My Damaged Protector

Chapter Thirty ~ Internment

Daryl was the one to shake me awake once we got back to the prison. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and looked around. The sky was still dark, but we were finally back inside the prison gates. He took my hands softly and helped me from the car, handing my bag of supplies over and allowing me to head for Block A. When I approached, there was an axe lodged in the door, making it impossible to open. My heartrate picked up and I ran around to the viewing window down the hall. The glass was shattered and covered the window sill and the floor.

Daryl helped me up over the shards of glass and jumped over after me. "Hershel?" I shouted into the nearly silent air. "Glenn!" Coughing caught my attention from the upper level, Daryl and I instantly running up the stairs. Glenn was laid on the floor with a breathing tube coming out of his mouth with Maggie sat beside him.

"You get the meds?" She nearly begged.

"Yeah. We got them." I dropped the bag and let Bob and Hershel get to work on helping out people. "Where's Jasper?"

"Down a few cells with Lizzie and Max." She pointed and I turned to run over to him.

"Jasper!" I called. "Jazz!"

A little boy with dark brown curly hair stepped out of the cell. "He's in here." The little boy's voice shook. My heart rate picked up as I slid into the cell, stopping by Lizzie.

"Jazz?" I crouched over the bed he was laying on. "Wake up Jasper." I gently brushed his sweaty blonde hair away from his face. His eyes were red and puffy, and he had sweat dripping down his face from his fever. "Bob!" I yelled out of the cell door.

Two sets of footsteps came quickly down the landing and they came in. "What's wrong?" Bob asked while dropping my black bag on the floor.

"Why isn't he waking up?" I turned to look at him.

"It could just be dehydration. I'll give him an IV and meds but then all you can do is wait." Daryl had wrapped me in his arms as Bob worked, hoping to keep me calm. His hands rubbed over my arms, trying to soothe my anxiety and worry for my baby brother. My arms held tightly to Daryl's waist, pressing my head to his chest as I focused on his heartbeat to calm mine.

"Will you stay with me until he wakes up?" I whispered, glancing up into his blue eyes. He nodded so we watched Bob work on my brother. He finished up not long after that, leaving the cell to check on another person. I stepped away from Daryl, moving to sit on the floor beside Jasper and hold onto his little hand. "Hey buddy." My free fingers gently pushed the blonde curls away from his face. Daryl sat down behind me, an arm around my waist as we both just watched Jasper and prayed for the best.

"He's gonna be jus' fine." Daryl reassured me, pressing a kiss to my head.

"I know, I just need him to wake up so I can see that he'll be alright." I leaned back against Daryl's chest and closed my eyes, my head pounding and my heart aching.

"How's the head?" He pressed his fingers gently over my head, feeling for the bump.

"Ill be alright." I brushed off the pain.

"I'm gonna get Hershel." He sat me up then stood and walked out.

I sighed and looked down at Jasper, watching his eyes flutter as if he were dreaming. "Hey Jazz. I need you to wake up, alright? I gotta see those eyes buddy."

"He's been sleeping for the past day." A little girl's voice said from behind me, making me jump. "Sorry, did I scare you?" I turned to see Lizzie looking at me.

"No honey, you're alright." I told her and waved her into the room.

"Where did Mister Dixon go?" She asked and looked around the room.

"He went to get Hershel for me. I hit my head while on the run. Daryl's just concerned for me."

"He likes you." She said bluntly with a smile.

I patted the floor beside me. "How do you know that?" I asked her.

"He's different around you. I guess he kinda acts tough around everyone else, not you, though." She smiled at me softly.

"That's because we've been through a lot." I looked at Jasper, remembering when I lost Elena. "How are you feeling hun?" I placed the hand not holding Jasper's on her head and felt for a fever. "Did Bob look at you yet?"

She shook her head and looked at the ground. "No."

"Alright, when Hershel comes in, I'll have him call for Bob." Jaspers hand squeezed my hand softly and I thought I was imagining it until it happened again, snapping my attention over to the little boy. "Jasper?"

"Skye?" Daryl's concerned voice asked as he rounded back into the cell.

"Jasper, he responded. He didn't wake up, but he moved." A smile spread across my face.

Hershel's boots tapped unevenly on the metal due to the prosthetic Maggie and Glenn had found on a run over the past few months. "What seems to be the matter?" He asked.

"Well, I hit my head on the run and Daryl's probably just overreacting, but would you mind making sure I don't have a concussion?" I rambled and turned my body to face the chair Hershel was pulling over beside the bed.

He held up a flashlight and shinned it in my eyes, had me watch his finger as he moved it back and forth and finally he had me stand up and do some balance checking. "You could have a very mild one, nothing to worry about, but I don't want you having too much time on the computer." He smiled and winked at me.

"Will do Hershel, thanks. Oh, and can you take Lizzie to see Bob for some medicine?" I gently pushed Lizzie forward so Hershel would take her and turned back to my brother. "Thank you." I said over my shoulder to Daryl.

"Fer what?" He leaned against the wall by Jaspers head.

"Doin' everything you did today." My eyes flashed to him then back to my brother. "I think we need to go get some sleep. Hershel is probably going to stay in here with Maggie so Jasper's going to be alright." I stood and kissed my brothers head before taking Daryl's hand and pulling him out of A block and down to C block.

Daryl broke off on the way in, going to talk with Rick while I headed up to change. I tossed my bloody clothes into the corner and pulled on soft sweatpants and an old shirt of Rick's that he no longer wore. I was in the middle of brushing my hair when there was a soft knock on the metal of my cell door. Merle was on the other side of the curtain, his hands in the pockets of his own sleep pants. "Hi." I greeted quietly.

"You alright? Daryl told me what happened on the run." His eyes were filled with concern.

I nodded my head. "I'm fine. Hershel told me to take it easy for a few days. Daryl's just being Daryl."

"Who shoved ya?" He countered.

I groaned. "God, Daryl told you that too?" I rolled my eyes and started to brush my hair again. "Bob had some alcohol in his bag and as we were leaving it fell over the edge of the platform. Walkers got a hold of it and when I went to help, he shoved me backwards harder than I was expecting and I fell, my head hit the metal of the landing." I slowly said as the brush untangled my brown hair.

"Imma stomp his ass." Merle threatened.

I rolled my eyes and smirked into my half mirror. "You and Daryl both. I'm fine."

"Alright, but no one touches you again like that, ya hear, you tell me if anyone hurts ya before Darlina kills the person." Merle said goodnight and walked off to his cell as Daryl walked into mine, closing the curtain.

"Wha' did he want?" Daryl dropped onto my bed and moved against the wall.

"Just checking on me. Seems like I've got a soft spot in both the Dixon men." I laughed and set the brush down again. "Let's get some sleep." I sat on the bed then laid back to cuddle up into Daryl's side. His arms wrapped around me, hands resting on my hips, tracing patterns on the skin that the shirt wasn't covering and sending chills up my back.

"Good night angel." He whispered.

"Angel?" I yawned.

"Yep. Yer my angel." He kissed me head and soon his soft snores filled my ears as his new name for me swam in my head.