Coda: Alternate Ending

Alternate Ending

I sit on the side of my hospital bed here at Grady Memorial. I've changed out of the dreadful scrubs Dawn has kept me in since I was brought here and now I wear my jeans and the blood-stained, yellow polo Daryl ruined the last time we were together. Daryl. I still can't believe he's coming here in just a few moments to get me back; he's never stopped looking for me. Carol was brought here yesterday and she told me everything. Daryl's coming for me.

I fall back on the stiff mattress beneath me and close my eyes. I can't resist the tiny smile that begins to form on my lips. I don't know how long it's been since I've last seen my family, but all I do know is that it's felt like forever. My mind won't stop drifting to Daryl and our last moments together before I was taken. I can't stop thinking about his eyes and how they were the last thing I saw before the walkers came out of nowhere. Not a day has gone by that I haven't thought about seeing him again.

A knock on my door brings me back to reality. I sit up and watch Dawn push the door open. She doesn't look exactly mad like I thought she would. She just seems indifferent, I guess.

"They're here," she says.

My stomach flops. I stand up quickly and press my hands against the wrinkles on my sweater. I nod and follow her out of the room. We meet up with the rest of the officers and Carol, who sits in a wheelchair. She hasn't said much since she woke up except for that Rick and the others are coming to rescue us. She's pretty beat up from her accident but she smiles at me when we see each other. I take her chair from one of the cops and push her down the hallway. I can feel my heart pounding against my chest and my palms starting to sweat. It feels like centuries pass before we reach the end of the hall where we wait to meet Rick. I can barely contain my excitement so I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling or crying like an idiot.

We wait in silence until we see the set of double doors at the end of the hall open. The first person I see is Rick. I haven't seen him since the attack on the prison and he looks different. He looks tired. I try not to imagine what they've all been through since the prison. Noah is behind him and then Tyreese and Sasha come into view. Finally, I see him. Daryl walks around Rick and stands next to him. Eventually his eyes find mine and we stare at each other for a long time. I frown when I see the bruises on his face. They look fairly old but a hundred different scenarios of how he got them rush through my mind. I cringe.

"One of ours for one of yours," Dawn finally speaks. Her cold voice echoes and cuts through the tense atmosphere causing me to nearly jump.

"Alright." Rick nods.

Daryl grabs the male cop they have cuffed and walks him over. Someone helps Carol out of her wheelchair and they meet Daryl halfway, exchanging ours for theirs. He watches me as he backs away.

"Now Beth," says Rick.

Dawn takes my arm and directs me towards Rick where they exchange me with the last cop. The second Dawn releases my arm I feel free, like I could just run right out of here and never stop. Rick touches my face and barely smiles. I lean in and he hugs me. We all walk out together again and I don't look back. There is nothing about this place that I want to remember. Everyone finds their time to hug me or rub my shoulder as we make our way through the dim halls. I can feel the excitement growing rapidly inside me with every step that brings me closer to freedom. It feels indescribably amazing to see everybody again but I would be lying to myself if I said I wasn't purposely trying to get to Daryl.

Noah puts his arm around my shoulders and smiles. "We're free, girl," he says and I can't help but let out a laugh of relief.

Everyone walks close together in a clump and talks and laughs and keeps my attention but it's as if they all get tuned out when I feel his arm rub against mine. I look over to find him finally walking next to me. It's hard to see his face because of the shadows but just the energy I can feel from his presence is enough. The emotions running through me at this moment are like nothing I've ever felt before. Only this morning I was convinced I would never lay eyes on him again. Daryl slides his fingers over mine and holds tightly to my hand. The stream of soft daylight begins to come into view as we approach the exit quickly.