Didn't want to leave anyone hanging but it's pretty obvious this story died down so I need to figure out a plan to finish it and soon. When I have time, I'll sit down and try to finish it.

I don't want to just randomly wake up Lorena and have everyone join in a group hug and then the story ends because that's just lame.

So enjoy this chapter. I'll try to add more emotion if I have to. Suggestions are nice though since I'm obviously had a bad time with it!

Chapter 9

"Is Daryl okay, Mom?" A concerned Sophia asked. Her maturing nature knew Daryl wouldn't just forget to take her for a crossbow lesson, and she was also well aware that Daryl was not a man of broken promises. "It's dark out now.."

"Don't worry honey," Carol reassured her. "He'll be back soon, and he'll be just fine, I promise," she continued, placing a motherly hand on Sophia's back. "Now c'mon, let's get you washed up and ready for bed. When you wake up, I promise, he'll be here."

Sophia complied without argument and headed for the stairs.

Daryl wished a simple cut and bruise scenario was approaching him, but the frantic look on Merle's face confirmed the fact that Lorena was in serious trouble. "The fuck happened?—Merle—MERLE!" Daryl barked as Merle quickly brushed past him without slowing down his pace or providing an explanation.

After a few swift steps, Merle, realizing he had no idea where he was going, called out behind him, "Take me to this fuckin' farm. We can't afford to be stoppin' right now. Talk and walk. Let's go. Move!" Daryl rushed to get ahead of him. Merle continued, out of breath, "I found her like this. I don't even fuckin' know, man. She hit her head and that's all I fuckin' know right now."

"I'm such a fuckin' idiot! I knew I shouldn't have let her go off without us!" Daryl cried, full of frantic. He wasn't even paying attention to the direction he was headed in. He quickly came to his senses and realized two key ideas. One, it was already pretty much pitch black out, and being outdoors at night in this world was a step to an early grave. Two, any stop would push back whatever recovery Lorena needed at this point and getting lost due to emotion wasn't an option. He needed to get her back safely – that's all that mattered to him.

Daryl picked up the pace and took the lead. Merle quickly followed suit, making sure to keep a firm hold on Lorena's head.

A few generous minutes later, they arrived at the farm. No longer giving any regard to the time of night, Daryl shouted, "HERSHEL! GET HERSHEL, NOW!" Andrea, who had watch for the night, instantly spotted them and she didn't know whether or not to react more for the fact Lorena was injured or the fact Merle Dixon was the one holding her. "What happened to her—Merle? What the hell, holy shit," Andrea frantically blurted out at once as she began to climb down the RV to get Hershel, who was recently seen at the stables. When they approached him, "Oh my word..." was all Hershel could say. He grew very fond of Lorena and hated to see this happen to her. However, he needed no explanation. He saw more injuries and mishaps occur within this group in a week's span than he did in his prior life in a month.

"Follow me and feel free to introduce yourself in the process," Hershel announced to Merle, offering his assistance but keeping his inner protective barrier as well.

As Merle and Daryl followed Hershel upstairs, Merle attempted an introduction, though his name was an introduction on its own. "I'm Daryl's brother. Name's Merle. Sure there's been plenty of talk about me since I've been gone," he began, and Hershel put a hand up. "Say no more, Merle," he responded, opening the door to the guest room. "I need you to place her on the bed and keep that compress firm on her head. I'll be back with supplies in a second and from there, I can start working on her."

Merle nodded in agreement and set Lorena down on the bed, taking a step back so Daryl could have a moment with her. Merle took note of the fact his brother was growing more uneasy by the second and his silence alone was a determination that he was in a state of shock.

Daryl hesitantly stepped forward, unprepared to face her. He hated to admit it to himself, but she looked dead already. If it wasn't for the slow rise and fall of her chest, he would have mistook her for a walker. Her beautiful olive complexion was faded into a light shade of blue. He didn't even want to imagine the amount of blood she lost so far. He started chewing on the inside of his cheek, fighting back tears. He may have shown vulnerability in the past few days, but he felt a sense of reluctance around Merle more now than ever. He raised his hand to her cheek and stroked it gently as Hershel swiftly entered the room with what seemed like enough supplies to fix two people. He began to hook Lorena up to an IV and started sterilizing the stitching equipment for her head wound.

Daryl's apprehension level skyrocketed when he noticed all the tools and supplies.

At the risk of sounding ignorant, Daryl blurted, "Don't ya just gotta cauterize her wound and keep her hydrated? I mean what the fuck else is wrong with her?"

"If she doesn't show sign of movement by tomorrow afternoon, it's a safe assumption that she already fell into a coma. Her heart rate is already significantly slow and I have no formal way of monitoring it. If she falls into a coma, her heart rate will slow even more. Any more than this and we'll have to keep this on hand in case we need to revive her. Hence this," he pointed out, holding up a portable defibrillator.

Daryl felt his heart sink as he listened to Hershel explain the necessary precautions. Unable to respond, he nodded in agreement with Hershel, allowing him to continue working on her head wound.

Merle was in a state of shock on his own. He hadn't even been able to enjoy his reunion with Lorena and he had a chance of losing her all over again – for good this time. He knew he had to hang tough for his little brother, who was unmistakably falling apart at the seams. He took Daryl by surprise as he placed a hesitant but reassuring hand on his back. "You and I both know damn well she ain't givin' up." Daryl gave a spaced out nod as he felt the burning in his eyes commence.