A/N I'm baaaaaack! Sorry I neglected you guys so long, I never forget, I just don't have as much time to write anymore. I promise to try and get better. Much loves and enjoy! Don't forget to leave me some love! 3
Everyone is in high spirits when, after a few days of rest Hershel is harassing Lori to go outside, or at least walk around the cell block on his crutches.
"Don't you think that's a good first day?" Lori asks after he has paced back and forth a few times "You should rest now and we can do some more tomorrow."
"I'm not ready to go back to staring at the bottom of that bunk again." he protests "Let's go outside."
Sam smiles at his positive attitude and follows the rest of the group outside and everyone else is equally happy to see Hershel up and about, but Beth stays close to get father, just in case. Sam goes down to the gates to see if she can help Rick Daryl and Glenn move the last of the vehicles inside the gates. Oscar and Axel have the promised box of food and are about to be sent on their way.
"We're really gonna send them out there on their own? They won't last the night." she asks Rick from the other side of the fence "It just doesn't seem fair."
The smile is gone from Rick's face when she asks "It's not about fair anymore, it's just about doing what's best for the group Sam. We talked about this."
Before anyone can continue arguing shots draw their attention to the courtyard, walkers have swarmed the area and are going after the people out there. Rick and Glenn take off running to the open gate.
"Sam! Go." Daryl shouts to her before running after Rick.
She turns without a second thought and sprints back up the hill. Maggie and Carol are already there. Sam takes out as many as she can, any that get in her way while making her way back up. Beth and Hershel are safe, already locked themselves behind a fence.
"That gate is open." T-Dog points out.
"Why the fuck is it open?" Sam yells, taking out a walker so Maggie can get Lori and Carl into the block.
There are still so many crowding the yard, even with T-Dog trying to secure the gate, and Sam is quickly running out of ammo.
Daryl reaches the yard only to find walkers, Beth and Hershel are safe, but they're the only ones in sight.
"Where's Lori? Carl?" Rick asks Hershel in a panic.
"Maggie took them inside C block, I lost sight of the rest of them."
A blaring alarm silences everyone for a heartbeat, Rick turns back to the inmates. "What is that? Who is doing that?"
A door slams open behind everyone and they all turn, weapons raised, Sam raises her hands out of instinct.
"I'm sorry." she says, walking out of the guard tower towards them. "I ran out of ammo and lost T-Dog and Carol. There were too many."
"You did the right think, stayed alive." Daryl says loud enough for only her to hear.
Rick, who has been talking to the inmates trying to figure out how the alarms were turned on, and how to shut them off again, turns back to them.
"We gotta find Lori and Carl, shut the alarms off. You," he motions to the inmates "come with us. Sam, stay with Hershel and Beth."
Daryl gives her hand a quick squeeze before he goes and follows Rick, Glenn and the two inmates into the prison. The alarm echos through the prison, bouncing off the cement walls mixed with the increased groaning of approaching walkers. They hurry to their block, Rick ignoring the surrounding walkers, anxious to find Lori and Carl, Daryl covers him until he runs out of sight, he and Glenn take out the rest of the walkers around them.
No luck finding them, Rick switches his focus to shutting off the alarms that are only drawing more walkers to them. Glenn and Axel, the guy with the mustache head off one way, Rick Daryl and Oscar head off the other way.
They slam the doors to the generator room shut, but the crowd of walkers close behind them keeps it from latching. Oscar adds his weight to Daryl's and they just manage to keep any from getting in.
"I got this, go help him." Daryl reluctantly tells Oscar after seeing Rick getting more frantic.
As soon as the big guy moves the door starts to push open more and he struggles to hold them at bay, cursing the lack of traction from him worn down boots as he keeps sliding back. Bracing himself for a move that may or may not work, he yanks the door open and catches the closest walker off gusrd and is able to take him out and finally slam the door all the way shut. The comotion behind the generators draws him over. Oscar has Rick's gun and is aiming it at the sheriff. The punk from the other day is next to Rick, trying to get Oscar to shoot Rick. Daryl raises his knife, ready to go after him if he makes the wrong move.
Sam finally breathes a sigh of relief when the siren cuts out. Hershel insists on waiting for Rick and the others to come out of the building before they go out. Glenn and Axel come out first, followed shortly by Rick, Daryl and Oscar.
"You didn't find them?" Rick asks Glenn.
"We thought maybe they came back out here." he replies, looking around worried, not seeing Maggie.
"We haven't seen them." Hershel says.
Sam sees the edge of Carol's scarf hanging out of Daryl's vest pocket and her eyes start to burn, she looks away and is the first to see Carl and Maggie coming out of the door, even before the babies cries get everyone else's attention. The look on their faces explain everything. They all crowd around the two. Hershel does a quick check of the baby, giving her the ok. Sam offers to take her from Maggie so she and Glenn can embrace. She looks down at the squalling newborn wrapped in her brother's shirt and sniffs back her tears. The baby is alive and healthy, and so is the small seed of hope in Sam's chest.
"We got anything a baby can eat?" Daryl asks, gesturing to the bundle in her arms.
"She needs formuls, and soon. Or she won't survive." Hershel states.
"I'll go for a run before it gets dark. Still got a few hours left." Daryl volunteers.
Sam drifts in and out of the conversation, trying to quiet the baby by getting her to suckle her finger and rocking back and forth gently. After only a minute or two the baby's eyes close and she relaxes into sleep. Sam takes her finger back and swaddles her the best she can in the shirt without waking her.
"I'll go." She says, knowing they're planning a run.
"Lori asked me to keep an eye out for places, I know a few close by." Maggie explains "Most of the roads are so bad though. We'll never get through with a car."
Daryl nods, not wanting to waste anymore time discussing it "I'll take one person on my bike."
"I'll go." Maggie says, when Glenn protests "I owe it to Lori."
The baby squirms in her sleep when Daryl walks over to Sam.
"I'll be back soon," he runs a hand down her arm and gently touches the baby's head "stay safe."
Sam nods and gives him a one handed hug before he leaves. "I better get back inside."
"Go on." he nods and nods at Maggie.
Sam holds the sleeping baby closer to her and watches Daryl and Maggie ride away before going back inside. Carl is still in shock and now Rick is gone. She nudges Carl.
"Come on bud, let's get inside, see if we can't find something for your sister to sleep in."
He nods numbly and follows Sam.
Before too long the baby starts to stir, fussing and weakly fighting her swaddling. Sam loosens them enough for her to get her arms out and sends out a silent prayer for her to stay asleep until Daryl and Maggie get back with food.
Her prayers to unanswered and the fussing evolves into all out screaming, her tiny arms and legs flailing. Sam offers her finger, which pacifies her for the moment and the slow rocking quiets her screaming to an occasional soft cry. She can hear Hershel instruct Beth and Carl on how to get water for the formula heated, but there's only so much they can do without the food.
"Come on Daryl." Sam pleads when everything else fails to quiet the screaming baby, but Sam keeps swaying, needing to do something.
"They're back" Carl says just before Daryl and Maggie make it into the room behind him.
Maggie goes straight to Beth with the formula and bottles, helping her mix up one. Daryl walks to Sam and takes the baby from her and the bottle offered from Maggie.
"She got a name yet?" he asks
Carl shakes his head, "I was thinking Sophia, Andrea, Carol."
Sam's heart clenches as Carl names all the good women they have lost. She watches Daryl finally coax the baby to take the bottle, her cries stop and are replaced by greedy suckling as she gulps down the formula.
"You like that?" Daryl coos to the baby nestled in his arms "Huh? You like that, lil ass kicker?"
He looks up, eyes locking on Sam with a smile before looking at the rest of the group, seeing smiles all around. But all Sam can focus on is how good Daryl looks holding the baby. Her heart just about melts and she allows herself for just a second to think. Maybe someday.