Captive | The Walking Dead |

39

Isabella's health was rapidly declining in such a short amount of time. One moment she was laughing with Glenn and the next too weak to even lift a hand.

Herschel had to force feed the girl and he prayed Daryl and others would get back soon; he knew she wouldn't last long like this.

He alternated in giving whatever tea he could to Glenn and Isabella, and he hated seeing the people he valued hurting.

Back outside, Rick had arrived back to the prison after a run with Carol.

He returned alone; forced to leave Carol behind. He didn't want to, but she'd revealed to him that she was the one who killed Karen and David.

Leaving her ensued the groups safety but also her own, for if Tyreese found out who knew what he'd do.

Maggie approached him and he nodded her way.

"How are Carl and Judith?"

"Beth's putting Judith down for her nap as we speak, they're both okay," she paused. "I haven't heard anything about them."

Rick was too scared to focus on that, he didn't know what he'd do if Isabella did die.

He went off to find Carl who was in quarantine.

He found the boy sitting on the floor, against the door frame facing the cellblock where Isabella was.

"Still no update," he murmured softly and Rick sighed as he stopped to peer down on his son.

"I have to do something, I hate being in here and not helping," the boy snapped, glaring up at his dad.

"Carl, there's nothing you can do, you have to stay put."

"This is Glenn and Isabella. I thought you cared!!" He stood up and tried to make himself taller.

"I do care! And knowing they're in there hurts more than you know but we have to stay put, and the best thing for you to do is to help Beth in looking after your sister."

"How can you say you care when you've been so cruel to Isabella? When's she done nothing but be the best, you keep shrugging her off, and it's stupid."

"Carl!"

Carl stormed off before Rick could yell at him some more and as much as he wanted to be mad at Carl, he couldn't, because he knew Carl was right.

Isabella had been the best thing that happened to the group, the best thing to happen to Carl, and the best thing to happen to him.

He hated that he'd yet to be honest, he'd known his feelings for her for an extremely long time but he never wanted to admit it.

He wanted to suppress those feelings even more, to just throw them away and never address them, but no more would he hide in the shadows.

He hated the feeling of not being honest with her, he hated seeing her heartbroken face every time she saw him, and he hated that he was the source of that heartache.

And he was an idiot for denying his feelings.

"You're right Carl."

Every step he took to the door leading to her seemed to grow heavy and a part of him wanted to stop and turn around but he was tired of his bullshit.

He had no genuine reason for constantly denying his feelings, and he wasn't going to let himself get in the way anymore.

The door groaned as he pushed through it and Hershel walked to him.

"I need to see her," was all Rick said.

"She's asleep right now, I don't know when she'll wake up."