Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This

Chapter 125

Author's Note: GRR, getting everyone in there spots for this flu thing is driving me insane! I'll be moving events around, just to make it fit. Review please!

Jewel, Rick and Carl's POV:

Jewel waved as Michonne rode out the gate as Carl closed it. "You two going to go check the cucumbers?" she asked as she looked at Carl. She knew he wanted to ask about his gun. "You know Rick, the buildup on the fences are getting worse, they could use some help down there. Why don't I help you while Carl goes and helps them?"

Carl looked at Jewel, a bit surprised she would say something first. "Can I dad? I've been trying real hard."

Jewel gave a small smile toward Rick. "Just one day isn't going to hurt, and last time I volunteered for gate duty, Merle threatened to stab me in the ass if I even looked at the gate. So, it would make me feel like I'm pulling my weight around here if he helped out. And, wouldn't it be nice to just spend some time by ourselves in the garden?" she asked as she kissed Rick.

"You aren't playing fair," Rick warned as he kissed her. "Where's Summer and Judith?"

"Summer's up in D block, one of the kids up there wasn't feeling well, she went to help out Ronnie and Dr. S. I volunteered but once again, Baby Grimes got used as an excuse," Jewel told him.

"Which means Joey's up there, lending a hand," Carl told them.

Jewel glared at Carl and mouthed shut it. "And the other little Grimes is with Beth," Jewel said. "So, how about letting Carl go and help with the walkers, and you teach me the fine arts of caring for cucumbers."

Rick kissed her. "Alright, how can I say no to my pregnant wife?" he asked. "Carl, I'm going to let you do this today, and we'll see about more later. You be careful, and don't use a gun unless you have to," he warned.

"I know dad," Carl said. "Thanks Jewel."

"Don't thank me, I happen to like cucumbers," Jewel told her step son as he turned to go..

All of their attention turned to Mika and Lizzie yelling. "Help! Please! Walkers are in D Block!"

Rick looked at Carl and Jewel. "Carl go to the guard tower with Jewel! Don't argue! Go," he yelled.

"Come on Jewel!" Carl yelled as they both started running.

Group POV:

Summer used her knife on a walker and turned to take another one out as Joey grabbed it and stuck a blade in the back of the head. Summer watched as Carol went into a cell with Mika and Lizzie's father who had been bitten.

"We followed protocol, closed the tombs," Sasha said as she looked around.

"Karen are you alright?" Tyreese asked as they took out the rest of the walkers.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Karen answered.

Ronnie bent down and checked the walker that had been Patrick. "We've got a problem," she told the group.

"More of a problem then a bunch of our people bein' attacked by walkers who were our own people Doc?" Merle asked as he held up his weapon.

"Yeah, more then that," Ronnie answered. "Where's Jewel and Judy?"

Summer looked at Rick. "Judy's with Beth, mom was out on the fences saying good bye to Michonne, then when everything started in here, she went up to the guard tower with Carl."

"Doc, what's going on?" Merle asked.

"I'd like an answer to that question too," Joey asked.

"That was the last of them," Daryl said as he came down with Mar from the upper steps.

"Jewel and Judy are going to be the most susceptible to this, they are going to have to be quarantined away from us," Ronnie told them.

"Quarantined? What the hell are you talking about?" Daryl asked.

"This isn't just something that someone got bit?" Glenn asked.

Hershel shook his head as he came out of a room. "This is a lot more serious. He died horribly, so did Ally and Bruce," he said as he looked at Ronnie and Ridge. "I'm sorry."

"Someone better start explainin', quickly," Merle told the group.

"Pleaurisy Aspiration," Ronnie answered.

"They choked on there own blood," Mar said as she leaned against the wall.

"Caused those trails down his face," Dr. S told them.

"I've seen them on some of the Walker's on the fence," Joey answered.

"So have I," Rick answered.

"They're from internal lung pressure building up, being shaken from the inside out, filling up your lungs, nose, ears until it has no where to go until it pops," Ronnie explained.

"Is this from the Walkers? We got something else to worry about besides getting bit or clawed?" Merle asked.

Mar shook her head. "Aggressive form of the flu, been around way before this. Unfortunately, when someone died from this before, no one had to worry about them coming back and killing someone."

"Wait, you're saying that this is just a cold or flu? Patrick and Charlie were both eating barbeque yesterday, how can a cold just kill in a day?" Daryl asked as he squeezed Mar's shoulder.

"Violet…" Summer said as she looked at Rick.

"Who the hell is Violet?" Merle asked.

"A pig Carl named, it got sick, died real quick. Saw a bore out in the woods, dead the same way," Rick answered.

Hershel nodded. "Pigs and birds that's how these things spread in the past. Got to do something about those hogs," he told them.

"Maybe we got lucky, just a few cases?" Glenn asked.

Ronnie shook her head. "The swine flu, the bird flu, they all spread in close quarters. And, we're in the tightest quarters there are."

Hershel nodded. "All of us in here, we've been infected. Jewel, her being pregnant makes her high risk. Judy, she's a baby, she's at risk. Any of the kids, Mitch, Lexie, Carl, they might have been in here yesterday but right now they aren't infected."

"So what are you suggesting? Locking them all up in different rooms? You all have met my mom right? She's going to be worried sick about all of us and she's an emergency room nurse. There is no way she's just going to lock herself in a room without kicking and screaming. Isn't that going to make her worry more?" Summer asked.

"You know your mother isn't going to do anything to put the baby in danger, if she has to stay away from us for a few days, then that's what she is going to do," Rick told his oldest child.

"Are we gonna make everyone stay here in D block?" Ridge asked.

"Is anyone else showing signs?" Carol asked as she came down.

"If this was before all this, we'd separate everyone that had been exposed," Mar answered.

"That's everyone in this cell block," Hershel pointed out.

"All of us, maybe even more," Sasha pointed out.

"We can't just wait and see, not now," Ronnie answered. "They get sick, they come back. We need to move them, isolate the ones that are showing symptoms," she told them.

"A block is the best option," Hershel pointed out.

"Death row?" Glenn and Summer both answered.

"I'm not sure that is much of an upgrade," Glenn told them.

"It's clean, it's an upgrade," Daryl said. "Will that work for you and Dr. S?" he asked Ronnie.

"It should," Ronnie answered.

"I'm going in," Mar answered.

Daryl looked at her. "You can't, you're not showing signs. You may not get this."

"First thing Jewel is going to want to know is if someone is in there to help Ronnie and Dr. S. Things may get bad, the emergency room nurse is going to come out, pregnant or not. If I tell her I'll be in there, I'll watch out for everyone, that I'll be helping, it'll calm her a little," Mar told her. "I have to do this, for all of us Daryl."

Ridge coughed a little as everyone looked at him. "I'm fine."

Glenn turned and looked at him. "You're coughing, you need to be isolated."

"You'll be fine," Ronnie said as she patted his arm.

"Karen's been coughing too," Sasha answered.

"Judith's been in that cell block," Carol said.

"We all have," Summer answered.

"I'll start cleaning out the bodies, get them buried," Daryl told them.

"I'll help," Joey answered.

"Wear gloves and a mask," Hershel instructed.

"Ahuh," Daryl answered.

"Daryl," Mar warned.

"Alright, fine," Daryl huffed at him. "Come on, let's get going," he told Joey.

Summer looked at Rick. "We need to go tell mom, get her and Judy into the Admin building."

Maggie, Michonne, Carl and Jewel's POV:

Jewel turned and saw the horse go down on Michonne. "Carl open the gate, grab a gun, hand me one!"

"Jewel, you can't go out there," Maggie yelled at her.

"I'm not leaving her. Help me!" Jewel yelled at the other woman. "Carl get ready to shoot those walkers!"

"Got it," Carl yelled at her.

Jewel held up her gun and shot a walker by the gate and opened up the gate. "Go!" she yelled at Maggie.

Maggie ran out and grabbed Michonne. "Come on," she told the woman.

Michonne grabbed her sword and took out a walker as Jewel shot one. "Come on! Hurry up!" Jewel yelled as Maggie and Michonne came in the gate. "Carl help me!" Jewel yelled as a few walkers tried to make there way into the gate.

Carl, Maggie and Michonne all went to the gate and helped her take out walkers as she closed the gate.

"They are getting worse," Carl said.

"You should have left me out there, you shouldn't have risked your lives," Michonne informed them.

"You're one of us, we're not leaving you," Jewel said as she turned when she saw Rick and Summer come out of the building.

"Don't come close," Rick tried to tell Carl as he rushed to him and hugged him.

"Mom! Don't come close to us!" Summer yelled at her.

Maggie looked at Summer as she grabbed Jewel's arm. "What happened in there?" Maggie asked.

"It's some kind of flu, everyone that was in D block is infected. We need you and Judy to go into administrative building," Summer said. "You worked in the emergency room, mom. You know the procedures, you know that you and the baby, and Judy are the most susceptible. You'd tell people that this was for the best, that this was to protect them. We want to protect you," she said almost as in tears.

"We'll keep you posted on everything," Rick assured her. "Mar's staying to help."

Jewel took a breath. "Who else is sick?"

"Karen and Ridge, for right now," Rick answered.

Michonne looked at Jewel then at Rick. "I'll go with her. She's going to need to rest, I'll help with Judith."

Jewel looked at her. "Michonne you don't have to do that."

"I'm one of us, right? Least I can do," Michonne told her. "Let's go get comfortable," she told the other woman.

TBC