***Due to a mistake, this chapter was erased. I am doing my best to fix it, but please be patient. To hold my place, I am posting the last few moments of the last chapter. I'm SOOOO sorry!
"What the hell?" Paul knotted his eyebrows in confusion as Ruby and Rick turned around in their seats to see what the problem was. Glenn had been driving behind them with Maggie, Hershel, and Lori, and the young man had stopped, hopped out, and was jogging after their still crawling cars. "Damn..." Paul cursed and brought the large truck to a halt, waking Beth and Carl instantly.
"Dad?" Carl said sleepily, but was immediately alert when he saw Rick exit the truck in a flash and run back to the stopped vehicle behind them.
Daryl had pulled the bike over and gripped his crossbow tightly in his hand as he came back to the truck that Ruby was still in, trying her best to keep Carl calm. From the muffled voices and concerned look on Hershel's face, this wasn't going to be any good.
"Wonder what's wrong." Ruby said softly to him, leaving Carl in Beth's grasp and hopping down out of the truck.
"Nothin that wasn't gonna happen sooner or later." Daryl said grimly and she frowned at him.
"Well, that's dire." She said, fully intending to school him that women had been having babies for millions of years. Lori was fully capable of pulling it off now, but his harsh gaze cut her off, and made her breath catch in her throat. He looked from her to Paul, who had come up behind her suddenly, and when he turned on his heel and went to keep watch nearby she let out a deep breath.
"What was that about?" Paul had a wary eye on Daryl's back as he spoke, his side almost pressed to her shoulder protectively.
"He's worried, same as us." Ruby crossed her arms over her chest and watched as Carl wriggled free of Beth and ran back to where Hershel was hunched by the open car door, Rick in front of him and shielded from sight. "What's going on?"
"She's bleeding, from what I heard." Paul said softly and Ruby felt a sense of dread creep through her stomach.
"We have to get her somewhere stable so I can do a proper examination, Rick." Hershel was saying as he and Rick stepped back and away from the car, and into Ruby and Paul's earshot. Tentatively, the four of them met in the middle.
"We'll try and take one of these houses." Rick was tense, determined, and Ruby hadn't seen that look on his face since the day she'd met him. It actually frightened her and little, and she took a step nearer Paul, who threw a heavy arm over her shoulder.
"Well, let's do it fast." Daryl came up behind them and Ruby jumped a little. "We're gonna need every bit of this daylight."