Through the Trees

As I had expected, Daryl was gone just as I had expected him to be when I woke up. We couldn't just lay around, there was things that needed to be done.

First thing I did, was go down the stairs and go check on Hershel. He had woken up yesterday, giving us all the impression that he was going to live. Thank God, we couldn't loose him too. "How are you feeling?" I smiled, sitting down next to him on the edge of his bunk.

"Not the greatest, like a piece of me is missing." He chuckled softly at his own joke. "Well, at least you're alive." I sighed, grabbing his hand.

"You weren't here when I woke up. Everyone else was." He pointed out as he looked up at me. "Sorry, I was just so worried. All I could think about was when you took me in; and I just couldn't stand the thought of losing the man who is like a second father to me." I whispered, once more on the verge of tears.

He gave my hand a comforting squeeze before I started talking again. "I told Daryl about Randall, and my past before the farm." I informed him quite simply. "Good, you shouldn't keep that locked up forever. It will drive you insane." He spoke softly.

Before I could say anything, Beth and Lori came into the room with a pair of crutches, and Carl following alone behind them.

Everyone else was outside working.

Lori and Beth helped Hershel up and kept him steady when he started to fall backwards. I stood off to the side with Carl, watching the progress. It was slow, but it was there. "You know, I think I'm pretty steady." Hershel said as he was moving forward. "That's a good start, want to take a rest?" Lori tried encouraging him.

"Rest? Let's take a stroll." Hershel said with a slight scoff. And so, the five of us made our way out of the prison. Everyone seemed all happy and smiles; but my gut was telling me something was wrong no matter how happy I tried to be.

Walking over to Carol, Maggie, and T-Dog - who had just caught sight of Hershel who was up and walking- the feeling in the pit of my stomach only seemed to get worse.Though, Hershel's victory of walking was short lived as walkers started filling the area we were standing in. How did they get in? I thought everything had been sealed off? What's going on?

Maggie ran to help Lori and Carl. T-Dog and Carol moved to close the gate that all the walkers were coming through. I froze for a brief moment before regaining control of my body and moving to help Beth and Hershel. "Daddy, look out!" Beth cried out. Hershel was quick to turn around and knock the walker in the head with one of his crutches. Leading the three of us into a small closed off area, I closed the gate; using one of Hershel's crutches to hold it closed.

"Stay here!" Rick ordered, running past us. "Well, where else would we go?" I huffed, putting my back up against the stone wall.

Everyone else had disappeared. While they were gone, the three of us stay in our spots. The alarms were still blaring loudly. What was going on here, why today of all days is this happening?

Only God knows how long we were sitting there before the loud blaring of the alarms were shut off. Thank Lord they were able to find what they were looking for; but what had made the alarms start going off in the first place?

It was only when Ricks group came back, that we came out from behind the fence where we had taken refuge. There was so much sadness and worry in the air as we all crowded around one another. "You didn't find them?" Hershel question, talking about Maggie, Lori and Carl who had gone back inside the prison when the alarms started going off. "We thought maybe they came out here." Glenn breathing out, looking around as he spoke. "What about T? Carol?" Hershel asked again. "They didn't make it." Daryl sighed, shaking his head.

"That doesn't mean the others didn't. We're going back. Daryl and Glenn, you come with me." Rick was quick to dictate. Hearing the faint sound of a baby crying, I slowly stepped forward and began looking around. "Rick." I whispered, catching the sight from over his shoulder. Slowly, everyone looked over to see what I saw,

Maggie and Carl, both covered in blood- and Maggie carrying a small bundle in her arms. Rick started crying as he realized what must have happened, that his wife wasn't going to be coming back.

Walking over, I took the baby from Maggie's arms, allowing Glenn to take the distraught girl into his arms. I then pulled the bandanna from my back pocket and began trying to clean some of the blood off of the baby's skin. Carl moved to stand next to me, almost eager to see his new baby sister.

"Let me see the baby." Hershel ordered. I quickly carried the nameless girl over to the older man "What are we gonna feed it? We got anything a baby can eat?" Daryl asked, stepping forward as well. "The good news is she looks healthy; but she needs formula and soon or she won't survive." Hershel informed with a sigh. "Nope. No way. Not her. We ain't losing nobody else. I'm going for a run." Daryl growled out, throwing his crossbow across his back.

"I'll back you up." Maggie spoke up. "I'll go too." Of course where Maggie goes, Glenn goes too.

"Okay, think where we're going." Daryl said to Maggie before pulling Beth to the side and whispering something in her ear. Having a sudden idea pop into my mind, my eyes trailed back over Hershel's face for a brief moment as I thought over what to say. "What if I try to feed her? Tide her over tile they can get back with something- even if it doesn't work, it's worth a shot." I suggested in a whisper.

Hershel looked me over for a few moments, before nodding his head ever so slightly. "If you're sure about this, then we can try it. Come on, let's get you set up inside." Hershel agreed.

Hershel accompanied me inside to our cell black, and into one of the empty cells. I felt awkward doing this in front of him; but it couldn't really be helped now could it?

The small baby in my arms latched to my chest almost immediately, and began suckling. It definitely wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world. "I-It's not a lot, but I think it's working." I breathed out. "Alright, I'll be right outside if you need me." With that, he walked away leaving me alone in the cell.

This had been a long shot idea, but I'm glad it worked.

I guess good things could come from my past. After being attacked that night, I ended up pregnant. Even though I ended up miscarrying while I was at the farm, my body still seemed to proceed as if I hadn't.

Once she was finished, I wrapped her body in a while sheet that would be more comfortable for her than Carl's jean vest. She then fell asleep in my arms. Spotting Carl sitting outside the cell, I walked over and sat down next to him. "Hey kid. Want to meet your baby sister?" I offered. "Can I?" He looked up at me with a large smile.

"Of course, you see the way my arms are? Hold your arms like that." I instructed him. He was quick to do as I said, before looking to me for approval. I simply nodded, before leaning down and putting the sleeping girl into his arms. "Be sure to support her head." I instructed, shifting his arms slightly, adjusting the way I was sitting next to him. Carl stayed quiet, holding the girl close to him. "How do you know so much about babies?" He asked, looking up suddenly.

I couldn't help but smile at his curiousness. "Well, I had a baby sister at one point as well. I was about your age when she was born, and I was always the one who babysat and took care of her." I explained simply.

"What happened to her?" Carl asked, looking down at the baby for a brief moment before looking back up at me. I took a deep, steady breath before deciding to answer his question. "I was with her and my father before I ended up at the farm; but we hit a rough patch. Some things happened, and they- well they opted out." I explained with a sigh.

He said nothing after that. No more questions, and his full attention went back to the baby in his arms.

The sun had long since disappeared from the sky. Sleeping calmly, the baby didn't wake up until the sound of Daryl's motorcycle seeped in through the bar-covered windows. The noise caused the baby to stir in Carl's arms and start crying.

Noticing how rigid his body became I moved closer. "Want me to take her?" I asked, slowly standing up. "No, no. I-I've got her." He tried to get the baby to calm down as Maggie and Beth rushed to make a bottle. When Carl couldn't get the baby to calm down, Daryl was the one to step forward and take her into his arms. "I'm sorry." Carl mumbled, disappointed in himself. "Don't be. You didn't know what to do." I was quick to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

beth handed Daryl a bottle, and he was quick to start feeding the baby. It was a rather cute sight to say the least.

"She got a name yet?" Daryl's voice was raspy as he looked around. I stood off to the side, listening to Carl name off the names of our fallen group members as possible names for the girl. It gave me chills as I stood there watching Daryl holding the baby in his arms.

That night, the baby slept in my cell with me. I was the only one with a cell to myself, so I had no objections to watching her through the night.

It's not like I sleep much anyway.