Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This

Chapter 135

Author's Note: After this dang flu and before the Governor, Jewel and Rick are getting some alone time. My babies have been apart way to long for my liking! Please review, show me Valentine's day (weekend) love.

Continuation of Vet Group:

Jes looked up from the car as Daryl and Axel came out with a battery. "Find anything useful?"

"A whole shit load of batteries," Axel answered as he carried a couple out.

"Some distilled water and we'll be good to go," Daryl agreed.

Axel looked at her. "Do you know what you're doing under there?" he asked Jes.

Jes arched an eyebrow as she stood up. "Just because I've got breasts don't mean I don't know what I'm doing under a hood. I spent a lot of time in the motor pool over the years."

"Sorry, haven't seen a lot of women who know there ways around cars," Axel explained.

"Merle had Summer hotwiring' a car before she was five," Daryl said as he went over to the engine.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Jes asked as she moved out of the way.

Daryl looked at Bob. "You know we all know a little bit about each other, but we don't know nothing' about the group you were in before."

"Which one?" Bob asked.

"Had more then one?" Axel asked.

"Two. When Daryl and Summer found me on that road, I almost kept walking," Bob told Daryl.

"Why's that?" Daryl asked.

"Cause I was done being witness. Two different times, two different groups. I was the last one standing. Like I was supposed to see it happen over and over, like it's some kind of curse. But when it's just you out there, alone and the quiet, used to be I would drink a bottle of anything, just so I could close my eyes at night. Figured the prison, the people, thought it'd be easier. The run to the Big Spot did it for me," Bob said.

"Being useful, helping out, that's what keeps you sane these days. That's why I offered to come out here, wanted to show that I was useful," Axel told him.

"Got to keep busy," Daryl added.

"No, I did it so I could get me a bottle, of anything. I picked it up, I held it in my hand, but I put it down. I put it down so damn hard, I brought the shelf down with me. That's what brought on the walkers, that's what got Zach killed," Bob told them.

"That's bullshit," Daryl told him.

"Did you plan to bring that shelf down?" Jes asked.

"Of course not, didn't mean to get anybody killed. Summer didn't buy my story, knew something was up," Bob said.

"Summer's the daughter of a recoverin' alcoholic, she knows the signs," Daryl said. "Get in there and try the engine. It's a red and green wire. Go on, it aint rocket science, give it some gas," he told the other man as Axel put the extra battery in the car. "Sasha and I picked that spot, cleared it out. Zach brought you with us. There aint no way anybody could have known. You aint gonna be standin' alone, not no more," he told him as the car revved up.

Jes grinned. "Come on Tyreese, Joey, let's go. Let's move it! Come on."

Merle and Mar's POV:

Merle stood outside the window as he watched Mar come to it. "You don't look good, sweetheart."

Mar shook her head. "Always a charmer, Merle. What are you doin' down here? Jewel? Judy? The baby? Summer?"

"They're fine," Merle told her. "Told Daryl I'd keep an eye on you and the kid. Wanted to see how he was. But lookin' at you, something' tells me that you aint doing well."

"Merle Dixon, you're going soft," Mar told him. "Mitch is running a bit of fever, I'm coughing. Hershel's tea is helping. They should be back by now, shouldn't they?"

"You know how things are these days, not a quick trip like it would have been back in the old days. How's it goin' in there?" Merle asked.

"It's going," Mar answered.

"Sweetheart, don't try to avoid the question. I want an answer, and a Dixon don't lie to other Dixon's," Merle told her.

Mar looked at him. "I'm not a Dixon, Merle."

Merle looked at her. "Darlin' you may not have a big fancy ring like Officer Friendly found for Jewel, that's not little brother's style. He may not show all that disgusting affection baby sister shows toward Officer Friendly, which I'm glad off cause not sure I could take both of my siblings' swappin' spit and all that touchy feelin' crap around me," he told her.

"Merle do you have a point or are you just talking to hear the sound of your voice?" Mar asked as she coughed.

Merle laughed and gave the Dixon smirk. "Daryl may not say it, but he's made a commitment to you, darlin' and that's a big deal for little brother. So, you're a Dixon, at least to me."

Mar had to smile, even though she was tired and felt like crap. "So you consider Rick a Grimes? He did make a commitment to Jewel."

Merle glared at her. "With sisters it's completely different. Daryl and I were always supposed to hate the man Jewel wound up with, end of the world, don't change that. I just got a bigger grudge to hold against him. Now, stop avoidin' the matter on hand, darlin'. How's it going in there?"

Mar sighed. "We've had to put three down since this morning. Sasha, Glenn and me are taking turns helping Hershel take them out of sight for us to put down. Hershel says no one should see that, make them think about what's going to happen."

"Hershel's got good sense," Merle agreed.

"Dr. S is getting worse. Ronnie won't stop moving, won't take a break. I think it's so she doesn't have to think about Ridge. Two of the ones we had to put down this morning, they were two more of her own. Taylor's the only one left….she's coughing a little but no fever. Mitch is helping, Glenn and Sasha…I don't know how much longer they got. Henry stopped breathing, Sasha, Glenn and I are taking turns pumping air with a makeshift breathing apparatus. Dr. S made some IV's. Not sure how long any of the real sick ones got, including Glenn or Sasha. You think something happened to Daryl and the others?" she asked softly.

"Nothin' can kill a Dixon but a Dixon, and that goes for you and Mitch too," Merle told her.

Mar sighed. "Don't give me that bullshit Merle. Dixon's can be killed by walkers' or this damn flu or men like the Governor, just like anyone else. If Jewel and Daryl hadn't went to save your sorry behind, the Governor would have killed you. So, please Merle, I'm begging you, right now, don't say that again. Daryl and the rest of them, including Jes, could be dead right now. If they don't get back soon, you could be the last Dixon standing," Mar told him as she looked at him. "Families worry about each other, Merle, it's just what we do. And you may not like it, but Rick is part of your family now. I got to go, keep me posted will you?" she asked.

"Plan on it, little sister," Merle said as he walked away.

Vet Group:

The group got out of the car and looked around. "The building we want is just up ahead," Tyreese told them.

"Hopefully we shouldn't run into many walkers," Joey told them.

Axel glanced at him. "Every time someone says that, that curses us to run into a whole herd of those things."

Joey gave a small laugh. "We aren't cursed already?"

"If you two are done exchanging small talk, let's do this," Jes told them.

"Everyone got there list?" Daryl questioned the group.

"Yes," they all answered.

"Not sure what it all means," Axel admitted.

"That's why Bob here is with us," Joey answered as they went into the building.

"Grab anything ending in -cillin -or cin-C-I-N," Bob said as they grabbed things. "We'll disolve it in the IV's, put it right in the bloodstream. Dosage will be tricky but considering the time we lost," Bob said as the others came from other rooms.

"You get it?" Jes asked.

"Bags, tubes, clamps, connectors," Tyreese answered.

"We grabbed a lot of everything, plus things that weren't on the list," Axel assured them.

Daryl nodded. "Alright let's roll."

The group started to walk as Jes held up her hand. "Listen," she said as she tilted her head to the area they were going too. "Joey you're with me," Jes ordered as they both started walking toward the door.

"They're going to bust this door down, it's already breaking," Joey said.

"How many?" Daryl asked.

"Don't know. Find me some rope, chain, something. We'll try to slow them down as we find another way out of there," Jes ordered.

Axel dug out some rope and handed it to her. "Grabbed it from the prison, just in case we ran into human unfriendly and not the dead sort of unfriendly people."

Joey pressed his back against the door. "Glad to have you on our side, Ax. Tyreese a little help with this door would be nice."

"We can take them," Tyreese told them as he helped with the door.

"No! Didn't you notice the bleeding from the eyeballs? They're infected, just like back at the prison. We fire at them, they get blood on us, we breath it in. We didn't come all this way to get sick," Bob told them.

Axel looked at the doorway they just came from and the door that they were holding. "So, we take our chance with the lesser group?"

Jes glanced at them. "We don't have much choice. The ones out there we know are infected."

"Got to change sometime," Daryl said.

"What? Our luck? Cause where I'm standing, we've had a string of bad," Joey said.

Axel looked at him. "You're just very pessimistic aren't you?"

"But we love him," Jes said.

"Speak for yourself," Daryl said. "You ready?" he asked Ty.

"I'm ready," Ty said as they started battling the walkers.

Jes glanced at the door with the doorknob moving. "We're blocked," she told them. "Move it back!"

Bob looked around. "We don't have an exit."

"Then we make one," Daryl answered.

Tyreese spotted the fire extinguisher and looked at the window. "Get down," he told the group as he busted the window.

Jes peered out the window. "Hold on to your bags tight, jump to the walkway below," she instructed the group as they jump.

Bob looked over the ledge. "They're here, go, come on," he told the group as they started running. Bob stumbled, his bag hanging over the ledge as the walkers' tried to grab it.

"Let it go, Bob," Joey told him.

"Come on, just drop it!" Tyreese begged.

"Drop the bag," Daryl ordered. Axel and Daryl both grabbed hold of Bob and pulled him up. Daryl grabbed the bag from Bob and opened it. He pulled out a bottle of alcohol. "You didn't get any medicine? Just this? You should have just kept walking that day," he told Bob.

Joey watched as Bob reached for his gun. "Bob, don't make me point my weapon at you, and I will. Keep it holstered."

"The man's made his choice, Daryl, just let it go," Tyreese told him.

"I don't want to hurt anybody, I just wanted for when it got quiet," Bob told them.

Jes looked at Daryl. "Come on, Daryl, we got a long road ahead of us."

Daryl stood close to Bob. "Take one sip, and when our people get these meds, I will beat your ass to the ground. Do you understand me?"

Bob just nodded in response.

"Let's go, we got to see if we can make up time," Jes told the group.