Chapter 23: Piece Of Me Will Die.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
The monitor rung the same sound. Grating away on Ally's last nerve. Wayne had brought them back to a military camp. It's was full of other survivors, especially doctors and scientists. Austin was on the hospital bed in the middle of the room. Monitors and wires surrounding him and Ally was sat on a stool resting her head on the side of the bed, holding on tightly to his hand.
She was tired, exhausted, sleep deprived. But she didn't care about that, she just wanted to make sure he was okay. She'd even stood and watched as they performed surgery on him, refusing to leave the room, just incase something went wrong, but it didn't. The doctors said he'll live, but the recovery will take some time.
Ally blamed herself. She blamed herself so bad. Her actions were the result of this happening. Austin getting shot was the biggest wake up call she was going to get and she knew that she couldn't pull that kind of crap ever again.
She hadn't seen Wayne yet and she wanted to go and find him, but she didn't want to leave Austin's side. One of the doctors had told her that everyone was settling in, but they'd all have to leave once Austin's fully recovered, because the military camp was full, but they'd happily send them on their way with vehicles and supplies. The doctor had also told her that there was a group of them going to the prison to collect the people there and that way everyone can relax for a while. They'd also collected Frederick and Dez and Dez was being treated by some of the doctors for his bullet wound.
Ally looked over at Austin's pale face and his blood was still on his face. She got to her feet and walked over to the tap. She dampened a cloth and walked back over to the stool and sat down. She reached over and placed it on his forehead and began to remove the blood from his face. She moved the cloth to his arms and removed the dirt and blood from there.
Ally was terrified of when Austin wakes up. She was scared of how he was going to react. She wouldn't be surprised if he didn't want anything to do with her anymore, but she'd rather him give her hell, then actually leave her. She knows she deserves every ounce of anger that Austin has to be aimed at her.
"Ally," She looked over her shoulder and saw Grace sticking her head around the door. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah," Ally replied, her voice croaky.
"How is he?" She asked.
"Fine...It's gonna' be a slow recovery though," Ally explained.
"You should come and wait for everyone from the prison to come back," Grace suggested. "The kids will want to see you."
"I don't wanna' leave him."
"Ally-"
"He never once left me...I'm not leaving him again," She replied firmly.
"Ally, someone will come and get you if he wakes up. We're all worried about you, you need to take your mind off things for a while, its not good for the baby," Grace explained and Ally sighed.
"Only for a bit, then I'm coming back," Ally got up from her chair and Grace held out her hand and she took it.
They walked out of the room and down the corridor. There was military people walking around everywhere and when they walked out into the main room. She could see everyone standing near the door. They walked over and Frederick reached out and wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she slipped into his side.
"How is he?" Lucas asked.
"He's doing okay," Grace spoke for Ally and Sarah appeared at her side.
"How are you?" Sarah asked and Ally looked back at her with tear filled eyes.
"I'm fine," She choked back her sob and then the doors flung open. They all looked over and Mary came running in carrying Tom in her arms and then she was followed by a group of men and they sprinted past her carrying a body between them. Mary spun around and then Nevil, Jasmine, Daniel, Billy, Cal and Tess came running in. Nevil raced over and wrapped his arms around Ally's waist and rested his face against her stomach.
"What's wrong?" Ally asked.
"J-Jess got bit. I-I t-tried to save h-her," He cried and Ally pried his arms off her and she chased after the men. She sprinted down the corridor and opened up the door to one of the hospital rooms.
Her eyes widened, when she saw Jess's squirming body on the bed in the middle of the room. The doctor was walking over with this chainsaw contraption and Ally ran forward snatching it from his hands and throwing it across the room, narrowly missing another doctor.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Ally screeched and Jess's body stopped fitting and Ally saw the bite mark on her arm and a cry escaped her lips. Her hands flew to her mouth and she began to shake her head. "No...no...no."
"We need to amputate it, otherwise she won't survive!" The doctor snapped and Ally reached out and stroked her forehead. Her sobs stopped when she realized something.
"S-She's not hot," Ally stammered.
"So?" The doctor retorted.
"She hasn't got a fever, they always get a fever before they turn and she hasn't got one," Ally explained and the doctor moved Ally's hand away and he checked her temperature. He then placed his finger on her neck to feel for a pulse.
"She's right," He said to the other doctor. "She hasn't got a fever."
"Maybe she's immune," Ally whispered.
"We'll monitor, but if this is just a false alarm and she turns there's nothing I can do, or I can amputate her arm right now," The doctor explained and Ally shook her head.
"You go anywhere near her with the chainsaw and I'll happily cut your head off," She replied flatly and she pushed Jess's hair out of her face.
"Okay, we need to move her to one of the resting rooms," The doctor said and he unlocked the hinges on the bed and he began to push her out of the room. Ally followed after them, but someone grabbed her arm. She spun around and came face to face with Wayne. She looked back at him with teary eyes and then he pulled her into his chest. She began to cry loudly and she fisted the back of his sheriff's jacket.
...
Nevil sat on the bed, which Austin was lying on. He stared blankly at the monitor and then he looked back at Ally who was sat on the stool, staring at Austin. She kept trying to send him messages with her mind, begging him to wake up. She needed him to wake up.
Nevil reached out and grabbed his hand. Ally placed a hand on Nevil's knee and squeezed it slightly.
"I tried...it's all my fault, I took her deep into the prison and I know you said not to, but she was sad and I wanted to cheer her up...now she's gonna' die-"
"Hey, she isn't going to die. She'll make it," Ally assured him.
"Is Austin going to wake up?" Nevil asked.
"He should...I think," She whispered.
"I was mad at you," He murmured. "You left us and I was scared."
"Nevil, I'm so sorry," She reached out and cupped his cheek, then placed a kiss on his forehead. "It won't happen again. I promise."
"I love you."
"I love you too," She smiled back at him and then she ruffled his hair. "You should go and find George and Lizzy. I'm sure they missed you."
"Okay," He sniffled. "Bye," Nevil jumped off the bed and left the room. Ally sat back down on the stool and she reached out and grabbed his hand.
"You need to wake up," She whimpered. "I get that if this is some kind of punishment for what I did and I'm never gonna' stop apologizing for it. I made a mistake, but I don't wanna' lose you...I can't lose you Austin and I need you to wake up for me,because I need you and so does our baby. I swear if we have more after this one, I ain't ever gonna' do something so stupid again. I'm going to learn from my mistakes, but I need you there with me. So, please wake up for me. I don't know what to do without you."
...
"How did you come across these guys?" Wayne appeared at Austin's bedside and Ally looked away from the monitor.
"Austin found a prison. We took over it and then we came across Ronny, Roxana and Cal. Then a month later we found Lucas's group and that's where everyone else came in. They're good people. Cal's a doctor, Lucas is strong, the other women are not weak, the children know how to handle themselves, they mess up from time to time, but they all have kind hearts," Ally explained.
"I looked everywhere for you...Mary explained to me that she told you that I'm your Uncle," He stared into her eyes and she flashed him a weak smile.
"It was probably the best thing I'd heard in a while, but that's what made me cause this mess," She said, nodding at Austin. "I wanted to find you...My friend Steven is dead...Dez got shot. Jess got bit...I promised to be her mom and what type of mom runs away from her children. I can't do this, I ain't ready for it."
"Hey!" He snapped. "I don't wanna' hear none of that. You just did what you thought was right, even though it was wrong. You learn from your mistakes. You're going to be an excellent mom. I may not know the deal between you and Jess, but I know you'd never do anything to hurt her intentionally."
"I promised the same to Nevil and Billy. I met Billy and his dad Derek before Austin found the prison. We'd fallen out and I left him, and then I met them two. We got separated and I thought I was never going to see them again, but then one day Billy came stumbling out of the trees, saying his dad was dead, that he got bit. I took Billy in. Derek did survive, he cut of his hand. He was in Verndale and there he met Sarah, and they both got out with Dez and fled. Then they came to the prison."
"I was there, at Verndale, before I found these lot," He explained.
"Mary told me," She replied. "How did you end up here?"
"I was weak, I hadn't eaten in weeks. They found me and took me in. They were going to make me leave, but I asked them to help me find my group and then we'd leave. They agreed, but we're all staying a bit longer, due to Austin. He needs a healthy recovery."
"I'm just glad you're okay," She whispered. "I bet your glad you've got your hat back."
"My head felt different without it, but from what I've heard you took my spot as leader and wore my hat," He smiled down at her and she returned it.
"I wouldn't let anyone touch it," She retorted and then she looked back at Austin. "He's not gonna' wanna talk to me when he wakes up...I betrayed his trust."
"Austin will come around. From what I've heard he loves you and I could tell that he felt that way back at the farm."
"The farm?" She questioned.
"Well..."
Wayne looked over at Austin. He was storming away from the camp and heading to his tent, which was behind the farmhouse. He played with the rim of his hat and then he coughed, and took off after him.
He knew that Austin was annoyed. It had been three days after Ally's mom had come out of the barn and Ally still hadn't left the farmhouse. He'd caught Austin last night about to go into the room she was in, but Wayne stopped him, knowing he wouldn't be able to get through to her, because no one could. She was in some kind of catatonic state.
Up ahead, Wayne could see Austin lighting a fire of his own, as the sun began to set. Wayne stalked closer and he watched Austin run a hand through his hair and he grumbled loudly. He dropped his crossbow to the ground and sat down next to it. He stared in the fire and Wayne walked over. He sat down next to him and Austin looked over.
"What?" He grumbled.
"You gonna' tell me what's wrong?" Wayne asked.
"Nothing," He murmured.
"Your sulking like a child," Wayne replied and Austin scoffed.
"I ain't actin' like a child," He retorted.
"You know you can admit it," Wayne said.
"Admit what?" Austin sighed.
"That you care about her, or you may even love her."
"I don't have to admit shit to you!" Austin snapped.
"I'm not gonna' judge you," Wayne replied and Austin narrowed his eyes at him. "I think she feels it too. I think everyone knows it, I even think some of them have got bets going on about how long its going to take for you two to get together."
"They're all being fuckin' idiots," He muttered.
"Just talk to me about it."
"What's there to talk about!" He shouted.
"Tell me how you feel about her."
"Tell you what? That since she came here I can't get her out of my goddamn mind and it scares me! If you haven't noticed I don't like talking to people, but with her its different! I try to be horrible and push her away, but it doesn't work! I hate that I feel this way abut her, because what good am I. She'll only end up getting hurt and I'll ruin her life and I don't want to do that to her!"
Ally gulped and she squeezed Austin's hand and she looked back at Wayne. She blinked back her tears.
"He really said that?"
"Yeah, and he meant every word," Wayne replied and Ally turned away and kissed Austin on his forehead.
"What am I going to do if he doesn't wake up Wayne?" She asked.
"He'll wake up," Trish said and Ally looked over her shoulder. "He's gonna' wake up and then he's going to kick your ass! I heard what you did Ally!"
"It was an accident," Ally replied. "I-I wasn't thinking straight."
"Damn right you weren't. You're heavily pregnant and you went on a death mission and my boyfriend got caught in the firing line!"
"I take full blame for that. I know what I did was wrong, but I've just got to learn from my mistakes and try to patch everything back up," Ally explained.
"What if he died!" She snapped.
"Then I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for it. I wouldn't even be able to look you in the eyes right now. I'm sorry for what I did and I won't stop apologizing until I know you can forgive me, but there isn't anything I can do about it. Time travel doesn't exist!"
"Trish, I think your in shock," Wayne said. "I think you should go and see Dez."
"Fine," Trish spun around and left. Ally sighed and she looked back at Austin and she rested her head against his arm. Wayne reached out and ran his hand up and down her back.
"It will get easier...won't it?" She asked.
"Your my niece and I love you, but I can't promise you that," He whispered.
"I know, but it would be nice to hear that...I just wanna' know that Austin's going to wake up and that he's going to forgive me, and that when this baby is born everything will be okay, we'll all be safe and we don't have to worry about closing our eyes. Is that too much to ask for?" She cried. "It's times like this that I just want everything to go back to normal! I hate this, I hate this life. I wish I could go back to when I was about to go to college, back to when my mom and dad were still around. None of us deserve this life, we've been left to defend for ourselves in earth's version of hell! I just want to be able to have a boyfriend, who doesn't get shot because he risked his life for a hat, because of its sentimental meaning! I want a baby that can grow up and not have it's first emotion to be fear! I don't want my baby to learn to kill, but it's gonna' have too, because I'm not always going to be there, because what if I die and what if Austin does, then what? I can't do this, I know I fucked up and pissed everyone off, but no one has ever stopped and asked what's going on in my mind! I hate that I'm scared of going to sleep, I hate that I can't even turn my back without someone dying! Everyone I care about gets torn out of my life. I don't want to lose Austin, but if he wakes up and doesn't want to talk to me or even look at me again, then that's fine, at least he'll be alive that's all that matters now. It's a waiting game and I'm fine with taking the backseat, I'm sick of all the pressure and pain. The fear and the shame...but one day when I eventually do something right and my actions actually make people happy, for once I will feel happy in this hell hole and no one can take that away from me, not those goddamn creepers, and certainly not sick psychotic humans."
...
"Can the baby hear your voice?" Lizzy asked.
Ally was sat on a hospital bed and one of the nurses was placing a stethoscope on her stomach. Lizzy was sat next to her and she had her arms wrapped around Ally's arm and she rested her head against it.
"It's been said that the baby can hear voices," Alice, the nurse said and Lizzy giggled.
"I'm going to be your best friend, but if your a boy I can't be your girlfriend, because I promised George," Lizzy smirked and Ally kissed her head. Harriet walked into the room with a glass of water and she handed it to Lizzy.
"There you go sweetie," Harriet kissed Lizzy on the cheek, then smiled at Ally. "How are you and the baby?"
"The baby's fine, and I'm doing okay," Ally replied.
"I'd say you're further along then you thought," Alice explained. "You're actually around thirty-five weeks."
"What?" Ally squeaked. "No, no, no that can't be right."
"No, I think so," Alice retorted.
"I'm scared, no I need more time I-I-I c-can't b-breathe," She heaved and Alice got up from her chair.
"C'mon take some deep breaths for me. In through the nose and out through the mouth," Alice explained and Ally did what she was told. Lizzy reached out and grabbed her hand and Ally gave it a squeeze. "You need to start taking it easy. I need you off your feet, from now until the birth. I've got some pregnancy books that you can read, which will help ease your stress so you know what to expect."
"O-Okay," She stammered. "You'll be there won't you?"
"I'll be there if you want me to be," Alice replied with a smile.
"You will too, won't you Harriet, you and Julie. I need you both there with me, you two have been like mom's to me and I need you. I-I can't d-do this alone," Ally cried and Harriet stepped forward and wiped away her tears.
"We'll be there, and so will Austin," Harriet said and Ally shook her head.
"I-I'm scared that he won't be," She stuttered.
"Austin wouldn't miss it for the world," Harriet whispered and she kissed her on the forehead.
"Where's George?" Lizzy asked.
"He was with Daniel," Harriet replied. "You should go and meet the other children, they are all very nice."
"Okay mommy," Lizzy walked out of the room and Harriet looked back at Ally and smiled.
"Don't you worry about a thing. You'll be fine, Alice will be here to help you and before you know it you will have your first child," Harriet explained.
"Okay," Ally said. "Thank you."
...
Ally placed her hand on Jess's forehead. It still wasn't warm and she wasn't running a temperature. Ally watched the doctors work around her and she was beginning to panic. She's recovered fine, that meant she was immune. They would want to perform tests on her, and Ally couldn't let that happen and the only thing she could to do was leave, keep Jess safe and out of harms way. She couldn't let them do that to her.
One of the doctors appeared next to her and he had a syringe in his hand, which had a big needle sticking out of the end. Ally reacted instantly and she snatched it from his hands and threw it across the room.
"Don't you dare!" She hissed. "You take her blood and I'll kill you."
"She's immune!" The doctor yelled. "She has the cure we need."
"I don't care. You don't go near her!" Ally shouted back and he glared at her.
"If you don't let me do this, then you leave!" He snapped.
"If that's what I have to do, to keep you away from her, then we'll leave," She replied.
"Her blood could save many lives," The doctor said and Ally growled at him.
"You don't know that! As soon as you get bit the venom takes over your body within minutes, her blood won't stop jack shit!" Ally hissed through gritted teeth. "Leave her be. She is just a child and we've been blessed with a miracle and she gets to live. I'm going to take her back home and I'm going to keep her safe. You're going to stay well away from her and if I find out you've taken her blood. I will kill you."
"Fine, I expect you people out of here before nightfall. I'll go and tell the boss," The doctor stormed off and Ally sighed.
"What have I done now," She whimpered and she rubbed her forehand with the back of her hand.
"Ally?" Gregory stepped into the room and Ally smiled over at him. "You alright?"
"No, we've got to be gone by nightfall," Ally replied.
"What, why?" He asked.
"Because I told them they couldn't take Jess's blood and now we've got to leave," She explained.
"I thought we were going to leave when Austin recovered. He hasn't even woken up yet," Gregory retorted.
"I know," Ally sighed. "And I know I might sound selfish, but I'd rather leave this base, then let them take her blood. I'm not having her become a human dummy. I'm her mom now and I'm not going to let them do that, not now and not ever."
"I'll go and find Wayne."
...
They all gathered in the small meeting room. Wayne stood in front of them all and Ally hobbled over and sat down in one of the chairs. Sarah came over and sat down next to her and she played with the knife attached to her stump. Frederick was nearby and he watched as Dean walked over and rested his hand on Sarah's shoulder and he smiled.
Tess came in holding Jasmine and Daniel's hands and they both sat down on Tess's lap. Mary walked in and Elliot was behind her carrying Tom in his arms. Derek walked in with Billy and Derek sent Ally a smile, which she returned. Lizzy and George ran in hand in hand and Harriet, Julie, Kyle and Lexi came in behind them. Lexi was stirring in Kyle's arms and he rocked her some more and she soon stopped.
Lucas came in carrying Erica in his arms and Grace was tucked into his side. Jack and Cal came in and Roxana and Ronny followed him, holding each others hands. Trish lastly slipped into the room with Gregory and Ally looked around at them all. They were all back together.
The door creaked open and Ally looked over to see Kira walked in with Eric. Ally had completely forgot about them being at the prison. They stood at the back not wanting to draw attention to themselves and Ally sighed, looking away from her.
"Where's Nevil?" Ally asked.
"He's with Austin," Sarah whispered from next to her and Ally nodded her head.
"Okay," She replied.
"Right!" Wayne spoke up and Lucas handed Erica to Grace and he stood next to Wayne, both of them stood tall as leaders, though Ally admired Lucas. Wayne was the one that stood out, because she knew his story and what he's been through to get to where he is now.
"The leader here has said we need to leave," Wayne explained. "I've tried to hold him off and he's giving us three days and then we have to leave."
"We all need to use this time wisely. Rest, clean up, eat as much as you can and then we'll return to the prison," Lucas dictated and Wayne coughed.
"If Austin's not awake by then, he'll have to come back with us in whatever state he's in," Wayne said and Ally sighed. "We have the supplies to take care of Dez and Jess has recovered properly, but we're just waiting for her to wake up."
"Now, there's a lot of us now. Two groups merging, along with different personalities. We need to come together as a team and work together as one. We can't let our personalities clash and cause issues. We need to survive, and we can't do it alone. We need to do it together," Lucas explained.
"I haven't seen the prison yet, but from what I've heard, you've found yourself a sanctuary, a place where we are protected and other people are going to want it. So, we need to keep it guarded and we need to protect ourselves. We've got family and friends to keep safe and I know none of us want to lose one another, or get separated again," Wayne glanced over at Harriet and she gave him a firm nod.
"I am sorry," Ally spoke up. "It's my fault we have to leave."
"Ally, no it's not," Lucas said. "Jess isn't going to become a test thing to them and if we have to leave, then we will. She's apart of this group and we all have to make sacrifices to save family."
"I'm also sorry about what I did. I owe you all an apology and I am sincerely sorry, deep down from my heart. I made a mistake and I'm paying the consequences, it was a stupid and foolish thing to do and I hope you can all forgive me," Ally explained and Trish walked over and she wrapped her arms around her shoulders and hugged her tight.
"Sorry about earlier," She whispered in her ear and Ally smiled at her.
"It's okay," She whispered back.
"What you did was a foolish thing to do," Julie said. "You scared us all, made us all worry and we all got caught up in your mess...but you're family and we're all just glad that you're here now and not dead. You made a mistake, and we're all going to make them. It's okay."
"Thank you," Ally whispered. Nevil raced through the door and he ran into Kyle. He got to his feet and gasped for air.
"AUSTIN'S AWAKE!" He screamed and everyone turned to look at Ally. She gulped and she followed after Nevil. Her heart was pounding in her chest. This was it. She was going to see if Austin was going to talk to her.
They rounded the corner and Nevil flung open the door. Ally paused and she took in a staggering breath, then she stepped into the room. Her eyes searched along the floor and then they landed on Austin who was sat up on the bed.
It was then Ally knew it. He looked straight past her. It was like she wasn't even there. Her heart hit the ground and her whole body felt numb. Nevil turned around, a frown on his face.
"Ally," Nevil whispered.
"It's okay..." She stared at Austin who was staring at something on the wall. "I'm not one to stay where I'm not wanted."
Ally stepped out of the room and slammed the door shut behind her. The sound made her flinch and she let out a cry, then took off down the corridor. She barged past everyone and carried on till the corridors fell empty and she collapsed to her knee and leaned against the wall.
"What have I done!" Ally cried out and she buried her face into her hands and her shoulders shook from her sobs. I wish I could turn back time. Ally sniffled and rubbed her nose. She bit down on her bottom lip and then brought her hands to rub her stomach.
"I'm sorry, all this stress isn't good for you," Ally whispered. "I hope you grow up to be more like your daddy, then you do me."
Ally heard light footsteps and she looked over to see it was Mary. In her arms was Tom and she slid down the wall and looked over at her.
"I followed you. I saw the look in his eyes," Mary said and Ally whimpered.
"I fucked up," She squeaked. "He doesn't love me anymore."
"It might be the drugs he's been given. Give him time to come around," Mary replied and Ally shook her head and she rubbed her right eye.
"He looked right through me. It was like I didn't exist," Ally explained.
"Things will get better," Mary whispered.
"It won't." Ally said. "What do I do now? How can I get past this. H-He was my only reason for carrying on. I was alone for so long in this world and then I found you lot and I met him. I may not have known it straight away, but he's the reason I'm breathing the reason why I'm still alive. I need him to function a-and I-I can't survive without him. It h-hurts so much to know that he doesn't like me anymore. I-I know I-I messed up, I've faced the m-music, but I don't want this to be my punishment. I love him so much that it physically hurts me. When he got shot...oh god my heart...It felt like someone was stabbing me over and over again. It was horrible, I was watching my whole world fall apart in front of my eyes! I-I can't do this...I-I need him."
"Wow..." Mary whispered.
"Mary, if he can't forgive me, then what's the point in me staying here."
"Because of me, because of my sister, because of everyone. We all love you, we've all forgiven you, don't you dare think about leaving us Ally, because we need you and I know you need us too. After everything we've all been through to get back together. You can't just give that up. If you don't have Austin anymore, then we will all help you get through that, but you can't leave. You're about to have a baby and you need us with you at all times. I will be there for you, along with everyone else. I'm sure Austin just needs sometime, and then you two can talk it out."
"I can't move on from him."
"I'm not telling you too. Just give him time," Mary explained.
"If he can't forgive me, then I don't know what I'll do...a piece of me would die inside."
AN: Sorry for the wait! Christmas is coming up and it's been rather hectic for me. Thank you for your responses for the last chapter, I was shocked from all the lovely reviews I got.
Christmas hugs to you all!
Please leave me another review, and I'd like for you guys to suggest me some baby names. I don't know yet what sex the baby is going to be, but I'd like to have your input on it.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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