After taking Jo to the medical wing first thing the next morning, Daryl joined the group in the cafeteria, where the rest of Fort McPherson gathered to be debriefed. Major Rice stood in the front of the large room with the same military personnel he was speaking with the night before. After a moment, the room quieted down.
"Welcome, everyone," said a tall, balding man next to Major Rice. His arms were crossed behind his back as he stood at attention. "I, along with the military personnel and civilians, are excited and relieved to have your group join us at Fort Bragg. My name is Col. Daniel Schwartz with the United States Army. We secured Fort Bragg early on, but were not able to get a signal out to other military bases until recently. As you know, this virus has proved to be the worst epidemic in history. There is no known cure, but we have successfully cleared the area of Fayetteville, where we are now. We send out search teams every day to take out any walkers, search for survivors and secure supplies. Currently, we are working to completely secure the surrounding town. Once we accomplish that, we'll be able to move into the town. Until then, please feel comfortable to roam the base, use the facilities and make yourselves at home. We ask that anyone with useful skills to help with any of our activities. We can use all the help we can get. Thank you."
Major Rice made his way to the group with Col. Schwartz following his speech. Daryl stood at one end of the table with his foot perched on the bench. He took a bite out of an apple as Rice stopped at the other end next to Rick.
"Rick, I wanted to personally introduce you and your group to Col. Schwartz," Major Rice said.
Rick stood and shook hands with the colonel. "Rick Grimes. Thanks for… uh… takin' us in," he said hesitantly.
"I hear your group has been through a lot," Col. Schwartz said. "We're happy to have survivors like you with us."
"Yeah, I'm sure ya are," Daryl muttered, taking another loud bite of apple.
Col. Schwartz glanced at him before looking over the group. "Major Rice also told me many of you are very skilled in hunting and tracking and many of you helped in the school at McPherson."
Daryl scoffed. "Did he tell ya he left me for dead after I went on a huntin' trip for the whole camp? And did he tell ya he banned Carol and Jo from the school after this group risked their ass to come find me when the military 'protecting' us didn't? I ain't riskin' my ass for anyone other than these people," he said, pointing to the table.
Everyone's silence made it clear they were with Daryl.
Col. Schwartz nodded. "I completely understand." Major Rice frowned and departed with the colonel.
Carol turned toward Daryl. "How's Jo doing?"
"OK. She's gettin' checked out in medical right now. Kinda lost it on the way there this mornin'." Daryl sighed and tossed his apple core in the trash. "I'm gonna go check on her."
Carol gave him a meek smile as he walked out the doors.
He stalked across the courtyard, yanking a leaf from a tree and tearing it to pieces before throwing the stem on the ground and entering the medical wing. This building was the only one running fully on generators. They were allowed to have all the lights and energy they needed. Daryl felt the air conditioning on his skin and smiled. He turned the corner and bumped into a nurse exiting Jo's room.
"Oh, excuse me, Mr. Dixon. I'm Olivia. I've been taking care of Jo. She's sleeping right now and I'd advise allowing her to sleep for a few hours. She's exhausted," she said with a concerned look on her face. "What we can tell, she was only a few weeks along when she lost the baby. It was due to stress, nothing else. She's distraught and I'm sure you are too. Just talk to each other, be there for each other and you'll get through this." Olivia smiled reassuringly and patted him on the arm before walking toward the nurse's station.
Daryl let out a breath before walking into Jo's room. She lay on her side, her back toward him. An IV connected to her left arm drip, drip, dripping fluid. He walked to the end of the hospital bed and watched her body slightly move with her breathing. "We're gonna be OK," he whispered more to himself than to her. He pulled the chair up to her bed, placing his feet on the bed and reclining in the chair.
Rick walked to the courtyard holding Judith in his arms. The sun was high in the sky and a light breeze rustled his hair. He shaded his eyes looking for Carl and Beth. He spotted the two sitting near the middle of the courtyard, laughing and throwing grass at each other.
"Hey you two," Rick said, kneeling down to sit next to them.
"Hey Dad, isn't it great here?" Carl asked excitedly.
Rick looked around at the people in the courtyard. It actually felt like a normal day at a park before all the madness had begun. The group had been at Fort Bragg for about a week – it was still hard to keep track of the days. After what happened at McPherson, the whole group had been hesitant to interact with the new camp or get involved in anyway. That was hard for Rick. All he wanted to do was jump in and help with securing the town. How could they expect to stay if they didn't help?
"Yeah, it feels almost normal, doesn't it?" Rick said, laying Judith on her back and tickling her. The baby smiled and let out a giggle. A smile spread across Rick's lips and he knew what he needed to do – spend more time with his children. Carl was growing up before his eyes, and the way he handled himself, heck he was almost a man grown. Judith was only going to be a baby for a minute longer before she would be a toddler and then Carl's age. He had to live in the moment while he could. He leaned over and rubbed Carl's head, smiling.