This Night

Chapter 202

Author's Note: I had a bad review then the next day someone asked me if she could talk about my story on her blog because she loved it! WOW. Blown away. She did point out some things, like Summer not being rebellious. I was the 'perfect' teen, aka my grandparents would kick my ass if I had misbehaved, so I think with her having Merle and Daryl as uncles, and Jewel as her mom, she was on the straight and narrow. But she is about ready to have a melt down, so hope I'm working on that. Being able to survive is part of the Dixon name. Now I'm detouring from the script, totally, probably the major detour I've taken. Don't worry we'll find the priest. At some point.

Group POV:

Bob and Sasha kept to the back of the group , talking. Sasha was the first one to see Jewel take a step sideways and stumble. "Rick! Ronnie! We need to stop!" Bob said as he grabbed her.

"Mom!" Summer said as she ran to her side.

"What happened?" Rick asked as he took the baby and handed her to Summer. "Jewel, hey, look at me."

"I'm alright," Jewel managed to say as Sasha and Bob helped her sit down.

"Bull shit little sister, you're anything but fine. You tell the Doc here what kind of problem's you're having," Merle said.

Ronnie touched her forehead. "Abdominal pain? Headache? Nausiousness?" she asked as she looked up at the group. "She's running a fever."

Mar bent down and squeezed her hand. "Hey, you're going to be OK. We just need you to tell us everything, so we know how to help you."

"Not a lot you can do, Mar. Not out here," Jewel answered. "Headache and calf pain."

"No abdominal pain?" Ronnie asked again.

"What is it?" Rick asked as he squeezed Jewel's hand.

"Let her do her job brother," Daryl told Rick.

Ronnie smiled appreciatively. "I doubt you've been able to notice if you're bleeding heavily?"

"Sorry was to busy trying not to get eaten," Jewel answered.

Mar covered her mouth to keep from laughing. "Yeah, that's the smart ass Dixon we love," she said.

Ronnie looked at the group. "She can't walk anymore, not now. My biggest concern is the fever. The back of her leg looks alright, so hopefully it isn't a blood clot. When we get tot his house, we're going to have to try and get that fever down. Someone needs to find me some witch hazel, and if possible some antibiotics."

"What about nursing Hope?" Mika asked.

Mar smiled at her. "It's actually good for both of them for her to nurse. It'll help build up Hope's immune system, something she needs out here. And, Hope's already been exposed to whatever this is."

"So it's just normal after birth problems?" Carl asked.

"Hopefully it's something we can handle," Ronnie said as she looked at Rick.

"I can look for witch hazel, I know what to look for," Carol told her.

"I'll go with her," Axel offered.

"Glenn and I can try to find a map, find a pharmacy," Maggie offered.

Mar shook her head. "A birthing center or a woman's clinic would be better. They'd have what we need."

Jewel shook her head. "We stay together. We don't know this area, we know some of the Termites are still alive," she told them.

Glenn looked at her. "If we need to go to find medicine for you, we're going to do it Jewel. You risked yourself for us, and we'll do the same for you. It's what we do."

"You don't have a say in this," Maggie told her.

"No one does anything til tomorrow," Jewel told them. "I won't have you wondering around at night, not for me."

Ronnie nodded. "We'll try to find the witch hazel and go from there."

Sasha turned her head as she heard groaning. "Rick," she said to him.

"I got her," Ty said as he picked Jewel up.

Sasha, Daryl and Merle moved to the front and took out the walkers'. "I'll take the back," Merle said as he moved to the back of the group. "Keep it tight."

Rick touched Jewel's face. "You'll be OK," he said as he squeezed her hand.

"Nothing can kill a Dixon but a Dixon, and I ain't letting her forget that," Merle told them as they brought up the rear.

Jes's group:

Michonne came out on the porch of the house and looked at Abraham, who was checking out a car in the back yard. "We're supposed to be making sure the area is secured," she told him.

"I did, now I'm seeing if this car works," Abraham answered.

"That car won't fit all of us," Michonne pointed out.

Abraham nodded as he got up and joined her. "I appreciate all the help you all have given us, and I'd love to get all of you to help me get Eugene to Washington. Was planning on asking Rick and the rest of you to join us. It be a lot safer traveling with two babies out in the open. I still plan on it, but I have a feeling that some of you are going to want to wait until Jewel recovers, and I just can't waste that much time. Figure Rosita, Eugene, Tara, Maggie and Glenn and me can fit in that car, take off in a day or so, then the rest of you can find a car and join us if you are of like minds," he told her.

Jes came out on the porch. "Join you? You planning on going somewhere?"

"He says Eugene knows the cure, wants to get to Washington with him," Michonne told the other woman.

"Mullet guy? He knows how to fix this?" Jes asked.

"Yeah, and it's my mission to get him to Washington. You'd be good on the mission," Abe told her.

"How exactly does mullet man know how to fix this? How does he even know Washington is up and running?" Jes questioned as she looked at Michonne. "You believe him?"

"He explained it to us in the train car," Michonne answered.

"That's not what I asked, Michonne. I asked if you believed him," Jes said. She looked at Abraham. "You knew him before this?"

"No, met him after the shit hit the fan," Abraham answered. "Why is it so hard for you to believe that Eugene knows his shit."

Jes started to say something as the back door opened. "Joey?" she asked.

"They're coming and Ty is carrying someone," Joey told them as he already turned to go to the front.

Jes looked at Abraham. "This conversation isn't over," she said.

Michonne opened the front door to let them in. "What happened? Jewel? Was she bit?" she asked.

Summer shook her head. "She's running a slight fever, but she wasn't bit. First room up the stairs on the left," she told Tyreese as she went up the stairs to open the door, still holding Hope.

Glenn looked up the stairs and grabbed Rick's arm. "We aren't waiting until tomorrow are we?"

"You're not asking any of us to do anything, Rick. She's our family," Maggie said as she went over to a desk where the phone was and picked up the phone book.

"We need to find a car," Mar told them.

Michonne glanced back to where Abraham was. "We have one, it's in the back."

Abraham looked at the group. "You all ever heard the statement of the ways of the many of the few? Getting Abraham to Washington is gonna benefit a whole lot more people then going wherever you all are planning to go."

Rick moved off the stairs and looked at him. "Are you telling me that you'd let my wife die? My baby die?"

Rosita shook her head. "Abraham, she risked her life for us. I'm in."

"There's a woman's health clinic in town…according to the map it's about thirty five minutes away," Maggie said.

"I'll go," Ronnie told them.

"You need to stay here, in case mom needs you," Carl told her as he adjusted Judith on her hip.

"Mar or I can go, we know what we need," Bob offered.

"Go on upstairs and check on her," Carol told her.

"I know I'm usually the go to guy, but I'd like to stay here, since…" Glenn started to say.

"Since she's part of the original Atlanta group," Mitch finished.

Rick nodded. "I can't ask any of you to do this," he said.

"You aren't asking, Rick, we're doing it," Sasha told him.

"I'll go," Joey told them.

Merle nodded as he walked over to Abraham. "You got the keys?"

"Merle you should stay…just in case," Jes said.

"Not this time, Jes. I sat on my ass and waited for days for you to get them out. I'm done waiting, I'm doing this," Merle told her. "I'm asking again, you got the damn keys?" he asked Abraham.

"Give him the keys. I'm not having it on my conscious if she dies," Eugene told him.

"Son of a Bitch," Abraham said as he handed him the keys.

Lexi took Judith from Carl. "So whose going?"

"Bob and I'll go, with both of us there we can move faster," Mar said as she squeezed Daryl's hand.

"I'm in," Rosita said.

"I'm in," Joey answered.

"I'll stay back here, start fortifying the area, looks like we may be here a few days," Jes said.

"I'll go," Sasha said. "Bob, Mar, Merle, Joey, Rosita and me. Not bad odds."

"Six people will fit in that car, it'll be a tight squeeze though," Michonne said.

"Get you gear, let's move it," Merle ordered.

Carol handed Merle a walkie talkie. "We got a couple of them off the people at Terminus. I'm not sure how far the range is, but keep us posted if you can."

"What happens if you run into some of those ass holes from Terminus?" Abraham asked.

"We kill them," Merle answered as he walked out the door. "Hurry your asses up."

"I'll tell Ty that you went with them. He'll understand," Lexi told Sasha. "Be careful OK?"

"We will," Sasha said as she hugged her.

"Maggie and I'll go check the other house further up. We'll be back before dark," Glenn said.

"Axel and I will go check for Witch Hazel," Carol told them.

Mar ruffled Mitch's hair. "You keep Daryl in check alright?"

"I got this," Mitch told her.

Mar looked at Daryl. "We'll be back. She's going to be alright."

"Yeah, I know," Daryl said.

Michonne looked at Mika, Mitch, Carl and Lexi. "Come on you four, help me find blankets and something for these two babies to sleep in. Go on up Rick, we can handle it here."

Rick nodded as he looked at Daryl. "You want to come up?" he asked.

"Later, right now she needs you brother. And you two need to get to know that new baby girl of yours," Daryl said.

Summer and Ronnie joined them on the stairs. "She's doing alright. The bleeding is a little heavy, hopefully making her stay off her feet for as long as we can, will help. Did they leave already?" Ronnie asked.

Daryl nodded. "Merle, Rosita, Sasha, Joey, Bob and Mar."

"Mom's not going to be happy that they went this close to dark," Summer said.

"Well she's going to just have to get over it," Daryl told them.

"Hope up with her?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, she's nursing. I'm going to see if I can find stuff to make some diapers with. Judith and Hope will both need some sooner then later," Summer said.

Rick nodded as he went upstairs.

TBC