The car was silent as they drove in the caravan, everyone in shock over what just happened. Rick held on tightly to Sarah's hand, their hands resting on her lap, his thumb stroking over the back of her hand with a nervous tick.
Sarah glanced over her shoulder to see Olivia squeezing Bunny to her chest, staring out the window with tear-stained cheeks, holding tightly onto her Nana's hand. Noah sat on the other side of Olivia, the same expression on his face, watching the Georgia landscape go by out the window. Sarah turned back to the front and sighed.
Rick squeezed her hand and tried to give her a reassuring smile, but she knew him well enough to know he was just as worried as the rest of them.
After 30 minutes or so, John pulled over and Rick followed suit. The RV pulled in behind them, followed by Daryl and Christy on his motorcycle. Rick cut the ignition, lifted Sarah's hand to kiss the back of it and opened his door.
Sarah turned to Lisa. "Mom, can you stay here with the kids?" she asked. Lisa nodded. Sarah climbed out and helped Carl into the back of the SUV and locked the doors.
The group met at her front bumper. "So what's the plan?" Daryl asked as TDog climbed on top of the RV to keep watch out for walkers.
"Ft. Benning," Rick replied as John spread the map out on the hood of Sarah's SUV. "We're not that far - maybe a days trip depending on traffic snags."
Sarah tuned out as she noticed Jim leaning against the RV, bent over with a grimace on his face. She made her way over and put her hand on his shoulder.
"Jim?" she asked softly, "are you okay?"
"Yeah," he replied, forcing a smile, but she saw through it. He stood up and she saw a bright red blood stain on his shirt.
"Jim," she whispered, "did you get hurt?" Christy made her way over followed by Shane.
"No, I'm fine. It's old."
"Jim," Christy said, "that's fresh. What happened? I can look at it. I'm a nurse and Sarah here is a physician's assistant. We're trained medical professionals."
"No, I'm fine. It's nothing. Nothing, nothing," he said, sweat forming on his forehead, despite the coolness of the morning. Sarah looked at Christy. He started to look out of it, shaking his head as though to clear the cobwebs.
'Get Rick,' Sarah mouthed to Christy.
When Christy turned to run and get Rick, Shane ran over and grabbed Jim around his middle, pinning his arms to his sides.
"Shane!" Sarah yelled. "Stop! There's no need for this!" Jim struggled to get free, but made no headway.
"Shut up, Sarah!" he yelled back. "Stay the hell out of it!" Sarah scowled. Rick and the rest of the group ran over to them, all of them yelling at the scene in front of them.
"Shane!" Rick yelled, "What the hell? Let him go!"
"No! He's bit! I know it! I think he got bit back at the quarry before we left!"
Sarah gasped. "What?! Are you kidding me?!" She stepped toward Shane. Rick stepped closer to them, putting his arm out in front of her.
"I didn't know for sure because he stayed holed up in the room by himself the whole time we were at the CDC," Shane replied, still holding a struggling Jim. "But I saw him this morning. He was holding his side and looked like he was in pain. Just like when we left the quarry and the whole ride to the CDC."
Rick got in Shane's face. "And you didn't think to tell anyone?! You just let him suffer? What if he died and turned into a walker and killed someone in this group?! One of your kids?! What the hell were you thinking?"
Shane let him go and Dale and Christy each grabbed an arm, holding him up. Sarah stepped closer, grabbing Rick's arm as the two men stood face to face.
"I was thinking that you were too busy trying to fuck MY wife to be a real leader and notice it yourself!" he whispered loud enough for only Rick and Sarah to hear.
Sarah saw red. She let go of Rick's arm and backhanded Shane in the face so hard his head spun to the side.
"I'm NOT your fucking wife anymore, thank GOD for that!" she screamed at him.
Everyone gasped.
Rick grabbed Sarah around the waist and pulled her back. Shane turned his head back and sneered at her, his fists clenched at his sides.
Rick set her down next to Christy, who looked at Sarah with pride written plainly on her face, and turned back to Shane. Rick got close to his face and said something that only Shane could hear. Sarah started to pace, her adrenaline coursing through her veins, both angry at his comment and worried about what else he would say or do about what he now knew about her and Rick.
When he was done, Shane looked pissed but said nothing else. He didn't look at anyone as he sat down on the ground where he was, leaning against the RV and resting his arms on his bent knees, his hands covering his face.
Rick looked at Sarah, his expression both impressed and annoyed. Her heart was still thumping with anger.
"Jim," Rick said, as he stepped in front of him where he was being supported by Dale and Christy, and placed a hand on his shoulder, "tell us what happened."
Jim grimaced in pain. "Let's help him into the RV and let him rest," Sarah said, walking over and opening the door to the RV. Daryl stayed outside with Glenn and Shane to keep watch. John joined T-Dog on top of the RV.
Once Jim was laying down on the couch, Sarah kneeled on the floor by him with Christy, while Rick stood on the steps behind them, and the others crowded around the table, waiting to hear the story.
"I got bit during the raid at the quarry camp," he sighed, shifting positions in an attempt to get comfortable. "I got supplies from the first aid kit on the RV and covered the wound." He coughed and Rick offered him some water. He smiled at her gratefully.
She felt his head. "You are burning up." He nodded and swallowed some more water, pain etched on his face.
"I honesty felt okay - it's just a little bite and I figured the CDC would be able to help me and I didn't want to alarm anyone." Sarah shook her head. "But then we got there and it was just one guy. And I could tell it was hopeless."
Carol sniffled as Lori put an arm around her shoulders.
"I woke up this morning with a headache and fever - but we were all so focused on Jenner and getting out, I just ignored it." He coughed some more. "Now I'm in a lot of pain..." His face scrunched up in pain.
"Can I see?" Sarah asked him. Jim nodded and lifted his shirt.
A small bite wound on his lower right rib cage, the skin barely broken, was oozing blood and green puss. The area around the initial wound was now macerated and clearly infected, red streaks disappearing under the top of his jeans and up to his chest.
"The wound itself is infected, and it's spreading," she said as Christy moved closer. "The wounds I saw in the ER that day were much worse - much deeper," she told her. "I think that's why it didn't take hold as fast as those victims or even TS - 19. He had a much smaller, less invasive bite." Sarah looked at Christy.
"I wonder if we could have excised the wound and prevented the infection from becoming systemic?" Christy pondered. Sarah agreed, her anger coming closer to the surface again.
"Probably. We could have at least tried."
But they both knew it was too late now.
"Jim," Sarah said, "the only thing we can do at this point…is make you comfortable." She stroked his hair on his forehead. He smiled at her sadly.
"I know," he replied, closing his eyes, his breathing becoming labored. "I can tell my time has come." Sarah fought back the tears as she stood up, Rick reaching out to rub her back. She smiled sadly at him and went to get ibuprofen from Dale's medicine kit while Christy set out to help Jim get as comfortable as he could.
The others sat around him, making small talk about his life and his family. Sarah overheard him talking about his wife and daughter who had died in a car accident two years previous due to a drunk driver and how he was eager to be reunited with them. Sarah looked at Christy, the pain from her own similar loss crossing her face briefly. She leaned over to touch her best friend's shoulder. Christy turned her head and wiped her face before looking back at Sarah and gave her a slight head nod that she was okay.
Sarah walked by Rick without a word and went outside to get fresh air. She passed Daryl and Glenn, ignoring them and Shane, who was glaring at her from his post by Rick's truck, and stood behind the RV, her hands on the top of her head as she paced.
She made a turn and ran into a solid wall of muscle. "Oomph!" she let out, grabbing on to two strong arms.
Rick looked down at her, placing his hands on her shoulders.
"Sarah?" he said. "Sweet girl, are you okay?" She shook her head.
"I could have done something!" she yelled out. "I wish - " she said, pushing away from him to pace, "I wish Jim would have told me," she threw her arms in the air. "I wish Shane wasn't such a prick - he could have saved his life - but he was too busy being a petty asshole!" She stopped pacing and stood in front of him. "I wish I could rewind time to twelve years ago and not have married his pathetic ass. This is his fault. He owns this." She was shaking from her anger.
Rick nodded, putting his arms around her shoulders, pulling her to him. She rested her head on his chest, her arms around his middle. "I told him the same thing. Jim's blood is on his hands. No one else - his." He smoothed her hair. "Besides , if you hadn't married him, you wouldn't have Noah and Olivia." She nodded.
"True," she said, "they're the only good things to come of it." She smiled. "There you go again," she laughed. "You and your ability to calm me down." He chuckled and she hugged him tightly. He kissed the top of her head.
"Let's go check on the kids," he replied. She leaned up to peck him on the lips. He smiled and grabbed her hand.
They decided to move forward with their plans to head toward Ft Benning. Christy rode in the RV to help with Jim. They planned to keep him comfortable, but Sarah was curious how quickly he'd go downhill now that he was septic. She had the CB radio ready in case they needed her and they had to pull over.
They were also on the lookout for any stores to find food and fuel for the cars, their supply of both very low.
Lisa sat up front with Rick, while Sarah sat in the back with the kids. Olivia was holding on to her hand tightly, as though afraid to let go, and Noah rested his head against her shoulder. Lori and Carl were snuggled in the third row behind them. No one spoke.
A half an hour later, the CB radio crackled to life. "Sarah," Christy's voice came across, "I think it's time." Rick caught her eyes in the rear view mirror and she nodded.
The caravan moved over to the side of the road. Luckily, a convenience store sat about a half a mile down the road, visible to the group from their position.
Sarah kissed her kids and left them with Lisa and Lori while she went to check on Jim. Rick was outside organizing the watch group and the scout group for the store while she walked into the RV.
Christy was in the back bedroom sitting on the edge of the bed, while Jim lay on his back, propped on pillows and sweating profusely, clearly delusional.
"He's been screaming out in pain and talking out of his ass. The illness has definitely spread to his brain. The question is - what do we do?"
"Jim," Sarah said, as she sat next to him. He opened his eyes and looked at her, his eyes glossy and bloodshot. "Honey. What do you want us to do?"
"Sar…Sarah...let me go. I want to...I need to be with my fam-fam-family." She felt to hands come to rest on her shoulders and knew Rick was behind her. "Just…please…kill me…I can't take this…"
Christy looked at Sarah in fear. Rick squeezed her shoulders.
"Are you sure, Jim?"
"Please," he whimpered, looking into her eyes.
She nodded. Jim smiled and thanked her through his pain, which told her he was lucid enough to know what he was asking her for.
She stood up and turned to Rick. "We need to take him to the woods - no one else needs to see this."
"I'll do it," Rick said quietly.
"Not alone," she told him.
He nodded his agreement and went out to address the group.
"Christy," Sarah whispered to her as her mind raced, "this is the right thing to do. He's suffering." Christy nodded, her eyes swimming with tears.
Daryl walked into the room and nodded at them both, reaching down and gently picking Jim up, cradling him like a baby. Sarah and Christy followed them, and when they got outside, saw the rest of the group, minus Lisa and the children, standing in a line to pay their respects and say their goodbyes.
Daryl carried him into the woods with Rick, Sarah, and Christy. He gently propped him against a big oak tree, per Jim's request.
He looked up at the tree and the sky and smiled. "This is nice. I can see my family," he said. "I'm coming, sweetheart. Daddy's coming, angel."
Sarah's throat clenched, tears forming in her eyes as she tried to hold it together. She looked over and Christy had tears streaming down her face. She put her arm around her best friend and pulled her to her side.
Rick stood in front of Jim and bowed his head. Sarah could see he was struggling. Daryl reached out and grabbed his arm.
"I've got this, man." Rick looked at Daryl, gratitude plain on his face.
"Wait," Sarah spoke up. She approached Jim and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "Go be with your family," she whispered into his ear. He smiled at her.
She turned away and went to Christy, hugging her best friend as Daryl unsheathed his knife.
Rick put his arms around both of them as they heard the knife enter his temple and his labored breathing stop.
They stood there for a moment in silence.
"Rest in peace," Sarah said as she made her way back to the road, Rick and Christy beside her and Daryl just behind them.
When they made it back to the road, everyone looked sad...except Shane, who wore no remorse for what had transpired.
Sarah saw red again, her anger for her ex-husband overflowing. She walked straight up to him, Rick and Christy quickly flanking her, unsure what was about to transpire.
She rose up to all 5'2" of her height. "You are an asshole," she spat out, pushing her finger into his chest. He looked surprised. "Stay the hell away from me. Stay the hell away from my children. Or else."
She spun on her heel and made her way to the SUV, opened the door and slammed it shut.