Chapter Thirty-Four

Summer's POV

The next morning everyone was convening in the center of the cellblock to determine what we should do. I was feeling like staying here would be our best option for safety. If we ran we would be too exposed and way too easy of targets.

"We're not leaving," Rick said matter-of-factly.

"We can't stay here," Hershel pleaded with him.

"What if there's another sniper? A wood pallet won't stop one of those bullets," Maggie said.

"We can't even go outside," Beth stated.

"If Rick says we're not running, we're not running," Glenn said shutting everyone down.

I was standing near the railing on the top floor a few feet away from Daryl trying to ignore the fact that he was constantly looking over at me and saw Merle walk up to the closed of cellblock door.

"No," he said, "better to live like rats."

"You got a better idea?" I spat bitterly at him.

"Yeah, I do sugar tits," he said smugly, "we shoulda slid outta here last night. Live to fight another day. But we lost that window didn't we. I'm sure he's got scouts on every road outta this place by now."

"Yeah, we ain't scared of that prick," Daryl said clearly trying to stand up to him for me.

It pissed me off.

"Ya'll should be," Merle said, "that truck through the fence thing? That's just him ringing the doorbell. We might have some thick walls to hide behind but he's got the guns and the numbers…and if he takes the high ground around this place, shoot, he could just starve us out if he wanted to."

"Let's put him in the other cellblock," I said absentmindedly.

"No," Daryl said turning to me, "he's got a point."

"This is all your fault, you started this!" I shouted at Merle completely ignoring Daryl.

"What's the difference who's fault it is!?" Beth said trying to keep the Dixon family feud from exploding, "What do we do?"

"I said we should leave," Hershel stated again, "now Axle's dead. We can't just sit here."

Rick started to walk toward the cellblock door and Hershel yelled at him to come back. We were all shocked at Hershel's outburst and even more shocked to see that Rick stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"You're slipping, Rick," Hershel said, "we've all seen it. We understand why but now is not the time. You once said this isn't a democracy, now you have to own up to that. I put my family's life in your hands. Daryl put his family's life in your hands. So get your head clear and do something."

With that Rick walked out of the cellblock and left the rest of us alone. Daryl came walking over to me and I brushed him off. I knew I might have been being a little bit unreasonable but I was still unbelievably mad at him. I went back into my cell to pick up Harry and feed and change him. I could feel Daryl looking at me from the entrance to the cell and chose to ignore him. A few minutes later I heard him walk away and I sat down to read Harry a story before lying him down for his nap. I started to tell him stories about all the things Daryl and I had done when we were younger and I found myself explaining to him that if I hadn't been in a car accident that he would have a big sister. I almost started crying and caught myself. I then started to remember how broken we all were, Merle included, when I lost the baby and I instantly regretted keeping Harry from meeting Merle and for being pissed off at him in general. Daryl made the decision to leave with him, not Merle. And I know that Merle only said what he said to me to stir the pot. To keep me mad at him so I wouldn't be mad at Daryl. I then started thinking about the one doctor's appointment I had just before all of this happened. Daryl couldn't make it and since the accident that caused me to lose our first child he forced Merle to take me to the doctor. He was so excited and emotional when he saw his nephew on the ultra sound monitor. I even remembered the nurse printing out an extra picture for Merle. I had decided that maybe it was time for them to meet.

I peeked out of the cell to make sure Daryl wasn't around and made my way over to the small cell on the opposite side of the common room. Merle was sitting on his bunk fussing with the contraption he made to cover his stump. He looked up when he heard me approaching. He looked amused and also very confused as to why I was standing in the doorway of his cell with my son when I had so blatantly made it clear that I wanted him nowhere near the baby.

"I'm waving the white flag," I said.

"Oh are you now?" he said and smirked.

"I know you only told me what you told me to keep me from being mad at Daryl for leaving," I said, "I'm calling a truce. I figured it was time for Harry to meet his uncle Merle."

"I might have said that stuff to be mean," Merle said looking away from me and at Harry.

"That's what I'll tell people," I said with a laugh, "do you want to hold him?"

"Can I?" Merle asked smiling.

I nodded and handed Harry over to Merle. Merle sat him on his lap and stared bouncing his knee, which caused Harry to start laughing uncontrollably. I just stood there and smiled at the scene in front of me. Merle was talking to him in baby talk and Harry was completely mesmerized by him. I let Merle play with him for a few more minutes before letting him know it was Harry's naptime. Merle kissed him on the forehead and handed him back to me. I turned to walk away when Merle called my name.

"Yeah," I said turning to face him.

"Thanks," he said and I nodded.

As I went to head back to my cell I could see Daryl standing at the railing at the edge of the catwalk staring at the scene below him. He was smiling even though it was a sad sort of smile. I looked up and him and smiled and nodded as I walked over to the stairs. He knew I still wasn't speaking to him but it was more to just give me some space at this point than me actually being mad, so he didn't come around to the cell to try and talk to me, which I was grateful for. Just then Rick came barging into the cellblock.

"Take watch, eyes open, head down," he said to Maggie and she took the rifle and nodded.

Daryl went down the stairs to meet Rick as he was explaining what he saw.

"Field's filled with walkers," he said, "I didn't see any snipers out there but we're keeping Maggie on watch."

"I could get up in the guard tower," Daryl suggested, "take out half these walkers. Gives us a chance to fix the fence."

"Our we could use some of the cars to put the bus in place," Michonne suggested.

"We cant access the field without burning through our bullets," Hershel said with a sigh.

I put Harry down and joined the group of them at the bottom of the stairs.

"So we're trapped in here," I said, "there's barely any food or ammo."

"We've been here before, we'll be alright," Daryl mumbled to me.

"That's when it was just us," Glenn said, "before there was a snake in the nest."

"Man we gonna go through this again?!" Daryl said advancing on Glenn, "look Merle's staying here. He's with us now. Get used to it."

"Hey," Rick said.

"All of ya'll," Daryl said and stormed back up the stairs to the empty cell he claimed once we started fighting.

"Seriously Rick, I don't think Merle living here is really gonna fly," Glenn said.

"I can't kick him out," Rick said.

"I wouldn't ask you to live with Shane after he tried to kill you!" Glenn spat back.

"Merle has military experience," I cut in trying to help diffuse the situation.

"He may be erratic," Hershel jumped in seeing where I was going, "but don't underestimate his loyalty to his brother."

I couldn't listen to them bicker over Merle anymore and decided to head back up to the cell to check on Harry and attempt to take a nap myself.

Daryl's POV

I heard the rest of the conversation and I was grateful that even though Summer wasn't speaking to me she tried to stand up for Merle. I settled myself down on my bunk and began fiddling with my arrows when Carol walked in and leaned on the doorframe.

"I haven't had a chance to say," she said, "I'm glad you came back."

"Ta what?" I said and sighed, "All this? My wife won't even speak to me or let me near our son."

"This is our home," she said sitting down next to me.

"Ain't no home if I don't have Summer," I said looking down and fiddling with my arrow some more, "this is a tomb."

"That's what T-Dog called it," she said, "and I thought so too until you found me. She will come around. Just give her some time."

I went back to fiddling with my arrow not knowing what to say.

"He's your brother," she continued, "but he's not good for you. He tore your family apart. Don't let him bring you down. After all look how far you've come."

I couldn't help but laugh a little at her last statement and she patted my knee and walked out of the cell. I could hear Summer singing softly to Harry and it made my heart hurt. I just wanted to be in that cell with her, but Carol was right, she needed time. So I continued to sit there fiddling with my arrows before Carl came running in saying that Andrea was coming toward the prison and we all needed to be out in the yard. I sprang out of my bed, grabbed my bow, and headed out to the front yard with Glenn, Rick, and Merle. We were all posed, ready to fire, when Rick told Merle to go. He cleared the area and we ran to the gate.

"Are you alone?" Rick shouted.

"Open the gate!" Andrea shouted back.

"Are you alone!?" Rick shouted again.

"Rick!" she shouted and we let her in the gate.

Rick threw her up against the fence and frisked her before helping her up and leading her inside the prison. The rest of us followed suit. Hershel, Carol, and Summer came into the common room and Andrea immediately went and hugged Carol. Andrea asked about Shane and Lori. Rick looked away and Hershel explained what happened to Lori and Maggie told her that T-Dog hadn't survived either.

"Do you all live here?" she asked.

"In the cell block," Glenn said.

"Can I see?" she asked and started walking forward.

"I can't allow that," Rick said stepping in front of her.

"I'm not an enemy here," she said.

"We had that field and court yard until your boyfriend tore down the fence with a truck and shot us up," Rick said.

"He said you fired first," Andrea said confused.

"Well he's lying," rick stated.

"He killed an inmate that survived in here," Hershel said.

"We like him," I chimed in, "he was one of us."

"I didn't know anything about that," she said, "as soon as I found out I came. I didn't even know you were in Woodbury until the shoot out."

"That was days ago," Summer said.

"I told you, I came as soon as I could," she said.

"What have you told them," she said turning on Michonne.

"Nothing," Michonne said smugly.

"I don't get it," Andrea said, "I left Atlanta with you people and now I'm the odd man out."

"He almost killed Michonne and he would have killed us," Summer said.

"With his finger on the trigger," Andrea said pointing at Merle, "wasn't he the one who kidnapped you? Who beat you? I cannot excuse or explain what Philip has done, but I am here trying to bring us together. We have to work together."

"There's no way to work together," Rick said, "We're going to kill him. I don't know how or when but it will happen."

"We can settle this," she said, "there is room at Woodbury for all of you."

"You know better than that," Merle said.

"What makes you think this man wants to negotiate?" Hershel asked, "did he say that?"

"No," Andrea said.

"Then why did you come here?" Summer asked.

"Because he's gearing up for war," she said, "the people are terrified. They see you all as killers, they're training to attack."

"I tell you what," I said, "next time you see Philip. Tell him I'm gonna take his other eye for what he did."

"We've been taking too much shit for far too long," Glenn said, "he wants a war, he's got one."

She pleaded with Rick to sit down with this Philip and try and work things out. She tried to appeal to our sympathies and better nature by playing on the fact that we'd lost so many people and that we couldn't stand alone like this anymore. I knew Rick wasn't gonna have any of it. So when he told her if she wanted to set things right that she had to help us get inside I was more than supporting him. She shot that down immediately though because she said there were innocent people there. Rick got pissed and stormed out of the cellblock. Andrea left outside with Michonne and I went to try to talk to Summer. She said something about having to feed Harry and stormed up the stairs away from me. I was alone once again and went back into my cell.

Summer's POV

I figured Harry's nap could wait a little longer so Andrea could see him. I heard Carol say to Andrea that she couldn't leave without meeting little ass-kicker and I came out of the cell with Harry following close behind as he was still just learning to walk.

"And you definitely can't go without saying hello to Harry too," I said smiling.

"Oh my God, he's walking!" she exclaimed and walked over to him.

"Yeah," I said and laughed.

She picked him up and hugged and kissed him before putting him down and asking Carol if she could hold the baby. Carol nodded and handed Judith over to her.

"Let me guess," she said, "Daryl named her ass-kicker."

"He did," I said with a laugh.

"That's not really her name," she said.

"Judith," Carol replied.

"What happened to Lori?" Andrea asked.

"During the c-section, Maggie," Carol said, "Carl had to…"

"Oh God," Andrea said.

"T-Dog died leading me to safety," Carol said.

"And Shane?" she asked.

"Rick killed him," I said, "the night we left the farm. The whole Randall thing was a lie."

"Shane loved Rick," Andrea said in disbelief.

"Shane loved Lori," Carol said simply.

"Rick's become cold, unsteady," Andrea said.

"He has his reasons," Carol said, "The Governor, you have to do something."

"I am," Andrea said handing Judith back to Carol.

"You need to sleep with him, give him the greatest night of his life," Carol said, "get him to drop his guard then when he's sleeping you can end this."

"Do you agree?" Andrea asked me.

"Absolutely," I replied and went to put Harry back in his crib while the rest of the group went to see Andrea off.

I went to go make Harry some food and then went back into the cell to feed him before he went down for his nap. Once he finished eating I sang to him softly and rocked him to sleep before gently placing him in the crib. I sat there just looking at him for a while and hoped to God that Andrea followed through with what Carol had told her to do. I couldn't fathom losing him and I had a feeling that the next time we would see the Governor would be our last time for better or for worse. And hearing everything that was said about his numbers and amount of ammunition made me feel like it was for the worst. Maybe Hershel was right. Maybe we should leave, find somewhere else to stay. I was being stubborn believing that Rick was right about staying but the more I thought about it the more I realized how much danger we were in. If we were attacked again we would be out numbered and out gunned.

As night fell we were all sitting in the common room of cellblock and Rick took Judith from the crib where I was keeping an eye on her and Harry. Beth started singing and once I recognized the song I joined in with her. We were doing our best to keep everyone's spirits up even though we knew it wasn't worth it. We kept on singing anyway. I could feel Daryl looking over at me, he always loved it when I sang. I looked up at him and he smiled slightly. I over heard Rick, Daryl, and Hershel talking.

"Some reunion, huh?" I heard Daryl say.

"She's in a jam," Rick replied.

"We all are," Hershel said, "but Andrea is persuasive. This fella's armed to the teeth and bent on destruction."

"So what do you wanna do?" Daryl asked.

"We match it," Rick said, "I'm going on a run."

"We'll head out tomorrow," Daryl said.

"No, you stay here," Rick said, "try to work things out with your wife, keep an eye on your brother. I'm glad you're back, really, but if he causes a problem, it's on you."

"I got him," Daryl said.

"I'll take Michonne," Rick said.

"You sure that's a good idea?" Daryl questioned.

"Well I'll find out," he said, "and Carl. He's ready. You hold it down here."

"You got it," Daryl said.

They finished the conversation just as Beth and I finished the song. We started cleaning everything up and went to head up to bed. Daryl walked over to me as I was walking into the cell and put his hand on my shoulder. I tensed up a bit and then relaxed a little.

"We've gotta talk," he said quietly.

"I know," I said.

"Please, Summer," he said.

"Not tonight," I said, "we can talk in the morning."

I leaned forward and kissed him lightly before walking into my cell.