This is short and I'm sorry, but I'm utterly exhausted right now and I wanted to get something up in celebration of the second half of S6 :D
HOW GOOD WAS THAT EPISODE?!?!?!? This is going to sound shallow, but that ep literally got rid of half my problems (in the form of characters) and Daryl was hella badass!!! Although, I'm still utterly terrified for his future.
After a while I decided I would check back in on my dad, kissing the top of Beth's head and rubbing the top of her arm comfortingly before standing. Maggie and Glenn also parted ways, Glenn going back to his post in the doorframe while Maggie looked over to us. I walked towards her, stopping just out of earshot from Beth.
"You okay?" I whispered.
She nodded and looked over her shoulder to the cell dad was in before looking back. "What are the chances of him not waking up?" She whispered back.
"It's too soon to tell."
"Which means not good." Maggie nodded and I honestly couldn't say another word, only gave her arm a light squeeze before heading over to the cell, leaving her and Beth.
I looked down at where Carol still held the towel tightly to the leg.
"Rick ask you stay with him?" I whispered to Glenn, but didn't look away from my father. I figured it would be something along those lines when Rick pulled him aside earlier, especially considering he hadn't moved more than a metre away from the door.
He didn't reply right away, only stared at dad and then I saw him nod his head in the corner of my eye followed by a silent, "Yeah."
"Thank-you." I stated, now looking up to meet his gaze, placing a hand on his shoulder as I walked away once again.
"There's a good chance he won't wake up." I faintly heard Maggie's voice as I was about to walk past another cell. I froze, stopping before I walked past and pressing my back against the wall, listening to the conversation.
"Why are you so eager to give up on him?" Beth asked.
"I'm not giving up on him."
"It sure sounds like it."
"I don't want you to get your hopes too high." Maggie explained as I closed my eyes, a tear falling down my cheek.
She was right. This had been the problem at the farm. I let Beth and dad believe that Annette and Shawn were okay, that they were simply sick and would come back to us. It spared them from the initial pain, something I didn't want to see, something I tried so hard to spare them from, but in the end it only made it worse.
"We're not equipped to deal with something like this." Maggie continued.
"Kat knows what she's doing." Beth stated. "She'll save him." Beth said stubbornly. "And Carol is helping."
"Dad only taught Carol a few things to help with the baby and Kat can only do so much without the proper..."
"They stopped the bleedin'." Beth cut her off.
I couldn't listen to anymore, quickly wiping away that one escaped tear and heading back the way I had come. I walked into the cell where my dad lay, walking around Carol and to the front of the bed. I checked his pulse, listened to his breathing and checked his temperature, squeezing my eyes shut for a moment.
"What is it?" Lori asked.
"He doesn't have a fever which is a good sign, but his breathing is laboured and his pulse is way down."
"I thought you said being unconscious would steady his heart rate which was a good..."
"Not this much." I shook my head, cutting Carol off. "He needs to open his eyes soon or..." I shook my head again and sighed, not capable of finishing the sentence.
"Food's here!" T-Dog's voice echoes through the corridors as he ad Rick came into view, Lori going to them to explain how he was doing. They had apparently been back to the cafeteria.
Once Lori left with Rick and T, Glenn came up between Carol and I, now holding Rick's handcuffs.
"Rick told me to..." He nodded to dad, stumbling over his words. I swallowed back a lump in my throat and nodded, standing up and stepping back, letting Glenn in.
"Kat." Rick called me and I met him outside the cell. "Can Carol handle this for now?" He asked, nodding over to my dad.
"Yeah. There's really nothing else that can be done until he wakes up." I whispered.
Rick nodded, "Alright. We're splitting up the food in the cafeteria evenly and helping them clear out their own cellblock. It could go badly, I don't trust them. I want Glenn here in case..."
"He told me." I nodded, not wanting to hear the words. Glenn was a good choice. I definitely didn't want Maggie or Beth doing it and I wasn't entirely sure I'd recover if it was left to me.
"Daryl is with them now and I'm taking T back with me, but I want someone else; there's five of them." Rick explained. "I know you'd prefer to be here with..."
"No, I'll come." I cut him off. "Might help clear my head."
Rick nodded. "Grab your gun and machete and then some other weapons like hammers that the prisoners can use. The leader's name is Tomas, he's the one you need to watch."
"Yeah, I got that." I whispered before going to get ready.
"You leaving again?" Beth asked as I checked my gun before shoving to back into my jeans where it usually sat.
"Yeah, there're a few things that need to be done. I'm sorry, but Rick..."
"It's okay." Beth shook her head, not needing an explanation. "Just be careful." She nodded. I smiled before giving my sister a hug and placing a kiss on the side of her head.
"Won't be long." I stated before grabbing a hammer and a couple other spare weapons and following Rick out with T-Dog beside me.
They were idiots. That was my conclusion. They were brutal thugs who thought they knew it all, mainly this Tomas guy and I wanted nothing more than kick his ass in front of his little merry band of tough guy wannabes.
"Why do I need this..." Tomas began, holding up the hammer, "when I got this." He pulled out his gun and waved it in the air a little as I rolled my eyes.
"Because like you brain cells appear to be doing, bullets run out and your baby six shooter isn't going to do much." Tomas' eyes narrowed while Rick suppressed a groan, probably regretting bringing me along at this point.
"You don't fire guns, not unless your backs up against a wall. Noise attracts them, really riles them up." Daryl explained calmly, trying to ease the tension from my outburst.
"We'll go in two by two. Daryl will run point with Kat. I'll bring up the rear on my own with you and T covering me." Rick explained, pointing at the small guy. "Stay tight, hold formation no matter how close the walkers get. Anyone breaks ranks, we could all go down. Anyone runs off, they could get mistaken for a walker, end up with an axe to the head."
"And that's where you aim." Daryl added. "These things only go down with a head shot."
"Ain't gotta tell us how to take out a man."
"They aren't men." I chimed in with frustration.
"They're something else." T added.
"Just remember to go for the brain." Rick stated.
They picked up a weapon each and started heading out to get ready. Daryl and I made our way to the front, taking the lead. They prepared their weapons behind us, looking pumped for what was to come while Daryl and I glanced at them and then at each other, exchanging a knowing 'this should be interesting,' look.
What sort of relationship do you think Rick and Kat have? Titles usually help me, like how I labelled Kat and Glenn's friendship. I just haven't landed on an option for Rick. Like he could be fatherly/uncle-y or like an older brother or they could act like close friends that have known each other for years, what? How would you describe it so far with things like him supressing a sigh at her sassing Tomas and in the last chapter when he could tell she was about it lash out at the prisoners and had to go after her to defuse the situation. I don't know, he just knows what she's like. I know everyone in the group does, but I mean... I don't know, my brain isn't working. Just help me.