Chapter Twenty-Two
Little Things
"Will he ever wake up?"
Anna looked towards Maggie, who was staring at Glenn as he laid on the bed, and had his hand in her own. Anna felt her own heart break as she saw the sadness etched across Maggie's face. She had never been in a situation where she had a friend or family member be in such a dangerous situation where life was hanging in the balance. She had always vowed to herself to never get too close to someone. Her childhood had not been pleasant, and love wasn't something that she had ever experienced before, so having people she cared about were few and far between. There was only Abraham, when she thought about it, who she cared about and she knew he cared about her. She didn't allow people to get close to her, and she with them. It was a foreign concept to her, almost unnatural. It was nice, and quite refreshing, to see other people interact with others, and see what kind of relationship people had with each other. The world as it was now was a dangerous place but some people had found comfort and love. In the most darkest of times, Anna thought, people found light.
"It's possible," Anna replied. "And I know that you want me to say yes, and tell you that he's definitely going to survive, but I can't promise you that. Which is horrible because I can see how much you care about him."
"I was horrible to him," Maggie began. "In the beginning when we met. Him and the group, they came to stay at the farm where I grew up. He liked me instantly which was weird. I just thought he was wanting some comfort but he was persistent with his affection and I didn't know what to do. He never got bored. He wanted to get to know me, for me. He wanted to talk about different things. He was nice."
"You love him."
It was more of a statement than a question, and Maggie nodded.
"I do," Maggie said, smiling softly. "I've never loved anyone in my life but Glenn... he's special. He cares about everyone, and he never gives up. If it seems impossible, he'll find a way to make it possible. He doesn't deserve this. He deserves to live. He would want to live, and someone's actions have made that impossible."
Anna watched as Maggie began to cry, tears filling her eyes and sliding down her cheeks. Anna reached over towards Maggie and gently squeezed her hand. It pained her to see Maggie so upset, and despite only knowing her for a short time, she could see that Maggie was a good person. She truly cared about Glenn, and she loved him. Glenn's chances weren't good, and without a hospital, those chances were slashed even more. There was a limited opportunity, and even then, it may not even work.
"I need something to distract me," Maggie said. "When did you last eat?"
Anna thought for a moment to her last meal, which was a granola bar a few days ago. "A few days ago, I think."
"You think?" Maggie asked. "I'll go see if we have anything."
"You don't have to," Anna replied.
"You haven't eaten," Maggie said, standing from her chair. She leaned over and placed a small kiss on Glenn's cheek. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
Anna watched Maggie leave and she listened out as Maggie's footsteps moved away from the infirmary. Anna turned her attention to the unconscious man. Glenn had so much to live for: he had a girl that loved and adored him; and he had friends who had his back and would die for him. The people who had done this to him had caused so much heartache amongst the group that every single one of them felt lost as to what they could do to help. For Anna, she wasn't part of the group. She was a stranger, an outcast. She didn't belong within the group, and she had to act cautiously. Coming across The Governor the way she did had unsettled her to no end, and the fact that he had been violent towards her so early on with Merle, it had confirmed her fears that people were too far gone. She understood that The Governor was possibly only protecting himself and his group, but there was no threat; she hadn't pointed her weapon at him, she hadn't made any threats towards him, and yet he still felt the need to attack her in the way they did. There must've been a reason why, or maybe it was just a mistake. Whatever it was, didn't bode well with her. She was cautious of the group. Rick and the others could potentially be trying to keep up appearances, when they had hidden agendas underneath all the natural hostility. Did they have a hidden agenda? Was she just on edge and believing that everyone she would meet now was the same as The Governor?
A dull ache spread across her head and she winced in pain. She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing through the ache and hoping that it would disappear just as quickly as it appeared. She had been experiencing it for a short time, just over the last few hours, and she knew that it was from another injury that she had picked up from her meeting with The Governor. She reached her hand up to the back of her head and pressed a finger against her scalp. She winced. Lilly, who she had met at Woodbury, had sorted the wound out but that had been a few hours since she had it taken care of. Anna pulled the plaster off and felt the cool air circulate around the wound. She moved towards her backpack, and pulled out the first aid kit she had taken from the CDC months before.
"How did you get that?"
A voice behind her caused her to spin around and her eyes focussed on the man standing in the door frame. Rick watched her as she looked at him for a moment, almost analysing him, before she resumed what she was doing. She opened the kit and brought out the alcohol gel she had found weeks after leaving the CDC, and squeezed a reasonable amount onto a cotton pad.
"Maggie's not here," Anna said.
"I know," Rick said. "I saw her in the corridor. She told me she was getting you some food. Answer me. How did you get that?"
"Is it bad?" Anna asked, applying the soaked pad onto the back of her head. She bit her lip as the alcohol made contact with the wound.
"Quite," Rick said. "How did you get it?"
"Oh, you know... a bar fight," Anna said, a smirk on her face.
"No, really. How did you get it?" Rick asked.
Anna kept the pad to her head as she glanced over at Rick. He had his hands placed on his hips, and his brow was furrowed.
"Wrong place, wrong time, I guess," Anna replied.
"Where were you before this?"
"On my own," Anna said. "Have been for months since the CDC."
"Who did this to you?" Rick asked.
Anna glanced towards the doorway, to ensure that no one was going to come in. She placed the pad down on the counter. "I came across some people. Merle was one of them. He did this to me. According to them, they had been trailing me for the past mile or so. There was a guy there who called himself The Governor."
Rick raised an eyebrow. "The Governor?"
"Yeah," Anna said. "After they did this, they took me to a place called Woodbury. Let's just say, that place isn't for the faint hearted. He allowed me to leave, and as he was getting me a vehicle, I met this woman. Michonne. She asked me if I could smell something and I could... it was everywhere. I can still smell it on me. You can never really get over the smell of burning flesh."
Anna couldn't understand why she was telling Rick everything that happened. Usually with strangers, she was quite cautious with giving out information, knowing that they would possibly use it against her at some point. She watched as Rick tried to digest the information that she had just given him, and wondered whether continuing was the right thing to do.
"They burned people?" Rick asked.
"Possibly," Anna said. "I didn't stay long enough to find out."
"How did you get in the woods with Merle? Sophia said that Merle was there," Rick asked, stepping forward into the room. His gaze flicked towards Glenn, unmoving in the bed, and looked back at her. Anna saw the pain in his eyes, knowing that his friend's life was hanging by a thread.
"He let me leave, which caused alarm bells to ring in my head. The way he was with me... unnerved me. He had attacked me for no reason, took me to Woodbury and then just let me leave. It still doesn't make sense to me," Anna said. "I left as fast as I could, but the vehicle he had given me had broken down about a few miles out. The weapons he had taken from me had been emptied. He'd ordered Merle to follow me and kill me."
"Are you sure?" Rick asked.
Anna nodded. "Merle told me."
Rick shook his head, finding it difficult to comprehend the new information. "Do you think he would've?"
"I don't know," Anna answered. "We heard a scream in the distance, and we both ran towards it. And here we are."
"We have to tell Daryl about this," Rick said. "He should know."
Anna nodded. "Is he going to believe me?"
"Maybe," Rick replied. "Maybe not."
"Do you believe me?" Anna asked, her eyes narrowing towards the man.
Rick gave a small but curt nod. "I do. I don't know why, and I don't know if I should... but I do."
"There's one thing that I should tell you," Anna said.
"What?"
"When I was in the room... where I was being treated for this," Anna said, pointing to the wound on her head. "I heard Merle and The Governor say something. And I think you should know."
Rick furrowed his brow and narrowed his eyes at Anna. He motioned for her to continue.
"They mentioned something about a prison. Is this the only prison around here?"
"There's another one across state," Rick replied.
"They were talking about tombs," Anna said. "And biters, and a prison. I couldn't pick anything else up, but I'm guessing the prison they were talking about was this one."
"How far is Woodbury from here?"
"It's not far from here," Anna replied, turning back towards the first aid kit. She pulled a plaster out of the box.
Rick became silent and thought for a moment. A potential threat wasn't what the group needed. They had lost everything at the farm, and they had found the prison when they had all given up hope of ever finding safety again. The world had changed quicker than anyone could have anticipated, and the prison had given them a place they could call home. When they'd lost everything, they'd realised just how important it was to have a base, and a place where they could be safe. As soon as they had moved in with the little belongings they had with them, they soon found comfort in knowing that they were safe. The fences acted as a barrier that protected them from the dead, and even though they still had people be on watch during the night just to be safe than sorry, they were able to sleep at night. The prison had become a home to them, and the thought of them all leaving the prison behind or having someone want the prison for themselves was terrifying.
A noise behind them brought Anna and Rick back to reality, and they both turned almost in sync towards the sound.
Glenn's breathing had become increasingly and dangerously laboured. His skin had paled, and a bead of sweat had formed across his forehead. His limbs began to flail, acting on impulse. As Rick moved towards him, Anna moved towards the vials of blood and looked for a needle in the drawers. She pulled out the drawers and scanned through the utensils littered in the drawers. She found a collection of syringes and hypodermic needles in the same drawer, and she scanned for one long enough for her to inject the blood into him. She needed one that would allow the blood to get straight into his system, and the only way she could think of was to inject it straight into his heart. She grabbed a handful and moved towards Rick.
As Rick held Glenn down, she readied the needle and blood. She glanced at Rick who glanced back at her with fearful eyes. Glenn's movements had ceased, and his breathing was shallow. Rick gave her a small nod, knowing that it was time. She took a deep breath.
"I'm putting it into his heart," Anna said. "It's the only way to guarantee that it could work better than in his veins."
"Do what you have to do," Rick said.
She lifted her arm up and, with strength and force on her side, she forced the needle through Glenn's chest, just next to the bandage that Hershel had applied to his chest, which caused his body to react in shock. His body rose from the trolley, and he gasped for breath as Anna injected the blood into his heart. As soon as the blood disappeared from the vial, she pulled it out with force and Glenn's body crashed back down. Anna and Rick watched Glenn as his body convulsed for a moment, as the blood began to pulse throughout his body. The convulsing came to an end, and Glenn stilled.
"What do we do now?" Rick asked.
"I don't know," Anna said, and Rick nodded, his eyes moving back towards Glenn. He looked as though he was in a deep sleep, with his breathing, despite what had just occurred, slow and laboured. He was breathing, that was the first step to his recovery, and when Rick was sure that Glenn's breathing would slow down until it stopped completely, Glenn proved him wrong and continued to fill his lungs with air.
The twosome didn't seem to have to wait too long for a sign from the unconscious man. Glenn brought his hand up to his face and rested it upon his cheek for a moment. Rick and Anna glanced at each other, both waiting with bated breath. Rick felt his heart quicken as he saw the man who had quickly become his friend begin to move his face.
The door behind them opened, and Anna turned to see Maggie standing in the doorway with a bowl of oatmeal. Her eyes were instantly on Glenn. Tears formed in her eyes as she saw him move. Her heart jumped into her throat as she watched him rub his face almost sleepily, and she placed the oatmeal upon the counter that surrounded the entire room, and moved towards him. She brought her hand up to his face and stroked his cheek gently, and as she stared at the man she had mentally said goodbye to, her broken heart began to fix itself when he opened his eyes slowly to meet her gaze.
