Over the next few days life assumed a new routine. I helped Lori, Carol and Beth clean the areas of the prison we were using, do the laundry and cook the meals. The men and Maggie continued to clear out more sections of the prison. My face started to heal, leaving me looking like a color wheel in a decorators office, and there was less and less pain as I moved around. Only my ribs continued to hurt with out any relief. Everyone was friendly and open. Everyone except Daryl. He never said a word to me unless he had to, and even then it tended to be one sentence made up of five words or less. I'd often catch him looking at me with a thoughtful expression on his face, but he'd look away quickly if he realized I'd noticed. Of course he didn't say much to anyone, even Carol, who he seemed to be closest to. I tried not to take it personally.

I saw the prisoners from time to time, but like Lori said they stayed to their section of the yard. They didn't approach us at all. I learned that this group was actually two groups that had meet about 8 months back, after Carl had been accidently shot by a man called Otis. Otis brought Carl and the rest of the group to the farm for Hershel to treat him. Once I learned Hershel was a veterinarian I showed him the medical supplies I had in the SUV.

He was thrilled as he looked through the boxes. "Why you have just about everything in here. Antibiotics, IVs, painkillers, surgical supplies, bandage materials. Geez you even have a portable anesthesia machine. Where did you get all this?" He asked me with wonder.

"I pilfered the hospital I used to work at. The ER keeps just about everything on hand, you just have to know where to look. Why don't we split this up, keep half in the car, half in the prison. That way we'll have easy access to it if we need it, but we won't lose everything if we have to leave quickly."

"What did you do at the hospital? Were you a doctor?" Hershel asked.

I laughed, "No, I didn't have a big enough ego to be a doc. I was a NP. I worked in the ER. Guess I liked the variety of things I got to do there." I replied.

"Well I'm glad to have someone else here with some training. I've been worried about what'll happen when Lori has her baby. I've been teaching Carol some things and she's great under pressure, but there's only so much I can teach her. Besides, human anatomy is a little different than my typical patients."

"Are you expecting any problems with delivery?" I asked concerned. Lori had really gone out of her way to try to make me comfortable here. I didn't like thinking that something might go wrong with her delivery.

Hershel sighed, leaning against the tailgate of the SUV. "Carl had to be delivered by c-section."

"That puts her in greater risk of needed a repeat section, or of uterine rupture and hemorrhage. Do you have an idea of when her actual due date is?" If we knew her due date we could possibly do a c-section shortly before she was due. She'd be at higher risk of infection, and her recovery would take longer, but it just may be worth the risk.

"No, she's not sure exactly when she got pregnant and it's not like we've been able to keep a calender going. I'm not even sure of what today's date is." Hershel said sadly.

Smiling I moved to the front of the car. I reached into the bag that was on the passenger floor. Holding my hand behind my back I approached Hershel.

"What you got there?" Hershel asked. His curiosity reminded me of a little kid getting a surprise.

"Ta da!" I cried out as I brought my hand around to the front.

Hershel looked at me stupidly for a moment before a smile lit up his face. "Does it work? I mean how?"

I pressed the button and the ipod came to life. "Today's date is May 4th and it is 9:53 in the morning. I have a car charger for it. I can't tell you how grateful I was for this thing on the road. Just to hear another voice, to hear music. Sometimes I think it was this little thing that kept me sane. Oh! Oh! and if you like that, you'll love this!" I reached behind a box and pulled out a portable MP3 player. "This thing has rechargeable batteries, and I was able to keep it charged off the Range Rover. We can play music."

Hershel's laugh boomed out of him. "Well play it then, lets hear something."

Quickly I placed the ipod in the dock and chose a song. The sweet sound of Etta James drifted out of the speakers.

Just then Daryl arrived back at the prison. He made his way as quickly as he could around the walkers surrounding the fences. He wasn't as agile as he typically was. He was towing a deer.

Hershel clapped a hand onto my shoulder. "I think tonight between your music and that deer, we're gonna have to have a party." His smile stretched from ear to ear.

A party it was. Everyone was in a great mood. For the first time in a long time, everyone ate as much as they could. Stuffed as they were, it didn't stop people from dancing.

"What else you got on there?" Carl asked, his whole body bouncing from excitement. "Do you have any Keesha?"

"Maybe," I replied coyly. "I suppose you'll just have to look and see." Carl all but dived at the player.

"Oh my God! You have everything. Do you think I can play one?" Carl asked, his eyes hopeful.

"Well I don't see why not. But maybe just one Keesha song though. It might not be to everyone's liking." I couldn't help but smile broadly at his enthusiasm.

As Keesha boomed out of the speakers I was surprised at the group's reaction. No one stopped dancing and even Hershel tapped his foot along to the rhythm. The only one that was quiet was Daryl.

I don't know why but I decided to move over next to him. Maybe it was because he looked so uncomfortable. "Song not to your liking?" I asked as I lowered myself into the seat next to him.

"Never heard it before. Can't say there was much call for this type of music where I come from." Daryl said.

I looked at him with surprise. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing, its just the most you've ever said to me. Wasn't expecting that." Daryl just looked at me wryly. "So where you from Daryl?"

"Northwest Georgia, right on the Tenessee border. Lived a few miles outside of a tiny town called Miles Peak. Sounds a whole lot nicer than it was. What about you? You ain't some Georgia girl."

I laughed, "You're right about that. I'm from Boston. Worked at Mass General. Lived in the area all my life. My whole family was there."

Daryl looked at me sympathetically. "Heard Boston was a nightmare. Wasn't it one of the first places hit?"

"Yeah, the first few cases we saw, we had no idea what was going on. I saw four cases that first night. By the time I woke up the next morning the whole state was in utter chaos. Guess I'm lucky though, if I had been working the next shift, well I don't think I'd be here today. For that matter if my husband and I hadn't just decided to move out of the city.. We closed on a house in the suburbs a week before. Guess some things just add up to timing. Anyways, when everything went to hell we went up to my family's place in Maine. It was way out in the middle of nowhere. Stayed there for a few months, but when the weather started to get cooler we decided that we should head south. Winters in New England aren't exactly friendly. We headed back down to the city. Looked for our family on the way, but didn't find anyone. Anyways we came down south, wintered over in South Carolina."

"You were married?" Daryl asked hesitantly.

"Six years. He was my college sweethart. He asked me to marry him the day I graduated from graduate school." I smiled at the memory. Jack had looked so nervous as he got down on his knee. The memory stung though, knowing I'd never see Jack's face again. I decided to move the conversation back. "Did you ever go to Boston?"

Daryl looked at me as though I'd suddenly grown a horn out of the top of my head. After a moment he answered my question. "Never been anywhere. Before this don't think I'd ever gone more than thirty miles from where I was born."

As we sat there quietly for a moment the music changed to Johnny Cash. "Quite a collection you have there. Is there anything you don't have?" Daryl asked.

"Oh not much, I always loved music. Just about any type of music. My favorite has to be classic rock though."

"How come?"

"I think its because music really meant something then, really represented a whole generation and their beliefs. Besides, my dad was a huge music buff. Always had the Beatles or the Stones playing. Must have just made an impression. Do you have any favorites?"

Daryl and I sat there talking about music. I was surprised at how easy he truly was to talk to. The conversation flowed so naturally I didn't even notice as people began drifting away one by on. Maggie's voice broke into our conversation.

"Goodnight guys, Daryl, you'll bank the fire when you two head in?" I looked around surprised to see everyone else had headed to bed.

"I should probably head in too." I said, somewhat reluctantly. I didn't want the night to end but knew the next day would be full of hard work. "Goodnight Daryl," I said quietly.

"Goodnight" he replied.

I picked up the speakers and shut off the music. Glancing over one last time I called Gertie and headed inside.