SUMMARY: Carol and Ezekiel have to survive, cut off from the Kingdom.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of The Walking Dead
RATING: T+
PAIRING: Carol/Ezekiel
ON THE RUN:
THE KINGDOM
PREVIOUS NIGHT
After dealing with the Saviors at the outpost, taking control of the big guns, night had driven Daryl and rick to seek refuge inside the walls of the Kingdom. They were too far away from Alexandria and the Hilltop. Daryl didn't want to sleep, he was too worried about Carol to event try. So, he took to the wall to stand guard with Jerry. The bigger man was worried about the King. Daryl kept his eyes trained on the main road in case Carol got brave enough to keep traveling and not find a place to hide. Though, that didn't sound like her. She was smart and knew better. Carol would only be traveling at night if she had no other choice. No, she was safe somewhere with Ezekiel watching her back.
After a while of pacing bac and forth, and swearing that sleep was far off, Daryl found himself getting tired. The next shift in the watch rotation had arrived, and Jerry was already gone. Daryl had held off his exhaustion for as long as he could, but even he needed to sleep. Yet, somehow, he found himself in the room where the tiger was caged. She paced as he had paced up on the wall. She missed the King too. Carefully, he stretched his hand out towards her. The proud, beautiful beast sniffed at his hand, and then nuzzled him as she had before. "He'll be back…" Daryl murmured, unsure of why he felt the need to reassure a giant cat, rather than an upset human. Moving back, he decided he was going to sleep right where he was, next to the tiger and hope that when he woke up Carol and the King would be walking through those gates. He went to sleep listening to the sound of Shiva's breathing.
MORNING:
ON THE ROAD:
Carol's senses were on high alert after the run in they had with one of the Saviors in the woods. If she had been just a few minutes later… She couldn't think about that. Out in this world there were close calls every day, and now that they were at war, those just increased tenfold. Silently, they searched through the dirty cars left on a used auto lot. Then, she came across a cherry red mustang. Carol didn't want to, but she smiled. It reminded her of Glenn, of when they had been at the camp in quarry.
Carol tested the handle, and it popped open. Luck was still with them. She crouched down, pried open the panel, and yanked out the wires. Red wire to yellow wire, and the engine roared to life. Carol laughed, resting her head on the driver's seat. Getting up, she saw Ezekiel coming towards her. "Your carriage awaits, Your Majesty."
Ezekiel admitted, it was the nicest ride on the lot. "The King approves," he chuckled, but immediately sobered when his next thought hit him. "Should I dispatch our two companions?"
Carol knew what it meant for him to kill, even taking down walkers tormented him. "No, I'll do it."
"You will not," Ezekiel shook his head. Letting the leashes fall from his hand, he pulled his machete, and with two well placed thrust's, the wasted crumpled to the ground. He didn't like the task, but he still had to preform it none the less. Ezekiel chose to play the King. She came over to him, helping him with the packs, and together they got them into the backseat.
Carol slipped behind the wheel, closed the door, and had a moment where she was going to put on her seat belt, but she stopped. There weren't any cops anymore to pull her over to breaking the law. She put the mustang in gear, and started to move forward, slowly navigating around the other cars. As she drove, the smile returned. This time it was sad, rather than amused. She missed Glenn.
"What the matter?" Ezekiel asked, after he glanced over at Carol. Once they were out on the road, they both knew what direction to travel to return them to the safety of the Kingdom. By afternoon they would be there, and he would be tended to by the doctor. He was reluctant to say anything, but he could feel heat bleeding through the bandage. Even he knew that was not normal.
"I'm just thinking about Glenn, about how he would leap at a chance to drive this beast," Carol answered. She remembered the look of pure male satisfaction he had when he drove into camp that day with an anti-theft alarm blaring like a banshee. All Glenn had to say for himself was, 'I got a cool car…'.
"He was a car enthusiast, was he?" Ezekiel asked, clearing his throat. Without the task of continual movement, he found his body was trying to drag him down into sleep once more.
"No, he was a boy who was thrilled by driving a sports car," Carol replied. Back then, Glenn was still very much a child. The road had made them all grow up, or change in her case.
"Ah," Ezekiel nodded and that was all she was going to say on the subject.
For a while, Carol drove in silence. When she glanced over at Ezekiel, she saw that his eyes were closed and his breathing at evened out. All that time he spent awake last night more than likely set back his recovery. She kept one had on the wheel, and rested the other on his left thigh. Her foot pressed down the accelerator a little more to increase the speed. She had to get him there.
Carol had to back track a little bit, swing around, and head towards the highway. Once on the road, she relaxed a little bit. It was clear all the way to the exit she needed for the Kingdom. Carol entered Ezekiel's territory, and out of habit, she pulled over to stash the car. She reached under the steering column and untwisted the wires, killing the engine while she had her eyes on their surroundings. No sign of walkers, or Saviors. Both good things. She turned in her seat, and nudged Ezekiel. He moaned lightly, but didn't open his eyes. So, she tried again. Carol brought her hand up to his cheek, stroking gently. "Ezekiel, wake up," her voice shook as she spoke to him.
Ezekiel could hear her calling him to him through the haze. He fought to open his eyes, to let her know that he was still with her. "I'm still here," he said, giving voice to his thoughts. He felt her forehead touch his shoulder lightly, and then she pulled away from him. Blinking rapidly to clear the sleep from his eyes, he looked around, recognizing his territory, but they were nowhere near the front gates. "Why are we not going directly to the gates?" he asked, glancing at her.
"We're in a strange car. I'd rather not risk being shot at just as we get back," Carol answered, pushing open the car door. She got out, pulled out both rucksacks, and then walked around to the passenger side. He already had the door open, and his booted feet on the pavement.
Ezekiel was slumped over, the small amount of movement exhausting him, and he wasn't even standing yet. Or walking. He looked up just as Carol came to stand in front of him. "Home we go," he said, forcing himself up. Ezekiel felt a little light headed, and felt himself swaying. If he wasn't already holding on to the frame of the car, he might have fall forward.
Carol immediately put her hand to his forehead feeling for a fever. He was only slightly war. "We're you bitten last night and just didn't tell me?"
"I was not," Ezekiel answered, bringing his right hand up to cup her face. "If I had been, I would not conceal such an injury from you."
The bottom dropped out of Carol's stomach. If he wasn't bitten, then it meant he had a fever from an infection setting in. "I should have done more…"
"You snatched me from the jaws of death," Ezekiel reminded her. "I would not be standing here now without you." Because he needed it, and it would reassure her, Ezekiel cupped the back of her neck to pull her close. She gasped, but any protest was silenced by his lips. After a second, they were breathless, and he said, "I'm right here."
Carol licked her lips, nodding. She had been unprepared for the power of the kiss, or for it to steal the breath from her body. "Come on," she stepped back.
KINGDOM GATES:
Jerry took a position on the wall, his eyes glued to the road leading into the Kingdom. He brought his rifle up when movement caught his attention. Peering through the scope, what he saw had his heart stopping. It was the King and Carol. "Open the gates! It's the King!" Jerry scrambled to the ladder, and hurried down. The moment the gates were opened far enough, he was pushing his way through, so he could be the first to the side of his King.
Ezekiel saw Jerry hurrying towards them. He stood a little taller, trying to conceal the fact that he was to the point where he wanted to pass out. As King, he couldn't afford to be that weak in the eyes of his people. They would understand, he knew it, given that he was shot. It was the principle though. Ezekiel wouldn't let his people see him crumble.
"Your Majesty," Jerry bowed.
"Jerry, my heart lightens seeing you are still of this world," Ezekiel said, trying not to sound like he was out of breath.
Jerry was no fool. He could see his King was injured, but trying to hide it. "Should I call for the doctor?"
"No," Ezekiel said automatically.
"Ezekiel…" Carol drew out his name.
"I am able to walk," Ezekiel looked at her, trying to make her understand why he had to do this.
Carol dropped the rucksacks to the pavement, and stepped in close to him so Jerry wouldn't hear all of what she was going to say to him. "It's not going to kill you to rely on the strength of your people. You're hurt, and you look like you're about to pass out. At least let Jerry help you."
"No," Ezekiel shook his head. To waylay any further argument from Carol, he said to his faithful steward, "Assist Carol with the supplies we discovered while on our journey back." He then set off towards the open gates. Once inside the walls, he would take himself directly to the medical ward.
Carol shook her head. What was she going to do with him? He was stubborn, but he did put his people first. It was what she liked most about him; the depth of his caring for the people he protects. She went to pick up the bags, when Jerry beat her to them. He smiled his usual smile at her and nodded for her to go ahead of them. Without argument she did just that. Neither of them wanted to be caught outside the walls for any length of time.
Ezekiel had stopped, looking around at some of his people that were going about their daily task. The work didn't stop simply because a war had begun. Suddenly, a loud roar broke the stunned silence. A lash of orange was headed right for him, and he was prepared for it as much as he could be. Shiva came for him, taking him to the ground where she proceeded to rub her muzzle against his face. Ezekiel started to laugh, even though his shoulder was screaming in agony from the weight of her. "It's alright, it's alright…" he whispered to her over and over.
Carol watched Shiva and Ezekiel. The giant tiger was so pleased to have him back, just as pleased as the assembled Kingdomer's were. After a few minutes, something changed with Shiva. The big cat stopped rubbing her head over his face and shoulder. She sat up and looked right at Carol, issuing what could be described as a yowl. Carol didn't think twice about going to Ezekiel, even with Shiva so close. The cat backed up, watching her very carefully. She immediately checked his pulse, it was slow, but steady. His breathing had evened out, telling her he'd just passed out. Then, she checked the bandage. It was there she found a small infection setting in. "Oh, you idiot…" she breathed out.
Jerry pulled one of the sentries from his duty, and told him to go to the medical wing to get the doctor and one of the nurses to tend the King. He then gained the attention of everyone around, "There are chores that have to be completed. Our King is back, and in one piece. He wouldn't want this kind of attention." Jerry made a shooing motion, and everyone returned to their days work. He went over to Carol, his hand reaching down to touch her shoulder. "The doctor will be here soon."
MEDICAL WARD:
Carol stood watching the doctor and a nurse working on Ezekiel. There was another nurse standing next to her, asking her questions that she barely heard. All she could do was watch Ezekiel. "I did what I could out there," she said. Had she already told her that? Carol couldn't be sure.
"What you did saved his life," Hailee said gently.
"He still got an infection," Carol frowned.
"It happens," Hailee responded. "Did you sustain any injuries out there?" She could easily see that the other woman had her arms wrapped protectively over her ribs.
"No," Carol lied. She wasn't going to take her eyes off of Ezekiel, even as the doctor was working on him.
"Really, because your forehead tells a different story," Hailee said.
Carol brought her hand up automatically to the bandage that Ezekiel had kissed the day before. "I forgot," she said weakly. No, she hadn't, she was just more concerned with her King and his wellbeing. It was counter intuitive to her own sense of survival. At one time she had existed on her own, she relied on her own wits. Then she came in contact with a man who called himself 'King', and everything she was started crumble. The loner she sought to be vanished each time he came to see her at the small cottage. His smile cut right through her armor.
"He wouldn't want you to be in pain," Hailee said knowingly. She had been living in the Kingdom long enough to know that the King carried deeply for those close to him. Carol was as close as anyone could get.
"He needs…" Carol started to say, but stopped when her voice started to break from all the emotions inside her.
"Our doctor is the very best, and the nurse in there, came from an army medical unit with two tours under her belt. Trust me when I tell you, our King is in good hands," Hailee said gently, reaching out to place her hand on Carol's shoulder. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up, and then after I promise, you can come back here and watch over him to your hearts content."
Carol nodded. She knew Ezekiel would want her to take care of herself. Reluctantly she followed the young nurse into the room to their left. Carol sat on the bed, her body was so tired, but she refused to give into it. She would have slumped forward had it not been for Hailee's hand under her chin, tilting her head back.
"What happened?" Hailee asked as she peeled the cloth tape off of Carol's skin. The white gauze lifted up, letting her see the small half inch cut. The bleeding had long since stopped, but the laceration was too shallow for stitches and too deep for butterfly strips.
"We found a circle of trees, with wire wrapped around it to keep out walkers. Ezekiel and I chose to stay there for the night, so he could rest, but as I slipped through the middle gap, the tip of the wire must have caught me, but Ezekiel cleaned it out right away, and I feel fine," Carol answered.
"That's good, and even better, you don't need to have this stitched," Hailee replied, "but, I do need to close it. So, I'm going to use a little bit of medical grade super glue."
"Super glue?" Carol looked at her. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah," Hailee help up a tube of lavender colored glue. "Interesting fact about this stuff, back in World War One, and during the beginning of World War Two, field medics would use a form of super glue to close wounds until soldiers could be taken to hospitals for treatment." As she explained the use, she cracked opened the tube, and spread a little of it into the wound, then pinched the wound closed.
Carol winced, but said, "I never knew that."
"Now, tell me about your ribs," Hailee pushed on.
"They're not broken," Carol answered flatly.
"But they hurt," Hailee surmised.
Carol nodded. Though, in her past life she had suffered far worse than what she was feeling now. Ed had beaten her, and a few times it had been savage enough for her to be in the ER. "A walker fell on me," she said.
Hailee gently probed Carol's ribs, feeling the way she flinched slightly. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do, but let the muscles heal on their own. "I can't give you any pain meds, but I do have substitution that should work." She turned away from the bed, and rummaged around in the makeshift medical cart where she found the vial of powder she was looking for. Standing up, she went back over to Carol and handed it to her. "Mix this in with a tea, or coffee if you like, and it'll ease the pain."
"What is it?" Carol turned the vial on its side, shifting the powder. Since new medicines had no way of being manufactured, medical practitioners had to go back to a holistic form of treatment. She'd used well known natural remedies herself a time or two.
"It's Willow Tree bark that's made into a powder. It reduces fever and helps to ease pain. My grandfather studied native medicine from different tribes. They work, sometimes better than any other form of synthetic medicine a doctor could have prescribed." Hailee explained.
"Thanks," Carol said, tucking the vial into the side pocket of her pants. She stood up, relieved to be on her feet. Without another word, she left to resume her place by the door to the room where Ezekiel was being treated. When she stepped out into the hall, the doctor was just leaving. Carol wasted no time in asking, "How is he?"
Doctor Helen Shale looked at Carol, it was evident that the woman cared for the King, and she had to update someone in his inner circle as to his condition. "He's resting now, but we had to open the sutures you put in. A small infection set in, which is common, and we had to debride the wound. The King is lucky you were with him."
"He still got sick, so I don't know how lucky it was," Carol remarked, keeping her eyes on him through the small window cut into the door.
"You stitching up his wound when you did, it helped keep him alive. Right now, he's getting the blood he needs, and we have him sedated. Thanks to you, we have more meds, and more surgical tools." Dr. Shale said, thankfulness in her tone.
"Is it ok if I sit with him?" Carol asked.
"Of course," Shale nodded. "I'm sure your face will be the one he wants to see when he wakes up."
Carol didn't wait for the doctor to leave. She walked right into Ezekiel's room, and went to sit beside his bed. Her heart lurched seeing him so still under the sheet, and IV line in his arm. Sitting down, she took his hand, her thumb stroking back and forth across his knuckles.
EARLY EVENING:
Daryl had waited until after dinner before going in search of Carol. He had asked a few people if they knew where she was, and a short little blonde told him that Carol was still with the King. He nodded, setting off for the block of rooms that made up the medical wing. Daryl walked through the door, moving down the corridor to the last room. It was there he found her with her head resting on the bed while she held his hand. He went to her, gently touching her shoulder.
Carol had only been resting her eyes, or so she would claim had anyone happened upon her like this. The hand that touched her shoulder, however, was all too familiar. When she looked up, she saw Daryl watching her with his face hidden by his hair. Letting go of Ezekiel for the moment, she got up to hug him. Daryl's arms came around her, and Carol found herself gasping; he squeezed her just a little too hard.
Daryl backed off quickly the moment he heard Carol's gasp of pain. "What happened out there?" he asked gruffly. The news that the King had been shot, had spread like wild fire all through the Kingdom, but no one knew what had happened to Carol.
"A walker fell on me," Carol answered quietly, "but I'm alright. Ezekiel saved me."
"Hmm…" Daryl grunted.
"Hey," Carol said, bringing her hand up to brush his hair out of his face. "I'm ok, I promise." She could see that he wasn't. Daryl was in a dark place, he wanted to kill every last Savior he found. He needed to get his revenge, and she was afraid he would do something extreme that would cost him a piece of his soul, or his life. Carol wasn't sure what this world would look like if Daryl wasn't here. "Don't do anything stupid, please."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Daryl grumbled, but it was a lie. Carol knew him better than anyone; including Rick. She already knew he was starting to make a plan. But because she asked, he would try to be careful. Carol frowned at him, shaking her head. She went back to her seat by the bed. He knew she always had his best interests at heart. Daryl went to her, leaned down, and touched his forehead to her shoulder. It was his way of saying he really missed her.
Carol brought her left hand up, placing it on top of Daryl's head. There was nothing more for them to say. He backed away, leaving her with Ezekiel. She knew at the end of the day, Daryl would do whatever it took to survive. He was a grown man, capable of making the right choice, but he was so angry. She was worried what he would do. Softly, she heard the door close behind her. Carol resumed her previous pose, holding Ezekiel's hand, and resting her head on the edge of the bed.
Ezekiel had come back to consciousness when he heard voices in his room. One belonged to Carol and the other to Daryl. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but the tone was clear. The archer was there to check on her, to make sure that she was truly alright. When silence fell, and the door closed, he opened his eyes to find her still at his side. She had her head bowed, and he could see there was a sadness about her. "Do you wish to follow him?" he asked gaining her attention. Ezekiel was almost afraid she was going to run out of the room.
Carol looked at Ezekiel, "No, I'm right where I want to be." She knew a long time ago that nothing was going to happen between her and Daryl. They were two people who needed the emotional attachment rather than a physical relationship. No matter what happened to them, they would be the constant in each other's lives. As much as she valued and needed the bond she had with him, she was able to have more with Ezekiel. Getting up, she sat by his side on the edge of the bed, rather than stay in the chair. She took his hand between hers and said, "I want to be here by your side."
"Do you love him?" Ezekiel asked, not out of jealously, but he wanted to understand what they had between them.
"I love him because he's Daryl, but I'm not in love with him," Carol sighed. "He's been one of the constants in my life since the world fell, and he's saved my life when he didn't have to." Ezekiel looked away, but not for long. She reached out, touching his face, and turning him back to look at her. "The love I feel for him isn't romantic. It's just love."
"I should not have asked," Ezekiel said lightly. He felt a little foolish for asking.
Carol leaned down, resting her head on his chest. "Yeah, you should have."
TBC…
