Daughter of a Dixon ✔️

40: Quarantine

Getting Dad to quarantine was a nearly impossible task for me to accomplish.

He was the most sick I had ever seen him. As I supported him with an arm around his waist, I could feel the heat coming off of him like a sauna; he had a fever, and boy, was it high. He could hardly stand on his own, let alone walk, so I was basically pulling him along as he dragged his feet, trying to keep upright. I don't even think he was fully conscious, as his head kept leaning towards his chest, but before he could fully pass out, he would jerk himself back awake.

When we finally got down to the quarantine, Hershel was standing outside it, a bandana covering his face, like the one I had to cover mine. That was the one precautionary measure I had taken to protect myself from the sickness, and it was only because Dad refused to move unless I did.

"Sidney, you shouldn't be down here," Hershel said through his bandana, shaking his head at me.

"I know, but... I had to get him here," I said.

Hershel sighed, and bobbed his head in a small nod. "Can he stand on his own?"

I looked up to my dad, honestly not knowing whether he had the strength to support himself. "'M good," he mumbled, almost inaudibly.

He removed the arm he had around my back, and attempted to take a step forward. But, something awful must've hit him, because he let out a low cry and fell to his knees, holding onto the wall to keep himself steady.

"What hurts, son?" Hershel asked, hopping on his crutches to get closer to Dad. "I know it's hard, but I need you to tell me."

Dad winced, clutching his chest and trying to regulate his breathing, which was coming out in smothered, shaking gasps.

"Can't breathe," he muttered, screwing his eyes shut. "Room's spinnin'."

"We're gonna help you, just hang on. Sidney, go find me Rick; we need to get him into quarantine so Dr. S can examine him."

Regrettably, I was frozen in place. I was in shock, staring at my dad with petrified eyes as he fought for his breath. Hershel said something else to me, but I couldn't register it; it was like I was in a trance, trapped in a cloud of my own fear.

"Sidney, go!"

Hershel's yelling was what snapped me out of it, and I darted off as fast as lightning to find Rick.

I ran upstairs and into our cell block, where everyone was gathered considering it was completely dark out. When I laid eyes on Rick, I ran over to him and grabbed his arm in a panic.

"Rick, w-we need you, Hershel, he-.. we-.. I don't know, I-I just-..." I uttered in a frenzy, unable to form a sentence.

"Whoa, whoa, Sidney, calm down. Hey, you need to calm down. Just take a deep breath, and-..."

"It's Dad, he-he's got Swine. We need to get him into quarantine; h-he can't even stand on his own," I interrupted.

That got Rick's attention, and he started running towards A-Block before I did.

When we got back, Dad had fallen onto his back, pressing himself against the wall to keep himself upright. Hershel was standing beside him, trying to help him regulate his breathing. It seemed to be helping somewhat, and for that I was grateful.

"Daryl, hey," Rick said, squatting down in front of him. "You're gonna be fine, okay? We're gonna get you in quarantine, Dr. S is gonna look you over, and he's gonna help you."

Dad gave a meek nod, looking at Rick with exhausted, pitiful eyes. Rick returned the motion, and sighed before sliding an arm around Dad's back. He easily pulled him to his feet, and Dad hooked an arm around Rick to keep himself stable. With Rick supporting him instead of me, the two were able to move much easier.

Carefully, I opened the door to quarantine, and held it for them as they walked inside. I waited for Rick to emerge before I shut it, and when he walked out, he was looking at the ground. He rubbed a hand through his curly hair, and exhaled.

"Come on. We better get back upstairs; we risk exposure down here," Rick said to both Hershel and I.

"I-I'm not leavin'," I said, shaking my head.

Rick snapped his head over to look at me, eyes narrowing. "Sidney, I understand that this is-..."

"No. No you-..." I cut myself off, for the inevitable tears had made their way into my eyes and were choking up my voice. "You don't understand... I-I can't leave him down here."

"You ha-..."

"He's all I have left!!" I exclaimed, a tear falling from my right eye.

Rick sighed at my exclamation, and his eyes turned downcast. "I know you might think that, but it's not true... you're my family, too. You both are."

Then, he outstretched his hand to me, his eyes pleading. "Come on. You can visit him first thing in the morning... he needs his rest, you do, too."

My face fell, and I shifted my eyes to the ground. I knew that Rick was right, but leaving Dad alone, in the dark, scary underground of the prison, was the last thing I wanted to do. But, I also knew that me staying outside the quarantine door all night was the last thing Dad wanted me to do.

So, with a heavy heart, I let out a shaky sigh, and allowed Rick to wrap an arm around me as he lead me back up to the surface level of the prison.

Sorry this chapter is so short, but the next's one is going to be quite long :D