Newly Revised

Ani and Daryl were helping Glenn, Maggie, and a couple of the others dig graves the next morning when Tyreese came running out of the prison hollering. The pair ran up to him and asked what was wrong as Rick came up but he simply told them to follow him down into the tombs. Ani commented about how they shouldn't be down here as Karen and David were sick, only for Tyreese to round on her. Both Daryl and Rick tensed as the large man stared her down, but she simply looked back at him before clearing her throat and asking if they were going to stand around or what. The glare Tyreese gave her was damning to say the least, but he turned around and kept walking. She wasn't sure what to think as the man normally was very calm individual and his outburst was completely out of the blue. It didn't take long to see what had Tyreese in such a state as she ran past him and saw the dark trails down the hall.

They were leading away from the cells Karen and David had been in, which now stood empty with bloodied pillows and stained floors. She followed the trails outside, unable to keep herself from retching at the sight and smell of the burned bodies laying in front of her. It smelled like barbecue, completely disgusting when you combined that thought with the fact that these were human beings. She quickly started coughing when she was done, barely getting it under control as the others caught up to her, Carol with them. Daryl went over and checked on her, though he couldn't quite take his eyes off the corpses, either, and he could understand her reaction.

"You found them like this?" Rick asked the man who was staring at the corpses.

"I came to see Karen...and I saw the blood on the floor. And then I smelled them," he said calmly before yelling, "Somebody dragged them out here and set 'em on fire. They killed 'em and set 'em on fire!" Turning back to Rick, he said somewhat threateningly, "You a cop. You find out who did this and you bring 'em to me. You understand. You bring 'em to me!"

Daryl left Ani's side and walked up to Tyreese, meaning to put a comforting hand on the man's shoulder, "We'll find out who-"

Tyreese just brushed Daryl off, staring at Rick and asked, "I need to say it again?"

"No. No," Rick said, not looking the man in the eye and talking quietly. "I know what you're feeling. I've been there. You saw me there. It was dangerous."

"Karen didn't deserve this!" Tyreese blew up.

"No," Rick agreed.

"David didn't deserve it! Nobody does!" Tyreese continued.

"Alright, man, let's just-" Daryl tried to get Tyreese to calm down again, but the man was too worked up.

He grabbed Daryl, roughly pushing him up against the metal gates of the area and holding him there, "Man, I ain't goin' nowhere 'til I find out who did this!"

Daryl held out his hands to the three standing behind the big man, Ani and Rick having been ready to pull the man off of him. He could tell Ani didn't trust Tyreese as she angrily paced behind him, watching his every movement in case the man did anything else. Daryl couldn't help but sympathize with the man, though, considering Rick had already been through it and he didn't see himself being much better if it were Ani. Tyreese wasn't wrong in that he deserved to find out who had done this to the woman he had fallen for and had every right to be as angry as he was. He didn't need to be attacked just because he was having a bad day; Daryl had had quite a few himself that Ani had talked him out of. It was his hope that all Tyreese needed was a reminder that he wasn't in this alone and they would definitely find out what happened. They all knew Ani wouldn't rest until she knew what had happened and why since the only person it could have been was one within the prison. No one was allowed to harm the people in the group, not even their own, without her executing her own form of justice. Even now, he could see the storm brewing behind her eyes as he looked back at the man who was barely holding himself together.

"We're on the same side, man," Daryl told Tyreese.

"Hey, look," Rick said quietly. "I know what you're going through. We've all lost someone. We know what you're going through right now, but you need to calm down."

Just as Ani was about to tell him not to, Rick put a hand on Tyreese's shoulder and was roughly pushed away as the man yelled at him. Ani stepped up between the two, putting her hands up to show she meant no harm. If she didn't get ahead of the situation with how Rick kept opening his mouth, there was going to be violence. Everyone was running high on emotion even if the only one showing it was Tyreese and the rest of them were trying to remain calm for the man. Rick was trying to be supportive while obviously fighting his own experience back while she was more worried about Daryl with how the big man was reactive. It wasn't as if Ani didn't understand what he was feeling let alone blamed him for feeling it, but they needed to be calm if they were going to put anything together rationally. There had to be an explanation and some kind of clue as to who had perpetrated the crime that had devastated the man in front of her.

"Tyreese, no one is sayin' ya shouldn' be angry," she tried to reason. "Ya have every right ta be. But we should prolly get ya out a here so ya can process this betta. Bein' right where it happened is only goin' ta make it worse for ya."

"She wouldn't want you being like this," Rick said from behind her, making Ani's eyes widen and her head snap back towards him, holding her breath.

"Dumbass!" she hissed just as Daryl yelled for her.

She missed the initial movement, but was able to dodge out of the way in time for Rick to catch the fist Tyreese had thrown, not caring he was about to go through her to do it. She spun up around the larger man and caught his arm just before he went to throw another punch in an attempt to get him to stop. She used his own strength to propel herself up and tried restraining him in an arm lock. Even using all her strength, Tyreese managed to simply throw her to the ground with force. Both Rick and Daryl sprung into action as Ani hit the pavement. She wheezed from having the air knocked out of her lungs from impacting solidly with the cement and rolled onto her side while coughing. Daryl tackled the man from behind as Rick began punching him. Seeing what Rick was doing, Daryl backed off, but even after Tyreese was unable to fight back anymore, the man didn't stop. He tried to pull Rick apart and tell him to ease up, but Rick only yelled at him to let him go until he pushed Daryl away completely. He seemed to wake up from his stupor afterwards while Carol helped Ani to a sitting position. She was bleeding from a scrape on her shoulder and Rick's hand was a bloody mess as Tyreese sobbed on the ground beside the fence. Daryl walked over to Ani as Carol went to help Tyreese and pulled her to a standing position and noticed her pale face and the gravel in her voice.

"You alright?" he asked her.

"Stupid a me ta try that," she admitted. "He was a damn football playa. No amount a trainin' is goin' ta let me do that lock and not get hurt in the process. Wasn' thinkin' clearly."

"You sure you're okay?" he asked her seriously as she turned her head and hid a cough from the others.

"Got ta be," she whispered, looking over at the corpses.

"Yeah," he agreed, taking her back into the tombs. "Thought it was just allergies."

"It is," Ani tried to rationalize. "We've jus' been doin' a lot taday. Kickin' up a lot a dust with all the grave diggin' and shite. I'm fine, D."

"Ania, don't lie to me," Daryl told her while rounding on her, knowing they were completely alone in the tombs. "I can see how pale you're gettin'. That wheeze ain't goin' away, either. So don't lie to me."

Instead of answering him, Ani just looked at him with a lost expression, knowing she'd be lying if she said her chest hadn't started constricting. The mild irritation that had her clearing her throat every once in a while throughout the week had grown into a sore throat that she could feel the drainage with, too. While it wasn't excessively worrying to her, with what they experienced the day before followed by what happened to Karen and David, Ani was well and truly scared. Daryl could tell that she was at a loss, so grabbed her arm and brought her into his chest. Sure, he knew that before yesterday it had been allergies, but she had gotten worse ever since yesterday. Holding her now, he could feel how her body was starting to get warm; she always seemed to run cold, especially her hands. Now her palms were warm and the cough she was trying to suppress was starting to sound like Karen's. There was nothing they could do other than wait to see if she got worse, but she was quite obviously trying to deny she was sick. Daryl hated that she would always try to pass something off as something else and wished she would just admit she needed to take a break or wasn't feeling well. He had always thought the worst was happening any time he noticed something was off with her and now he was happy he'd made her talk to the Doc last week.

"This is stupid," she told him. "If I got it, ya could get it doin' this."

"Already exposed," he reasoned.

"D, whoeva did that..." Ani began.

"'Til we know, you're stayin' with me."

"That ain't safe, D, and ya know it. Can' be 'round Judy."

"We'll go to the tower. Ain't like anybody bothers us up there anyway."

"And if it gets worse?"

"Don't think about it."

"D..."

"Don't. Just don't. Gonna go get your tonics. Go to the tower," Daryl told her before leaving her to go to the courtyard as he went to the cell block.

Ani was given no room to argue with the man as she watched his retreating back and allowed herself a moment to let out the cough she'd been fighting, before continuing on her way out of the prison. She made it out of the prison relatively easy, able to avoid the others until she got outside and saw how few people were in the courtyard. Glenn and Hershel were talking about something involving Karen and David, the young man sounding hopeful as he suggested that they could get lucky and not have to deal with any more cases. Ani could only think that they were never truly lucky even before she heard someone else cough louder and worse than she earlier. Walking closer, she watched as Sasha came out of the cell block's entrance, ashen and having problems breathing as she walked to A block. Ani knew that the only thing going to the tower at this point was to help the two of them get through their nerves. Steeling herself, she walked past Hershel and Glenn, saying she was heading to the guard tower and needed to be alone for a while. They both looked at her with a critical eye, or at least what she thought was one before acknowledging her in understanding. She fought against the guilt that was creeping up on her and instead worked steadfastly to get to the tower. Ani couldn't help but sit on the steps waiting for Daryl as the fear she was feeling started coming out in the form of tears she tried and failed to keep from falling.

"Ania? Hey, what's wrong?" Daryl said as he entered the tower with Merle, kneeling in front of her.

"Sasha has it. Heard 'er coughin', looked like shite, havin' problems breathin' and sweatin' up a storm," Ani said before she started to cough, Merle starting to slap her back to try to help. "I got 'ere and it all came out. Could be anythin', ta be honest. Could be the stress a everythin' has my mind goin' in a bad way. Could be the fact that I lost my breath real bad earlia at the fence and did my damnedest ta stave off a panic attack. Could be that I'm jus' too stressed and my body is reactin' 'cause a it and this would a happened whetha or not this damn sickness happened. But it could...the two a ya shouldn' be 'ere. Ya know that, right?"

"After what just happened with Karen and David?" Merle asked. "Are you fuckin' with me or what, girly?"

"Take this and shut up. You're stayin' here with us," Daryl told her, handing her a jar of her tonic.

She opened it and took a healthy sip, grimacing at the taste before handing it back to Daryl, "The two a ya, too. If ya goin' ta be stupid stickin' by me, at least be somewhat smart 'bout it and take the same meds. Daryl's been makin' me take it since 'e realized I was snifflin'. I really did think it was allagies 'til Tyreese threw me. When I couldn' catch my breath 'cause I jus' couldn' get my lungs ta fill up."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Daryl asked her, making a face at the taste as well before handing it to Merle.

"'Cause I didn' want ta worry ya and I really did think nohin' a it!"

"Dammit, baby girl! How often I gotta tell you to stop thinkin' it's nothin' all the damn time!"

"Should have Dr. S check her out," Merle suggested.

"No," Daryl shot him down. "He's in the thick of it. If Ania and Sasha got it, others did too. Ain't havin' her go down just to get worse."

"If othas have it, me goin' might help 'em," Ani said, putting a hand on his.

"If you even have it," Merle countered. "Like you said, all you've got is a cough and tight chest. Could be any number of things that just happened to happen now. You're stay here 'til we know for sure, then we'll handle it."

"Ya two are the biggest idiots in the world," Ani told them as tears began anew.

Merle grabbed Daryl's crossbow as well as the bag he'd brought with him while Daryl bent down and picked Ani up bridal style, carrying her up the stairs. Ani had never once had anyone take care of her when she was sick and she was trying like hell to come up with excuses as to why she wasn't now. The guys spent the evening up in the tower trying to take her mind off of it, Merle sitting in a chair he and Daryl had found and brought back on one of the few runs the trio went on together. They'd specifically brought it up to the tower for Merle to use, even though he rarely stayed, while Daryl was sitting on the bed. He had his back against the wall with Ani curled up on his lap wrapped in a blanket at the men's insistence. She was still feeling fine, she kept telling them, but the tonic began catching up with her until she finally succumbed and fell asleep. It was in the middle of the night that they got their answer as to whether or not she was sick when Ani woke up sounding like she couldn't breath and coughing up a storm, sweating and shaking like a leaf. The men looked at each other and knew what was happening, but said nothing as Daryl opted to pat and rub her back while Merle pulled out some water and more of her tonic. When the coughing finally subsided, she took a drink of the tonic and chased it down with the water only to look at the men in front of her with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she told them. "I told ya ta leave. What if ya get it, too?"

"We'd already be showin' signs, wouldn't we?" Merle asked. "Look at you, girl. Barely able to keep your eyes open. We're fit as fiddles, kid, don't worry about us."

All Ani could do was cry as Daryl pulled his poncho out and put it on her before wrapping the blanket back around her. Merle sat back down in the chair while Daryl laid down with Ani making sure her back was facing their brother as they gave each other a look laced with worry. They knew that things were already grim within the prison, Maggie coming out to give them some food and informing them more had gone to A. Merle had told her they were just taking precautions since she'd been coughing but they didn't want to risk her being with the others. He'd even gone up to the prison to see if there was anything they needed help with at the moment only to return back to the tower just before she woke up. It had been a sorry attempt at keeping his mind off of the little girl who was starting to fall asleep again while giving her and Daryl some time alone. When her breathing evened back out, Merle left the room to go outside for a smoke, motioning for Daryl to join him.

"What do we do now?" Merle asked him. "We tell everyone or just keep her here to recuperate?"

"I don't know," Daryl said honestly though sounding hollow and broken. "I don't, I can't...if she...if she goes, I can't finish it."

"I know," Merle said, looking down. "I don't know if I can either. Just as soon lock her up here and leave it be than do it."

"Damn it, Merle. Of all people, why her? Hasn't she been through enough?!" Daryl said angrily.

"She's strong. And she's smart. She'll get through this. We'll make damn sure she does," Merle told him, turning around and looking through the glass at the sleeping figure. "We ain't losin' our girl." When Daryl gave him a dirty look, Merle simply rolled his eyes, "You know full well what I mean, Darylina. Don't get your panties in a twist."

"Ain't our girl."

"Yeah. She is. She may be your wife, but she's my little sister. That makes her our girl. So shut up and deal with it. We're gonna keep her safe and she'll make it outta this alive. Or don't you remember when I took care of your ass when you got sick with the flu?"

"That was different and you know it!"

"Really? Remind me again what medincine you had to help with that? What money we had to go to the doctor? At least she has her tonic, which seems to be helping seeing as she quits coughin' and her fever goes down when she takes it! All you had was bone broth, snot rags, and a shit ton of blankets and good ol' Merle keepin' you company. What's so different?" Merle pointed out.

"That wasn't killin' people overnight!"

"Seems to me she's gonna get through the night, baby brother. We'll make sure of it."

~x~

"It's spread," Hershel said at the morning meeting. "Everyone who survived the attack in cell block D. Sasha, Caleb, and now others. Where's Ani?"

"In the tower sleepin' right now," Daryl told them, noticing everything in the room as his worry grew by the second. "She, uh, she's got it too. Tonic seems to be workin', though."

"It's helping Sasha and a few of the others as well, but not enough. We've already lost a few."

"So what do we do?" Carol asked, her nervous movements not going unnoticed by the over-aware Daryl.

"First things first. Cell block A is isolation. You should take Ani there and limit your contact with her," Hershel told Daryl.

"Not happenin'. She's in the tower, that's as isolated as it gets. Ain't havin' her in A."

"Daryl, she could be an-"

"No!" Daryl said while standing up. "She's stayin' in the tower, where it's safe and Merle and I can keep an eye on her! All she's doin' is sleepin' right now! What happens if a walker gets in on her when she's sleepin'? She ain't goin' to A!"

"Alright," Hershel said, giving up momentarily. "Either way, aside from Ani, we keep the sick people there like we tried with Karen and David."

"What the hell we gonna do about that?" Merle asked, remembering that they still needed to figure that out.

"Ask Rick to look into it?" Carol suggested, still fidgeting. "Try to make a timeline of who's where and when. But what are we going to do to stop this? You said even Ani has it? She's was the first to start taking the tonic and she still caught it."

"There is no stoppin' it," Hershel told them, making Daryl's shoulders slump even more. "You get it, you have to go through it."

"But it just kills you?" Michonne asked sardonically.

"The illness doesn't. The symptoms do. We need antibiotics for the people who aren't responding to Ani's tonic. How is she doing with it?"

"Stops coughin' for a while, doesn't feel as hot. Sleeps a lot, though. Been sleepin' since early evenin' except when she starts coughin'. A shot of the tonic, and she's good enough to fall back to sleep. Was awake for an hour or so this mornin' before I came here."

"Sounds like she's one of the lucky ones it'll work for."

"Luck ain't got nothin' to do with it," Daryl told them all angrily. "She's never gotten antibiotics for this kind of shit before. The tonic's all she's ever used."

"Well, we need antibiotics," Hershel reiterated.

"We've been through every pharmacy nearby, and then some," Daryl gruffed out. "Got more of Ania's tonic than we do anythin' else."

"That veterinary college at West Peachtree Tech," Hershel said. "That's one place people may not have thought to raid for medication. The drugs for animals there are the same we need."

Daryl contemplated it for only a second before telling them, "It's fifty miles. Too big of a risk before. It ain't now. I'm gonna take a group out." He got up, immediately preparing to leave, "Best not waste any more time."

"I'm in," Michonne said.

"You haven't been exposed," Hershel turned to tell her. "Daryl has, and then some if he's been cooped in the tower with Ani. You get in a car with him..."

"They've already given me fleas," Michonne joked. "Besides, Ani gave me the tonic too. If it's working for her, my bet is it'll work for me just fine."

Hershel chuckled before standing up, "I can lead the way. I know where everything's kept."

Daryl looked at the man uncomfortably before speaking, "When we're out there, it's always the same. Sooner or later, we always run."

"I can draw you a map," Hershel said sheepishly. "There are other precautions I feel we should take."

"Like what?" Carol asked.

"There's no telling how long it'll be before Daryl and his group return. Wouldn't it make sense to separate the most vulnerable? We can use the administration building. Separate office. Separate room."

"Who is the most vulnerable?" Glenn asked.

"The very young," Hershel said.

"What about the old?" Glenn asked, looking at him.

~x~

Carl was packing his bag when Sophia walked in and told him, "This is bullshit."

"Yeah, I know. We could be helping keep guard, and instead they've got us being locked away with the kids," Carl complained.

"Have you seen Ani or Merle? I wanted to say goodbye."

"Not since yesterday," Carl admitted. "Probably staying away like everyone else."

"I hope so," Sophia replied.

"It'll be okay," Carl said, standing up and giving the girl a comforting hug. "We'll stay together and keep everyone safe. And when Ani comes back, we'll show her how much we did."

"I guess," she conceded, returning the hug. "You should finish packing."

They released each other as Carl turned to grab the picture of his mother, father, and him along with the pictures of Sophia, Ani, Daryl, and Merle. Sophia had a picture of her mother as well, but they had been growing further and further apart as Sophia gained her independence. While it was in her bag, it wasn't at the top like Ani and Merle's pictures. The only reason she had one of Daryl was because it was of the group of them, and something Ani had insisted on. While the four of them had made funny faces and smiled in the pictures they'd managed to get, Daryl had scowled the entire time with his arms crossed, looking at Ani instead of the camera. Ani had insisted on getting multiple clicks of the camera with each pose so that they all could have a picture, going through an entire film roll to do it. Sophia smiled as Carl picked up the stack of Polaroids and put them in his bag as his dad walked up.

"It's for your own good," he told them.

"I'm fine. We're fine. And we don't want to be locked away with a bunch of kids," Carl said curtly.

"I need you in there," Rick insisted. "Keeping an eye on Judith and everybody else. Making sure they're safe."

"Ani'd want us on watch," Sophia said.

"Ani's sick," Rick informed them. "I just found out. Merle's gonna be with her in the Dixon tower, keepin' an eye on her. The tonic seems to be working for her, but it's only helping a few of the others. I think she'd want you to be safe, especially now."

"Ani's sick?" they both said at the same time.

"Yeah. Daryl said she's sleeping most of the time and the tonic is keepin' her from coughin' too much, but she's got the same symptoms as everyone else. He and Merle don't have any of the symptoms, so Merle's gonna stay in the tower with her while Daryl goes on a run."

"Why isn't she going to isolation with Dr. S?" Sophia asked him.

"Daryl doesn't want her down there. Says it's too much of a risk with how much she's sleeping. Either way, get your gear and head to the administration building. If anybody gets sick, just let me know," he told them as Carl grabbed his gun and holstered it while Sophia threw her bow and quiver on her back.

"What if they've already turned when I find them?" Carl asked as he did up his pack.

Rick looked around before looking at both kids and telling them seriously, "You don't fire unless you absolutely need to."

"But you know I might need to, right?" Carl asked him quietly.

The only answer he got was a nod of his father's head before Carl reached back and grabbed Sophia's wrist and pulled her with him. He let go of her as soon as they were away from his dad, looking back and shrugging his shoulder as an apology. They'd kind of gotten used to doing that over the last month, pulling each other one way or another either by wrist, arm, or sleeve. Being best friends with a somewhat sibling relationship, Carl and Sophia had become pretty well in tune with each other. Rather than going to the administration building, they both headed right into the field and over to the bottom of Dixon tower. Merle was watching them from the ledge as they reached it with a grimace and a look of understanding all at once. They were pretty worried about Ani, who had been able to talk both of their parents into letting go beyond the fence, both with and without an adult. She had been confident in their capabilities and as such the kids had formed a strong bond with the girl. Ani and Sophia were the closest of the three, but Carl still looked up to the girl for everything she'd taught him. It wasn't a surprise to Merle that they had come looking to see how she was doing let alone that they had refused to go to the administration office right away. Their stubbornness rivaled that of all three of the Dixons anymore and there was no keeping the pair from doing what they wanted.

"Finally heard, huh?" he called down to them.

"How is she?" Carl responded.

"Sleepin' at the moment. She'll be fine. Got her covered and sweatin' to help break the fever and takin' her tonic when she wakes up. If you could bring some more water and leave it at the tower door, that'd be mighty helpful, though!"

"Anything else you need, Pops?" Sophia asked.

"Yeah, go to Ani's cell and get her books. Might as well read somethin' while I'm up here lookin' after her. And another bottle of her tonic, just in case. I don't wanna run out and screw her over."

"You got it!"

The pair ran back up to the prison, dropping their bags off at the entrance of their immanent prison before splitting up. Carl went and got a large bucket of water while Sophia ran to the infirmary and grabbed a medium sized liquor bottle that she'd watch Ani make herself. She really didn't trust any of the replicas made by Dr. S because he was regularly asking her if he had made it right. She didn't want to risk before she ran to Daryl and Ani's cell, catching Daryl coming out of it himself. He had two bags in his hands, his pack that he took with him on runs and one she recognized as Ani's. Sophia figured he was getting some things to take back to the tower with him so he could keep an eye on her. She hated the fact that she had to go to babysit the other kids rather than helping Daryl and Merle with Ani.

"What do you want?" Daryl huffed while steadying her.

"Pops asked for some of Ani's books," she told him honestly.

"Got 'em right here," he told her. "Headin' over to let 'em know I'm leavin'. You comin'?"

"Can I see her?"

"You been takin' the tonic?"

"Yes, me and Carl both."

"You can come up, but stay at the door. She won't want you gettin' close."

"Can Carl come? He's getting water."

"Yeah, I guess," Daryl told her, walking briskly as he led her through the commons and out into the courtyard.

Carl was waiting with a large container of water, having filled it three quarters of the way full as they exited out to the courtyard. Sophia handed Daryl the extra bottle of tonic before going over to stand next to Carl and helped him lift and carry the container. With Daryl opening and closing the gates for them, the two teens were able to carry the water without splashing or spilling too much of it. He told them to leave it at the bottom inside the tower; Merle could come get it as he needed without having to carry it up the stairs. After warning them once again that they couldn't come in or get close, just stand by the door, he let them head up ahead of him. Yelling for Merle to open the door, he went around the kids and entered the room, immediately heading towards Ani, who was actually awake. She was so pale and looked so weak compared to how she normally was that Sophia had to do her best not to say anything. Her sister had been the strongest person she'd ever known and to see her as she was now intensified her worry about everyone who had it so far. It hadn't been entirely real to the kids even after what had happened in D but seeing how bad Ani looked forced them to rethink their stance. Neither wanted to be stuck in the administration building now that they saw just how bad the illness really was.

"You okay?" Daryl asked Ani, taking her face into his hands and checking her temperature.

"Not really," she said weakly.

"Kids're here. Wanted to see you."

"Why'd you let them come up?" she asked him, shaking her head out of his hands as she stifled a cough.

"We're not coming in," she heard Carl say, Daryl moving aside so she could see the pair across the room.

"Still, shouldn' be here. They've been exposed, now the two a ya have."

"We've been taking the tonic with the rest of the kids, just like you. We'll be fine," Sophia said. "I made sure to grab one of the bottles I watched you make, just in case Dr. S did it wrong."

"Yeah, and we brought some more-" Carl was trying to tell her about the water when she started coughing horribly. "Is she gonna be okay?"

"She'll be fine," Daryl answered angrily before handing Ani the tonic and some water. "Just gotta keep takin' the tonic, sleepin', and keepin' warm. Nothin' we can't handle. Right, baby girl?" he crooned at her.

"Mmm," she sighed as she leaned her head on his shoulder, already ready to fall back asleep.

"Hey, look at me," Daryl said, moving so that he was kneeling in front of her again. "I'm goin' on a run."

"Nah."

"Ania, I gotta. I gotta get meds for you. The vet school, they've got what we need. I'm goin'. Merle'll be here for you, watchin' over you. Nothin's gonna happen while I'm gone and I'm comin' back with the meds to make you better. So stay tucked up here where it's safe and let me worry about gettin' what you need."

"D, it's dangarous," she slurred before coughing a bit. "I don'...what if...I can'..."

Daryl didn't let her finish her thoughts as he pulled her in for a soft but lingering kiss, "I'm comin' back, and you're gonna be here waitin' for me. Got it?"

Ani just shook her head before he laid her back down and covered her up, tucking the blanket to her chin before handing her his pillow. She grabbed it and held it tightly, trying hard to keep her eyes open; it had quickly been the best way to help her sleep when he wasn't around. He knew his pillow and his poncho both had become a comfort to her over the months both at the prison and over the winter. Leaving both with her would help her stay calm while leaving Merle with her would help him stay calm while he was away from the prison. Daryl bent down and gave her a kiss on her forehead, telling her to sleep and he'd be back as soon as he could. She didn't even hear him leave the tower before the darkness overtook her, chest tight in pain from more than just the illness.