Zedler, M.D. // Daryl Dixon

Chapter Eighty-Seven: Rugged

"Stop it now!" Deanna demands from beside of me. "Rick, I said stop!"

Rick mutters something to Pete before dropping his head onto the ground and pulling a gun out from his pants, pointing it right in my direction. Spencer puts his arm in front of me, trying to shove me back behind him, but I push his arm away and step closer to Rick. I'm not afraid of him.

"Or what? You gonna kick me out?" He tilts his head to the side as he looks at her. Rick goes into another one of his rant speeches, going on about how the people of Alexandria don't know anything about the real world. He's right, but all I can focus on his the expression on his face.

His eyes are filled with the look he gets when he's going off the deep end. I know what it is, because I've seen it so many times. I've felt it. I've had the same look in my eyes. I've been there, and I know that we can't let him get too far. Not here. Not now.

Before I can make a move, Michonne steps up, knocking him in the back of the head. It causes him to fall to the ground unconscious, and I rush to his side to check his wounds.

"Get back to your jobs," Deanna orders everyone, and with hesitation they turn from the scene and head away.

Most people go, but some do stay. Pretty much all of our people stay, along with Deanna, Spencer, and Jessie. Michonne and Deanna talk about what to do with Rick while I look at his wounds, Lucas taking care of Pete.

"Come on, let me get you out of here," Spencer says, placing his hand on my shoulder to try and get me to stand up.

"Spencer, I'm sure you're a great guy, but I don't need your protection, especially not from my family," I snap, already tired of this weird new thing he has going on.

"I'll come check on you later," he mumbles, heading back off somewhere. Man doesn't take no for an answer. That's definitely not a good thing, though. It makes me very uneasy.

"I need to suture some of this facial lacs," I say to nobody in particular. "I need some help getting him back to his bedroom."

Baxly and Glenn offer to help carry him there, and I am so thankful for that. Once they have him laid down on his bed, Beth brings me some supplies and helps me bandage up his face and knuckles. He didn't have anything too bad, but he did have some cuts and scrapes that we take care of. Shortly after we finish, Abraham and Baxly come in to take Rick off into one of the empty houses, saying that Deanna would feel safer with him in there.

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The plan is clear, after talking to Rick. Since everything that happened in the past few days, Deanna decided to call a meeting tonight. Our plan is clear and simple. We say our peace, and if they try to kick Rick out, Carol grabs Deanna, Rick grabs Reg, and I grab Spencer. We tell them we'll slit their throats if they don't let us have the armory, we'll take the guns, and then we'll leave.

It seems a little dramatic, yes, but Rick says we have to protect ourselves, and he's right. If they try to kick Rick out, no matter what they have here, none of us will stay without him.

"Are you going tonight?" Carl asks when I get back home.

"Yeah, I am," I answer, not offering any more information than that. He doesn't need to know.

"I want to go, too," he says, earning a glare from Enid across the room.

"That's not a good idea, Carl," I sigh. "It's going to be dangerous, Carl. I've already lost Caroline and Merle. I can't lose you, too."

"Caroline?" He asks, and I nod. A look of realization hits his face, covering his expression in a frown. "I didn't know you named her. We need to have a memorial for her."