An: hey another chapter. This is a short one, sorry about that :)

I do not own or profit from the walking dead

Chapter 9

She was fighting hard. Daryl had never seen so much blood. How Carol had survived that gunshot, he wasn't sure; but here she was, still fighting.

Perez had been a nurse in a previous life. Something that Merle and Martinnez teased him about non stop. That information was kept in their group though, medical personnel were hard to come by these days it would have made Perez more valuable to Neagan. When the time came they wanted Neagan to think that the loss of their group was an inconvenience at best.

Perez had stitched Carol's shoulder and made sure there was nothing left in the wound. The bullet had gone through and exited the back. She'd almost bleed to death.

She had saved Merle and Perez too most likely. Thrown herself in front of a bullet for them. In front of a fucking bullet. She saved his family, Merle had treated her like shit, Perez had pretty much ignored her not wanting to get emotionally involved. She had saved his family and he couldn't help feeling like she did it for him.

His gut clenched at the thought of what might have happened to her if they hadn't managed to get free in the first place. Those assholes would have done a hell of a lot more than touch her. Daryl's stomach churned at the thought. What she would have done for them, did for them; and they didn't deserve it.

She stirred a little moaning then. He lifted a cool cloth to her head, the guys were scattered around the floor of the den of a house they had brought Carol to. They had needed to get her out of the open quickly.

"We can't."

Daryl didn't even glance up to look at Perez who had broken the silence that had descended upon the four men. Daryl simply nodded.

"You giving up on your sister then?" Merle puffed out but he was slightly less convincing then he had been only the day before.

"Of course not man... But she saved you, me too, we can't just turn her over to save our asses." Perez said thumping his head back against the wall.

Daryl's hand tightened reflexively around Carol's. She would never be handed over to Neagan. He'd already decided. It would hurt to break away from the group and Merle. But if he had to he'd take her and run and he would never look back.

"There's gotta be another way." Ceasar said softly.

"There ain't." Merle said "I know you all think I'm a heartless bastard but we gotta go back cause we can't leave Tara. I know Carol took a bullet meant for my head. But we gotta go back or Tara will take a bat to the head. So what do we do? Huh tell me that?"

Daryl squeezed his hands into fists standing up he turned facing off to Merle.

"She risked her life for you, for all of us. We ain't turning her over to Neagan!" Daryl roared putting up his hand when Martinnez tried to silence him.

"Daryl..."

"No, don't Daryl me, we ain't doing it and that's it!" He huffed out eying Merle. All three men where staring behind him. That when heard her small voice speak.

"Daryl?" She whispered her voice full of question. He spun around to see Carol very awake.