At Daryl's frantic cry everyone that had gathered in the kitchen area for dinner rushed out into the yard on the assumption that there was a Walker attack in the grounds. When they saw a woozy Carol coming around in his arms there panic turned to concern with Rick leading Hershel straight over.
"What happened? Carol can you hear me?" Hershel laid a hand against Carol's forehead and hissed in concern. "Daryl, I need you to get her over to medical as soon as you can, she's burning up! Everyone else just stay back until I figure out what's going on. Does anyone else feel at all unwell?" He scanned across the faces of the group and when no one stepped forward he nodded in satisfaction. "I need anyone that has come into direct contact with Carol today to come over with us, the rest of you can go back in and finish dinner." Only Rick and Jeanne stepped in place to join Daryl in escorting Carol over to medical, as the rest of the group made their way back over to the main block talking in hushed voices and wondering what was wrong.
Rick noticed that Carol was weaving on her feet and muttering incoherently under her breath, he stepped forward to offer a supporting hand only to be stopped by a low growl rumbling from Daryl's chest. "Okay, then I'll just get the door. What can I do to help Hershel?" Rick propped open the door to the former medical wing where Hershel had laid out his scant medical supplies. It was a fairly large block with an open exam room set in the centre and smaller isolated cells running along each wall. Hershel indicated for Daryl to help Carol into one of these cells and held up a hand to prevent Rick and Jeanne from following them inside.
"Rick, I need you and Jeanne to describe your contact with Carol over the last few days; and then you each need to sit a while in separate cells until I can be certain what we are dealing with. Rick, you go first…"
"I didn't see anything of her at all yesterday as I was out in the garden for most of the day and she had kitchen duties. Today we spoke out in the hall a few hours ago when she got off watch and I asked her to have Judith for a little while this evening." Rick thought back over the events of the day and for once was glad that Carol had pulled a double shift; her being away from the group had isolated her from the possibility of spreading whatever infection she might have.
"Alright then, did you come into close contact with her at all at any point?"
"No, I don't think so…" began Rick, only to be interrupted by a grunt from Daryl who was crouched next to the cot, hovering over a prone Carol. "What?"
"You touched her arm. And so did Jeanne here when she asked for help with dinner tonight." Hershel looked over at the woman in question, with concern in his eyes.
"And did she help with the food preparation at all?" He was concerned that if this was a viral infection Carol could have inadvertently passed it to anyone that had ingested anything that she may have touched.
"No – because HE wouldn't let me near her! Carol didn't show up in the kitchen, so I went up to her cell…."Jeanne explained and Hershel nodded his head in understanding.
"Uggghh, think I'm gonna hurl…." Carol clutched her middle groaning, not knowing what hurt the most, her head or stomach.
"Okay, I think I've heard enough for now. Rick, Jeanne just take a seat in one of the cells next door while I try to make Carol more comfortable." Hershel waved them away and crouched as best he could next to the cot and looked closer at his patient. "Carol, have you had anything to eat or drink today that made you feel strange in anyway?" Hershel gently palpitated her stomach watching her face closely for any discomfort.
"Nothing since breakfast, wasn't really hungry as it was just so hot…had a water bottle with me up in the tower." Carol groaned a little at the cramps and fell back against the thin pillow. "Hershel, I'm just so tired…I'm sure I will be fine if I could just have a little nap, not appendix as had that taken out when I was little…could you open a window or something, I feel like I'm burning up?"
"Carol honey, I think you have a touch of plain old heat exhaustion. You haven't eaten properly or drunk nearly enough. As soon as we get your temperature down a bit and get some fluids into you I think you'll start feeling a whole lot better." Hershel checked her heart with his stethoscope and noted that it was beating rapidly, that along with her extreme fatigue; fainting spell and nausea all pointed towards heat exhaustion or sun stroke. "Daryl, do you want to poke your head out to Rick and let him and Jeanne know that it's safe for them to leave? I'll get some water and a cloth and try to bring down Carol's temperature."
"No offence, Hershel – you may be the closest thing to a doc that we have but if you think I'm gonna stand here and watch you strip down my woman, I may just have to break your fingers." Daryl made an attempt at levity but failed miserably. Hershel turned his face away to hide the smile that crept across his face at what the other man had just inadvertently revealed before turning back to address the other man quite sternly.
"Daryl, this is no time for you to get your back up. It's real important that we get Carol's body temperature under control as quickly as possible, it can be dangerous if it gets too high. Either let me take care of her or let me send over for Maggie."
"Just tell me what to do and I'll take care of her, don't need anyone else interfering – Carol wouldn't like it. Hershel - she's got some terrible scars from that no good husband of hers and she wouldn't want everyone gawpin'." Daryl was resolute that he would be the one taking care of Carol and would not be persuaded otherwise. Hershel sighed heavily and got awkwardly to his feet, his missing lower leg making it difficult to rise up from a crouching position.
"Alright, you can start by removing her shirt and pants and I'll go and get a bowl and some water. I need to make up a saline type solution for her as well to try and get some fluids back into her system safely. Well get to it then, don't just stand there starin' at her!" Hershel added as Daryl made no move to start removing Carol's sweat stained clothing. Daryl unclenched his suddenly nervous fingers and bent over body.
"Tryin' to get into my pants, Dixon?" came the weak response from below, making him freeze his movements, and left him struggling for an explanation.
"Thought you were out of it….He..Hershel says we need to get you cooled down. Do you want me to get someone else…?" Daryl went to straighten up, prepared to call the other man back into the small cell.
"No….it's not a pretty sight and I'm too tired for explanations…So hot still…" Carol raised a fluttering hand to prevent him moving away completely and struggled to assist with undoing her shirt buttons. Daryl bent back down and gently moved her fingers out of the way, he swiftly undid the rest of the buttons and gently lifted her up to remove her arms from the short sleeves.
"Pants too. Then we'll give you a nice cool bath…" Hershel entered the cell at that moment and sat on the cot opposite with the bowl and cloths in hand.
"I'LL give her a nice cool bath, you just keep your hands to yourself." Daryl muttered to the other man and finished removing Carol's pants and hiking boots; all the while trying to keep his mind focused on the task ahead rather than the fact that she was sprawled out across the cot in nothing but a few brief scraps of cotton and lace. He reached over for the cloths and placed them on Carol's forehead and upper chest before taking another one and wiping her face gently. He dipped the cloth into the cool water, wrung it out and gently smoothed it down her arms before repeating the process again with her legs and face again. "I think that it's working, she doesn't seem as flushed now, and I think she's drifted off to sleep." Daryl continued to change the cloths placed over Carol's body and checked her forehead with the back of his hand.
"Keep that up for a while longer, we'll let her sleep for a little while but we will need to wake her in a bit to get some fluid into her system. I've made up a simple solution that's water with a little salt and sugar added. We'll need to wake her every half an hour throughout the night to make sure that she's only given short sips – too much and she'll just reject it. I'll go over and have a word with Maggie and Beth and we can take turns during the night." As Daryl started to object, Hershel placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder to stop him. "Don't argue with me son, you've only just returned from a long run yourself and I know you haven't eaten since you've been back. If you want to take care of Carol; then you need to take care of yourself first. I'll be back shortly." Hershel left the cell and made his way over to the main block to arrange shifts for the rest of the night.
Daryl continued to wipe down Carol's body, towelling her off every now and then to make sure that she didn't catch a chill. When he was satisfied that she was resting comfortably, he pulled a light cotton sheet up to cover the worst of the scars across the top of her thighs and abdomen leaving her upper chest exposed to the cooler air. He gently placed her arms above the sheet and sat there in silence, just holding one hand in both of his own staring into her now relaxed features. Now that the initial panic and fear had receded his adrenaline high had left his body, leaving him feeling completely wrung out. It had seemed like hours since they came over to medical but from looking at the shadows stretching out across the floor, he reckoned it had been no more than an hour or two at the most. He let himself slide to the floor alongside the edge of the cot and rested his head against the back wall. His blinked hard to prevent himself from closing his eyes but exhaustion pulled him under and he fell asleep still clasping Carol's hand lightly in his own.