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The shot echoed, blood was everywhere... Jamie laid, exhausted, where she was in the dirt, gun still in hand, panting, gasping for breath... Everything was so sureal, still, she couldn't hear anything but the blood pounding in her ears. She was covered in something sticky, she was guessing it was brain matter, since the walker's entire head had pretty much exploded...
There was a hand extended down to her, she looked up to see it was Merle. She took it and staggered to her feet like a newborn fawn, panting...
Rick had seen that Daryl going over wouldn't make the walker even more determined, now, he let the redneck go, and Daryl was off and running towards her.
"Jamie! Jamie, did it get you!? Are you alright?"
Jamie didn't look up. She was looking at Merle, head cocked, as though curious.
Merle gave her a gruff smile. "That was pretty badass, for a kid." he said. Jamie stared, shocked. She'd seen his lips move, but she hadn't heard a thing... She handed him the gun back, he holstered it.
Daryl nearly tackled her, then.
"Jamie! You alright, did it get you? Jamie?" she could see his lips moving, knew he was speaking, but she couldn't hear a thing...
Daryl was examining her ankle, she hadn't been scratched, she realized everyone was gathered around her, looking worried.
"Jamie. Did it scratch you?" Rick asked.
She was too busy focusing on Daryl to notice him, she couldn't hear him, anyways.
Rick placed a firm hand on her shoulder, expecting her sadness to be a state of denial.
She looked up when he touched her. "Jamie. I asked you a question. Did it scratch you?" Rick asked.
She cocked her head at him. "I can't hear a thing you're saying."
"What!?" Darly was on his feet in an instant. He gently brushed back her hair, which was shoulder length, gingerly touching her ear. He recoiled, shocked, when his hand came back slick with her blood...
"The pistol went off pretty close to her, and then she shot off Merle's magnum... It was loud. And all pretty close to her face. It's probably temporary..." Hershel spoke calmly.
"Probably!?" Daryl yelled. He was horrified. If she was deaf, she wouldn't last a day out in the woods if she were forced to...
"Let's get her inside." Hershel said simply.
Daryl went to take her hand and she pulled away. "I may be deaf, but I ain't blind." she said simply, heading for the prison. Still, it was unnerving not to hear her own voice she as she spoke. The only proof she had that she was really speaking was feeling her vocal chords revrebrate.
Daryl still stayed beside her, though, his expression worried.
Hershel did his best to look at her ears with a flashlight, and she held a rag to it to try and stop the bleeding. She still couldn't hear a word anyone was saying, Hershel's lips moved but she heard nothing.
"It's most likely temporary." Hershel was saying. Daryl looked down at her, clearly upset, before looking back at Hershel.
He moved to get his crossbow, along with a can of gasoline, and headed outside, now, mouth set in a firm line. Jamie smelled smoke a moment laer, and realized he'd ignited the pile of walkers. He was also currently storming out beyond the fence line, he probably needed to kill some walkers.
She sighed. Carl placed a calming hand on her shoulder, and she turned to look at him. Still, there were tears in her eyes, even if they were unshed. Only Carl could see them, though, and he hugged her. She stiffened, but didn't pull away, before retreating up to the perch, wondering when Daryl would get back.
Daryl drove another knife through another walker. He was beyond pissed off- he was freaking out. Jamie was naturally tough, she was a hunter, a survivor, a badass, and mot of all, she was HIS. Her being deaf had thrown a wrench in everything. She was a hunter, her ears were everything- she couldn't hear his orders, couldn't hear gunshots, and she wouldn't hear a walker come up on her now until it was too late.
He knew he could protect her- he could try to, anyways. But it was inevitable they'd get in a situation they couldn't get out of, and she'd be left helpless. Deafness was a signed death-warrant- it was only a matter of time.
And Hershel saying it was temporary didn't help, either What the hell did temporary mean? A few hours, a few weeks? A few years? Either way, it wasn't good, and he was beyond the point of worry, now. He was pissed off.
He dropped another walker, shooting another in the head. He stood, panting for a moment. That was the seventh one he'd killed, just now, and he was left with a bloody knife and a ton of rage. He sheathed the knife, punching a tree beside him. All it did was hurt his knuckles, but he was still angry, so he decided to punch it again, and again...
He disappeared into the woods, then, hunting anything he could find, ignoring his stinging knuckles. Jamie would be okay, she had to be... Still. He stayed out until dark, heading back through the fence, finally. Maybe Jamie would be alright.
Jamie laid curled up on the perch, trying not to cry. Daryl had been gone for hours, now, it was clear he wasn't coming back. Her right ear was still bleeding, her head was on fire... She couldn't take it anymore.
"Rick!" the only proof she had that she'd spoken was the revrebration of the vocal chords in her chest.
Rick hurried upstairs, worried. She was curled into the fetal position, looking close to tears.
"Daryl... I want Daryl..." she muttered. Her eyes were screwed shut from pain, hands clenched into fists. Her ears were ringing, like thousands of tiny bats squeaking, or a high pitched scream... It was so loud, it was excruciating...
Rick pounded down the stairs. "Hershel!" he yelled. Jamie heard it, but it was muffled, like her ears were stuffed with cotton and she was in a tunnel.
Hershel went upstairs, stroking her hair, and she whimpered. Rick ran out into the prison yard, to the fence line. "Daryl! Daryl!" Daryl came out if the brush, looking anxious. "What?"
"It's Jamie."
Daryl was off and running then, ducking through the hole in the fence and sprinting up towards the prison. He dropped his crossbow, sprinting inside to find Hershel, Carol, Glenn and Maggie all huddled around Jamie. He pushed past them. "What the hell happened?" Daryl asked.
"Her ear is still bleeding, I think the hearing is coming back..." Hershel said calmly.
"Fuck fuck fuck. Stop TALKING!" Jamie said, curling into a ball and trying to crawl away. The ringing in her ears was loud, so fucking loud, it was excruciating. Everyone could see the pain on her face, the way she was laying there...
Her eyes opened. "Shit..." she staggered to her feet, stumbling down the stairs into the bathroom. There was the loud sound of vomiting, then, and Daryl slipped down after her. He brushed past the curtain they had in place of the bathroom cell door, finding her kneeling in front of the tolite with bile dribbling down her chin.
"Shh... shh..." Daryl said calmly, reaching out to pull her against his chest. She laid her head against his chest, wincing and catching her breath before pulling forward again, retching painfully again into the tolite...
Daryl rubbed his rough hand on her hunched back as she made a choking sound, retching some more...
"Shh baby girl. Shh, it's okay..."
She finally finished vomiting and whimpered, lying on the floor in front of the tolite. Daryl pulled her head into his lap, stroking the now messy chestnut hair.
"It's gonna be okay, Jamie, I promise, it's gonna be okay..."
She looked up at him quietly, tears streaming down her face. "It hurts..."
"I know it hurts, baby girl, it'll stop soon, I promise..."
He stroked her hair, and his hand came back bloody. Her right ear was still bleeding.
"Hershel!" he called as softly as possible, but Jamie still winced.
Hershel entered quietly, Rick behind him, looking concerned.
"Can't you do somethin'? Ice pack, asprin, something?" he sounded pleading, and he looked down at Jamie, in his lap, face buried in his chest, shaking from the utter agony of it, trying not to scream. He was still quietly stroking his hair.
Herhsel shook his head, looking remourseful. "With the state she's in now, she couldn't keep any medication down..."
"Can you hear anything?" Rick asked, crouching on front of her. She nodded. "Barely... Damn..." she almost fell off of Daryl's lap then, clawing despertwly at his shirt and wrapping her arms around him, clinging to him lke he was a tree trunk.
"You off balance, honey?" Hershel asked, and she nodedd, eyes closed again, swallowing. Some sweat coated her brow, Daryl gently wiped it away, looking to Hershel desperately...
"The gunshot must've damaged her inner ear. Making her off balance, causing the vomiting... Try and keep her still. That's all you can do, there's nothing else..."
"This happened to me once. I got trapped in a tank, was sitting next to what I thought was a dead GI. He was a walker, turned to me, I blew his head off... Went deaf in my ear for a few hours afterward. Hurt like hell healing..."
Jamie didn't react to anything- she as simply clinging to Daryl, shaking.
Daryl stroked her hair, nodding. Still, Jamie looked like she was going through hell right now...
"Found somethin'."
They all looked up to see Merle standing in he doorway, something in hand. "I found it in one of the offices. Cop musta gotten greedy." Merle said, holding up the bag. Rick instantly recognized what it was.
"You wanna give her marijuana?"
Merle shot him a glance. "It's the only painkiller we got that's strong enough to fix THAT." he said, nodding to Jamie, who still hadn't moved. "This ain't no asprin and band-aid situation."
Daryl looked at his older brother, unsure. "How do you know the right dose?"
"I can guess. She's a strong kid, a pinch or so should help numb everything..."
"I've seen what that stuff does to people. You can't just give it to her..." Rick said, hesitant.
"You've seen what it does to addicts. How can you NOT give it to her? Look at her- she looks like she could use some drugs." Merle said.
"And if you overdose?" Rick asked.
"I won't overdose her. Trust me- I've seen kids her age smoke this shit- I know the right amount." Merle reached into the bag, witchdrawing a palm full of the crushed leaves and sniffing. "This is some good quality stuff here... You know it'll help, Brother." Merle said simply.
Daryl shook his head. "No. She ain't gonna end up like that..."
"So you're gonna leave her like this?" Merle asked, looking angry.
"Better than having her overdosed and dead." Daryl said firmly. "Leave us alone." he said firmly, and Rick nodded. "You call if she gets worse, you hear?"
Daryl nodded, and they left them alone. Daryl spent the rest of the night simply stroking her hair. She drifted in and out of an exhausted sleep, whimpering and crying out in pain every now and then... It killed him to see her like this, but he wasn't going to leave her. Not again, anyways.
She was still asleep when dawn came, and Rick ducked inside. "How is she?" he asked, concern etched into his face.
"Sleepin'. Had a hell of a night, don't try and wake her." Daryl ordered, and Rick nodded.
"We need your help today. I know you want to be with her, but we have to get ready. The governor is gonna be coming soon. We're letting walkers back into the yard, packing, getting ready to clear out. We'll bait them into the tombs and let the walkers loose from one side, shoot them from the other."
Daryl nodded. "Alright. What do you need me to do?"
"Just attract some walkers through the fence line into the yard. We'll keep the concrete part clear, though, but it'll slow them down..."
Daryl nodded, picking up Jamie and moving, setting her beside the fence. "I'll be back, 'kay?" he muttered. Se didn't respond, still asleep, and he smiled, brushing a chestnut lock from her face before kissing her forehead and standing. She wasn't going anywhere, yet.
Rick pushed the door open and Daryl moved out, the walkers, as usual, were milling around. "HEY DUMBASSES! OVER HERE!" he yelled, firing off a pistol into the air a few times. Instantly all attention was on him, and he smiled, starting to back up, leading them through the gate...
There were at least twenty, maybe more, and he was left bakcking uo as they made their way into the yard, stumbling and moaning...
"We good?" Daryl asked Rick as he backed back inside the gate. Rick nodded. "We're good."
More walkers were coming from the woods, as well, hearing the gunshots, and they sprinted towards the gate by the cement inner-yard, chaining the door behind them.
"So- when did you intent to tell me you wrre playing chicken with walkers?" Daryl whirledto find Jamie staring at him, hands on her hips.
"You're awake?"
"Yeah. Hard not to be, with all the noise you're makin'."
"You can hear?" Carl asked, running over. Jamie nodded. "Would I be awake if I couldn't?"
Beth ran ver, throwing her arms around Jamie. "I'm so glad you're okay..." she said, burying her head in her friend's shoulder. Jamie patter her back awkwardly.
"Let's not get too emotional here..." she said, turning to Rick. "So- what's the plan? What are we doing with these Woodbury bastards?"
"Don't you worry bout that. Governor will kill us all- unless we run." Merle said, walking over. Daryl noticed his bloodshot eyes and the way he moved slowly.
"You didn't." he said.
"adidn't what?" Mrle asked, looking confused.
"Don't give me that Bullshit!" Daryl said, stepping forward. The smell hit him and he realized it. "You got high last night!"
Merle shrugged. "So? Guys gotta have a little fun..."
"Yeah. When there's walkers around and some pirate with an eyepatch moving into our backyard, it ain't exactly PARTY TIME!" Daryl said, shoving Merle back. "I tol you to straighten up or you're gine! How much did you smoke?"
Merle gave him a smile. "The whole damn bag. Figured since you didn't wanna use it as a painkiller for Jamie, I'd put it to good use... And ya know something, baby brother?" Merle asked, smiling. "There ain't nuthin you can do 'bout it. Cuz I'm a grownnnn mannn..." he said, drawing out the last letter for emphasis.
"Man, we gotta a baby round here! What the hell's wrong with you, smoking that shit around a baby!?" Daryl was getting increasingly aggravated, Merle was being a shithead again...
"Remember, Daryl? ayou ain't one of these people. You're a Dixon. 'Amember, before I had to cut my hand off? We was planning on robbin' the whole camp blind..."
"Shut up!" Daryl slammed Merle into the wall. "That didn't happen! I will NEVER BE YOU!" That had been before. Back when Merle had been all he had, when life had just been making it day to day and staying out of the drug houses in the neighborhood... That'd been before Jamie.
Everyone was staring now, and Merle chuckled from where Daryl had him pinned.
"You can say that, baby brother, You can say that ALL YOU WANT. But blood's blood- it's in your DNA."
Daryl looked like he was about to snap right then and there but before he got the chance little hands pulled him off Merle.
Before Daryl couldstop her, she'd swiped the keys to the prison from Rick's belt, as well as the handcuffs, and slapped them on Merle, leading his dumbfounded brother into the prison. There was the clang of the metal door to a cell closing, the sound of the lock pins falling into place.
"What the fuck!?" Merle asked, shocked. He wws still high as a kite, and Jamie shrugged. "I'll let you out when you quit being such a shithead."
"Daryl! Come straighten out your bitch!" Merle yelled, grasoing the bars.
"She's my daughter, not my bitch. You're my bitch." Daryl said, smiling, slightly amused. Jamie, sometimes foolhardy, brave, just plain badass, was back. And she'd managed to lock Merle up.
"What!? C'mon, brother! Don't do this!"
Daryl shook his head, "The way you're goung, you're gonna end up just like Dad..."
"I AM NOT DAD!" Merle roared, suddenly enraged.
"Really. Cause you're sure acting like him." Daryl said, when Maggie ran in, breathless.
"Somebody's coming."
"What?" Rick asked, shocked.
Jamie moved to grab her bow, and Daryl nodded to her. "Whoever it is, you stay close to me. y'here?"
She nodded.
"Wait! You need me!" Merle said. "You'd be crazy to try this on your own..."
Daryl shrugged. "Maybe. C'mon, Jamie..." And the darted out to the fenced in bridge area that led as a walkway across the prison, taking their places behing the pallets and sheet metal they'd repurposed as sheilds.
They both sat, side by side, backs to the wall.
"If it's the governor, you don't surrender, you hear? No matter what happens, you survive. Even if it means leaving me behind. If you have to, turn tail and run. Got it?"
Jamie hesitated.
"Got it?" Daryl asked, more forcefully this time. She nodded.