No Looking Back {Book Two}

23

I woke up to me being carried by someone but I couldn't tell who it is because my vision is blurry. Whoever it is, must've felt me stir a little bit.

"Thank god you're awake Maddie. I was afraid I lost you." He said. Daryl's carrying me.

"It'll take more than that to kill me." I said, slightly smiling. "How long was I out?" I asked.

"About thirty minutes." He said. My vision started getting clearer and I saw tears falling down his cheeks.

"Daryl. Let it out, just let it out." I said. He looked at me then looked back in front of him.

"I was scared you were going to die. I don't want you to die and leave me. When Michonne told me that they took you, I wanted to just go in there and get you but Michonne and Aaron both told me that if I did that I could get us all killed." He said. "When I saw what they did to you, I just wanted to kill them all but I couldn't. Negan saved us both. He even killed Alpha from what he told me. That bitch is dead, she had it coming to her for killing Jesus and for what she did to you. I could've lost you." He said.

"You know why I did it, don't you?" I asked.

"Michonne said you did it to save the two guys who were with you." He said.

"I did. I didn't want them to get hurt or killed because of me." I said. "I want to protect everybody and keep them alive. Even if that means I have to die. If I died keeping everyone alive, then I'll know it was worth it because I helped someone else live longer." I said, starting to cry. "You know I always put everyone else's life ahead of my own and I'll risk my own life to keep someone else safe. You know I would because everyone else's life is more important than my own." I said.

"I know, you're selfless. You don't think about yourself, you always think about others. Have since you were a little girl. When you saw our dad hitting me, you would always run over to try to stop him and you always got hit in the process. I kept telling you to stop doing that but you didn't listen to me, you just kept trying and trying no matter how many times you got hit." He said.

I winced a little bit and I noticed we were at Alexandria. The gate opened and I saw Michonne and Aaron.

"Tell Siddiq to hurry and get to the infirmary!" Michonne shouted. "Don't worry Maddie, you'll make it through this." She said. Pain went shooting through all at once and I screamed out.

"Ahh!" I screamed.

"Mommy! What happened to you mommy?!" RJ shouted.

"Is our mom going to be okay?" Liam asked.

"Is she going to die?" Judith asked.

"We're going to keep that from happening Judith." Michonne said.

"Please live mommy. Please don't leave us, we need you here with us." RJ said, starting to cry.

I was soon laying on a table and Daryl was trying to find Siddiq since they said that they can't find him.

"Where the hell is Siddiq?!" Michonne shouted, staying next to me while holding my hand.

"I'm here! Sorry I just got back!" Siddiq shouted, running into the room.

"Just hurry up and help her!" Daryl shouted. Siddiq looked at my head then everywhere else.

"She possibly has a broken rib and internal bleeding! We have to cut her open to stop the bleeding and to fix the bone. Get the anesthesia! We have to put her to sleep!" Siddiq shouted. I was soon falling asleep after they put the mask on my mouth and nose.

"I'll be right here next to you Maddie. I won't leave your side." Daryl said, holding my hand. Everything soon went black and I fell into dreamland.

I was in a field, looking off into the distance when I heard a familiar voice behind me. I turned and saw Rick.

"Hi Maddie." He said, sitting down next to me. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I'm on the brink of death Rick. I have serious injuries from a group we're fighting. I'm in surgery right now." I told him.

"You'll get through this Maddie, you always do. I'll make sure you get through. I won't let you die." He said.

"But what if I don't live through this? And I leave Daryl without his sister? Leave the kids without their mother? I don't want that to happen, they need me just like I need you but you're not with me anymore. Especially when I need you the most. I need your help to get through this, I don't want to die Rick. I can't let the kids live without their mom and dad. I can't let Daryl lose his sister." I said, a tear falling down my cheek.

"I know you'll make it through this. I believe in you. All of us do." He said.

"He's right Maddie. You're strong, the strongest woman I've met in my life." Paul said, sitting on the other side of me. "We're living through you and we're watching over you. We're watching over everyone. You'll get through this alive, we know you will." He said.

"Maddie, don't lose hope in yourself. You got the strength to get through this and everything that comes at you. You survived everything that's happened to you. And that's because you believed in yourself and you didn't lose hope." Carl said, sitting in front of me.

"But I don't know how much more I can take of this. The reason I got out of there was because of Daryl and Negan. But they can't help me get through the surgery. My life is in Siddiqs hands now until I wake up but that's if I wake up. I have internal bleeding, one or two broken ribs, a head injury, a leg wound from getting stabbed. This is worse than that bullet wound in my neck and worse than that debris going into my leg." I said. "All I can feel at the moment is Daryls hand holding onto mine. I can't feel anything else. I know he's praying for me to make it through and wake up. But I don't if he's prepared for the worst. No one knows if I survive through it and if I do make it through, they don't know when I'll wake up and that's even if I do. It's a 50/50 chance." I said.

"Remember what you told Daryl? If you died, you'll know that it was worth it because you saved people's lives." Carl said.

"If you died, it wouldn't be for nothing. But we won't let you die Maddie, you know that. You have to live on for them. For us." Rick said.

"The surgery is over now Maddie. Now it's up to you when you wake up. But we won't let you die, we'll be up here making sure you stay alive for everyone." Paul said.