." She turned to me to see my reaction.

"Your brother is here? You never said anything before."

"He's my half-brother. We never got along very well, but he's still my brother. When Dawn took control, he started hanging around with Gordon and Collins, two of the main instigators. They kept pushing Dawn to see how far she would let them go before reaching her breaking point. But soon they discovered that Dawn was scared, and barely holding on to her position. They used that to their advantage, and that's when things started getting bad around here. My brother stays on their side because they protect him. Look, he's not a cop. He worked as bouncer at a bar. He never had much, especially after our parents divorced. He got in trouble with the law a lot, took a bunch of odd jobs, and got involved with a bad crowd. Before everything went to shit, he got that bar job. He was trying to turn his life around when everything went bad. The night things turned downtown he came to the hospital by police escort. He said some customer got out of control, and he punched him. The cops got involved, and the customer pressed charges. Roy, my brother, needed stitches on his hand. They were going to patch him up and then the cops were going to take him to the precinct. I heard the call on the radio and came here to see if I could help him out, maybe get the charges dropped. That never happened, of course. Things got out of hand around here. People were coming in with bites, dying, turning, and attacking the living. Me and Roy did what we could, but we couldn't save many, only a few. We hid until shit died down. When the smoke started to clear, we came out, found other cops and some patients. We closed off this floor and stayed here. Dawn was here with her partner, who took control in the beginning. Eventually, they quit seeing eye to eye, things happened that we weren't supposed to question, and Dawn became leader, minus her partner. It was good at first, but things turned again. We started choosing sides. Roy chose theirs. He distanced himself from me when Collins gave him a uniform. And now, here we are. I want to get rid of Collins and his followers, but I'm trying to do it so that I don't lose my brother."

I was surprised by her story, and I could see a few similarities with my own story. "I had a brother I tried to save too."

"Did it work?" she asked honestly.

"Maybe it did in the end, but by then it was too late. The thing is, you can't keep Collins here and save your brother at the same time. Roy chose a side and it wasn't yours. Either he's going to have to get his shit together, or he'll be out with the rest. But trying to keep everyone here to force something to work, it ain't gonna happen. It's not the answer," I told her.

"You're right. I know," she conceded with a deep sigh. "So, what's the plan. How are we going to do this?"

"We don't want a huge shoot out in the hospital. We want this to go as smoothly as possible, so we're not going to be arming the workers, but we're going to need their help." I filled her in on what we were going to do. She seemed concerned for the workers, but she would just have to trust that this would all work out. "So, are you good with that?" I asked.

"It has to be done," she responded.

"You're not going to have a problem with this, are you? Once Collins and his men leave the hospital, they're not coming back." I watched for her reaction. Shepherd was a cop, sworn to protect. It was not unlike the oath that doctors took, and like Edwards, Shepherd knew what would happen, though she wouldn't be a part of it.

"As long as my brother stays safe," she said.

"Roy can't be with them," I reminded her. "But he can't know what's happening either. That's going to be up to you. Somehow, you have to make him stay here, otherwise . . ."

"No guarantees. Yes, I understand. He won't be with them," she said.

"Alright. First things first, I need a couple radios."

"We're using all the working ones. I have a couple extra, but they don't work."

Already we were running into a hitch in the plan. "Where are they. One of my people might be able to fix them." Eugene was smart when it came to electronics. As long as he had the parts he needed, it shouldn't have been a problem. "Get them now so I can get them fixed."

Shepherd left her office, and I went to find Eugene. He was still in the breakroom, tinkering with the same machines as before. When I entered the room, he looked up at me with concern. That was Eugene's normal face, though. He was skittish as a mouse. "Hey Eugene, I got a project for you."

"What's that?" he asked.

"I need you to fix a couple hand radios. Is that something you can do?"

"It depends on the reason they aren't functioning properly, and if I have the parts I need in order to restore them to their right-out-of-the-box condition," he answered.

"So, is that a yes?" Eugene had a tendency to take the long way to answer a simple question.

He looked disappointed that I wasn't impressed by his knowledge. "I'll probably need a soldering kit," he answered.

"I'll see what I can do." I ran out of the room, hoping to catch Shepherd before she got too far when I came upon Ken wheeling through the hallway. "Just the man I needed to see," I said, stopping him.

"What's up?"

"Can you find me a couple workers who might be able to impersonate a cop over a hand radio? Preferable Collins and his men?"

Ken smiled up at me. "Did I miss the talent show sign-ups?" he laughed.

"I know it sounds weird, but do you think you could help?" I asked.

"I'm pretty sure I can do it," Ken offered.

"They're going to need to leave the hospital, and you're still in a wheelchair." I hated to disappoint him, but he seemed to understand.

"I know who to ask. Mind telling me what's going on?"

"Things are in motion," I started to say when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. When I looked, I didn't see anything. "I'll fill you in later. In the meantime, if you could set me up with a couple guys, that would be great."

"Sure, no problem. Hey, how's Beth?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing yet, but she's stable." I felt guilty for not being with her more. I wanted to be with her every moment of the day and night, but I had to work on this assignment first.

"I could sit with her if you want," he offered.

"Yeah. Maybe you could give Maggie a break now and then. I'm sure she'd appreciate it." I was glad for Ken, and I hoped to pay him back soon.

When I left Ken, I found Shepherd. As luck would have it, she knew where a soldering kit was, and got it for me. I took that and the two hand radios back to Eugene, who got started on fixing them right away. Then I met with Rick and the others to start forming a more solid plan.

We decided we needed to lure the cops out in pairs for what seemed like a simple investigation, only to have things escalate into confusion and chaos. We'd take them down and then have a hospital worker pose as a cop calling back in with a report. To keep up the charade, Shepherd and her people would have to go out too. This would have to be some kind of big event in order to pull so many cops from the hospital. We had to keep them disoriented with calls for backup or radioing in their findings. My people would take to the streets with gun fire for effect to keep up the charade. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Collins, his men would start to disappear. Last one out the door would have to be Collins, and Shepherd said she would take care of that herself.

It didn't feel right, tricking these men from their safe place. I knew what ultimately had to be done to ensure they couldn't come back and cause trouble. The world was a wicked place anymore. Beth would not approve of this plan. It went against everything she believed in. I was partly doing this for her safety. As long as Collins was around, Beth's life was at stake. I knew they would eventually use her fragile condition to get their way, and I couldn't let that happen.

I made my rounds and talked to my people so that everyone was on the same page. I checked in with Eugene, and he said the radios wouldn't be too difficult to fix, but he would need a day. With time on my hands again, I went to Beth's room, and found Ken sitting with her.

"She was a good friend to me while she was here," he mentioned after a while of sitting in silence together.

"She's special. That's for sure," I said as I took up my usual seat next to her bed. I picked up her hand and gave it a squeeze, but received no response. I missed her touch, and the way she would interlock her fingers with mine. I could remember the first time we held hands as we approached the funeral home. "I just want her to wake up and see me again," I said.

"I understand completely. As I was … working on Bailey … I would stare down at his face and wish he would open his eyes. I hoped like hell that it was all just a bad dream. I miss him, his smile, his laugh, the stupid jokes he used to tell. I even miss those annoying little things he did around the house," Ken reminisced.

"Can I ask you something kind of personal?" I wondered, and he nodded. "Did you have to … you know … after he died?"

Ken was silent a moment, as though he were remembering the time. "He got bit. Went through the whole thing, fever, chills, sweating, hallucinating. Right before he died, he had a single moment of clarity. He looked me deep in my eyes, and asked me not to let him turn. God, I cried and my body shook with fear or anger. I couldn't tell. Maybe both. I told him I didn't think I could do something like that because I loved him so much. Bailey said I had to go through with it because of my love for him. He said, when he stopped breathing and his heart stopped beating, he would only be a vessel, and that the real Bailey would be gone. I wouldn't be killing him, you know? It made sense, and so with his dying breath, he told me he loved me more than anything in the world. And I kept my promise, and did as he asked. I did it for love, but … it still hurt to do it all the same."

"I've shown mercy to people I've known," I said. "Some right after they died, and some after they turned. The most difficult time I had was with my brother. He was killed and left to turn. When I found him, he wasn't himself anymore. I'll never forget those cloudy grey eyes. Even though I knew my brother was gone, it still hurt to do that to him. I can still feel the knife penetrating bone. He was a walker, but he was still my brother." As I finished, I looked at Beth. "I hope it doesn't come to that, but I'm not sure I can do it to her. I swore to her daddy I would protect her and keep her safe. I feel like I failed him and her."

"You couldn't have known what was going to happen. Nobody could have," Ken said to me. He wheeled his chair closer to me. "From what Beth told me about you, I think you're a good man. You loved her, I'm sure, and she knew that. Didn't you do all you could for her leading up to that fateful moment?"

I nodded. "I did. I still am."

"I've learned that no matter how much you try to protect someone, you can't be there every second. I've raked myself over coals thinking about what I could have done or should have done to make sure Bailey stayed safe, but I turned my back for a moment, and now he's gone. But I know deep down that I did everything within my human power to protect him. You were there for Beth just as she was there for you. These people kidnapped her, and you didn't give up looking for her. Because of that, you found her and you had a little more time together. To look back on what happened and what you think you should have done differently will drive you insane. So, for now, you wait, you stay for her, you talk to her, and hopefully she'll come back to you. Bailey's life was over the moment he got bit. Beth is still alive, still has a chance, and you're still protecting her. You've done nothing wrong."

"Thanks man," I said, giving him a hidden smile. "Hey, one more favor to ask. Will you stay here and watch over Beth when the time comes. I have to be a part of this, so I won't be able to keep an eye on her. Most of my people are in on this plan. Carol is staying to watch over the kids, and Eugene and Gabriel."

"Of course," Ken smiled. "I won't leave this room while you're gone."

"I appreciate it," I said, and I grasped his shoulder to give it a squeeze. I was glad there was someone here I trusted to do what I couldn't. It was one less thing to worry about.

The next day it was time to go. Eugene had the radios working and everyone was ready to make this plan happen. Rick sent Abraham and Rosita out, claiming they were out scavenging. After the right amount of time passed, they fired off a few rounds, enough to grab the attention of the cops. Rick and Maggie went to Collins to ask for his help. As expected, Collins refused, saying people should take care of their own. Shepherd got in on it and demanded Collins send some of his men to help Abraham and Rosita, and if they needed medical attention, to bring them back to the hospital. After going back and forth, Collins told Shepherd that if she wanted to put someone at risk, she should go herself. She gave in and ordered two of her officers to go. This was what we expected to happen, so the plan was working so far.

Eventually, Shepherd's people called in to say they found Abraham and Rosita, but that they needed backup because of a growing situation. Supposedly, Abraham and Rosita were trapped in a building surrounded by the dead, and they needed help getting them out. This time, Shepherd argued that it was Collins turn to send people, and he did so, reluctantly.

After a while, another call came in from Shepherd's officers to say that their backup arrived and went to find a way into the building, but now they weren't answering. That's when Glenn and Tara volunteered to go, just to make it seem that my people were helping too. When Glenn checked in, he said it was chaos and getting worse. He asked for help, but Collins refused, saying he wouldn't send of his men out until he heard from them. This was where the hospital workers came in. Rick had given them one of the fixed radios, and helped them escape to the streets. Now, one of them called in, disguising their voice to sound like one of Collins' men. It wasn't difficult to do, and the echo from the parking garage where they hid, made it sound more authentic. Collins fell for the trick, and sent more people out into the streets. He was paranoid, though, and he started to argue with Shepherd.

"This better not be some goddamn trick," he warned.

"Those are my people down there too. Do you really think I'd send them into a trap?" Shepherd argued.

More gun shots went off, closer to the hospital, and a call came in warning that a herd was growing. People were scattered, and they were doing their best to get everyone back safely. Rick caused some chaos inside when he accused Collins and Shepherd of not doing enough. This was part of our plan to cause some confusion inside, and get Collins flustered enough to force him to make mistakes. More officers went out. Now it was my turn to leave. I took Rick with me, and we joined the others. Collins' men had been dealt with, and would no longer be a problem.

"Where is everyone?" Rick demanded once we all met up.

Abraham and Rosita were inside the building across from the hospital. Whenever we needed gun shots, they fired off a couple rounds. Glenn and Tara guarded one of the entrances into the building. Shepherds people guarded another. We took turns making hectic call-ins, worrying those still safe inside the hospital. More of Shepherd's and Collins' people were sent out to help, and more problems arose. Whenever Collins started getting impatient, one of the hospital workers would call in and impersonate those that were missing. It was working. So far Collins didn't suspect a thing.

There was a problem with all of this. We actually were starting to drawn the attention of some walkers, and their numbers were increasing. "We need to deal with this," Rick said to me. "Or we're actually going to get ourselves trapped and the calls will be real."

We met the oncoming walkers as a group and took them out quickly. All the gunfire added to the effects, and Collins must have thought there was a war going on outside of his hospital. One of the workers managed to reach Shepherd and give her the real story. More officers went out. Michonne and Maggie went with them. Everything was escalating, some forced and some real, but we were handling it.

Inside the hospital, Collins was losing his grip over everything. Shepherd was doing a good job of pushing him along, but he was getting to a point where he was going to shut down. That's where we wanted him.

I knew there were only a few left on the opposing side. We had done what we promised to do and eliminated Shepherd's problem. She now held the power within Grady Memorial. Someone called in to say that the mission was successful and that we were coming back in, everyone except for Collin's thugs. Rick and I had seen to their demise. The threat was gone. Or so we thought.

As we made our way back to the hospital, one of the hospital workers ran up to us, a worried look on his face. "You all better hurry back. Things took a turn inside. Shepherd just called and said to enter with caution, something about being held hostage."

"Oh shit," Rick and I said in unison as we glanced at each other. We all took off running back inside and up the stairs.

"This shouldn't be happening," Maggie said. "There should only be a few of Collins' men left. Why didn't Shepherd handle it?"

"I don't know, but we're about to find out," I said as I threw open the stairwell door that led to the fifth floor. The hall was dark, but quiet, and we found the same as we turned a corner. It wasn't until we got closer to the heart of the hospital that I started to worry and assume things that went wrong. We went past the breakroom, and past the nurse's desk, and my heart began beating wildly. We were approaching the turn that led to Beth's room, and I could hear voices, yelling and panic. I turned the corner, and there was a group of workers at the end of the hall, just outside of Beth's room. That's when I started to run.

I got to the room and shoved some of the people out of the way to get a look inside. Shepherd was just inside the door, partially blocking my view, but I could see her brother, Roy, standing next to Beth's bed. He was sweating and pacing back and forth, mumbling something to himself. Movement caught my eye, and I saw Collins standing on the opposite side of the room watching everything happen. I stepped inside, and everyone tensed. "What the fuck is going on here?" I yelled.

Shepherd got in front of me and tried to push me back out of the room. "You need to stay back. I've got this under control."

"What are they doing in here?" I asked her, demanding to know.

"You people are evil," Roy cried out. His wild eyes settled on me. "We were fine before you all showed up. Now, people are missing. One by one you manipulated them, drew them away. Where are they? What did you do to them?"

This wasn't how this was supposed to go down, obviously. We were supposed to come back and find Shepherd had detained Collins and the few of his men that were left. Roy was never supposed to be a part of this.

Collins stepped forward to address us. "Seems that Roy here overheard something about a plan to get rid of us." Collins went to Roy. "Unfortunately, he waited too long to tell us about his suspicions," he said through clinched teeth, and Roy cowered slightly.

"Roy don't know nothing," I growled back. "We've been out there handling your problems."

"I don't want to hear your bullshit," Collins said to me. "I want my men back here, or I'm going to have Roy start pulling tubes out of your girlfriend."

"Don't you fucking touch her," I said as I lunged forward. Something stopped me as I felt hands grasping my arms. I looked over my shoulder and found Maggie and Rick holding onto me. "Let me go so I can fuck this guy up."

"They've got Beth as leverage," Maggie yelled to make me hear. "Daryl, you have to calm down."

It was only because of Maggie that I stopped fighting against them, but I was still ready to dart out towards them if I got the chance.

"I want my men brought back here right now," Collins demanded again. "Or it's going to get real in a minute." He turned his attention to Roy. "Take out that IV."

"No!" I yelled, and now Maggie was by my side. We watched Roy pull the IV, and I moved toward the bed.

"Get the fuck back or Roy will yank that tube out of her throat!" Collins roared. I had no choice but to stop. I was panting with rage, my fists balled up, my teeth clenched. It took everything I had not to go after these assholes, but I couldn't for Beth's sake.

Again, Collins demanded the return of his men, but that wasn't possible. They were dead, left on the streets for walker chow. It had been Rick's final decision to take them down so they could never come back and try to regain power over the hospital residents. Not everyone agreed to this, and I was on the fence when it came to the decision. Most of Collins' men were lowlife scum using a uniform and dangerous influence to control the others. Dawn had given them the freedom to do as they pleased so they wouldn't overthrow her. With her out of the way, there would be nothing to stop them from turning Grady into a horror show. But there were a couple men who went along because they were bribed or forced to participate. They were afraid of the power Collins held over them and so they conformed. I thought they could have been easily pressured into flipping sides. Rick didn't think so. He said it was too late for any of them, and the problem had to be eradicated. So, that's what we did, me and Rick. I didn't want anyone else to have blood on their hands, criminal or not.

"What the hell is going on here?" Edwards cried out from the doorway. "What are you doing to my patient?"

"Stay out of it, Edwards," Collins responded. "As of now, she's not your patient anymore. She's ours until I get what I want. Now, get my men back inside the hospital."

"We can't," Rick called out as he pushed his way into the room.

"And why not?" Collins said angrily.

"Because they're all dead. Now, I'm going to say this only once. Back away from her," Rick said in his cop voice. "And get the hell out of here."

"I'm not going anywhere, you piece of shit. This is my territory. It has been since the beginning. You can't come in here and start ordering me around. You killed my men, asshole. So, who's the bad guy around here. You and your people are the ones who need to leave."

"And we will just as soon as we're sure you won't be bothering anyone here ever again." Rick took a single step toward Collins and cocked his head to the side. That was never a good sign. "Tell you what. If you and your buddy here leave this instant, and put a good amount of distance between you and this hospital, we won't kill you."

"This is bullshit," Collins said. "Shepherd, what do you have to say about this?"

Shepherd came to the doorway, the hospital workers parting like the sea to let her through. She looked from Collins to Roy, deciding how to move forward. "Roy, I thought I told you to keep out of all this shit."

"Since when did you ever fucking care about me." Roy glanced around at everyone watching the scene unfold. "Did you know she arrested me once? My own fucking sister."

"I had no choice, Roy. You were out of control at that bar. You attacked several patrons and then you went after the bouncer," Shepherd countered. "I followed you here to the hospital."

"Yeah, to make sure they locked my ass up when I got discharged," Roy yelled. He was still pacing around Beth. I kept a sharp eye on him in case he wanted to try something again.

"I came here to see about getting the charges dropped. I didn't want you going back to jail. I knew how hard you tried to get your life in order, and I didn't want to see you throw it all away again." Shepherd was talking about the incident she told me about earlier.

"Lucky for me, hell's gates opened and let all the demons out. Those cops that brought me in got what they deserved. I watched them get eaten, and used the diversion to get the hell away," Roy reminisced with a crazed look on his face.

"And who found you?" Shepherd said in a pleading voice. "I did, and I kept us safe. We cleared what we could and decided to make this our home. Remember Roy? It was a good time for us. It was all good until Dawn took over and let Collins and Gorman have their way. I'm just trying to right a wrong, and bring Grady back to the place it started out as, a sanctuary, a place to heal and to thrive. Please, step away and come with me. Let Collins go. He doesn't care about you."

"Roy!" Collins called out to him. "You heard what they did. Our guys, they're all dead because of your sister. She's going to have me killed too. And then it will just be you. She'll keep controlling you. She'll put you back on those meds you hate."

"No," Roy whimpered. "I can't take that shit anymore. I hate it. I don't like the way it makes me feel."

"No one said anything about medicating you," Shepherd corrected. "I think you can get better without drugs. We'll find stuff for you to do around here to keep you busy. Remember what the therapist said. You're at your best when you have a goal to accomplish."

Roy's face softened as he remembered something from his past that Shepherd had jogged loose. He looked as though he was ready to give in, but Collins wasn't done. "Who took you in and gave you a purpose, Roy? Was your sister there for you when we were setting up this place? What did she do with you? Don't you remember? She locked you up in the psyche ward. Is that what she considers taking care of you? I got you out of there, gave you a uniform and put you to work. If it weren't for me, you'd still be sitting alone in that empty room."

This was news to me. Shepherd never mentioned anything about Roy being mentally unstable. This changed things, and now I was extremely concerned about him being in close proximity to Beth. The man was beginning to shake and pace again. He was about to lose his shit.

Collins didn't stop using Roy to his advantage. "If you want to get out of here, do as I say or they'll never listen to us."

"Nobody's doing anything," Rick said. His gun was still holstered, but his hand rested on it. "We just want to talk."

"The time for talking is done," Collins said. He pulled a hand radio from his belt and brought it to his mouth. I didn't know who he was trying to call, but all his men were dead. "Do it now," he said into the radio, and suddenly, the electricity went out.

"Who the hell did that?" Shepherd demanded of Collins.

Collins laughed maniacally. "I've still got someone on the inside, and he's shut down the generators. Now maybe you'll listen. I'm in charge here, not Shepherd. It's going to remain that way, and anyone who doesn't like it can leave. Not the workers, though. They still owe a debt, and I need people to keep this place running. Shepherd stays too. You're going to be my number one bitch. The rest of you who don't belong here need to leave.

"Turn the damn electricity back on," I seethed. "You've turned off her machines."

"That's exactly the point. Do as I say, and she lives, if this is what you call living," Collins said as he approached her. He traced a finger along the edge of her bed, up her arm to her shoulder and then he leaned down as though he was listening. "Oh man, I don't think she's breathing. How long does it take until there's brain damage, Doc?" he called out to Edwards who was still in the hallway. "Oh shit. I forgot. Dawn shot her through the head. Probably already has damage to that pretty little melon. Well, only one reason to keep her alive now, isn't there?"

"You son of a bitch!" I screamed and lunged for him. Collins jumped to the opposite side of Beth's bed, alongside Roy.

"Start pulling tubes, Roy," Collins demanded, and I watched in horror as Roy started disconnecting Beth to the machines.

"Stop it!" Maggie yelled. "You're killing her!"

I saw Rick move over to Shepherd and say something in her ear. She said something back to him, and then he went to Abraham. Abraham nodded and silently signaled to Rosita to go with him. I figured he sent them to find the generators and the person who shut them down.

"Alright! Alright!" I conceded. "We'll back off and listen to your demands. You want us out of here, fine, but you gotta give us something in return."

"I don't have to do shit," Collins said, and he turned away from me.

"My people will leave the hospital right away, and we won't bother you again, but I have to stay, at least until Beth is well enough that I can move her out of here," I said, trying to negotiate a deal.

"No fucking way. You're all out of here." Collins wasn't up to making deals it seemed.

"And what about Beth?" I asked to make him think about what he was doing.

"I will let Edwards keep his little experiment, but if there's no improvement soon, we'll have to abide by the rules. Medicine is in short supply. If there's no hope for recovery . . ." He shrugged his shoulders and walked away from Beth. Roy was still there. He had unplugged a couple more things, but I didn't know what they were.

"You need to the ventilator back up and running," Edwards called from the hall. "Now!"

I glared at Collins who was wearing a sick smile on his face. "Start heading for the door ladies and gentlemen, and I'll make the call. Time to go. Your services are no longer needed. Right Shepherd?" he antagonized.

Suddenly, the power came back on. Machines started beeping and buzzing as they started back up. Collins looked around with confusion. I saw it as my chance to detain him. I started towards him and pulled my knife out. This was going to end right now.

Collins was busy trying to call his lacky on the radio, but he saw me advancing on him at the last second, and pulled a gun out. He aimed it at me and I stopped. "Don't come any closer."

"Put the gun down, Collins," Shepherd said, but her words had no effect on him.

I raised my hands in the air and tried calmly to talk to him. "Come on man. It doesn't have to be like this. I'm sure you and Shepherd can work something out." As I spoke, I made small movements toward him.

Collins noticed what I was doing, and without notice, he aimed his gun down and shot the tiled floor at my feet. I could feel tiny ceramic pieces bounce off my pants and boots. Needless to say, I stopped in my tracks. He wasn't having any more of it. "We're done here," Collins said, and he aimed the gun at Beth as he approached the bed again. He walked all the way to her and held the gun at her bandaged head. "If you don't leave right now, I'll end this. I'll end her."

"You can't hurt her. You said you wouldn't," Roy said to Collins.

"We've gotta do whatever it takes, Roy. That's the way this game works. You want these people gone? You want to stay out of solitary and off your meds? Then you have to take risks. This bitch is dead already. I don't know why everyone is concerned. She'd be better off dead than a vegetable anyway." Collins paused and turned his attention to me. "You know, maybe it would be better if you joined your girlfriend. Both of you are going to be an ongoing problem." He turned his gun on me.

As I stood in the center of the room, I took into account my position. Behind me multiple people gathered in the doorway and beyond. To my right, Maggie was watching the scene unfold. There was no one to my left, and I slowly sidestepped in that direction. If Collins was going to fire that gun again, I didn't want anyone else catching the bullet. "Just put the gun down. No one wants any more bloodshed," I said.

"Is that right? Now that you killed my men, you want to stop the violence? Really? This is pathetic, you know that? And it just isn't worth my time anymore." Collins turned the gun back on Beth. "There's only one way to force you all out. I just need to eliminate the one thing that's keeping you here." He pulled the hammer back on the gun.

I remember my lungs rattling as they released air, and my throat feeling raw from my scream, but I don't remember hearing any sound except for a ringing in my ears. I started to charge toward Collins. I didn't care if he shot me. I'd rather take the bullet instead of Beth. I would rather die for her than to see her life snuffed out before she had a chance of making a recovery. And for that split second in time, I couldn't see myself going on without her. I loved her so much.

Just as Collins' finger started to squeeze the trigger, Roy screamed and grabbed Collins' arm. The gun went off, and everyone ducked down or fell to the floor. I dropped to my knees, and saw a monitor right next to me explode as the bullet broke the screen and went dark. When I looked back, Roy was wrestling the gun away from Collins. Another shot rang out, and I ducked my head down, covering it with my arms. I thought Collins fired his gun again, but when I looked up, he was dropping to the floor in a limp heap. Chaos broke out. People started moving away from the scene, and some ran into the room. Collins was dead on the floor. Roy was still by Beth's bed, with the gun in his hand. It had been Roy who shot Collins as they wrestled for the gun. He looked scared as he waved the gun back and forth. I didn't think he realized what he was doing, but it looked like he was still threatening everyone. Shepherd ran toward him. She was telling him to drop the gun, but Roy wasn't listening.

"I didn't mean to do it," Roy cried over and over.

"I know you didn't, but you have to put the gun down," Shepherd coaxed him. "Just lay it down and step away."

Roy was confused at that point. He was listening to his sister, but he was still aiming the gun at anyone who moved, and everyone was moving. But then, his eyes went wide as he looked towards the door. He brought the gun up, his arm straight out in front of him, but not really concentrating on where he was aiming it. Another shot rang out, but it wasn't Roy. His face instantly went blank, and his body went limp. Blood ran down in a stream from his forehead, and I suddenly realized he'd been shot. I heard Shepherd scream from beside me, and she ran toward her brother. I watched as Roy's body fell on top of Beth, and the gun dropped from his hand, rolling off the bed and onto the floor. My first thought was to get the gun, and I snagged it up so no one else could use it to their advantage. Then I turned to see who shot Roy, and saw Rick with Abraham and Rosita. They must have just gotten back from wherever the generators were kept, and walked in to see Roy waving a gun around at everyone.

I instantly went to Rick and pushed on his arm to make him lower his gun. "What the fuck did you do?" I said in shock. Ever since I found Rick with Joe and his outlaws, after Rick ripped the man's neck open with his teeth, he hadn't been the same. He acted without reason, without thinking about the repercussions. He regarded everyone outside of our group with suspicion, whether they were trying to help us or not. This time, he had made a terrible mistake.

"He was going to shoot someone," Rick said with no emotion.

"Yeah, he shot Collins and saved Beth. And then … he got scared, man. Roy was just scared, and he didn't' know what he was doing. His sister was trying to talk him down. You didn't have to shoot him. Damnit Rick, this is going to change everything." I was so angry, for a moment I was afraid I was going to punch him. "You need to get out of here. Go back to the breakroom and stay there until I come for you. Got it?" I watched Michonne go to Rick and take him by the arm to lead him away. The others followed, but me and Maggie stayed behind.

Shepherd had lowered Roy's body to the floor, freeing up Beth's legs. Now she had him cradled in her arms, rocking him back and forth, crying as she grieved. As bad as I felt for her, I was still focused on Beth. I didn't know what Collins had done to her life support system, but I knew she needed to get everything hooked back up again. I looked back at the door, and waved for Edwards to come in. He did so cautiously, as though he expected Collins or Roy to sit up and start shooting.

"Get her back on the machines, Doc," I said gently. He tore his sight away from the dead bodies, and regarded me a moment.

"Please, Dr. Edwards," Maggie said from my side. Her sorrowful voice drew Edwards from his shocked state, and he finally moved toward the bed. He checked her for a pulse with his stethoscope, and then his whole face went white. He leaned down with his ear against Beth's chest.

"Oh Christ," I whispered, and my heart dropped to my stomach. I thought she was gone. I thought she had no pulse. Maggie must have thought the same thing. She took hold of my arm and squeezed it.

"I need my medical crew," Edwards called out. "Get in here. Now."

"W-what is it? What's happening?" I asked.

"She trying to breath on her own. We need to get this tube out," he said as two workers rushed into the room, and pushed Maggie and me out of the way.

"She's what?" Maggie said, looking weak in the knees.

"She's gonna make it," I said, silently watching the doctor and his assistants work quickly to save my girl.