The next morning, Kayla was awake bright and early. Just like any other day she was up before Daryl who was fast asleep next to her. She pushed the sheets off of her and made sure Daryl was still covered before getting dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a baise long sleeved shirt she cut the sleeves off. Once she holstered her gun and knife, she kissed Daryl's head and went out to help Carol with breakfast.
Kayla bumped into Carl and Rick on her way out and she pulled Carl into a tight hug. "Good morning my favorite farmer!" she said. Carl laughed as he told her to let go. "I can't breathe!" he laughed. Kayla let go and messed up his hair. "Better see you two at breakfast." She told Rick and Carl. "Spendin' all day in the heat without enough energy ain't good for ya." Rick gave her a smile. "Sure thing." He replied. Kayla smiled and then went over to the cooking station where Carol was starting breakfast.
While cooking, Kayla was talking to Carol about medical advice and certain techniques which was something they did every morning. Sometimes Carol would join Kayla in the infirmary to observe and help out so she could learn if the time ever came for her to have to know the things Kayla does. It felt normal around the prison. There were meals where everyone ate together and casual conversations, sometimes it felt as if the world was normal for a little bit. But then something reminded everyone what the world was now which put an end to the normality.
Breakfast was just about ready and Kayla was expecting to see all the familiar faces come out of Cell Block D which included Jonathan's when the sound of gunshots caught their attention. The smile on Kayla's face disappeared when she looked up just as the door to Cell Block D opened and Mika and Lizzy, two young girls, came running out. "Help!" they yelled. "Somebody help!" Kayla dropped what she was doing and rushed over to the girls with Carol as Glenn came over as well.
"What is it?" Kayla asked frantically.
"There are walkers in the cell block!" Lizzy cried. Kayla looked ahead and pulled her gun out of her holster as she sprinted inside with Carol and Glenn. When they got inside, Kayla was shocked at what she saw. There were people screaming and running around frantically while dead bodies laid on the ground with walkers digging into them. Kayla rushed ahead and shot at the walkers she saw with Glenn behind her. "Jonathan!" she called out. She turned around and saw Daryl and Rick come in with Alex right behind them. She shot down two more walkers when she saw Jonathan up on the top of the stairs being cornered by a walker…that was Jonathan's mother. Kayla raised her gun, took aim, and fired a bullet towards her direction. It was a direct head shot. When she was down Kayla ran up to Jonathan, dropping to her knees to hug him. He wrapped his arms around her neck and he was crying into her shirt. "She…she tried to…" he sobbed. "Shhhhh it's alright. You're safe." Kayla hushed him. She pulled away from him and asked if he was bit. He just shook his head. Kayla hugged him again and carried him down the steps.
Kayla took Jonathan outside and told him to stay with Lizzy and Mika while she headed back into the cell block where Daryl, Glenn, Alex, and Rick remained. She found them upstairs just as they cleared the top cells. Dr. S and Hershel joined them a few minutes later while Kayla examined Charlie's dead body. "The blood trails down his face…" she said, trying to suppress the tears. "They're a sign of…" she couldn't bring herself to talk. Yesterday Charlie was eating lunch with everyone and talking about comics and now he was dead. Alex put a hand on her shoulder as Dr. S and Hershel explained what killed him which was clindamycin aspiration. Basically what happens is there an internal lung buildup which results in choking on your blood. Dr. S explained that it was probably the result of an aggressive flu strain. All Kayla could do was look at Charlie's lifeless body while the others talked back and forth. She knew that this was going to get bad…and fast.
After they finished up in Cell Block D, Kaya found Jonathan who was mourning the loss of his mother. She kneeled down in front of him and placed her hands on the sides of his face. "Hey…" she said softly. Jonathan wiped his tears away. "My mom…she's…gone." He sniffled.
"I know sweetie…I'm so sorry."
"She was trying to get me…"
"I know…"
It was always harder with young children in this world. He was only eight, almost nine, so he was still having trouble understanding things completely. And it was hard to explain things to him. "John I know it hurts a lot right now. And there isn't a lot I can do to make you feel better because the pain you're feeling is something I can't fix with an ice pack or a Band-Aid." She began to say. "The only thing that can fix this is time. Your mom may not be here with you, but she's somewhere safe now. Somewhere where what you see everyday outside those fences is nonexistent. I know how much you want her with you, but maybe a way to make hurt less now is to remember that she's in a place where she can't get hurt anymore."
John let the words sink in for a minute or so. "So…she's with my dad now?" John asked. Kayla nodded. "Yeah." She confirmed. "She's with your dad. And I guarantee that they'll be waiting for you together when you get to where they are one day." Just then Daryl's voice caught her attention. She turned and saw him motioning towards the library which meant a council meeting. "Are you alright on your own?" she asked Jonathan. He nodded. "I'm gonna stay with Lizzy." He told her. "I'll be back in a bit. I promise." Kayla assured him before walking with Daryl to the library.
