Okay y'all, I know it's late, but I made several of you a promise that this would be out tonight and I'm close enough! LOL! It's not what I wanted it to be, but I think the episode from tonight has thrown me off a bit. I hope it's not bad though and I've went over it several times for errors and such. You can only tweak these things so much though. I can't promise a chapter tomorrow, but I'll see what I can do! I'm just so doggone happy that everyone is so into this! That truly makes my heart happy! So I hope this chapter didn't seem too far off!

Merle ran through the cell block calling out for help. Carol was still in the kitchen and she set down a box she had been carrying to run outside for the others. Luckily Hershel was already on his way inside and at her distressed call he ambled faster into the cell block. Merle took her into her cell and laid her down on the bed gently. His shirt that he had wrapped around her was already soaked through with her blood and he grimaced. Sighing he stood and went to the doorway of the cell to see what was taking so long. Hershel met him in the doorway and Merle quickly moved so that the old man could get by.

"What's happened?" Hershel asked as he went to her bedside. His eyes skirted across Merle's naked chest, but he didn't comment on it.

"Fuckin' breach is what happened! Damn Gov'nor sent two o' his men," Merle said. He ran his hand over his head and didn't add that he had been the one to shoot her. He hadn't meant to shoot her and he wished like hell he could take it back, but it was already done. His finger had already been on the trigger when she had moved and if she had just stayed still then he wouldn't have shot her. He kept replaying the scene over and over in his mind, but it was still the same ending every time.

Maggie bounded into the room along with Carol, breathless and frantic, "What happened?" She asked.

Before Merle could speak, Hershel looked at Maggie, "I need my bag Maggie," He told her and her eyes zoned in on Beth before she nodded, running off to retrieve it. Hershel looked at Carol next, "Carol would you mind getting me some clean towels and some hot water please," He said.

After the two women had exited the cell to handle their given tasks, Daryl and Rick entered. Daryl's eyes skirted over Merle and then to Beth who lay pale and still on the bed. Daryl came to a stop next to Merle, but Rick went and stood by Hershel.

"What happened?" Daryl asked softly.

Merle let out a deep breath, "We need ta talk. All o' us, but not yet. First I gotta make sure she's gon' be okay," He said.

Maggie entered the cell again and handed Hershel the bag. She reached around him and adjusted the light so that he could see better. Merle couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"What do you need?" Maggie asked Hershel.

"I need my sewing kit, tweezers, hot water, and something to give her for pain. She's got a bullet in here that I'm going to have to dig out," Hershel said. He turned to Merle and the others, "I'm going to need you all to clear out. We need the room. I'll come and get you when I'm done," He told Merle.

Merle clenched his jaw, but nodded once. He left the cell and made a quick detour up the stairs to his own cell where he retrieved another shirt to put on. Rick and Daryl met him at the top of the stairs before he could make his way back down.

"What happened back there?" Rick demanded quietly.

"Fuckin' Gov'nor. Two men breached tha prison. Both o' them had guns an' they tried ta take 'er. I took one out, but tha other one had a gun pointed at 'er. Walkers grabbed hold o' him an' she ducked as I took tha shot. It's my fuckin' bullet they diggin' out o' her," He spat.

Daryl chewed on his thumb, "There was jus' tha two of 'em?" He asked.

Merle nodded. "Did they say they were with the Governor?" Rick asked.

"No, not directly, but they pretty much confirmed it with their actions when I asked. Don't know nobody else who'd wanna get inside o' here that damn bad. He musta found himself some more people cause I don't recognize them from Woodbury when I was there," He confirmed.

"We need ta get a group back there ta check for tha breach," Daryl said quietly. "There might be walkers comin' in as we speak." He hoisted his crossbow higher on his shoulder.

"Yeah. I guess it's safe to assume that the Governor isn't going to attack until he knows his men aren't coming back," Rick said.

Merle huffed, "Ya don't assume nothin' where this bastard is concerned, ya got it? He's not goin' ta do what you expect him to."

Daryl nudged Rick, "I'm goin' ta get Michonne ta go with us. Glenn's on watch."

Rick nodded and Daryl headed down the stairs. Rick ran a hand through his hair and then looked at Merle, "You'll handle things in here?" He asked.

Merle stared at him for several moments. He couldn't believe Rick was asking him if he would handle things. He didn't respond though and he just nodded in confirmation instead. Rick headed down the steps then and Merle was left in the cell block with the others. He headed down to the last step on the stairs and sat. From there he had a partial view of Beth's cell block and he focused on the movement inside of the cell.

He was off the steps in an instant when he heard her scream. He headed into the cell and pushed past Carol who was standing near Maggie and Hershel. Hershel was digging into the wound in her stomach and Maggie was attempting to hold down Beth's legs while Carol held her arms. Beth was staring wildly around and tears were streaming down her face.

"Hold her down girls!" Hershel's voice rang out.

Merle nudged Carol to the side, "Lemme see 'er," He said firmly.

Carol gave him a look, but moved out of the way and Merle removed his blade before laying his stump across one of her arms. He grabbed her other hand in his and marveled briefly at how soft and small it felt in his much larger hand.

"Shhh...easy now," He whispered near her ear. She began to quiet down some and then her eyes rolled up into her head and she passed out.

Merle let out a breath and wiped at his sweat soaked forehead. He watched as Hershel finally located the bullet and pulled it out with a pair of tweezers. Hershel examined it and declared that it was still intact so at least they didn't have to go digging for fragments inside of her stomach. Merle stood up and went to lean in the doorway of the cell while they finished working on Beth. It seemed to take forever, but finally Hershel was done and the women left the cell to put everything back in its place. Merle stepped back inside as Hershel covered Beth with a sheet and waited.

"The next twenty four hours will be critical. We need to keep watch for a fever and any signs of infection. I assume you are going to sit with her for a while?" Hershel asked him.

Merle looked over at her pale form lying in the bed, "I ain't leavin'."

Hershel stared at him for a moment and then nodded, "Fine. Make sure you come get me if there's any change, no matter what time it is," He said.

"Yep," Merle replied.

Hershel's eyes strayed back to Beth once more and he leaned down to kiss her forehead before walking out of the room leaving Merle alone with Beth and his thoughts. He pulled the curtain all of the way closed and moved to sit on the floor next to the bed where he could reach her if need be.

He stared at her, his eyes coasting over her on the bed. He felt gutted and defeated. He was torn between wanting to get as far away from her as possible and never wanting to leave. She wouldn't be in this predicament if it weren't for him. He wouldn't leave this time though. He would stay and he would damn sure be there when she woke up. Carrying her down that hallway, her body leaving a trail of blood behind them, had sparked something deep inside of Merle that he had felt so few times in his life that he wasn't sure he even knew what it was at first.

He knew now though. That feeling in his gut that made him want to curl into himself and lash out at everything: it was fear.

Beth moaned and thrashed in the bed. Her stomach felt like it was on fire, but she couldn't understand why. Every part of her body was burning up and she felt trapped underneath all of her clothes and the blanket that covered her. A rough hand touched her forehead and she sighed into its coolness. Then just as quickly as it touched her it was gone and she cried out again.

"Yer alright darlin'. We gon' give ya some medicine ta make ya feel better," She heard Merle's voice whisper into her ear.

"Merle!" She cried out into the darkness.

Where was he? She felt lost as if she was in a tunnel somewhere and trying to crawl her way out.

Then another voice, "Hold her down for me Merle. I'm going to inject her," Hershel said.

She tried to reach out for her daddy, but found that she could no longer move her arms. She felt a pinch on one of her arms and she winced. The weight left her arms and she felt a little dizzy. She wanted to stay alert, but the darkness was calling her name, pulling her under and she succumbed to it.

Voices.

"How is she?" Rick asked.

"Hershel says her fever's breakin'. Luckily tha bullet didn't hit no major organs. She ain't out o' tha woods yet though. Says 'er wound has a lil' infection in it, but he gave 'er some antibiotics ta hopefully clear it up. All we can do is wait," Merle responded.

"You need anything?" Rick asked. "You haven't left her side more than a few minutes since you brought her in here two days ago."

"I'm alright. I told ya I ain't leavin' 'er til' she wakes up. They get tha breach fixed?" Merle asked.

Rick sighed, "We think we've got it all. Daryl is down there with Morgan now seeing how it held up overnight."

There were shuffling noises and then Beth felt herself being pulled under again.

"Come on darlin'. 'Nough o' this nonsense. Ya need ta fight this. Ya gotta come on back so ya can kick my ass fer shootin' ya," Merle's voice drawled near her ear. "We still got some trainin' left ta do. Don't think I'm gon' let'cha ass off easy. It's time ta quit playin' possum an' come on back ta us."

She wanted to speak, but she couldn't seem to make her lips move. She was trying to yell at him that she was there and she was listening, but nothing came out except a whimper and she wasn't even sure if he heard it. A few minutes later she felt his lips briefly skirt hers before they were gone. She willed her body to wake up, but it was like she had lost all control of herself. Frustration gnawed at her as she slipped under yet again.

Beth blinked her eyes open several times and stared up at the bottom bunk before turning her head to look around her cell. She was surprised to see Merle sitting on the floor next to the bunk, his head facedown on the edge of the bed as he slept. She shifted and hissed softly at the slight pain she felt in her stomach. She studied him in his relaxed state. She couldn't see his face, but she could tell that he must be extremely tired from the way he was breathing so deeply. She wondered how long she had been out. She remembered getting shot and Merle wrapping her with his shirt, but that's where things got fuzzy.

She lifted her hand and lightly ran her fingers over the small amount of hair on his head. His breathing changed slightly and he shifted before picking his head up and staring straight into her eyes. She could clearly see the lines in marring his face now and she wished she hadn't touched him and woken him up. He clearly needed the sleep. The lantern beside the bed was on and it cast a soft glow over the cell.

"You shot me," She said with a teasing smile.

He smirked slightly, "Minor details. How ya feelin'? I need ta get yer pa?" He asked.

She shook her head. She didn't feel too bad and she was scared she might have to take more medicine that would make her sleep again. She didn't want to go back to sleep yet. She wanted to be here with Merle. "I feel alright," She said.

"Best get ya some rest while ya still can. It's tha middle o' tha night," He said.

"Sleep with me?" She whispered.

He clenched his jaw and she raised her hand to rest it there. "Ain't 'nough room. Don't wanna irritate tha wound," He replied.

She frowned, "Please? I would sleep better if you're up here. The floor can't be very comfortable," She said.

He was quiet for several minutes and she held her breath as she waited on his response. Finally he stood and removed his prosthetic and boots. She bit her lip and held in a moan as she slid herself over. She knew that if he thought she was in pain he wouldn't sleep with her and she wasn't really in pain, it was more of an ache than anything else.

He slid in next to her and she burrowed her head into his chest. He smelled like Merle and she took a moment to breathe him in. He stiffened, "None o' that now," He chided softly.

She smiled against his chest, "Sorry," She whispered.

He grunted and they lay there in silence, the only sound being the beating of their hearts that seemed amplified inside of the tiny cell. She felt relaxed for the first time in a while it seemed. She tilted her head back only to find his eyes still open, the blue orbs staring straight into her soul.

"Merle?" She whispered.

"Hm?"

She pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, "Thanks for staying."

Where is everyone? Review? :-)