Author's Note: Just wanted to let everyone know that I've officially finished writing this fic. There will be one more chapter posted after this one! Check my profile for updates on when it will be posted and for when I'll start posting the sequel! That's right, I've started the sequel. Also, thank you all for the alerts and reviews. You make me feel special. Enjoy!
Jess let the man push her down the aisle and through the store as her mind raced in forming a plan. She had to isolate and take them on one at a time if she had a hope of getting free and back to Daryl. She'd done the same thing with Erin to escape the men that'd captured them several years ago. The only difference this time was she didn't have Erin for help.
Jess saw her opportunity as Richie reached the back door and went through, not waiting on his partner. As soon as she heard the door click shut, she pretended to trip and fall to her knees in front of the man behind her.
"Get up," he ordered as he leaned down to get her back on her feet.
Jess easily wrapped her hand around the hilt of her tactical knife, her heart racing with what she was about to do. She'd never killed a man in hand to hand combat before. However, Erin had given her enough training to know what to do in this situation. She tried to clear her mind and remember her sister's words as her fingers closed around the hilt.
When she was sure she had a good grip, she unsheathed it as she stood, using her body to shield the weapon from the man's sight. As soon as she was on her feet, she spun around, slicing up through the tendons in the wrist of the man's gun hand immediately followed by a change of direction to bury the knife to the hilt in the side of the man's neck. He never had a chance to react, much less call out to his friend. The only sound he made were gurgles as he took his last breath.
Jess shut down the part of her brain that was affected by what she'd just done and how easily she'd done it. Thinking about it now would only get her killed. She needed to focus.
As much as Jess wanted to go after the man who was now outside, she had to get back to Daryl first. She knew Richie would be coming back through that door any second now looking for them so she had to move quickly. She grabbed her pistol from the front of the dead mans pants while she pulled her knife back out of his neck and scrambled back to where Daryl had been. Just as she was getting to her feet, she heard the door open behind her and the large man call out as he realized what was going on.
"Bitch," he yelled as he saw his dead friend on the floor and opened fire on her. Luckily for her, he was a terrible shot and the bullets hit all around her as she turned down the second aisle from him. However, as bad of a shot as he was, he was still lucky and she felt pain rip through her arm. She grunted as she fell behind the aisle to do a quick a damage assessment and was glad to see it wasn't as bad as she was expecting. A bullet had grazed her forearm but it was superficial. She decided to ignore it and continue on her search for Daryl while keeping an eye out for Richie.
"Ya can do this, Jess," she whispered to herself as she began moving again. Her adrenaline was pumping hard as she looked down at the mirror at the other end of the aisle she was on to see Richie slinking her way. She started scrambling back the way she'd come, her gun pointed at the end the man was at for when he showed himself.
To her surprise, Richie ran right past her aisle and kept going. Jess shot a few rounds from her gun as he passed by but none of them hit. It took her all of two seconds to realize he was heading for Daryl and Jess began to panic. The hunter was an easier target to use as a hostage than she was at this point.
She took off down her end of aisles, only a few steps behind Richie, to get her bow and quiver that they'd left at the end of the row Daryl had been shot on. Jess stuffed her gun at her back in her waistband as she silently picked up her bow and pulled two arrows out of her quiver. Luckily she'd only been grazed by the bullet earlier or she wouldn't have been able to draw her bow.
The cowgirl checked the mirrors on the wall again as she notched one of the arrows while holding the other one along with the grip on her bow. She checked the mirrors again and saw that Daryl was no longer on the aisle he'd been shot on. However, there was a trail of blood down the row from where he drug himself towards the others for help.
"Jess!" She heard Sasha yell from the front of the store. Jess was relieved to realize the cavalry had arrived.
"Guy movin' on tha north wall," she called back to them, not caring she would give away her position.
"We have the building surrounded," Sasha called out to the intruder as she began moving toward Jess's voice while doing a sweep, "put your weapons down and we'll let you leave alive."
There wasn't a response but Jess did hear shoes scraping across the linoleum in a scuffle a few rows down so she silently made her way there.
Unfortunately, none of them had been fast enough to get to Daryl before Richie did. Jess peaked around the corner and she had to quickly turn her emotions back off. Richie was standing in the middle of the aisle with his back to Jess. The man held her hunter close to him as a shield against Michonne and Sasha who were in the middle of a standoff with him on the other end of the aisle.
"Put your weapons down or I'll blow his brains out," Richie commanded as he held the gun pressed to Daryl's temple. The Dixon wasn't putting up much of a struggle anymore. He'd obviously tried to fight Richie before and lost a lot of blood, which could be seen pooling next to his boot on the floor as he swayed on his good leg.
Jess thought about taking a shot at the Richie's back but the arrow would probably go through him and hit Daryl. Since the man with the gun was larger than Daryl, Jess couldn't see her man well enough to take a shot without possibly hitting him. She had to get around in front of him to make her shot. She stuck her head out just far enough for the two women at the other end to see her.
"Do what he says," Jess mouthed to them, "he's mine," she added before disappearing back around the corner. She moved slowly and silently as she heard Michonne's sword and Sasha's guns hit the ground.
"Fine, just let him go," Sasha pleaded as the two women backed away from their weapons on the ground, careful not to look at Jess as she came around to their end of the aisle. Despite the mirrors being a great asset to her, it seemed Richie was too dumb to use them. Lucky break, Jess thought as she watched the mirror closely for her opportunity to strike.
"Ok, now the two of you back on out of here," Richie ordered as he started backing down the aisle away from the two women. "Hey bitch," he called out to Jess, not knowing where she was, "if I see your face, he's dead."
Michonne saw the cowgirl sneer out of the corner of her eye at the end of the aisle like a lioness would sneer at its prey. Right about that time, Daryl's knee gave out, either from passing out or faking it to give them a chance to stop the crazy man with the gun. This caused Richie to try to support all the hunter's weight. That was the opportunity Jess was waiting for.
The cowgirl saw in the mirror that because he was now distracted with the sudden weight of the hunter, he had removed the gun from Daryl's temple just long enough for Jess to make a shot. The archer's mind was clear as she came around the corner just far enough to take aim at the large man behind Daryl, holding her breath to help keep herself steady. The second the bow was strung all the way back, Jess released the arrow and watched in satisfaction as it passed through Richie's eye, inches to the right of Daryl's head.
She cut her eyes over to Daryl as she grabbed her other arrow and notched it, expecting to see that he was unconscious. His blue eyes met hers and what she saw there surprised her: relief. He'd faked passing out to give her a chance to make her shot because he must have seen her in the mirror that Richie had failed to use.
Daryl was barely able to stay on his feet as Richie hit the ground behind him and he turned and backed away from the man on the floor, who was twitching like a snake that just had it's head severed.
Jess slowly approached the dead man on the floor with her bow drawn, making sure the threat was extinguished.
"Who's buzzard bait now," she snarled with a wild look in her eyes at the body on the floor.
"Hey, you alright," Daryl asked in worry as he looked her up and down.
She just looked up at him blankly as she lowered her bow, wondering why he was asking her when he was the one bleeding all over the floor. When Daryl's legs finally gave out, Jess quickly dropped her bow and arrows. She then reached out to grab him, wrapping her arms under his and awkwardly set him on the floor against the shelving as Michonne and Sasha rushed forward to start working on him.
"He's losin' too much blood too fast," Jess pointed out as she started pulling her belt off with shaking hands. The adrenaline was beginning to wear off and her fear was getting the best of her. She'd seen an injury like this before and it had resulted in death. However, she wasn't about to show her fear in front of Daryl.
"He's right here," Daryl grumbled while he watched them work, suddenly too tired to even move his arms.
"Stay with us, Daryl," Sasha ordered as she took the belt from Jess and slipped it around his thigh above the bullet wound. She looked up at Jess who was pulling off her over-shirt so they could press it to the wound to help slow the bleeding. This left the cowgirl in just her tank top. Thankfully, if anyone noticed her scars at that point, they ignored it, or didn't have time to think about it. "Keep him talking," Sasha ordered as Michonne took Jess' shirt.
Jess looked down at Daryl and noticed he was staring off at a point above her head with a blank look. She raised her hands and gently placed them on each side of his face to force him to look at her. Despite the dire situation, she gave him a smile. Before she could say anything grunted as Sasha did something that caused him discomfort.
"Nice shootin', Tex," he praised quietly, his eyes finally focusing on her and he hated the worry and fear he saw there.
"Thanks, peach," she answered. "Ain't nothin' a li'l band aide 'n' whiskey cain't fix," she referred to their first meeting, letting her thumbs brush his cheekbones.
Daryl became distracted by the appearance of Zack and Glenn with some of the medical supplies they'd picked up from the pharmacy and Jess took the opportunity to pull Michonne's ear close to her so Daryl wouldn't hear what she had to say.
"I'm O neg. Do we got a transfusion kit back there," she asked quietly, motioning in the direction of the prison, as Sasha pulled out a clotting agent and poured into Daryl's wound.
"Not sure, but Dr. S will know what to do," Michonne assured Jess with a nod.
Daryl looked up at Jess' pale face in confusion wanting to know what she'd just told Michonne. However, Jess turned her attention back to him abruptly when she felt him start to shiver beneath her, both of her hands back on his face.
"So ya rip hearts out," she commented shakily as she looked down at him with worried eyes, still trying to keep him distracted. She was determined to hang onto her calm even though she knew that the fact that he had lost so much blood was causing his body temperature to drop. He needed to her to be strong for him now. She would, no matter what it took.
"And ya can take out a couple of two hundred pound men on yer own," he observed. "Where'd you learn that?"
He knew that there was a lot more going on underneath the surface of her banter but right now he needed her to believe he would be alright. Daryl wasn't stupid, he knew that he was bleeding too much and might not make it back to the prison. If this was going to be the last moments they would spend together and he didn't want to waste it telling each other goodbye.
"Told ya not ta worry 'bout me," she assured with a weak smile. "Erin showed me a few thangs."
"Glenn, Zack," Sasha began with the orders, "go find all Jess's stuff and get it to the car."
The Asian nodded before he disappeared around the corner. They all heard the curse from the other side of the store a few seconds later.
"Holy shit, did Jess do that," Zack asked almost appreciatively. He must have seen the man she'd taken down at the back door.
Daryl's gaze hardened as he cut his eyes over at the dead man with them, realizing that she'd just killed two living men for him. He wondered what that would do to Jess emotionally but she just shrugged nonchalantly, refusing to talk about what she had to do to get Daryl back.
"Christ woman," he cursed before Sasha started packing up the supplies she and Michonne had used.
"You two get him to the car," she nodded at Michonne and Jess, "We've got to get him back to Dr. S," she spoke as she stood and started back towards the cars.
Jess moved her hands from his face to grab fist full's of his vest to lean over him for a kiss. He lifted his heavy arm to grip her braid that had fallen over her shoulder at some point to hold her close to him, deepening the quick kiss she'd been looking for.
"Thanks fer wantin' to rip out hearts fer me," she whispered against his lips when he finally let her go.
"Anytime," he said with a smirk, "and thanks for savin' my ass again."
"Always," she answered with a serious glint in her eye before her expression softened and let her hands fall away from his vest. "Glad ya ain't dead 'cause that'd hurt my chances'a gettin' laid in tha next few months," she joked.
"Nice to know I'm good for somethin'," he replied as he shifted to prepare himself for the move. Before she could lean down to begin helping him up, he looked up at her with a look she didn't recognize. "Hey, Jess, can you give us a second," Daryl requested as he cut his eyes over to Michonne.
The cowgirl looked down at him, trying to get a read on why he needed to talk to Michonne alone but he was doing a great job of hiding it. She nodded and took several steps in the other direction and used her bandana from her back pocket to wipe away the blood from the wound on her arm.
Daryl watched her with blank eyes until she was far enough away she wouldn't hear what he had to say.
"Don't let her ride with me. I ain't gonna make the drive back," he commented calmly.
"Don't say that," Michonne warned as her expression hardened.
"I seen this before. Gonna bleed out before we make it back," Daryl explained. Daryl felt weaker than a kitten due to the blood loss and he knew it wouldn't be long before he was unconscious.
"Good thing we're close to the prison," Michonne offered.
"Don't let her watch me die, Michonne," ordered with a hard set to his eyes.
Michonne cringed at the look he was giving her and how desperate he was. She'd never seen that expression before and she realized that Jess was the only person in the world that could make Daryl feel that way.
"You're going to be just fine, Daryl," Michonne reassured her friend as she prepared to help him stand, still ignoring his request.
"Let's get him out of here," the swordswoman called and Jess was back at Daryl's side in seconds.
"Ready," Jess asked him. Daryl just nodded and they wasted no time in getting him up with Michonne's help. Each of them took one of his arms and slung it around their necks, their arms around his waist, and carried him to the car quickly as he was practically drug between them.
The door to the SUV was already open and waiting for them to place him in the back seat. Once they had him in the car, Daryl grabbed Jess' arm to get her attention.
"I need you to ride in the truck" he demanded as he watched her expression carefully.
"I'm ridin' with ya," she forced, trying to pull away from him to shut the door on the conversation but he wouldn't let her go.
"I'll see ya when we get back. Only thirty minutes," he bit out.
Jess watched him for several seconds, trying to determine why the look in her eyes was one of desperation and he hated it. However, she wasn't about to give in.
"No. I'm ridin' with ya, that's final," she claimed as she wrenched her hand away and shut the door on him.
She was walking around the car to climb in on the other side. Michonne jumped in the front and shut the door before Jess could get around the car.
"Lock the doors and go," Daryl ordered Sasha from the back seat, "she's riding back with Glenn."
Sasha did as he asked before she turned to look back at the man who was slumped against the door, staring out at nothing.
"You sure this is what you want," she asked him seriously. She knew just as well as the others that Daryl was still bleeding badly and might not make it back to the prison.
"Just go," he growled from the back seat.
When Jess heard the click of the locks she sprinted the rest of the way around the car and tried to open the back passenger door. She began to panic as she hit the glass window with her palm.
"Michonne, open tha door," Jess pleaded. She saw Sasha glance at her from the front seat as she turned around to say something to Daryl. She couldn't hear what was said but her heart leapt in her chest when she heard Sasha start the car and put it into gear.
"Daryl, don't. Please," she begged. Her carefully constructed calm started crumbling as Michonne turned in her seat to give Jess a helpless look. Daryl refused to look at her. When the car moved she didn't try to follow it, she let him go because she knew what he was doing. She was furious. She let out a frustrated yell as the car practically pealed out of the parking lot and shot down the road back to the prison.
Glenn and Zack appeared from the front of the store, a confused look on their faces as they began putting all the gear, including Jess's weapons, into the truck. The two men watched as Jess stomped past them to Daryl's bike and began pushing it towards the side of the building where there were a long row of overgrown bushes. She guided the bike between the wall and bushes carefully and set it back down on its kickstand. Jess knew that it would hurt Daryl if he ever found out his brother's bike was left out in the open for anyone to steal. She could have ridden it back but she couldn't reach the handlebars when seated on it so they would have to come back for it later.
Before she left it, she grabbed the cigarettes they picked up from the market. She lit one of hers as she stormed back to the truck where the two men were still regarding her with caution. The cowgirl shoved her lighter and one of her packs in her front pocket as she tossed Daryl's carton and her other pack through the open back seat window.
Glenn and Zack took it as she was finally ready to leave and Glenn started for the driver's door. However, a very angry Jess put herself between the Asian and the door handle as she exhaled a large cloud of smoke.
"I'm drivin'," she commanded, holding her hands out for the keys.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Glenn stammered as he stood his ground.
Jess could actually see the Korean shrink back from her when she turned her full gaze on him, her amber eyes wide and wild. He flinched when her free hand shot out to grab the front of his shirt. She saw Zack step forward as if he was going to try to stop her but a sharp look from Jess gave him pause. When she turned her attention back to Glenn, his eyes were full of fear. Jess added fuel to the fire and spoke through clenched teeth that showed when her lips moved.
"Don't test me, Glenn. Ya saw 'em men in there, ya know what I can do ta a man," Jess snarled as she held him. Jess would never actually hurt anyone at the prison unless they had intent to harm her but she wanted to be convincing and using her recent kills wasn't beneath her. She could actually see the internal conflict reflected in his eyes for several moments before he conceded. He held up the keys for her to take and Jess snatched them from him angrily.
Zack gave Glenn a wide-eyed look as the Asian passed him on the way to the passenger's side of the truck. Both men were barely in the car before Jess practically floor boarded the gas pedal and they sped out of the parking lot.
Jess knew the way back, she had paid attention on the ride there on the back of Daryl's bike. She also knew that Glenn wouldn't have been able to drive as fast as she wanted. But more so than speed, she needed to feel in control of something because this whole situation was going to drive her mad.
Jess' knuckles turned white on the steering wheel as she took a corner a little too fast. Everything in the back-end shifted and she saw Glenn reach up to the handle up by the window next to him.
"Take it easy, Jess. We need to actually make it back," he warned as the engine roared from her pressing down on the pedal all the way.
Jess ignored him as she took another drag on her dwindling cigarette. She wasn't in the mood to really talk, she was just trying to keep her emotions under control. She was failing miserably and her stomach turned as she thought of losing him.
A severed or nicked artery could mean death from blood loss in thirty minutes or less depending how bad it was and even then it depended on if the doctor could sew it back together. They were lucky to have Dr. S around, Jess thought, because no one else could perform the kind of surgery he was going to need to repair the damage to his artery. However, that depended on if they got him back in time or not. She knew he'd lost so much blood already and that he probably wouldn't be conscious when they got back. That's when she realized that he didn't want her seeing him that way. He was trying to spare her watching him die.
The angry woman slammed her fist on the door panel before tossing the burnt out cigarette out of the window.
"That bastard," she bit out through clenched teeth as she took another break neck turn.
The two men in the car were wise to not say anything yet held on for dear life as the turned straightened out and she floored it again. Jess felt the adrenaline start to leave her system which meant she also lost her anger. It was then mind turned to everything she loved about him. She had to physically cover her mouth to keep from being sick at the thought that she may never get to tell him.
"Jess," Glenn asked as her hand returned to the steering wheel.
Jess wasn't ever one to cry in front of others but Glenn could easily tell she wanted to.
"I never told him," she revealed, her knuckles white again as she gripped the wheel and the truck swerved. It was then she realized she shouldn't be driving. It'd been so long since she last sat behind the wheel of a car and she was too distraught to be there. "I'm sorry," she apologized as the truck came to a stop. Jess jumped down out of the truck, a moment of clarity and concern showing, "I'd never forgive myself if I killed ya'll on the way back."
Glenn didn't argue as he followed suit and walked around the front of the truck. He stopped in front of her, forcing her to stop and look up at him.
"You'll get to tell him, Jess. He won't die that easily," he assured her with a forced smile. She searched his eyes and found understanding. If anyone in their group could understand what she was going through, it'd be him.
Jess allowed his words to comfort her and she nodded weakly before continuing around to quickly jump in the car. Without delay, Glenn had them back on the road and moving quickly towards the prison. However, not as fast as Jess had gone and it made her tense in the seat because they weren't moving fast enough. She let her mind wander as she pulled out another cigarette and lit it. Jess needed something to help calm her nerves enough so she could build that emotional wall back around her. Unknowingly, Zack said something that helped rebuild that barrier with an unsettling thought.
"Smoking kills," he bravely quipped from the back seat. Her response was immediate and chilling.
"So do I," she cautioned as she steeled herself for what she might find when they returned to the prison.
Glenn was laying on the horn the second the gates to the prison loomed in the distance. Jess saw Maggie come running down the hill from the inner part of the prison to open the gates for them. When they were inside, Glenn stopped the truck and got out to speak to Maggie while Jess jumped out of the truck and sprinted up the hill to where the SUV was parked next to the awning. The closer she got she noticed that there were no people in the car then quickly started for the prison. Before she got to the awning where worried bystanders sat, she saw Rick coming to meet her.
"Where is he," she demanded as she jogged up to him, not wanting to asked the real question that had been on her mind.
"They're taking him to the infirmary," the ex-cop explained as he motioned for her to follow him.
"Doc say anythin'," she asked in a voice that sounded much calmer than she was feeling.
"Doctor S said that his artery had been hit and that he needed to get it stitched up now or," Rick let the sentence die as they wound their way through the catacombs to the infirmary. He didn't want to say it because it might come true.
When they made it to the door of the infirmary, Rick stepped in front of her to block her way and she looked up at him in question with a hint of anger flashing in her eyes.
"Can you keep your cool in there," he asked, his eyes boring into hers, trying to get a read on her.
She glared up at him for a few moments, mad that he'd stopped her. However she knew that he was just looking out for everyone involved by making sure she wouldn't make a scene. She nodded calmly and he watched her for a few more seconds before stepping aside and opening the door for her.
The sight that greeted her affected her more than she thought it would: Daryl was laid out on a metal table, unconscious and tan face extremely pale. He looked dead and had it not been for Doctor S working on him she would have thought he was. She froze just inside the door, afraid that she would get in the way or end up losing her fragile calm.
She startled a bit when she felt a hand in hers and looked over to see Carol standing beside her with the same expression on her face. They shared a look before turning back to watch the scene unfold before them with blank stares.
Herschel came hobbling into the room and immediately started helping the doctor cut Daryl's pants leg off so they could get access to the bullet wound. While Herschel started gathering all the materials they would need, the doctor spoke to him about what they were dealing with.
"Bullet's still in there. Going to have to dig that out," he explained as Herschel handed him a pair of what looked like long pliers, "that artery is damaged too so we're going to have to sew that up. We'll need a blood transfusion," he looked up at the people in the room, "do any of you know his blood type?"
Through the fog of shock, Jess heard the doctor's question and was quick to come back to her senses and answer.
"I'm O negative," she offered, hope laced in her voice.
"Wow, nice to know we've got a universal donor on board. Good thing you've healed up or we'd be in serious trouble here," he chattered as he worked on disinfecting the area around the wound so he could cut Daryl's leg farther open and get to the artery.
"What ya need me ta do," Jess asked as she stepped forward trying to focus on anything but the fact that Daryl's life was slipping away.
"Herschel, get his IV set up and get her tapped, I'll work on pulling out this bullet and getting the artery stitched up. Everyone else needs to get out," he ordered as he began to cut into Daryl's leg.
Carol quickly stepped around to block Jess' vision of Daryl on the table to force the younger woman to look at her with hands on each side of Jess' face.
"He's going to be fine," Carol reassured with a stern look. She didn't let go of Jess' face until she felt the younger woman nod and her arms slipped around her shoulders in a loose hug. Jess had a feeling that Carol knew how Daryl and Jess felt about each other. Carol may have had her own feelings towards the hunter but she knew she couldn't stay. When Carol released her, the older woman took one more glance over at the man on the table and left with tears in her eyes.
It was then Jess noticed that Michonne had stood in the corner of the room the whole time. Jess spared a glance up at her friend as the swordswoman approached the door. Michonne rested her hand on the cowgirl's shoulder for a brief moment before she followed Carol out of the room.
"Let me know if you need anything," Jess heard Rick say from behind her. She turned her head just enough to see him out of the corner of her eye and give him a nod. As soon as the door shut, Jess was leaning heavily on a desk not far from where Herschel was just finishing up putting the needle in Daryl's arm for the transfusion.
"Doc, I gotta know, what're his odds," Jess asked in a weak voice. She couldn't lose anyone else because it would just be too cruel. She'd just found this community, found hope for herself, and it seemed like it was about to be ripped from her again.
"Well, the artery isn't as bad as I thought it would be, so that's good," he spoke as he delicately worked to sew up the femoral artery in Daryl's leg, "if we can get enough blood back in him I'd say about fifty-fifty."
Jess let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding at the doctor's diagnosis. She was actually expecting worse odds.
"Ok, Miss Davis. Come on around here so I can get you hooked in," Herschel requested softly from the other side of the table. Jess took a deep, steadying breath and walked around to the chair Herschel had placed beside the bed. He smiled softly down at her as she sat and held out her arm. Her eyes never left the man laying just a few feet from her. She was too caught up in Daryl on the table to do much of anything besides sit there with her arm out to give him whatever he needed. Herschel noticed and used his grandfatherly charm to help her focus on something besides the immediate danger Daryl's life was in.
"So how did you find out you were O negative, Miss Davis?"
The woman blinked a few times as she tore her gaze away from Daryl to look up at the older man. Jess didn't even flinch as Herschel pushed the needle into her arm. She knew what he was trying to do and she was grateful for it.
"First time I gave blood in high school," she recalled, her eyes taking on a distant look.
"Keep making a fist," he ordered softly as the blood started flowing through the line from her arm to Daryl's. "So did you give more after that," he continued with his line of questioning as he started assisting the doctor with the surgery. Jess allowed the memories to take her from her current predicament.
"I did. Nurse said I's a universal donor. Figured it was tha right thang ta do," she answered truthfully.
"You've got a kind heart there, Miss Davis," Herschel noted out loud, "we're lucky to have you with us. So is he," he added, nodding toward the prone man on the table.
"What ya mean," Jess queried, her eyebrows bunched together in confusion. She thought that they'd been pretty discreet about their relationship.
"You know what I mean. Every time either one of you has free time you're together," he observed with a smirk despite the situation. He had a feeling that Jess needed to talk to keep her from shutting down.
"Herschel, hand me the scissors, got the artery closed up, just got to sew up this incision," Doctor S requested, breaking the distraction. "Keep pumping that fist, Jess. We need your blood in him as fast as you can get it to him. If you start feeling light-headed, tell us. Don't need-" he stopped abruptly and dropped the needle and thread in his hands to lay his ear on Daryl's chest. "His heart stopped," he stated calmly before starting chest compressions.
Jess sat stunned as she watched the scene unfold in front of her as if she were looking through glass. It was like it wasn't real and she couldn't move, couldn't think beyond his name.
"Daryl," she choked out, her heart in her throat. He was dead and the last thing he'd done was push her away. The thought had her suddenly filled with rage. Before she realized it, Jess was standing at the head of the table, staring down at the pale hunter on the table as the doctor continued doing chest compressions. She placed her hands on the table to lean down over him and started ranting.
"Ya don' get ta do this, ya cuss. Ya don' get ta push me away 'n' just check out. Ya thank that's right?" She snarled at the man beneath her, unable to contain her anger, "Ya thank yer gonna spare me anythin'? That it ain't gonna hurt as much? Well, yer wrong, ya bastard," she cursed with a barely suppressed sob, "Don't thank yer gonna get away with it like this. Ya either start that heart beatin' again'er so help me I'm-"
Jess saw a flash of blue beneath her as Daryl took a great gasp of air before settling back down on the table, his breaths even and eyes closed into unconsciousness. As soon as she realized he wasn't a walker and the doctor had actually revived him, her knees gave out and she was on the floor trying to breathe. Her rage was gone and replaced with relief.
"Pulse and breathing are weak but there," the doctor revealed from above her.
Both of the men in the room cringed as Jess let out a frustrated groan. After a few moments, she felt Herschel's hand on her shoulder and his comforting voice above her.
"He's alright Jess, why don't you come sit down," he urged as he knelt beside her. The cowgirl took deep breath and she glanced sideways at the man beside her.
"This is like huggin' a rose bush," she admitted quietly. Herschel just chuckled light-heartedly above her.
"Well, can't say I've ever tried that but it doesn't sound pleasant," he remarked as he stood with her and guided her back to the chair. He checked her IV to make sure it hadn't been pulled during her outburst.
Jess quietly reached out to take Daryl's cool hand in hers and leaned back in her chair to finally let the tension from the close call release from her body. The two doctors were silent as they finished closing up Daryl's wounds and she was left to her own thoughts. Jess threaded her fingers through Daryl's limp ones as she started at their joined hands and matching IV lines.
She hadn't meant to get so angry at Daryl but her mind had focused on the first emotion she felt in that situation. That emotion was rage at how Daryl had left her standing back at the hardware store knowing that he might not make the trip back to the prison. Jess had a feeling that he had just been trying to protect her in his own weird way but it had just made her angry and hurt. He couldn't do that to her again.
Jess had meant it when she said she couldn't go on without him and she had just about to say that when he'd started breathing again. The thought of having to wake up in the morning around all these people who had lost just as much, if not more than she had, and trying to focus on protecting them or trying to go out and find her parents alone again was too much to bear. She couldn't feel that way ever again.
In that realization, Jess knew what she had to do.