The air was cold and fresh snow was fallen around the forest floor. The group had to stop, for Carl has a fever. Probably from the nasty weather. Carl leans against a tree, coughing into his arm.
"This place isn't safe. It's to open...to visible." Michone quietly says, looking around the forest for any walkers who could be making there way towards us. Carol grabs a blanket out of her bag and drapes it across Carl's shoulders. He nods at her, his way of saying thanks. I readjust the gun in my hands, looking at my poor boy.
"Y/n, what do you think?" Rick turns to me, looking desperate for a place to stop.
"Michonne is right but I'm not sure how far Carl can go anymore. We could try to find a building or at least a bed of close trees or even a hollowed out rock to be against, so nothing can crawl up behind us."
"Glenn and I can go up ahead. We can search for some place and come back if we find something." Maggie's country accent tells us.
"Nah, nah. There's not point in putting ya in danger." Daryl shakes his head.
"He's right. If Maggie and Glenn go then we may as well all go." Carol rubs Carl's back gently as he closes his eyes.
"Carl's fever is going to get worse if we don't stop soon." Glenn points out.
Carl bends over, vomiting bile and the small amount of water he had earlier. His hand is pressed against the tree as he spews onto the leaves and snow below. I hurriedly walk past Rick and Carol and rub Carl's shoulders and back in large circles.
"We have to stop," I say to the group before turning my head to Carl and saying,
"Don't push yourself to much."
Michonne starts to run ahead and Rick puts a hand out to stop her,
"Michonne!"
Rick mutters a cuss word before running a hand through his curly hair. Carl stands up and falls back against me, groaning quietly. I move the sweaty strands of hair out of his eyes and take his hat off his head so it doesn't fall off or anything else.
"Where is she going?" Daryl walks angrily towards Rick.
"We'll wait for her. She knows what she's doing." Rick motions for everyone to stay put and sit down. I take a blanket out of my backpack and set it down on the snow for Carl to sit on. He does so, leaning against the bark of the tree. Maggie sits down as well and holds Judith close to her body for warmth. We want the little baby girl to stay as far away from Carl as possible, not wanting her to get sick.
"After we find a place to rest we should set out to find a store or pharmacy for medication." Carol speaks to the group. I feel Carl's head fall on my shoulder.
"It could just be the flu." Glenn shrugs.
"The flu isn't like what it used to be. There's no medication now, no bed rest, no chicken soup. You have to keep pushing yourself now. That's not good on the body or the sickness protruding it." Carol tells him, looking at Carl. His complexion is pale, his eyes bloodshot, his skin glossed with sweat. I move the blanket more securely around his shoulders and the front of his body.
After a few more minutes, Rick gets anxious and starts pacing the forest floor.
"Dad, you walking back and forth is going to be the thing that attracts the walkers." Carl mutters, his clammy fingers intertwined with mine.
"He's right." Michonne walks up, her sword being carried by her side.
"Follow me."
***
After about a mile of Carl leaning on my shoulder and limping most of the way, we finally reach an old shed that looks like it was used as a base for someone else a few months back. It was almost like a barn.
"Y/n, see if you can get Carl up that ladder. It's probably warmer up on that landing with all the hay." Rick instructs me once he is done barricading the door with some planks.
"There's probably a bed up there to if someone lived here before."
I put my hand on his back as Carl slowly makes his way up the ladder. I follow behind him. When we are up there I see an old mattress with a quilt on it. I lay a blanket over it before Carl sits on it, shivering.
"You should get warm soon." I whisper, placing his hat by his side.
"I hope." Carl coughs into his arm before laying down. I cover him with the quilt along with the blanket that was draped over his shoulders.
"You'll lay with me?"
"Of course."
Carl moves onto his back and scoots over on the mattress. I lay my head beside his on the pillow and he wraps an arm around my shoulders. I kiss his temple before he closes his eyes and drifts to a sickly sleep.
***
A few moments later, I couldn't get to sleep. My worries kept me from slumber along with the voices from the barn's floor. The voices weren't exactly lullabies. I escape Carl's grasp around me and climb down the ladder. The group has made a clearing of the hay in the middle and placed rocks in a small circle. They used some of the dry hay and wood they found to make a small fire. The group was sat around it, making light conversation or eating and drinking something.
"I'm going to check on his fever." Rick stands up and climbs up the ladder.
A frown draws onto my face and I hug my knees close to my chest. Maggie scoots closer to me and holds a bag of trail mix out. I shake my head.
"Is something the matter? You know you can talk to me. Anytime y/n."
"Maggie, he- Carl, he didn't-you didn't see him get bit or scratched right? He wasn't right?"
"No y/n. Carl's sick. We would have known otherwise." Maggie rubs my back a little and I lay my head on her shoulder. I stare into the wild flames as she whispers,
"He will be fine. Nothing has killed him yet. A fever definitely won't do it."
"Carl's been through so much. He wouldn't let a fever kill him." Michonne says.
Maggie doesn't know that. Michonne doesn't know that. Nobody does.
Rick comes down the ladder and I turn my head quickly.
"He still feels warm. More then before. He woke up for a second. He seems almost delusional. He woke up and all he was talking about was outside how we wanted to see the snow fall." Rick places his hands on his hips and runs a hand down his beard.
I pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh.
"He wasn't bit, right?"
Rick's gaze turns fully towards me. He shakes his head, looking at me with narrowed eyes and parted lips.
My fears get the best of me.
"You should get some sleep." Carol hands me a blanket and points to a small sleeping bag that was left in the corner of the barn. I thank her quietly. She gives me a kiss on the forehead before I turn to walk over there. But I stop, turn around, and say,
"You'll keep an eye on him, right? Please, keep an eye on him."
"Of course." Carol smiles at me and tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear. I nod before tucking myself into the warmth of the sleeping bag and falling asleep.
***
When I awoke it was dark outside and the fire in the middle of the barn was being revived by Daryl who has a squirrel hanging by his belt. I guess that's dinner. I stand up from my makeshift bed and walk over to the fire. I stretch and Daryl looks at me before tending the fire again.
"Hope you're hungry. Got two of these biggens'."
"Can't wait." A cooked meal sounds like exactly what Carl needs. What we all need.
Rick is sitting on the landing, his legs dangling over the edge. I can see his head turns towards The direction where Carl is laying. He's slept for a while now.
Maggie and Glenn are cuddled up by the fire, talking quietly. Carol is helping Daryl with whatever she can. Michonne is sat by the barn door, keeping watch. Rick comes down the ladder and sits down next to me. I look over to him quickly and see teary eyes and pink cheeks.
"Soups on." Daryl hands a piece of the meat to everyone and we all eat like vultures. We were all starving, not having a meal like this in a while. After our tummies are full (some meat out to the side for Carl) we share small talk, even laughing at some things.
"Look who's awake." Maggie nods towards the ladder. I turn around to see Carl about halfway down the climb. I hop up and quickly walk over towards him to help him down. He grabs my hand once he is almost down and squeezes it tightly. I lead him towards the fire where he sits and looks tiredly at everyone.
"How are you feeling?" Maggie asks him.
"Like shit." Even though Carl is feeling so poorly, he smirks a little, causing everyone else to smile.
I yawn, placing a head on Carl's shoulder.
"It's my turn to tell you to sleep." He whispers to me.
"I slept for a while already."
"Not long enough." Daryl comments.
"You should sleep." Michonne gives me a small smile.
Carl gives me a quick smile before placing his forehead on mine.
"I'm okay. Go sleep." He whispers before kissing my forehead.
***
The next morning, the fire was giving off white smoke. I was about to sit up but an arm was draped over me. I roll over to see Carl, over the blankets, slightly shivering, sleeping contently. I move a blanket on top of him, the best I can without waking him. I smile at his slightly parted lip. At this moment I didn't care if I got sick. I kissed below his lips. I moved up, kissing his bottom lip and then both. I run my thumb along his cheek, my grin not leaving my face. I kiss his cheek before moving from under his arm and placing the blanket on top of him more. I walk towards Daryl is packing his bag.
"Where are you going?" I put my holster on and tie my hair half up, half down.
"To find that pharmacy. If Carl doesn't get better in a few days, it could get worse. And we have to get moving soon. I don't like staying in one place fer' to long."
"I'm coming with you."
"Bullshit. Yer staying."
"I want to go. He's my-"
"Your what? Boyfriend? And that makes his run so much more meaningful then the other ones?"
I cross my arms and turn my head. My eyes feel heavy. I hear Daryl sigh.
"Fine. But keep yer mouth shut."
***
"There should be a small town over ere'. There may be a quick stop store or a pharmacy." Daryl keeps walking, his breathe visible in the cold, dense air. As we enter the town, I can see the pharmacy. Daryl keeps walking.
"Hey! It's over here!" I start jogging towards the door. Daryl grabs me by my shirt and pulls me back.
"Are you crazy!? Calm down and stay quiet." Daryl warns me. I glare at him but know that all he does is out of protection and love.
Daryl opens the door quietly, scoping the place out with his crossbow. A walker's moan is heard from my side and I turn and stab him in the skull with my blade. After Daryl kills about two with his arrows, scan the shelves.
"Please tell me you found something." I plead.
"Nothin. We gotta get behind the counter. The door is securely locked. No one's gotten in that thing." Daryl walks to the door that leads behind the counter. He bangs on it angrily.
"Okay, okay, so how do we do that?"
"There's a code panel."
"Okay, so shoot it." I point my gun towards the panel but Daryl moves it upwards.
"This place will be surrounded in seconds by the single shot. Have a screwdriver?"
I dig around in my bag and pull out the screwdriver.
Daryl unscrews the bolts and takes the panel out. Wires are unveiled and he cuts them quickly with his knife. The door clicks and he opens it quickly. We enter the the room. The shelves are stocked with some medicine. Not a lot but what we need. An ear piercing alarm shoots through the pharmacy.
"The security alarm!" I yell.
"Grab what we need and go!"
Daryl and I charge towards the shelves. I take my backpack off and take all the medication I can see. A herd of walkers barges through a loose door in the back and Daryl runs towards me.
"Help me push these shelves over!" He yells. We push the huge shelves over onto the herd. Daryl zips his bag up which is full of medicine. He slips it on and grabs my hand. We run out the front door which is surrounded by walkers. I stab a few of them before following Daryl into the forest. After we are at least a mile away, Daryl bends over, his hands on his knees. I lean against a nearby Boulder and do the same. We look at each other and soon Daryl starts chuckling, a reaction from his nerves leaving his body. I do the same as we look at each other trying to catch our breath but fail because of our laughter.
"Nice job kid. Let's get back."
I feel like Daryl finally accepted me as a part of this group. Maybe even as an adult. We worked together for once instead of arguing and look where it got us. We reached the barn quickly. I knocked on it loudly,
"It's y/n! Open up!"
Glenn opens the door with a grunt and I rush in, taking off my bag. Rick is sat by Carl who is shivering vigorously and being sick in an old pot that someone must have found for him. After he is done throwing up, Carl leans against his dad, his eyes closed, and his breathing fast. Rick sets the pot to his side and hugs his son, his worries increasing by the second.
I open my bag and sort through the medication quickly. I find some flu medicine and bring it towards Rick with my water bottle. I hand Carl two pills which he shakily pops into his mouth with a swig of water. I then take a rag out of my bag, pour some water on it, and run the damp rag over Carl's hot neck and forehead.
I feel Rick's gentle hand on my arm.
"Thank you." He whispers before getting up and walking over to the others to tell them his son's current status. Carl coughs into his arm and then lays his head on me.
"Let that medicine do it's thing Carl. Just relax."
"This place isn't-isn't stable. We should move. I don't want to hold us back." Carl mumbles and coughs. His eyelids can barely stay open and he looks as if he may pass out.
"You're not. Just get some rest. Don't worry, just let your body rest."
I kiss Carl's forehead after he lays down. I run my thumb over his forehead, moving the stray hairs away from his eyes and to the side. Carl's head was placed on my lap and my fingers run along forehead and cheek gently, causing him to fall asleep.
***
"His fever isn't going down but I feel if we keep putting that medicine in him and he gets something to eat and drink, he could get enough strength back to walk a few miles." I tell the group, looking back at a sleeping Carl.
"I don't want him to strain himself to much. Especially in the cold weather." Rick says, tracing a hand down his thick beard.
"I know but what else are we going to do Rick? We can't stay here much longer." Glenn makes a good point.
"But if he can't walk, he can't walk." Carol argues.
"It's just a matter of days, maybe hours before walkers surround this place or people come through here." Daryl stands up.
"And if it comes to that, we deal with it then!" Maggie chimes in.
"I'm trying to prevent that from happening by leaving!"
"Shut up!"
All heads turns towards me; it takes me a second to realize I'm the one who yelled those words.
"I'm sorry but Carl is sick. Really sick, if you guys haven't noticed. As much as we want it to, arguing and yelling won't make him better. Rick is his father. He knows what's best for his son, therefore he will decide. If you don't like his decision, stay or leave. It's your choice."
The group looks at me and then at Rick.
"She's right. We have to keep our heads. Not for my sake, not even for yours, but for his. My son's." Rick mutters, pointing towards the sleeping boy.
"Agreed." Michonne nods.
The group nods, muttering their agreements.
"We'll let his body rest, fight off the infection, then we leave." Carol tells the group.
"Let's get comfortable." Daryl sits on the ground, cleaning his arrows.
***
Carl coughs in his sleep and my head turns quickly over to the boy. I run my hands over my arms, slightly shivering. The blankets are being used by everyone. Glenn and Maggie are snuggled together against the barn's wall, Carol is sleeping in the corner. Michonne is even sleeping next to the door instead of being her paranoid self and keeping watch.
I look over at Carl again who is being watched intently by his father. Rick hasn't left his side. Carl hasn't woken up since I gave him that medicine.
Daryl's low voice startles me,
"You're freezing." Daryl hands me his vest.
"It's not much."
"Thank you." I whisper and kiss his cheek in thanks. He nods at me and sits down, playing with an arrow.
"So, I was thinkin' maybe you could come on the next run with me." Daryl smirks at me. I nudge him and smile a little.
"Sure thing Dixon." I take his vest and wrap it around my shoulders. I look towards Carl.
"Take it and go lay with him. He'll get a better rest."
"Thanks." I give Daryl a one armed hug before walking quickly to where Carl lays on the sleeping bag. Rick looks at me.
"Go to the bed on the landing. I'll watch him." I set a reassuring hand on the man's shoulder. He puts his hand on top of mine and nods. Once he's gone, I lay down. Carl coughs in his sleep and rolls over, immediately putting an arm over my waist.
"Why do you smell like Daryl?" Carl breathes in before yawning. His voice is deep and scratchy.
His hand travels to the bridge of his nose where he pinches it, keeping his eyes shut.
I smile from his remark but mostly just because I love the sound of his voice.
I roll over to face him and put the back of my hand onto his forehead. He hums a little and leans against my hand.
"Your fever is going down." I whisper.
"Mm...good."
"When you're up to it, we have to keep moving."
Carl coughs loudly and groans.
"I'm sorry." My voice is quiet and I trace his bottom lip with my finger softly.
"Can I have more of that medicine please?" Carl asks almost like a child.
I stand up and walk over to the barn doors. I grab my bag but hear a twig snap from outside the barn doors. I take a deep breathe and look through the space of the planks. I don't see anything. As I'm about to pull away, fingers push through the space and grab my hair. I scream and pull away quickly. Moans echo from outside. There seemed to be dozens of them surrounding the barn.
"We gotta go!" Daryl stands up from his spot and grabs the supplies. Maggie grabs Judith from the make shift cradle we made out of a sleeping bag. Rick yells from the landing,
"Get up here now!"
I help Carl off the ground. Carl coughs loudly into his arm and falls against me.
"Come on Carl. We can do this." I help him quickly up the ladder and everyone follows. The barn doors break and the deceased come in one after one. Rick breaks out a glass window and hops out onto a landing. He grabs my hand and helps me down. I help Carl who nearly falls out. Everyone gets out safely and we jump onto the ground. Once Daryl hops down, he signals for me and I help him close the barn doors shut. I run to Carl's side again and wrap an arm around him. Carl and I start to run along with everyone else.
"Run towards the town! There's a house or two there!"
***
We get to the town. We are all out of breath, thirsty, and utterly exhausted. Carl coughs into his arm, doubling over. His legs give out and he collapses onto the ground.
"Shit!" I kneel down by Carl who is fighting to keep his eyes open.
"Come on! In the diner! Let's go!" Daryl shouts and runs into the diner. He quickly clears it out before motioning us all inside.
"Come on Carl." I help him up and we run into the diner. Daryl shuts the door and Glenn and Michonne barricades the door quickly.
Carl falls back onto the floor, his complexion shining from sweat in the poor lighting of the restaurant.
I hold a water bottle up to his lips which he drinks greedily. A few moments later, Carl's head is on mine and he is sleeping once again.
***
A few days later I was helping Daryl pack up all the supplies in the truck.
"Once we get back to the diner with this food, we can maybe cook something. We can see if those generators we found in the cellar actually work."
The diner was turning into a stable home. Not a long term one of course but a mandatory one. It shows just how much our few people could do in a matter of a few days.
"Sounds good. Soup for Carl sounds like a good plan."
"How is he?" Daryl and I hop in the car.
"He's doing better. His fever is down." I open my bag and grab a soda that I found. I open it and take a sip before handing the can to Daryl. He takes a long sip before putting it in the cup holder.
We pull up next to the diner where walkers are trapped on the wooden spears Glenn and Rick set up. Carl opens the door for us and after he closes it, he dives into me for a hug.
"Carol says my fever is all the way down. I'm practically cured." Carl traces my cheek with his thumb. His smile is huge. I haven't seen him like this in a matter of days.
"And that means?"
Carl slams his lips onto mine for a while until he says,
"I can kiss you."
My hands grip his arms and I smile widely.
"Alright, enough with the romance novel! I need help getting the stuff out of the car!" Daryl yells, walking past us with a box.
The Walking Dead tonight!
I don't know if you guys heard but Chandler said that he can't wait for us to see 6x16. He says that Carl becomes a lot like comic Carl and if you have read/seen/heard about comic Carl, you know it's going to be amazing! And some people are saying that he makes a little appearance in 6x15 so let's keep our hopes up and enjoy 6x14 tonight! It's going to be amazing either way :)
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